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Joe Lovano at Sundin Hall, June 5 |
© Andrea Canter
Can't you
just feel it? Jazz Festival season is in the air, and artists and venues seem
determined to put us all in a festive mood, with the best of local and national
acts scheduled this month and a great sampling this coming week.
Big Gigs This Week
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Patty Peterson |
Friday, June 3. One of our favorite voices teams up with one of the stars of
contemporary jazz, adding an all-star supporting cast. From Minnesota's First Family of Music,
vocalist/radio host Patty Peterson
joins saxophonist Steve Cole for a
night of cool and soulful music at the Dakota, with local guitar whiz Cory
Wong, Patty's nephew (and Michael Bolton's keyboardist) Jason Peterson DeLaire,
Dave Matthews' drummer Clyde Davis, and Brian Culberton's bassist LeMar Jones.
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Edmund Catlin |
At Jazz
Central, Eric Kamau Gravatt returns
with Source Code, and a new biweekly late show launches with three college
talents led by drummer Edmund Catlin
(McGill University), with Charlie Lincoln on
bass (Berklee College of Music) and Levi Schwartberg on vibes (U of M). Their
series (through August) will feature the music of one Monk album each night.
At Vieux Carre', enjoy some relatively young talents -- and multi-talents. Jazzland Wonderband features the ambidextrous Cameron Kinghorn, adept on trumpet and vocals, along with supersaxman Nelson Devereaux, Keith Hilson (trombone), Andres Crovetti (drums) and Evan Clark (tuba).
At Vieux Carre', enjoy some relatively young talents -- and multi-talents. Jazzland Wonderband features the ambidextrous Cameron Kinghorn, adept on trumpet and vocals, along with supersaxman Nelson Devereaux, Keith Hilson (trombone), Andres Crovetti (drums) and Evan Clark (tuba).
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Bruce Henry |
Saturday, June 4. For much of his career, vocalist Bruce Henry was a fixture on the Twin
Cities jazz scene, growing a fan base as well as critical acclaim for his
velvety baritone and bebop leanings.
After he relocated to Chicago about 7 years ago, he's been heard less
often in the Metro but still returns regularly, reconnecting with old pals and adding
new fans, as he will tonight at The Dakota.
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Dave Graf |
Saturday Night at the Black Dog finds music back in its original
but now renovated space, with a full bar and somewhat larger stage. An expanded
dining space provides for table service and a larger menu! Inaugurating the new
music space will be the Bone Chance
ensemble, headed by trombone master Dave Graf, with pals Peter Schimke, Ron
Evaniuk and Eric Gravatt. The James
Wallace Group opens.
Brad
Bellows & Friends take over the Boom Island Tap Room in north Minneapolis, launching a weekly gig with one of the area's few masters of valve trombone. Taste some beers, taste some jazz! If traditional jazz is your thing, the Pig's Eye Jass Band is back at the Eagles' Aerie Club with their trad and blues.
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Poncho Sanchez |
Sunday, June 5. One of the true legends of Latin
jazz, Grammy-winning conguero Poncho
Sanchez returns to the Dakota with his high-energy ensemble that will have
you dancing in the aisles. He was born in Texas, raised in LA, and fully versed in the
language of bebop, but his heart is pure
Latin.
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Joe Lovano |
One of the
standout gigs of the year, the Minnesota Chamber Music Society brings in world
renowned saxophonist Joe Lovano to
pay tribute to his late mentor Gunther Schuller, in the company of Young-Nam
Kim on violin, Timothy Lovelace on piano, Anthony Cox on bass, Fred Harris on
drums and guest composer, Peter Child, all in the intimate surroundings of
Sundin Hall on the Hamline campus. Lovano will also play some of the music on
his acclaimed album, Rush Hour. At 4
pm, it's a great time for Sunday jazz, and adults can obtain one free ticket
for a K-12 student.
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Adam Meckler Quintet |
Monday, June 6. Fresh off their midwest/East Coast
CD release tour, the Adam Meckler Quintet holds their Minneapolis celebration in the perfect
setting of the Icehouse-- young, hip, the audience generally filled with
musicians as well as modern jazz fans of all ages. There are only five
musicians on stage but, between their soaring talents and the sophisticated
charts that Meckler writes for his original compositions, you can hear the
harmonies and rich melodies that define the larger Adam Meckler Orchestra. Big
music for small ensemble. A late set follows with Davu Seru and JT Bates going drumhead to drumhead.
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Teri Roiger |
Tuesday, June 7. A native Minnesotan based for many
years in New York,
vocalist Teri Roiger is known for her
inventive interpretations of modern artists like Abbey Lincoln as well as for
her original material. Now Teri returns for a home-state gig in the intimate
environs of the Dunsmore Room, in the company of husband/bassist John Menegon and Twin Cities' artists
Joe Strachan (piano) and Phil Hey (drums). The program is part Pre-Release for
Teri's new Billie Holiday 101: A Tribute
to Lady Day as well as a chance for Teri to share other gems from her
repertoire, including her previous album, Dear
Abbey.
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Viviana Pintado, Tres Mundos |
Tonight
marks the return of the Jazz at the Library series of (mostly) pre-festival
concerts held in St Paul
community libraries to stimulate interest in jazz and the Twin Cities Jazz
Festival. The first of three in June, Tres
Mundos is featured at the St. Anthony Park Library. This trio of
international talent features pianist/vocalist Viviana Pintado (Cuba),
percussionist Eliezer Freites-Santos (Brazil), and saxophonist/flutist Doug
Little (Minnesota). The group’s repertoire spans the musical spectrum of the Americas,
including Cuban son, rumba, cha-cha-cha, choros, samba, and jazz.
And it's First Tuesday at the Black Dog, and Dean Magraw and Davu Seru add percussionist Marc Anderson to their monthly night of mayhem.
And it's First Tuesday at the Black Dog, and Dean Magraw and Davu Seru add percussionist Marc Anderson to their monthly night of mayhem.
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JT Bates |
Wednesday, June 8. Heading his B-3 organ trio Grain for the past two years, ace drummer JT Bates is proving to be
as strong a bandleader as pile-driving pulse-setter and improv music curator --
the latter role one he has filled for about 15 years as the force behind Jazz
Implosion, his series born at the Clown Lounge and now running strong at the
Icehouse. Grain features organ grinder Kevin Gastonguay and guitarist Zacc
Harris, and of course the unending supply of rhythmic devices in JT's arsenal.
Come early as accordion giant Patrick
Harison offers some intriguing solo music starting at 6 pm.
Young upstarts rule "new music night" at Jazz Central, with Hoaxer on the bandstand. Young bassist Charlie Lincoln is guest host, sitting in for Chris Bates this summer while home from his first year at Berklee College of Music, and tonight he has enlisted a new ensemble with Peter Goggin on sax, Will Kjeer on piano and Edmund Catlin on drums. It's no hoax!
Young upstarts rule "new music night" at Jazz Central, with Hoaxer on the bandstand. Young bassist Charlie Lincoln is guest host, sitting in for Chris Bates this summer while home from his first year at Berklee College of Music, and tonight he has enlisted a new ensemble with Peter Goggin on sax, Will Kjeer on piano and Edmund Catlin on drums. It's no hoax!
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Arturo Sandoval |
The Dakota
brings in third living legend of Latin jazz in two weeks-- Sergio Mendes last
weekend, Poncho Sanchez Sunday, and now Arturo
Sandoval! Cuban trumpeter and bandleader Sandoval graduated from Dizzy
Gillespie's band to reach the jazz stratosphere on his own, garnering four
Grammies, six Billboard Awards and an Emmy along the way --so far!
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Vicky Mountain |
Thursday, June 9. Vocal jazz nights don't get any
better than this--veteran educator and long-time area favorite singer Vicky Mountain joins forces with one of
the most celebrated of local pianists, Mary
Louise Knutson (JazzMN Orchestra, Doc Severinsen) at Jazz Central. Vicky's
sets typically combine songbook standards, jazzy arrangements of pop hits, and
her own originals.
Khyber Pass continues its modern jazz Thursdays with Embezzler-- Adam Linz and Paul Metzger. Music for free thinkers!
More Jazz!
There seems
to be an endless list of jazz activity around town. See the Live Jazz Calendar
posted on the KBEM website, and
see more about jazz events at jazzpolice.com --online and on facebook. And tune into the
on-the-air edition of the Lead Sheet every Thursday at 4:40 pm, rebroadcast on
Fridays at 8:20 am. My guests next week will be Maud Hixon and Rick Carlson,
chatting about her new recording, Listening
for Your Song.
Coming Soon!
. June 10,
Jeremy Walker/Jay Young & the Lyric Factory, Vieux Carre'
. June 10,
Debbie Duncan Quartet, Crooners Lounge
. June 10,
Pete Emblom/Will Kjeer at Jazz Central
. June 11,
Ginger Commodore Quartet at the Dakota
. June 12,
Charanga Tropical at the Icehouse
. June 12,
Claudia Schmitt and Dan Chouinard, Birthday Club, Dunsmore Room at Crooners
Lounge
. June 13,
Maurice Jacox, Night of Nat King Cole, Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. June 13,
Luke Peterson Quartet at Jazz Central
. June 13,
Pete Whitman X-Tet at the Dakota
. June 14,
Travis Anderson Trio, Dunsmore Room, Crooners Lounge
. June 15,
Judi Vinar and the Wolverines at Crooners Lounge
. June 16, What Would Monk Do, Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie
. June 16, What Would Monk Do, Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie
. June 17,
David Binney Quartet at Walker West
. June 17,
Dean Magraw and Marcus Wise/Edmund Catlin
. June 17,
Ginger Commodore Quartet, Crooners Lounge
. June 17,
Tord Gustavsen Trio at Mindekirken (Norwegian Lutheran
Church)
.
June 17, Wozniak-Harris Quartet at Vieux Carré
.
June 17, Donald Washington Group at the Black Dog
. June 18, Jazz at Studio Z, Doug Little's Tres Mundos
. June 18, Jazz at Studio Z, Doug Little's Tres Mundos
.
June 18, Patty Peterson at Crooners Lounge
. June 18, Will Schmid Trio/Babatunde Lea Ensemble, Saturday Night Jazz at Black Dog
. June 18, Rosemount JazzBlast (Zacc Harris Trio, Jack Brass Band, more!) at Rosemount Central Park Amphitheater
. June 18, Will Schmid Trio/Babatunde Lea Ensemble, Saturday Night Jazz at Black Dog
. June 18, Rosemount JazzBlast (Zacc Harris Trio, Jack Brass Band, more!) at Rosemount Central Park Amphitheater
.
June 18, Jay Young and the Lyric Factory at the Dakota
.
June 19, Bradley Greenwald and Dan Chouinard, Birthday Club, Dunsmore Room at
Crooners Lounge
.
June 20, JazzMN Orchestra at Chanhassen Dinner Theater
.
June 20, Mike Malone at Jazz Central
.
June 20, David Hazeltine and Eric Alexander, Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
.
June 21, David Hazeltine/Eric Alexander Quartet, Dunsmore Room at Crooners
Lounge
.
June 21, Connie Evingson and the Vieux Carré Hot Club at Vieux Carré
.
June 22, David Hazeltine and Billy Peterson, CD Release in the Dunsmore Room at
Crooners Lounge
.
June 22, Katia Cardenas CD Release/Jazzoneando CD Release at the Icehouse
. June 23-25,
Twin Cities Jazz Festival, Mears Park (Delfeayo Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Joey
Alexander, Russell Malone, John Pizzarelli, Michael Franti & Spearhead)
. June 24,
Nachito Herrera at the Dakota
. June 24, Patti Austin with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Orchestra Hall
. June 24, Patti Austin with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Orchestra Hall
. June 26,
Judi Vinar and Dan Chouinard, Birthday Club in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners
Lounge
. June 27,
Charmin Michelle and Rick Carlson in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. June 28,
Twin Cities 7 With Maryann Sullivan at Crooners Lounge
. June 30,
Marquis Hill Black-Tet with Makaya Craven at the Dakota
. June 30, Good Vibes Trio, Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie
. June 30, Good Vibes Trio, Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie
. July 1-3,
Iowa City Jazz Festival (Vijay Iyer Trio, Miguel Zenon, Poncho Sanchez, Allison
Miller, David Berkman, Marquis Hill, Edmer Casteneda, Akiko Tsuruga, Phil Hey Quartet)
. July 5, Chick Corea, Christian McBride and Brian Blade at the Dakota
. July 7,
Mindi Abair at the Dakota
. July 8, All Originals, Charlie Lincoln Group at Studio Z
. July 8, All Originals, Charlie Lincoln Group at Studio Z
. July 18,
John Medeski, Todd Clouser and JT Bates at the Icehouse
. July 24, Rochester
(MN) Jazz Festival
. July 29, All Originals, Will Kjeer at Studio Z
. August 8, Marcus Miller at the Dakota
. August 9-10, Estaire Godinez at the Dakota
. July 29, All Originals, Will Kjeer at Studio Z
. August 8, Marcus Miller at the Dakota
. August 9-10, Estaire Godinez at the Dakota
. August 13, Rebirth Brass Band at the Dakota
. September 25-26, Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman Duo at the Dakota