Darren Sterud Orchestra
For its 31st year, the Isthmus Jazz Fest has expanded from a two-day event to a 10-day celebration of jazz that will bring dozens of acts to venues all over the city June 1-10. This year’s lineup was announced via livestream Tuesday after special Isthmus session with the Ben Ferris Octet.
Featuring a mix of free and ticketed events from local and regional artists showcasing a variety of jazz styles, this year’s festival will also include elements of film, poetry, lecture and children’s programming. Also incorporated is the a Strollin’ State Street event from the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium, plus two full Saturdays of outdoor music on the Memorial Union Terrace. The event is a collaboration from the Wisconsin Union Theater, the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium and Isthmus.
“Our wonderful committee has been hard at work programming jazz shows and events stretching throughout and beyond the entire Isthmus area,” Ilango Villoth, the Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee Jazz Assistant Director wrote in a release. “This grander festival format allows for a wider variety of jazz to be shown and celebrated throughout venues all around the city of Madison.”
The festival’s kickoff event is June 1 at Arts + Literature Laboratory at 8 p.m. Madison’s former poet laureate, Fabu, will recite from her latest books alongside the Emerson Hunton Quintet, a newly formed group based in Chicago known for long-form compositions, spacious improvisations and a high-energy horn section.
Among the highlights is the world premier of “Songs for the Emerging Man,” a new composition from Madison-based flutist and saxophonist Hanah Jon Taylor. Performed by the Hanah Jon Taylor Artet alongside urban poets, the piece is described as “a musical score to the highlights, challenges and triumphs of underprivileged youth growing into manhood.” This ticketed event is Sunday, June 3 at the Madison Opera Center at 3 p.m.
For a full festival lineup, visit the Isthmus Jazz Festival website.
