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Babtunde Lea and his "troponga" at the Artists Quarter this weekend |
© Andrea Canter
Yet another
festival! This weekend marks the return of Dakota StreetFest with its eclectic
round-up of local and visiting artists, competing with the Lowertown Roots
Festival in St. Paul
on what promises to be a relatively cool, dry and pleasant few days. Babatunde
Lea brings his volcanic quartet to the Artists Quarter, Kermit Ruffins brings
musical barbecue to the Dakota, and the week continues with the Adam Meckler
Orchestra’s debut at the Artists Quarter and the inaugural gig in the new Jazz
Police Young Artists Showcase at the AQ.
Big Gigs This Week
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Babatunde Lea |
Friday-Saturday, July
26-27. A couple
years ago, a world renowned percussionist quietly slipped into the Twin Cities
area and into the local jazz scene. But there is nothing quiet about Babatunde Lea’s drive to educate people
of all ages about African percussion and its merger with American jazz, summed
up in his own “troponga” – the fusion of African drumming and the standard
trapset. A passionate educator as well as musician, Babatunde has reached
students in metro schools with his captivating approach to rhythm, and anyone
within earshot of one of his gigs will learn as well as enjoy. And Babatunde
has wasted no time in identifying compatible cohorts – this weekend at the
Artists Quarter, he will collaborate with another recent transplant, pianist
Richard Johnson (Wynton Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Bobby Watson),
internationally acclaimed bassist Anthony Cox, and one of the newer and brightest
stars on the local scene, trumpeter Solomon Parham. It will definitely be Jazz
School/Jazz Cool.
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Dakota StreetFest |
Saturday, July 27. Two free festivals of note for the
diversity of the music: In downtown Minneapolis,
Dakota StreetFest returns full force,
with music between 10th and 12th Streets along Nicollet
Mall from noon til dark. In addition to three outdoor stages, the Dakota club
stage will offer an indoor respite from 4 pm when 93-year-old Irv Williams
holds court with his trio (Peter Schimke and Billy Peterson). Earlier and
outside, catch young jazzers (Twin Cities Jazz Workshop, Dakota Combo, PipJazz
All-Stars); seasoned jazzers (Walter Chancellor, Rey Rivera, Cory Wong
Quartet); star vocalists Pippi Ardennia,
Patty Peterson, Debbie Duncan and Sophia Shorai; some great “roots” artists
(Como Avenue Jug Band, Sarah Morris, Kenneth Brian Band, Toki Wright, Kelley
Hunt, Davina and the Vagabonds) and more; or finish your evening inside with
Paul Metsa and Willie Walker and Nachito Herrera. There’s a lot more, and it is
all free, inside and out.
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CJ Chenier |
Across the
river in the festival-friendly Mears
Park, it’s the annual Lowertown Roots Festival. Among
headliners this year are a couple acts well known to jazz audiences, violinist
Randy Sabien and zydeco king CJ Chenier. Music starts mid-afternoon and runs
til dark, and it’s all free. You can get
an early start on Friday night at McNally Smith College of Music, with a square
dance (and instruction) and jam sessions throughout the school complex.
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Eric Gravatt |
Another
unique event down the street at Studio Z finds star drummer Eric Kamau Gravatt, an alum of McCoy
Tyner and Weather Report, holding a rare drum clinic prior to a double-header
featuring keyboardist Greg Inhofer’s
Cockeyed Band with Gravatt, with David Gerald Sutton's ambient pop group The Electric String Quartet opening the
night with music from their debut album The
Vertical Horizon.
Sunday-Monday, July
28-29. Although
he was not available early enough to don his Barbecue chef hat, New Orleans’s
trumpeter and party leader Kermitt
Ruffins will arrive at the Dakota in time for two nights of delightful NOLA
style jazz. Ruffins not only delivers great music, but any gig transforms into
a party from the first note.
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Scott Agster |
Monday, July 29. Trombonist Scott Agster appears
monthly at Jazz Central with the Haining/Agster Explosion (big band), but
tonight the young master appears in a much smaller context focusing on his
talents as soloist, as the featured performer on the Monday Night series at
Jazz Central. And you never know who will sit in.
Fat Kid Wednesdays has been a frequent attraction at the Icehouse as part of JT's Jazz Implosion, but tonight is the last time to see this inventive trio until November, as FKW and individual musicians' touring will keep them on the road for a while.
Fat Kid Wednesdays has been a frequent attraction at the Icehouse as part of JT's Jazz Implosion, but tonight is the last time to see this inventive trio until November, as FKW and individual musicians' touring will keep them on the road for a while.
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Adam Meckler |
Tuesday, July 30. After more than a year holding
down the last Tuesday slot of Jazz Central’s Big Band nights, the Adam Meckler Orchestra simply needed
more space to accommodate a growing audience. With 18 musicians on stage, it
will still be crowded at the Artists Quarter, but there’s more room for the
audience to continue to expand, which is inevitable given the talents of
Meckler and his band of mostly young lions. As always, the AMO concentrates on
original works, mostly written by Meckler for this band. This is the start of a
monthly “last Tuesday” gig schedule.
Wednesday, July 31. Milwaukee based OPUS, an icon of straight ahead and fusion jazz, celebrates 35 years of music making at the Artists Quarter. OPUS members include keyboardist Jim Sodke, guitarist Steve Lewandowski, saxophonist and flautist Curt Hanrahan, bassist, Larry Tresp , and drummer Brian Ford. The band has a long history of club, festival, and college performances, and was nominated in 20013 for the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) award for “Best Jazz Group”.
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Anthony Cox |
Thursday, August 1. The Jazz Police online magazine hosts its first Young Artists Showcase at the Artists Quarter at 7 pm. Approximately every other month, the showcase will feature a school or community ensemble of high school and college level performers. With no cover, this is an opportunity to interest young people in jazz and to get a whiff of what lies ahead for the future of jazz in the Twin Cities and beyond. Tonight, three South High grads reunite for an evening of new arrangements and original compositions—Joe Suihkonen on trumpet, Sam Wildenauer on bass, and Emerson Hunton on drums. Joe and Emerson will soon begin their second years of study at the Oberlin Conservatory; Sam has been working around town as a freelancer and free jazzer, sometimes seen with free jazz wizard Milo Fine.
More Jazz, Every Night
Be sure to
check live jazz calendars on Jazz Police
and KBEM sites. Also find a growing
number of events on the Jazz Near
You site, a service of All About
Jazz. TCJS Jazz Notes lists gigs
monthly. A few more gigs of note:
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Irv Williams and Peter Schimke |
Friday, July 26. Irv Williams and Peter Schimke,
happy hour at the Dakota; Todd Harper, solo piano at the Black Dog; Chris
Lomheim and Gordy Johnson at the Icehouse; Dennis Spears as Nat King Cole at
Chanhassen Dinner Theater
Saturday, July 27. Dennis Spears as Nat King Cole at
Chanhassen Dinner Theater;Rhizosphere at the Black Dog; Luke Polopnik at the Icehouse; Parisota Hot Club at
Loring Pasta Bar; Benny Weinbeck Trio at Parma; Salute to the Music of Bob
Dylan with Arne Fogel, Patty Peterson and more, Wolf Park (St Louis Park); Maurice
Jacox at Red Stag (Note music at Hotel Ivy canceled tonight due to Dakota
StreetFest!)
Sunday, July 28. Patty and the Buttons, brunch at
the Aster Café; Robert Everest, brunch at Maria’s; Lucia Newell Quartet at All
Saints ECLA (Cottage Grove); Off the Cuff at the Aster Café
Monday, July 29. Charmin Michelle and Denny
Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; Headspace at the Artists Quarter
Tuesday, July 30. Cory Wong Quartet, early set at
the Artists Quarter; Acme Jazz Company at the Shorewood; Nova Jazz Orchestra at Jazz Central
Wednesday, July 31. Steve Kenny and the Bastids, early
show at the Artists Quarter; Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg at Fireside
Pizza; Vital Organ at Hell’s Kitchen
Thursday, August 1. Vocal Night at Jazz Central; the Jana Nyberg Group at the Dakota
Coming Soon!
. August 3,
Aakash Mittal Quartet, Late Night at the Dakota
. August 4,
Aakash Mittal Quartet at the Icehouse
. August 9, Chris Speed Trio at the Dakota (Late Night)
. August 9, Chris Speed Trio at the Dakota (Late Night)
. August
10, Todd Clouser and A Love Electric with Cyro Baptista at the Icehouse
. August
11, PipJazz Sundays Youth Salute at Landmark
Center
. August 14,
Jesse Stacken at Jazz Central
. August
16-17, Red Five at the Artists Quarter
. August
19, Jake Baldwin at the Dakota
. August
24, Freedom Jazz Festival, Martin
Luther King
Park
. August
27-28, Jeff Lorber at the Dakota
. August
29, Ben Sidran at the Dakota
. September
6-7, Concrete and Grass Festival at Mears
Park
. September
14, Selby Ave
Jazz Festival (Milton and Selby Av)
. September
19, Ravi Coltrane Quartet
. September
23-24, Bettye LaVette at the Dakota
. September
28-29, Prism (Dave Holland, Craig Taborn, Kevin Eubanks, Eric Harland) at the
Dakota
. October
1, Billy Cobham Spectrum 40 at the Dakota
. October
2-3, Gary Burton at the Dakota
. November
1, Erik Friedlander and Mitch Epstein at the Walker Art Center
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Aakash Mittal Quartet, coming to the Dakota and Icehouse |