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| Mike Doolin and David Martin: More CD release events at Jazz Central and Hell's Kitchen |
© Andrea Canter
Jazz does
not take a holiday - but music makes the holiday weekend a real celebration.
Labor Day typically marks the end of summer, return to school and cooler
nights, but no reason to expect a cool-down of jazz offerings in the Twin
Cities. Some special shows this weekend lead up to one of Saint
Paul's favorite festivals, the Lowertown Concrete and Grass Music
Festival at Mears
Park, Thursday through
Saturday, including a couple jazz acts as well as music to appeal to a wide
range of tastes.
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| Detroit Jazz Festival |
For those heading out of town, or looking for an excuse, keep in mind two of the world's largest free jazz festival (meaning no tickets!) are held in the Midwest this weekend: Chicago, August 28-31 and Detroit, August 29-September 1. Visit festival websites for schedules.
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| Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson |
Big Gigs This Week
Friday, August 29. Parma
8200 in Bloomington
offers a perfect way to end the work week -- or start the holiday weekend, with
intimate jazz in the bar/lounge and a tasty and reasonable menu. Tonight,
songbird Maud Hixson returns with
Rick Carlson and Gordy Johnson -- surely one of the most elegant vocal trios
around. And one of the most appealing things about a Maud Hixson gig--aside
from her voice, she always finds something new to introduce to her audience, be
it an obscure songwriter or an unfamiliar tune from one of the great composers.
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| Reynold Philipsek |
One of the
area's most prolific composers and performers, guitarist Reynold Philipsek is on stage at one of his favorite haunts, the
318 Cafe in Wayzata. Tonight is a little different as Reynold, bassist Matt
Senjem and percussionist Michael Bissonnette are filming material for a
documentary as well as introducing some new compositions. The $10 cover
includes one of Reynold's CDs.
Jazz at the
Fair -- tonight hear the Explosion Big Band (led by Doug Haining and Scott
Agster) on the AFL-CIO stage at the fairgrounds.
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| Dave Martin and Chris Bates |
Saturday, August 30. If you missed one of last week's CD
release events for David Martin and Mike
Doolin's new Tough Commute, you
have more opportunities! This afternoon, Mike leads a guitar-making workshop at
Jazz Central. Anyone interested in woodworking and instrument building will be
fascinated by Mike's demonstration and discussion of the work of the luthier,
and he brought along a small arsenal of guitars for demonstration. A few hours
later, Mike and Dave, with Chris Bates and Peter Hennig, perform the music of
the new recording and beyond in the Jazz Central Studio's intimate performance
space. If it's anything like the music performed at the Icehouse and Black Dog
last week, it will be one of the highlights of your week. Or month.
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| Cory Wong, Foreign Motion |
At first
this might seem like an odd combination-- the young hipsters of Foreign Motion (Cory Wong, Yohannes
Tona, Kevin Gastonguay, Petar Janjic) with veteran, award-winning vocalist Patty Peterson, at the Icehouse. But
Patty's tastes are broad and her own music spans jazz, R&B, pop and funk,
so this could be one of the best match-ups of the summer. For sure it is going
to be a lot of fun with a lot of energy.
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| Connie does Ella |
Sunday, August 31. Back in June, Connie Evingson and Jon Weber teamed up to present their favorite
tunes from the Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks at Jungle Theater. The show was a big
hit and Connie and Jon indicated some frustration in selecting just one show's
worth of Ella tunes. Now they return, again with bassist Gordy Johnson, to
present another selection of Ella favorites with a matinee and evening
performance at the Jungle.
Monday, September 1. Celebrate the holiday with a jazz
brunch at Hell's Kitchen! This also serves as yet another CD release for Dave
Martin and Mike Doolin, in quartet format with Chris Bates and Peter Hennig.
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| Dean Magraw |
Tuesday, September 2. First Tuesdays at the Black Dog
mean a collaborative adventure with Dean Magraw and Davu Seru, and perhaps a
guest. These two clever improvisers give modern music some new twists.
Wednesday, September
3. The Mobile Jazz Project comes to Uptown with
a rare evening performance. Typically bringing live jazz into Minneapolis
parks in afternoon hours, this night at Calhoun Square features Mississippi (Pete Whitman, Peter Schimke,
Jeff Bailey and Kevin Washington), the Cory Wong Group, and long-running reggae
band Les Exodus.
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| JT Bates |
Thursday, September 4. Another installment of the All
Originals Jazz Series, the brainchild of Steve Kenny with help from a state
Arts Board grant: This week, three frequent co-conspirators and among the most
inventive musicians (of any genre) in the region, come together at Studio Z for
some exciting new works -- Bryan Nichols,
Chris Bates and JT Bates. Each is a composer and bandleader in addition to
consummate performer and improviser. Some of these new works are likely to be
spontaneous executions.
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| Concrete and Grass at Mears Park |
Thursday-Saturday,
September 4-6.
The 8th annual Concrete and Grass Lowertown
Music Festival takes over Mears
Park for three nights of
music for every taste, from rock and pop to classical to salsa and jazz. In
addition to such acts as the SPCO Septet, Minnesota Resident Artists, and Joey
Molland's Badfinger, you can hear Salsa del Soul revving up the salsa rhythms
and the Adam Meckler Orchestra previewing their debut recording, both on Friday
evening. Thursday -- hear the SPCO ensemble tackle Beethoven's Septet in E-Flat
and singer-songwriter Martin Devany. The festival closes Saturday with
acclaimed jazz saxophonist David Milne joining three other saxes in a more
classical vein with the Ancia Saxphone Quartet and a young brash brass ensemble
(Breaking Brass) from McNally Smith in addition to voices of the Minnesota
Opera and Badfinger.
More Jazz All Week!
Keep up
with the live jazz scene in the Twin Cities -- check out calendars at Jazz Police, KBEM, Rhythm and Grooves and All About Jazz, as well as here
on the blog. More jazz to tickle your
ears:
Friday, August 29. Irv Williams and Steve Blons, Happy
Hour at the Dakota; Todd Harper and Larry Sims, happy hour at the Black Dog; Eric
Gravatt and Source Code at Jazz Central; Kronick Quartet at the Black Dog;
Bryan Nichols and James Buckley, dinner sets at the Icehouse
Saturday, August 30. Benny
Weinbeck Trio at Parma
8200
Sunday, August 31. Patty and the Buttons, brunch at
the Aster Cafe; T-Collective at the Icehouse
Monday, September 1. Note that many of your favorite
venues are closed for Labor Day!
Tuesday, September 2. Bill Simenson Orchestra at Jazz
Central; Annie Lawler Jazz on the Patio at Burger Mo's; Cafe Accordion at
Loring Pasta Bar; Three Loud Trio at Cafe Maude; Joel Shapira Quartet at the Dakota
Wednesday, September
3. Charmin
Michelle and Denny Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; new music night at Jazz Central
(TBA); Wolverines Trio at Hell's Kitchen; Patrick Harison at Cafe Maude;
Charlie Christenson Standards Trio at the Black Dog; Lila Ammons at The Tangiers
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| Joel Shapira |
Thursday, September 4. Joel Shapira at Hell's Kitchen;
Jack Brass Band at the Dakota; Moonlight Serenaders at Wabasha Street
Caves; Vocal Jazz Night
at Jazz Central (TBA)
Coming Soon!
. September
4-6, Concrete and Grass Lowertown Music Festival at Mears Park
. September
8, Josh Smith Trio/DD7 at the Icehouse (Jazz Implosion)
. September
10, Evan Christopher at the Dakota
. September
10, Lila Ammons at The Tangiers
. September
11, Adam Meckler Orchestra at Studio Z
. September
11, Colleen Raye at Jazz Central
. September
12, Dean Granros Quartet at Jazz Central
. September
13, John Raymond Trio with Gilad Hekselman and Colin Stranahan, Jazz at Studio
Z
. September
13, Selby Avenue Jazz Festival featuring Harvey Mason (Selby and Milton Av, Saint Paul)
. September
15, Jacob Hansen Trio/Real Bulls (Jazz Implosion)
. September
16, Meshell Ndgeocello at the Dakota
. September
17, Nellie McKay and the Turtle
Island Quartet at the
Dakota
. September
18, JazzMN Orchestra Fundraiser at Famous Dave's (Uptown)
. September
19, Monk in Motian at Jazz Central
. September
20, Steven Hobert CD Release at Friends Meeting, St Paul
. September
20, Mary Louise Knutson Trio, Jazz @ St Barneys, St.
Barnabas Lutheran Church
. September
21, Ticket to Brasil, Adieu Summer Concert at Como Park
.September 22, Horst/Peterson/Schimke/Whitman
at the Icehouse (Jazz Implosion)
. September
24, Chick Corea and Vigil at the Dakota
. September
25, The Cookers at the Dakota
. September
25, Joan Griffith at Khyber Pass
. September
26, Pablo Ziegler Tango Project at the Dakota
. September
26, Adam Meckler Orchestra at MacPhail (Antonello Hall)
. September
28, French 75 with Maud Hixson, Schneider Theater, Bloomington Center
for the Arts (2 pm)
. September
29, Framework with Pete Whitman at the Icehouse (Jazz Implosion)
. September
30-October 1, Larry Coryell/Victor Bailey/Lenny White at the Dakota
. October
11, JazzMN Orchestra with Dave Weckl at Hopkins High School
Auditorium
. October
12, Laura Caviani and JazzAX at Carleton
College (3 pm)
. October
18, Chris Lomheim Trio CD release at Studio Z
. October
18-20, Herb Alpert and Lani Hall at the Dakota
. November
5-6, Hiromi Trio Project at the Dakota
. November
6, Terri Lynne Carrington's Mosaic Project (with Rachel Z and Lizz Wright) at
O'Shaughnessy
. December
2, Jazz at Lincoln
Center Orchestra with
Wynton Marsalis and Cecile McLorin Salvant at Orchestra Hall
. December
21-22, Karrin Allyson Holiday Show at the Dakota
. March 12,
2015, Jack DeJohnette at Walker
Art Center,
McGuire Theater
. March
25-26, Delfeayo Marsalis (Southern Gentleman) at the Dakota
. May 2,
2015, Jason Moran and Robert Glasper at Walker Art Center, McGuire Theater
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| Evan Christopher at the Dakota, September 10 |
