West End Jazz Band

press release: The opening concert of the Madison Jazz Society’s fall concert series will take place on Sunday, October 1, from 1-4 p.m. at the Breakwater, 6309 Metropolitan Lane, Monona.  The West End Jazz Band from Chicago will perform.

MJS President Linda Marty Schmitz said, “The West End Jazz Band is noted for recreating the classic music that typifies the 1920s and 1930s, using original arrangements and instrumentation that is true to the style of that era.”

The band’s repertoire consists of a broad representation of the music of this golden age, hot and sweet dance and jazz.  Featured are the pure jazz numbers, the nonsense songs, the up-tempo tunes and the beautiful ballads.  The band's book is full of great standards and obscure songs, as well as a number of dance medleys and waltzes that reflect the romantic and sweet side of the era.

Originally, most of the members of the band were from the west side of Chicago, from which the band takes its name.  The band now includes the best musicians in the country for this genre.  Mike Bezin plays cornet or drums and writes the band's original arrangements.  Leah (Bezin) LaBrea, "The Windy City Songbird," sings and plays banjo and guitar.  The world-renowned multi-instrumentalist Andy Schumm sits in the cornet chair and on occasion, will play the alto sax and clarinet.  Eric Schneider performs on clarinet and sax.  His is a richly diverse career that blends studio work, concert performances and jazz festivals.  Frank Gualtieri, the band’s leader and manager, plays trombone.  His solos are exciting and fresh and his beautiful tone on the sweet dance tunes is a delight to hear.  The tuba chair is “owned” by Dave Bock whose primary instrument is the trombone, along with trumpet, piano, string bass and the Alto Horn.

 Tickets for the concert are $20 for MJS members; $25 for non-members and those age 18 and younger are admitted free.  Doors open at noon.  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.  It annually sponsors six concerts and a jazz festival that attracts jazz fans from all over the nation.  The group awards grants to school music departments to enhance their jazz education programs.  MJS will sponsor its 30th and final Capital City Jazz Fest in April 2018.