Photo Courtesy of Milwaukee Jazz Institute
The A Train Ensemble
Sam Caiola, Emmet Fettig, Thomas Renz and Adrian McCants in The A Train Ensemble
This weekend, a student combo from Milwaukee will debut in New York when the Milwaukee Jazz Institute’s “A” Train Ensemble performs at the Charles Mingus Festival. The MJI’s high-school age combo was chosen to take part in the competitive annual event honoring the legacy of the late jazz composer and bassist.
“It’s a great honor and we’re delighted that they were chosen as finalists,” says MJI’s artistic director, Mark Davis.
The “A" Train Ensemble is just one component of MJI’s expansive effort to raise the profile and accessibility of jazz in Milwaukee. Currently, MJI organizes five youth ensembles and four adult ensembles with an extensive series of jams and workshops at the Jazz Gallery along with performance at venues as varied as Downtown’s Saint Kate, Riverwest’s bar centro and Brookfield’s Sharon Lynne Wilson Center.
Riding the “A” Train are three students from across Wisconsin and one from Illinois: Sam Caiola (piano), Emmet Fettig (alto sax), Adrian McCants (drums) and Thomas Renz (bass). “The Milwaukee Jazz Institute has become a hub for jazz education in Wisconsin and we are proud to represent the Midwest at this important competition,” Davis continues.
The festival will include workshops and performances by high school groups from across the U.S. The “A” Train Ensemble is the only group from the Midwest. The festival has a loose connection to our city through its founder, the late Sue Mingus, wife of the composer and a Milwaukee expat. “A” Train was chosen for its demo of three Mingus compositions: the cinematic bop of “Nostalgia in Times Square,” the lovely ballad “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love” and the fast-paced “Tijuana Gift Shop.” “We’re trying to present a range of his work and capture the spirit of his group performances,” Davis explains.
MJI will present a fundraiser featuring the “A” Train Ensemble, 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12 at Saint Kate—The Art’s Hotel. The event is free to attend; however donations to help offset the costs would be appreciated.
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