Johannes Wallmann is a pianist, composer, and the Peterson Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Wallmann has recorded nine critically acclaimed albums as a leader, including Elegy for an Undiscovered Species (Shifting Paradigm Records), which was named a Best of 2021 album by DownBeat magazine and described as delightfully mind blowing throughout by Midwest Record. 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....
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Johannes Wallmann is a pianist, composer, and the Peterson Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Wallmann has recorded nine critically acclaimed albums as a leader, including Elegy for an Undiscovered Species (Shifting Paradigm Records), which was named a Best of 2021 album by DownBeat magazine and described as delightfully mind blowing throughout by Midwest Record. 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.
Born 1974 in Germany and raised on Canada's Vancouver Island, Wallmann studied jazz piano and composition at Berklee College of Music and at New York University. Over twelve years in New York City and five years in Oakland, CA, he established himself as a versatile and in-demand sideman before moving to Wisconsin in 2012. Wallmann has toured throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and has recorded or performed with Brian Lynch, Ralph Alessi, Seamus Blake, Gilad Hekselman, and Kevin Mahogany, among many others. He is a Yamaha piano artist and the recipient of two Canada Council grants, a 2019 Emily Mead Baldwin Award in the Creative Arts, and a 2021 H.I. Romnes Fellowship.
Mitch Shiner is a drummer, vibraphonist, and composer, based in Milwaukee, WI. Mitch graduated from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a Bachelors degree in Jazz Studies. Mitch studied under Professors Steve Houghton, Michael Spiro, Wayne Wallace, and Dr. David Baker.
Currently, Mitch serves as the Chair of Jazz & Contemporary Music at The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. At WCM, Mitch teaches percussion lessons to students of all ages. Through the WCM Connections program, he teaches a World Percussion curriculum to high-need students in the Milwaukee Public School district. Mitch teaches Jazz combos and ensembles for high school students and lifelong learners alike. The administrative and artistic team at WCM is creating programming that reflects the contemporary music scene empowering our students to explore a diverse world of music.
Mitch is an in demand performer in the Milwaukee area, appearing with local talent including Jamie Breiwick, David Wake, Cecilio Negron, and with groups such as Present Music and The Milwaukee Jazz Orchestra. Mitch has shared the stage with nationally and internationally renowned artists including Issa Nyaphaga, Jim Rotondi, David Hazeltine, and Ron Vincent.
Mitch is a bandleader and composer. Mitch Shiner and Latin Vibes has been featured in concert by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the Jewish Community Center for events like Latke Con Salsa and Carnaval De Purim. Match Stick is a tour de force fusion band, playing exclusively genre-bending original material for electric quartet.
Trumpeter Russ Johnson is a recent Midwest transplant after spending 23 years as an important member of New York Citys jazz community. He has seven recordings as a leader or co-leader and performed on more than 75 recordings as a sideman. Russ has worked alongside many of the legendary figures in jazz including Lee Konitz, Steve Swallow, Bill Frisell, and Joe Lovano. In addition, he has recorded and/or performed with a long list of the most prominent musicians currently on the international jazz scene, including Myra Melford, Ken Vandermark, and Tony Malaby. Russ has performed in more than 40 countries across the globe. His groups have recently performed at the Chicago, Winter Jazz Fest (NYC) Hyde Park, (Chicago) and Bergamo, (Italy) jazz festivals.
His most recent recordings, Meeting Point (Relay Recordings) and Still Out To Lunch! (Enja Records) received 4 1/2 & 4 stars respectively from Down Beat Magazine and appeared on many "Best Recordings of 2014/5" lists including Down Beat, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, NYC Jazz Record and Magnet magazine. Russ will be releasing a new recording by his Headlands Quartet in 2017.
Russ is also active as an educator/clinician, having taught at colleges and universities across the U.S. and Europe. He currently serves as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin Parkside where he won the university wide Stella Gray Teaching Excellence award in 2016.
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