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| Chick Corea and Bela Fleck, coming to the Dakota on April 1 |
©Andrea Canter
Is it spring yet? My pollen alert says "yes" so can warm weather be far behind? At least we have some hot music to look forward to this week.
Highlights This Week
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| Quentin Tschofen |
Friday, March 29. Once in a while there’s a special gig at Jazz Central on a Friday night. Tonight, veteran drummer Pete Hennig (Atlantis Quartet, Fantastic Merlins) keeps pace with two of the area’s protégé’s, bassist Ted Olsen and pianist Quentin Tschofen. Ted played around locally with the Three-Way Stop trio in-between class sessions at Luther College. Now he’s back in town and accumulating his gigging credentials with Joe Mayo, Miguel Hurtado, Joe Strachen and other young lions. Quentin Tschofen is still in his teens, now in his second year at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary music, studying piano with Marc Copland and Vijay Iyer and working on his composition chops. A very interesting evening is in store at Jazz Central.
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| Dave King |
Friday-Saturday, March 29-30. It’s hard to come up with some new superlatives for the Dave King Trucking Company. Each time they drive onto the stage (which is often at the Artists Quarter or Icehouse when not touring), they bring along something new. Drummer King keeps things in overdrive, and his fellow truckers---Brandon Wozniak, Adam Linz and Erik Fratzke—toss out the GPS and invent new paths at every turn. And if Dave King is near a microphone, you know the evening will be part music and part edgy commentary… about everything.
Monday, April 1. Really, this is not an April Fool’s joke. Chick Corea and Bela Fleck come to the Dakota for one night, two sets, the only club venue on their limited spring tour. Neither needs much of an introduction – two multi Grammy winners who have enthralled audiences in solo and ensemble contexts for decades. Their collaboration may seem a big far-fetched but their virtuosity and imaginative approaches allow the music to develop in exciting directions, as documented on their 2007 duet, The Enchantment. Once again, “enchantment” awaits.
Tuesday-Wednesday, April 2-3.Madeleine Peyroux has always been a bit difficult to classify. She’s been a jazz singer, a “singer songwriter,” and more recently a pop-oriented vocalist. Her latest recording, In the Blue Room, leans more toward the pop end, but her roots and Billie Holiday sound keep jazz sensibilities in the foreground. She’s at the Dakota for two nights.
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| Butch Thompson |
Wednesday, April 3. It’s a boogie woogie extravaganza as local master of trad piano Butch Thompson joins vocalist Lila Ammons and German boogie woogie monster Axel Zwingenberger for a tribute to Lila’s grandfather, the great Albert Ammons, in Schmitt Music’s concert space at Southdale Center. Lila has been touring Europe with Axel, and now they are taking their show into the Midwest for a few weeks.
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| John Raymond |
Thursday, April 4. With the Eau Claire Jazz Festival getting underway tomorrow, it seems only fitting that the Artists Quarter hosts a UW-EC alumni get-together tonight. The recipe is simple: Bring to the bandstand a trio of UW-EC grads who have been churning out exciting music at a variety of small venues this winter, and throw into the mix another EC grad who is making wave upon wave with his trumpet as he burrows into the New York jazz scene. The trio is Triosé, with guitarist Vinnie Rose, bassist Jeremy Boettcher and drummer Adrian Suarez. The trumpeter is John Raymond, who also completed his master’s degree at SUNY Purchase where he was mentored by Jon Faddis. Triosé will return to Eau Claire to open Friday’s nights festival headliner concert with Geoffrey Keezer and Claudio Roditi.
More Jazz!
Be sure to check live jazz calendars on Jazz Policeand KBEM sites. Also find a growing number of events on the Jazz Near You site, a service of All About Jazz. A few more gigs of note:
Be sure to check live jazz calendars on Jazz Policeand KBEM sites. Also find a growing number of events on the Jazz Near You site, a service of All About Jazz. A few more gigs of note:
· Friday, March 29: Irv Williams and Peter Schimke, happy hour at the Dakota; JoAnn Funk and Jeff Brueske at the Lobby Bar (St Paul Hotel); Ticket to Brasil at Faces Mears Park; Patrick Harison and Tim O’Keefe, dinner set at the Icehouse
· Saturday, March 30: Patrick Harison and Tim O’Keefe, dinner set at the Icehouse; Benny Weinbeck Trio at Parma; JoAnn Funk and Jeff Brueske at the Lobby Bar (St Paul Hotel); Joel Schapira Trio at Loring Pasta Bar; Lila Ammons Quintet at Honey; Ted Olsen and Joe Strachen at Angelina’s Kitchen
· Sunday, March 31: Patty and the Buttons, brunch at the Aster Café; Robert Everest, brunch at Maria’s Café; Jerry O’Hagan Orchestra with Charmin Michelle at Cinema Ballroom; Zacc Harris Trio at Riverview Wine Bar; Off the Cuff #2 at the Aster Cafe'
· Monday, April 1: Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; Peter Schimke, Graydon Peterson, Phil Hey and Dave Brattain at Jazz Central; Southside Aces at Famous Dave’s (Uptown)
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| Tony Balluff of the Southside Aces |
· Tuesday, April 2. Dean Magraw and Davu Seru at the Black Dog; Cory Wong Quartet (early set) at the Artists Quarter; Bill Simenson Big Band at Jazz Central; Triosé at Café Maude (Penn Av); Jack Brass Band at the Amsterdam Bar
· Wednesday, April 3. Charmin Michelle and Denny Malmberg at Fireside Pizza; Steve Kenny and the Bastids, followed by the Brian Grivna Quartet at the Artists Quarter; John Devine and Friends at the Loring Pasta Bar; Evan Montgomery, Park Evans, Jay Epstein and Cory Grossman at Jazz Central
· Thursday, April 4. John Devine and Friends at the Loring Pasta Bar; Vocal Night at Jazz Central; Connie Evingson with Tanner Taylor and Dave Karr, “Jazz in the Lounge” at the Minneapolis Woman’s Club
Coming Soon!
. April 5-7, Eau Claire Jazz Festival, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus and beyond (headliners Geoffrey Keezer, Claudio Roditi)
. April 5-6, Billy Holloman at the Artists Quarter
· April 6, John Zorn 60th Birthday at Walker Art Center
. April 7, Max Raabe and Palster Orchester at the Dakota
. April 8-9, John Scofield Hollowbody Band with Mike Stern at the Dakota
. April 12, 2 Cellos at the Dakota
. April 13, Charanga Tropicale at Studio Z
. April 13, Jeremy Walker’s “Seven Psalms” (world premiere) at Benson Great Hall (Bethel College)
. April 13, Arne Fogel’s “We Love Our Pianos” with Connie Evingson and Nancy Harms at Hopkins Center for the Arts
. April 14, PipJazz Sundays with Gary Schulte and Zosha Warpeha
. April 14, Paquito D’Rivera and the Assad Brothers at the Dakota
· April 15-16, Doc Severinsen Big Band at the Dakota
. April 20, Francisco Mela at Antonello Hall (MacPhail Center for Music)
. April 21, Red Planet at Landmark Center (TCJS Jazz From J to Z)
. April 21, Soul Café at Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church
. April 24, MacPhail Center for Music Annual Music Matters Luncheon (fundraiser) at Minneapolis Convention Center
. April 24, Denny Malmberg Quartet, CD release at Fireside Pizza
· April 26, Craig Taborn at Walker Art Center
. April 27, Insurgent at Studio Z
. April 28, Diana Krall (Glad Ragdoll Tour) at the State Theater
. May 1-2, Bill Frisell’s Beautiful Dreamers Trio at the Dakota
. May 11, Zacc Harris at Studio Z
. May 12, PipJazz Sundays with the Women in Jazz Ensemble
. May 15-16, Jane Monheit at the Dakota
. May 16, Dakota Combo at Antonello Hall (MacPhail Center for Music)
. May 19, Illicit Sextet at Jazz Central (TCJS Jazz From J to Z)
, June 4-5, Terence Blanchard Quintet with Jeff Tain Watts at the Dakota
. June 9, PipJazz Sundays with John Penny, Will Kjeer
. June 19-20, Ramsey Lewis Trio with Dee Dee Bridgewater at the Dakota
. June 27-29, Twin Cities Jazz Festival with Cyrus Chestnut, Kenny Werner, Matt Slocum, Ariel Pockock and more TBA
. July 5-7, Iowa City Jazz Festival with Pharoah Sanders, Fred Hersch, Charlie Hunter, Lonnie Smith and more
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| John Scofield heads to the Dakota with Mike Stern, April 8-9 |