Bob Queen: Using his worldwide connections to bring international artists to Madison
Shari Gasper
I enjoy meeting people who are doing things to enhance and share their culture.
About 10 years ago, Bob Queen of Madison heard Cuban composer and pianist Omar Sosa at Music Hall on UW-Madison’s Bascom Hill, and he was hypnotized by the combination of drum, bass guitar and piano intertwined with Muslim chanting and contemporary rap.
“It was the most creative and compelling show I’ve ever seen,” recalled Queen, who has worked in the music industry for four decades, bringing hundreds of international musicians to Madison.
Queen saw Sosa perform again a few years ago in Montreal, presenting a completely different show. Intrigued, he met with Sosa’s rep, determined to bring Sosa back to Madison for a performance.
With music connections all over the world, Queen is well known locally for securing bands for neighborhood festivals, including the Waterfront Festival and the Orton Park Festival in the Williamson-Marquette neighborhood where he resides.
Nearly 15 years ago, Queen helped organize the first La Fete De Marquette, which is now managed by the Wil-Mar Neighborhood. The annual summer festival has grown to three stages with world-class music, incredible food, beer and wine, a three-story Ferris wheel and family fun.
Queen is also the CEO, creator and event coordinator for the Sessions at McPike Park.
The 2022 Sessions at McPike Park featured seven evenings and two weekend afternoons of local and national music, dance and stand-up comedy. The free events enable the community to take in excellent mixed artistic performances from near and far.
The series wraps up with “The Beauty of the Beat Session” featuring Grupo Candela, People Brothers Band, Sidi Wacho and Forro Fo Sho on Wednesday evening, Aug. 31, and the “September Sunset Sessions” featuring The Civil Engineers, The Cash Box Kings, Lost Bayou Ramblers, and Chris Wagoner and Mary Gaines on Thursday, Sept. 1.
According to Queen, events are a big part of making a neighborhood desirable. His work in bringing world-class musicians to the Wil-Mar community helped improve the status of the neighborhood, leading to it being designated as a Great Neighborhood by the American Planning Association in 2013.
Queen has established himself internationally in the music industry and has connections all over the globe.
“I enjoy meeting people who are doing things to enhance and share their culture,” he said.
Queen travels the world listening to music, and he is a regular attendee at the annual World Music Expo in Europe. While many people aren’t familiar with the bands he brings to Madison, they trust that the groups will be stellar based on Queen’s reputation and status in the music industry.
That being said, if you don’t know Omar Sosa, it’s time to check him out at Overture Center on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
“Sosa is one of the most versatile jazz artists on the scene today. He loves performing and entertaining, and he has so much charisma,” said Queen. “He’s a sensational pianist.”
Sosa was born in Camagϋey, Cuba, one of Madison’s sister cities, in 1965. His music fuses a wide range of jazz, hip-hop and electronic elements with his Afro-Cuban roots to create a fresh and original urban sound – all with a Latin jazz heart.
His musical trajectory has taken him from Camagüey and Havana to touring in Angola, the Congo, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua in the 1980s, to a sojourn in the African-descent communities of Ecuador in the early 1990s, to an extended presence on the San Francisco Bay Area Latin jazz scene, to his current engagement with artists from France, Cuba, Brazil and several North, West and East African nations.
For the Overture performance, Sosa is bringing his new Quarteto Americanos, featuring Bay Area artists Josh Jones on drums, Sheldon Brown on saxophones and Cuban bassist Ernesto Mazar Kindelán.
Queen is excited to bring a worldly mix of music to Madison, increasing the community’s awareness of great international artists.
“Madison loves Latin music, and they’re going to love Omar Sosa,” he said.