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| Nancy Harms, CD release at the Dakota on September 4th |
© Andrea Canter
Sometimes
holiday weekends mean a dearth of live music opportunities. Sometimes just the
opposite. This is one of those opposite weekends, as the Twin Cities jazz
venues will be alive with cool sounds and (gratefully) cool air! And get some
rest, too, because there’s a lot going on in the coming week for jazz fans!
Big Gigs This Week
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| Arne Fogel |
Friday, August 30. Parma continues to offer high quality music
on weekends, no cover, and a very reasonable casual Italian menu. Tonight, Arne Fogel takes over the bar/lounge to
give you a laid back, swinging start to the holiday weekend. If you want to
keep the night going, look no farther than Late Night at the Dakota, where
tonight the Kevin Washington Quintet
takes the stage with music guaranteed to keep you awake and engaged.
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| Patty Peterson |
And it’s
sold out but deserves mention here, the annual Last Days of Summer River Cruise sponsored by KBEM takes off on the
Magnolia Blossom paddle boat, with a relaxing evening on the Mississippi
from Crosby Park
down to the Fort Snelling area and back. Patty Peterson sings in a rare trio
configuration with Phil Aaron and Billy Franze, with proceeds going to support
Jazz 88 projects. Next year, reserve early!
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| JazzMN Orchestra |
Friday, August 30-Saturday,
August 31. Now
that the Adam Meckler Orchestra has a monthly slot at the Artists Quarter, will
we see other big bands in the club? For sure. This weekend, the JazzMN
Orchestra squeezes in for an intimate evening—and you might want to show up early
since a few tables will be displaced by the saxophone section! Led by Doug
Snapp through its fifteen-year history, JazzMN plays some classic big band
repertoire with modern charts, and some 21st century music as
well. Opportunities to see a big band up
close are rare – an extremely satisfying.
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| Zacc Harris |
Saturday, August 31. Their long-running gig at Riverview
Wine Bar ended rather suddenly last spring due to the bar’s licensing issues,
but the Zacc Harris Trio lives on,
tonight at the Loring Pasta Bar where guitarist Zacc, bassist Matt Peterson and
drummer Pete Hennig jazz up the venue in style. Meanwhile, Parma again hosts an evening of pure post-bop
delight with Saturday residents, the Benny
Weinbeck Trio featuring Gordy Johnson and Phil Hey. Enjoy your jazz with a
side of flatbread or calamari.
Sunday, September 1. Planning a picnic at one of the
area’s lakeside parks? Check out the Capri
Big Band at the Lake Harriet Bandshell (2 pm). Capri
is directed by Faye Washington (yeah, Kevin’s mom) and features a generational
mix of accomplished musicians playing an eclectic mix of arrangements. And it’s
free! It’s also over early enough that you can enjoy Ginger Commodore and Dennis Spears at the Dakota in the early
evening. Yes, they were just at the Dakota a few weeks ago – and now back by
popular demand! You won’t find a more commanding pair of voices or a more effective collaboration.
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| Faye Washington, Capri Big Band |
Tuesday, September 3. It must be Guitar Night in the Twin
Cities. At the Artists Quarter, the six-string marvels are back to back, with
the Cory Wong Quartet opening with
its weekly freebie, followed tonight by Zacc
Harris and Friends. Not sure which friends will be on the stage but Zacc
has so many worthy of the gig. You can’t lose no matter what.
Over at the
Dakota, it is Foodie Night with Charmin
and Shapira and Friends. One sweet songbird plus one virtuoso guitarist and
a some very capable friends (Paul Harper, Tom Lewis and Nathan Norman) will
keep you in a lingering holiday mood.
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| New CD from Nancy Harms |
Wednesday, September
4. When Nancy
Harms left her native Minnesota for New York three years
ago, it was the natural next step after her highly regarded debut album (In the Indigo). And it has proved to be
a giant step, as Nancy now has performing credits at such venues as Birdland,
Small’s, and Kitano; touring experience with Wycliffe Gordon; and releasing a
new album (Dreams in Apartments) that
should put her among the top new vocalists on the jazz planet. Nancy
honors her roots by holding a CD Release Party at the Dakota tonight, two
months before her New York
release at Birdland. Welcome home, Nancy!
At the
Artists Quarter, Miguel Hurtado and
Friends turn up the heat. Figure “friends” include some of the new
generation of inventive musicians that keep popping up wherever improvised
music is welcomed. If you come early (7 pm) you can enjoy the revitalized ensemble led each week by Steve Kenny. Now known as Steve Kenny's Group 47, the quartet (at least for September) includes Kenny on trumpet, Will Kjeer on piano, Brian Courage on bass, and Alex Burgess on drums.
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| Dave King |
Thursday, September 5. Dave King
may have surprised a number of his fans when he released a trio album of
standards a year ago. Of course there is not much standard about the music that
comes from the collaboration among King, Bill Carrothers and Billy Peterson on I’ve Been Ringing You – the title coming
from the one original track. And those who mostly know Peterson from his
association with Steve Miller need to listen closely to this guy’s jazz chops.
No wonder one of his lesser known gigs was with the late Bill Evans. The Dave
King Trio plays for the first time at the Dakota tonight, a warm-up for their
four-night residency later in the month at the Village Vanguard.
Speaking of
Bill Evans, one of his disciples brings a trio into the Artists Quarter tonight.
Pianist Chris Lomheim has other
influences as well, but his tie to Evans is ever-apparent in his lyricism and
delicate touch. Still, he is as likely to pull out a Monk or Horace Silver tune
as an Evans favorite.
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| Chris Lomheim |
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. A few more gigs of note:
Friday, August 30. Irv Willliams and Peter Schimke,
happy hour at the Dakota followed by Viva Brasil
Saturday, August 31. Charmin & Shapira, Midtown Global
Market (12:30 pm); Tim Patrick and His Blue-Eyed Band at the Medina Ballroom
Sunday, September 1. Nick Haas, Sunday Brunch at Famous
Dave’s (Uptown); Patty and the Buttons, brunch at the Aster Café; Robert
Everest, brunch at Maria’s
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| Debbie Duncan |
Monday, September 2. Debbie Duncan, brunch at Hell’s
Kitchen; Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; JT’s Jazz
Implosion at the Icehouse; Southside Aces at Famous Dave’s (Uptown). (Note the
Artists Quarter is closed for Labor Day)
Tuesday, September 3. Dean Magraw and Davu Seru at the
Black Dog; Bill Simonsen Orchestra at Jazz Central; Café Accordion at Loring
Pasta Bar
Wednesday, September
4. Charmin
Michelle and Denny Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; Sue Oattes and the Wolverines
Trio at Hell’s Kitchen; St Peter Street Stompers at the Red Stag; Lee Engele at
Barbette; Davu Seru and Friends at the Black Dog
Thursday, September 5. Moonlight Serenaders at Wabasha Street
Caves; Jon Pemberton at the Red Stag;
Concrete and Grass Festival (opening night) with SPCO and Moore by Four at Mears Park; Larry McDonough Quartet at the Black Dog
Coming Soon!
. September
6, East Side at the Black Dog
. September
6-7, Concrete and Grass Festival at Mears
Park
. September
6-7, Graydon Peterson Quartet CD Release at the Artists Quarter
. September
7, Dakota Combo Auditions at MacPhail
Center for Music (12:30 –
4 pm)
. September
8, PipJazz Sundays featuring Pippi Ardennia at Landmark Center
. September
10, ETHEL Quartet at Macalester
. September
10, Brandon Wozniak at the Artists Quarter
. September
11, United Trumpet Summit
(Randy Brecker, Jeremy Pelt) at the Dakota
. September
11, Mansur Scott and the Harlem Quartet at the
Artists Quarter
. September
12, Phil Hey Quartet at the Artists Quarter
. September
13-14, Locally Damaging Winds at the Artists Quarter
. September
14, Selby Ave
Jazz Festival (Milton and Selby Av)
. September
16, Doc Severinsen Big Band at the Dakota
. September
17, Phil Aaron Trio at the Artists Quarter
. September
18, JazzMN Orchestra Fundraiser at the Dakota
. September
18, Dave Brattain Quartet at the Artists Quarter
. September
19, Ravi Coltrane Quartet
. September
19, Dave Karr Quartet at the Artists Quarter
. September
19-29, “Belmont Hotel” at the Southern Theater (jazz vocals, dance featuring
Katie Gearty)
. September
20-21, Diane Witherspoon at the Artists Quarter
. September
23-24, Bettye LaVette at the Dakota
. September
24, Adam Meckler Orchestra at the Artists Quarter
. September
26, Pete Whitman X-Tet at the Artists Quarter
. September
27, Lila Ammons CD Release at Hell’s Kitchen
. September
27-28, Red Planet at the Artists Quarter
. 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 Quartet at the Dakota
. October
3, Kneebody at the Artists Quarter
. October
5, JazzMN Orchestra with Kenny Drew, Jr at Hopkins HS Performing Arts Center
. October
5-6, Atlantis Quartet at the Artists Quarter
. October
11-12, Bill Carrothers at the Artists Quarter
. October
15-16, Ginger Baker Jazz Confusion at the Dakota
. October
18-19, CD Release, Cory Wong at the Artists Quarter
. October
26, Rhonda Laurie, Jazz @ St Barneys
. November
1, Erik Friedlander and Mitch Epstein at the Walker Art Center
. November
3, Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education Fundraiser featuring Lynne Arriale Trio
at the Dakota
. November
10, PipJazz Youth All-Stars at Landmark
Center
. November
12-13, José James at the Dakota
. November
16, Laura Caviani, Jazz @ St Barneys
. December 6, Reynold Philipsek CD release at 318
Café
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| The Dakota Combo holds auditions September 7th. |
