Program Information

Location: Tallgrass Hall

Time: 7pm

Duration: 1h40m

Kicking off our first Jazz feature at Tallgrass is acclaimed madison trio Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair dynamic and innovative ensemble composed of Jason Kutz (piano), Ben Ferris (bass) and Mike Koszewski (drums). The trio collaborates with singers, dancers, orchestras, string ensembles, poets and visual artists to pioneer exciting and distinct projects, showcasing their versatile style and interests in improvisational music.

Mr. Chair released two acclaimed studio albums of original music with Nebulebula (2019) and Better Days (2023). These albums were in collaboration with trombonist Mark Hetzler and, on Better Days, guitarist José Guzmán. Since Hetzler’s departure from the group, Mr. Chair paired down to a more flexible piano trio and produced two very different albums. Sirena, with singer Leslie Damaso and saxophonist Jon Irabagon, is a heartfelt, operatic arrangement of Filipino art songs called kundiman, set to the story of a mythical mermaid. Spectaculous is an orchestral hip hop album with singer and poet Dequadray White. The first single from Spectaculous “Tempo” garnered over 200,000 views and 20,000 streams in the first month.

In December 2024, they sold out five separate performances of Charlie Brown’s Christmas Album and are set to do another full retelling of Hank Mobley’s Soul Station. Other notable performances and projects include a recent premiere of jazz legend Roland Hanna’s bass concerto; reimaginations of Stravinsky's Pulcinella, Gerswhin's Rhapsody in Blue with the Madison Ballet and Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, as well as commissioned works with UW-Madison Geoscience Professor Dr. Stephen Meyers, musically exploring scientific topics like the big bang and underground wave patterns.

Mr. Chair’s eclectic projects are united by a fearless exploration of musical storytelling, technical precision and dynamic, energizing performances.

“The euphonious elements at the heart of Snarky Puppy’s appeal are also present in Mr. Chair’s debut.“ (PROG UK)

About the Artist

Find out more about Mr. Chair