On Tuesday, October 15th, Madison saxophonist Jon Hoel stopped by the WORT studios to talk with “Back Porch Serenade’s” Peter Haney about his trio’s Oct. 18 performance at Audio for the Arts .
One of Madison’s hardest working jazz groups, the Jon Hoel Trio features Ben Ferris on bass and Kelby Kryshak on drums and plays a rich mix of originals and seldom-played standards. Whether they’re pushing the limits or staying deep in the pocket, they’re always authentic and engaging. The group has performed at the Catfish River Music Festival, Orton Park Festival and the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium’s Strollin’ series and also holds a monthly residency at the Alchemy in Madison, appearing the last Wednesday of every month.
A Madison native and alumnus of East High School, Jon returned to his home town after studying music at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. He is also involved with the popular local funk groups Nuggernaut and Better Yeti. Among his more recent projects is a funk group aimed at children, for which he is writing tunes with help from his four-year-old. The performance at Audio for the Arts begins at 7:00 pm on Oct. 18 and will also stream on the World Wide Web and the Audio for the Arts Facebook page. The interview included two original tunes recorded by the Trio at the Madison Public Library during a concert sponsored by the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium. The tunes are “Early Arrival” (Hoel) and “Set Steak Blues” (Ferris).
Photo of Jon Hoel courtesy of M.O.D. Media Productions