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| Dean Magraw, at the AQ and Ice House this week |
© Andrea Canter
After a week in northern California, I am
ready for my home town jazz haven! And I won’t have to wait given the options
this weekend and into the next week, starting with star guitarist Paul Bollenback
and the Twin Cities Jazz Festival prelude events in the St. Paul libraries, and
the much-anticipated Stanley Clarke/George Duke gig at the Dakota. The local
scene is well represented as well, with our own guitar star Dean Magraw
featured with Red Planet and with Bryan Nichols and the Peterson/Horst team,
and Laura Caviani making her Jazz Central debut.
Highlights
This Week
June 15-16. Described by the great George Benson as “a versatile dynamo,” New
York-based guitarist Paul Bollenback returns to the
Artists Quarter where he is one of our favorite “out of towners.” Recently on
tour with Joey DeFrancesco’s organ trio and Steve Gadd & Friends, he has
appeared on the Tonight Show,
Good Morning America,
the Today Show,
and Entertainment Tonight,
and has played with Gary Bartz, Paul Bley, Charlie Byrd, Terri-Lyne Carrington,
Herb Ellis, Geoffrey Keezer, Joe Locke, Jack McDuff, James Moody, David
“Fathead” Newman, Stanley Turrentine, and Jeff “Tain” Watts, among others. He
also tours regularly as a leader and with his wife, vocalist Chris McNulty.
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| Jana Nyberg and Adam Meckler |
June 16. The Twin Cities Jazz
Festival series in St Paul libraries continues this afternoon with the Jana
Nyberg Group filling the Hayden Heights library with jazz and pop
covers and maybe an original tune or two. Vocalist Jana Nyberg brings a lot of
energy to the stage, and her working band similarly knows how to swing and
soar, from husband/trumpeter Adam Meckler and guitarist Evan Montgomery to
bassist Matt Peterson and drummer Greg Schutte. Another brand of swing is in
fine form this evening as the Barbary Coast Dixieland Band honor
tradition in the Schneider Theater of the Bloomington Center for the Arts. One
of the area’s longest-running bands, BB is also celebrating 45 years of
performing and recording. If you ever ponder where modern jazz comes from, look
no farther than Barbary Coast.
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| Laura Caviani |
June
18. Ever since opening nearly two years ago, Jazz Central
has been a reliable venue for the best jazz artists in town, playing new music
and/or in new combinations. Tonight, the Monday Night jam features
pianist/composer Laura Caviani leading a trio with young bassist Jeremy
Boettcher and veteran drummer/Jazz Central co-director Mac Santiago. It’s a
night where the unexpected is always expected, so there’s no telling what Laura
has up her sleeve or who will join in to jam in the late set. In south
Minneapolis, the new Monday night series at the Ice House continues in
inter-stellar fashion with Red Planet. Expect some inventive
twists on Coltrane, original compositions, and generally quirky orbits around
the jazz galaxy with Dean Magraw, Chris Bates and Jay Epstein.
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| Stanley Clarke |
June
18-19, Jazz titans
bassist Stanley Clarke and keyboardist/producer George Duke have been
working together for decades, in many different projects, first teaming up for
the Clarke/Duke Project back in the late 70s. Together they scored a top-twenty
pop hit with “Sweet Baby,” and so far have recorded three albums. The Dakota
has enjoyed Clarke in different configurations in recent years, with Chick
Corea, in duo with Hiromi, and with his own trio. Now we can enjoy the soulful
collaboration with Duke, whose resume includes Al Jarreau, Jean-Luc Ponty,
Frank Zappa, Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billy
Cobham.
June 19. About a month ago, Dean
Magraw, Bryan Nichols, Billy Peterson and Kenny Horst tried out their
first collaboration at the Artists Quarter, and it worked so well that they are
back for two consecutive Tuesday nights this month. Somehow this configuration
puts everyone’s best creative foot forward and particularly highlights the
tight communication between guitar and piano. In fact among the highlights last
time out were a couple duets with just Dean and Bryan.
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| Maud Hixson with French 75 |
June 20. Two nods at more or less
tradition today. Early evening, the next installment of jazz in the St Paul
libraries, in conjunction with the upcoming Twin Cities Jazz Festival, comes to
the St. Anthony Library in the form of New Orleans style band, the St
Peter Street Stompers led by Chuck Devore. Normally this band
stimulates dancing, and perhaps some space will be cleared for the inevitable?
Otherwise it will be a nice sampling of traditional Crescent City music. A bit
later in the evening at the Dakota, French 75 and Maud Hixson spin
through music from the Continent, Britain and the U.S, swinging all the way.
Look for virtuoso clarinetist Tony Baluff and his similarly talented cohorts
including Robert Bell on guitar, and of course songbird Maud who can put a
swing and a smile into any tune.
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| X-Tet at the Artists Quarter |
More Jazz Every Night
Like the Big Apple, the Mini-Apple has a
wealth of choices for jazz fans most every night of the week, from trad to rad,
vocalists to brass bands. See the Bebopified live jazz calendar and Jazz
Police to find out what and who is on the
bandstand.
Friday, June 15. Benny Weinbeck
Trio at D’Amico Kitchen (Le Meridien/Chambers Hotel); Adam Linz and Tommy
O’Donnell at the Ice House; Sophia Shorai at The Lexington; Maryann Sullivan
and Dave Martin at the Riverview Wine Bar; Patty Peterson and Friends at
Schoolhouse II; Parker Paisley at the Aster Café
Saturday,
June 16. Janet Nyberg Group, Hayden Heights Library (2
pm, TCJF Jazz in the Library); Lucia Newell and Zacc Harris at Eat Street
Social’s Brazil Party (afternoon); Adam Linz and Tommy O’Donnell at the Ice
House; Thomas Bruce and Phil Mattson at The Lexington
Sunday,
June 17: Patty and the Buttons at the Aster Café;
Charmin Michelle and Jerry O’Hagan Orchestra at the Medina Ballroom
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| Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg |
Monday,
June 18: Headspace at the Artists Quarter; Butch
Thompson, Old Log Theater; Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg at Fireside
Pizza; Robert Bell and Naomi Uyama at Barbette
Tuesday, June 19: Vincent
Rose and Modern Time at Café Maude; Three Flights Up at The Nicollet; Cory Wong
Quartet (early set) at the Artists Quarter; Jack Brass Band at the Driftwood
Charbar
Wednesday June 20: St
Peter Street Stompers at the St Anthony Library (TCJF Jazz in the Library);
Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; Steve Kenny and the Bastids
followed by the Phil Hey Quartet at the Artists Quarter; Off the Map at the
Black Dog
Thursday, June 21: Arne Fogel at The
Lexington; Jimmy Wallace at Barbette
Coming
Soon!
·
June
22, A Love Electric/Adam Meckler Orchestra at the Ritz Theater
·
June
22-23, Nachito Herrera at the Dakota
·
June
22-23, Dave King Trucking Company at the Artists Quarter
·
June
28, Jack Brass Band at St Paul
·
June
28-30, Twin Cities Jazz Festival, Mears
Park
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July
1-2, Bill Frisell at the Dakota
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July
5, Dean Magraw & Marcus Wise,
PipJazz Sundays at Landmark
Center
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July
9-10, Victor Wooten at the Dakota
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July
13-14, John Raymond Project at the Artists Quarter
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July
20-21, Pete Whitman & Laura Caviani at the Artists Quarter
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July
28, Dakota StreetFest on Nicollet Mall
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July
29, James Carter Organ Trio at the Dakota
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August
1-2, Tribute to Jimmy Smith with Joey D’Francesco, Larry Coryell & Jimmy
Cobb at the Dakota
·
August
3, Pat Mallinger at the Artists Quarter
·
August
9, Tribute to Blossom Dearie with Joann Funk at the Artists Quarter
·
September
4-5, Pat Metheny Unity Band at the Dakota
·
September
18, John Scofield Trio at the Dakota
·
September
26-27, Chick Corea and Gary Burton at the Dakota
·
September
30, Esperanza Spalding’s Radio Society at the State Theater
·
October
30-31, Maria Schneider Orchestra at the Dakota
All photos by Andrea Canter
All photos by Andrea Canter
