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Gerald Clayton’s new CD, Life Discussion board, came out Tuesday.

Gerald Clayton delivers acclaimed new songs to UW Union Theater Saturday night time. Clayton is touring in assist of his just-launched album, Life Discussion board. The no-reserved-seats live performance is in the Town Heart at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.

My 1st quick reaction â€" the CD was introduced on Tuesday â€" is that Clayton’s composing is maturing. The melody constructions seem here more robust. Existence Discussion board is Clayton’s first release for Harmony Jazz and follows 2011’s very acclaimed Bond: the Paris Classes. His trio is supplemented on the CD with trumpet, alto and tenor. Most tunes are mid-tempo and sans swing.

The opening title keep track of is poetry spoken by Carl Hancock Rux. It adds absolutely nothing musically and borders on presumptuous. Two vocal tracks seem to be out of place. The remaining tracks are crammed with outstanding modern jazz played by extremely proficient younger musicians.

I like Gerald Clayton’s music a good deal and I’m hunting ahead to enjoying Daily life Discussion board a lot in coming weeks.

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Named soon after probably the most famous report label in jazz heritage, the increasing and thrilling UW Jazz Scientific studies program underneath Johannes Wallmann has begun building the Blue Be aware Ensemble. The description reads, “A little jazz ensemble executing music from the post-bop jazz period of the nineteen fifties and nineteen sixties. Every single semester focuses primarily on the songs of a solitary jazz artist.” This semester characteristics the music of the late Dexter Gordon and based on what we read March eleventh at, An Evening with Maxine Gordon and the UW Blue Be aware Ensemble, the ensemble is a welcome addition to the Madison jazz scene.

Actively playing six tunes from the Dexter Gordon repertoire, the 8 person team swung hardest on “Cheese Cake” from Dexter’s most renowned album, 1962’s Go. As he did before in the live performance, trumpeter Robert Medina impressed with his operates, deftly and rapidly relocating through chords with surprisingly robust chops.

The front row â€" tenor, alto, trumpet and trombone â€" amazed me with their respective tones. As they every single moved through 8 bar solos on Ernie’s Tune, the clarity and roundness of every tone appeared outstanding. The also played with astonishing ensemble tightness most of the time. They’ve been taught nicely.

It was obvious that the musicians, while missing the stage presence and polish of far more seasoned players, actually enjoy the tunes. Maxine Gordon quoted Dexter as declaring, “Jazz musicians are actors.” The youthful gamers will get that figured out. Maxine also expressed delight that Dexter’s music was getting played so nicely by learners due to the fact, “It’s challenging songs.” Of course, it is. We more mature jazz fans should be grateful that there are youthful gamers coming alongside who are enjoying the tunes we really like.

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Talking of audio we enjoy, my ears suggest that the Madison Jazz Orchestra is in musical mid-period kind these days. The second set was underway as I walked the sidewalk toward the Brink Lounge for MJO’s most current Thursday night gig. The sound of Duke’s “C-Jam Blues” arrived blasting towards me a block away. Ok, I know “loud” does not always equate with “good” (and which is difficult for an previous Kenton enthusiast to admit) but the chart, with its numerous solos, was really cooking.

MJO’s Brian Whitty claims it was Ellington night time with a nod to spring and Woody Herman’s one centesimal birthday and the band performed numerous charts for the initial time. The new stuff integrated the Billy Byers “All of Me” arrangement for Basie and Slide Hampton’s “Slide’s Derangement.”

Flexible reed participant Jeff Sime was taking a unusual switch on bari sax that evening and sounding very good. Luke Busch, who Brian understatedly phone calls “a great addition to the section” exhibited a truly easy clarinet tone, particularly apparent in the lower registers on Duke’s “Across the Keep track of Blues,” an additional first-time effort by the MJO.

The fourth Thursdays at the Brink are particular these days. The acoustics are great, the personnel seems pleasant and the MJO seems excellent.