Gaines & Wagoner, Ladies Must Swing

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A-team strings: Mary Gaines, left, and Chris Wagoner.

For the first time in two years the Madison Jazz Society presents a live concert showcase. Both Ladies Must Swing, an 18-piece, female jazz band, and the Gaines & Wagoner Trio were formed at Madison Jazz Society end-of-year parties and return to relaunch the MJS concert series. A nonprofit membership organization founded in 1984, MJS paused live performances due to COVID-19; in 2023, they will shift focus from concerts to educational programs.

media release: After more than a two-year COVID induced absence from presenting live concerts, the Madison Jazz Society will resume its presentation of concerts on Saturday, April 23.  The concert will be a Madison Jazz Showcase featuring the Gaines & Wagoner Trio and Ladies Must Swing and will be held from 1-4 p.m. at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 2969 Cahill Main, Fitchburg.

MJS President Linda Marty Schmitz said, “With its announcement in May 2021 that MJS will cease the concert presentation part of its mission in June 2023, we are very grateful to the health care professionals and scientists, along with those who were willing to protect themselves and others by observing COVID protocols, who made it possible for us to be able to again present live concerts that will celebrate the performance presentation history of MJS.  In planning for these last concerts that MJS will present, the MJS Board will present bands MJS members suggested in a recent poll, along with bands that have a special connection with MJS. Such is the case with the two bands that will perform on April 23.”

Madison’s own all-female big band Ladies Must Swing was formed in 1997 to perform at a MJS Year-End party. LMS became Ladies Must Swing, named for MJS President Linda Marty Schmitz (a fact of which she is very proud!) after that very first performance opportunity! Over 25 years later, the band has performed all over the country, including the Tuskeegee Air Base and has welcomed home many US Armed Forces veterans when they have returned from Badger Honor Flight trips. They have recorded two albums, And Swing We Must and Just For A Thrill.  LMS also performed at one of the Society’s Capital City Jazz Fests and at its March 2018 concert, “Here’s To The Ladies,” featuring female composers and lyricists.

In 2017, the Stellanovas led by Mary Gaines and Chris Wagoner, performed for an MJS Year-End party and were a big hit!  They now perform as the Gaines & Wagoner Trio (with Erik Radloff on drums) and will share the stage with LMS on April 23.   An award-winning husband and wife duo, Mary (cello, guitar, bass, vocals) and Chris (violin, mandolin, lapsteel, ukulele, guitar, accordion, vocals) play an eclectic mix of Americana – original and classic tunes ranging from folk to jazz, bluegrass to blues, honky-tonk with a little singer-songwriter on the side.  They received the MusicNotes Lifetime Musical Achievement Award from the Madison Area Music Awards (MAMAs) in 2016.

Tickets for the concert are $15 for MJS members; $20 for non-members and those age 18 and younger will be admitted free.  Doors open at noon.  For everyone’s safety, it is hoped that those who attend MJS events are fully vaccinated and boosted and/or wear a mask at the events. Details can be found at www.madisonjazz.com or by calling 608-850-5400.

Formed in 1984, the Madison Jazz Society is a non-profit, all volunteer organization formed to encourage the performance of and education about jazz.  In June 2023, its focus will be centered on the education portion of its mission under new leadership.  It sponsors a school grant program that awards grants to Wisconsin schools to enhance their jazz education programs and a jazz school residency program that introduces students to traditional jazz.