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| Amina Figarova at the Dakota, October 15 |
© Andrea Canter
A vibes trio revival at the
Black Dog, another round of "jazz painting" at The Nicollet, an
irresistible songstress presenting covering an iconic songwriter, the Twin
Cities edition of a modern "Modern Jazz Quartet," a tribute to one of
the greatest vocalist of all time from one of the Twin Cities' best, and a
visit from a blazing sextet. And lots more song, lots more cool sounds this
coming week on the Twin Cities jazz scene. Join in.
Big Gigs This Week
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| Sophia Shorai |
Friday, October 9. Sophia
Shorai is equal parts charm and
talent, and both parts are large! She brings her individual takes on jazz and
pop tunes to the stage at Vieux Carré. Hot off his JazzMN debut last weekend,
pianist/vocalist Andrew Walesch will
bring Sinatra and more to Parma
8200. Denny Malmberg joins Paula Lammers for happy hour at
Crooners. And at the Icehouse, the early
evening sets feature the dazzling duo of Javi
Santiago on piano and James Buckley
on bass.
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| Bottomless Pit |
Friday Night Jazz at The Nicollet again features visual artist Tim Nyberg creating a painting in response to the music, and
tonight the music could lead him into uncharted territory as Bottomless Pit returns to the stage.
This is a quartet of long-standing local heroes-- Joel Shapira on guitar, Pete
Whitman on sax, Matt Peterson on bass and Eric Gravatt on drums. Their
repertoire covers the likes of Coltrane, Coleman, Shorter and original fare,
and how that music will speak to Tim will be one of the best demonstrations of
improvisation you will see or hear this week!
After working in New York for 15 years,
saxophonist Bob Parsons returned to
the Twin Cities and was soon working with the Acme Jazz Company, producing
their first recording and now serving as Artistic Director. Tonight Bob gets to
shine as soloist and bandleader, heading a quartet at Jazz Central with a
stellar cast--Chris Lomheim, Graydon Peterson and Mac Santiago.
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| Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson |
Saturday, October 10. The charms of songwriter Cole Porter could not be in
better hands (voice!) than those of Maud
Hixson and Rick Carlson, who return to Jazz @ St. Barney's (St Barnabas
Church in Plymouth) to explore "The Cole Effect." Explains Maud, this
will be "an evening of stories about Cole Porter
and a sampling from his absurdly huge stash of hits. Also a few obscurities,
such as 'I Hate You, Darling' (how could I resist a title like
that?) " How can we resist a gig like this?
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| Chris Bates |
Back in his
early career in the 90s, bassist Chris Bates put together his first vibes trio,
Low Blows, with brother JT and vibes
master Dave Hagedorn. Low Blows is back this weekend, the featured band on
Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog. The opening act is a new incarnation of Central Standard Time, with Steve Kenny
the lone veteran in a sea of young hotshots--vibes player Levi Schwartzberg,
bassist Ted Olsen and drummer Matt Buckner.
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| Charles Fletcher |
Jazz meets world
music at Jazz Central tonight in the
form of Maui Lotus: The Marilyn Allysum
Group, formerly known as Quintessence. Influenced by the musical traditions
of East and West, group plays with "an advanced rhythmic and harmonic
platform that blends lyric improvising with powerful dynamics," a
cross-cultural blending of instruments (Chinese, Indian, Tibetan, Western) that
goes beyond jazz and global music. The award-winning ensemble includes Marilyn Allysum (piano,
flute), Gu Zheng (vocals), Charles Fletcher (bass guitars), Mike Hurley (drums
and world percussion) and David Wolfe (Santoor -Persian harp).
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| Milo Fine |
Avant gardist Milo Fine hosts
music at Studio Toile d'Angles in North Minneapolis.
Tonight's ensemble includes Milo on drums,
piano and clarinets; Bruce Beverlin II on percussion and voice; Charles Gillett
on guitar, and Elaine Evans on violin and pocket trumpet. (See Milo's
site for directions and entry instructions.)
Weekly gigs --
hear Talking Strings at the Loring
Pasta Bar; JoAnn Funk and Jeff Brueske
in the Lobby Bar of the Saint Paul Hotel; and the Benny Weinbeck Trio (with Gordy Johnson and Phil Hey) at Parma 8200.
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| Andrew Walesch |
Sunday, October 11. Jazz brunch-- Andrew Walesch Trio at Crooners, Patty and the Buttons at the Aster, Robert Everest at Maria's. A
mid-afternoon delight at the Icehouse features Charanga Tropical, Doug Little's ensemble that turned ears in Havana a few months ago.
Come evening,
enjoy the gospel-inflected jazz and blues of Ginger Commodore and her GCQ (quartet) with Lee Blaske, Mark
Weisberg and Bobby Commodore at the Dakota. Or head over to the Riverview Wine
Bar for an evening with the Zacc Harris
Trio.
Monday, October 12. Saxophonist and educator Scott Johnson gets his night in the
spotlight at Jazz Central as the Monday featured artist.
At the Black Dog, the edgy
experimental ensemble Cherry Spoon
Collective launches a mini-season, featuring new commissions and
improvisations. Led by Michelle Kinney (cello), Nick Gaudette (bass) and
Patrick O'Keefe (sax), the ensemble includes Laura Harada, Melissa Mathews and Zack Kline (violins),
Jacqueline Ultan (cello), Graham O’Brien (drums), Chris Thompson, George Cartwright and Lee Tran (saxes), Trent
Jacobs (bassoon), Chris Cunningham (guitar), Joe Horton (spoken word), Geoff
Senn (trumpet), and Mike Ethen (trombone).
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| Charmin Michelle |
At
the Dakota, it's Foodie Night, meaning no cover, which makes the music a real
bargain-- and tonight it's Charmin and
Shapira and Friends. The expanded edition of the long-running voice/guitar
duo of Charmin Michelle and Joel Shapira, this quintet swings every step of the
way.
As
always on Monday night, JT Bates presents his Jazz Implosion, tonight pitting
JT in a "Meat Raffle" with young drummer Cory Healey for an evening
of "drums and electronics, solos and duos."
Tuesday,
October 13. The monthly Chris Olson Project at the Black Dog
features guitarist Olson dueling with cellist Greg Byers.
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| Rhonda Laurie |
At
Vieux Carré, Chris Lomheim opens the
evening with sublime solo piano, followed by savvy vocalist Rhonda Laurie and her quartet-- Rick
Carlson on piano, Steve Pikal on bass and Gary Schulte on violin.
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| Phil Hey |
Wednesday,
October 14. One of Minnesota's
finest pays tribute to one of jazz's legends as Debbie Duncan salutes the 100th birthday of Billie Holiday at
Crooners. While Debbie is far more likely to make you laugh than would Lady
Day, she also possess the emotional range to guarantee honoring Billie while
never letting you forget she's Debbie.
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| Debbie Duncan |
A
special intimate evening at Creation Audio tonight features Red Planet, that out-of-orbit trio of
Dean Magraw, Chris Bates and Jay Epstein, and special guest Bill Carrothers. Carrothers last
performed with Red Planet about 6-7 years ago, so this is a long-overdue
reunion. The guys will be recording at Creation and a very lucky, small
audience will get a preview in the studio. Seating is limited and any remaining
tickets are available only online.
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| Bill Carrothers |
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| Amina Figarova |
Thursday,
October 15. It's been a few years since the Amina
Figarova Sextet came to down, and now with a new recording, the band
returns to the Dakota. Based for years in Rotterdam,
the Azerbaijan native
recently relocated to New York,
but maintains her mainly European cohorts on tour and on recording. This is a
band that built its reputation playing original repertoire, their signature
interplay trumping the stellar individual soloists. Pianist and composer Amina
is among the top echelon of composers and bandleaders in modern jazz.
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| Joel Shapira |
It's
a big band night at Vieux Carré, with Joel
Shapira solo guitar opening for the Twin
Cities Latin Jazz Orchestra, an 18-piece ensemble of top metro players led
by Geoff Senn and Mac Santiago. And at Hell's Kitchen, the Wolverines Trio teams up with one of their long-time favorites, Maud Hixson.
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
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
16, Eric Gravatt and Source Code at Jazz Central
. October
17, Le Percheron at the Black Dog
. October
19, Fall of the House of Usher CD Release (opening - Junior Ranger) at the
Icehouse
. October
19, Steve Kenny, featured artist at Jazz Central
. October
20, Laura Caviani Trio with Graydon Peterson and Todd Straight at Crooners
. October
20, Explosion Big Band at Jazz Central
. October
21, Chris Lomheim Quintet at Jazz Central
. October
22, Charmin and Shapira at Jazz Central
. October
23, No Room for Squares (opening - Will Schmid New Quintet) at The Nicollet
. October
23, BDP at Jazz Central
. October
24, Illicit Sextet at the Black Dog
. October
25, Benny Green Trio at the Dakota
. October
26, Glimpse Trio (Mike Sopko/Hamir
Atwal/Martin Dosh) at the Icehouse
. October
27, Jane Monheit at the Dakota
. October
29, Emily Green at Jazz Central
. October
31, How Birds Work at the Black Dog
. November
1, Soul Cafe at the Hennepin Ave
United Methodist Church
. November
2, Real Bulls (JT Bates, Dave King) and Enormous Quartet at the Icehouse
. November
7, Butch Thompson with Tony Balluff and Steve Pikal, Jazz @ St Barneys (St
Barnabas Church)
. November
9, Joey DeFrancesco at the Dakota
. November
10, Mary Louise Knutson Trio at Crooners Lounge
. November
12-14, Zeitgeist New Music Cabaret at Studio Z
. 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
4, The Girls at the Dakota
. December
8, Jamison Ross at the Dakota
. December
9-10, Ramsey Lewis Holiday Show 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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| Le Percheron - at the Black Dog, October 17 |
* All photos by Andrea Canter except Bob Parsons (from the artist), Cherry Spoon Collective (Jim Nihart)
