Jazz Police, Author at Twin Cities Jazz Festival

Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio: Dream a Dream North American tour begins at Berlin in Minneapolis 03/27

March 14, 2025 •

by Don Berryman Avant-garde composer, pianist, arranger, and bandleader Satoko Fujii is known for the variety and complexity of her compositions and the ferocity of her playing. I find her piano music intriguing with unnameable chords, unpredictable rhythms, and haunting melodic flights. Her Tokyo Trio is releasing their third recording, which is also their first […]

Defiant Life by Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith on ECM Records

March 6, 2025 •

by Don Berryman Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith, both composers and bandleaders, have long been strong voices in the creative music field. A decade ago they joined forces and recorded their acclaimed duo album A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke on ECM Records. Now they have come together again to release another duo album, […]

After the Last Sky by Anouar Brahem with Anja Lechner, Django Bates, and Dave Holland

February 14, 2025 •

by Don Berryman I’ve been a follower of the music of the Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem for many years and was delighted to hear his exquisitely beautiful new album. After the Last Sky features Brahem on oud, Anja Lechner on cello, Django Bates on piano, and Dave Holland on bass. It will be released […]

Epilogue/Prologue: Highlights of 2024, , Great Expectations for 2025 in Twin Cities Jazz

January 3, 2025 •

Fred Hersch, solo at The Dakota (June 9, 2024) It’s been a wild year in the life of the planet and the nation, and we can anticipate that 2025 will not likely bring us more calm or cleaner air. I am ending 2024 with a very personal listing of my favorite gigs of the year […]

Don’s picks for 2024

December 14, 2024 •

By Don Berryman At the end of the year I like to look back at some of my favorite new jazz releases of the year and 2024 was a great year for music. A Beautiful Day revisited, Andrew Hill A Beautiful Day, Revisited by the Andrew Hill Sextet plus 10 is a 2-LP/CD reissue of […]

EP/Epilogue-Prologue: Twin Cities Jazz, December 2024

December 1, 2024 •

Blu Luna returns to the Dunsmore Room, December 26 The holidays are upon us, and the coming month will be filled with seasonal music. In fact it might be hard to find unseasonal music throughout December, regardless of the band or musicians or venue. Looking back at November’s “hits” in the Twin Cities, some holiday […]