Jazz88

They’re calling themselves the Will Aldrich quintet, with Will and Gabe Hartnett playing saxophones, Rafi Karpowitz on the piano, Callum Schultz on the bass, and drummer Ataa Mensah. The group’s flair for both reimagining and composing jazz led it to an award at the Eau Claire Jazz festival. The Quintet’s next appearance is at the Metronome in Saint Paul, Wednesday June 21 at 8PM. When Phil Nusbau...

Gary Hines, the leader of Sounds of Blackness connected with Sean from the Afternoon Cruise to discuss the group's new single, "Woke" as well as their upcoming Juneteenth show at Allianz Field.

Manny Hill, the executive producer of MPS Voices, was nice enough to swing through the Afternoon Cruise and talk about the new service designed to let more listeners discover the talents of the Minneapolis Public Schools community.

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School is celebrating it's 100th year, and coming up on Saturday June 17, the school will host the "Cars and Caffeine" Car Show. Jazz88's Manny Hill speaks with CTE Automotive Instructor Zac Humphrey and Industrial Tech teacher Luther Kominski about the event, how it started, and what can be expected at Saturday's show.

Cody Steinmann visited the Afternoon Cruise to discuss his upcoming concerts, his monthly jam session and his love of the Twin Cities. He was raised in Milwaukee but relocated to the Twin Cities about five years ago. Sean McPherson also quizzed him about Milwaukee's not so famous food, hoppel poppel.

Jevetta Steele caught up with Sean from the Afternoon Cruise as she was preparing for her appearance with the Minnesota Orchestra for their Juneteenth Celebration on June 23.

Jazz88's Manny Hill is joined by Minneapolis Public Schools Interim Superintendent Rochelle Cox for the final time in the 2022-23 school year. Supt. Cox recaps the year, shouts out the MPS Shines winnders for the month of May, and looks ahead to MPS events and programs coming up during the summer.

Kathleen Johnson leads a group of Twin Cities vocalists who should be better known into the Dakota in Minneapolis, Friday night June 16 at 7PM. The show is called Kathleen Johnson Presents Ladies of Soul: A Juneteenth Celebration. Kathleen Johnson is a mentor to many singers coming up. When Kathleen talked to Phil Nusbaum, she addressed how she meets artists on the rise.

Lori Dokken is not only for her singing, playing and arranging, but for curating musical events. Her next one is called the Say Gay All Day Cabaret, 4PM Sunday June 11. As ever, a great cast will put on the show, including Dennis Spears, who struts his stuff vocally in his treatment of the iconic Summertime.

Ernest Bisong, an accomplished violinist based out of the Twin Cities swung through the Jazz88 studios to talk about the role of violin in jazz music and to discuss his upcoming summer camp for string players.

He goes by Cap’n Al, and he’s been playing the bass around the Twin Towns for decades. But suddenly, Cap’n Al has a new role: bandleader. He’s got a recorded album, with three songs already released and more in the pipeline. The complete album has a release date of September 8. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Cap’n Al addressed how the sudden change from sideman to front man took shape.

Legendary guitarist, vocalist and radio host John Pizzarelli hopped on the phone with Jazz88 to discuss his new album and his recent travels with his trio.

Last year, Minneapolis Public Schools began requiring families to fill out a form with their transportation needs in order to have a seat on the bus. It's been helpful for the district, and MPS will be doing the same thing again this year. The deadline to fill out the form is fast approaching, though, and Jazz88's Manny Hill speaks with MPS Executive Director of Transportation Lisa Beck to get mor...

Dave King of the Bad Plus hopped on the phone to talk with Sean from Jazz88 about the Bad Plus's new quartet lineup and their upcoming show at First Ave on June 10. Plus, they discussed Dave King's work with Julian Lage and King's connection to the Twin Cities.

Julius Collins and Brian Ziemniak of Doctor Mambo's Combo came through Jazz Futures to talk about their upcoming Birthday Tribute to Prince. The show is called "Forever in My Life" and it's at Parkway Theater in South Minneapolis on June 7.

Minneapolis Public Schools' Career & Technical Education (CTE) is an academic program available to all 10-12 grade MPS students interested in earning college credit or receiving job certifications for free. Jazz88's Manny Hill is joined by MPS CTE Principal Michael Luseni for an in-depth conversation about the various pathways with CTE, and how students can enroll for the 2023-24 school year.

Minneapolis Public Schools is set to host another Mental Health Caregiver Institute on Saturday June 3, open to all MPS familites to attend. Jazz88's Manny Hill talks with Program Coordinator Yolonda Rogers about what attendees can expect at Saturday's event, and how families can sign up if they have not already.

A group of prominent music North Side Minneapolis music people are creating a Minneapolis Sound Museum. Sure there is Paisley Park which documents Prince, they say, but what about the other talented players who created the famed Minneapolis Sound. On June 7 at 6PM, the Capri Theater on West Broadway hosts a fund raiser for Museum with a featured panel who’ll discuss the Minneapolis Sound. Drummer...

The Southwest High School of Minneapolis showcases its Jazz Big Band and Jazz Combos, Thursday June first at the school. The show features not only the Southwest High School jazz groups, but the local After Hours Big Band. The Southwest bands are directed by Reid Wixson, who had a chance to talk with Phil Nusbaum about his groups and Jazz Education. Jazz Education is more than learning to play, bu...

Brandon Commodore, the leader of the NRG project, stopped by the Afternoon Cruise to chat about his concert on May 26 at The Commons in downtown Minneapolis.

Celebrated producer and saxophonist Terrace Martin hopped onto a ZOOM with Sean from the Afternoon Cruise to discuss his upcoming run of shows at the Dakota. During the conversation Martin shared his deep knowledge of the Twin Cities music scene, including gracing the stage of Arnellia's in St. Paul and taking in a performance at JT's Jazz Implosion at the Turf Club.

Summer is approaching fast, and that means Minneapolis Public Schools' Summer Scholars Programs are as well. Jazz88's Manny Hill talks with MPS Community Ed Program Director William Baker about what families can expect with Summer Scholars in 2023, the available programs, and how families can sign up. Also, William shares some of the other exciting programs and opportunities happening on the North...

The celebrated mc and activist Lewiee Blaze visited the studios of Jazz88 to discuss his upcoming performance at Purple Day. This annual celebration of "The Purple One" aka Prince, brings together some of the best and brightest of the Twin Cities music scene for a great community event.

The celebrated harp player Brandee Younger is preparing for a visit to the Dakota for a headlining show on 5/23. She hopped on the phone with Sean from the Afternoon Cruise to discuss the show, her recent album and the influence of the harpist Dorothy Ashby on Younger's work.

Minnesota-based trumpet player Jake Baldwin swung through the studios of Jazz88 to discuss garnering a 4 star review for his latest Shifting Paradigm release in Downbeat Magazine!