Emerson Hunton Quintet with Greg Ward & Russ Johnson

Kicking off the Isthmus Jazz Festival on Friday, June 1st, 2018 at 8pm, Arts + Literature Laboratory presents Emerson Hunton's new quintet with Greg Ward, Russ Johnson, Ben Cruz and Charlie Kirchen. Angular, long-form composition, spacious improvisation, and high energy free-bop with a veteran horn section. Special guest Fabu, Madison Poet Laureate Emeritus, will open with a reading from her newest book of poetry inspired by jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams. $12 advance tickets are available online at https://emersonhunton.bpt.me or $15 at the door. Online ticket sales end one hour before the show. Doors open at 7:30pm.

Thanks to our Spring Jazz Series sponsors: Dane Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation; HotelRED, Dobhan Restaurant; and Alchemy.

Greg Ward

Greg Ward is a saxophonist and composer who was born in Peoria, IL. Currently based in Chicago, Ward has had the opportunity to perform and record with a varied group of artists like Prefuse 73, Lupe Fiasco, Tortoise, William Parker, Makaya McCraven, Linda Oh, and Mike Reed. As a bandleader, Ward has produced 4 recordings including Fitted Shards: South Side Story, Phonic Juggernaut, Touch My Beloved’s Thought, and Rogue Parade. As a composer, he has also received commissions from the Jazz Gallery in NYC, the Chicago Jazz Institute, the City of Chicago’s Made In Chicago: World Class Jazz Series, and the Peoria Ballet Company. He has also been awarded the New Music USA Van Lier Fellowship in 2012 and a DCASE IAP grant in 2017.

Russ Johnson

Trumpeter Russ Johnson is a recent Midwest transplant after spending 23 years as an important member of New York City’s jazz community. He has seven recordings as a leader or co-leader and performed on more than 75 recordings as a sideman. Russ has worked alongside many of the legendary figures in jazz including Lee Konitz, Steve Swallow, Bill Frisell, and Joe Lovano. In addition, he has recorded and/or performed with a long list of the most prominent musicians currently on the international jazz scene, including Myra Melford, Ken Vandermark, and Tony Malaby. Russ has performed in more than 40 countries across the globe. His groups have recently performed at the Chicago, Winter Jazz Fest (NYC) Hyde Park, (Chicago) and Bergamo, (Italy) jazz festivals.

His most recent recordings, Meeting Point (Relay Recordings) and Still Out To Lunch! (Enja Records) received 4 1/2 & 4 stars respectively from Down Beat Magazine and appeared on many "Best Recordings of 2014/5" lists... Read More

Emerson Hunton

Emerson Hunton is a drummer and composer based in Chicago, IL. His musical approach prizes space and texture, and focuses on blurring the line between improvisation and composition. Recent projects include a duo with laptop improviser/composer Ted Moore, a quintet featuring trumpeter Russ Johnson and saxophonist Greg Ward, and a trio with guitarist Ben Cruz and bass clarinetist Jason Stein. His creative output has been supported by grants and residencies through STEIM, Conservatory van Amsterdam, the CIGSIE board, and Avaloch Farm Music Institute. Emerson has performed nationally and internationally with collaborative jazz quartet Junior Ranger, an ensemble that challenges its members to rethink the boundaries of orchestration and instrumentation, compositional structures, and free improvisation. Junior Ranger recorded and released their debut recording Monster Masks in 2015. Emerson is originally from Minneapolis, MN, and studied with drummer Billy Hart at Oberlin Conservatory of... Read More

Charlie Kirchen

Charlie Kirchen is a Chicago-based bassist, composer, and improviser who's work can be heard with Rooms Trio, The Few, Sfyria Trio, and a quartet under his own name.

Ben Cruz

Ben Cruz is a guitarist, composer, and educator based in Chicago, IL. His music draws from a variety of traditions, combining forward-thinking composition with an emphasis on improvisation. Ben began playing guitar at the age of twelve, and studied jazz and improvisation from New York City-based guitarist Vic Juris. Ben went on study history and jazz performance at Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he was mentored by Bobby Ferrazza, Dan Wall, Jamey Haddad, Jay Ashby, Paul Samuels, and Brian Alegant.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.

Our galleries are open Tuesday through Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday noon to 5pm, and other programs take place throughout the week. Please check the events calendar and education section for details.

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