The Musical Legacy of Wayne Shorter

Arts + Literature Laboratory and Wisconsin Union Theater have put together an outstanding series of events for the Madison Jazz Festival. A big draw is two full days of music at the fest’s traditional Memorial Union home on June 17-18, with music all day on the Terrace and ticketed evening shows by saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin & Phoenix and Lisa Fischer with Ranky Tanky. But don't sleep on the many events the prior week-plus, including an amazing twin bill of The Bad Plus and Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog (8 p.m., June 11, High Noon). It all kicks off with a pair of ensembles led by saxophonist-composers: the Dayna Stephens Quartet (7 p.m., June 8, Cafe Coda) and Mai Sugimoto Trio (7 p.m., June 9, ALL). June 10 celebrates the late Wayne Shorter, with a talk by Dave Stoler (10:30 a.m., Sequoya Library), a jam led by Chris Greene (1 p.m., Cafe Coda), and tribute concert (8 p.m., Cafe Coda). Find the full schedule below and tickets at madisonjazzfestivalwi.org.

media release: Join us on Saturday, June 10, 2023, 10:30am, at Sequoya Library for a special presentation by Madison keyboardist Dave Stoler on legendary jazz composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. This event is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 10:00am.

This talk will kick off an all-day celebration of Shorter, who passed away on March 2, 2023. In the afternoon, the Madison Jazz Jam will host a Wayne Shorter Jam Session at Cafe CODA from 1:00 to 4:00pm with special guest artist Chris Greene from Chicago. And at 8:00pm, we will end the day with a Tribute to Wayne Shorter concert, also at Cafe CODA.

Considered to be one of the world’s greatest composers and one of the greatest jazz saxophonists of all time, Wayne Shorter received 11 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, five honorary doctorate degrees, the Kennedy Center Honor, Polar Music Prize, Lifetime Achievement Award from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and many other awards and honors for his contributions to music.

Find full schedule details at https://artlitlab.org/programs/greater-madison-jazz/madison-jazz-festival

June 8: Dayna Stephens Quartet at Cafe CODA, 7 pm

June 9: Mai Sugimoto Trio at Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 pm

June 9: Michael Hackett Quintet at North Street Cabaret, 8 pm

June 10: "The Musical Legacy of Wayne Shorter" Talk by Dave Stoler at Sequoya Library, 10:30 am

June 10: Wayne Shorter Jam Session feat. Chris Greene at Cafe CODA, 1 pm

June 10: Wayne Shorter Tribute Concert at Cafe CODA, 8 pm

June 11: Janet Planet at Allen Centennial Garden, 5 pm

June 11: The Bad Plus + Marc Ribot at High Noon Saloon, 8 pm

June 12: Golpe Tierra at Warner Park, 6 pm

June 13: Miguel Zenon & Luis Perdomo in Conversation, St. Joseph Church (Good Shepherd Parish), 10:30 am

June 13: Miguel Zenon & Luis Perdomo: El Arte del Bolero at Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 pm

June 14: DIG JAZZ: Rick Flowers and Amalgam X at Penn Park, 6 pm

June 15: Awake: Volume 2 - the Music of Don Cherry CD Release at Arts + Literature Laboratory, 7 pm

June 16: Marques Carroll Quintet at Cafe CODA, 8 pm

June 17: Jazz all day on the Memorial Union Terrace feat. Kassa Overall, 1-10:30 pm

June 17: A Conversation with Lakecia Benjamin, 3 pm

June 17: Lakecia Benjamin & Phoenix at Shannon Hall, 8 pm

June 18: Juneteenth Celebration of Black American Music on the Memorial Union Terrace, 2:30-9:30 pm

June 18: Ranky Tanky with Lisa Fischer at Shannon Hall, 8 pm