MADISON JAZZ FESTIVAL: New Breed Jam featuring Arun Luthra

Madison’s longest running jam session, The New Breed Jazz Jam features Paul Hastil (Fender Rhodes), Nick Moran (bass), and Michael Brenneis (drums). This special session features NYC saxophonist Arun Lutha, who will be the UW Division of the Arts’ Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program (IARP) Artist-in-Residence this fall.

Arun Luthra is an American musician of Indian heritage who fuses modern post-bop jazz with elements of Indian classical music–especially konnakol (South Indian classical music vocal percussion)–and connects a wide range of modern and classic and Eastern and Western musical influences to create a vibrant new sound and style. In the fall of 2021, Luthra will teach “The Universal Language of Rhythm: Explorations Through Konnakol and Black American Music.” This course is an introduction to konnakol, the Carnatic (South Indian classical music) art form of vocalizing rhythms, and will explore its blending with other musical traditions. Luthra’s residency will be hosted by the Mead Witter School of Music with Professor Johannes Wallmann as lead faculty and support from the Center for South Asia, the Department of Anthropology, the Wisconsin Union Theater, and Arts + Literature Laboratory.  Robinia Courtyard, 829 E. Washington Ave., 9pm.  Free event.