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Dave King Trio, Dunsmore Room July 26-27 |
© Andrea Canter
As we start the weekend,
both music and sidewalks will be sizzling! Fortunately, it also sounds like the
music, not the weather, will keep on simmering throughout the rest of the week!
And a diverse music week it will be, with blues-driven jazz (from old AQ
favorites) honoring the Lowertown Blues Festival at the Black Dog, the first
annual Rochester City Jazz Festival 80 miles southeast of the Metro, an almost
annual performance from French bassist Francois Rabbath to close out the Twin
Cities Bass Cam, a return, two-night visit in the Dunsmore Room for the Dave
King Trio, and a "CD Re-Release" celebration with the Illicit Sextet
at Vieux Carré... and more... and more.
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Rodney Ruckus |
Friday, July 22. Wherever he plays, drummer Rodney Ruckus lives up to his name! After attending Berklee College
of Music and performing with luminaries like Herbie Hancock, John Patitucci,
Joe Lovano, Roy Hargrove, Charles Lloyd and Tia Fuller, Ruckus has become fully
entrenched in the Twin Cities jazz scene, including leading his own band on the
main stage of the recent Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Tonight he brings the band
to Jazz Central in prime time.
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Southside Aces |
At Vieux Carré,
pianist/composer Jeremy Walker
provides the opening sets of music before yielding the stage to the swinging New Orleans sounds of the Southside Aces. Meanwhile, crooner Arne Fogel returns to Parma 8200, while songbird Sophia Shorai entices on the other side
of the metro, at Crooners Lounge. And jazz over dinner in a joint with the
summer-enticing name Icehouse is a perfect Friday night escape with Tim Sparks and James Buckley,
guitar-bass duo magic.
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Charles Lazarus |
It's closing weekend for
Sommerfest at Orchestra Hall, and what better way to end on a hot summer night
than with Charles Lazarus'
"Night in the Tropics" with the Minnesota Orchestra? Lazarus again
brings in his jazz quartet (Mary Louise Knutson, Jeff Bailey, Dave
Schmalenberger, Ken Chastain) and, along with the MO, covers the sounds of Brazil, Cuba,
Hawaii and
beyond, including Lazarus originals, a tribute to Jobim, and Duke Ellington's
"Caravan."
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Zacc Harris |
Saturday, July 23. Find some jazz and shade in nearby western Wisconsin! From noon til
6 pm, the Chateau St. Croix Winery in St. Croix
Falls holds it's annual jazz festival,
complete with food trucks, craft beers, wine and some of the metro's finest
music from Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson,
the Zacc Harris Quartet, Pete Whitman's Mississippi,
and Doug Little's Charanga Tropical. If staying close to home has more appeal, cool off at the Midtown Global Market for a midday serenade from Charmin (Michelle) and (Joel) Shapira.
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Tuesday Night Band |
The final day of the
Lowertown Blues Festival is also the final day of celebrating the "Grand
Re-Opening" of the Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar. Really the Dog never closed down during
renovations that moved music from the bar to the new dining area and back
again, but now it's all done-- larger and full bar, full kitchen with table
service and expanded menu, and double the seating between the two sections.
Depending on the nature of the event, there will be music on the renovated bar
side, and on the new dining side! Honoring the traditions of the Blues
Festival, Saturday Night Jazz at the
Black Dog presents the Ted Godbout
Trio followed by the longest-running act in the history of the Artists
Quarter, the famed Tuesday Night Band
with Downtown Bill Brown on B-3, Billy Franze on bass, and AQ owner Kenny Horst
on drums.
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Larry McDonough |
Just up the street in
Lowertown, Larry McDonough's
Acoustelectric band (with Richard Terrill, Greg Stinson and Dean White) helps
celebrate the opening of World of Beer at 5th and Sibley. The first set
presents the acoustic jazz of Bill Evans, Chet Baker, Tony Bennett, and more,
while the second, electric set features jazz/rock fusion arrangements of Sting,
Clapton, Led Zeppelin, and Prince (with Larry's new arrangement of the
"Question of U"). And of course there will be a world of beer! Larry
notes that this is the last public performance of this material before the
band's recording session for their CD, Alice
in Stonehenge and Other AcoustElectric
Adventures.
At the Dakota, Nachito Herrera presents a night of
Gershwin as only he can, while Patrick
Harison provides some swinging accordion over the dinner hours at the
Icehouse.
Sunday, July 24. For years, trombonist John Sievers has been leading not only his own quartet (D'Sievers)
but also keeping jazz alive and growing in the Rochester area. Now he's combined efforts
with the Twin Cities jazz impresario Steve
Kenny to produce the first annual Rochester
City Jazz Festival, noon til dark at the Rochester Civic Theatre, on the
patio and in the concert space. D'Sievers
will open the fest at noon on the patio, followed by a three-hour jam with area
musicians, with two of the Twin Cities' most adventurous bands, Group 47 and the Atlantis Quartet, performing indoors for the evening sets. Tickets
are $10 at the door or on the theater website in advance. Definitely worth the
field trip (about 80 miles from the twin downtowns).
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Sophia Shorai |
A little closer to the
metro, you can enjoy some outdoor jazz at Alexis Bailey Vineyard in Hastings, where wine
tasting will be complemented by the Sophia
Shorai Quartet. Since I can't say it better, to quote Larry Englund, she
"can express heartbreak, determination and grace with a combination of
sweetness and aplomb." Come back for an early Sunday evening when, Arne Fogel again, takes the stage in the
Dunsmore Room with a compelling trio of Chris Lomheim, Graydon Peterson and
Nathan Norman.
Monday, July 25. You can enjoy a rising star or an internationally
acclaimed veteran on either end of the metro tonight! At Jazz Central, young
trumpet master Omar Abdul Karim is in
the spotlight with pals Pierre Lewis (organ) and Batume (drums).
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Francois Rabbath (courtesy Twin Cities Bass Camp) |
In West
St. Paul, the Augustana
Lutheran Church
hosts world renowned bassist and educator Francois
Rabbath, again in town for the Twin Cities Bass Camp with son, pianist
Sylvan. Now 85, the self-taught native of Syria "is so spontaneous and organic that it’s difficult to tell where the
written music leaves off and the improvisation begins. His technical ability is
such that he sounds like a trio of one: bowing, plucking and hammering in an ever-flowing
cascade of sound" (Kansas City Star). For this concert, Rabbath and Sylvan will
premiere new works arranged with strings and drums. (Tickets $25 at the door.)
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Mike Lewis |
Rabbath plays at 7 pm, meaning there's time to get
across town to the Icehouse for JT's Jazz
Implosion night, and tonight it's a formidable trio of improvisers with JT
holding down the time (if they bother with time) for saxophonist Michael Lewis
and guitarist Jeremy Ylvisaker.
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JT Bates |
Tuesday, July 26. At
Vieux Carré, pianist Steven Hobert opens the evening, warming up the stage for
JT Bates' Grain Trio featuring Kevin Gastonguay on B-3 and Zacc Harris on
guitar. At Jazz Central, Big Band Night features the Twin Cities Latin Jazz Orchestra.
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Dave King |
Tuesday-Wednesday, July 26-27.
They're back! After playing the official opening gig in the Dunsmore Room last
December, the Dave King Trio with
Bill Carrothers and Billy Peterson are back in Fridley. Far more sublime than you might
expect from the pulse of the Bad Plus, Dave's trio is at least a 90-degree turn
from his work with the Dave King Trucking Company, which had a two-night run at
Vieux Carré last week. Expect clever reinventions of jazz standards and
songbook classics, as well as some original material. These are three of the
most creative jazz artists working today. Anywhere.
Wednesday, July 27. Back in the 90s, there was a very popular jazz band
called the Illicit Sextet. And at the
height of their popularity, the band went on a 15-year hiatus, reconvening at
the Artists Quarter in 2009 and staying on the scene ever since. They've
released two recordings about 20 years apart and a third is due out this fall,
but tonight at Vieux Carre', they will celebrate their very first effort, Chapter One, with a digital re-release.
Most of the original band is intact-- Steve Kenny, Paul Harper, David Roos,
Chris Lomheim, Tom Pieper and Nathan Norman. At this show, hear all original
music from Chapter One as well as Chapter Eleven and the forthcoming next
chapter.
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Jana Nyberg |
Thursday, July 28. The Dakota presents Minnesota's First Lady of Song, Debbie Duncan, while, back from her annual array of gigs in Door County,
Jana Nyberg returns to Vocal Jazz
Night at Jazz Central, accompanied by the elegant piano of Chris Lomheim. In St. Paul at Khyber Pass,
"elegant" might not describe Embezzler,
but you will hardly feel cheated out of anything despite the band name--rather
you will be treated to the inventions of Paul Metzger, Adam Linz and JT Bates.
More Jazz!
There's always more jazz
around the metro! See the Live Jazz Calendar posted on the KBEM website, and read 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, on KBEM 88.5 FM. Andrea's guest on July 28 will be vocalist
Katia Cardenas, talking about her new
recording and upcoming adventures.
Coming Soon!
. July 29, All Originals, Will Kjeer at Studio Z
. July 29, Peter James Johnson/Boo-Boo's 5th Birthday (Edmund Catlin) at
Jazz Central
. July 30, Patty Peterson at Crooners Lounge
. July 30, Patty Peterson at Crooners Lounge
. July 30, Rodney Ruckus, Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog
. July 30, Will Schmid Trio + 1 at 318 Cafe
. July 30, PipJazz "Time for Love" featuring the Women of Jazz ensemble at The Bedlam
. July 31, Vern Sutton with Dan Chouinard in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. August 8, Marcus Miller at the Dakota
. July 30, Will Schmid Trio + 1 at 318 Cafe
. July 30, PipJazz "Time for Love" featuring the Women of Jazz ensemble at The Bedlam
. July 31, Vern Sutton with Dan Chouinard in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. August 8, Marcus Miller at the Dakota
. August 8-12, Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg, happy hours at Crooners Lounge
. August 9-10, Estaire Godinez at the Dakota
. August 9-10, Estaire Godinez at the Dakota
. August 10, Vicky
Mountain, Lucia Newell
and Judi Vinar in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. August 13, Rebirth Brass Band at the Dakota
. August 13, Rebirth Brass Band at the Dakota
. August 19, Nachito Herrera at the Dakota
. August 20, Ethan Iverson solo piano in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners
Lounge
. August 23,
Chris Lomheim Trio in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. August 25, Andrew Walesch Quartet at the Dakota
. August 26, Davu Seru No Territory Band, All Originals Jazz at Studio Z
. August 27, Illicit Sextet (Chapter One Re-Release) at Vieux Carre'
. August 27, Illicit Sextet (Chapter One Re-Release) at Vieux Carre'
. August 28, Patty and Linda Peterson in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners
Lounge
. August 30, Pat Mallinger and Bill Carrothers in the Dunsmore Room at
Crooners Lounge
. August 30-31, Jane Monheit and Nicholas Payton ("Ella and
Louis") at the Dakota
. September 1-2, Barbara Morrison and Houston Person at the Dakota
. September 1-2, Barbara Morrison and Houston Person at the Dakota
. September 4, Davell Crawford at the Dakota
. September 5, José Feliciano at the Dakota
. September 8, Mindy Abair at the Dakota
. September 5, José Feliciano at the Dakota
. September 8, Mindy Abair at the Dakota
. September 10, Dakota Combo Auditions at MacPhail Center
for Music
. September 10, Jazz @ St Barneys, Mary Louise Knutson Trio at St
Barnabas Church, Plymouth
. September 16, Charanga Tropical/Dan Kusz album releases at the Dakota
. September 17, Earl Klugh at the Dakota
. September 24, Jazz Women All-Stars with Patty Peterson at the Dakota
. September 25-26, Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman Duo at the Dakota
. October 1, Terence Blanchard with JazzMN Orchestra at Ordway
. September 25-26, Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman Duo at the Dakota
. October 1, Terence Blanchard with JazzMN Orchestra at Ordway
. October 15, Amir El Saffar Ensemble, McGuire Theater at Walker Art
Center
. October 20-21, McCoy Tyner Quartet with Gary Bartz at the Dakota
. October 20-21, McCoy Tyner Quartet with Gary Bartz at the Dakota
. October 22, Matt Slocum Trio at Studio Z
. November 11, Chucho Valdes/Joe Lovano at Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City
. November 14, Catherine Russell at the Dakota
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Rodney Ruckus (2016 Twin Cities Jazz Festival), coming to the Black Dog on July 30 |