Tunes for Toni

media release: 

Vocals: Gerri DiMaggio, Sally de Broux, and Betsy Ezell. Saxophone: Nick Bartell, Austin Cebulske and Eric Koppa. Trumpet: Paul Dietrich Piano: Chris Rottmayer and Paul Muench. Guitar: Bob Pesselman,  Richard Hildner Armacanqui Bass: Peter Dominguez, Laurie Lang, Nick Moran, and John Schaffer. Drums: Matt Endres and Jim Huwe. Percussion: Rich Larson

With Madison’s iconic jazz vocalist Gerri DiMaggio as emcee, this concert by a special array of some of Madison’s finest jazz musicians will be a joyous celebration of the community that has rallied to support Toni Jakovec during her bout with cancer.

One of our local jazz community’s vital behind-the-scenes forces for the past decade, Toni was diagnosed with Stage 3 endometrial cancer this past Spring.  She had surgery at the end of May, and has been undergoing an extended course of chemotherapy since late June.  The side effects from these treatments have left Toni unable to work (until December at the earliest), resulting in a substantial loss of income, and it will be late Fall before her medical team can determine how successful these treatments have been. Needless to say, the physical and emotional toll on Toni has been considerable.

Local jazz fans may know Toni as the editor of the free monthly Greater Madison Jazz e-newsletter, which she has produced for the past 8 years. She has also written successful grant proposals that have supported local musicians, venues, and nonprofit jazz presenters. She also coordinated jazz education classes through UW-Madison Continuing Studies for 5 years, while curating the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium’s online jazz calendar in its early stages.  And when COVID hit in 2020, Toni started producing free outdoor jazz concerts in her west side neighborhood, a series that continues to this day and is well documented in the short film, “Mondale Courting.”

This past summer, Toni’s friends conducted a successful GoFundMe campaign that has enabled her to stay financially afloat while undergoing, and recovering from, her chemo treatments and while she awaits the news about their results.  The December 14th concert is a celebration of this successful campaign and a way for local fans to thank Toni for her many contributions to our vibrant jazz scene.  

If Toni learns that her treatments have wiped out the cancer, the proceeds from ticket sales will be split among the concert performers. And if she learns that she will need further cancer treatments, the concert will instead serve as a fundraiser to help her get through the next round of financial uncertainty.