Twin Cities Jazz Festival

Winter Jazz Fest 2019 will be held at Crooners on Sunday, March 31

St. Paul, Minn., January 30, 2019 – This year’s Winter Jazz Fest – the cold-weather version of the popular Twin Cities Jazz Festival – will return to Crooners Lounge & Supper Club on Sunday, March 31. The day will feature national and local favorites Gary Bartz, Francisco Mela, Debbie Duncan, Patty Peterson, Tanner Taylor and his trio, and Natania Kamin plus an ensemble of the area’s top youth jazz performers.

Sunday, March 31, 2:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Crooners Lounge & Supper Club
“Music warms the body and the soul. This festival is sure to bring a spark of warmth during these cold months,” said Executive Director Steve Heckler.

Saxophonist Gary Bartz will be a welcome guest to this year’s festival, bringing an alto sound that has played with a number of jazz greats, starting in 1965 when Bartz joined Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He then worked closely with McCoy Tyner, followed by work with Miles Davis before starting his own group, Ntu, which blended soul, funk, African folk music, hard bop, and avant-garde jazz. Over the course of his career, Bartz has released almost thirty of his own recorded albums, in addition to the many recordings he has appeared on.

Much loved drummer Francisco Mela will return to the Twin Cities and perform alongside Bartz, bringing both his masterful time keeping skills as well as well as the enthusiasm and charisma the Twin Cities Jazz Festival has come to love about Mela over the last five years. Hailing from Cuba, Mela has risen to catch the attention of artists like Joe Lovano, John Scofield and McCoy Tyner. Now a faculty member at Berklee College of Music, Mela still finds time to record and tour; his most recent project, FE, was released in 2016 and continues to highlight his Cuban, Latin-jazz, fusion and jazz sound, like his other three albums.

Debbie Duncan will also join the line-up, bringing her powerful, emotive, swinging, and warm voice to the winter festival. Growing up, Duncan was surrounded by jazz and the Motown scene, which she brings to performances today. Known for her versatility on the scene, she loves folk, classical, and gospel, giving her tools to blur the lines between genres and sounds, all the while sounding all her own.

Rounding out the afternoon’s music will be Patty Peterson, one of the Twin Cities’ favorite vocalists, from Minnesota’s “First Family of Music.” Having toured around the country, Patty Peterson has released four solo recordings with her fifth to be released later this year. You can catch her group “Patty Peterson and the Jazz Women All-Stars,” a group that celebrates women in jazz.

On the Dunsmore stage, the afternoon will also feature the Tanner Taylor Trio lead by sought-after Twin Cities jazz pianist, Tanner Taylor. Teacher, performer, and composer, you can hear the influence and particular love of Oscar Peterson in his work, which is heard both in his self-led group as well as accompanying vocalists in the area.

You may have seen, or danced with, Natania Kamin’s Ticket to Brasil at Lake Harriet or Icehouse, this show will be sure to export us to the warm sounds of Brazil. Leader Natania Kamin is joined by saxophone, percussion, guitar and bass, all creating the smooth yet layered texture of the Brazilian musical tradition.

LOUNGE STAGE
2:00 – 2:45: Dakota Foundation for Youth Education Combo
3:00 – 4:00: Natania Kamin’s Ticket to Brasil
4:30 – 5:30: Debbie Duncan
6:00 – 7:15: Gary Bartz with Francisco Mela

DUNSMORE LISTENING ROOM STAGE
2:30 – 3:30: Tanner Taylor Trio
4:00 – 5:00: Patty Peterson Presents – Jazz Women All Stars

Tickets Advance General Admission Tickets are $35 in advance; $40 at the door. VIP Tickets including a deluxe buffet, front row seating, and meet & greet are $100 Order Here

About the Twin Cities Jazz Festival
Twin Cities Jazz Festival, established in 1999, is a non-profit organization, with a mission to keep the art form of jazz alive and well in our community. Save the date for the 2019 Twin Cities Jazz Fest, June 20 – 22, 2019.
For more information, visit TwinCitiesJazzFestival.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. #tcjazzfest

Get Tickets
To get tickets for the 2019 Winter Jazz Festival, please head over to the Winter Jazz Fest page.

Musicians and schedule subject to change.