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The Lead Sheet: Twin Cities Live Jazz, December 9-15

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What's the best way to deal with the onset of winter weather? Keep warm with great jazz, of course! And we don't have to look far this week as new recordings, fabulous visitors, and holiday festivities add warmth to snow and windchills.

Big Gigs This Week

Saturday, December 10. About two years ago, Illicit Productions released volume one of the Twin Cities Jazz Sampler, featuring single tracks from recent recordings of 13 metro area bands. The long-awaited Volume will be celebrated with a rare triple header on Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog series. Like the series, the sampler is the brainchild of Steve Kenny, who again has assembled 13 tracks from the top local instrumental releases of the past couple years. Three representative bands provide this mini sampler—the Illicit Sextet, Cory Healey's Beautiful Sunshine Band, and Mississippi.

It's always a holiday when Connie Evingson is on stage. Tonight Connie returns to the Jazz at St Barneys series (at St Barnabas Church in Plymouth), doing songs from her holiday CD, The Secrets of Christmas, with support from Mary Louise Knutson and Dave Karr. At Vieux Carré, enjoy a night with singing bassist Kate Lynch and Her Most Excellent Fellows, while dinner sets at the Icehouse feature the long-running duo of Javi Santiago and Ted Olsen.

Sunday, December 11. The biggest of our metro big bands with 25 musicians, the Capri Big Band, directed by Fay Washington, performs a matinee show at the Capri Theater. And there should be plenty of fun when Debbie Duncan joins Dan Chouinard for his “Birthday Club" in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners, featuring songwriters and artists with December birthdays.

Monday, December 12. Pianist/vocalist Andrew Walesch kicks off a three-night run of holiday shows in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge, bringing his trio to the stage for a festive evening of favorite songs. And it's also Frank Sinatra's birthday so expect Andrew, who has performed his own Sinatra show many times in the past year, to throw in some nods to Frank.

JT Bates' Jazz Implosion at the Icehouse presents drummer Davu Seru and his No Territory Band with Pat O'Keffe (clarinets), Nathan Hanson (saxophones), Jake Baldwin (trumpet), and Levi Schwartzberg (vibraphone). At Jazz Central, cellist/bassist Greg Byers leads Ashen Fir with pianist Jack Barrett.

Tuesday, December 13. It might be the first local appearance of entertaining pianist/vocalist/radio host Judy Carmichael, who hosts the NPR show Jazz Inspired. Her resume is a long novel! Judy presides over the Steinway in the Dunsmore Room with top-flight guitarist Chris Flory.

At Vieux Carré in St. Paul, pianist Chris Lomheim opens solo, followed by JT Bates' Grain Trio with Kevin Gastonguay on organ and Zacc Harris on guitar. And Big Band Night at Jazz Central features the monthly bash with the Cedar Avenue Big Band.

Wednesday, December 14. A great opportunity to enjoy the talents of pianist Laura Caviani, she performs in a “pop-up" noon concert at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown St Paul. She will likely cover music from her holiday albums, Angels We Haven't Heard and Holly, Jolly and Jazzy.

The Dunsmore Room hosts a CD celebration for violinist Randy Sabien. Founder of the strings program at McNally Smith College of Music, Sabien is releasing a set of holiday music, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe.

And at the Parkway Theater, Brian Ziemniak's BZ3 Organ Trio rocks south Minneapolis with his holiday show.

Thursday, December 15. Vocal Jazz night at Jazz Central brings together three songbirds—Katia Cardenas, Sheridan Zuther and Nicole Carey. Meanwhile, The Ruckustakes over Reverie under the drum sticks of Rodney Ruckus.

Always something unusual is cooking at Khyber Pass, and tonight three of the area's finest appear together for the first time in a free jazz context—pianist Phil Aaron, bassist Anthony Cox and drummer Phil Hey.

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