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| Leigh Kamman Celebrates 90 |
© Andrea Canter
Labor Day
Weekend generates many sounds and images—kids heading back to school, last
weekends “up north” at the cabin, a final concert at the park bandshell. And
for me, the Detroit Jazz Festival, four nights and three full days of music on
four “main” stages, with a schedule jammed so tight you have to make some very
painful choices (so do I hear Pat Metheny or Fred Hersch? Dave Binney or Uncle
June with Craig Taborn? Joe Lovano or Tia Fuller?). Personally, since the sets
are somewhat staggered, I try to get to the first part of one and the second
part of another to the extent possible.
Choosing what music to hear in the Twin Cities is not usually so full of
conflicts, but there are nights when it seems you need to say, “Beam me up,
Scottie” to get to all appealing gigs. So here’s what I will miss this weekend,
and what I can check out midweek when I return.
Highlights This Week
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| Phil Hey |
August 31-September 1. The Phil Hey Quartet is
turning up on weekends at the Artists Quarter more often, although they
continue to hold a nearly monthly show on a Thursday night. They certainly
deserve the bigger weekend crowd as one of the area’s standout jazz ensembles,
one that has been turning up the heat on modern jazz standards for about a
decade, as well as presenting original compositions. Instrumentation is Modern Jazz Quartet (with
Dave Hagedorn’s mallet virtuosity at the core) but the arrangements, and
playlists, go far beyond MJQ’s swinging bebop, exploring works by Coltrane,
Shorter, Miles, and more.
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| James Buckley |
At the hip
Icehouse, dinner sets with Bryan Nichols and James Buckley
should pull in the over 30 crowd while still appealing to the younger
generation. This is not piano bar music! Bryan and James can cover just about
anything but are best known for their inventive takes on familiar and
unfamiliar works of modern jazz composers as well as their own original
material. Intimacy for curious listeners.
September 1. This is too intriguing to pass up…
although I guess I won’t be within 500 miles. Maud Hixson with Dean Magraw and
Jay Young? Cool cabaret intimacy with sophisticated strings; and with
Dean and Jay, there has to be a touch of humor and conspiracy. They perform at Parma
in Bloomington.
September 2. A few years ago the jazz community
came together to celebrate Leigh Kamman’s retirement as the
voice of The Jazz Image, the long-running NPR program featuring interviews and
commentary as only Leigh could do it. Now he’s celebrating his 90th
birthday with a bash at the Artists Quarter (6 pm), with friends Carole Martin,
Pete Whitman (with the X-Tet) and Brad Bellows spearheading the musical
tributes. For sure there will be more musicians on hand and no doubt Leigh will
have a few words to say himself. A great celebration for the man who defines
the best of jazz broadcasting.
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| Bettye LaVette |
September 2-3. This stretches the definition of
jazz – really, Bettye LaVette is the “Great Lady of Soul,” but her bluesy
storytelling has long appealed to jazz audiences and locally she has made the
Dakota a second home. But for these two nights you can hear her for free once
you pay your admission to the Minnesota State Fair, where she appears at the
Linnie Stage. Not sure I can quite imagine how she will deliver her most
soul-wrenching tales in the context of corn dogs and tractor pulls, but as a
consummate entertainer, I’m sure she will pull it off.
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| Bryan Nichols |
September 4. Tuesdays are becoming showcase nights at the
Artists Quarter, with bassist Billy Peterson and AQ owner/drummer Kenny Horst
inviting one or two guest artists to join them in an evening of unpredictable
jazz joy. Tonight, pianist Bryan Nichols makes it a cozy and
creative trio, following the usual opening mayhem of the Cory Wong Quartet.
Adding to the festive feel, each Tuesday in September will feature a drawing
for a class set of CDs in between the prime time show’s first and second set.
This week the winner receives a Max Roach set (8 albums on 4 CDs).
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| Pat Metheny (at Newport) |
September 4-5. Pat Metheny waited three
decades to put another horn player in the front line of a band. Chris Potter
now joins the very elite circle –with
Dewey Redman and Michael Brecker—as one who has collaborated with the
reigning king of jazz guitar. With Potter in the new Metheny Unity
Band are Thelonious Monk Competition-winning bassist Ben Williams and
one of the world’s leading drummers, Antonio Sanchez. I’ll get a taste of the
music in Detroit
before the quartet arrives at the Dakota for two nights, four sets. Yes, this
is one of the most expensive jazz shows ever at the Dakota, but the line-up
speaks for itself. And I would really rather hear this music in a jazz club
setting than an outdoor stage with an audience of thousands. Although that is
cool in other ways!
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| Marv Dahlgren and John Dickinson |
September 5. I remember about five years ago
there was a gig at the AQ dubbed “Marv Dahlgren and Friends.” Among
the “friends” appearing on stage with the retired Minnesota Orchestra
percussionist/master educator was his grandson, an up-and-coming vibraphonist
named John Dickinson. Tonight they reprise that gig with more family
and friends. Expect some dueling vibes and all sorts of fun. And come early,
the fun begins with Steve Kenny and the Bastids at 7 pm.
September 6. Speaking of fun, how about a
quintet headed by two trombones? That would be Valve (Brad Bellows) Meets Slide
(Dave Graf) at the Artists Quarter. And you can start the evening in
Lowertown where the Concrete and Grass Festival gets underway at Mears Park,
with Jack
Brass providing the jazz set. This talented band provides a playful opportunity
to introduce someone to jazz as well as guaranteed entertainment for anyone
already a fan of the music.
More Jazz All Week
There’s
music every night, even on Labor Day at many venues. Keep up with the live jazz
calendar on the home page of Jazz Police
and send gig listings to tc@jazzpolice.com,
and listen for updates on KBEM and KFAI radio. More suggestions:
Friday, August 31. New Standards, multiple showtimes
at Heritage Square, Minnesota State Fair (no cover); Frankhouse at Admiral D’s
(White Bear); Arne Fogel at The Lexington
Saturday, September 1. Charmin & Shapira, Midtown
Global Market (12:30 pm); Lucia Newell
and Joan Griffith at Eat Street Social
(1 pm); Tony London at The Lexington
Sunday, September 2. Jim Anton Trio, brunch at the
Icehouse; Maud Hixson and the Rick Carlson Trio at Minnetonka Orchards (3 pm); Zacc
Harris Trio at the Riverview Wine Bar; River Falls Cultural Project at Emma’s
Bar (River Falls)
Monday, September 3. Duke Robillard and Davina & the
Vagabonds at the Dakota; Jazz Implosion at the Icehouse; Nick Daley at Jazz
Central. Note Artists Quarter and Fireside Pizza are closed today.
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| Dean Magraw |
Tuesday, September 4. Dean Magraw and Davu Seru at the Black
Dog; Bill Simenson Big Band at Jazz Central; Jack Brass Band at Driftwood
CharBar
Wednesday, September
5. Maud Hixson
and the Wolverines Trio at Hell’s Kitchen; Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg
at Fireside Pizza
Thursday, September 6. Moonlight Serenaders at Wabasha Street Caves;
Robb Henry Trio at Barbette
Coming Soon!
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September
7, Tuesday Night Band at the Artists Quarter
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September
7, Debbie Duncan and Ginger Commodore at the Dakota
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September
8, Selby Avenue
Jazz Festival
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September
8, Debbie Duncan at the Artists Quarter
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September
9, Dakota Combo Auditions at MacPhail
Center for Music
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September
9, Ben Sidran at the Dakota
. September 9, PipJazz Sundays with Dennis Spears at Landmark Center
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September
10, Milo Fine at Homewood
Studios
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September
11-12, Marcus Miller at the Dakota
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September
14-15, Chris Bates’ Red 5 CD Release at the Artists Quarter
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September
15, Arne Fogel, Jazz @St. Barney’s (St. Barnabas Arts Center, Plymouth)
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September
18, John Scofield Trio at the Dakota
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September
19, Delfeayo Marsalis at the Dakota
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September
21, Saxophone Day at McNally
Smith College
with Bob Sheppard
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September
21-22, Bob Sheppard at the Artists Quarter
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September
26-27, Chick Corea and Gary Burton at the Dakota
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September
28-29, Bryan Nichols Quintet at the Artists Quarter
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September
30, Esperanza Spalding’s Radio Society at the State Theater
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September
30, Men With Mics (Gregg Marquardt, Reeves Carey, Dan Ristrom) at the Artists
Quarter (TCJS, Jazz From J to Z)
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October
6, Wayne Bergeron with the JazzMN Orchestra at the Hopkins
High School Performing Arts Center
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October
12-13, Ari Honig Trio with Bill Carrothers at the Artists Quarter
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October
13, Connie Evingson, Jazz @St. Barney’s (St. Barnabas Arts Center, Plymouth)
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October
14-15, Cassandra Wilson
at the Dakota
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October
23, Kurt Elling at the Dakota
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October
30-31, Maria Schneider Orchestra at the Dakota
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November
4, Spiral Visions (Milne, Hagedorn, Aaron, Lewis, Hey) at Landmark Center
(TCJS Jazz From J to Z)
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November
9, Anat Cohen and Evan Christopher at Minneapolis Convention
Center (MN Orchestra)
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November
10, Anat Cohen and Klezmatics at Minneapolis
Convention Center (MN
Orchestra)
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November
11, Duke Ellington Orchestra with Evan Christopher at Minneapolis Convention
Center
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November
11, PipJazz Sundays Youth Showcase at Landmark Center
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November
26-27, Karrin Allyson at the Dakota
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December
7, Manhattan
Transfer at the Dakota
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December
12-13, John Pizzarelli at the Dakota
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December
14-15, Reid Anderson, Jeff Ballard, SPCO, Liquid Music at SPCO Music Room
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December
27-29, Bad Plus at the Dakota
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| John Scofield, coming to the Dakota September 18th |
All photos by Andrea Canter except Pat Metheny, by Kevin Mason
