Karaoke until last call.

The Standard’s Session is a monthly jazz jam here at Café Coda, inspired by the legendary player-focused sessions of New York City. Expect great musicians, classic tunes, and plenty of room to take chances.

The evening begins with a 45-minute house band set featuring a rotating quintet exploring standards, swing, bebop, hard bop, and the Great American Songbook. Then the stage opens for an all-levels jam. Musicians can sign up, call a tune, and sit in with the band. Come ready to listen, communicate, and improvise, not simply read from a chart.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional, advancing student, weekend player, or simply a jazz lover, The Standard’s Session is a place to listen, play, and become part of the music.

House Band: Led by Jan (Yani) Horam on trumpet
7:00 PM — House Band Set
~8:00 PM — Open Jam Begins
10:00 PM+ — We finish when the music says we’re done.

Bring your instrument. Bring your ears. Bring a tune.

Jan Horam is a trumpet player who has toured internationally on cruise ships and Broadway tours and now runs his own music company, providing entertainment for weddings and events.

This show features rich, liquid flute and sax playing by Tom Gullion, smooth, solid bass by Mark Urness, fascinating drum rhythms by Dane Richeson, and sensitive, lively piano and organ by Doug White. This performance is free of charge. Freewill offerings are encouraged to help keep the music flowing. We hope you can join us at Cafe CODA!

Tom Gullion is a vibrant and innovative jazz saxophonist and flutist whose adventurous improvisations have earned him a global reputation as a creative jazz musician. His mastery of the saxophone and flute, combined with his passion for experimenting with musical genres and styles, has made him a sought-after performer and collaborator.

Tom has recorded and performed with some of the world’s most renowned jazz musicians. His live performances, both solo and with his band, have left audiences in awe, as he takes them on a journey of musical exploration.

Dane Richeson integrates the rhythms of jazz, rock, funk, classical, African, and Brazilian music into creative and intriguing improvisations. He has played with Bobby McFerrin, Gordon Stout, Gunther Schuller, Geoffrey Keezer, Joe Lovano, NDR Big Band of Germany, Roscoe Mitchell, Medeski-Martin-Woods, Kenny Wheeler, Danilo Perez, and Lyle Mays.

Mark Urness is widely sought as a master of jazz and classical bass. He teaches jazz at Lawrence University.

Doug White is a multi-genre keyboardist who has toured internationally and played in the Midwest jazz scene with Clyde Stubblefield, Les Thimmig, and Brian Lynch.

🎶 FRI, September 11

🕖 Show at 5pm

🎟️ Free

Karaoke until last call.

In Tandem brings together two longtime pillars of the Madison jazz community, guitarist/bassist Don Linke and percussionist Victor Campbell, in a musical partnership built on nearly 45 years of friendship, collaboration, and shared musical language. With just two musicians onstage, In Tandem puts the spotlight on the art of listening, improvisation, and equal responsibility. The result is an intimate, spontaneous conversation between guitar, bass, and percussion; challenging, playful, and crazy fun.

Don Linke has been a mainstay of the regional music scene for nearly five decades. A graduate of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, he was appointed Director of Jazz Guitar Studies there in 1985 and later served in the same role at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee from 2002 to 2015. Equally accomplished on guitar and bass, Linke has earned a reputation as a compelling solo guitarist and versatile ensemble musician. Now retired from formal teaching, he has refocused his energy on practicing, performing, and continuing to explore the music he loves.

Victor Campbell has shared his distinctive jazz percussion with an impressive roster of local and nationally recognized artists, including Ko-Thi Dance Company, Brian Lynch, Bobby Broom, Manty Ellis, Melvin Rhyne, and Dr. Eddie Henderson. A student and graduate of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Campbell brings a deep understanding of jazz tradition to every performance while keeping the music fresh, responsive, and alive.

Together, Linke and Campbell turn decades of musical experience into an intimate two-person dialogue; proving that sometimes, just the two of us is all you need.

Tango Class starts at 2 PM, $15 cover

Social from 3PM to 5 PM, $5 cover

Finnegan/Frees/Dessel is a Chicago-based trio featuring drummer Lily Finnegan, saxophonist Garrett Frees, and pianist Erez Dessel. Bringing together three distinctive voices from Chicago’s creative music community, the trio explores the space between composition, improvisation, and adventurous jazz.

Next Jazz Legacy awardee Lily Finnegan leads the quartet Heat On and has collaborated with artists including James Brandon Lewis, Ken Vandermark, gabby fluke-mogul, Macie Stewart, and Lia Kohl. Garrett Frees, a versatile saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist, is a New England Conservatory graduate who has performed with musicians including Cecil McBee, Dave Holland, Ran Blake, and Anna Webber. Pianist and composer Erez Dessel is a longtime Chicago performer and organizer whose work has taken him across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with releases on Corbett vs. Dempsey, Audiographic Records, and Amalgam Music.

Together, Finnegan/Frees/Dessel create music that is exploratory, responsive, and deeply rooted in the tradition of collective improvisation.

Karaoke until last call.

Free!

Hanah Jon Taylor is arguably the preeminent saxophonist and flutist in Madison jazz and a leading catalyst, organizer and educator in inter-arts programming. Taylor was founder and director of The Madison Center for the Creative and Cultural Arts, which offered concerts and multi-arts classes. Taylor also directed Freedom Fest, which presented such world-class performers as Archie Shepp, Sonny Fortune, Richard Davis, Cecil McBee, Edward Wilkerson, acclaimed Chicago singer Dee Alexander, and Corey Wilkes and Roscoe Mitchell of the legendary Art Ensemble of Chicago.

With a career spanning over 30 years, Mr. Taylor has appeared with songwriter/folk artist Richie Havens, percussionist Steve McCall, the Colson Unity Troupe, saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, pianist Jobic LeMasson, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, bassists Rafael Garrett and Malachi Favors, and the Great Black Music Ensemble of Chicago.

Taylor moved to Madison years ago from Chicago and has been a long-time member of theinfluential Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). He has performed worldwide with musicians ranging from Woodstock-famous singer-songwriter Richie Havens to Nina Simone, Miles Davis, and many of the AACM’s leading lights. Taylor has a substantial reputation in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Today Taylor is the owner of Madison’s premier jazz venue, Cafe Coda.

Ronnie Burrage stepped into the jazz scene when he debuted at the age of 8 years old, when the legendary bandleader and pianist, Duke Ellington invited him on the stage to accompany him at a performance in St. Louis, Missouri. Over thirty-five years later, he has stamped the genre as one of the most sought after drummers in the world by some of the greatest musicians who have ever lived. Legends such as Art Blakey, Jackie McLean, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, McCoy Tyner, James Moody, Sonny Rollins, Jaco Pastorius, Frank Morgan, Pepper Adams, Pat Metheny, Archie Shepp and many others have required his versatile talent and skill on the drums.

Eric Jacobson is an accomplished jazz trumpeter known for his soulful playing and creative musical expression. With a passion for blending traditional jazz elements with contemporary styles, Eric has established himself as a versatile and dynamic musician in the jazz scene. He has collaborated with numerous renowned artists and ensembles, showcasing his distinct sound and innovative approach to music. Eric's performances resonate with audiences, captivating listeners with his expressive and emotive playing. His commitment to pushing boundaries and creating engaging musical experiences solidifies his reputation as a standout talent in the jazz world. 

Legendary saxman Frank Catalano consistently headlines world-class festivals and sells-out venues throughout the USA, Europe, and Japan. Thanks to his signature sound and renowned reputation, Catalano averages 150 concerts a year with his jazz quartet. As a coveted guest artist, Frank often lends his sax stylings to high-profile rock groups. Recent highlights include playing a 7-minute improvised sax solo at The Hollywood Bowl with The Smashing Pumpkins, closing out the Chicago Blues Festival with Los Lobos, and performing with Les Claypool, Sean Lennon, and the Violent Femmes. He also teamed up on a unique version of the Jane’s Addiction hit “Jane Says” with Perry Farrell, Billy Corgan, and Jimmy Chamberlin, Frank’s longtime friend and collaborator.

Free!

Since the 1970s, percussionist, drummer, composer, and bandleader Kahil El'Zabar has established himself as a prolific jazz innovator. Regarded by critics as a "renaissance man," his musical style embraces folkloric, spiritual, and musical traditions from ancient Africa that he integrates with music and culture from the modern world. Among his creative vehicles are the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Ritual Trio; he has also issued numerous solo and collaborative projects. He founded the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Ritual Trio(both remain active), played alongside jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie and Cannonball Adderley, worked in the bands of Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone (whom he also designed clothes for), and Paul Simon, worked with indie rock bands, and headed up the groundbreaking jazz/house music outfit JUBA Collective. Key albums include the EHE's debut, Three Gentlemen from Chicago in 1981, Ritual Trio's 1985 debut The Ritual, and 2000's Africa N'Da Blues with Archie Shepp, Ari Brown, Malachi Favors, and Pharoah Sanders. 2007's solo outing Transmigration was acclaimed as a new chapter for the veteran artist. In 2014, Black Is Back showcased a more spacious aspect of EHE's sound. In 2017, El'Zabar was the subject of the Dwayne Johnson-Cochran documentary Be Known: The Mystery of Kahil El Zabar.

Chico Freeman is renowned for his skillful and expressive playing on both tenor and soprano saxophones. His ability to navigate various styles, from post-bop to free jazz, showcases his technical prowess and versatility. Heralded as one of the most important saxophonists of our time, composer and producer, Chico Freeman has perfected an immediately recognizable approach to music and composition, blending what he has experienced from his past and providing fluidity into a future of infinite musical possibilities. With his latest album Spoken Into Existence on Jive Music, Freeman served notice that he is still a force to be reckoned with. He addresses a cohort of beautiful melodies framed within a diverse array of styles (hip hop, funk, bebop, post-bop, the blues, melodies conjured from African and Asian scales) and renders them on tenor and soprano saxophones with keen intention, authoritative execution, and tonal control that transforms his metal instruments into analogue for the human voice.