Fri 6/2 | BlueStem Jazz presents Brennan Connors & Stray Passage at Garver Feed Mill Patio

GARVER FEED MILL PATIO 
FRIDAY  JUNE 2  7pm  $15 
TICKETS

Bluestem Jazz Presents
BRENNAN CONNORS & STRAY PASSAGE   
BRENNAN CONNORS – sax
BRIAN GRIMM – bass/cello/guqin + pedalboard
GEOFF BRADY – drums/theremin/electronics



Brennan Connors & Stray Passage maintained a regular presence in Madison as an improvising/experimental jazz unit for over a decade. Their album “Emergence” was released in 2017 via the Italian record label Setola Di Maiale.  Saxophonist and leader Brennan Connors has been delving further into his own musical and compositional concepts. Brian Grimm (bass guitar and electric cello) has been composing scores and sounds scapes for live theatre in Chicago, Indianapolis, and throughout Wisconsin for the past 2 years as Geoff Brady (drums, theremin, and electronics) maintains his presence as one of the top percussionists in Madison. “All three members weave in and out of freely tumultuous passages and desolate spaciousness, achieving a collective, convincing direction that challenges the listener’s understanding of the passing of time in live composition” (Emili Earhart, Tone Madison). Always listening deeply to one another and the audience in the room, the trio connects directly to the listener with sensitivity, a wide dynamic range, and deep emotional engagement. Don’t miss the rare chance to see this trio live and in full swing!

Live from Cafe Code in 2021

BlueStem Jazz is a non-profit venture dedicated to presenting progressive, avant-garde, experimental jazz in Madison WI.

Be sure to check out their website to see their many upcoming events! BlueStem Jazz has been working incredibly hard to book as much high quality Jazz and Improvised music as possible in Madison, WI. Including supporting both local and touring talents.


Garver Feed Mill

(from their website)
Located on Madison’s near East Side, nestled behind Olbrich Gardens, the award-winning Garver Feed Mill® is a multi-faceted destination that features local artisans, producers, wellness studios, and retailers offering visitors everything from coffee to ice cream, catering to kombucha.

The renovated Feed Mill honors and preserves Madison’s rich agricultural and industrial history by re-activating the building as a next-generation food production center and provide visitors with the opportunity to taste the best of Madison. The historic Mill has been transformed into a platform for local food businesses to grow, and in turn, expand Madison’s profile as a Midwestern hub of high quality, hand crafted food and drink.

Private and public events in our indoor and outdoor event spaces keep Garver bustling throughout the year, bringing people from near and far to “the Soul of Madison” – the vibrant East Side of the City. In winter months, Garver is home to the Dane County Farmers Market, the largest producer only farmers market in the nation.

Health and wellness enthusiasts looking to connect with themselves, each other, and the world around them will also find community at Garver Feed Mill through a variety of spiritual and physical wellness offerings from yoga and meditation classes to aromatherapy and spa retreats.

Garver is a foodie and wellness destination for locals and out-of-towners alike, benefiting from the close proximity and future programming with Olbrich Botanical Gardens and Olbrich Park.


Had a blast last night @ Adult Swim’s HALLOWEIRD!

Aside

Thanks to Adult Swim for having us, it was so special to improvise for 90 mins with DB Pedersen & Brennan Connors! [see original post] Here are a few clips of me warming up on my instruments and pedalboard before the show, enjoy 🙂

7/20 | Brennan Connors & Stray Passage Jazz Trio @ the Mason Lounge

Tuesday, 7/20/2021 | 7-10pm, No Cover @ the Mason Lounge

Brennan Connors & Stray Passage returns to the Mason Lounge for a night of fascinating adventures into jazz, sound, and musical narrative. Geoff Brady on drums, homemade electronics, and Theremin. Brian Grimm on electric Frankencello and electric bass. Brennan Connors on saxophones. Craft Brew, Jazz Delights, No Cover.

Their sets embrace plenty of sinuous melody and conversational interplay, but can just as easily dive into minimalism and dissonance.

– Tone Madison
Watch the trio’s first return to Cafe Coda since the pandemic hit, live streamed on Facebook in May 2021.

For those who seek to shake themselves out of musical complacency, there’s Stray Passage, an improvisational jazz trio that explodes boundaries, playing off the energy in the room and audience. The group, led by saxophonist Brennan Connors, includes master percussionist Geoff Brady and Brian Grimm on bowing cello, contra-cello and electric bass. The album they’re releasing on an Italian label (Setola di Maiale) was recorded live by Steve Gotcher at Audio for the Arts.

~ Isthmus Daily Page
Check out Brennan and Geoff playing as a Duo (due to pandemic performance restrictions) at Cafe Coda back in May of 2020!

3/12 | YAK (DET) + visual projections w Emili Earhart & BC Grimm @ Art In

yak_mad_mar12

Sun, 3/12 | $8  730p door / 8p music @ Art In

1444 E Washington Ave., Madison, WI

Emili Earhart – opens

YAK (DET) on tour

BC Grimm – closes

YAK is an ambient/industrial duo of amplified, bowed friction on strings and metal. Their 2017 Midwest Tour is an audio-visual journey into the existential mind-state of the Tibetan beast, the Yak. These sounds are tailor-made for the shaggy beast of burden of the Himalayan Plateau, evoking their life and spirit in a mesmerizing structured improvisation cycle.

Yuri Popowycz (violin) is a Detroit-based violinist, electronic music producer/performer, and illustrator. He performs with the Michigan Opera Theatre and is assistant concertmaster with the Michigan Philharmonic. He also plays out frequently in the city and is active with Detroit Bureau of Sound. Yuri is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy ‘11, and the Oberlin Conservatory ‘15, and has toured in Japan as concertmaster of the PMF orchestra as well as performed in Europe alongside the Jack quartet with the Lucerne Festival Academy. Currently he runs the ambient music label Music To Stretch To and enjoys working with all the wonderful artists living nearby.

Zac Brunell (percussion) is a performer and concert producer in the Motor City. As director of the Detroit Bureau of Sound, his work engulfs a range of avant garde music through his productions, which have been described as “sounding as raw as mating bull elephants” (Lansing City Pulse on “X is for Xenakis”). A classically trained percussionist and pianist, Zac is a graduate of the Michigan State University College of Music and is currently Production Manager with the award-winning ensemble New Music Detroit.

Detroit Bureau of Sound Announcing… “BOS MUTUS“, the 2017 meditation in four movements by YAK.  Digital download and physical pre-order available now via Bandcamp >>


Opening the show…

Emili Earhart is a pianist studying at UW-Madison. Recent projects have included performances of the Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano by John Cage, and both books of Piano Etudes by Philip Glass. As Program Director at WSUM 91.7fm student radio, Emili hosts live ‘on-air’ performances and interviews touring acts (a/w/a local musicians!) Fridays on “Live @ WSUM”, 3-5pm. Emili is a member of noise/synth & bass duo, And Illusions. Sunday’s (3/12) set is part of a new effort to explore improvised new age piano and drone music.

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photo via Troy Peterson


Closing the show…

BC Grimm to close the night with an Orbis Obscura set!  Pipa, Guqin, #frankencello + “the hernia-maker” pedalboard.