Maggie Cousin Many-Natured Quintet

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Jim Barnard

Maggie Cousin and saxophone.

Maggie Cousin

media release: Saxophonist Maggie Cousin returns to Madison for the first time as a bandleader since moving to Chicago in 2023, bringing a quintet with Sebastian Roman on tenor sax, Erez Dessel on piano, Aden Stier on bass and Lily Finnegan on drums. Expect a dynamic show drawing on a wide range of traditions from spiritual jazz to blues to modern grooves.

Maggie Cousin is a Chicago based saxophonist and multi instrumentalist. While previously living in Madison, she received a Madison Area Music Award and her work with hip-hop unit D'Funk & the Grease Monkeys was recognized on Tone Madison's top songs of 2022 list.

Sebastian Roman is a tenor saxophonist who performs regularly in Madison playing jazz and fusion Peruana. 2024 saw the release of his project of Peruvian electronic music with the group NSFCL.

Erez Dessel is an improvising pianist and composer living and working in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a BM in jazz piano from the New England Conservatory of Music. Dessel’s work explores the piano as a vehicle for human connection. A primary part of his practice is the history of the instrument as a tool for storytelling and world-building.  Dessel has toured nationally and internationally, including performances in Europe and Korea and festival appearances at Edgefest, the Catalytic Sound festival, the Madrid jazz festival, and the Wels Music Unlimited festival. In 2025, he was selected as an Arts Club of Chicago fellow. He has worked continuously both as a performer and organizer in Chicago, recording in an array of contexts with many internationally renowned musicians, including Ken Vandermark, Tim Daisy, Kim Alpert, and Ben Hall.

Aden Stier is a bassist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from Madison, Wisconsin. A versatile composer and improviser, Aden hopes to draw inspiration from the whole scope of American music. Aden performs regularly in Wisconsin and Illinois as a leader and collaborator.

Lily Finnegan is is a Chicago born and based drummer, composer, improviser, and organizer featured in Chicago Reader as a "Chicagoan of Note."  She has collaborated with artists including gabby fluke-mogul, Ken Vandermark, Sarah Clausen, Shanta Nurullah, Macie Stewart, Dave Rempis, Ben Lamar Gay, Devon Gates, Ed Wilkerson, Lia Kohl, Katinka Kleijn, Fred Jackson, Jason Stein, Christof Kurzmann, and Katie Ernst. She is one of the curators of the Option Series, a showcase of contemporary approaches to improvisation and composition held at Experimental Sound Studio.