Strollin' Verona

press release: Eleven bands. Six hours of continuous live music. Five different venues, including an outdoor youth stage. And no cover charges. These are the makings of the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium’s popular “jazz stroll” series that’s launching its third season in the City of Verona on Friday, May 20. With a staggered performance schedule, and with four of the five venues located on two adjoining blocks of South Main Street, attendees will be able to stroll easily from stage to stage and sample many different musical styles.

“Strollin’ Verona” is the seventh “jazz stroll” produced by the Jazz Consortium in a series that began two years ago at Madison’s Schenk’s Corners commercial district, and has so far been warmly embraced by each of its host communities. Once again, the Consortium’s Nick Moran (an outstanding jazz bassist in his own right) has booked an intriguing mix of bands showcasing the wide stylistic range of instrumental and vocal jazz regularly available to audiences in Dane County. Performers will include saxophonist Pawan Benjamin from New York performing with the Miguel McQuade Trio, vocalists Marilyn Fisher and Susan Hofer, rousing funky blues from The Jimmys, the classic organ-centered combo sounds of Todd Phipps and The ORGANization, the Barley Wine trio of musicians who work at Epic and specialize in tunes from the Great American Songbook, drummer Rand Moore’s piano trio, and the swing duo Mal-O-Dua.

STROLLIN’ VERONA PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2016

Hometown Junction Park Youth Stage, South Main Street at the Military Ridge Bike Trail (weather permitting): 4:30 PM: Milestone Quartet (from Madison West High School); 5:00 PM: Smoother Than Butter (from Madison West High School); 5:30 PM: Amos Egleston Quartet (from Madison Memorial High School)

Avanti Italian Restaurant, 119 South Main St.: 5:00 PM: Vocalist Susan Hofer and Friends; 6:00 PM: Mal-O-Dua

Toot + Kate’s Winebar, 109 South Main St.: 5:30 PM: Barley Wine; 6:30 PM: Vocalist Marilyn Fisher and Guitarist John Vitale

Hop Haus Brewing Companym, 231 South Main St.: 7:00 PM: Rand Moore Trio (with pianist Paul Muench and bassist John Schaffer); 8:00 PM: Miguel McQuade Trio featuring New York saxophonist Pawan Benjamin

Wisconsin Brewing Company, 1079 American Way: 6:00 – 8:30 PM: The Jimmys; 9:00 PM: Organist Todd Phipps and The ORGANization

In addition to performances by eight professional bands, “Strollin’ Verona” features a youth stage at Hometown Junction Park, where ensembles from Madison West and Madison Memorial High Schools will perform. “One of the Consortium’s goals is to cultivate the next generations of jazz musicians and fans,” said Moran, noting that the youth stage is a standard part of each Strollin’ event. “Performing outside the friendly confines of their school auditorium is a terrific growth experience for student musicians,” he added.

Strollin’ Verona is made possible by sponsorships from the Verona Area Chamber of Commerce, the Bank of Cross Plains-Verona, and the City of Verona, as well as a grant from the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission. “We’re delighted that Verona’s leaders have embraced this event as a way to showcase the small hometown businesses in their growing downtown district,” said Darren Sterud, one of the Jazz Consortium’s Strollin’ series co-producers. “We hope the community’s response will show our host venues that live jazz can be good for business,” he said.  Adding to the Strollin’ festivities will be drawings for free tickets to upcoming major jazz concerts at the Wisconsin Union Theater.

The May 20 Verona event marks the first time that the Jazz Consortium is taking Strollin’ to a community outside the City of Madison. The Consortium will be staging two more Strollin’ events will later this year, on Main Street in Downtown Madison on July 22nd and in Downtown Middleton on September 2nd.