Caravan
Allen Centennial Garden 620 Babcock Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Johann Nishant
Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble (left to right): Scott Hlavenka, Kevin Tipple, Chris Ruppenthal, Greg Smith.
The Madison acoustic instrumental jazz group Caravan will perform a free concert amid the greenery and flowers of Allen Centennial Garden. The quartet — Christo Ruppenthal and Scott Hlavenka on acoustic guitar, Kevin Tipple on upright bass, and Greg Smith on clarinet, saxophone and auxiliary percussion — plays upbeat music with a storytelling quality, including train whistles and rattling snake tails among instrumentals that transport the listener.
press release: Inspired by the legendary Django Reinhardt and vintage jazz from across the globe, Caravan presents acoustic instrumental music ranging from hot swing to originals to standards done in uniquely arranged styles.
Disrupted last summer by the pandemic, Allen Garden’s popular Sunday concert series returns for its fifth season starting this Sunday, June 20 and continuing through Labor Day with an all-star lineup of local jazz artists. This popular series has enjoyed steady growth since its inception, and this year offers six free concerts held on alternating Sundays from mid-June through Labor Day, from 5:00-6:15 pm, on the Great Lawn.
We’re especially pleased this year that we’ve been able to transpose the entire (cancelled) 2020 series into this year’s. All the musicians we’d planned on last summer, and had to miss, will be performing this year!
There are a few changes this year, in response to re-opening after the pandemic. The garden will not be able to offer any seating or beverages to attendees this summer, so do bring your own lawn chairs and your own refreshments. As always, there is abundant free parking available just steps away in the large lake shore lot just east of the Porter Boathouse.
And, new this year, concert goers will be invited to participate in a raffle at each event. Prizes will include a bountiful fresh bouquet from the garden, band CDs, and a special grand prize at the end of summer.
We’re so happy to bring these concerts back, and look forward to seeing you in the garden this Sunday and continuing through the summer on alternating Sundays through Labor Day.
The Summer Sunday Concert series is supported in part by Dane County 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.
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UW-Madison