Photo courtesy Joan Dadian
Joan Dadian
Joan Dadian
Jazz has been around for more than a century and during that time, the music went in so many directions and accumulated a vast discography. The legacy has become so large that newcomers or casual listeners can be intimidated.
One Milwaukee woman has an idea of how to sort through all that history. Jazzy Joan (aka Joan Dadian) curates the recorded music of three artists on the third Thursday each month by working alphabetically. “The ABCs of Jazz” debuted in October at bar centro and featured album cuts by Ahmad Jamal, Anita O’Day and Art Van Damme. It’s kind of like listening to great albums in your living room with friends—except that you have the chance to make new friends.
“I wanted to assemble recordings of jazz artists in an arbitrary way, not based on a particular style or era. Using the alphabet freed-up any constraints and let me do just that,” Joan explains.
Variety is on her mind when curating the music she presents at bar centro. “The show consists of a vocalist, recordings from an artist in a live setting, and a third artist that quite frankly, I simply like,” she says. “These shows are not history lessons. As a living art form, jazz is about the groove, it’s about the vibe, and it’s about the hang.”
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Joan took to jazz from an early age. “I’m drawn to the rhythms, the timing, the moods, the energy—it conjures up all of that in me. I like their storytelling. There’s always a story behind every jazz song—just look at the titles. You read them and you say, ‘yeah, I get that.’”
The next “ABCs of Jazz” begins at 7 p.m., Nov. 18 at bar centro, 804 E. Center St. Featured artists include Benny Golson, Ben Sidran and Benny Carter. Admission is free.
