Here’s a quick guide to some upcoming arts and cultural events happening around Missoula in the coming week.
Buddy DeFranco Jazz Fest
(Through March 17)
The annual UM jazz festival brings student musicians from around the region to campus to work with guest artists. At the evening concerts, you can hear the guest artists, the UM jazz faculty band, top student bands and more.
The guests this year are Caroline Davis (saxophone), Trent Austin (trumpet), Phil Ostrander (trombone), Reggie Thomas (piano), Heather Chriscaden (bass) and Tina Raymond (drums).
Concerts start at 7:30 in the Dennison Theatre on Thursday-Friday. Head to griztix.com for tickets.
After Friday’s concerts, they’ll head over to Stave & Hoop speakeasy for an after-hours jam session.
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See what weather is in store for the Missoula area this week, according to the National Weather Service.
The Last Revel and North Fork Crossing at Free Cycles
(Saturday, March 18)
Two Bozeman string bands are coming to the Missoula bike shop for a Saturday throwdown.
The Last Revel’s members are dispersed in the Gallatin Valley, Nashville and Minneapolis these days.
North Fork, meanwhile, is a five-piece that plants its flag in the territory where “traditional bluegrass, psychedelic rock, Americana and folk,” meet, according to their website.
Doors open at 6:15 p.m. North Fork is on from 7-8 p.m., The Last Revel from 8:30-10 p.m. Cover is $15, all ages.
Contemporary music at the Westside Theater
(Saturday, March 18)
Hear a visiting saxophonist perform with a local dancer, and a Missoula trio combining electronics with horns and improvisation at the Westside.
The guest is Caroline Davis, an alto saxophonist and composer from New York who’s in town for the DeFranco Fest. She'll be collaborating on an improvised concert with movement artist, Michelle Boulé, who's now based in Missoula. Their work will be based on spontaneous prompts, with Davis playing saxophone along with synthesizer and effects.
She’s worked with legends like Lee Konitz, and pushed her work into realms that blur the line between modern composition and jazz, such as the album, “Portals, Volume 1: Mourning.” A complex but melodic record, it was written for a jazz quintet and a string section, with both ensembles interacting rather than a “jazz plus strings” format.
You’ll also hear an electro-acoustic performance by a local trio of Naomi Siegel (trombone), Billy Kautz (cornet) and Michael Musick (horns, electronics). Siegel and Kautz both ring-lead the Free Sessions, a monthly improvisation workshop/performance at the theater.
Doors open at 7 p.m., the show starts at 7:30. The performance will be seated in an “intentional listening” atmosphere. Tickets are $18 general, $15 for students and seniors. Go to thewestsidetheater.com. Beer and wine will be available for purchase.
A staged reading with the Rep at MPL
(Saturday, March 18)
The Montana Repertory Theatre’s new “First Reads” series will present staged readings of contemporary plays at the Missoula Public Library.
Each play is a contender for a full production with the Rep next season.
First up is “The Christians,” by playwright Lucas Hnath. It involves the pastor of a megachurch deciding which direction to lead his followers in.
The cast comprises Montana actors with professional credits. They’ll be reading in the Copper Room upstairs at 2 p.m. It’s free.
