InDIGenous Jazz Festival: Russ Johnson's "Headlands"

The popular InDIGenous Jazz series returns for its fourth season with a kickoff concert by trumpeter Russ Johnson’s Headlands quartet.  Johnson, Director of Jazz Studies at UW-Parkside, is part of Madison’s “extended jazz family,” often performing here with UW-Madison Jazz Studies Director Johannes Wallmann. Johnson spent 23 years as an important member of New York City’s jazz community, and has worked with such top-flight jazz musicians as Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell and Steve Swallow as well as Elvis Costello, the late Lou Reed, Aretha Franklin and Michael Buble.  Appearing on over 75 recordings, his most recent CDs gained rave reviews in DownBeat magazine. Along with a set of newly-composed Johnson tunes, the quartet will perform his new extended work: a suite commissioned by Chicago’s Hyde Park Jazz Festival and premiered there last Fall. Other quartet members include pianist Rob Clearfield, bassist Matt Ulery, and drummer Jon Deitmeyer.  Check out a sample of Russ’ music in a similar format at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoyVw1pDnWA.
The InDIGenous Jazz series showcases music composed and performed by local and regional musicians.  The final three concerts in the series will be held on October 14, November 4, and November 18, all starting at 7:30 PM and all are free admission.  The series is co-produced by the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium, Madison Music Collective, and the Wisconsin Union Theater.