Saturday, September 5th
2:00 p.m. Paul Dietrich’s Elemental Quartet
Paul Dietrich’s Elemental Quartet, formed originally in early 2020 and reconstituted about a year-and-a-half later, marks a shift from its leader’s recent large-ensemble projects. The group’s first album, 2024’s A Small Patch of Earth, is Dietrich’s fifth as a leader and presents a markedly different approach from the 18-piece big band used for 2019’s Forward or the nine-piece group utilized on 2023’s 5+4. Emphasizing simplicity, interaction, and improvisation, the album draws inspiration from nature and moves to a more intimate, folk-inspired sound that draws inspiration from nature and was recorded in the open space of a concert hall, inviting listeners to pause and take a deep breath.
To build the ensemble, Dietrich turned to three longtime longtime collaborators. Guitarist Matt Gold’s diverse musical background and experience in a variety of different styles made him the perfect fit for this project. Dietrich and bassist Brian Courage have been making music together since their college days all the way back in 2007. Devin Drobka is one of the more thoughtful and interactive drummers in the Midwest, and also brought a mindset that set the tone for the group.
Praise for A Small Patch of Earth:
“A Small Patch of Earth demonstrates Paul Dietrich’s compositional skills and highlights his more pastoral style… His multi-ensemble dexterity has established him as one of our regional gems.” – Jeff Cebulski, Chicagojazz.com
“…moods akin to a John Ford western, open and majestic.” – Jazzweekly.com
“So one turns with some expectation to Paul Dietrich, a Midwestern trumpet player who seems less interested in yet another display of chops than an exploration of colors, moods, and sonorities in A Small Patch of Earth.” – Richard J. Salvucci, Allaboutjazz.com
4:00 p.m. Wayne Salzmann’s Groove Society
Wayne Salzmann’s Groove Society is a high-energy jazz/fusion/funk ensemble inspired by the legacy of Horace Silver, Art Blakey & Jazz Messengers, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and The Headhunters. Founded in 2010 in Austin, the group held a monthly residency at Elephant Room, recorded multiple live sessions at Monk’s Jazz Club, and performed at the South by Southwest, the Austin Jazz Festival, and Dig Jazz Series.
Groove Society is a vehicle for improvisation, original compositions, and modern arrangements that blend funk, fusion, and jazz; all anchored by the versatile drumming of leader Wayne Salzmann II. A Billboard #1 recording drummer, internationally touring artist, best-selling author, and former university professor, Salzmann has toured and recorded with artists including Eric Johnson, Steve Miller, Joe Satriani, and Mike Stern. The band features a rotating cast of elite collaborators, currently drawing from many of Wisconsin’s top musicians.
6:00 p.m. Clark Sommers WaBaSH
Clark Sommers WaBaSH is the debut recording from a quartet that has, in various configurations, been one of Chicago’s most celebrated working bands for nearly two decades. Bassist Clark Sommers traces his connections with the other members back to the late 1990s when he met tenor saxophonist Geof Bradfield and drummer Dana Hall, building relationships that have encompassed hundreds of gigs and numerous recording projects. The WaBaSH lineup itself grew out of two groups: BaSH, Sommers’ trio with Bradfield and Hall first documented on their eponymous 2013 release; and Dana Hall’s spring, a quartet that, with the addition of saxophonist John “Wojo” Wojciechowski, logged a two-year residency at Andy’s Jazz Club and appearances at the Chicago and Hyde Park Jazz Festivals.
“The music represents a level of musical exploration built on trust only possible through many years of playing as an ensemble,” says Sommers. “It embodies the full manifestation of individual and collective growth of a refined musical vision shared amongst close friends and collaborators.”
All four members of WaBaSH contribute original compositions, each bringing a strongly individual voice to the program. Drawing from John Coltrane, Omette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, and Elvin Jones, WaBaSH builds on the jazz tradition while staking out firmly its own territory.
Sunday, September 6th
2:00 p.m. Laura Caviani Trio
Laura Caviani is a native Minnesotan who, as pianist, composer and jazz educator, has toured across the US, Japan, and Argentina. She directs the Jazz Area at Carleton College, in Northfield, MN. She also collaborates weekly with Chris Bates (bass) and Dave Schmalenberger (drums) at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis. They recently released two recordings: Confluence and Mysterious Thelonious. Recent projects include her duo with Dr. David Milne, called “Tableaux”, which explores jazz interpretations of such impressionistic composers as Claude Debussy, Gabriel Faure, Maurice Ravel, Erik Satie, and others. For her sabbatical through Carleton, Ms. Caviani composed an extended work entitled The Agitators, featuring Carleton’s Choir and Jazz Ensemble. For this commission, Caviani set music to the words of Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, and others. The Carleton Theatre Department has also commissioned Ms. Caviani to compose new music for their production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”.
4:00 p.m. The Art Blakey Project led by Marc Jimos
The Blakey Project is a dynamic jazz sextet dedicated to celebrating the music and legacy of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Bringing together six of Wisconsin’s premier jazz artists—Marty Robinson (trumpet), Marc Jimos (saxophone), Kurt Dietrich (trombone), Mike Kubicki (piano), David Story (bass), and Danny Lueck(drums)—the ensemble performs classic hard bop repertoire with the energy, authenticity, and spontaneity that made Blakey’s bands legendary. Featuring timeless compositions such as Moanin’, Free for All, Ugetsu, One by One, and The Core, The Blakey Project delivers a concert experience that honors one of jazz’s most influential ensembles while showcasing the artistry aof some of the Midwest Wisconsin’s finest musicians.
6:00 p.m. Matt Wilson’s Good Trouble
Few musicians embody the spontaneous energy of jazz like Matt Wilson. The New York-based drummer combines buoyant zeal, idiosyncratic style, infectious humor, joyous swing and an indomitable spirit of surprise. Together, with his universally recognized personal warmth, these qualities have made Wilson one of the most in-demand players and educators on the modern jazz scene, both beloved and respected by his peers, elders and students. Not bad for a mischievous Midwestern boy from Knoxville, Illinois. Whether anchoring an all-star group at the White House juggling tricky rhythmic swerves with his own quartets, celebrating the holidays with his Christmas Tree-O, exploring the poetry of Carl Sandburg, sensitively supporting vocalists such as Dena DeRose, presenting concerts at a neighborhood church or donning a superhero cape to inspire young musicians to embrace their individuality, Wilson approaches music as a man on a mission: fostering lively and passionate connections through music.
In addition to more than a dozen releases as a leader, Wilson has co-led numerous albums including duo outings with Lee Konitz and Steve Beresford, Sifter with Mary Halvorson and Kirk Knuffke, MOB Trio and Trio M with his alliterative partners Myra Melford and Mark Dresser. His discography extends to over 400 albums, including releases by Dewey Redman, Paul Bley, Charlie Haden, Cecil McBee, Ron Miles, Marty Ehrlich and Jane Ira Bloom, among others.
“Good Trouble finds Matt Wilson as boisterous and hard-swinging as ever… [but] has a very serious message about community service.” — Michael J. West, Downbeat