"Our story is about inspiration and encouragement given by lovers of good music and finding out what entertains and makes them happy. Over 21 years ago, LMS became Ladies Must Swing which came from Linda Marty Schmitz, President of the Madison Jazz Society, which also gave us our very first performance opportunity!

The presence of women playing jazz has gotten a lot of attention over the last decade and we are grateful for that. We intend to keep the musical momentum going and invite you to come see us, hear us, dance to us, celebrate with us, and re-live history!" - Ladies Must Swing

Production: Cafe CODA

Tickets: $15

*Limited quantity of early bird tickets are available at a discounted price at cafecoda.club/buy-tickets

**Do I need to print my ticket?

No, but will help. Due to different systems, some people might not get the second email of tickets with QR codes.

You can either print your email receipts or simply show them on your phone upon arrival.

***Please check our FB page for announcements and cancellations.

Indulge in some well-deserved relaxation after a hectic day – you've earned it! Enter CODA Soul Karaoke, your ticket to midweek bliss! 🎤

Join us every Wednesday evening at 8 PM for this FREE event.

Whether you're looking to sip cocktails with friends or release some stress with your co-workers, Wednesday nights are now dedicated to your moment in the spotlight and unwinding in style.

Come by yourself or with your friends for a memorable evening!

Door opens at 5 pm.

Free event!

Neither snow nor rain nor sleet nor flurries nor gloom of night stays these dancers from Jumptown's weekly Wednesday Social at Cafe Coda (in the back room)!
New to Swing dancing? No problem!

There's a beginner-friendly 6-count Lindy lesson at 7:30 pm!

Then stay for the social and a flurry of dancing with your cool new moves!

We'll be here 'til 10:00!
There is no online pay for this event. Please pay Jumptown when you arrive.

(Please purchase $10 class fee upon arrival at the rear studio of coda.)

Join us for a night of sizzling rhythms and fiery moves at Cafe Coda’s Tuesday Bachata Dance Night!

Get ready to unleash your inner dancer and immerse yourself in the vibrant world of bachata. Lessons will be provided at 7:30pm, and a dance social will follow at 8:30pm.

We also have the Tango dance/social in the front room. You can switch from dancing to Tango music or Latin rhythm all night long!

After 8:30 PM, the mixed dance social will start in the front room. Social dance is free!

Cover: $10 per person for class. Please pay the bar staff.

Prepare for a tango extravaganza! Welcome to Tango Tuesdays!

Madison Tango Society hosts the Tango Classes (7 - 8:30 PM) at Cafe CODA on the main dance Floor every Tuesday!

At 8:30 PM, the Tango Social party will join forces with the Bachata dance crew for a night of diverse rhythms. 

With only $10 (pay at the bar), you can join either Tango or Bachata groups for a class, and social is free.

*The Bachata group is in the back room. Class starts at 7:30 PM

EPD returns to CODA! Saturday, March 28, Extraordinary Popular Delusions (EPD) ventures North from Chicago to perform at Cafe CODA.

Extraordinary Popular Delusions:

Edward Wilkerson, Jr: Tenor Saxophone; Clarinet; Alto Clarinet; Digeridoo

Brian Sandstrom: Bass; Electric Guitar; Trumpet

Steve Hunt: Drums; Percussion; Waterphone; Marimba;

Jim Baker: Piano; Analog Synthesizer; Viola

EPD's last performance in Madison was in December 2023, on a double bill with Roscoe Mitchell's quartet, at a tribute to the late Terry Martin. A year or so after that came the release of "The Last Quintet"; a double CD (on Corbett-vs-Dempsey) documenting the final performance of EPD as a quintet, prior to the passing of saxophonist Mars Williams. New EPD recordings are in development.

EPD has also been playing for about twenty (20) consecutive years on an almost-every-week basis, mostly Monday nights at Beat Kitchen in Chicago. While anyone who was at the Martin tribute event probably has vivid recollection of EPD's performance, and thus may need no further inducement, we will provide some attempt at description: while it is not entirely clear how the music they play would be categorized (though "jazz" or "free improvisation" might be reasonable suppositions), their process is straightforward: they just start playing and then at some point, stop.

The members of EPD (Edward Wilkerson, Jr; Brian Sandstrom; Steve Hunt; Jim Baker) have, over the past four decades or so, been playing awhile, both in/as EPD, and also with various other musicians, including Ausberto Acevedo, Ishmael Ali, Fred Anderson, Tatsu Aoki, Joshua Abrams, Dan Bitney, David Boykin, Bill Brimfield, Ari Brown, Frank Catalano, Shawn Colvin, Vincent Davis, Christopher Dammann, Ernest Dawkins, Hamid Drake, Eight Bold Souls, Douglas Ewart, Mark Feldman, Lily Finnegan, Von Freeman, Mats Gustafsson, Lin Halliday, Bill Harris, Jacob Heinemann, Light Henry Huff, Keefe Jackson, Kent Kessler, Albert King, Peter Maunu, Nicole Mitchell, Thurston Moore, Reggie Nicholson, Junius Paul, Edward Peterson, Willie Pickens, Avreeayl Ra, Dave Rempis, Jason Roebke, Charles Rumback, Hal Russell, Shadow Vignettes, Robert Shy, Luke Stewart, Hanah Jon Taylor, Tortoise, Nicholas Tremulis, Ken Vandermark, Mars Williams, Jack Wright, Kahil El-Zabar, and Michael Zerang.

Like most musicians, EPD is noting, with some apprehension, the impending onslaught of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, which--in at least some hypothetical futures--threaten to displace human musicians with AI-created music; however, unlike most musicians, EPD instead views the notion of AI displacement as more of a threat to audiences than to musicians, since AIs already outperform humans by all quantitative measures by which "listening" is gauged. Accordingly, Extraordinary Popular Delusions plays music for AIs, but EPD also insists that humans still be allowed to attend their weekly Monday night Chicago performances at Beat Kitchen; and, also their performance at Cafe Coda.

Every last Friday, we bring Tani Diakite & the AfroFunkstars to Coda for a TGIF treat!

Tani is a musical force who has inspired an entire community of artists. With his Kamale n'goni, a West African ancestor to the banjo, and his plaintive singing, he never fails to drop the deepest blues around.

Over the years, watching Tani and the Afrofunkstars perform has been a treat for many. You never know what's going to happen or who will show up to play along with Tani and the band. Tani has been able to capture several performances over the years.

https://tanidiakite.bandcamp.c......

Production: Cafe CODA 🎼

Time: 7 PM

Tickets: $15 (online) $20 (door)

**Please check our FB page for announcements and cancellations.

Don’t miss a high-energy night of live blues at Cafe Coda featuring Paul Filipowicz. Known for his powerful performances, soulful guitar lines, and deep blues grooves, this is a show built for true blues lovers and live music fans alike.

Thursday, MARCH 26

7:00 PM

Cafe Coda

1224 Williamson St., Madison

Cover: $15

Arrive early, grab a drink, and settle in for an electrifying blues night at one of Madison’s most respected live music venues.

Indulge in some well-deserved relaxation after a hectic day – you've earned it! Enter CODA Soul Karaoke, your ticket to midweek bliss! 🎤

Join us every Wednesday evening at 8 PM for this FREE event.

Whether you're looking to sip cocktails with friends or release some stress with your co-workers, Wednesday nights are now dedicated to your moment in the spotlight and unwinding in style.

Come by yourself or with your friends for a memorable evening!

Door opens at 5 pm.

Free event!

Join us for a night of sizzling rhythms and fiery moves at Cafe Coda’s Tuesday Bachata Dance Night!

Get ready to unleash your inner dancer and immerse yourself in the vibrant world of bachata. Lessons will be provided at 7:30pm, and a dance social will follow at 8:30pm.

We also have the Tango dance/social in the front room. You can switch from dancing to Tango music or Latin rhythm all night long!

After 8:30 PM, the mixed dance social will start in the front room. Social dance is free!

Cover: $10 per person for class. Please pay the bar staff.

Prepare for a tango extravaganza! Welcome to Tango Tuesdays!

Madison Tango Society hosts the Tango Classes (7 - 8:30 PM) at Cafe CODA on the main dance Floor every Tuesday!

At 8:30 PM, the Tango Social party will join forces with the Bachata dance crew for a night of diverse rhythms. 

With only $10 (pay at the bar), you can join either Tango or Bachata groups for a class, and social is free.

*The Bachata group is in the back room. Class starts at 7:30 PM

Event Details:

8PM

$25 Cover ($10 with a student I.D.)

1224 Williamson Street Madison, WI 53704

Dan Cavanagh – piano www.DanCavanagh.com

Aruṇ Lūthrā – tenor & soprano saxophones www.ArunLuthra.NET

Nick Moran – contrabass www.Nickmoranbass.com

Noah Brooks – drum set https://www.youtube.com/@noahbrooks9877

Dan Cavanagh is the Pamela O. Hamel/Board of Advisors Director of the Mead Witter School of Muisc at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies.

In 2023 he was awarded Grand Prize in the Social Justice Category and 2nd Prize in the Wind Symphony/Band Composition category in the American Prize. He received a 2009 gold medal prize from the International Music Prize for Excellence in Composition, and in 2017 he was awarded a Special Judges’ Citation in the American Prize for Chamber Music Composition. As a composer Cavanagh has been commissioned to write for Latin Grammy-winning AfroBop Alliance, the legendary Patti LaBelle, and a wide range of classical and jazz performers across North America and Europe. He has released five jazz recordings as a leader, including Pulse and Heart of the Geyser on Seattle’s OA2 Records, and two recordings with Minnesota-based vibraphonist Dave Hagedorn, Horizon and 20 Years. His most recent recording with James Miley and John Hollenbeck was released on Japan’s S/N Alliance Records in November 2022 to critical acclaim. His music can be heard on many other recordings both classical and jazz. His film scoring work can be heard in the documentary The Beat Hotel, a film exploring the hotel in Paris in the late 1950s and early 1960s where the beat poets, led by Allen Ginsberg, lived and created much of their famous work.

Cavanagh continues to be commissioned and programmed around the world, with recent performances by the Dallas Wind Symphony, the UT Arlington Wind Symphony, bassoonist Laura Bennett Cameron, duality (Vanessa Sielert and Catherine Anderson), Tracy Cowden and Tabatha Easley, the John Brown Big Band, and many more. Cavanagh’s compositions for wind symphony and saxophone/piano are published by Murphy Music Press, and his works for jazz big band are published by UNC Jazz Press, Sierra Music Publications, and E-Jazz Lines.

Cavanagh has performed extensively in North America and Europe as a pianist, and he has also performed in Asia and Central America. He has appeared in concert with Grammy-winners Irma Thomas, Adonis Rose, and Joe McCarthy and a wide number of jazz artists across the world. He has been a finalist in the EuropaFest Jazz Contest in Bucharest, Romania, and in the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Piano Competition.

Prior to his time at UW-Madison he held numerous appointments at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he served for eighteen years. From 2015-2020, he served as the Co-Chair of Region VI for the Society of Composers, Inc., an international organization dedicated to new and contemporary music and composers. Cavanagh serves on the boards of the Madison Symphony Orchestra at the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, and previously served as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Dallas Winds, a five-time Grammy nominated professional Wind Symphony.

Aruṇ Lūthrā (Hindī: अरुण लूथरा) is one of New York's premier saxophonists, an award-winning composer, and an exponent of konnakol – the Carnatic (South Indian classical) music art form of vocalizing rhythms. As the leader of his Konnakol Jazz Project, he is one of the small group of U.S. musicians of South Asian heritage who have continued to explore the possibilities of fusing jazz with elements of Indian classical music, as well as drawing from the myriad cultures and traditions which he embodies, to create a vibrant new sound and style. Luthra has performed with his Konnakol Jazz Project across the United States as well as in Japan, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and South America.

www.ArunLuthra.NET

www.KonnakolJazzProject.com

ArunLuthra.Bandcamp.com

SoundCloud.com/ArunLuthra

YouTube.com/ArunLuthraMusic

Arun Luthra is a D'Addario Woodwinds artist

Arun Luthra endorses the ReedGeek reed tool

Nick Moran is a veteran of Madison’s music scene and has been performing for over 20 years. A prolific bassist on both electric and the double bass, Nick regularly performs a diverse roster of musical genres including Jazz, Afro Latin, Hip Hop, Reggae, Funk, and more.

As a student UW-Eau Claire, Nick studied under the legendary bass educator Dr. James Clute of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. During that time, he had the honor of studying briefly with maestro Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez of the famous Buena Vista Social Club. Nick Moran completed his studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts in 2004.

Nick Moran has toured internationally and performed with a diverse collection of internationally renowned acts, including Ben Sidran, Lee ‘Scratch‘ Perry, Clyde Subblefield, David ‘Fathead‘ Newman (Ray Charles’ sax player), Ana Laan, cajón ambassador Juan ‘Cotito’ Medrano (Susana Baca, Novalima), dance hall pioneers Chaka Demus and Pliers, and hip hop pioneer DJ Kool Herc. In 2001, Nick was honored to record and perform with master of afro cuban percussion and Grammy Award winner Roberto ‘Vizcaino” Guillot.

Nick Moran’s current projects include the Golpe Tierra, Phat Phunktion, El Clan Destino, Madisalsa, and The New Breed. Nick has also worked with such notable Madison music institutions as Natty Nation, Harmonious Wail, The Gomers, Tony Casteneda, Anna Laube, Joy and the Boy, and The Tim Whalen Nonet.

As a freelance bassist, Nick Moran has recorded countless tracks and albums for a diverse roster of artists including Gerri DiMaggio, UW Music Professor Les Thimmig, Hip Hop performers DLO, Stink Tank, and Man Mantis, Clyde Stubbelfield, Hanah John Taylor, and Reggae giants Natty Nation. Nick’s playing can also be heard in various Afro Cuban, Hip Hop, R&B and Funk loop libraries from Sony Music and Apple. In 2009, Nick was featured on the ‘What it is- ‘70’s Analog Funk’ loop library which gained critical acclaim and is still one of Sony Music Software’s top selling products.

In addition to his music career, Moran also works as a production and development consultant for the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium, A non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the local jazz scene. In 2014, Nick was awarded ‘Jazz Personality of The Year’ at The Isthmus Jazz Festival by mayoral proclamation.

In 2016, Nick joined the faculty of The University of Wisconsin Madison Mead-Witter School of Music as the Jazz Bass Instructor.

Noah Brooks is a Chicago based jazz drummer who graduated from Northern Illinois University with his bachelors in Jazz Studies and started his masters degree at the University of Illinois in fall of 2022. While maintaining a filled schedule as a drummer, educator, and student, Noah has a passion for content creation as well and decided to combine that passion with his love of music.

Noah can be found performing most with his own group that he leads, The Noah Brooks Coalition, throughout the Midwest, as well as with other Chicago performing artists.

Johannes Wallmann, piano

Arun Luthra, saxophone

Nick Moran, bass

Mitchell Shiner, vibraphone, drum set

Jazz pianist and composer Johannes Wallmann is a recording artist on Shifting Paradigm Records, and a Yamaha Piano artist, who has performed extensively as a bandleader and as a sideman in local, national, and international venues. DownBeat magazine has called Wallmann “a remarkable pianist and composer [whose] evocative compositions are brimming with melodic cogency and rhythmic pull” and called his playing “confident, muscular and elegant.”

In 2012, he joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison as Director of Jazz Studies and the inaugural holder of the John and Carolyn Peterson Chair in Jazz Studies. He recently released his twelfth album as a leader, Not Tired, of which TomaJazz (Spain) writes: “Wallmann has skillfully balanced his academic work with a discography that never ceases to amaze. […] Beyond the music, Not Tired reflects Wallmann's maturity as a composer and leader. His writing balances structure and freedom, and his direction fosters interaction without rigid hierarchies. The result is an album that, once finished, invites you to listen attentively again, revealing new nuances with each listen. Just as the title suggests, Not Tired never gets old. A must-have reference point among those released in 2025.”

Event Info:

03/20/26

8PM

$20 Cover

1224 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53704

The UW Creative Music Collective is-

Oluwatosin Oni-alto saxophone

Ella Scott-trumpet

Anders Svanoe-baritone saxophone

Shannon Finn-bass

Ian Dutter-drums

Director-Anders Svanoe

The UW Creative Music Collective will play compositions by Jackie McLean, Ornette Coleman and original compositions by the members of the ensemble. Stop by and hear some of the UW-Madison’s finest improvising musicians! $10 cover.

Anders Svanoe-

Appearing on ECM Records, Pi Recordings and Irabbagast Records, baritone saxophonist Anders Svanoe has brought new creativity and vigor to the baritone saxophone. As leader of ASTRO, the Anders Svanoe Trio, Double Trio, Latin Jazz Quintet, and member of The Transatlantic Art Ensemble, The Roscoe Mitchell Big Band, The Cab Calloway Orchestra and many other bands throughout his career, Neil Tesser, author of The Playboy Guide to Jazz says, “Svanoe presents

originality within the now decades-old tradition of free improvisation – a welcome, promising, and especially inventive presence as the music finds a new audience.”

As a member of The Transatlantic Art Ensemble (Roscoe Mitchell and Evan Parker), Anders recorded two noteworthy ECM recordings in Munich in 2004. One of those recordings, Composition/ Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3 was selected as a “Core Collection” record of all time in the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Roscoe Mitchell says of Anders, “We need people who can find their own source, within themselves, and create from there. This is the kind of people I want to be associated with, and Anders has got that. He’s an original, definitely.

Event Details:

03/20/26

5PM

$10 Cover

1224 Williamson St.

The Madison Jazz Orchestra performs at Cafe Coda every third Thursday of the month.

The hottest, swingin’est jazz orchestra in southern Wisconsin, the nineteen-piece MJO performs charts from the golden era of big bands: Fletch Henderson, Count Basie, Thad Jones, Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Duke Ellington and more.
Brian Whitty & Don Deal, band leader

Ticket: $15 (online or at the door)
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063642457448
Production: Cafe CODA
**Please check our FB page for announcements and cancellations.

Indulge in some well-deserved relaxation after a hectic day – you've earned it! Enter CODA Soul Karaoke, your ticket to midweek bliss! 🎤

Join us every Wednesday evening at 8 PM for this FREE event.

Whether you're looking to sip cocktails with friends or release some stress with your co-workers, Wednesday nights are now dedicated to your moment in the spotlight and unwinding in style.

Come by yourself or with your friends for a memorable evening!

Door opens at 5 pm.

Free event!

Neither snow nor rain nor sleet nor flurries nor gloom of night stays these dancers from Jumptown's weekly Wednesday Social at Cafe Coda (in the back room)!
New to Swing dancing? No problem!

There's a beginner-friendly 6-count Lindy lesson at 7:30 pm!

Then stay for the social and a flurry of dancing with your cool new moves!

We'll be here 'til 10:00!
There is no online pay for this event. Please pay Jumptown when you arrive.

(Please purchase $10 class fee upon arrival at the rear studio of coda.)

Join us for a night of sizzling rhythms and fiery moves at Cafe Coda’s Tuesday Bachata Dance Night!

Get ready to unleash your inner dancer and immerse yourself in the vibrant world of bachata. Lessons will be provided at 7:30pm, and a dance social will follow at 8:30pm.

We also have the Tango dance/social in the front room. You can switch from dancing to Tango music or Latin rhythm all night long!

After 8:30 PM, the mixed dance social will start in the front room. Social dance is free!

Cover: $10 per person for class. Please pay the bar staff.

Prepare for a tango extravaganza! Welcome to Tango Tuesdays!

Madison Tango Society hosts the Tango Classes (7 - 8:30 PM) at Cafe CODA on the main dance Floor every Tuesday!

At 8:30 PM, the Tango Social party will join forces with the Bachata dance crew for a night of diverse rhythms. 

With only $10 (pay at the bar), you can join either Tango or Bachata groups for a class, and social is free.

*The Bachata group is in the back room. Class starts at 7:30 PM

AACM 61st Anniversary Celebration Series:

Featuring Healing Vibration Trio

Join us for a powerful evening honoring 61 years of boundary-breaking creativity and Black musical innovation through the legacy of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

As part of this milestone celebration, the Healing Vibrations Trio brings an immersive performance rooted in spirit, rhythm, and ancestral resonance.

Led by multi-instrumentalist Taalib-Din Ziyad, and joined by master musicians Yosef Ben Israel (bass) and Carlos Pride (percussion), this trio channels deep improvisational dialogue, meditative textures, and vibrant rhythmic interplay. Their sound is both grounding and transcendent as a living expression of the AACM’s enduring commitment to Great Black Music: Ancient to the Future.

This is more than a concert, it’s a celebration of legacy, community, and healing through sound.

📅 Friday, March 14

🕖 7:00 PM

🎟 Tickets: $25

Come experience an evening of creative music that uplifts, challenges, and connects.

Salsa and Soul, we combine the best of two cultural worlds bringing together the fire of latin rhythm and the groove of soul. Orquesta Salsoul Del Mad will have young and old dancing in the aisle and on the ceiling. Voted best latin performer of the year by MAMA (Madison Area Music Award) as well as a 2022 and 2023, WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) award nominee.

This Orquesta is made up of some of the best local musicians representing the international diversity of Madison.

Conversations through fresh versions of classic modern jazz, including funk, rock and Latin.

These performances are free of charge. Freewill offerings are encouraged to help keep the music flowing. We hope you can join us at Cafe CODA!

Speak That Word Writer's Forum. Where Poets, Wordsmiths, and Storytellers gather and share while listeners can appreciate the words of our people and our town.

Location: Cafe CODA, Madison, WI

Admission: $15

Join us for an unforgettable evening of rhythm, reflection, and raw expression as Cafe CODA welcomes Rob Dz to the stage. A celebrated spoken word artist and Kennedy Center-certified teaching artist, Rob Dz brings a powerful blend of poetry, hip-hop, and storytelling that speaks to the heart of community, identity, and resilience.

This event offers more than performance—it’s a space for connection. Rob’s words challenge and uplift, weaving together personal experience and social insight with unmatched lyrical precision. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to the spoken word scene, this night promises inspiration and dialogue in an atmosphere of creativity and care.

All are welcome. Come as you are, and leave with something to carry forward.

Indulge in some well-deserved relaxation after a hectic day – you've earned it! Enter CODA Soul Karaoke, your ticket to midweek bliss! 🎤

Join us every Wednesday evening at 8 PM for this FREE event.

Whether you're looking to sip cocktails with friends or release some stress with your co-workers, Wednesday nights are now dedicated to your moment in the spotlight and unwinding in style.

Come by yourself or with your friends for a memorable evening!

Door opens at 5 pm.

Free event!