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Mears Park, Home of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival |
© Andrea Canter
Yes, there
is some jazz this weekend not connected directly to the Twin Cities Jazz
Festival. But the jazz festival is the epicenter of music in the area and I’m
offering some suggestions quickly as I head out the door for Francisco Mela’s
drum clinic at McNally Smith. (This is reposted from Jazz Police!) Full
festival coverage and schedule available online.
June 29, Free Clinics at McNally (19 E. Exchange Street)
Clinics
with our headliners are provided through the sponsorship of McNally Smith with
additional support from the Twin Cities Jazz Society. No registration, just
come and learn! Note Jon Weber clinic originally scheduled for Friday will be
held at 11 am on Saturday, June 30.
·
2:30-3:30
pm, Drum Clinic with Francisco Mela
·
4-5
pm, Clinic with Delfeayo Marsalis and Mark Gross
June 29, Mears
Park Main
Stage (E. 5th Street
and Sibley)
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Charmin Michelle and Doug Haining |
4 pm, Twin Cities
Seven with Charmin Michelle. One of the most popular jazz acts in the area, the Twin
Cities Seven is a swinging ensemble led by multi-reedman Doug Haining, with an
all-star line-up including Rick Carlson, Steve Pikal, Dick Bortolussi, Kent
Saunders, Dave Graf, and Steve Wright, along with star vocalist Charmin
Michelle. In the traditions of the great swing bands of Count Basie, Duke
Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday, the TC 7 might get you up on
your feet dancing in the park! What a start to a great weekend of music!
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Francisco Mela |
6 pm, Francisco Mela
Cuban Safari. Cuban native Mela has become a go-to drummer for many
of today’s top artists, including Joe Lovano (Us Five), John Scofield, Joanne
Brackeen, Kenny Barron and McCoy Tyner. Mela moved to Boston in 2000, earning his degree at Berklee
and immediately taking a teaching position there. Soon he was part of the
two-drum artillery of Lovano’s Us Five. Mela’s current project, Cuban Safari,
draws upon two of his strongest influences, Weather Report and Irakere—jazz
fusion meets Latin jazz? Cuban Safari released its debut album last year, Tree of Life, featuring vocals from
Esperanza Spalding. Mela was most recently in the Twin Cities with Us Five, at
the 2010 festival and last year at the Dakota and Hopkins
Center for the Arts.
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Delfeayo Marsalis |
June 29, Sixth Street
Stage (236 E. 6th
Street)
5
pm, The Atlantis Quartet. One of the most creative and daring
bands in the Twin Cities, the musicians of Atlantis—Zacc Harris, Brandon
Wozniak, Chris Bates and Pete Hennig—are consummate composers and improvisers.
Named Best Jazz Artist for 2011 by City Pages, the quartet has released three
exciting recordings to date. “The
compositions range in style from multi-meter grooves to complex harmonic
explorations; from fusionistic rhythms to free and timeless tone poems, all
filled with world class improvisation that is both organic and volatile” (More Cowbell).
7:15 pm, Robert
Everest Expedition. Locally acclaimed, globally appreciated guitarist/singer/songwriter
Robert Everest knows no boundaries when it comes to music. His Robert Everest
Expedition covers folk traditions and rhythms from Latin
America to the Mediterraean, with a dose or two of great American
jazz standards, a logical melding of the musical forces that are the soul of
Robert Everest. Largely a self-taught musician, he has studied jazz guitar in
Minneapolis, classical guitar in Portugal, flamenco in Spain, Tango in
Argentina, and other styles during his journeys to Central and South America
and the Caribbean; as a singer, he spent four years with the University of
Minnesota Jazz Singers. He also earned a degree in linguistics from the University of Minnesota and became fluent in several
Romance languages through his travels,
adds another dimension to his music.
June 29, Artists Quarter (408 St Peter Street)
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Maud Hixson |
9 pm, Maud Hixson with
Jon Weber. It’s a Weber doubleheader, starting out with
songbird Maud Hixson. The pair performed together in the past year in New York, and tonight
they will reprise some of that material as well as some favorite songs. Maud is
at her best in an intimate club setting with just piano, a format she fully and
frequently exploits with husband/pianist Rick Carlson. Like Rick, Jon is a deep
swinger in any key, at any tempo. After
an afternoon and early evening in the hot sun of Mears Park,
this is the perfect way to unwind and chill out.
10 pm, Jon Weber.
The “house pianist” of the jazz festival year after year, the AQ welcomes
back Jon Weber for a set of amazing solo feats, encyclopedic and entertaining
trivia, and audience requests—what tune, what key, what style? The host of
NPR’s new Piano Jazz: Rising Stars is
the ultimate jazz entertainer. He returns tomorrow night—he never runs out of
music or commentary.
June 29, Studio Z (275 E. 4th Street,
2nd floor)
7:30 pm, Todd
Clouser’s A Love Electric. Minnesota native guitarist now based in Baja, Todd Clouser
set the jazz world on its ear with his new ensemble, A Love Electric, bringing
a 70s rock vibe to a post bop context. He’s been touring a lot lately in
support of the band’s new albums, 20th Century Folk Music and Entre, and featuring local cohorts Bryan
Nichols, Adam Meckler, Chris Bates and Greg Schutte.
9 pm, George Cartwright. One of the leading purveyors of
improvised music, Mississippi
native saxman George Cartwright has performed with Ornette Coleman, Carei
Thomas, Adam Linz and more. He’s received composer grants from McKnight and the
Jerome Foundation and is a past winner of City
Pages’ Jazz Artist of the Year. His ensemble Gloryland Ponycat remains one
of the most acclaimed of area experimental ensembles.
June 30, Free Clinics at McNally
Smith (19 E. Exchange Street)
·
11
am, Jon Weber
·
2
pm, Araya Orta Latin Jazz Quartet
·
4:30
pm, The Bad Plus and Joshua Redman
June 30, Mears
Park Main
Stage (E. 5th Street
and Sibley)
Noon, Walker West
Music Academy. It’s become tradition for the young
jazz artists of Walker West to perform the opening set on the final festival
day at Mears. Chances are you already heard a number of Walker West alums
during the festival! WWMA has been providing individual and ensemble
instruction, workshops, and performance opportunities for youth as well as
adults for generations. Always a high-energy kickoff to the festival finale.
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Debbie Duncan |
2 pm, Debbie Duncan. Vocalist and “Minnesota’s Perpetually Outstanding
Performer” (Mn Music Awards) can turn any set into a special occasion, with her
amazing range from ballads to blues and her always-entertaining banter. You
never want to miss Debbie.
4 pm, Araya Orta Latin
Jazz Quartet.
One of the rising stars of Latin jazz, Araya Orta has worked with such stars as
Michael Brecker, Eddie Gomez, Danilo Perez, Chick Corea, Paquito D’Rivera,
Arturo Sandoval and Gloria Estafan. Two pairs of brothers form the
quartet—bassist Nicky and pianist Mike Orta, and drummer Carlomongo and percussionist
Ramses Araya. Based in Miami,
they first met 20 years ago, officially forming the quartet in 2010. This is
truly “feel good” music.
6 pm, Luca Ciarla. Italian violinist Luca Ciarla is
hard to define but easy to hear—melding traditional and modern sounds, written
composition and improvisation. His credentials extend from classical and folk
to jazz and rock, with appearances worldwide at festivals and concert venues.
Sure to be one of the most exciting and unusual artists to appear at this
festival!
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Joshua Redman |
8:30 pm, The Bad Plus
With Joshua Redman. Artistic riches of this magnitude should be illegal! Take one of the
most acclaimed ensembles in modern jazz and add in one of the most acclaimed
soloists/bandleaders in modern jazz and you have a quartet offering endless
opportunities for merry mayhem. The Bad Plus are no strangers to the Twin
Cities, playing here at least annually (holiday gig at the Dakota) and sporting
two Twin Cities natives in drummer Dave King and bassist Reid Anderson; pianist
Ethan Iverson grew up down the road in Menonomie. Together now for 12 years,
their unique spins on pop and rock covers and insanely interesting original
compositions makes them one of the most popular and accessible bands on the
current international scene. Until now, however, TBP has managed without a
horn. Enter tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, whose career skyrocketed from his
first release in the early 90s through his tenure as the first Artistic
Director of SF Jazz and his current work with the highly regarded quartet,
James Farm. Plan to arrive early at Mears
Park for this blockbuster
final set, or you might be listening from the other side of the river.
June 30, Sixth Street Stage (236 E. 6th Street)
1 pm. Lucia Newell (note schedule change). From Rio to Minneapolis,
Lucia Newell brings a global appreciation of song and lyric, sometimes writing
those lyrics herself, in English or in Portuguese. In addition to her affinity
for Brazilian rhythms, Lucia has presented the music of Betty Carter, Anita
O’Day and more. Today’s set includes original tunes and standards. And she has
terrific band for the festival, including Dean Magraw, Dave Karr, Gordy Johnson
and Phil Hey.
3 pm, Phil Hey
Quartet. After
Phil warms up with Lucia, he brings his own stellar quartet to the stage,
reprising the music that has made him a monthly favorite at the Artists
Quarter. With Phil Aaron, Tom Lewis and Dave Hagedorn, it might seem like the
Modern Jazz Quartet has been revived, but the music bends more toward Coltrane
and Ornette.
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Marquis Hill |
5 pm, Marquis Hill. Appearing at the 2011 festival with
the Miguel Hurtado Sextet, we were all blown away by this young Chicago trumpeter. Now
he’s back leading his own ensemble and we can expect another dose of
exhilarating horn play. Only 24, Hill has already worked with such greats as
Bobby Broom, Willie Pickens, Antonia Hart and Steve Turre.
7:15 pm, Koplant No. If you’ve gone down to the Iowa
City Jazz Festival in recent years, you may have heard this quartet led by
saxophonist Joel VanderHeyden. Or perhaps you caught their gig last year at the
Artists Quarter. The musicians—VanderHeyden (saxophones), Brian Lewis Smith
(trumpet, keyboards, laptop), Drew Morton (bass, keyboards) and Rob Baner
(drums, loops, samples)—play original compositions,
starting from a jazz foundation and adding elements of rock and electronica,
reflecting influences from Michael Brecker to Radiohead and Beck. While
VanderHeyden and company draw on many ploys that propel the current generation
of ‘jazz meets rock’ musicians, from loops to laptops, their inventive artistry
offers a compelling palette of colors and harmonies that stand out well above
the crowd.
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Dakota Combo |
Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education
Youth Stage (Prince Street
at Broadway)
Again the
DFJE is sponsoring a Youth Stage, near the Farmers Market on Prince Street, adjacent to the Black Dog
Café. Six amazing ensembles of high school and college level musicians will
convince you that the future of jazz is secure!
·
1
pm, Southwest High School Jazz Combo directed by Keith Liuzzi
·
2
pm, Roseville Area High School Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Pat Moriarty
·
3
pm, Dakota Combo Alumni Band, led by Jake Baldwin
·
4:30
pm, Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY) Jazz Band, directed by Scott
Carter
·
5:30
pm, Stillwater Area High School Jazz Combo, directed by Dennis Lindsay
·
6:30
pm, Dakota Combo directed by Adam Linz
June 30: More Jazz Around St Paul
As you will
see on the full schedule of activities, the last night of the festival is an
exploding supernova of jazz from the small space of the Black Dog Café to the
basement club of the Artists Quarter and even extending to the classy digs of
The Lexington. This is must a mere sampling:
·
Artists
Quarter, 9 pm, Jon Weber
·
Amsterdam,
5 pm, Peter Schimke; 6:30 pm, Patty Peterson; 8 pm, Witness Matlou; 9:30 pm,
Jazz Central All-Stars & jam
·
Black
Dog Café, 7:30 pm, Doug Little Quartet; 9 pm, Lee Engele; 10:30 pm, Joel
Shapira
·
Hat
Trick Lounge, 9 pm, Cory Wong
·
Heartland,
6 pm, Gypsy Mania
·
The
Lexington, 7:30
pm, Rachel Holder and Zacc Harris
·
St
Paul Hotel (Lobby Bar), 7 pm, Joanne Funk Trio
·
Minnesota Music Café, 8 pm,
·
McNally
Smith faculty and more
·
Senor
Wong, 7 pm, Larry McDonough and Richard Terrell
·
Studio
Z, 7:30 pm, Zeitgeist with Nirmala Rajesekar; 9 pm, Pat Moriarty & Ellen
Lease Quintet
Enjoy the last day and night of the
festival – see festival website for
complete details.
All photos by Andrea Canter.