Sorry about October. Fall has gotten away from me. It’s not that there wasn’t a lot of great music. I’ll recap some of my favorites going back to September before looking ahead to November!
Epilogue: Jazz in September/October
I try to never miss Kurt Elling, be it a quartet, trio, due or big band outing. He’s touring with the terrific pianist Joey Calderazzo these days, and I think I enjoy the duo setting most to hear one of the great voices of modern jazz. At The Dakota (September 8), with just piano (although not fair to refer to Calderazzo as “just” a pianist), that voice was center stage, those interpretations so singularly Elling. Trombonist Dave Graf plays in every band, it seems, crossing genres, but seldom leading the way. At Crooners, music director Jennifer Grimm has created a series that brings the perpetual sidemen into the spotlight, leading their own ensembles and sharing bits and pieces of their careers. Graf was in the spotlight (September 15) with a stellar quintet featuring Doug Haining, Mary Louise Knutson, Matt Peterson and Phil Hey, along with Jennifer as emcee and guest vocalist. Dave has many stories to tell along with a vast play list.
It had been a while since Dave Holland came to town, but it was worth the wait to hear him with a new quartet featuring inventive pianist Kris Davis, adventurous saxman Jaleel Shaw, and topnotch drummer Nasheet Waits (The Dakota, December 16). I missed the last performance by harpist Brandee Younger who thankfully returned to town in late September (The Dakota, September 25). The concept of jazz harp is still relatively new despite Alice Coltrane and others. I first heard Brandee back in about 2009 as part of an Alice tribute at the Detroit Jazz Festival. It’s like piano, mandolin, and guitar combined to yield something that is greater than the sum of those parts.
Versatility and depth of songbooks describe our top vocalists, and these traits were on full display when Maud Hixson got the last-minute call to sub for Judi Vinar at Crooners (October 2) for a show dedicated to Judi’s favorite jazz singers. Maud’s repertoire runs equally deep and she gave us an evening that was anything but a substitute. We most often hear Maud in a duo settings with just piano, thus a rare treat to hear her with a larger ensemble (Rick Carlson, Dave Graf, Steve Pikal, Dave Schmalenberger). At the 2023 Twin Cities Jazz Festival, we were treated to a main stage finale from living legend bassist Christian McBride and a new ensemble of youngish heavyweights. Now dubbed Ursa Major, the same band returned for two nights at The Dakota (October 12-13), if anything more inventive and cohesive than their festival set, and again featuring the talents of Nicole Glover on sax, Ely Perlman on guitar, Mike King on piano, and Savannah Harris on drums.
With a last minute alert I did get to The Berlin for the inventive Jon Irabagon Quartet featuring international stars Matt Mitchell on piano, Chris Lightcap on bass and Dan Weiss on drums, with Irabagon wielding his creative inventions on alto and soprano sax (October 16). I was doubly pleased to have two opportunities to hear Swedish vocalist Sinne Eeg, this visit with pianist Josh Nelson and local bass legend Billy Peterson, first at Crooners (October 17) and then again at the Danish American Center (October 20). Eeg has been to the Twin Cities a few times, and each visit seems to present her at a higher level than before. Beyond her stellar voice, Eeg is an inventive singer with scatting chops to burn, and is also a talented songwriter. Well known in Europe, she will hopefully become as established here.
Pianist Laura Caviani and saxophonist David Milne, pairing as Tableaux, gave us a timely evening of “Songs of Justice” in the Dunsmore Room (October 25), with offerings from Satie to Ellington to Dylan to the never-outdated “We Shall Overcome.” My October jazz ended with the timeless sax hero Charles Lloyd and his latest quartet (Aaron Parks, Larry Grenadier, Eric Harland) taking the stage at The Ordway Concert Hall (October 27). Expecting an elegant, soaring display from Lloyd and this ensemble, I was not disappointed; hopefully there will be a recording soon to capture their stunning interactions. (Missed a variety of Halloween-themed music due to travel, and particularly hated to miss the brief homecoming of Will Kjeer!)
Prologue: November Jazz in the Twin Cities
Never a dull or a lull on the Twin Cities jazz scene. I have to miss two nights of Happy Apple (Michael Lewis, Eric Fratzke, Dave King) and their vinyl release at The Dakota (November 8-9). Personally, I am looking forward to the long-awaited return of pianist Amina Figarova, bringing her stellar sextet back to The Dakota (November 12), this time with the Matsiko World Orphan Choir. The Dakota also hosts another welcome return, one of the Twin Cities’ favorite visitors, prolific pianist Emmet Cohen (November 15).
Famed organist Pat Bianchi debuts at Crooners (November 14)–see a great preview from Don Berryman (http://www.jazzpolice.com/archives/16658). Jazz Police administrator, area impresario and virtuosic trumpeter/composer Steve Kenny leads his quintet through a suite of new works at The Berlin (November 16). A stawart Frank Sinatra fan who has also celebrated Cole Porter and others, former resident crooner Andrew Walesch is back in town with his big band tribute to Tony Bennett, at The Dakota on November 27 (and he’s back with a holiday show December 22).
December Teasers
–Tanner Taylor Trio at Crooners (December 4-6)
–The Bad Plus at The Dakota (December 25028)
–Will Kjeer (Trio at Crooners, December 17; Quintet at The Berlin, December 27)
