Madison jazz legends Ben Sidran and Richard Davis first played together in 1975. Over the years, they’ve played countless performances, (including an infamous tour of Wisconsin prisons in the 1980’s), and made several records together. This is their first time sharing the stage since the closing concert of the Oscar Mayer theater in 2004. Ben and Leo Sidran have also been performing together since the late 70’s, when Leo was a boy. They continue to record and perform together around the world, and in 2003 they launched the Nardis Music label to showcase their work. Leo relocated to New York in 2005. Joy Dragland, a former Madison mainstay, also moved in 2005 to New York, where she and Leo record and perform under the name “Joy and the Boy”. In Madison, Joy was a protege of both Richard Davis and Ben Sidran. Louka Patenaude is a Madison treasure, an original musician and composer and he joined in on a few selections to add a little guitar to the set.
This is the first time all five artists will perform together and it was as great as it sounds…..The mixture of styles and family familiarity made the fingers snap, the toes tap and the smiles widen.
