Institute Helps Keep Jazz Alive in Milwaukee

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Music students can find many instructors and programs in Milwaukee. However, if jazz is your aspiration, the Milwaukee Jazz Institute offers many unique opportunities not only to listen and learn but to play for paying gigs. “We’re not just a music school. We’re about building a scene in Milwaukee,” says Managing Director Erin LuRae Davis.

The Milwaukee Jazz Institute was granted nonprofit status in February 2020. “We were ready to go. We had a two-day festival organized with 17 ensembles from 15 schools for a competition at Saint Kate,” she says. “This was going to be our launch party—and then COVID hit.”

Like many arts organizations, MJI lived virtually for many months, conducting not only instruction but listening workshops moderated by Milwaukee guitarist Paul Silbergleit focused on particular artists and albums. Erin’s husband and the Institute’s artistic director, pianist Mark Davis, taught jazz theory and led piano workshops until conditions allowed MJI to go live in brick-and-mortar settings.

Silbergleit and Mark Davis are familiar to local jazz fans, and they’re not the only recognizable Milwaukee musicians associated with MJI. Their board includes Bill Bonifas, Brian Lynch and Manty Ellis. “It’s a jazz family of educators who have worked together and taught at many organizations for decades,” Erin says. She comes to the project from a fundraising-nonprofit administration background as events manager at Madison’s Overture Center and Jazz at 5. Her degree in archeology informs her perspective on the music. “I align with the importance of saving the past for the future,” she says.

Davis agrees. “Milwaukee has a rich history of jazz,” he says. “Our MJI faculty are a product of this and have learned from master players who made Milwaukee their home, such as Manty Ellis, Berkeley Fudge, Melvin Rhyne, Buddy Montgomery, and many others. We're passing on what we've learned for the next generation to develop.”

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MJI recently staged a concert called “Milwaukee Jazz: Three Generations,” preceded by a discussion by the performers about their musical experiences growing up here. “Percussionist Dumah Saafir told fascinating stories that went back to the 1950s,” Davis says. “We’ve also taught about our history in our annual summer jazz camp. We aim to bring our jazz heritage and current jazz scene to the forefront when people think about Milwaukee's culture.”

MJI is focused on getting students out into venues to play music for the public. The Institute sponsored one of its student ensembles at Gathering on the Green, leading to paid gigs at Mequon Public Market. Fees for music lessons go directly to the instructors. MJI’s overhead is kept low by renting the Jazz Gallery for ensemble rehearsals on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Currently, MJI supports eight student ensembles with full instrumental line-ups. Flexibility is built into the program, allowing students to leave and return as they fulfill other obligations such as sports or summer jobs. Students can join mid-semester with prorated fees.

Along with the Jazz Gallery, MJI has established relations with bar centro, a hub for live performances by jazz musicians, and Saint Kate-The Arts Hotel. “Our biggest bullet point is performing, not just learning in the classroom,” Erin says. “We’re getting students out into venues to listen and play music.”

Upcoming Events:

MJI JAM SESSION | February 13, 8:30-10 p.m. at Jazz Gallery; MJI faculty members Mark Davis and Jeff Hamann will lead a jam session open to musicians of all ages. Free admission.

MILWAUKEE JAZZ INSTITUTE NIGHT AT BAR CENTRO | February 18, 8-10:30 p.m. featuring Marcya Daneille, Mark Davis, Jeff Hamann, and Sam Belton.

MJI PRESENTS: TRIO INCOGNITO | March 18, 8-10:30 p.m. at Bar Centro; New York City's Incognito Trio features David Bixler, Dan Loomis, and Fabio Rojas.

Registration for each show can be made here >> https://link.edgepilot.com/s/5e314233/UQ3TEKX0YkCUNeFfF0VjRw?u=https://www.milwaukeejazzinstitute.org/jazz-concerts-events