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JazzMN Orchestra's new season gets underway October 3 |
© Andrea Canter
Nights are getting a bit
nippy, the leaves are definitely turning and a splendid October is in the
forecast! Let the fall festival of jazz begin! And we have some terrific
opportunities coming our way, from the youthful lions of the local scene to
veteran improvisers and big band stalwarts, from visiting stars to local
legends. The lunar eclipse has passed, but there's a universe of jazz to enjoy
here on Earth.
Big Gigs This Week
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Pete Emblom |
Friday, October 2. Trombone vet Pete Emblom keeps busy blowing with a
long list of bands including Explosion and Bill Simenson, but tonight he steps
out in front at Jazz Central with a sextet of local standouts, including saxophonist
Clay Pufahl, trumpeter Jake Baldwin, pianist Peter Schimke, visiting Kansas City bassist Bob
Bowman, and Jazz Central director, drummer Mac Santiago. (See Saturday for a
special Bob Bowman gig.)
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Thomas Strommen, Dark Blue |
Down the street, Friday
Night Jazz at The Nicollet features a quartet of UW-River Falls
students and recent alums, together for the past three years honing their chops
on mostly original compositions of surprising sophistication. Dark Blue features tenor saxophonist
Thomas Strommen, guitarist Dylan Nelson, bassist Jason McLean and drummer Alex Burgess.
Strommen and Burgess might be familiar from their work with Steve Kenny's Group
47.
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Tim Nyberg |
Making tonight truly special, local artist Tim Nyberg will be painting along with the music. Nyberg, who
exhibits and sells his work from his Fun Art Studio, created the cover to the Good Vibes Trio CD a couple years ago in
a similar set-up, so who knows where this will go?
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Butch Thompson |
The first of two gigs this
week with trad jazz legend Butch Thompson
takes place in likely company at an unlikely venue. Joining Patty and the Buttons and Dakota Dave
Hull, Thompson performs on clarinet at the Jackson Street Roadhouse in St Paul, which Patty (accordionist
Patrick Harison) reports "has an amazing
collection of train cars, engines and memorabilia housed in a 100+ year old
functioning roundhouse." (See Tuesday for Butch's piano gig at Crooners.)
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Katia and Denny |
At Crooners'
Lounge, a new pairing puts young vocalist Katia
Cardenas on the bandstand with veteran accordionist Denny Malmberg for the happy hour sets, followed by the
ever-entertaining Ginger Commodore
Quartet, this evening with Lee Blaske on piano, Rich Manik on sax, Mark
Weisberg on bass and Bobby Commodore on drums.
And at the
Dakota, it's the monthly-ish appearance of Cuban fireball pianist Nachito Herrera and friends.
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Charmin and Shapira |
Saturday, October 3. Midtown Global Market brings in Charmin (Michelle) and (Joel) Shapira
for a midday duo, a perfect accompaniment for a global lunch in the MGM atrium.
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Jordan Anderson |
Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog presents another cross-generational double
feature. Opening tonight will be the debut of the Jordan Anderson Group, led by high school senior pianist Jordan who
has been playing the past year (and now for another) with the Dakota Combo as
well as with Pippi Ardennia, Charlie Lincoln, and in his own duo at Five Watt Coffee
while studying with Peter Schimke and Richard Johnson. Jordan's
equally precocious band includes guitar whiz Adam Astrup, a student of Zacc
Harris. Prime time tonight features a new configuration of veteran improvisers,
dubbed the Deconstruction Zone as their repertoire is largely deconstructed
standards. The band includes Anthony Cox on bass and cello, Bryan Nichols on
piano, Steve Kenny on trumpet and Davu Seru on percussion, along with
"special guests."
It's the opening
concert of the new season for the JazzMN
Orchestra at their home base in the Hopkins High School Auditorium, and to
celebrate they bring back a crowd favorite, trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, who will pay tribute to his muses. Also on hand for
the first set will be local vocalist/pianist Andrew Walesch singing songs from the books of Frank Sinatra and
Joe Williams.
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Bob Bowman |
At Jazz Central,
a rare Saturday night gig features frequent visitor, Kansas City bassist Bob Bowman along with his KC cohort, saxophonist Michael Schults.
Add in relatively new Minnesotan Dan Leahy on piano and Jazz Central manager,
drummer Mac Santiago.
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Travis Anderson |
The Normandy
Kitchen provides an atmosphere of swinging fun with the Travis Anderson Trio-- feisty pianist Travis along with bassist
Steve Pikal and drummer Nathan Norman. Meanwhile weekly Jazz in the Lobby Bar
at the Saint Paul Hotel features vocalist/pianist JoAnn Funk and bassist Jeff
Brueske, and Sophia Shorai sings
and charms at Crooners' Lounge.
Sunday, October 4. Jazz for Sunday brunch can be found
weekly at Crooners (Andrew Walesch Trio),
the Aster (Patty and the Buttons),
and Maria's (Robert Everest).
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Solomon Parham |
Back by popular
demand! Solomon's Sessions", a high-energy, open-ended gig led by trumpeter Solomon Parham
and friends and students from McNally Smith, returns on alternating Sundays at
The Bedlam Lowertown.
At the Dakota,
the Afro-Cuban All-Stars reign, led
by Juan de Marcos and encompassing a
full range of Cuban styles across three generations of musicians.
Music from
farther south, the popular Viva Brazil,
led by Altamir Coelho, adds color and energy to this night at the Icehouse.
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Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg |
Monday-Thursday, October 5-8. Since Fireside Pizza discontinued music last winter,
there have been few opportunities to hear the swinging duo of Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg.
Thanks to Crooners' Lounge, we can have four days of happy hour sets to bring
back the memories. Hopefully this is just the beginning.
Monday, October 5. Come early to Crooners for Charmin and Denny at happy
hour and stay for the big band magic of the Acme
Jazz Company with the additional charms of vocalist Arne Fogel.
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Ryan Christianson |
The Monday Spotlight and Jam
at Jazz Central features young trombonist Ryan
Christianson and his trio-mates, bassist Matt McIntyre and drummer Andres
Crovetti, all tracing their lineage to the U of M jazz program. Ryan's plans to
finish his degree have been delayed by his appointment to the bone chair of the
Dallas Brass Quintet, so catch him here while you can.
JT's Jazz Implosion at the Icehouse features a double header of musicians across at least three generations. First set trio--Dave Karr with Gordy Johnson and JT Bates! Second set, back-in-town drummer Matt Buckner with fellow young lions Jake Baldwin, Javi Santiago and Ted Olsen. That pretty much samples the Twin Cities jazz scene from the past 60 years through the next 60!
JT's Jazz Implosion at the Icehouse features a double header of musicians across at least three generations. First set trio--Dave Karr with Gordy Johnson and JT Bates! Second set, back-in-town drummer Matt Buckner with fellow young lions Jake Baldwin, Javi Santiago and Ted Olsen. That pretty much samples the Twin Cities jazz scene from the past 60 years through the next 60!
Tuesday, October 6. Improvisation flows freely at the Black Dog, where
the First Tuesdays gig flies with Davu
Seru on percussion and guitarist Joseph
Damann sitting in for Dean Magraw.
Things are more traditional
at Crooners where Butch Thompson
presides on the Tuesday Instrumental Jazz series, while swing + humor rule at
the Dakota with the Travis Anderson Trio
(e.g., "jazz with a smack"). There's more big band sleight-of-hand at
Jazz Central with the First Tuesday appearance of the Bill Simenson Orchestra.
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Steve Kenny |
Vieux Carré hosts a sterling
double-header, starting with the early evening sets from heady pianist Dan Musselman, followed by the Steve Kenny Quartet. Kenny seems equally
at home with veteran elders and young Turks, and the latter form this night's
quartet--Javi Santiago, Ted Olsen and Miguel Hurtado.
Wednesday, October 7. The Wolverines
Trio make some devilish jazz at Hell's Kitchen tonight, while Katia
Cardenas sings with finesse at Crooners
Lounge. And as it is the first Wednesday of the month, vocalist Connie Evingson presides over Jazz in the Lounge at the Minneapolis Woman's Club, tonight with pianist Sanford Moore and saxman Dave Karr.
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Cameron Kinghorn |
Thursday, October 8. A showcase of young talents at Vieux Carré tonight,
starting with pianist Joe Strachan
and bassist Ted Olsen, and moving
into "prime time" with the Jazzland
Wonderband-- a quintet featuring trumpeter/vocalist Cameron Kinghorn,
multi-reedman Nelson Devereaux, trombonist Keith Hilson, tuba master Evan
Clark, and drummer Andres Crovetti.
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Wess Warmdaddy Anderson |
The second season of Jazz in
the Target Atrium launches at Orchestra Hall under the leadership of Jeremy Walker. The Atrium Jazz Ensemble
--Walker on piano, Chris Thomson on sax, Jeff Brueske on bass and Tim Zhorne on
drums-- welcomes guest and long-time Walker cohort Wessell "Warmdaddy" Anderson on alto, performing a
program that includes works by Hoagy Carmichael, Bob Dylan, and the premiere of
Walker's "A River Like a Train."
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Noah Ophoven-Baldwin |
Trumpets rule at Khyber Pass tonight. First set features Adam Linz and Steve Kenny; second set is
a trumpet trio with Noah Ophoven-Baldwin,
Jake Baldwin and Elaine Evans.
More Jazz!
Keep up with the live jazz
scene in the Twin Cities. The most comprehensive jazz calendar can be found at Jazz
Police, but you will also find jazz listings at KBEM, Rhythm and Grooves and Jazz
Near You. KBEM and KFAI radio host jazz programs regularly and provide
daily notices of jazz gigs and concerts. The live edition of The Lead Sheet can
be heard at 4:40 pm on Thursdays on KBEM, excerpts rebroadcast at 7:40 am on
Fridays. (Special guest October 8--Jeff Whitmill, curator of Jazz @ St.
Barney's.) Venues and artists are reminded to send information to online and
print calendars (e.g. tc@jazzpolice.com).
Coming Soon!
. October 9, Bottomless Pit at The
Nicollet
. October
10, Maud Hixson, Jazz @ St. Barneys
. October
10, Low Blows at the Black Dog
. October
13, Phil Hey Quartet at Crooners Lounge
. October
15, Amina Figarova Sextet at the Dakota
. October
16, JT Bates Organ Trio at Vieux Carré
. October
16, Seru/Bates/Granros at The Nicollet
. October
16, Yolande Bruce Group at Walker
West Music
Academy
. October
17, Le Percheron at the Black Dog
. October
20, Laura Caviani Trio with Bob Bowman and Todd Straight at Crooners
. October
22, Charmin and Shapira at Jazz Central
. October
23, No Room for Squares at The Nicollet
. October
24, Illicit Sextet at the Black Dog
. October
25, Benny Green Trio at the Dakota
. October
26, Mike Sopko/Hamir Atwal/Martin Dosh at the Icehouse
. October
27, Jane Monheit at the Dakota
. October
31, How Birds Work at the Black Dog
. November
1, Soul Cafe at the Hennepin Ave
United Methodist Church
. November
9, Joey DeFrancesco at the Dakota
. November
10, Mary Louise Knutson Trio at Crooners Lounge
. November
13, Eric Gravatt and Source Code at Walker
West Music
Academy
. November
16, Regina
Carter's Southern Comfort at the Dakota
. November
17, Adam Meckler Orchestra at Vieux Carré
. November
19, Jazz in the Target Atrium (Orchestra Hall), Atrium Jazz Ensemble + Ron
Miles
. November
21, Joyce Lyons, Jazz @ St. Barneys
. November
21, JazzMN Orchestra at Hopkins
High School Auditorium
. November
22-23, Karrin Allyson at the Dakota
. November
30, Pat Martino Quartet at the Dakota
. December
2, Diane Schuur at the Dakota
. December
14-15, New York Voices Holiday show at the Dakota
. December
25-28, The Bad Plus at the Dakota
. February
2, Charles Lloyd Trio with Bill Frisell at the Dakota
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Phil Hey leads his quartet at Crooners Lounge on October 13 |