Seems the Winter Jazz Festival on January 31st was merely a launching pad for a month of stellar music from one end of the metro to the other. The jazzy journey continues this weekend and through the coming week, closing out on Thursday with a night that begs for the implementation of cloning.
Friday, February 19. Originally scheduled as the Graydon Peterson Quartet, it's now the Peterson-Olson-Epstein trio or POE at Jazz Central, with guitarist Chris and drummer Jay joining the versatile bassist at Jazz Central, followed by the student late night set with the Julian Manzara Quartet.
At Reverie (the rebranding of The Nicollet), it is also a night highlighting young artists, as the monthly JazzINK Youth Showcase features two combos from Southwest High School, directed by Cory Needleman. They split the set at 7 pm, followed by a veteran crew led by saxophonist Paul Harper, dubbed the Bardo Quartet. A new project, Bardo includes pianist Chris Lomheim, bassist Tom Pieper and drummer Nathan Norman— all colleagues in the long-running Illicit Sextet.
Sometimes it seems that Bruce Henry never really left the Twin Cities, although he has now been in Chicago for the past six years. He returns often, and tonight he's singing his heart out at Crooners Lounge. Another singer who wears his heart on his sleeve (or is it his hat?), Arne Fogel returns to Parma 8200 with Rick Carlson, Keith Boyles, “and a big box of wonderful songs."
Swinging tradition is on the menu at Vieux Carré, where the acclaimed Southside Aces take the stage. And there isn't anything traditional about the music of Rare Medium, or the venue for their gig tonight— Tuttles Eat Bowl PLay in Hopkins— yep, jazz at a bowling alley!
Friday-Saturday, February 19-20. Every year, the University of Wisconsin River Falls jazz program holds the RADD Jazz Seriesweekend with performances faculty and students with a nationally acclaimed guest artist. This weekend, that artist is the great and very entertaining drummer Matt Wilson. Wilson appears Friday night with a faculty ensemble headed by saxophonist David Milne (in the University Center's Falcons Nest), and on Saturday with the UWRF Jazz Ensemble in William Abbott Concert Hall. Both concerts are free! Still on their winter two-night schedule, JoAnn Funk and Jeff Brueske match wits in the Lobby Bar of the Saint Paul Hotel.
Saturday, February 20. Two songbirds who love to swing as much as they love to cook bring their two passions together when Retro Swing Sister presents “Swing a la Carte" on the Jazz @ St Barneys concert series at the St. Barnabas Center for the Arts in Plymouth. Maryann Sullivan and Rhonda Laurie have been teaming up at Retro Swing Sister for a few years now, often at venues well known on the swing dance circuit. Tonight, with able help from Robert Bell, Matt Peterson and Gus Sandberg, the ladies take listeners on a gourmet journey through a menu of food songs— fare such as “Black Coffee," “My Sugar," “Spinach Song,” and “Jambalaya." You can come hungry— St. Barneys always has snacks and beverages.
Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog presents a relative unknown ensemble, Yo Jimbo (led by drummer Jimbo Robson) as the lead-off, followed by Solomon Parham with Steve Kenny- a quintet that played its debut at the Winter Jazz Festival, featuring a double trumpet front line. In addition to Parham and Kenny, the band includes veteran keyboard giant Peter Schimke and the significantly younger pacesetting team of Ted Olsen on bass and Rodney Ruckus on drums.
And providing a fifth major jazz night this month (following Charles Lloyd with Bill Frisell, John Scofield/Joe Lovano, Mack Avenue SuperBand, and the encore of Davell Crawford), the Dakota brings back guitar legend Bill Frisell, this time with his When You Wish Upon a Star ensemble, featuring the talents from his Grammy-nominated self-named album— vocalist Petra Haden, bassist Thomas Morgan and violist Eyvind Kang, along with long-time Frisell cohort Kenny Wollesen in place of the usual drummer Rudy Royston. Both the album and the touring show focus on songs from film and television, including themes from Bonanza, The Godfather, Dick Van Dyke Showand more. It seems Frisell can make just about anything work!
At Sundin Music Hall on the Hamline campus, a special night of guitar from the Minnesota Guitar Society— acoustic, jazz and blues from Crescent City guitarist John Rankin and banjoist/guitarist Don Vappie.
Sunday, February 21. In a few weeks, the St. Olaf Jazz Band will tour Cuba with director Dave Hagedorn, so a fundraiser is definitely in order. Hosted by Crooners Lounge, the St. Olaf band will give patrons a taste of the music they will bring to a short tour in Havana and environs— a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and for a good cause. There's no cover— donations of any size will be appreciated!
And might as well make it a full day of music while you are in Fridley— early evening brings the almost weekly “Birthday Club" in the Dunsmore Room with host/pianist Dan Chouinard and tonight's guest vocalist, Gwen Matthews, the voice of Synergy and the old Rupert's Orchestra, founding member of Women Who Cook, and surely one of the living legends of Minnesota jazz and R&B. (Reservations recommended.)
Fans of avant-garde improvisational music will enjoy the Ars Electroacoustica 5 with cellist Jacqueline Ultan joining laptop artists Ted Moore and Scott Miller, at Honey in Minneapolis.
Monday, February 22. Last week, Jazz Central shined the spotlight on 96-year-old saxman Irv Williams. This week, at a mere 86, saxman Dave Karr takes the stage for another great night of bebop from someone who really lived through it.
At Crooners, the Dunsmore Room hosts a fun night with “The Best Broads of Broadway," with pianist Lori Dokkenand singer Jen Burleigh-Bentz. Jen has appeared on all of the major local stages from The Ordway and The Guthrie to The History Theatre as well as spending two years on Broadway in Mamma Mia. This well-matched pair take full advantage of this prime listening space in presenting songs made famous by Broadway legends such as Ethel Merman and Julie Andrews. More songs— a rare weeknight gig for Dennis Spears ("and friends") at the Dakota.
A special presentation at the Southern Theater, A Fiddlers Taleshowcases music by Wynton Marsalis and text by controversial jazz critic Stanley Crouch, 2 shows this evening, presented by the Minneapolis Music Company.
JT's Jazz Implosion usually features top local artists but now and then he brings in a band that is on the international circuit of cutting-edge improvisational music. Appearing last year with Tim Berne, drummer Ches Smith returns to the Icehouse with his working trio, featuring violist Matt Manieri and hometown hero, pianist Craig Taborn. Their new ECM release, The Bell, is getting raves as an elegant collection of compositions that showcase the delicate beauty of 21st century chamber ensembles.
Tuesday, February 23. Head back to the Dunsmore Room at Crooners where Tuesday Instrumental Jazz features pianist Steven Hobert at the Bosendorfer with guitarist Dean Magraw close by. This is a relatively new partnership, and what a fascinating one, a meeting of musical minds that are among those most eclectic in the area. Steven is an accomplished composer as well as keyboardist (and accordionist!); Dean plays just about anything that can fit six strings (and perhaps many things that otherwise would never be in the guitar repertoire). The duo will shine in this space.
At Vieux Carré, it's a monthly “hot jazz" night with vocalist Connie Evingson and her band of swingers— Patrick Harison (accordion), Dean Harrington and Mike Cramer (guitars), and Josh Granowski (bass), following exquisite solo piano from Mary Louise Knutson. It's a different sort of swing when the Twin Cities Latin Jazz Orchestra holds its monthly rumba at Jazz Central.
Wednesday, February 24. Bassist Casey O'Brien is the latest curator for Jazz Central's Wednesday night “new music" series— every fourth week he'll bring in an improvising ensemble. Tonight he joins Ted Godbout on piano and Pete Hennig on drums, playing Casey's compositions that “hopefully envision the struggle to answer adversity with something unexpected and transforming."
On their Rivendell series of “new music", Macalester presents soloists of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) at Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center. The renowned ICE includes a revolving cast of about 35 top purveyors of new music; in St. Paul the soloists of ICE include Ross Karre, percussion; Alice Teyssier, flute and voice; and Jacob Greenberg, piano.
Thursday, February 25. It's a star-studded night. Walker Art Center presents Rez Abbasi's Invocation, a new ensemble featuring the Pakistani modern jazz/fusion guitarist in collaboration with saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, pianist Vijay Iyer, bassist Johannes Weidenmueller, drummer Dan Weiss, and cellist Elizabeth Means. As if that is not enough, the show opens with Rudresh's Indo-Pak Coalition (with Abbasi and Weiss). This will be a night of global music fused with American jazz from artists who define the merger.
Another collaboration of locally heroic proportions takes place at Orchestra Hall, where Jeremy Walker presents the winter edition of Jazz in the Target Atrium. Tonight's program is dubbed “The Idiosyncrats: Parker, Ornette and the AJE," exploring the connections among Charlie Parker, Ornette Coleman and the Minnesota jazz scene. That scene is filtered through the Atrium Jazz Ensemble, expanded tonight under the leadership of pianist Bryan Nichols, with cohorts Brandon Wozniak (saxophone), Jake Baldwin (trumpet), Jeff Bailey (bass) and JT Bates (drums).
And yet another special event, Larry McDonough and his quartet celebrate the recordings of Tony Bennett and Bill Evans at Jazz Central. Evans rarely performed with singers, thus the twice-in-a-lifetime glory of The Tony Bennett Album (1975) and Together Again (1977). Larry will take on the challenging roles of both Evans and Bennett to educate younger listeners about these great artists and to remind seasoned listeners of this pair, who never recorded together again. The 2016 Grammy win for Bennett and Bill Charlap should create new interest in the Bennett/Evans pairing.
Friday, February 19. Originally scheduled as the Graydon Peterson Quartet, it's now the Peterson-Olson-Epstein trio or POE at Jazz Central, with guitarist Chris and drummer Jay joining the versatile bassist at Jazz Central, followed by the student late night set with the Julian Manzara Quartet.
At Reverie (the rebranding of The Nicollet), it is also a night highlighting young artists, as the monthly JazzINK Youth Showcase features two combos from Southwest High School, directed by Cory Needleman. They split the set at 7 pm, followed by a veteran crew led by saxophonist Paul Harper, dubbed the Bardo Quartet. A new project, Bardo includes pianist Chris Lomheim, bassist Tom Pieper and drummer Nathan Norman— all colleagues in the long-running Illicit Sextet.
Sometimes it seems that Bruce Henry never really left the Twin Cities, although he has now been in Chicago for the past six years. He returns often, and tonight he's singing his heart out at Crooners Lounge. Another singer who wears his heart on his sleeve (or is it his hat?), Arne Fogel returns to Parma 8200 with Rick Carlson, Keith Boyles, “and a big box of wonderful songs."
Swinging tradition is on the menu at Vieux Carré, where the acclaimed Southside Aces take the stage. And there isn't anything traditional about the music of Rare Medium, or the venue for their gig tonight— Tuttles Eat Bowl PLay in Hopkins— yep, jazz at a bowling alley!
Friday-Saturday, February 19-20. Every year, the University of Wisconsin River Falls jazz program holds the RADD Jazz Seriesweekend with performances faculty and students with a nationally acclaimed guest artist. This weekend, that artist is the great and very entertaining drummer Matt Wilson. Wilson appears Friday night with a faculty ensemble headed by saxophonist David Milne (in the University Center's Falcons Nest), and on Saturday with the UWRF Jazz Ensemble in William Abbott Concert Hall. Both concerts are free! Still on their winter two-night schedule, JoAnn Funk and Jeff Brueske match wits in the Lobby Bar of the Saint Paul Hotel.
Saturday, February 20. Two songbirds who love to swing as much as they love to cook bring their two passions together when Retro Swing Sister presents “Swing a la Carte" on the Jazz @ St Barneys concert series at the St. Barnabas Center for the Arts in Plymouth. Maryann Sullivan and Rhonda Laurie have been teaming up at Retro Swing Sister for a few years now, often at venues well known on the swing dance circuit. Tonight, with able help from Robert Bell, Matt Peterson and Gus Sandberg, the ladies take listeners on a gourmet journey through a menu of food songs— fare such as “Black Coffee," “My Sugar," “Spinach Song,” and “Jambalaya." You can come hungry— St. Barneys always has snacks and beverages.
Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog presents a relative unknown ensemble, Yo Jimbo (led by drummer Jimbo Robson) as the lead-off, followed by Solomon Parham with Steve Kenny- a quintet that played its debut at the Winter Jazz Festival, featuring a double trumpet front line. In addition to Parham and Kenny, the band includes veteran keyboard giant Peter Schimke and the significantly younger pacesetting team of Ted Olsen on bass and Rodney Ruckus on drums.
And providing a fifth major jazz night this month (following Charles Lloyd with Bill Frisell, John Scofield/Joe Lovano, Mack Avenue SuperBand, and the encore of Davell Crawford), the Dakota brings back guitar legend Bill Frisell, this time with his When You Wish Upon a Star ensemble, featuring the talents from his Grammy-nominated self-named album— vocalist Petra Haden, bassist Thomas Morgan and violist Eyvind Kang, along with long-time Frisell cohort Kenny Wollesen in place of the usual drummer Rudy Royston. Both the album and the touring show focus on songs from film and television, including themes from Bonanza, The Godfather, Dick Van Dyke Showand more. It seems Frisell can make just about anything work!
At Sundin Music Hall on the Hamline campus, a special night of guitar from the Minnesota Guitar Society— acoustic, jazz and blues from Crescent City guitarist John Rankin and banjoist/guitarist Don Vappie.
Sunday, February 21. In a few weeks, the St. Olaf Jazz Band will tour Cuba with director Dave Hagedorn, so a fundraiser is definitely in order. Hosted by Crooners Lounge, the St. Olaf band will give patrons a taste of the music they will bring to a short tour in Havana and environs— a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and for a good cause. There's no cover— donations of any size will be appreciated!
And might as well make it a full day of music while you are in Fridley— early evening brings the almost weekly “Birthday Club" in the Dunsmore Room with host/pianist Dan Chouinard and tonight's guest vocalist, Gwen Matthews, the voice of Synergy and the old Rupert's Orchestra, founding member of Women Who Cook, and surely one of the living legends of Minnesota jazz and R&B. (Reservations recommended.)
Fans of avant-garde improvisational music will enjoy the Ars Electroacoustica 5 with cellist Jacqueline Ultan joining laptop artists Ted Moore and Scott Miller, at Honey in Minneapolis.
Monday, February 22. Last week, Jazz Central shined the spotlight on 96-year-old saxman Irv Williams. This week, at a mere 86, saxman Dave Karr takes the stage for another great night of bebop from someone who really lived through it.
At Crooners, the Dunsmore Room hosts a fun night with “The Best Broads of Broadway," with pianist Lori Dokkenand singer Jen Burleigh-Bentz. Jen has appeared on all of the major local stages from The Ordway and The Guthrie to The History Theatre as well as spending two years on Broadway in Mamma Mia. This well-matched pair take full advantage of this prime listening space in presenting songs made famous by Broadway legends such as Ethel Merman and Julie Andrews. More songs— a rare weeknight gig for Dennis Spears ("and friends") at the Dakota.
A special presentation at the Southern Theater, A Fiddlers Taleshowcases music by Wynton Marsalis and text by controversial jazz critic Stanley Crouch, 2 shows this evening, presented by the Minneapolis Music Company.
JT's Jazz Implosion usually features top local artists but now and then he brings in a band that is on the international circuit of cutting-edge improvisational music. Appearing last year with Tim Berne, drummer Ches Smith returns to the Icehouse with his working trio, featuring violist Matt Manieri and hometown hero, pianist Craig Taborn. Their new ECM release, The Bell, is getting raves as an elegant collection of compositions that showcase the delicate beauty of 21st century chamber ensembles.
Tuesday, February 23. Head back to the Dunsmore Room at Crooners where Tuesday Instrumental Jazz features pianist Steven Hobert at the Bosendorfer with guitarist Dean Magraw close by. This is a relatively new partnership, and what a fascinating one, a meeting of musical minds that are among those most eclectic in the area. Steven is an accomplished composer as well as keyboardist (and accordionist!); Dean plays just about anything that can fit six strings (and perhaps many things that otherwise would never be in the guitar repertoire). The duo will shine in this space.
At Vieux Carré, it's a monthly “hot jazz" night with vocalist Connie Evingson and her band of swingers— Patrick Harison (accordion), Dean Harrington and Mike Cramer (guitars), and Josh Granowski (bass), following exquisite solo piano from Mary Louise Knutson. It's a different sort of swing when the Twin Cities Latin Jazz Orchestra holds its monthly rumba at Jazz Central.
Wednesday, February 24. Bassist Casey O'Brien is the latest curator for Jazz Central's Wednesday night “new music" series— every fourth week he'll bring in an improvising ensemble. Tonight he joins Ted Godbout on piano and Pete Hennig on drums, playing Casey's compositions that “hopefully envision the struggle to answer adversity with something unexpected and transforming."
On their Rivendell series of “new music", Macalester presents soloists of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) at Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center. The renowned ICE includes a revolving cast of about 35 top purveyors of new music; in St. Paul the soloists of ICE include Ross Karre, percussion; Alice Teyssier, flute and voice; and Jacob Greenberg, piano.
Thursday, February 25. It's a star-studded night. Walker Art Center presents Rez Abbasi's Invocation, a new ensemble featuring the Pakistani modern jazz/fusion guitarist in collaboration with saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, pianist Vijay Iyer, bassist Johannes Weidenmueller, drummer Dan Weiss, and cellist Elizabeth Means. As if that is not enough, the show opens with Rudresh's Indo-Pak Coalition (with Abbasi and Weiss). This will be a night of global music fused with American jazz from artists who define the merger.
Another collaboration of locally heroic proportions takes place at Orchestra Hall, where Jeremy Walker presents the winter edition of Jazz in the Target Atrium. Tonight's program is dubbed “The Idiosyncrats: Parker, Ornette and the AJE," exploring the connections among Charlie Parker, Ornette Coleman and the Minnesota jazz scene. That scene is filtered through the Atrium Jazz Ensemble, expanded tonight under the leadership of pianist Bryan Nichols, with cohorts Brandon Wozniak (saxophone), Jake Baldwin (trumpet), Jeff Bailey (bass) and JT Bates (drums).
And yet another special event, Larry McDonough and his quartet celebrate the recordings of Tony Bennett and Bill Evans at Jazz Central. Evans rarely performed with singers, thus the twice-in-a-lifetime glory of The Tony Bennett Album (1975) and Together Again (1977). Larry will take on the challenging roles of both Evans and Bennett to educate younger listeners about these great artists and to remind seasoned listeners of this pair, who never recorded together again. The 2016 Grammy win for Bennett and Bill Charlap should create new interest in the Bennett/Evans pairing.
