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| Jeanne Arland Peterson - retiring Saturday night |
© Andrea Canter
As we
celebrate a new year, it’s time to reflect on the many blessings of music from
2012 – and there were many. I even managed a blog (see December 26th)
about what I consider the key signs that jazz is alive and well in the Twin
Cities. Some of those signs, and more, are visible and audible over the coming
week, with holiday visits from The Bad Plus and Pat Mallinger to keep things
warm over the weekend, a list of diverse opportunities for New Year’s Eve, and
some bright starts to 2013.
Big Gigs This Week
Friday, December 28. Merciless Ghost with saxophonist George Cartwright, bassist Josh Granowski and
percussionist Davu Seru returns to intrigue the ears at the Black Dog. A great way to put your music brain on full alert for the coming week!
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| The Bad Plus |
Friday-Saturday,
December 28-29.
Serious homecoming gigs on both sides of the river this weekend. The Bad Plus finish their annual holiday
run with two more nights at the Dakota. With continuing accolades for their new
release, Made Possible, the Fab 3
reinforce their skills as composers as well as reinventors of modern pop and
rock classics.
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| Pat Mallinger |
At the
Artists Quarter, Chicago-based saxman Pat
Mallinger joins frequent collaborator, pianist Bill Carrothers, with whom he recorded his latest CD, Home on Richmond, celebrated a
year ago at the AQ. They’re joined by Chris Bates and Kenny Horst for two hard
swinging evenings of original music and arrangements. And for Pat and Chris,
this is the weekend warmup to New Year’s Eve, when they join Carole Martin and
Friends for the AQ’s annual bash.
The
Icehouse continues to offer some of the best small ensemble jazz options in
town, in a setting that has broad appeal, particularly bringing in a younger
audience – which is a great way to ensure a growing audience for modern music.
Weekend “dinner sets” usually find a piano duo on stage, and this weekend,
pianist Bryan Nichols plays with
bassist James Buckely (Friday) and
saxophonist Brandon Wozniak
(Saturday) – and there’s three reasons to make the Icehouse part of your
“between” holiday weekend stops.
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| The Second Generation of Petersons |
Saturday, December 29. This will be a landmark in the
history of Twin Cities jazz: The Peterson
Family New Year Celebration at the Hopkins Center
for the Arts will also serve as the official retirement party for matriarch Jeanne Arland Peterson. Although it seems that playing the piano with
her family automatically deducts a few decades each time out, Jeanne at 92 is
ready to spend less time performing and more time with a growing fourth
generation of Petersons. This concert also includes a holiday celebration with
buffet following the concert. It’s a special farewell to a very special
contributor to the vitality of music in Minnesota.
The annual
holiday treat for big band fans, Jazz @St. Barney’s Big Band Christmas double header brings in two of the area’s most
popular ensembles, the Bend
in the River Big Band and the Jazz on the Prairie Big Band. It’s casual, fun,
and a great bargain.
Jazz took a bit of a holiday at The
Lexington but tonight, Connie Evingson
makes jazz a holiday of its own. The setting couldn’t be more old school—in the
best sense of the term, as Connie sings in one of the elegant dining rooms of
this St Paul
landmark. But Connie is hardly “old school,” putting zing into standards and
her personal stamp on songs from Peggy Lee to the Beatles, from gypsy swing to Frishberg
sting.
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| Connie Evingson |
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| Brian Roesslear |
Sunday, December 30. Do you really want to go out the
night before New Year’s Eve? Why not, when the Black Dog hosts its third annual
“Open Season” party with a promise to
close down by 8 pm? Starting at 5, you can hear music from some of Black Dog’s
regular performers – Todd Harper, Nathan Hanson, Brian Roessler, Cory Grossman
and Pete Hennig. The promise for the evening: “festive, exhuberant, early, sane.”
Normally those are contradictory terms.
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| Dawn Horst and Carole Martin |
Monday, December 31. It’s New Year’s Eve. This deserves
a separate heading. There’s a wide range of jazz offerings to help ring in the
New Year, from the annual Artists Quarter fete with Carole Martin and Friends to a sublime evening at The Lex with Arne Fogel or at Nonna Rosa’s with Lee Engele, to a jazz-rockin’ party with
Fat Kid Wednesdays at the Icehouse.
Or dance the night away at the Shakopee Ballroom with Tim Patrick and his Blue-Eyed Band or Vic Volare’s Lounge Orchestra at Jax Café. Red Stag patrons can
enjoy the Jon Pemberton Trio.
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| Dan Cavanagh |
Thursday, January 3. 2013 starts
in style on both sides of the metro. Charmin
(Michele) and (Joel) Shapira and Friends host the first Foodie Night of the
year at the Dakota, with usual cohorts Paul Harper on sax and Nathan Norman on
drums, with Bruce Heine joining in on bass. At the Artists Quarter, it’s the Cavanagh/Hagedorn reunion as Dave’s
former student, pianist/composer Dan is back for a visit. Their piano/vibes
recording Horizon was one of my local favorites of the past few years.
More Jazz
Note that
many of your favorite venues will be closed on New Year’s Day. And many have
not published 2013 calendars yet. Be sure to check live jazz calendars on Jazz Police and KBEM sites. A few more gigs of note:
Friday, December 28. Joann Funk and Jeff Brueske at the
Lobby Bar (St Paul Hotel); Benny Weinbeck Trio at D’Amico Kitchen; Mark Bloom
and Andy Morantz at the 318 Café; Dolce Vita Jazz at Café Maude (Loring Park)
Saturday, December 29. Joann Funk and Jeff Brueske at the
Lobby Bar (St Paul Hotel); Benny Weinbeck Trio at D’Amico Kitchen
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| Charmin Michelle |
Sunday, December 30. Patty and the Buttons at the Aster
Café (brunch); Zacc Harris Trio at the Riverview Wine Bar; Charmin Michelle and
the Jerry O’Hagan Orchestra at Cinema Ballroom; New Standards at the Dakota
Wednesday, January 2. Steve Kenny and the Bastids
followed by the Cory Wong Quartet; Café Accordion at Loring Pasta Bar; Charmin
Michelle and Denny Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; Dolce Vita Jazz at Café Maude
(Penn Av); Dan Musselman Trio at the Red Stag
Thursday, January 3. Dean Harrington and Mill City
Hot Club at the Aster Café; Josh Granowski and Patrick Harison at Barbette; Sue Oattes and Tanner Taylor at Jazz Central
Coming Soon
.
January 4, Koplant No at the Icehouse (11 pm)
.
January 4-5, Spiral Visions at the Artists Quarter
.
January 5, Kelly Rossum/Jeremy Walker Quartet at the Dakota (Late Night)
.
January 7-8, Nellie McKay at the Dakota (second show just added)
.
January 10, Omer Avital’s Band of the East at the Jewish Community Center (St Paul)
.
January 11-12, Lulu’s Playground CD Release at the Artists Quarter
·
January 12, Vicky Mountain and Friends, “Voice of Van Heusen” at the
Black Box Theater, Bloomington
.
January 15, Latin Jazz All-Stars (Steve Turre, Pete Escovedeo) at the Dakota
.
January 18, Dorothy Doring/ Phil Mattson CD Release at the Artists Quarter
.
January 19, Snowblind at the Artists Quarter
.
January 20, Sing the Truth (Dianne Reeves, Angelique Kidjo, Lizz Wright) at the
Mpls Convention Center
.
January 20, Tony Bennett at the State Theater
.
January 22, Jose Feliciano at the Dakota
.
January 25, Kenny Horst’s Birthday Bash at the Artists Quarter
.
January 23, How Birds Work at the Artists Quarter
.
January 26, Maud Hixson, Jazz @St Barneys
·
January 27-28, Dave Holland Quintet at the Dakota
.
January31, Pete Whitman’s X-Tet at the Artists Quarter
.
February 1-2, Lynne Arriale Trio at the Artists Quarter
.
February 8-9, Bryan Nichols Quintet at the Artists Quarter
.
February 10, Tuck and Patti at the Dakota
.
February 12-13, Stacey Kent at the Dakota
.
February 15-16, Bill Carrothers at the Artists Quarter
·
February 22, Bill Frisell at Macalester (Janet Wallace Auditorium)
.
February 22-23, Estaire Godinez at the Artists Quarter
.
March 9, McCoy Tyner Quartet at the Hopkins
Center for the Arts
.
March 9, Randy Brecker with the JazzMN Orchestra at the Hopkins
High School Performing Arts Center
.
March 19, SF Jazz Collective at the Dakota
.
April 1, Bela Fleck and Chick Corea at the Dakota
·
April 6, John Zorn 60th Birthday at Walker Art Center
.
April 8-9, John Scofield Hollowbody Band with Mike Stern at the Dakota
.
April 12, 2 Cellos at the Dakota
·
April 15-18, Doc Severinsen Big Band at the Dakota
.
April 21, Red Planet at Landmark
Center (TCJS Jazz From J
to Z)
·
April 26, Craig Taborn at Walker
Art Center
.
April 28, Diana Krall (Glad Ragdoll Tour) at the State Theater
. June
18-19, Reid Anderson at Music Space (SPCO), rescheduled from December
