JeJaWeDa at the Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee on October 4, 2026

This band is composed of trombonist Jeb Bishop, vocalist and sound poet Jaap Blonk, drummer Weasel Walter, and double bassist Damon Smith. They have had two stops in Wisconsin on their current tour -- Madison with BlueStem Jazz and here in Milwaukee last night at the Jazz Gallery.

I've seen all of these performers in various venues and bands many times going back as far as the late 1990s, but I still wasn't sure what was going to happen when their worldviews collided on the little stage in the corner of the Jazz Gallery. 

What transpired was a full bore, chaotic, high energy performance with several members of the band at times wandering off stage and engaging in such shenanigans as playing trombone (Bishop) and repeatedly tossing a huge cymbal on the ground (Walter). 

In a word -- it was a blast.

Purchase their most recent album here

Recording information:

JEJAWEDA
2026-10-04
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts

Jeb Bishop: trombone and electronics
Jaap Blonk: voice and electronics
Weasel Walter: drums and percussion
Damon Smith: double bass

Setlist:
01 First Improvisation (27:44)
02 Second Improvisation (16:31)

Total time = 44:15

Recorded with kind artist permission by Richard Hayes for this blog 

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in wide ORTF
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii
Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

audio downloads 

these will automatically download when you click them:

  

16 bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC files (289 MB)

lossless files that can be burned to a CDR

320 kbps mp3 files (127 MB)

highest quality mp3 files possible

Video of this performance by Marvin McGhee:

Adam Shead and Stephan Haluska at the Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee on August 8, 2025

Adam Shead and Stephan Haluska presented a set of improvised music at the Jazz Gallery last August which almost entirely utilized extended techniques. The result was a 57-minute drone where textures and moods were explored in a context without beats or melodies.

Shead is a Chicago-based drummer and composer who has appeared on this blog several times. Haluska is based in Cleveland and teaches at both Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Music. In addition he is the managing director of the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project.

Purchase Stephen Haluska's albums here.

Recording information:

ADAM SHEAD and STEPHAN HALUSKA
2025-08-08
Milwaukee, WI
Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts

Adam Shead: percussion
Stephan Haluska: harp

Setlist:
01 improvised piece (57:04)

Total time = 57:04

Recorded with kind permission of the artists by Richard Hayes for this blog

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in ORTF
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii
Software: Audacity, xAct

audio downloads 

these will automatically download when you click them:

  

16 bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC files (381 MB)

lossless files that can be burned to a CDR

320 kbps mp3 files (143 MB)

highest quality mp3 files possible

video of the performance by Marvin McGhee:

Sebastian Strinning at the Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee on October 25, 2024

Swedish saxophonist Sebastian Strinning performed twice in the same month in Milwaukee during the month of October 2024, bringing a different group each time. This particular show featured bass clarinetist Emily Beisel, bassist Jakob Heinemann, and percussionist Bill Harris. It was a high-energy set with completely improvised material.

Purchase his most recent album here.

  

Recording information:

SEBASTIAN STRINNING

2024-10-25

Milwaukee, WI

The Jazz Gallery

Sebastian Strinning: sax and bass clarinet

Emily Beisel: bass clarinet and electronics

Jacob Heinemann: bass

Bill Harris: drums

Setlist:

01 First Improvisation (41:09)

02 Second Improvisation (4:43)

Total time = 45:52

Recorded with explicit artist permission by Richard Hayes for this blog

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in ORTF

Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96

Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

audio downloads 

these will automatically download when you click them:

  

16bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC files (260 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CD, if you are into that sort of thing

320 kbps mp3 files (133 MB)

highest quality mp3 files possible

video of this performance by friend of the blog Marvin McGhee

Magic Tuber Stringband at the Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee on July 25, 2026

The Magic Tuber Stringband hails from Durham, North Carolina. Their blend of avant-folk reminded me quite a bit of folk drone legends Pelt as well as Universal Light. Their recent album on Thrill Jockey, Heavy Water, is packed with haunting melodies seasoned with an uneasy glowing light.

They came to the Jazz Gallery in July during a 17-date East Coast and Midwest tour for a brief but mesmerizing set.

Purchase their new album here.

Recording information:

  

MAGIC TUBER STRINGBAND

2026-07-25

Milwaukee, WI

Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts

Courtney Werner: fiddle

Evan Morgan: guitar

Michael DeVito: bass and banjo

Setlist:

01 Marker of a Drowning (4:06)

02 Wintering Grounds (5:14)

03 Blooms in the Rapids (4:57)

04 Tribute to the Angels (4:17)

05 Where the Place Becomes Forgetting (3:37)

06 Twelfth House (4:23)

07 Scintillation (3:34)

08 Days of Longing (5:34)

Total time = 35:42

Recorded with explicit prior permission by Richard Hayes for this blog

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in ORTF

Additional source: mono soundboard feed

Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii

Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

audio downloads 

these will automatically download when you click them:

  

16bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC files (257 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CD, if you are into that sort of thing

320 kbps mp3 files (127 MB)

highest quality mp3 files possible

video of a performance in Knoxville in May, 2025:

James McKain at the Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee on January 8, 2026

Back in January, Brooklyn-based saxophonist James McKain brought a quartet with him from the East Coast to the Milwaukee Jazz Gallery featuring Turkish-American pianist Ipek Eginli, bassist Evan Palmer, and percussionist Weasel Walter. The music was freely improvised and really benefitted from the textural approach each participant brought to the performance.

Purchase his most recent album here.

Recording information:

JAMES MCKAIN
2026-01-08
Milwaukee, WI
Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts

James McKain: tenor and baritone sax
Ipek Eginli: piano
Evan Palmer: bass
Weasel Walter: drums

Setlist:
01 One (17:40)
02 Two (21:24)

Total time = 39:04

Recorded with permission by Richard Hayes for this blog

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in ORTF
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii
Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC files (214 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that sort of thing

320 kbps mp3 files (102 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible

Nicholas Elert at the Milwaukee Jazz Gallery on August 2, 2025

Here is a brief and enjoyable set from synthesizer wizard, audio engineer, and film composer Nicholas Elert from the Milwaukee Jazz Gallery back in August. It's a very enjoyable 21-minute set featuring two pieces build from sequencers and synthesizers which build up to a dizzying climax.

Buy his most recent album here.

Recording information:

NICHOLAS ELERT
2025-08-02
Milwaukee Jazz Gallery

Nicholas Elert: synthesizers

Setlist:
01 Performance (21:17)

Total time = 21:17

Recorded with permission by Richard Hayes for the blog www.milwaukeetaper.com

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in ORTF
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96
Software: Audacity, xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC files (122 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that sort of thing

320 kbps mp3 files (62 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible

video of this performance: 

Atlas Maior at the Milwaukee Jazz Gallery on October 25, 2025

I was very fortunate to be able to catch Atlas Maior, a delightfully flavorful world fusion jazz quartet from Austin, TX at the venerable Jazz Gallery back in October. I'll let the band's bio from their website do the heavy lifting of describing their sound: 

Atlas Maior creates original music that combines elements of Progressive Jazz, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and Indian music traditions. Band members Joshua Thomson (alto saxophone, flutes) and Josh Peters (oud, lavta) create a unique sound that balances intimate moments of sincerity with powerful melodies and incendiary rhythmic passages. Bolstered by a top-notch rhythm section, Atlas Maior writes original melodies exploring maqamat (Middle Eastern modal system) and harmonic progressions found in American jazz. The group composes with a wide variety of rhythms and incorporates traditional instruments including the Indian tablas, Middle Eastern dumbek, and Peruvian cajón.

Purchase their most recent album here.

Recording information:

ATLAS MAIOR

2025-10-25

Milwaukee, WI

The Jazz Gallery

Josh Peters: oud

Joshua Thomson: alto saxophone

Josh Flowers: bass 

Gray Parsons: drums 

Setlist:

01 Ignis Faatus - Hadal (16:27)

02 Orbits (4:42)

03 Basalt (4:53)

04 Zanate (8:27)

05 The Curse (9:12)

06 Neroli (5:15)

07 Ganbei (4:56)

08 Etch and Burn (5:26)

09 Riptide (10:46)

10 Sunbird (8:27)

Total time = 78:30

Recorded with permission by Richard Hayes for this blog

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in ORTF

Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96

Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC files (476 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that sort of thing

320 kbps mp3 files (229 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

Jon Camp at the Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee on October 11, 2025

Jon Camp is a Washington, DC-based fingerstyle guitarist who came to the Milwaukee Jazz Gallery a week ago with his trio consisting of bassist Nick Arrivo and pedal steel guitarist Jamie Linder.

It was a delightful set full of rich melodies and lovely textures, with a very pleasant Americana feel. It seemed to me that a lack of percussion helped smooth out the mixture of instruments and allowed a lot of the lyricism to shine through.

Buy his brand new album here.

Recording information:

JON CAMP

2025-10-11

Milwaukee, WI

Jazz Gallery for the Arts

Jon Camp: guitar

Jamie Linder: pedal steel guitar

Nick Arrivo: bass

Setlist:

01 Habitat

02 Where Cicadas Go to Die

03 Goats’ Revenge

04 It Looms, It Blooms -> Turquoise Flower

05 Kerosene Goodbye

06 Also Ran

07 Proceed

08 Mining Twilight

09 Sixteenth of April

10 Bombus Bombus

11 Partisan’s Folly

12 When You Fall, I Fall

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in ORTF at stage lip

Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96

Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

Recorded with permission by Richard Hayes for this blog

downloads:

16bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC files (221 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that sort of thing

320 kbps mp3 files (148 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

Jon Camp performing at Rhizome in June:

Jim Warchol at the Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee on October 11, 2025

There was a mini guitar festival happening at the venerable Jazz Gallery in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee a few days ago, with Washington, DC-based melodic finger style guitarist Jon Camp and his trio performing along with ragenap+dathon (zones and drones on Fender 6-string basses from Chicago) and our next upload, Milwaukee legend Jim Warchol performing on guitar and electronics.

Jim is a veteran of the Milwaukee music scene, having been a member of Sometime Sweet Susan in the early 1990s through to his stints as avantgarde electronic project Loam, then as an integral member of percussionist Jon Mueller's Death Blues, and most recently with his current band, the post-rock outfit Dryhouse Ruins.

For this performance he soloed over a bed of pulsing electronic drones whose textures changed throughout the 22-minute set. The mood was dark yet with a hopefulness in the background. It's always a joy to watch Jim perform and I am really looking forward to checking out the record release show celebrating the new Dryhouse Ruins LP.

Recording information:

JIM WARCHOL
2025-10-11
Milwaukee, WI
The Jazz Gallery

Jim Warchol: guitar and electronics

Setlist:
01 improvisation (22:38)

Total time = 22:38

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in ORTF at stage lip
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96
Software: Audacity, xAct

Recorded with permission by Richard Hayes for www.milwaukeetaper.com

downloads:

16bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC files (104 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that sort of thing

320 kbps mp3 files (66 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

video of Death Blues performing at Hopscotch Festival in 2012:

Heat On at the Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee on July 8, 2025

Chicago-based drummer Lily Finnegan's quartet Heat On featuring Ed Wilkerson and Fred Jackson on saxes as well as Nick Macri on bass came through Milwaukee last week to perform at the venerable Jazz Gallery. They were on a short tour to celebrate the release of their first album on Cuneiform Records.

The set contained all original compositions by Finnegan. These solid pieces were bought to life with Chicago free jazz legends Wilkerson and Jackson out front, but they were very capably supported by the strong foundation of Macri and Finnegan. It was a wonderful meeting of junior and senior Chicago musicians. 

Finnegan and Macri return to Milwaukee at the end of July as part of a showcase performance of Ken Vandermark's Edition XL at the Jazz Estate. Hopefully this blog will be able to record that night, but local music lovers should always keep in mind that despite efforts to preserve our precious musical culture, experiencing live music performances in real time will always be where it's at.

Buy their album here.

Recording information:

HEAT ON

2025-07-08

Milwaukee, WI

The Jazz Gallery

Ed Wilkerson: tenor sax and didgeridoo 

Fred Jackson: alto sax and "little instruments"

Nick Macri: bass

Lily Finnegan: drums and compositions

Tracklist:

01 RSJ 

02 Green Milk

03 Inverted Spoon

04 Beltline

05 The Great

Total time = 69:17

Microphones: Beyerdynamic MC930 in NOS in front row

Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96

Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

Recorded with permission by Richard Hayes for this blog

downloads:

16bit, 44.1 kHz FLAC files (518 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that sort of thing

320 kbps mp3 files (196 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

a video of the first set courtesy of our friends at BRAG Milwaukee: