October Artist: Drawn to Create

Robert Schultz became an artist for three compelling reasons: He was good at drawing, always liked it and never stopped.

Perhaps it’s this natural and straightforward progression that imbues Schultz’s drawings, which are showcased starting this Saturday at the Chazen Museum of Art, with such directness and honesty.

To be sure, there’s nothing simplistic about Schultz’s work. Working primarily in graphite, and sometimes in silverpoint, his drawings are meticulously detailed and render the body with scientific accuracy while also revealing the beauty of the human form.

Schultz is represented in galleries in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, and has had shows of his work across the country. Yet he calls Madison home. Indeed, it has been since he was three years old, and he also received his art education at UW–Madison and has worked from a studio overlooking State Street since 1981.

It’s from this perch that Schultz sometimes finds inspiration for his work. “You feel everyone around you,” he says. “It’s nice to people-watch here. You never know what you’re going to find and end up drawing.”

Schultz regularly works eight- or nine-hour days in his studio, stopping only to eat a quick lunch, take a ten-minute break or go teach his life-drawing class at MATC. He likes having an entire day to work, to bring an idea out in a drawing. “Most days I never leave here,” he says. “It’s really fulfilling. The day just goes right by me.”

What Schultz does within those days at the studio can result in drastically varied drawings. One day it could be an anonymous nude with a long strip of cloth wrapped around his leg. And on another, it’s a study of a girl with a tough, confident expression, a ribbed tank top and lots of metal jewelry.

Such concepts for drawings didn’t always come easily for Schultz. The first year and a half out of graduate school was rough as he struggled to find ideas and the right way of expressing them. “Then once I got it, I really got it,” he says. “It just clicked and one idea would lead to another would lead to another.”

His greatest period of change occurred in the late 1980s as hard edges gave way to more gradation of light and shadow. He also began incorporating more texture, particularly in his depictions of skin, he says.

One thing that never changed, however, was Schultz’s dedication to drawing. He never regarded it as a means to become a better painter, as some artists do. Painting always seemed messy and felt like work, he says.

Over the years, Schultz’s drawings have been showcased in over twenty-five solo exhibitions. He’s finished and framed over four hundred pieces and creates about twelve to fifteen a year now.

Despite the work that goes into each drawing, Schultz doesn’t have a problem saying goodbye. If someone purchases a piece, that means the work resonated with the buyer, and the transaction helps validate the art, he says. “If they don’t sell, I feel like they’re failures,” he says.

And selling work is simply one step in a work’s journey. “They’re always mine,” he says. “It’s just that they’re on someone else’s wall.”

Schultz believes he’s at his peak, technique-wise, in creating art. The challenges now are to not repeat ideas and to get even better.

“You end up competing against yourself,” he says.


Robert Schultz Drawings, 1990–2007 runs September 20 to November 16 at the Chazen Museum of Art. An opening reception is Friday, 6–7:30 p.m. And on September 27 at 1 p.m., Schultz will present a studio talk and drawing demonstration.

Photos are courtesy of the Chazen Museum of Art.

Global Grooves

A Hungarian ska group. A Bulgarian wedding band. An Indian electric guitarist.

To say the least, offerings at the Wisconsin Union Theater’s fifth World Music Festival are eclectic. But they’re also stylistically and culturally diverse, and representative of the festival’s goal.

“We have a mission, which is to bring music that is unfamiliar to Madison,” says Esty Dinur, chair for artistic selection. “We’re part of the university, so we see what we do as educational—but in the most fun way.”

Held September 12 to 20 at the Memorial Union Terrace and other venues across the city, the free music festival draws musicians that might not otherwise perform in Madison. Often, the artists are popular in their own countries but haven’t yet traveled to the United States, Dinur says. But once they perform here, as well as at other festivals in the region, many return—and find enthusiastic and full audiences waiting for them.

While organizers never choose a “theme” for the festival, some connections emerge organically as the event comes together, Dinur says.

This year’s festival boasts several bands from Eastern Europe, including the Plastic People of the Universe, a band from the Czech Republic inspired by the Velvet Underground that formed in 1968 and performed in opposition to the Soviet occupation. “It’s amazing to have them,” Dinur says. “It’s their first time touring in the United States.”

Also performing are Hungarian pop-ska band Little Cow; Reelroad, a Russian folk revival band that started out in 1999 playing Irish folk music; and Kabile, a six-piece traditional Bulgarian wedding band.

Dinur expects electric guitarist Prasanna to be a hit with audiences. “He’s known as the Indian Jimi Hendrix,” she says.

Also exciting are “four acts from the Muslim world,” Dinur says. She’s looking forward to presenting Mamak Khadem of Iran, Gaida Hinnawi of Syria, Baba Zula of Turkey and Etran Finatawa of Niger.

Through these and other acts, the festival does more than simply bring good music to Madison, Dinur believes.

“It’s kind of a political statement—make music, not war.”

Concert Schedule:

Friday, September 12
Memorial Union Terrace (rain: Wisconsin Union Theatre)
• Dragon Knights and World Percussion Ensemble, 5 p.m.
• Prasanna, India, 5:30 p.m.
• Dragon Knights, 7 p.m.
• Mamak Khadem, Iran, 7:30 p.m.
• Dragon Knights, 9 p.m.
• Nation Beat, Brazil/USA, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 13
Memorial Union Terrace (rain: Wisconsin Union Theater)
• Dragon Knights, 4 p.m.
• Little Cow, Hungary, 4:30 p.m.
• Dragon Knights, 6 p.m.
• Plastic People of the Universe, Czech Republic, 6:30 p.m.
• Dragon Knights, 7:15 p.m.
• Reelroad, Russia, 7:45 p.m.
• Dragon Knights, 9:15 p.m.
• Maraca, Cuba, 10 p.m.

Sunday, September 14
The Annex
• Weapons of Mass DeFunktion, 6:30 p.m.
• Little Cow, Hungary, 7:30 p.m.
• Plastic People of the Universe, Czech Republic, 9 p.m.

Thursday, September 18
Memorial Union Terrace (rain: Der Rathskeller)
• Student and Community Showcase, 5 p.m.
• Kabile, Bulgaria, 8:30 p.m.

Friday, September 19
Memorial Union Terrace (rain: Wisconsin Union Theater)
• Gaida Hinnawi, Syria, 5:30 p.m.
• Dya Singh, India, 7:30 p.m.
• Baba Zula, Turkey, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 20
Willy Street Fair
• Chiwoniso, Zimbabwe, 1:45 p.m.
• Zazhil, Mexico, 3:45 p.m.
• Etran Finatawa, Niger, 5:45 p.m.
• 17 Hippies, Germany, 7:45 p.m.

Visit the World Music Festival website for recent additions, musician bios, and a full schedule of events including classes and workshops.

Photos of Reelroad, Prasanna and Baba Zula are courtesy of the Wisconsin Union Theater.

Going for It

In these anxious days when nearly everyone’s feeling a financial pinch, a trip to the theater might be just the thing to take our minds off our troubles. Better yet would be to see a musical about a group of down-on-their-luck guys who turn unemployment into unexpected opportunities.

Mercury Players Theatre kicks off its season with The Full Monty, a musical about six British men who lose their job in a steel mill and take inspiration from Chippendale dancers to raise some cash.

Director Pete Rydberg offered some insight into his—as well as music director JS Fauquet and choreographer Cindy Severt’s—plans for the production. 

How does the musical fit into the types of productions your company typically takes on—or how is it a departure?

Full Monty is one of the most mainstream productions Mercury Players has done in a long time, and it was certainly a discussion topic at our artistic committee meetings. First and foremost we put the artistic integrity of any possible production, and all three of us (myself, JS and Cindy) felt we could make a really exciting production of the show, and the company has the people and material resources to pull it off. It is without question the largest budget and one of the largest casts Mercury has had in a long time. And while it is a more recognized title than most of our other productions, it is still a new opportunity for area theatergoers who are likely only familiar with the screen version, which is a horse of a very different color. We also have a twelve-year-old lead—and Mercury rarely chooses pieces with young actors (last year’s Pillowman is the only other instance I know of, and the role in that show was fairly small).

What’s your approach to Full Monty?

It’s musical theatre, not a play—as I continually remind my actors. I like to direct “straight” theatre, but musical theatre is a completely different style of performance, so training actors to think outside of “realistic acting modes” is challenging. There is a technical precision that absolutely must be there in a musical that is not always as necessary or even desired in non-musical performances. There is more artifice, a demand for larger suspensions of disbelief, and the proscenium space does not allow for as much on audience-performer intimacy.

We began choreography workshops in May, and then focused June on music and choreography—both of which are extremely challenging for this particular production. Musically this is a huge challenge for both actors and musicians. There are times when all six of the leads will be singing their own line of melody creating a dissonant sequence—which is electrifying to hear in the audience but for performers on stage can sound “off” or “wrong” because, of course, it is dissonant.

As for the larger scope of the play, it is all about regular people finding ways to transcend their day-to-day—the six male leads transform from pathetic, antagonistic jerks and losers to a unified group of friends who, with the bond of their friendship behind them and the opportunity of doing something truly daring, achieve the improbable. The women in the show have a challenge as characters in charge of the household incomes and traditional male social roles. They must find a way to balance their relationships with these men who feel they have nothing to give back. The men feel like losers, and treat their respective partners poorly because of it. And the women need to find a way to overcome their significant others’ personal obstacles.

Most importantly, I have worked on making sure that while the show has many intensely dramatic moments, that it remained a musical comedy, as intended.

How close are you sticking to the original musical or the 1997 film?

I watched the film about ten years ago and not since. The musical adaptation takes a lot of liberties with the original film—resetting it in Buffalo as opposed to Sheffield or wherever it was in Britain, and adding/deleting a couple characters, but the basic storyline remained the same. As for the differences with the original production of the musical, I always throw those considerations out the window. The original was a multi-million production with hydraulic settings, etc etc. The Bartell demands different considerations, and I only have thirty grand—and I say “only” as comparison; again, it’s the most expensive show Mercury has ever produced. That is not to say that throwing money at a production makes for a good show—that is where Cindy, JS and I come in. The three of us discussed dozens of potential follow-ups to Reefer Madness [a musical Mercury Players produced last fall]. It had to be a fit for Mercury Players, and more importantly it had to challenge the music director, choreographer and myself. I have steered a couple scenes that played fairly realistically in the original production into more “fantasy” sequences, which ties in well with the overriding themes of hope, dreams and impossible situations. It has proven to be an immense challenge, but a very rewarding one.

Are there parallels to be drawn between the challenges the characters of the play face and what it’s like to work in the arts in the current economy?

I would say there are parallels to be drawn between the challenges of the characters in the play and the challenges we all face trying to live in the current economy. Who doesn't have a friend out of work? Who doesn’t know someone who has been laid off because their job went overseas? We are at a low time in our economy, which is the story of those in the musical. We have chosen to set it in 2008, as opposed to ten or fifteen years ago because of that resonance. This is a story we will all be able to relate to—and have a laugh at the same time.

What are your goals for the show and what do you hope audiences get from seeing the production?

I want the audience to be standing on their feet cheering for these characters at the end of the show. I want them to see the men go from losers to winners, to see and feel that regular schmoes like you and me can be more than we ever dreamed of if we just have the bravery to do so. I want to give that to the audience in a polished production—which is a lot to achieve with a twenty-plus-person cast and a two-hour show. But we are well on our way. The set looks fabulous, all my little bells and whistles are falling into place, and the choreography and music are almost ready to go. I want people to leave the theater feeling uplifted and humming the music as they walk away from the Bartell. The largest sell in Madison is audience word of mouth, so I hope if we do our job and deliver a polished, entertaining evening of theater, that people will come again, and tell their friends to check it out as well.


The Full Monty runs September 4 to 27 at the Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin St. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20, $15 for students and seniors, and $12 for groups of ten or more. 661.9696 x 5, mercuryplayerstheatre.com

Photos courtesy of Colm McCarthy. 

All in the Family

The start of the university’s fall semester means one thing to a very musical Madison family: the annual Karp Family Concert, the performance that kicks off the UW School of Music’s Faculty Concert Series.

“We’ve been doing the opening concert since 1976,” says Parry Karp, a professor of cello at the School of Music and cellist with the Pro Arte Quartet.

The Karp family of performers includes Parry on violoncello, as well as his wife Katrin Talbot on viola, brother Christopher Karp on violin, and parents Howard and Frances Karp on piano.

The series started in 1976 when Parry began teaching at UW, the school his father was already at teaching piano. Howard Karp is now professor emeritus of piano at the School of Music.

Labor Day weekend—the days before the fall semester begins—was chosen as the performance date because it meant students were in town but wouldn’t be busy with homework yet.

As impressive as a family that’s been able to work and perform together for over three decades is the fact that they’ve always played different works.

“We haven’t repeated a piece in thirty-two years,” Parry says.

They choose pieces that feature the instruments family members play and also “pieces we believe in,” according to Parry. “I’d say we’ve played everything from Bach to things being written today,” he says, adding that they’ve done a good deal of Beethoven and Brahms.

Changing the repertoire keeps the family concerts exciting, Parry says, and it’s a good creative challenge to come up with a new program each year. One general guideline that’s been maintained over the years is to play masterpieces as well as works by “unjustly neglected” artists.

This year’s opening concert—which features Linda Bartley on clarinet—is a good example. It combines works by Beethoven (Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 70, No. 2) and Tchaikovsky (Andante cantabile for cello and piano, Op. 11) with music by lesser known Robert Kahn (Quintet in C minor for clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano, Op. 54) and Charles-Marie Widor (Sonata for cello and piano in A major, Op. 80).

Kahn, a disciple of Brahms, is a relatively unknown artist, but Parry’s been playing his work in the roughly three years since discovering him. And Widor was a French organist who was prolific in a lifetime that stretched from the 1844 to 1937, he says.

Parry looks forward to presenting the music selections to audiences. “We hope they enjoy the music and that it’s a nice way to start the school year and faculty series,” he says. 

The concert takes place September 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Mills Hall in UW–Madison’s Humanities Building. Advance tickets are recommended, though may also be purchased at the door. Tickets are $11 general admission, $8 for seniors and students, and free for UW–Madison students with valid ID. The School of Music hosts a reception following the concert for the audience in the Humanities Courtyard.

The 2008–2009 Faculty Concert Series is as follows:

• Stephanie Jutt, flute, and Christopher Taylor, piano: September 13, 8 p.m.
• Linda Bartley, clarinet, and Friends: September 18, 7:30 p.m.
• Pro Arte Quartet: September 20, 8 p.m.
• Martha Fischer and Bill Lutes, piano: September 27, 8 p.m.
• Wisconsin Brass Quintet: October 4, 8 p.m.
• Paul Rowe, baritone, and Christina Lalog, piano: October 18, 8 p.m.
• Anthony Di Sanza, percussion: October 23, 7:30 p.m.
• Tyrone Greive, violin, and Ellen Burmeister, piano: October 25, 8 p.m.
• Mark Hetzler, trombone: November 1, 8 p.m.
• Marc Vallon, bassoon: November 6, 7:30 p.m.
• Parry Karp, violoncello, and Eli Kalman, piano: November 8, 8 p.m.
• Uri Vardi, violoncello: November 13, 7:30 p.m.
• Pro Arte Quartet: November 16, 7:30 p.m.
• Wingra Woodwind Quintet: November 20, 7:30 p.m.
• John Stevens, tuba, and Friends: December 6, 8 p.m.
• Christopher Taylor, piano: January 22, 7:30 p.m.
• Julia Faulkner, soprano, and Martha Fischer, piano: January 24, 8 p.m.
• Marc Fink, oboe, and Friends: January 29, 7:30 p.m.
• Javier Calderon, guitar: February 5, 7:30 p.m.
• Wingra Woodwind Quartet: February 12, 7:30 p.m.
• Parry Karp, violoncello, and Howard and Frances Karp, piano: February 14, 8 p.m.
• Jessica Johnson, piano, and Friends: February 19, 7:30 p.m.
• Pro Arte Quartet: February 21, 8 p.m.
• Paul Rowe, baritone, and Christina Lalog, piano: February 26, 7:30 p.m.
• Wisconsin Brass Quintet: February 28, 8 p.m.
• Les Thimmig, woodwinds: March 26, 7:30 p.m.
• Pro Arte Quartet: March 28, 8 p.m.
• Mark Hetzler, trombone, and Martha Fischer, piano: April 9, 7:30 p.m.
• Marc Vallon, baroque bassoon: April 16, 7:30 p.m.
• Suzanne Beia, violin, Parry Karp, violoncello, and Eli Kalman, piano: April 17, 8 p.m.
• Sole Nero, Jessica Johnson, piano, and Anthony Di Sanza, percussion: April 23, 7:30 p.m.

The Faculty Concert Series is only one component of the School of Music’s annual offerings. Says concert manager Richard Mumford, “The School of Music presents more classical music concerts than any other arts organization in Madison. With more than thirty faculty concerts, ten to fifteen guest artists, three opera productions, several orchestras, five bands, seven choirs, specialized instrumental ensembles and student recitals, there’s more than enough to keep even veteran concert-goers busy.”

Visit music.wisc.edu for a full schedule of events, call the Concert Line at 263.9485 for a weekly recorded message, or send your email address to music@music.wisc.edu to be placed on the weekly Digest email summary.

Photo, courtesy of the School of Music, features (clockwise from left) Christopher Karp, Katrin Talbot, Parry Karp, Howard Karp and Frances Karp.

September Artist: Flower Power

Anyone who thinks a flower’s just a flower hasn’t seen Mary Kay Neumann’s art—or heard her philosophy on painting works of nature.

“Flowers have feelings too,” she says. “Sunflowers, poppies and all of the other flowers in my paintings emerge as friends that you would want to invite to dinner.”

Neumann, who is a psychotherapist as well as an artist, believes flowers have distinct personalities and sees them as a reflection of the human experience.

Talk to Me: The Emotional Life of Flowers is a solo exhibition of Neumann’s watercolors running through October 31 (hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at the office of Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton at the State Capitol.

Neumann recently took time to talk about her background, approach to art and special subject matter.

You are a licensed psychotherapist. How and why did you also become an artist?

I have been making art and studying art history most of my life. I find great joy in the act of painting. Fifteen years ago, I was drawn to the intensely colorful watercolors of the German Expressionists. Their emotionally charged paintings led to my focus on watercolor. I began exhibiting my paintings in 2005, and the responses I have received have been very gratifying.

Why do you choose flowers and landscapes as your subject matter?

I paint what inspires me. As an avid gardener, I adore flowers. I am fascinated with the structures, colors and personalities of sunflowers, poppies and tidepools. An annual trip to northern California’s rugged coast has given birth to a passionate curiosity about tidepool environments and seascapes. I am also drawn to the strange, arid landscapes of the Badlands and Utah’s canyons and moonscapes. The connection between these subjects is intense color and unusual texture, which allows me to convey drama and emotion.

How do psychology and art intersect?

Creativity and emotional openness are the common threads between my work as a psychotherapist and as an artist. When I do my best work in either role, it is when my heart is open to the creative flow. It all comes from the same place inside … of love, curiosity and compassion. In my work with survivors of trauma and abuse, I am inspired by the great courage I witness. The resilience and tenacity of the human spirit to push through horrid experiences is truly amazing.

Finding my own voice through art led to the realization that self-expression is a powerful tool in healing. As a therapist, I encourage my clients to seek their own truth and uncover their own unique way of expressing themselves. Discovering what is meaningful to each of us is the key to a rich life, good mental health and is the basis for most art.

Why do you use watercolor as your medium?

I love the process and visual results of working with wet-into-wet watercolor. This style of painting is highly interactive; a true partnership where I start with ideas, and the water, saturated paper and liquid paint make their own claims on where the painting is headed. One must trust the process of giving in to being both in and out of control when working with such a dynamic medium. I enjoy exploiting the boundaries of what watercolor can do. I push for vibrant color and delicacy, while developing interesting textures. This unique method lends itself to emotional expressiveness.

Why did you decide to showcase your work at Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton’s office?

As a feminist, it is a great honor to have an exhibition at the office of the first woman elected to the state’s second highest constitutional office. Lt. Governor Lawton is a strong and progressive advocate for all of the things I feel most deeply about: women’s rights, social justice, access to mental health and the arts. Our state capitol building is a beautiful and inspiring asset to Wisconsin, and I am proud to have my paintings displayed in this magnificent setting.

What are your goals for the show?

I want to expose a new audience to my work that may never have seen it. I intend my paintings to communicate joyfulness, and possibly inspire others to make their own art, in whatever form that may be. Make a garden, teach your child, raise a puppy, demonstrate for peace … being artful means bringing your soul to bear on whatever you are doing. It brings meaning and joy to life.

I hold the vision in my heart of Glen Hansard (from the movie once) accepting this year’s Academy Award for best song. Full of gratitude, he shook his statue at the audience and said, “Make art, make art!”

What’s next for you?

I plan to continue with the themes of gardens and tidepools. I have had several solo shows in the past three years and look forward to a stretch of time in my studio that is solely focused on developing my next body of work.

Photos top to bottom are Double Fantasy, Every Breath You Take, Naked Truth and Moondance, courtesy of Mary Kay Neumann.

IN THE MAGAZINE: The September issue of Madison Magazine comes out tomorrow. Here’s some of the arts content you’ll find within the pages:

• An Overtones profile on Andy Moore, host of Wisconsin Public Television’s 30-Minute Music Hour.
• A poem on a fall garden by Andrea Musher. (And listen to a podcast of the poem online.)
• A House of the Month home filled with contemporary artwork.
• The monthly Overtones events calendar with picks on the can’t-miss performances, concerts, exhibitions and festivals taking place in September. (Check the full calendar online.) 

Gimme Five

Sixteen years ago, Wednesday evenings in August weren’t so musical downtown. Thankfully, all that changed fifteen summers ago, when the Jazz at Five series began.

Executive director Cathy Sullivan remembers a group of downtown business owners, city officials and local musicians coming together to start a musical event that would fill the gap left after Concerts on the Square wrapped its season.


Jazz at Five started without a formal stage; essentially performers offered concerts for roughly one hundred people seated on folding chairs, Sullivan recalls.

“It was very small, very grassroots, very informal.”

Today, the event attracts two- to three-thousand people and features food vendors, a beer tent and reserved tables near a stage, set at the intersection of State Street and the Capitol Square.

"It’s evolved over the years,” Sullivan says.

Each Wednesday, Jazz at Five features two sets running 5–6:15 p.m. and 6:30–8 p.m. The series always incorporates local, regional and national acts, Sullivan says. And this year is no exception.


Chicago jazz quartet BMR4 and West Coast vocalist-pianist pair Nancy King & Steve Christofferson kicked off the 2008 season on August 6. The August 20 concert will serve as the fifteenth-anniversary celebration.

And Sullivan is excited to bring nationally known Afro-Cuban pianist Chuchito Valdés to Madison August 27, and vocalist Jon Hendricks on September 3. “He’s like jazz royalty,” she says.

Yet, Sullivan thinks all the concerts are stellar this year. “The schedule is all pretty great,” Sullivan says. “We have a lot to look forward to.”


Here’s the lineup for the rest of the Jazz at Five season:

August 13

Scott Burns Quartet This Chicago saxophonist and jazz quartet play original compositions by Burns as well as carefully selected standards.

Madison Jazz Orchestra Formed in 1986, this swinging jazz orchestra has played extensively throughout Madison and beyond, including Jazz at Five. Sax, trombone, tuba, trumpet, clarinet, guitar, bass, piano and drums are just some of the sounds you’ll hear from this group.

August 20

Gerri DiMaggio & Friends This Madison native—who’s been a guest artist with both the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra—offers an original sound, mixing Brazilian music with jazz standards.

Madison–New York Groove Collective This collection of jazz legends and artists with Madison and New York connections features Ben Sidran and Leo Sidran with guests Jay Collins, Moses Patrou and Amy Helm.

August 27

Alison Margaret Quartet A grad student in collaborative piano performance at UW–Madison, Margaret and her quartet specialize in innovative arrangements of American jazz and folk classics, plus lesser-known jazz tunes.

Chuchito Valdés Continuing the legacy of great piano players from Cuba, Valdés draws inspiration from Caribbean, Afro-Cuban Latin jazz, be-bop, Danzon, cha-cha-cha, Son Montuno and other styles.

September 3

Caravan Gypsy Swing This Madison-based instrumental group is inspired by Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and finds influences in jazz, swing, traditional Latin, Parisian waltzes and other vintage-jazz sources.

Jon Hendricks & Company Jazz vocalist Hendricks is regarded as the “Father of Vocalese,” the art of setting lyrics to recorded jazz instrumental standards and arranging voices to sing the parts of the instruments.


Thanks to Mark Barrett of Steinway Piano Gallery for photos of the August 6 concert.

Dance Revolution

Each Friday night in August, Laurie Mlatawou has job to do: Get Madisonians up and dancing and don’t give them a reason to sit back down.

Mlatawou—better known to some as DJ Laurie—provides the “pre-dance” music at Dane Dances, an annual event held on the Monona Terrace rooftop intended to bring together people of diverse backgrounds to break down barriers and enjoy a night of free entertainment.

At 5:30 p.m. Mlatawou starts the music and gets the crowd prepped for the first band at 6 p.m. Then she does the same at 7:30 p.m. before the second band hits the stage at 8 p.m.

“I only have thirty minutes to get people up and dancing,” she says.

Mlatawou draws on a handful of group-dance songs that are popular with the crowds. “They never fail to get people out and that’s my goal, to get people out dancing,” she says. “Because once they’re up, they don’t sit down.”

This summer marks Mlatawou’s fifth year of DJing at Dane Dances. But she’d attended the event for years as a member of the dancing public.

“For me, it’s the most beautiful multicultural event that Madison has,” she says. “Everyone is happy and smiling and feeling like a community together. It makes you really proud to be a Madisonian.”

While Mlatawou has DJed clubs and private event for years, playing music at Dane Dances is different—and an experience she always looks forward to. “It’s a huge audience,” she says. “There are literally thousands of people dancing to the music I play.”

She enjoys the diversity—of ages, shapes, ethnicities and abilities—that the event draws and how music and dance bring everyone together.

“It’s just super fun to watch everyone literally coming together,” she says. “Everyone is happy and smiling and feeling like a community.”

Mlatawou, who also hosts PanAfrica, a program Sundays 2–4 p.m. on WORT, says her DJ work complements her other work nicely. She’s a law student at UW–Madison and plans to be a civil rights attorney. The atmosphere at Dane Dances is something she hopes to create in her career.

“This is the way I want my world to be,” she says.

Dane Dances kicked off August 1. Here’s the lineup for the rest of the season:

August 8
DJ Laurie, 5:30 p.m.
In Black ‘n White, 6 p.m. Reggae, rock, soul and jazz.
DJ Laurie, 7:30 p.m.
Streetlife, 8 p.m. R&B, smooth jazz and contemporary.
Monona Terrace rooftop (rain location at Allliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall)

August 15
Unity the Band, 5:30 p.m. World beat and reggae.
DJ Laurie, 7 p.m.
Felicia Alima, 7:30 p.m. Urban R&B.
DJ Laurie, 9 p.m.
Duce Duce, 9:30 p.m. Hip hop and R&B.
Memorial Union Terrace (rain location at Memorial Union Rathskeller)

August 22
DJ Laurie, 5:30 p.m.
David Hecht & Primitive Culture, 6 p.m. Reggae, funk, world beat and R&B.
DJ Laurie, 7:30 p.m.
!Que Flavor!, 8 p.m. Traditional Afro-Cuban and Latin.
Monona Terrace rooftop (rain location at Allliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall)

August 29
DJ Laurie, 5:30 p.m.
Nellie Tiger Travis Blues Band, 6 p.m. Urban R&B.
DJ Laurie, 7:30 p.m.
MadiSalsa, 8 p.m. Traditions of Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.
Monona Terrace rooftop (rain location inside Monona Terrace)


Photos courtesy of Bill Patterson.