Stier/Sundstrom Double Quartet (Madison, WI) + Cool Beauty + Annie Grizzle
Aug
31
7:00 PM19:00

Stier/Sundstrom Double Quartet (Madison, WI) + Cool Beauty + Annie Grizzle

Stier/Sundstrom Double Quartet (Madison, WI) + Cool Beauty + Annie Grizzle

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Stier/Sundstrom Quartet (Madison, WI) will present two mirrored quartets improvising on themes from the jazz tradition, featuring musicians from Milwaukee, Chicago, and Madison. 

Local support from Cool Beauty (free improv/experimental) and Annie Grizzle (surreal, collage-suffused

View Event →
Mid Career and Established Solo Exhibition
Aug
27
to Sep 18
Art

Mid Career and Established Solo Exhibition

  • Google Calendar ICS

Deadline for applications is Sunday, Sept. 15th, 202411:59pm. Jurying and notifications of artists will take place by early November, 2024. Exhibition dates will be in Spring 2025.

Dates for the solo exhibition: March 22 - May 17th, 2025 The link for application is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftHGROapUZl_pNciKLsekvBRZeo00WkEilmr7j3v-lOjyzkQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

View Event →
Annual Members Show
Aug
24
to Oct 12
Art

Annual Members Show

  • Google Calendar ICS

Group show featuring artworks created by Jazz Gallery Members. Opening Reception: Saturday, August 24th, 3-5pm. Closing Reception/Event Saturday, October 12th, 3-5pm.


Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts (JGCA)  is a non-profit organization serving Southeastern Wisconsin with a wide range of visual and performing arts programming, created by a diverse community of visual and performing artists. At JGCA we provide opportunities to create, present, and experience the arts.

View Event →
Wavefiler + Blake Zweig + Vectors of Resonant Prescients + Cassini Echoes
Aug
23
7:00 PM19:00

Wavefiler + Blake Zweig + Vectors of Resonant Prescients + Cassini Echoes

Friday, August 23, 7 - 10PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

This is a mixed genre show varying from Ambient Electronic to Indie Rock with acoustic guitar and tape loops mixed in between.

The show will feature such artists as Cassini Echoes, Vectors of Resonant Prescients, Blake Zweig, Wavefiler + DJ / Tape Loops Between Sets: Tron Jovi!

Date: August 23
Time: 7:00pm
Cover: $5-10 sliding scale (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Kenan Serenbetz + DPCD + Shawn Alan Hurd + Kati Katchever
Aug
17
8:00 PM20:00

Kenan Serenbetz + DPCD + Shawn Alan Hurd + Kati Katchever

Saturday, August 17, 8PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Kenan Serenbetz creates music that explores and extols the web of relationships that we share with all the beings of the earth. Whether crafting intricate textures of winds and strings, composing dense contrapuntal vocal harmonies, or singing with choruses of birds and insects out in the field, Kenan utilizes his own distinctive command of sound and concept to convey the need for right relationship with the natural world.
Genres: folk, experimental.


DPCD is the work of Illinois musician Alec Watson. Taking its name after a four-letter secret code given to him by his great-grandfather, DPCD’s music is intimate and soft spoken, with Watson's meditative singing illuminated by fragile webs of guitar, piano, and celeste.
Genres: folk

Local support from Shawn Alan Hurd and Kati Katchever.

Date: August 17 (after Center Street Daze festival)
Time: 8:00pm
Cover: $10 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
STRATA: a mini-fest
Aug
13
6:00 PM18:00

STRATA: a mini-fest

Tuesday, August 13, 6PM

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

STRATA is a mini-fest presenting experimental and improvised music from France, NYC, and Milwaukee.

Hans Young Binter is an American pianist and composer based in New York City, working within the city's vibrant creative music scene in addition to collaborations across musical styles and artistic disciplines. His work is rooted in the practice of improvisation, and centers itself upon core elements of music making such as conversation and ritual. New album "ChimesThe Bell 3x" available on bandcamp and streaming services.

Andy Armstrong is a musician and sound artist from Charleston, Illinois currently living in Rennes, France. He usually makes long electronic improvisations for performance, tape and radio, sometimes made under the name Cream White.


Local support from Cathedral Becomes Tomb, Hiking Journal, and Cornelius Sludge.


Date: Tuesday 8/13
Time: 6:00pm
Cover fee: $10 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Kenji Lee's Fortune Teller Trio
Aug
8
7:00 PM19:00

Kenji Lee's Fortune Teller Trio

Thursday, August 8, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Those who practice Kyūdō, a traditional form of Japanese archery, view it as a vehicle for moral and spiritual growth. Their primary objective is not to hit the target; rather, they seek to embody the virtues of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty (Shin Zen Bi) through intense concentration on movement and form. While technical precision facilitates aesthetic sensibility, it is inner spiritual beauty that lends depth to their performance. Thus, technique and spirit are intertwined in harmonious unity.

This marriage between technique and spirit is central to the musical practice of Detroit-based saxophonist Kenji Lee. His Fortune Teller Trio, comprised of himself on tenor sax, Andy Peck on bass, and Jonathan Barahal Taylor on drums, leverages its technical virtuosity to explore the profound depths of human emotion. In their debut album, Kyūdō, the Fortune Teller Trio seeks to embody the tenets of this Japanese practice through improvisation, painting sweeping sonic landscapes against a canvas of stillness.

Date: August 8
Time: 8:00pm
Cover: $10 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Mike Baggetta (mssv) & Peter DiStefano (Porno for Pyros) PunkJazz Tour
Aug
3
7:00 PM19:00

Mike Baggetta (mssv) & Peter DiStefano (Porno for Pyros) PunkJazz Tour

Saturday, August 3, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Setting forth as a guitar duo unlike any other, this very first Punk Jazz tour across the U.S. finds Peter DiStefano (of Porno for Pyros) and Mike Baggetta (of mssv) exploring no-boundaries improvised music, informed by their lives and songs, with just 2 electric guitars, electronics and maybe some vocals. Think Albert Ayler meets Stooges meets Jimi Hendrix and you might be getting close…

A founding member of the alternative rock band Porno For Pyros in 1992 with Perry Farrell, Stephen Perkins and Martyn LeNoble, guitarist Peter Distefano has been heard all over the world for decades with their first album reaching no. 3 on the Billboard Top 200. In addition to his work with Pyros, Peter has featured in various projects with Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, and the band Hellride with Mike Watt. He is also known for his extensive recent work as a composer and musician for many soundtracks in film, television and gaming.

Iconoclastic guitarist Mike Baggetta is most recently known for leading his post-genre power trio mssv (with the legendary rhythm team of drummer Stephen Hodges and bassist Mike Watt) through multiple U.S. tours and album releases over the past 5 years, after releasing 2 additional albums of original music alongside Watt and drummer Jim Keltner. Baggetta’s music has always been adventurous in spirit and style, creating his identifiably undefinable sound with his guitar, voice and various musical gadgets. He has also appeared on stage and on recordings with Nels Cline, J Mascis, Petra Haden and David Torn.

Date: August 3
Time: 7:00pm doors/7:45pm show
Cover: $15 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Kyrie Nova & The Defiant + Sister Sleep + Pay Dirt
Jul
27
7:00 PM19:00

Kyrie Nova & The Defiant + Sister Sleep + Pay Dirt

Saturday, July 27, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Kyrie Nova is a multi-instrumentalist at heart. She balances duties as a vocalist, guitarist, drummer and especially a bassist. Genre is not to be trifled with, though her music is generally tinged with a healthy mixture of sarcasm, spite and a dash of rage for good measure. 

Local support from the electronic/no-wave/damaged pop mayhem of Pay Dirt and the experimental/improvised sounds of Headlock

Date: July 27

Time: 7:00pm

Cover: $10 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Boy Dirt Car + Vocokesh + Drekka
Jul
20
7:00 PM19:00

Boy Dirt Car + Vocokesh + Drekka

Saturday, July 20, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Legendary experimental/noise/performance art group Boy Dirt Car celebrates its 43rd year of existence, with performances from Vocokesh and Drekka.

Date: July 20

Time: 7:00pm

Cover: $10 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Riverwest 24 Exhibition (the gallery will be open for 24 hours during RW24 race)
Jul
20
to Aug 17
Art

Riverwest 24 Exhibition (the gallery will be open for 24 hours during RW24 race)

  • Google Calendar ICS

During RW 24 race the gallery will be a Check Point and our doors will be open for 24 hours! All riders and passers by are encouraged to stop in and see the exhibition with memorabilia and artworks inspired by RW24.

This exhibition is free and open to the public.


Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts (JGCA)  is a non-profit organization serving Southeastern Wisconsin with a wide range of visual and performing arts programming, created by a diverse community of visual and performing artists. At JGCA we provide opportunities to create, present, and experience the arts.

View Event →
Small Wall: Geornica Daniels. Under Observation
Jul
20
to Aug 17
Art

Small Wall: Geornica Daniels. Under Observation

  • Google Calendar ICS

Geornica Daniels is a MIAD BFA alumna and current graduate student pursuing her MFA in sculpture at UW Milwaukee, Peck School of the Arts.

Daniels is an interdisciplinary artist specializing in sculpture and site-specific installation. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, she now resides in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Her recent artistic endeavors delve into the layered histories of found objects and the representation of memory in three dimensions. She explores the visual manifestation of memory and examines how individuals reshape these recollections, either to suppress or assert control over them.

Her piece "Under Observation," crafted from floral foam and beeswax, embodies a fervent effort to preserve and scrutinize her personal narratives and history. It serves as a poignant reflection on the paradoxical nature of memory: the more intensely we observe a memory, the more it undergoes recontextualization.


Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts (JGCA)  is a non-profit organization serving Southeastern Wisconsin with a wide range of visual and performing arts programming, created by a diverse community of visual and performing artists. At JGCA we provide opportunities to create, present, and experience the arts.

View Event →
Randy Johnston with the Jim Holman Trio
Jul
13
7:00 PM19:00

Randy Johnston with the Jim Holman Trio

Saturday, July 13, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Jim Holman is a pianist based in Chicago and Tampa with recordings on the Delmark lable with Richie Cole, Ira Sullivan, and Frank Catalano. Jim's newest album, "First Impressions," features Eric Alexander with Clark Sommers and Tim Davis.

Holman's trio welcomes Randy Johnston, hailing from Detroit and NYC, and performs a selection from Johnston's book-- with the refined taste/elegance of New York and grounded in the Detroit tradition.

Randy has long since been considered one of the world's finest guitar players. He has been a mainstay with Lou Donaldson at the Village Vanguard and frequently tours in Asia and is flying in from Ronnie Scotts in London to play and record with Holman. In addition to his recordings, he can be frequently heard on the Small's Live feed. He has recorded as a sideman and a leader with the likes of Joey Defrancesco, Jack McDuff, and Eric Alexander to name just a few.

Randy and Jim will be performing in Chicago in the fall as part of the 7th Annual Labor Day Jazz Festival.

Date: July 13

Time: 7:00pm

Cover: $15 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Maude Caillat Quartet
Jul
7
7:30 PM19:30

Maude Caillat Quartet

Sunday, July 7, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Maude Caillat is a prolific saxophonist leading four different projects around the New Orleans area. The Maude Caillat Quartet is the most intimate version of her musical universe.

Recognized as an emerging new sound in the New Orleans jazz scene, the Quartet fuses modern and traditional world music influences with (of course) a touch of Coltrane. Sophistication, passionate improvisation, and heartfelt melodies are just a few words to describe the music of these incredible artists.

Date: July 7
Time: 7:30pm doors/8:00pm show
Cover: $15 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
MKE Music Night LXXXI
Jul
6
6:00 PM18:00

MKE Music Night LXXXI

Saturday, July 6, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

MKE Music Night brings you a night of conscious hip hop and funkadelic jazz. This will be single release show for SideQuest LR and also the 81st MKE Music Night This show will also be all ages! Check out the full schedule below:

6pm Doors Open
6:15-7pm Tlalok
7:15-7:45 High Education Records
8-8:30 SideQuest LR
8:45-9:30 Cream City Players
9:30-10pm Open Cipher

Date: July 6
Time: 6:00pm
Cover: $10 ADV/ 15$ DOS
Link for advance tickets sales with the promoter:
https://www.tikit.live/e/sidequest-lr-single-release/

View Event →
Indicative of Drumming
Jun
28
7:00 PM19:00

Indicative of Drumming

Friday, June 28, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Indicative of Drumming is the solo project of Nick Zielinski (Decorah, IA). In his own words:

"My primary mode of organization is improvisation so my music is about listening. I listen for ways to up-cycle audio artifacts into electro-acoustic sound collages which tread the line between parody and pastiche, irony and sincerity, paradox and truth... out of which I hope to squeeze a tiny bit of meaning, self reflection, insight, fun and aesthetic pleasure.

I create sounds using a combination of acoustic instruments (mostly drums) and a variety of electronic tools. My laptop holds a repository of pseudo-cultural nostalgic junk in the form of samples lifted from various sounds that were tattooed onto my brain during childhood (tv themes, commercial jingles, vocal snippets, etc) mixed with slightly less nostalgic sounds from my early creative work. At times I “play” the electronics by using analog-to-digital interfaces and at times the electronics play themselves using various algorithmic processes which I have created to suit my tastes. The algorithms add an element of aleatoric unpredictability to which I must react in the moment, lending the music an air of improvisational excitement."

Local support from Nicholas Elert and Sarnal Key.

Date: June 28

Time: 7:00pm

Cover: $10 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Pet Peeves, Sara Sowell, Dada's Daughter, Mom's Brownies
Jun
27
7:00 PM19:00

Pet Peeves, Sara Sowell, Dada's Daughter, Mom's Brownies

Thursday, June 27, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Pet Peeves from Chicago will be bringing their angular no wave/noise rock to Jazz Gallery on Thursday, June 27th. Local support from Sara Sowell, Dada's Daughter and Mom's Brownies.

Date: June 27
Time: 7:00pm
Cover: $10 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Paul Giallorenzo Trio
Jun
17
8:00 PM20:00

Paul Giallorenzo Trio

Monday, June 17, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Tour in support of the new album ‘Play’.
Giallorenzo plays beyond the theme-and-variations format, happy to skip beyond the well-worn phrases of silky piano trios, ready to take the game in an oblique direction at every turn. Plenty of musicians have explored such areas: the jazz avant-garde evolved thanks to the legendary artists who “played outside.” Most of those musicians were adept at playing “inside” as well; it’s said that Ornette Coleman, for example, could sound exactly like Charlie Parker when he chose.

And today’s post-freedom musicians sometimes surprise ardent avant-garde fans with their mastery of music that they have supposedly jettisoned from their repertoire. But not so many artists can adeptly merge these approaches into one theory of mind, and such “inside-outside” musicians—the category that certainly includes Giallorenzo’s trio—are a separate gang.

They infuse the tradition into their edgier romps, and vice-versa; more to the point, they inhabit both territories at the same time. So while the music in "Play" can grab the ear of musical adventurers, it also won’t frighten those just dipping their toes into this particular stream. These players find a middle ground—not by compromising the new or the old, but by elevating the virtues of each.

It’s not so easy to make music this demanding and yet so deceptively fluid. ... These performances arise from a combination of focus and intensity, dedication and rigor. But they sure don’t sound like “work.” Whether outside or in, the message remains the same: Play. (-Neil Tesser)

Date: June 17

Time: 8:00pm doors/8:30pm show

Cover: $15 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Peter Janson solo jazz guitar concert
Jun
15
7:00 PM19:00

Peter Janson solo jazz guitar concert

Saturday, June 15, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

Boston-based guitarist Peter Janson is a national touring artist - one of few who specializes in performing solo jazz guitar. His concerts are unique experiences where he showcases his artistry by performing a vibrant blend of originals, jazz classics from legendary musicians ranging from Miles Davis and Tom Jobim to contemporary players like John Scofield and Immanuel Wilkins, and compelling improvisations.

Janson has been strongly influenced by the solo playing of guitarists like Joe Pass, Earl Klugh, Lionel Loueke, and Julian Lage. Growing up in Massachusetts, he listened to his father, an accomplished amateur guitarist, play solo guitar every day. He received his first guitar at the age of seven and started doing pop gigs at age 15. Over the past 25 years, he has performed extensively throughout North America, including at Carnegie Hall and the Montreal Jazz Festival. His music has been featured in video games, commercials, and news documentaries, and has charted on Billboard's top 10 as a session guitarist. He has a growing fan base from 137 countries, and his latest album, "Getting To Here," is in rotation on over 75 radio stations globally, as well as on streaming platforms.

“As a musician, I have continued to grow through the exploration of numerous genres. I need to feel the community that live performance brings. After many years, jazz form, language, and sensibility have returned to become the place where I can make music. I didn’t want too formal a structure to work on, but rather an improvisational base. As a solo guitar player, I can explore styles and improvise, which brings me joy and helps me understand life in a unique way. I merge traditional elements, acoustic nylon-string sounds, and form, with sound-enhancing tools and chance.”

"Peter Janson's music has the substance of great jazz presented in an original and accessible style. Truly great!” says Steve Hunt, keyboardist (Allan Holdsworth, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham).

Date: Saturday, June 15, 2024

Time: 7:00 pm doors/ 7:30 pm show

Cover fee: $20 (please note we do not sell tickets in advance, doors only. both cards and cash are accepted)

View Event →
Manty Ellis Jazz Series Presents: Marques Carroll Quintet (Chicago)
Jun
14
7:00 PM19:00

Manty Ellis Jazz Series Presents: Marques Carroll Quintet (Chicago)

Friday, June 14, 2024

At the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts - 926 East Center Street

The Marques Carroll Quintet is a Chicago based ensemble led by trumpeter Marques Carroll and includes drummer Greg Artry, pianist Julius Tucker, bassist Christian Dillingham, and saxophonist Brent Griffin. Carroll is a Jazz Educator for Chicago Jesuit Academy and UIC, a Grammy member, an Emmy award winner, a co-founder of JMarq Records, and a former member of the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. Carroll has gathered together a group of musicians over the last few years to showcase his original music that deals with social ideals through music.

Date: June 14

Time: 7:00pm

Cover: donations encouraged

View Event →