Madison’s Feestet takes it one jam at a time with patron support | Entertainment

The Cap Times is an independent newsroom serving Madison and Wisconsin. Sign up for the Food & Culture newsletter for exclusive weekly insight.

---

On a warm evening in early May, close to 70 people packed into Madison’s North Street Cabaret to hear Feestet host its monthly jazz jam. 

Held on the second Sunday of each month since early 2025, the Feestet jam has been free since the band secured a sponsorship in January, resulting in a spike in attendance and participation.

“A jazz jam is celebrating shared language,” says Helen Feest, Feestet’s leader and emcee. “These standards have been around since our grandparents were kids, but kids manage to find ways to reinvent them and play them as if they were their own.” 

Feest says players may call a tune that they have been working on, but might not have enough of a repertoire to book a full gig. 

“It’s a little more elevated than an open mic because there are other people who want to play with you and engage with you,” she said. 

Busting the jazz jam black box 

Jazz jams can feel intimidating because it’s not always clear what the rules are. To solve this, Feest keeps things transparent. 

In the back of the room is a signup sheet with room for a name, song title, key and instrument (and requests for instrumentation) for anyone interested in playing. The songs don’t even have to strictly be labeled as jazz. (“Our friend Pete the other week called ‘Kids’ by MGMT,” Feest said.)

“We go down the list in the order of signups. Everyone that shows up plays. It’s that simple,” said Feest. 

After an hour warmup for Feestet at the May event, guitarist Nathan Relles kicked it off with the jazz standard “Night and Day.” Feest invited a bass and some horns to jump in, creating a configuration of musicians that had never existed before. They then belted out the crooner classic with the precision of a seasoned band.

Feestet musicians are paid for their time on stage. They’re there not only to play but to lend advice, recommend a tempo, or just generally be supportive to newcomers and regulars alike. 

“When these scenes operate on volunteer generosity or very thin margins, staffing that house band and instruments can be really inconsistent and difficult,” Feest said.

At first, Feestet charged a cover, but attendance flagged after initial excitement. Last winter, Feest had an idea: what if the event was sponsored by a local business who got something in return?

Feest, who works as a project manager by day, put together a patronage model. It includes the usual in-person shoutouts and social visibility, but also another extra perk: a private concert for the patron, who for the first six months of 2026 is the restaurant Sultan, owned by Sultan Ahmed.

After Sultan’s sponsorship, Feest noticed an immediate rise in the quality and quantity of participation, including by Ahmed himself. 

“Making it free has brought a lot of a lot of different types of people in, like listeners that may not necessarily want to bite the cover fee that most shows have,” Feest said. “Having the funding there to staff a five to six piece group, I think it elevates the quality of what we do.”

Growing in volume and good vibes 

Feest is looking to keep the monthly jam free while securing at least one more sponsor for the remainder of 2026. 

“I’ve seen it grow literally in volume and in size,” said Feest. “It brings a level of diversity and variety to our scene, people that are differently abled or much older or too young, people that don’t already have a platform or a space or a room to be heard.”

“And being forced to play with other people — complete strangers — makes people better musicians,” she added, “because it’s not just about playing, it’s about listening.”