Now in its 23rd year, the Isthmus Jazz Festival is a two-day celebration of America's homegrown art form. The free festival kicks off the summer season in one of Madison's most beautiful outdoor settings, the Memorial Union Terrace, with Lake Mendota as a glittering backdrop. A diverse crowd of students, jazz aficionados and casual fans fill the tables to hear a lineup that reflects a century's worth of jazz styles. Dixieland, big-band swing, bebop, Latin jazz and free jazz are all part of the mix, along with contemporary derivations like funk and hip-hop. The festival is committed to honoring jazz's glorious tradition while keeping one eye fixed on the future.

Friday:

4:30: High School Jazz All-Stars
6:00: Michelle DuVall with Get Down, Mr. Cat
7:30: Madison Mellophonium Jazz Orchestra
10:00: The Tony Castaneda Latin Jazz Super Group

Saturday:

1:00: Edgewood Jazz Ensemble
2:00: UW Jazz Orchestra
3:15: The Stellanovas
4:30: Jan Wheaton Quartet
6:00: Marlin McKay Quintet
8:00: The Mike Frost Project
10:00: Grupo Candela

Sights & Sounds from the 2009 Isthmus Jazz Festival

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship Opportunities are still available. Email Linda Baldwin at lbaldwin@isthmus.com for more information.