My favorite genre of music is Jazz/Big Band, and we got the opportunity to watch a great performance by Kevin Van Ess & Talk of the Town. The space was made available by the Madison Jazz Society, a group promoting all forms of Jazz and Big Band music in the Madison area since 1984. The have shows at the Coliseum Bar, open to the public the year around.

What a fantastic show!  Kevin has spent many Mardi Gras in New Orleans, performing with greats like Pete Fountain.  Here is the group.

They even had comedic elements to their show, including serenading the audience and even Allison, one of the waitstaff serving us in the room.

Near the end of the show, Kevin lead a “2nd Line” parade around the room, people carrying parade umbrellas very common in New Orleans.

2nd Line

We had a fantastic time, we hope to see more shows in the future by Talk of the Town.

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