Jazz Police, Author at Twin Cities Jazz Festival

Connie and Jon, Ella and Duke in the Dunsmore Room, July 11-12

July 10, 2017 •

© Andrea Canter One of the hallmarks of the tunes in the Great American Songbook is their longevity and timelessness. The songs are familiar to many but, in the hands of great musicians, the tunes remain fresh decades later. Vocalist Connie Evingson and pianist Jon Weber have been injecting new life into old songs for […]

Good Vibes, Good Music: Chris Bates’ Good Vibes Trio, Cole Mahlum Quartet at the Black Dog on July 8

July 6, 2017 •

© Andrea Canter With veteran performers/composers Dave Hagedorn on vibes and Phil Hey on drums, bassist Chris Bates leads his Good Vibes Trio in the headline slot of this weekend’s Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog. Opening will be a band of young jazz veterans, the Cole Mahlum Quartet with Will Kjeer, Ted Olsen […]

“All Originals” at Studio Z: Illicit Sextet Launches 2017 Season on July 7

July 5, 2017 •

© Andrea Canter In addition to his weekly jazz series at the Black Dog in St Paul and Reverie in Minneapolis, trumpeter/composer/curator Steve Kenny has presented a summer series of “All Original” music at Studio Z for the past three years. Back for a fourth season, the 2017 concert program launches on Friday, July 7, […]

The 2017 Twin Cities Jazz Festival: Class Acts, Perfect Weather, New and Old Favorites

June 27, 2017 •

© Andrea Canter I’ve attended many Twin Cities Jazz Festivals — all since 2003. It’s been the little jazz engine that could, overcoming inevitable weather issues (usually too hot, sometimes too wet) that plague summertime festivals, and surely the most serious obstacle of all, loss of funding, sponsorship, and even the support of the host […]

Creative Spirit, Educator, Jazz Pianist Geri Allen, 1957-2017

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© Andrea Canter “One of the most brilliant, creative artists of our time…” – Christian McBride “Perhaps more than any other pianist, Ms. Allen’s style — harmonically refracted and rhythmically complex, but laden with inertia — formed a bridge between jazz’s halcyon midcentury period and its stylistically diffuse present.” — Giovanni Russonelo, The New York […]

Steven Hobert Quartet at Reverie, June 29

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© Andrea Canter An exciting group of Twin Cities musicians, the Steven Hobert Quartet returns to the venue where it all started on the Thursday Night Jazz at Reverie series, June 29. Leader Hobert (piano) is joined by versatile saxophonist Pete Whitman, wide-ranging bassist Yohannes Tona, and up-and-coming drummer Arthur “LA” Buckner. Originally from Hartland, […]