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Atlantis Quartet at the Black Dog on April 1 © Andrea Canter |
© Andrea Canter
Finally it
seems we're into spring mode, just in time for April and some outstanding
options in jazz for the coming week, from local stars the Atlantis Quartet to
visiting upstart Greg Ward to such seasoned internationally renowned performers
as Freddy Cole and Stacy Kent. Add in a three-show debut of Arne Fogel's revue
of the great songwriting teams of Hollywood
and Broadway and a night of jazz and art in the Northeast arts corridor and you
have a diverse array of options.
Big Gigs This Week
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Graydon Peterson |
Friday, March 31. The GP4+1
returns to Jazz Central-- that's the Graydon Peterson Quartet led by bassist
Graydon, with Adam Meckler on trumpet, Joe Strachan on piano and Adrian Suarez
on drums--plus guest Andrew Gillespie in the first set, providing additional percussion
on some Cuba-inspired tunes.
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Patty Peterson |
At Crooners
Lounge, Patty Peterson returns from a
couple weeks of engagements in the LA area with sister Linda. Her "And
Friends" ensemble--nephew Jason Peterson DeLaire, brother Paul Peterson,
and Jay Young-- adds Andrew Walesch on vocals and piano.
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Lila Ammons |
More jazz
tonight as Debbie Duncan sings at
View Carre' (following opening piano set from Jeremy Walker); Zacc Harris
and James Buckley cover the dinner hours at the Icehouse; Lila Ammons performs in the new Hennepin
Steam Room (formerly Tangiers).
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Arne Fogel |
Friday-Sunday, March
31-April 2. The
latest Arne Fogel production, "Team Work-- The Great Songwriting Teams of
Broadway and Hollywood" features Fogel on
stage with frequent co-star Maud Hixson
and guest Jennifer Eckes, at the
Blackbox Theater in Bloomington.
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Brandon Wozniak, Atlantis Qt |
Saturday, April 1. Saturday Night Jazz at the Black
Dog features one of the most lauded ensembles in the metro, the Atlantis Quartet -- that's Zacc Harris,
Brandon Wozniak, Chris Bates and Pete Hennig. It's also Brandon's Birthday so expect some April
fooling. The opening band, Common Space,
is filled with River Falls connections,led by drummer Alex Burgess, with Justin
Wolff on sax, Dylan Nelson on bass and Eric Graham on keys.
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Tim Sparks |
At the
Icehouse, Tim Sparks plays solo
guitar; the Benny Weinbeck Trio handles the lounge at Parma
8200; and Maryann Sullivan's Corner Jazz
swings at Tin Fish at Braemer in Edina.
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Jazz Bridge Project |
Sunday, April 2. The Black Dog features a jazz
brunch with the Jazz Bridge Project.
This ensemble features a mostly veteran line-up -- Father and son Roger
(guitar) and Rajiah (flute) Johnson, Javi Santiago on piano, Ron Evaniuk on
bass, and Eric Gravatt on drums. Have some cool post bop with your eggs!
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Zacc Harris |
Dan
Chouinard's Birthday Club welcomes a new month and area vocalist Thomasina Petrus, known for her
portrayal of Lady Day. Patty and the Buttons celebrate brunch
at the Aster Cafe, Doug Little's Charanga
Tropical holds its monthly gig at the Icehouse; Cole
Malum heads the B-3 Organ Jam at Jazz Central, and the Zacc Harris Trio performs in its weekly slot at the Riverview Wine
Bar.
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Pat O'Keefe |
Monday, April 3. This month, the weekly JT's Jazz Implosion at the Icehouse is
celebrating the music of the late Steven Reich, starting out tonight with a
visit from Chicago-based saxophonist Greg
Ward and his quintet. The night opens with "Clapping Music" from Cody McKinney and Pete Hennig, and the
final set features clarinetist,saxophonist Pat
O'Keefe performing Reich's "New York Counterpoint."
At Crooners
Lounge, the Acme Jazz Company with Arne
Fogel returns for their monthly party; keyboardist Daniel Williams (Ticket to Brasil, Bossa Soul) takes the spotlight
at Jazz Central.
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Freddy Cole |
Tuesday, April 4. It's First Tuesday at the Black
Dog, with Dean Magraw and Davu Seru on stage for some blues and fun as they celebrate the 104th birthday of Muddy Waters. At the
Dakota, the always marvelous Freddy Cole
returns on piano and vocals -- he's well into his 80s now but Freddy hasn't
lost a note, I heard him last fall in Detroit,
as charming as ever.
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Rio Nido |
RIO NIDO POSTPONED! Prudence has laryngitis! Rescheduled May 9. But Tom and Tim play duo in the lounge tonight. A good
generation younger, the popular long-running Twin Cities ensemble, Rio Nido, makes their debut in the
Dunsmore Room-- that's Tom Lieberman, Tim Sparks and Prudence Johnson who
recently reunited and are recapturing their heyday gigs and new material, too.
Big Band
night at Jazz Central brings in the Bill
Simenson Orchestra, featuring music from their recent debut recording. It's
a great amalgam of top Twin Cities artists squeezed into the "stage"
space in our local answer to New York
basement clubs. Another veteran big band-- Beasley's
Big Band is back in the Shamrock Room at O'Gara's. And at Vieux Carre', Zacc Harris presents some guitar magic for early evening listeners.
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Rodney Ruckus |
Wednesday, April 5. Wednesday night is always a night
for new music at Jazz Central, this week featuring a newly formed quartet of
improvisers and composers-- Steven
Hobert, Matt Peterson, Rodney Ruckus and vocalist Sarah M Greer. At Hell's Kitchen, swing with the monthly
installment of the Wolverines Trio
with vocalist Judi Vinar, while Paul Harper's Show and Tell Band takes
the stage at the Hennepin Steam Room.
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Stacey Kent |
Wednesday-Thursday,
April 5-6. Connie Evinsgon holds her monthly gig in the Lounge at the Minneapolis Woman's Club, and
another great voice, Stacey Kent,
returns to the Dakota for two nights, along with life and music partner,
saxophonist Jim Tomlinson.
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Jax Ravel |
Thursday, April 6. A double header (9 and 10:30 pm) at Reverie
features the Jax Revel Gang (with
Javi Santiago and Blake Hubel), and the Alden
Ikeda Group, an "out there" ensemble with Scott Newell on saxes
and Steve Gnitka on guitar, with leader Ikeda on drums.
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Dakota Combo |
A special
night for art and music lovers in the Northeast (Mpls) arts district: First
Thursday open studio night at Casket Arts Building celebrates Jazz and Art with art from tenants and
guests, jazz from the Dakota Combo with
Adam Linz, and Larry McDonough with Carol Bergquist, the Gastrotruck and
more. (Andrea will have a display her of jazz photos in Studio 116.)
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Vicky Mountain |
Jay Young and the Lyric Factory are in Crooners Lounge, celebrating
the music of Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder; Joel Shapira kicks off the night solo at Vieux Carre'; Vicky Mountain sings at Jazz Central; Maud Hixson joins Dave Singley at Ingredients Cafe'; the Kronick Quintet is in the Mudd Room at Lucky 13.
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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 April 6 will be Steve Heckler in his role as Executive Director of the JazzMN
Orchestra, talking about the upcoming concert conducted by Maria Schneider
(April 8).
Coming Soon!
. April 7, Bob Parsons
Quartet at Jazz Central
. April 7, Jon
Pemberton/Jay Young and the Lyric Factory at Vieux Carre'
. April 8, JazzMN
Orchestra with Maria Schneider, Hopkins
High School Auditorium
. April 8, Corner
Jazz/Steve Kenny Quartet, Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog
. April 8, Kate
Lynch and her Most Excellent Fellows at Vieux Carre'
. April 8, Kronick Quintet at Public Kitchen
. April 9, A Weaving of Traditions (Bobb Fantauzzo, Lyzz Jakolaa) at the Minnesota History Center
. April 8, Kronick Quintet at Public Kitchen
. April 9, A Weaving of Traditions (Bobb Fantauzzo, Lyzz Jakolaa) at the Minnesota History Center
. April 9, John
Pizzarelli at the Dakota
. April 10, Lila
Ammons at Crooners Lounge (Happy Hour)
. April 10, Reich
Fest, JT's Jazz Implosion at the Icehouse
. April 11, Larry
Fuller Trio in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. April 11, Nova
Contemporary Jazz Orchestra at Minnesota
Music Cafe'
. April 11, Cedar Ave Big Band
at Jazz Central
. April 11, Chris
Lomheim/JT Bates Grain Trio at Vieux Carre'
. April 11, Chris
Olson Project with Laura Caviani at the Black Dog
. April 12, Lila Ammons at Crooners Lounge (Happy Hour)
. April 12, Lila Ammons at Crooners Lounge (Happy Hour)
. April 12, Patrick
Harison/Dean Magraw & Butch Thompson at Vieux Carre'
. April 12, Dennis
Spears Birthday Cabaret in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. April 13, Davu
Seru No Territory Band, Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie
. April 13, Charmin & Shapira & Friends at Vieux Carre'
. April 13, Maurice
Jacox at Crooners Lounge
. April 14, Debbie
Duncan at Crooners Lounge
. April 14, Fall of
the House of Usher at Jazz Central
. April 14-15, Fred
Hersch Trio, University of Iowa Hancher
Auditorium (Iowa City)
. April 15, Aaron
Hedenstrom Trio/Peter Kogan's Monsterful Wonderband, Saturday Night Jazz at the
Black Dog
. April 15, Pippi
Ardennia and Women of Jazz at House of Payne
. April 16, Fuzzy
Math at the Black Dog
. April 17, Cherry
Spoon Collective at the Black Dog
. April 18,
Explosion Big Band at Jazz Central
. April 18-19, Red
Planet with Bill Carrothers, CD release in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. April 20, Lizz
Wright (Tribute to Prince) at the Dakota
. April 20,
Fermentation/Damman-Seru-Bates, Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie
. April 21-22, Eau Claire Jazz Festival
with Doc Severinsen, Carl Allen
. April 22, Gypsy
Mania, Jazz @ St Barneys (St Barnabas
Lutheran Church)
. April 22, Erin Schwab "Judy? You Bette" (Judy Garland and Bette Midler Classics) at the Capri
. April 22, Erin Schwab "Judy? You Bette" (Judy Garland and Bette Midler Classics) at the Capri
. April 22, Abebi
Stafford Trio/Chris Bates Red 5, Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog
. April 23, Sheila
Jordan in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. April 23, Soul
Cafe' at Hennepin Avenue
United Methodist Church
. April 24, John
Raymond New Standards Quartet in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. April 24, 3rd Annual Tru2life (L'hayim) Music Benefit concert supporting the Chai-light Chorus & Mishkan MSP with Maud Hixson at Beth El Synagogue
. April 24, 3rd Annual Tru2life (L'hayim) Music Benefit concert supporting the Chai-light Chorus & Mishkan MSP with Maud Hixson at Beth El Synagogue
. April 24-25, SF
Jazz Collective, Tribute to Miles Davis at the Dakota
. April 25, Bill
Frisell Quartet at Hopkins
Center for the Arts
. April 25, Twin
Cities Latin Jazz Orchestra at Jazz Central
. April 25-26,
Connie Evingson with Jon Weber in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge
. April 26, Leigh
Kamman's Jazz Image Through the Decades (Eddie Berger) at the Black Dog
. April 27, Michael
O'Brien Quartet, Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie
. April 28, Jazz in
the Target Atrium, "When Duke Met Coltrane" at Orchestra Hall
. April 28, Dave
Singley CD release at Studio Z
. April 28-29,
Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience at Chanhassan Dinner Theater
. April 29, Bill
Charlap Trio at the Dakota
. April 29, Brian
Handeland Quartet/Bottomless Pit, Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog
. May 3, Regina Carter at the
Dakota
. May 4-5, Randy
Brecker/Peterson Brothers at Crooners Lounge
. May 6, Travis
Anderson Trio, Jazz @ St Barneys (St Barnabas Lutheran Church)
. May 7, Dakota
Combo Spring Concert at Studio Z
. May 9, Rio Nido in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge (postponed from April 4)
. May 9, Rio Nido in the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge (postponed from April 4)
. May 11 +14, Keiko
Matsui at the Dakota
. May 12, Steve
Coleman's Five Elements, Walker
Art Center
. May 15, Karrin
Allyson at the Dakota
. May 18, Kristin
Lee Sargent with Ted Nash and Jeremy Walker at Vieux Carre'
. May 31. Chris
Potter "Dreamer is the Dream" Quartet at the Dakota
. June 5, Ottmar Liebert and Luna
Negra at the Dakota
. June 22-24, Twin Cities Jazz
Festival (McCoy Tyner, Terence Blanchard, Anat Cohen, Bobby Lyle)
. June 23-24, Dorado Schmitt and
Django All Stars at the Dakota
. June 30-July 2, Donny McCaslin,
Stacy Kent, The Cookers, Laura Caviani, John Raymond, Dakota Combo and more,
Iowa City Jazz Festival
. July 26-27, Pharoah Sanders at the
Dakota
. August 8, Cyrille Aimee at the
Dakota
. August 16, Ben Sidran at the
Dakota
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Larry Fuller Trio (Dunsmore Room, April 11) |