Jack and Jill Live

Jack Grassel was once the busiest man in Milwaukee music, playingmore gigs most years than the calendar has days. For the past three years, thejazz guitarist and his wife, singer Jill Jensen, have focused their efforts onone local venue, the Carleton Grange Pub, where they hold forth during bruncheach Sunday. Grassel and Jensen’s new CD, Liveat Carleton Grange Pub, is not only a souvenir for fans of their Sundayperformances but a snapshot of one of the city’s most dynamic jazz groups.

“The best gigs are the ones where people seek youout,” Jensen says, recalling how the Grange’s owner, Eric Ellsworth, contactedthem based on the recommendation of friends. “We immediately knew we were inthe right place by the way people responded to us.” Grassel adds: “We often seea couple on Sunday and a month later, we’ll see them bring 10 people in tocelebrate a birthday or some other occasion.”

The generation spanning audience seems to keep growingalong with the scope of their music. Although Grassel has long been one of thecity’s most estimable musicians, recording dozens of albums since the ‘60s andpenning guitar instruction books, Jensen says: “Jack has always playedharmonies and bass lines simultaneously, but it’s gone to a whole new level.The Carleton Grange is a forgiving place. We’ve gotten much more adventurous.We liked this duo so much and wanted to capture it.”

Live atCarleton Grange is a collection of cover tunes, though not necessarily the ones peoplemight most expect to hear. “I don’t think you can read people’s minds,” Grasselexplains about the songs they chose, “so we please ourselves with the materialwe like, which we perform with meaning and feeling. We have 120 songs we canplay and rotate the material.” The selections for the live CD encompass manydecades and are united by the fluid marriage of Grassel’s playing and Jensen’ssinging.

“The setting doesn’t lend itself todown-in-your-cups type of songs,” Jensen adds. “We don’t do the sad songs atSunday brunch. I don’t necessarily pick songs because they are crowd pleasers.I like telling stories. I’m a frustrated actress and this is my opportunity totell stories on stage.”

There will be two shows for the Milwaukee CD releaseparty for Live at Carleton Grange Pub,4:30 and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 20 at the Carleton Grange, 3807 S. Packard Ave. WarrenWiegratz will accompany the duo on flute and magician David Seebach will openthe show. The $15 cover includes complimentary appetizers and door prizes.Grassel and Jensen will also play a CD release party at the Yardarm in Racine on March 24.