Charles McPherson was born in Joplin, Missouri in 1939 and moved to Detroit at the age of nine. He moved to New York in 1959, joined bassist Charles Mingus’s band in 1960 and stayed with the group until 1972. During his twelve years working with Mingus, McPherson collaborated frequently with Barry Harris, Lonnie Hillyer, George Coleman […]

Dakota favorites, Jay Young and The Lyric Factory started as a father/son duo in the mid-90s that has grown into a multi-faceted family of Minneapolis’ “first call” musicians who’ve been performing for sold-out audiences around the Twin Cities since 2005.

Matteo Mancuso was born in 1996 and raised in the province of Palermo. There, people quickly recognized him as a musical prodigy. His father, Vincenzo Mancuso, a well-known guitarist and producer, guided Matteo’s introduction to the world of music. Teaming up with his father, Matteo made waves in Sicily’s jazz scene, participating in local festivals at […]

Saxophonist Steve Cole is one of the most celebrated players in contemporary jazz. The Chicago native exploded onto the scene with 1998’s Stay Awhile, which fellow Chicagoan Brian Culbertson produced. The disc scored multiple Number One hits and earned Cole the Oasis Smooth Jazz Award for best new artist. Cole's latest, 2023's Without a Doubt landed four singles on the […]

Over the past five decades, the voice of Janis Siegel has been an undeniable force in The Manhattan Transfer's musical catalogue. To that end, Siegel is a ten-time Grammy winner and eighteen-time nominee. Alongside her career as a founding member of this musical institution, Siegel has also sustained a solo career. Here, she has released almost a […]

Stanley Clarke has attained “living legend” status during his over fifty-year career as a bass virtuoso. He is an NEA Jazz Master and four-time Grammy winner. Also, he is the first bassist in history who doubles on acoustic and electric bass with equal ferocity. Moreover, he is the first jazz-fusion bassist ever to headline tours, selling […]

In 2024, Jay Beckenstein and band observe the 50th anniversary of what started as a diversion, something that was just for fun (and twenty-five cents at the door). It began inauspiciously when Beckenstein and a few musician friends in Buffalo, NY organized a get-together on their shared night off from working in bands that actually […]

In 2024, Jay Beckenstein and band observe the 50th anniversary of what started as a diversion, something that was just for fun (and twenty-five cents at the door). It began inauspiciously when Beckenstein and a few musician friends in Buffalo, NY organized a get-together on their shared night off from working in bands that actually […]

Patti Austin’s keen interest in being a total entertainer likely started when she was four years old. Then, she stepped onto the stage of the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem at the urging of Dinah Washington. During the 1970s Patti reigned as the undisputed queen of the New York session scene. Her recent recordings celebrate the […]

Patti Austin’s keen interest in being a total entertainer likely started when she was four years old. Then, she stepped onto the stage of the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem at the urging of Dinah Washington. During the 1970s Patti reigned as the undisputed queen of the New York session scene. Her recent recordings celebrate the […]