Wausau Pilot & Review
The River Valley Jazz Society announces the return of free Jazz on the River summer concerts on Sunday evenings at Kickbusch Plaza, Wausau.
The society will host eight 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. concerts starting July 9 and ending August 27. Kickbusch Plaza is located directly west of the Marathon County Public Library headquarters.
The concert performers, drawn from across the Midwest, will play a variety of jazz music .
“There is something for everyone in this year’s line-up,” said Susan Weinschenk, president of the River Valley Jazz Society. “People can bring a blanket or a lawn chair and enjoy a great evening of music. It’s a wonderful way to cap a summer weekend.”
This year’s performers include:
- July 9: The Sara Rifleman Jazz Trio. This Wisconsin-based ensemble will return to Jazz on the River to play jazz standards and originals. Rifleman, a pianist, hails from La Crosse.
- July 16: The Zach Finnegan Group. Finnegan, a Wausau native and rising trumpet star in the Chicago jazz scene, will bring his sextet to play modern, straight ahead jazz standards and new compositions.
- July 23: The Bob Kase Jazz Quintet. Bob Kase, who has performed on over 200 albums and shared the stage with music legends, including Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee, will perform top-shelf mainstream jazz with his group. Kase has served as dean of the School of Fine Arts at University of Minnesota, Duluth, and chair of the UW-Stevens Point Music Department.
- July 30: The Typhanie Monique Trio. Chicago-based Typhanie Monique is a singer, recording artist and educator . She will bring her soul-infused music to the Kickbusch Plaza stage.
- August 6: PEGASIS. This seven-member Green Bay group is anchored by three singing sisters from the Dominican Republic (Marvelis, Rissel and Yaina Peguero Almonte) who perform Latin-inspired originals.
- August 13: The Jeff Erickson Quartet. Jeff Erickson, a saxophonist who is the director of jazz studies at UW-La Crosse, will bring his quartet to play contemporary and mainstream jazz.
- August 20: Ziji. This Green Bay group led by jazz educator Chris Salerno will return to Wausau to play Bossa Nova and other Brazilian jazz styles.
- August 27: Daddio. This Wisconsin-based quartet led by saxophonist Tom Washatka plays jazz influenced by rock, funk and Latin beats.
Jazz on the River is funded by The Eye Clinic of Wisconsin, Wausau Pilot and Review, the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, the Ed and Joyce Creske Family Foundation, the Clyde F. Schlueter Foundation Fund, the Dudley Foundation and the Raymond and Marie Goldbach Foundation.
A rain location for the concerts is to be determined.
For more information, go to the River Valley Jazz Society web site at https://www.rivervalleyjazz.org.
