© Andrea Canter
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| Todd Clouser leads A Love Electric, CD release at the Ritz June 22nd |
More rain,
more heat, more storms, more mosquitoes. Summer in the Twin Cities has its
challenges, but finding great jazz any night of the week is not one of them!
And with the preliminary events of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival on the docket
this week, there’s even more to choose from. The weekend boasts a CD release
party from Twin Cities native guitar master Todd Clouser, another live
performance (at the AQ) with the Dave King Trucking Company, a long-overdue
appearance from Fat Kid Wednesdays at the new Ice House, numerous ensemble and
big band gigs at area parks, and a day anticipating the start of the jazz
festival with music beginning outside the St Paul Central Library with Jack
Brass Band and then continuing well into the night with the annual Jazz Night
Out, based in and around Mears Park but spilling over into club and bar venues
throughout the broadly defined St Paul downtown, including the annual
appearance of Jon Weber at the AQ. That will just give us a taste of next
weekend’s annual jazz blowout.
Highlights This Week
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| Adam Meckler |
June 22. Todd Clouser has been gaining
stature as a force to be reckoned with in modern jazz guitar. With his band A
Love Electric, he has really hit rich vein of musical ideas, bringing a 70s
rock slant to modern post bop… or is it a post bop slant to vintage rock and
fusion? Whatever it is, there’s a lot of energy and interesting interactions
among his highly talented band mates. On recording, he draws from cohorts in Mexico, the Midwest
and East Coast. With his new Royal Potato Family label, Todd promised three
recordings by the end of the year, and he is now two-thirds the way toward his
goal with the release tonight of Entre, which he describes as “Selections in
Garage Jazz.” It’s mostly a rock-scented fusiony mash-up but there are a couple
more gentle tracks that might be dubbed “country folk jazz.” Call it whatever.
Celebrate it at the Ritz Theater with a promising opening set from the Adam
Meckler Orchestra, boasting a big handful of the area’s young hotshots.
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| Jake Baldwin and Nelson Devereaux |
Speaking of
young hotshots… let’s go even younger. Returning to the Late Night at the
Dakota series, trumpeter Jake Baldwin will keep us from nodding off with a
ferocious quintet of locally connected 20-somethings. Getting ready for his
final year at the New England Conservatory, Minnetonka High School
alum and gifted trumpeter Jake is in town for the summer and gigging as much as
possible. His former Dakota Combo cohorts Joe Strachan (piano, U of M) and Cory
Grindberg (bass, Northwestern U) join up with U of M grad Nelson Devereaux
(sax) and Manhattan School of Music (and South High) grad Miguel Hurtado
(drums) for a steamy Friday night finale.
June 22-23. The Dave King Trucking Company has
been busy around town recently, helping to open the new Ice House and now
returning to the Artists Quarter for the weekend. Although their touring and
recording (Good Old Light) feature
two tenor saxophonists (with New York-based Chris Speed), here Brandon Wozniak
ably handles the horn duties alone, with Erik Fratzke on guitar, Adam Linz on
bass, and of course King on drums. King describes the concept of the Trucking
Company sound as “if the great Nashville
bands of the '60s and '70s could improvise and were Coltrane fanatics.” Between
Clouser and King, I am getting nostalgic for the 70s. Still, I don’t remember
that decade offering this much creative musical interaction.
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| Nachito Herrera |
If it has
been a while since you saw Nachito Herrera, this might be a great weekend to
make up for lost time as he does back-to-back gigs at the Dakota. A week ago,
the Cuban keyboard monster was in Nashville
to accept the American Heritage Award from the American Immigration Council –
the first Latin musician so honored since Carlos Santana. And next week, he
heads west for performances at Kuumbwa Jazz and Yoshi’s in the Bay Area.
June 23. It’s not unusual for one of the
Petersons to take center stage for a weekend gig. Usually that means Patty
Peterson and Friends or brother Billy Peterson holding down the basslines at
the AQ. But tonight at The Lexington, it’s Linda Peterson! Home from LA for an
extended visit, Linda will offer her vocal and piano talents for a low key, upscale, swinging evening fit for
date night or just relaxing at one of St Paul’s most distinguished night spots.
She also has a couple club dates later in July at School II.
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| JT Bates |
June 25. Since the demise of the Clown
Lounge, we have seen or heard very little of Fat Kid Wednesdays. Mike Lewis,
Adam Linz and JT Bates certainly keep busy with other projects, but FKW is one
of their earliest collaborations and one of most creative forces on the local
jazz scene. Now that JT is booking Monday nights at the new Ice House venue, we
can expect to see more of Fat Kids as well as other groups that called the
Clown Lounge ‘home.”
June 26. In the “it never rains, it pours”
department (and not speaking of our recent weather!), tonight brings back one
of the most dynamic ensembles to hold the stage at the AQ, a nameless quartet
featuring Dean Magraw, Bryan Nichols, Billy Peterson and Kenny Horst. Across
town, we can repeat Saturday night at the Ritz, with Todd Clouser pairing with
James Buckley at Café Maude and the Adam Meckler Orchestra the featured big
band of the week at Jazz Central. This will not be an easy decision tonight,
but be assured by the fact that you can only win no matter where you go.
June 27. Adam Meckler might be the busiest
musician in town this week. After two gigs with his Orchestra, he gets to play
sideman tonight at the AQ with the Graydon Peterson Quartet. The young trumpet
whiz will interact with like minded cohorts, including Vinnie Rose on guitar,
Peterson on bass and Adrian Suarez on drums.
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| Pippi Ardennia |
June 28. If today is but a preview of the
Hot Summer Jazz Festival, what nonstop entertainment awaits us for the weekend?
The festival activities start early, with the multi-talented Jack Brass Band
playing outside the St Paul Central Library midday. They are one of the most
accomplished New Orleans Brass Bands outside of the Crescent City,
and their joy is contagious. The “official” Jazz Night Out starts early evening
in Mears Park with nonstop music from Pippi Ardennia and her “house band” as
well as some of her favorite guests from the past year of PipJazz Sunday
concerts, including a few of her student guests. If you have not heard Pippi
sing….be ready and be there! Outside of Mears Park there are at least a dozen
venues hosting one or more bands through the evening, including Connie Evingson
with Jon Weber at the AQ, Arne Fogel and
Maud Hixson at Mancini’s, Lucia Newell at the Black Dog, Zeitgeist and Zacc Harris at Studio Z,
Framework at Minnesota Music Café, Joann Funk at the St Paul Hotel, Connie
Olson at The Lexington and a list of great acts at the Amsterdam, from Ticket
to Brasil to Chris Lomheim and Mary Louise Knutson to songbirds Nichola Miller
and Joyce Lyons, capped by the Jazz Central All-Stars. Check it all out on the
festival website.
More Jazz Every Night
Yes, there
is even more out there. See the live jazz calendar from Bebopified or also posted on Jazz Police; listen to KBEM and KFAI
radio. More gigs:
Friday, June 22. Benny Weinbeck Trio at D’Amico
Kitchen; Rhonda Laurie and Joel Shapira at the Wine Market (Mendota Heights);
Jeremy Boettcher and Phil Aaron at the Ice House
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| Paula Lammers |
Saturday, June 23. Paula Lammers at the Eagan
Community Center (3 pm); Joann Funk at the Lobby Bar, St Paul Hotel; Zacc
Harris Trio at the Loring Pasta Bar; Benny Weinbeck Trio at D’Amico Kitchen;
Sophia Shorai at the Red Stag; Tom Lieberman at the Aster Cafe'
Sunday, June 24.
Paula Lammers at Como Lakeside Pavillion (3 pm); Ticket to Brasil at
Lake Harriet Bandshell; Lee Engele and Reynold Philipsek at Nicollet Commons
Park; JT Bates at Barbette
Monday, June 25. Charmin Michelle and Denny
Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; Dave Brattain at Jazz Central; Debbie Duncan at The
Dakota
Tuesday, June 26. Emily Green at The Nicollet; Cory
Wong Quartet, early set at the Artists Quarter; Jack Brass Band at Driftwood
Charbar
Wednesday, June 27. Steve Kenny and the Bastids, early
show at the Artists Quarter; Wolverines at Hell’s Kitchen; Charmin Michelle and
Denny Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; Steve Hobert/Jeremy Boettcher/Jay Epstein at
the Nomad World Pub
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| Sophia Shorai |
Thursday, June 28. Sophia Shorai at the Dakota; see
Jazz Night Out, Twin Cities Jazz
Festival listings for St. Paul
venues.
Coming Soon!
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June
29, Twin Cities Jazz Festival, Mears
Park (Delfeayo Marsalis;
Francisco Mela’s Cuban Safari)
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June
29, Maud Hixson and Jon Weber at the Artists Quarter (Twin Cities Jazz
Festival)
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June
30, Twin Cities Jazz Festival (The Bad Plus With Joshua Redman)
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June
30, Jon Weber at the Artists Quarter (Twin Cities Jazz Festival)
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July
1-2, Bill Frisell at the Dakota
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July
8, Dean Magraw & Marcus Wise,
PipJazz Sundays at Landmark
Center
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July
9, Dave Singley at Jazz Central
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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
15, Tribute to Elliot Fine at the Artists Quarter
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July
16, Geoff Senn at Jazz Central
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July
18, Jana Nyberg Group at the Dakota
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July
20, Matt Turner at the Black Dog
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July
20-21, Pete Whitman & Laura Caviani at the Artists Quarter
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July
21, Nancy Harms
and Jeremy Siskind at Jazz Central
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July
23, Minnesota Jazz All-Stars at the Old Log Theater (led by Cliff Brunzell,
Jeanne Arland Peterson)
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July
23, Michael Nelson at Jazz Central
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July
29, James Carter Organ Trio at the Dakota
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July
30, Brandon Wozniak at Jazz Central
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July
31, Adam Meckler Orchestra at Jazz Central
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August
1-2, Tribute to Jimmy Smith with Joey D’Francesco, Larry Coryell & Jimmy
Cobb at the Dakota
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August
3, Pat Mallinger at the Artists Quarter
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August
9, Tribute to Blossom Dearie with Joann Funk at the Artists Quarter
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September
4-5, Pat Metheny Unity Band at the Dakota
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September
18, John Scofield Trio at the Dakota
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September
26-27, Chick Corea and Gary Burton at the Dakota
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September
30, Esperanza Spalding’s Radio Society at the State Theater
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October
30-31, Maria Schneider Orchestra at the Dakota
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| Maria Schenider, coming home to Minnesota October 30-31 |
All photos by Andrea Canter
