Mar. 23, 2024 | Tony Catania’s Night Cow | 8 PM | $15 (Limited Early Bird) | $20

Tony Catania - saxophoneAnders Svanoe - saxophoneBrad Townsend - bassNick Zielinski - drums Brad Townsend is currently a lecturer of double bass at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where along with teaching double bass, conducts the Improvisors Orchestra. His diverse performance experience encompasses jazz, orchestral, chamber and experimental. Recent collaborative performances and recordings include Arp of the Covenant, Astro, Mantis, Banzat, Tomato Box, Madison Symphony and many others. Anders SvanoePlaying mainly the baritone, but also the soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones, Anders got his start in music taking piano lessons, singing in church choirs and playing saxophone in the public school band. In 1991 Anders graduated from Luther College and in 1994 he completed his Masters Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the mid 1990s Anders studied with Frank Morgan while Frank lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Frank taught me everything about the saxophone, especially the importance of sound. Another key component to Anders’ post-graduate education was his meetings with multi-instrumentalist and composer Roscoe Mitchell. Since 2001 Anders has played and recorded with Roscoe in various contexts ranging from duos to large ensembles. As a member of the Transatlantic Art Ensemble, The Roscoe Mitchell Big Band, and a guest with Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory, Anders has performed with a “who’s-who” in the jazz/contemporary improvised music scene: Evan Parker, Corey Wilkes, Craig Taborn, Philipp Wachsmann, Jaribu Shahid, Barry Guy, Tani Tabbal, Paul Lytton, Vijay Iyer, Ari Brown, Mwata Bowden, Spencer Barefield, Gerald Cleaver and many others. Anders has also performed with The Cab Calloway Orchestra, Greg Abate, Jon Irabagon and the award winning Tony Castañeda Latin Jazz Sextet. He has opened for Grammy Award Latin Jazz legend, Pancho Sanchez and composer/percussionist Gerry Hemingway. In 2007 The Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University published Anders’ book on Detroit bebop saxophonist, Sonny Red, in its Annual Review of Jazz Studies 13. Bluesville: The Journey of Sonny Red was a 10 year project focusing on the virtually unknown, but very unique, saxophonist from Detroit. The book includes transcriptions, a discography, and an oral history which includes interviews from: Curtis Fuller, Kiane Zawadi, Tommy Flanagan, Frank Foster, Charles McPherson, Louis Hayes, Jimmy Heath, Talibe Kibwe, Cedar Walton, Yusef Lateef, many more musicians and family members. These interviews, pictures, discography and music can be found at the official Sonny Red website that Anders curates. Currently Anders plays in ASTRO, MANTIS, The Anders Svanoe Double Quartet and Latin Jazz Quintet. Some of these bands are featured on The State of the Baritone series on Irabbagast Records. Tony CataniaI am a drummer, improvisor, instrument builder, and general musical DIYer. I channel my creative energy into self-producing, self-recording, and self-releasing original music and content. I also like cat videos, short walks on flat, paved surfaces and using two spaces after a period when I’m typing.__ In response to COVID and the continual downward spiral of the music industry, I am presently retooling my creative practice to focus on solo performance. I have spent the past year conceptualizing and creating audio applications for my portable-microchip-processor—computing box which serve to replace the human beings that someone like me usually finds himself playing with. I have created three so far. They are all named “Steve.” I like to think of it as a kind of dystopian take on the dehumanizing effects of robotic automation and the unrelenting mandate from the overlords of the capitalist death-cult to keep us all marching toward peak efficiency and maximum profit. In addition to my shameless pursuit of self-interest, I continue to contribute to a variety of forward-thinking and extremely talented indie music collectives including: (current) ARP of the Covenant, Mantis, BANZÅT Trio, ASTRO, Marginalized & Whoopsy, (defunct) Ingo Bethke, Brenda and the Holsum Family Fiscal Planner, and About Ouch!. I have also had the honor of performing alongside many iconoclastic musical innovators such as Henry Grimes, Anders Astrand, Thollem McDonas, Anthony Cox, Hanah Jon Taylor, and Anders Svanoe. I have showcased my music at festivals and conferences such as The Heliotrope Festival, The Northern Spark Festival, The International Society for Improvised Music (ISIM), The Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS), and The Spark Festival of Electronic Music. I have completed commissions to create music for the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Black House Collective in Kansas City, MO. In a former life, I also taught in a variety of music schools, universities and community colleges and performed extensively in regional musical theatre productions and orchestral ensembles throughout the upper midwest… but that was killing my soul, so I quit doing that. Currently, I spend my time at home with my family and I play music. I have no hobbies. Tony Catania is an improvising tenor saxophonist and a very active member of the Milwaukee and Madison creative and improvisational music scene, having performed with The Tony Catania Trio, Anders Svanoe’s Teleporting Rhythmic Orchestra, The Devin Drobka Trio, Bell Dance Songs, Graph Trio, Ben Malone Group, Formation series, Seed Sounds, Argopelter, Field Report and Mke Unrehearsed. Tony’s most recent project is a Quartet entitled “Night Cow” consisting of two saxophones/bass/drums that perform his original compositions. In the last 3yrs this trio has released two trio albums (“Sitting and Staring” on cd & “Fairly Certain” on vinyl). Most recently, Tony released a solo and duo album focusing on improvised song and free improvisations entitled “Solo Ad Libitum / Three Pieces for Electro-Acoustic Duo / Portal” in collaboration with Nicholas Elert and Jay Mollerskov. Ticket: $15 (Early Bird - limited) | $20