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| Francisco Mela, new Artistic Director for the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, at the Dakota Monday! |
© Andrea Canter
It's been a
bountiful harvest of jazz throughout September and the season continues. Colors
are peaking up north, and jazz continues on a high plateau in the metro area.
This weekend, hear the official CD release of the Adam Meckler Orchestra's
first recording; enjoy veteran ace Dave Karr in acoustic trio format; warm up
your toes for tango with Pablo Ziegler; enjoy music from the Continent and
beyond in a rare performance of French 75 with Maud Hixson. And move through
the week with the likes of Jon Weber and Francisco Mela, the Larry Coryell,
Victory Bailey and Lenny White, all at the Dakota. And more.
Big Gigs This Week
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| Adam Meckler Orchestra |
Friday, September 26. This is one of those nights when
you wish for a clone. Or two. At MacPhail's classy Antonello Hall, the Adam Meckler Orchestra holds is official
CD Release (When Clouds Look Like This).
There've been several previews lately, from Mears Park
to Studio Z, but tonight it's official. It's all original music from Adam, and
he also unveils a newer-than-the-recording composition written recently to
honor the late Fred Sturm.
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| Dave Karr |
At Jazz Central, the ageless octogenarian Dave Karr leads a trio with bassist Gary
Raynor and drummer Mac Santiago. If this is Dave, then this must be bebop at
its finest. And downtown at the Dakota, bring your dancing shoes, or at least
your tango heart as pianist Pablo Ziegler
brings his New Tango Ensemble to warm up the stage. Ziegler was a protegé of
Astor Piazzola --'nuff said?
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| Peter Schimke, How Birds Word |
Saturday, September
27. The new
Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog series gets underway under the leadership
of Steve Kenny. Most Saturday nights through 2014 and beyond, the Black Dog
might resemble the late Artists Quarter, judging from a schedule that includes
the Illicit Sextet, Atlantis Quartet, Chris Lomheim Trio, Red 5, Fat Kid
Wednesdays, and the first installment tonight-- How Birds Work. With the original cast of Kenny Horst, Billy
Peterson, Peter Schimke and Dean Granros, the Birds will soar through original
tunes and such revered composers as Coltrane, Coleman and more. Note later than
usual start times for the Black Dog--8:30 pm.
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| East Side, sans harmonica |
East Side is a swinging quartet with Clint
Hoover (harmonica), Reynold Philipsek (guitar), Matt Senjem (bass) and Michael
Bissonnette (percussion). Hoover's move to Pittsburgh a few years ago has
limited East Side performing at full tilt, but they managed to put together a
new studio recording (Astoria) to be
officially celebrated early 2015. Meanwhile you can enjoy the music in trio
format tonight at Hell's Kitchen.
The Jazz
Police Young Artists Showcase kicks off a new season at Jazz Central tonight,
featuring a quintet from Stillwater
dubbed the St Croix Jazz Quintet. The
showcase will be scheduled every other month to provide an opportunity for area
high school and college ensembles to perform in a club setting. And it gives
the jazz community the opportunity to hear the future of the music!
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| French 75 with Maud Hixson |
Sunday, September 28. About five years ago, a new
ensemble devote to music associated with American ex-pats in Europe dubbed
themselves French 75 (after the
cocktail), hooked up with vocalist Maud
Hixson, and began performing around the Metro. Led by clarinetist Tony
Balluff, the band quickly gained an audience at such venues as The Dakota and
Hell's Kitchen. Busy schedules among the musicians have made gigs few and far
between, so take advantage of the opportunity to hear "Café Society: From
Piaf to Coward" at the Schneider Theater (Bloomington Center
for the Arts). It's a 2 pm matinee and a great way to put off raking and other
fall chores!
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| Jon Weber |
Monday, September 29. It's a busy night! At the Dakota, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival
will sponsor an unusual pairing of two of the festival's favorite performers,
pianist Jon Weber and drummer Francisco Mela. It's a relatively
inexpensive cover show ($10), and in addition to the music, you can hear Steve
Heckler's festival news-- in addition to presenting Mela as the new Artistic Director of the festival, there's something even bigger, he promises. Weber has been the
"house" pianist for the festival for much of the past decade, while
Mela has gained a local following through his appearances with Joe Lovano's Us
Five, Melissa Aldana's Crash Trio (he's the "crash"), and his own
Cuban Safari.
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| Thom West |
At Jazz
Central, the seldom spotlighted pianist Thom
West is the featured artist. From his days with Shirley Witherspoon at the
old Cafe Luxx to more recent appearances with Lila Ammons, Thom has more often
provided support than taken the leading role himself. If you are not familiar
with his talent, this is a good opportunity to fix that! And you can surely
squeeze in a late show no matter where you start tonight, and the ever-edgy
trio Framework (Chris Olson, Chris
Bates, Jay Epstein) will be on stage at the Icehouse as the featured band for
Jazz Implosion, with special guest Pete Whitman.
Tuesday, September 30. It's the fifth Big Band Tuesday of
the month at Jazz Central, which means the Acme
Jazz Company will be in the house. Acme is directed by Doug Rasmussen, wit
one of the largest sets of original charts of any band in the U.S. Vocals from Arne Fogel are always a treat.
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| Zacc Harris |
At the
Black Dog, a unique event celebrating recent releases on locally owned,
musician-run label Shifting Paradigms features live music from Zacc Harris, Bryan Nichols,
Nelson Devereaux and the Bates Brothers.
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| Larry Coryell |
Tuesday-Wednesday,
September 30-October 1. The Dakota has hosted all-star guitarist Larry Coryell in a range of configurations over the years, and this
might be the hottest one yet, with bassist Victory
Bailey and drummer Lenny White --
meaning the musicians are collectively connected to Miles Davis, Return to
Forever, Chick Corea, Stanley Clark, Gary Burton -- you name it. Jazz icons,
Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin are all fair game.
Thursday, October 2. Young singer/songwriter/pianist
Andrew Walesch is growing an audience in the Twin Cities, gigging at the
Dakota, Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and smaller venues around town, leading his
big band as well as crooning to his own keyboard accompaniment. Tonight he
makes his Jazz Central debut on the Thursday Night Vocal Jazz series. Keep an
ear on this guy!
More Jazz Every Night!
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, September 26. Irv Williams and Steve Blons,
happy hour at the Dakota; Todd Harper, solo piano followed by the Kronick
Quartet at the Black Dog; Maud Hixson at
Parma 8200; Tim Sparks and James Buckley, dinner sets at the Icehouse
Saturday, September 27. Autumn Brew Review, with music from Jack Brass Band and Southside Aces, at the Grain Belt Brewery in Northeast Minneapolis (afternoon); Benny Weinbeck Trio at Parma 8200;
Cory Wong and James Buckley, dinner sets at the Icehouse; JoAnn Funk and Jeff
Brueske in the Lobby Bar (Saint Paul Hotel); Peter Susag Trio at Loring Pasta
Bar; Paula Lammers at the Mason Jar with Linwood (formerly Pardon My French,
Eagan)
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| Paula Lammers |
Sunday, September 28. Tim Sparks, brunch at the
Icehouse; Paula Lammers, faculty recital (3:30 pm) with David Martin at Buetow
Auditorium (Concordia
University); Zacc Harris
Trio at Riverview Wine Bar
Monday, September 29. Charmin Michelle and Denny
Malmberg at Fireside Pizza
Tuesday, September 30. Cafe Accordion at Loring Pasta Bar
Wednesday, October 1. Charmin Michelle and Denny
Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; Anthony Cox with Downrange Telemetrics at Jazz
Central; Wolverines Trio at Hell's Kitchen; "Jazz in the Lounge" with Connie Evingson, Benny Weinbeck and Dave Karr at the Minneapolis Woman's Club; Lila Ammons at The Tangiers
Thursday, October 2. Moonlight Serenaders at Wabasha Street Caves
Coming Soon!
. October
3, Foreign Motion and Todd Clouser CD Release at the Icehouse
. October
3, Chris and JT Bates at Sweet 317
. October
4, Illicit Sextet at the Black Dog
. October
7, Dean Magraw and Davu Seru at the Black Dog
. October
7, Bill Simenson Orchestra at Jazz Central
. October
10, JT Bates Trio at the Bedlam Theater (noon)
. October
11, JazzMN Orchestra with Dave Weckl at Hopkins High School
Auditorium
. October
11, Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson, Jazz @ St Barney's (St Barnabas Art
Center)
. October
11, Zacc Harris Group at the Black Dog
. October
12, Laura Caviani and JazzAX at Carleton
College (3 pm)
. October
13-14, Roy Hargrove Quintet at the Dakota
. October
16, Sweet Honey in the Rock at O'Shaughnessy Auditorium
. October
17, Dean Magraw/Eric Gravatt CD Release at Landmark Center
. October
17, Connie Evingson and John Jorgenson Quartet, CD release at the Dakota
. October
18, Chris Lomheim Trio CD release at Studio Z
. October
18, PipJazz at Capri Theater
. October
18-20, Herb Alpert and Lani Hall at the Dakota
. October
25, Steve Kenny Quartet at the Black Dog
. October
27, Charlie Hunter at the Dakota
. November
1, What Would Monk Do at the Black Dog
. November
5-6, Hiromi Trio Project at the Dakota
. November
8, Bebel Gilberto at the Dakota
. November
22, Chris Lomheim Trio at the Black Dog
. December
1, Joey DeFrancesco at the Dakota
. 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
. December
25-28, The Bad Plus 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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| The Illicit Sextet, October 4th at the Black Dog |
