The Absent Wilson Conspiracy w/ Bigskylight
Sunday, January 29 // Door at 6:30 PM // Show at 7 PM // $10 // $15 Artist Supporter The Absent Wilson Conspiracy explores acoustic, and electric jazz through contemplative and spacious original compositions. Drawing rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic textures from across the spectrum of classic and contemporary jazz, the band is driven by a deep love of the collective improvisation at the heart of jazz. Also known as The Captain Wilson Conspiracy, the band began conspiring in Missoula Montana nearly a decade ago. After keyboardist Keaton Wilson moved to Arizona, bassist Steve Kalling, guitarist DR Halsell, and percussionist Ed Stalling adopted the ‘Absent Wilson’ moniker as a way to acknowledge the origin and connection while forming the nucleus of an expanding group of like-minded conspirators. In recent years, Helena-based composer and pianist Steven Gores joined the fun. His emotional and cinematic compositions made him complicit from the first note. Montana has a way of pulling together people who love wild places and find the particular kind of quiet that comes in the wind and wide sky. This experience of the wide-open spaces and the people and communities who live here, has shaped their compositions. They look forward to sharing these stories and exploring the spaces they shape from the ZACC stage this January. Bigskylight’s music is inspired by the subtle differences in the color and timbre of light across the Montana sky. It is created to slow down, go deep and listen. Dynamic and fluid, the ensemble revolves around the ethereal and sound of the hand-pan (a contemplative relative of the steel drum). Image credit ‘Time to Feed the Frog’ by Paula Wittner, 2019, Gouache on Ragboard For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Jazz Night with Patti Nolan & Friends
Sunday, January 222 // Door at 6:30 PM // Show at 7 PM // $12 // $15 Artist Supporter Join us at the Show Room at the ZACC for a spirited night of jazz classics and standards performed by Patti Nolan & Friends, with Patti on vocals, Dylan Bautista on piano, Pete Hand on bass, and Ed Stalling on drums. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
JAZZOULA FALL ’22
The ZACC & Rockin’ Rudy’s Present JAZZOULA FALL ’22 Thursday, Friday, & Saturday // November 10, 11, 12 // Doors at 5:30 // Show at 6:30 PM // $20 // $17 Students & Seniors (50+) Saturday’s Line-up:Conor Racicot TrioRyan Belski QuartetKatie & the DewdroppersAirmail Special featuring Chuck Florence and David HorganBob Packwood & Tommy Sciple Jazzoula Fall ’22! Celebrating 20 years of Jazz in the Missoula community – presenting 20 plus jazz combos, big bands, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists over three days, November 10, 11, and 12. Providing a complete variety of the only original form of American music: jazz. Jazzoula gives the listener a chance to experience Missoula’s eclectic jazz performers showcasing their individual talents with their groups, and as soloists. With combo jazz, trios, big band, vocalists, student groups, and various musical incarnations. Acts include Melody Anderson Vocal Trio, Milan House Trio, Ryan Belski Quartet, Jim Driscoll/Chuck Florence Quartet, U of M Boyd Combo, Canta Brasil, Basement Boys, MJ Williams with Ann Tappan, Skyler Mendel Sextet, Naomi Siegel Quartet, Conor Racicot Trio, Night Blooming Jasmine, Bob Packwood & Tommy Sciple, Katie and the Dewdroppers, and Airmail Special. Enjoy short sets and a fantastic variety of awesome jazz music. See you there. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
JAZZOULA FALL ’22
The ZACC & Rockin’ Rudy’s Present JAZZOULA FALL ’22 Thursday, Friday, & Saturday // November 10, 11, 12 // Doors at 5:30 // Show at 6:30 PM // $20 // $17 Students & Seniors (50+) Friday’s Line-up:Canta BrasilNaomi Siegel QuartetBasement BoysMJ Williams / Ann Tappan / Rob KohlerSkyler Mendell Sextet Jazzoula Fall ’22! Celebrating 20 years of Jazz in the Missoula community – presenting 20 plus jazz combos, big bands, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists over three days, November 10, 11, and 12. Providing a complete variety of the only original form of American music: jazz. Jazzoula gives the listener a chance to experience Missoula’s eclectic jazz performers showcasing their individual talents with their groups, and as soloists. With combo jazz, trios, big band, vocalists, student groups, and various musical incarnations. Acts include Melody Anderson Vocal Trio, Milan House Trio, Ryan Belski Quartet, Jim Driscoll/Chuck Florence Quartet, U of M Boyd Combo, Canta Brasil, Basement Boys, MJ Williams with Ann Tappan, Skyler Mendel Sextet, Naomi Siegel Quartet, Conor Racicot Trio, Night Blooming Jasmine, Bob Packwood & Tommy Sciple, Katie and the Dewdroppers, and Airmail Special. Enjoy short sets and a fantastic variety of awesome jazz music. See you there. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
JAZZOULA FALL ’22
The ZACC & Rockin’ Rudy’s Present JAZZOULA FALL ’22 Thursday, Friday, & Saturday // November 10, 11, 12 // Doors at 5:30 // Show at 6:30 PM // $20 // $17 Students & Seniors (50+) Thursday’s Line-up:Night Blooming JasmineMilan House TrioJeff Troxel & FriendsSG Modern Jazz ProjectU of M Boyd Combo Jazzoula Fall ’22! Celebrating 20 years of Jazz in the Missoula community – presenting 20 plus jazz combos, big bands, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists over three days, November 10, 11, and 12. Providing a complete variety of the only original form of American music: jazz. Jazzoula gives the listener a chance to experience Missoula’s eclectic jazz performers showcasing their individual talents with their groups, and as soloists. With combo jazz, trios, big band, vocalists, student groups, and various musical incarnations. Acts include Melody Anderson Vocal Trio, Milan House Trio, Ryan Belski Quartet, Jim Driscoll/Chuck Florence Quartet, U of M Boyd Combo, Canta Brasil, Basement Boys, MJ Williams with Ann Tappan, Skyler Mendel Sextet, Naomi Siegel Quartet, Conor Racicot Trio, Night Blooming Jasmine, Bob Packwood & Tommy Sciple, Katie and the Dewdroppers, and Airmail Special. Enjoy short sets and a fantastic variety of awesome jazz music. See you there. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Divide: The Montana Jazz Project
Saturday, October 8 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $12 General Admission // $10 Students & Seniors Supported by the National Endowment of the Arts and the Montana Arts Council, ‘Divide: The Montana Jazz Project’ brings world class jazz to cities and towns throughout Montana. The tour consists of Loren Stillman on saxophones, Bob Bowman on bass, and Mark Ferber on drums. Weaving together melody and improvisation, the three players are internationally-acclaimed musicians who combine jazz tradition with spontaneous arrangement. While jazz can take many forms, there is no substitute for live collaboration. Divide brings original music as live performance to Montanans across the state. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Bill Kautz / Naomi Siegel / Michael Musick, w/ Molly Liu Buchanan & s_nya
Wednesday, September 7 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $10 // $15 Artist Supporter Ticket Billy Kautz (cornet), Michael Musick (live electronics), and Naomi Siegel (trombone) have been working together in many contexts in Missoula’s creative music environment but this show marks the first time they will come together to create electro-acoustic sounds as a trio. Michael Musick uses custom developed software to process and synthesize the trio’s musical material. The most significant of these systems takes live microphone signals from Billy and Naomi and the space they are in, and tries to understand the sound using machine learning. This then affects the sound before sending it back out into the space. Billy Kautz is a composer, educator and bandleader based in Missoula. He leads and composes for his ensemble crosstalk, a free music ensemble drawing from the great jazz continuum as well as composing in his role as Music Coordinator at UCC Missoula. He has hosted Something Else, a weekly radio show on KBGA 89.9FM since 2017 featuring creative music and artist interviews. He is also a co-founder of the monthly improvisation sessions, The FreeSessions, along with Naomi Siegel. Michael Musick is a sonic artist, interactive artist, composer, performer and improviser; he is also a faculty member in and director for the School of Visual & Media Arts at the University of Montana. His current practice and research explores interactive music systems, creative improvisation, installation art, soundscape / acoustic-ecology, and interactive theory. Much of Michael’s work is part of his larger Sonic Spaces Project, which explores the creation of ecosystems of sound and music. This work, including performances, installations, recordings, and lectures, has been presented throughout the US and internationally. Trombonist, composer, and educator Naomi Siegel creates work geared towards authentic expression and honest connection. A winner of an Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Award for Emerging Artist of the Year, her expressive trombone playing is changing the way the trombone is heard and viewed. Fusing folk melodies with fantastical soundscapes and tight grooves, she plays her own style of indie-folk/pop/jazz that transcends genre. Her music is introspective and celebratory, intimate and full. Molly Liu Buchanan offers a collection of soft electronic music she wrote while going on walks through town during the past two years. She is inspired by the artists Bjork, Aphex Twin, Portico Quartet, and Kelly Lee Owens. Her music is nostalgic, lo-fi and intimate. Drummer, producer, and DJ, Cole Bronson (s_nya) has been one of Missoula’s more prolific musical artists in the last few years. Creating under the moniker ‘s_nya’ (sunya) Bronson’s catalog of eclectic, afro-centric, sample-based recordings ranges from hip-hop, to free-jazz, to ambient, and all things in between. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Patti Nolan & Friends
Sunday, August 21 // Door at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $12 Join us at the Show Room at the ZACC for a spirited night of jazz classics and standards performed by Patti Nolan & Friends, with Patti on vocals, Dylan Bautista on Piano, Pete Hand on Bass, Jeff Troxel on Guitar, and Ed Stalling on Drums. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
The Jazz Cats from Sussex School
Tuesday, May 10 // Doors at 6:30 PM // Show at 7 PM // $10 We are an ensemble called the Jazz Cats from Sussex School, an independent progressive school here in Missoula. We are a group of eight members in grades third, seventh, and eighth on bass, guitar, drums, vocals, and keys. We have been working together for seven months now. We are performing seven songs during our performance at the ZACC, with a large variety of song types ranging from arrangements of pop to rock – from slow, to upbeat, to fast. This show will be our culminating performance for all of the work we have done this year. We really hope to see you there! Watch out because the Jazz Cats are about to get jazzy! For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
Naomi Moon Siegel Trio featuring Ed Stalling & Tommy Sciple, + Opener Jenn Adams
Sunday, May 8 // Doors at 7 PM // Show at 7:30 PM // $15 Trombonist and composer Naomi Moon Siegel has “crafted a truly unique aesthetic, combining elements of straight-ahead, fusion and modern jazz with world-music flavors in a way that sounds entirely of the 21st century” (JAZZIZ). A recipient of the Montana Arts Council Artist Innovation Award, Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Award, and member of the 4th Mutual Mentorship for Musicians cohort, she has released two albums as a bandleader to critical acclaim. Playing music inspired by the Black American Music tradition, Siegel will be joined by local phenoms Tommy Sciple on bass and Ed Stalling on drums. Twisting the corners of folk, blues, and jazz into immediately personal songs, Jenn Adams is internationally recognized for her distinctive sound and well-crafted songwriting. With an extensive wealth of experience and craft, her songs scale a diverse foundation that refuse to blend into the ordinary. Sparsely decorated, bluesy ballads are her trademark but by no means a limitation. Known for her warm and inclusive live performances, she is widely regarded as one of the most genuine artists on the acoustic circuit. For further information, accessibility, and inquiries please visit https://www.zootownarts.org/meet-the-zacc/about/.
