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Winter Jazz Fest, January 28-29 |
© Andrea Canter
It might
not last but it is nice to see some sunshine as I write this! And we have a lot
of sunny music coming our way this weekend with the return of the Twin Cities
Winter Jazz Festival in St Paul,
along with a variety of our great local artists and visitors gigging into next
week. Also a shout out to my parents (age 94 and 95) celebrating their 71st
anniversary on January 27, who are fully responsible for my love of music.
Big Gigs This Week
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Peter Kogan |
Friday, January 27. Vieux
Carre' presents Peter Kogan's smokin' Monsterful
Wonderband. The retired Minnesota Orchestra timpanist has
turned to jazz in a big way, playing with big talents --Pete Whitman (sax),
Adam Rossmiller (trumpet), Scott Agster (trombone), Chris Olson (guitar), Phil
Aaron (piano), and Gary Raynor (bass).
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Steve Cole* |
Over at the
Dakota, another big talent-- contemporary jazz king, saxophonist Steve Cole and his Superband, with local
pals Patty Peterson on vocals and Ricky Peterson on keys. And the Ordway
presents outstanding vocalist Somi --
known as the modern-day Miriam Makeba. Born in the U.S. of East African
immigrant parents, she's immersed herself in the music of her homeland and
effectively blends jazz, soul and African rhythms.
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Jeremy Walker |
Jeremy Walker starts out the night at Vieux
Carre', followed by the always swinging Southside
Aces, while duo partners Bryan
Nichols and James Buckley work some magic during the dinner sets at the
Icehouse.
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Rodney Ruckus |
Saturday, January 28. Saturday Night Jazz at the Black
Dog collaborates with the festival, and the usual double header features an
opening set from guitarist Tommy Bentz
and his quartet (Steve Kenny on FLUMPET™, Jason McLean on bass, Alex Burgess on
drums), followed by the "Welcome Home" show from drummer Rodney Ruckus and his trio with Javi
Santiago on piano and Greg Byers on electric cello. The Ruckus just returned
from a tour of the Midwest and West Coast.
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Sarah M. Greer, Jazz Alley |
Another
collaborating festival venue is Golden's Deli in Lowertown, bringing back the
vocal ensemble Jazz Alley-- Katia
Cardenas, Sarah M Greer and Maryann Sullivan. These songbirds came together
at the 2016 Twin Cities Jazz Festival "Scat Off" and soon formed a
trio playing "in the alley" for Saturday brunch at Goldens and have
been on hiatus since the patio closed for the season.
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Jon Weber |
Jon Weber and Friends finish the night at Vieux Carre'
with the official Winter Fest jam. It's become tradition for
pianist/encyclopedic scholar Weber to host festival jams during the summer jazz
festivals, and looks like this tradition will now have a winter edition.
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Bruce Henry |
Across town
at the Dakota, another welcome back gig-- Chicago
vocalist Bruce Henry brings to his
former home stage a wide-ranging baritone and penchant for beboppish
interpretations, and always a topnotch band.
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Jesse Simon, B3Q |
And at Jazz Central, the Minnesota
Hard Bop Collective features B3Q, a
Hammond B-3 quartet with Abebi Stafford on organ, Cole Mahlum on guitar, Evan
Benidt on tenor sax and Collective leader Jesse Simon on drums. The band
performs some rarely heard repertoire from the likes of Wes Montgomery, Dexter
Gordon and Hank Mobley.
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James Buckley |
At the
Icehouse, enjoy dinner with some sophisticated duets from Patrick Harison on accordion and James Buckley on bass. Or relax in the lounge at Parma 8200 with the weekly gathering of the Benny Weinbeck Trio (with Gordy Johnson
and Phil Hey).
And in River Falls,
an exciting opportunity to hear the Costa Rican sax and percussion ensemble SONSAX! Hosted by UW-River Falls,
the band performs tonight in Abbott Concert Hall on campus.
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Dakota Combo |
Saturday-Sunday,
January 28-29. Saturday is
Winter Fest kickoff on the TPT stage featuring some never-seen classic jazz
film clips from Bob DeFlores'
archives and interviews from Leigh
Kamman's Jazz Image archives, part of the Leigh Kamman Legacy Project. The fest is in full swing Sunday across 4 stages
at the Saint Paul Hotel, with the Dakota
Combo, Sam Rosenstone, Jon Weber and Patty Peterson's Jazz Women All Stars
on the ballroom Main Stage; John Penny
followed by Andrew Walesch with Dave Karr
on the Summit Room Stage; Peter Kogan's
Monsterful Wonderband and the Ted
Olsen ensemble on the M Street Cafe Stage; and JoAnn Funk Trio in the Lobby Bar.
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Nicholas Payton |
Headliner Nicholas Payton and his Afro-Caribbean
Mixtape (ACM) wrap it up the Ballroom at 7 pm. In addition to his
well-deserved reputation as one of the genre's top trumpeters and composers,
Payton of late has added keyboards and vocals to much of his work, and brings
ACM's debut recording to St. Paul
prior to its public release in two weeks.
There's also two great sets of jazz on the Winter Carnival's Treasure
Island Entertainment Stage (outdoors) in Rice Park
during Sunday afternoon, featuring the Walker West Jazz Ensemble followed by
the McNasty Brass. The forecast suggests
it will be a good afternoon to explore Rice Park
in between the indoor sets at the hotel. (Complete festival schedule and ticket
information at www.twincitiesjazzfestival.com)
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Tuck and Patti |
Sunday, January 29. Not all the music is at the Winter
Jazz Fest today. At the Dakota, enjoy the
return of the great guitar and vocal duo, Tuck
and Patti. Guitarist Tuck Andress is
a virtuoso performer whose sleight-of-hand is simply mesmerizing; vocalist
Patti Cathcart puts a gospel spin on her incredible voice, but is also the
writer and arranger for this partnership of nearly 40 years, on and off stage.
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Erin Schwab |
In the
Dunsmore Room, Erin Schwab joins Dan
Chouinard for The Birthday Club, followed by the weekly gig with
vocalist/entertainer Jennifer Grimm.
Monday, January 30. This week's installment of Jazz Implosion at
the Icehouse is a CD release show for Twin Cities native Matty Harris's Double Septet--what he describes as
"psychodelic chamber jazz." Expect Harris to wield at least four reeds.
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Nellie McKay |
Monday-Wednesday,
January 30-February 1. Monday starts a three-night run at the Dakota for always entertaining Nellie McKay -- vocalist, pianist,
ukulele specialist and comedienne. She's bringing her show "A Girl Named
Bill", about Billy Tipton, a little known mid-20th century bandleader who
was assumed to be a man until his death, when it was discovered that he was
really a woman. Nellie assembles music from Jelly Roll Morton, Oko Ono, Cindy
Walker, and her own compositions, covering the theme of living with secrets.
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Chris Lomheim |
Tuesday, January 31. Chris Lomheim opens on solo piano followed by JT Bates and his Grain trio (Kevin Gastonguay on B-3, Zacc Harris on guitar) at
Vieux Carre', while the Aaron Hedenstrom
Orchestra fills the 5th Tuesday slot for Big Band Night at Jazz Central.
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Zack Lozier |
Wednesday, February 1. A new group dubbed SPAT is on stage at Jazz Central, with
some young guns -- Andrew Tomten (sax), Patrick Adkins (piano), Drew Stinson
(bass), and Tarek Abdelqader (drums). At Vieux
Carre', trumpeter Zack Lozier shines
with his trio (a rotating cast of pianists and bassists) .
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Dean Magraw, Chris Bates (Red Planet) |
Thursday,
February 2. Their appearances are too few and far between these days - Red Planet, the long-running trio of
Dean Magraw, Chris Bates and Jay Epstein, brings their unique brand of jazz
telepathy to Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie.
The
trombone-wielding Potash Twins return
to the Dakota, and the Jacob Hanson Trio
debuts at Crooners Lounge, with versatile guitarist Jacob mixing it up with
brother Jeremy on drums and James Buckley on bass.
Khyber Pass Cafe again brings a slam-bang improvising ensemble into the tiny cafe space. Suffer the Children brings together Anthony Cox, Davu Seru and Bryan Nichols. No suffering on the part of the avant garde audience!
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Davu Seru |
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Jana Nyberg |
More Jazz!
See the
Live jazz calendar posted on the KBEM
website, and see more about jazz events at jazzpolice.com. --online and on facebook. Tune into the live edition
of The Lead Sheet on KBEM 88.5 fm every Thursday at 4:40 pm, rebroadcast on
Fridays at 8:20 am. Andrea's guest on February 2 will be vocalist Jana Nyberg.
Coming Soon!
. February 3, Jana Nyberg Group at Vieux Carre'
. February 3-4, Davell Crawford at the Dakota
. February 4, DeJohnette, Coltrane and Garrison at Hopkins Center for the Arts
. February 4, Atlantis Quartet/Ben Allison Trio, Saturday Night Jazz at
the Black Dog
. February 4, Kim Fragodt with Benny Weinbeck, Jazz @ St Barneys (St Barnabas Lutheran
Church)
. February 5, Bob DeFlores' Legends of Jazz Part 2 (film) at Chanhassan
Dinner Theater
. February 5, Dan Chouinard's Birthday Club with Ann Reed in the
Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. February 6, Bruce Barth Trio, Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. February 8, Claudia Schmidt with Dean Magraw and Bryan Nichols in the
Dunsmore Room at Crooners
. February 9, Phil Hey Quartet, Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie
. February 9, Rachel Holder and the Wolverines at Crooners Lounge
. February 9, Katia Cardenas at Jazz Central Studios
. February 10, Great American Songbook with Hilary Kole and Tony DeSare, Minnesota
Orchestra
. February 11, UW-Eau Claire Night, Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog
. February 11, Debbie Duncan at Crooners Lounge
. February 13, Maceo Parker at the Dakota
. February 13, Acme Jazz Company at Crooners Lounge
. February 15, Ambrose Akinmisure and Kool Aid, Liquid Music at the Amsterdam Bar
. February 16, Maria Schneider Orchestra at O'Shaughnessy
. February 16, Ruckus Trio, Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie
. February 17, Jazz in the Target Atrium, "Money Jungle" at
Orchestra Hall
. February 17-18, UW-River Falls Jazz Festival featuring Alan Ferber,
Falcon's Nest and Abbott Concert Hall
. February 18, What Would Monk Do, Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog
. February 19, Kaki King at the Dakota
. February 19, Patty Peterson in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. February 20, MVP Quartet (Bobby Watson) at the Dakota
. February 20, Mary Louise Knutson Trio in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners
Lounge
. February 21, MVP Quartet (Bobby Watson) at Vieux Carre'
. February 21-22, Aaron Diehl Presents Cecile McLorin Salvant and Adam
Birnbaum at the Dakota
. February 22, Thomasina Petrus at Crooners Lounge
. February 23, American Reverie, Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie
. February 25, Julian Manzara Quartet/Minnesota Hard Bop Collective, Saturday
Night Jazz at the Black Dog
. February 25, Julian Lage Trio at Hopkins
Center for the Arts
. February 25, John Scofield "Country for Old Men" Quartet at
the Dakota
. February 28, Mardi Gras with Patty and the Buttons at Crooners Lounge
. March 1, Phil Hey & Pat Moriarty Duo at Jazz Central Studios
. March 5, JazzMN Orchestra at Hopkins High School
Auditorium
. March 6-7, Bob Dorough in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. March 8, Monty Alexander Trio at the Dakota
. March 9-10, Victor Wooten Trio at the Dakota
. March 15, Gary Burton and Makato Ozone at the Dakota
. March 18, Liquid Vinyl (JazzINK Youth Showcase) at the Black Dog
. March 18, Judi Vinar, Jazz @ St Barneys (St Barnabas Lutheran Church)
. March 18-19. Northside Celebration at Fellowship Missionary
Baptist Church
. March 19, Brian Lynch Quartet in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. March 20-21, Emmet Cohen Trio at Jazz Central Studios
. March 27-28, David Sanborn at the Dakota
. March 28, Madeleine Peyroux and Rickie Lee Jones, Ames Center
. April 5-6, Stacy Kent at the Dakota
. April 8, JazzMN Orchestra with Maria Schneider, Hopkins High School
Auditorium
. April 9, John Pizzarelli at the Dakota
. April 15, Fred Hersch Trio, University of Iowa
Hancher Auditorium (Iowa City)
. April 22, Gypsy Mania, Jazz @ St Barneys (St Barnabas Lutheran
Church)
. April 23, Sheila Jordan in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. April 25, Bill Frisell Quartet at Hopkins Center for the Arts
. April 28, Jazz in the Target Atrium, "When Duke Met
Coltrane" at Orchestra Hall
. April 29, Bill Charlap Trio at the Dakota
. May 3, Regina
Carter at the Dakota
. May 6, Travis Anderson Trio, Jazz @ St Barneys (St Barnabas Lutheran
Church)
. May 12, Steve Coleman Five Elements, Walker Art Center
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Ben Allison and his trio perform at the Black Dog on February 4 |