Jazz88

Sherry Minnick Sings with Mikkel Beckmen’s Percussion Thursday Night at the 331 Club in Northeast Minneapolis

Byron Stripling, a nationally acclaimed trumpet player and conductor, swung by The Afternoon Cruise to discuss his upcoming season-opening show with the JazzMN Orchestra on May 23.

Sloane Martin, a broadcaster with the Minnesota Lynx, swung by the Jazz88 studio to talk about the upcoming season which gets started on May 19 with a home game against the Chicago Sky.

In-demand drummer and bandleader LA Buckner swung by the Jazz88 studios to discuss his upcoming show at Indeed Brewing for the Art-A-Whirl festival, Whirlygig.

Chadwick 'Niles' Phillips stopped by the studio to discuss his involvement with ComMUSICation, a program founded in 2013 to provide high-quality afterschool music programs accessible to youth. The group is celebrating their 10th anniversary on Sunday May 21 at the Ordway in St. Paul.

Ambrose Akinmusire is getting ready for a two night stand at the Walker Art Center on May 19 and 20. He's been working on new music and figuring out how to balance his music work with his well-being. Listen for a conversation between Ambrose Akinmusire and Sean McPherson before attending the shows.

Geoff Jones’ bio includes singing in Sounds of Blackness, with several Penumbra Theater productions, and his was the voice of John Henry in a Walt Disney product. His singing repertoire spans decades of pop, and includes standards, soul and gospel, and others. Geoff is teaming up with guitarist John DellaSelva for an evening of great songs at Flying Dutchman Spirits in Eden Prairie, Saturday May 2...

A promising group of middle school girls came through the Jazz88 studios to premiere their new single "Be Positive" and discuss their upcoming performance at Viva City at South High. Thanks to Mr. B and Adrian Davis for bringing the students and thanks to Angel Williams, Shakira McMorris, Trinity Boyd, Kaleidra Stone, Arianna Harris, Kylie Lee and Vee Born Burnham for visiting us.

Mushroom expert Melany Kahn visits on the joys of mushroom foraging, especially with kids. She will present public events this Thursday and Friday around the Twin Cities area and show off her new children's book, "Mason Goes Mushrooming."

Edison High School Jazz Band directed by Lesley Earles teams with Funk band The Good The Bad and the Funky for a 7PM performance at Edison on Tuesday May 23. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Lesley told of what she’s getting across to the high school players during rehearsals.

Pete Whitman, the celebrated Minnesota-based saxophonist and composer swung by the Afternoon Cruise to discuss his upcoming show leading and conducting the South High Jazz Band on May 24. This podcast was edited by Autumn Haeg.

Vocalist Jireh Calo and Guitarist Daniel Volovets formed a musical partnership based on shared interests. The two combine musical genres in ways that are unexpected, but ring true. Jireh and Daniel will perform together for the first time May 17 at the Cedar in Minneapolis. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Daniel told how he and Jireh met.

The in-demand, Twin Cities based keyboard player Kavyesh Kaviraj came through the studios of Jazz88 to talk about the importance of working as a side person, his approach to leading bands and his upcoming show at the Dakota.

Steve Heckler and Dayna Martinez swung by the Afternoon Cruise to chat about The Twin Cities Jazz Festival. They covered details on the MPS Voices Youth Stage as well as provided highlights from all Jazz Fest has to offer.

Pete Whitman, the celebrated Minnesota-based saxophonist and composer swung by the Afternoon Cruise to discuss his upcoming show with Byron Stripling and the JazzMN Orchestra on May 23, as well as an upcoming set on the books at the Dakota.

Brass Lassie adds horn arrangements to the traditional mix of fiddles, flutes and concertinas. The group keeps on evolving, added repertoire learned from a Danish Band, and with dancers added to the performance as well. Brass Lassie performs this coming Tuesday at the Parkway in Minneapolis, with doors opening at 6:30 and the show at 7:30. When Brass Lassie leader Laura MacKenzie talked to Phil Nu...

Ronnie Foster is making his way to the Dakota on May 11. He was nice enough to hop on a ZOOM with Sean McPherson and talk about his new album, the upcoming show, his tutelage under other organ masters and his experience of being sampled by A Tribe Called Quest.

Jazz88's Manny Hill chats with Minneapolis Public Schools Interim Suptindendent Rochelle Cox about the increased graduation rates around MPS, Teacher Appreciation Week, and how the district plans to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Superintendent Cox also highlights the MPS Shines winners for the month of April.

Bobby Lyle is back in town for a Friday show at Crooners and he was nice enough to stop by the Afternoon Cruise. He talked about growing up in Minneapolis and hearing about young musicians in North Minneapolis who were working out of a garage. Those musicians turned out to be Prince and Morris Day! That's the tip of the iceberg with the stories Bobby Lyle can tell about his four plus decades in th...

Pianist Billy Childs connected with Sean McPherson via ZOOM to discuss his new album, his collaborators and his upcoming show at the Dakota in Minneapolis. - This podcast was produced and edited by Autumn Haeg.

Some say Willie West’s greatest musical triumph was in the 1970s when he was the lead singer for the iconic pop group, the Meters. But Willie has never stopped singing, as his new CD The Soul Sessions attests. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Willie told about how the songs on the CD are special to him, such as Talk to Me, composed by Little Willie John.

Karrin Allyson swung through the Afternoon Cruise to talk about her upcoming show at the Dakota on Tuesday, May 16. She's preparing for a new album centered on the music of Brazil and she's bringing some collaborators, including Rossa Passos to get in on the action.

In advance of a release show at the Cedar Cultural Center, deVon Russell Gray, Nathan Hanson and Davu Seru visited Jazz88 to discuss their new album, We Sick.

The State of Minnesota has become just the 4th state to pass legislation for a free school meal program. Starting next school year (2023-24), students at Minneapolis Public Schools will be able to eat meals for free during their days at school. Jazz88's Manny Hill talks with MPS Director of Culinary and Wellness Bertrand Weber on what it all means for the district, and where families can find more...

The jet-setting Twin Cities based saxophonist Lucia Sarmiento swung by the Afternoon Cruise to chat with Sean McPherson in anticipation of her first headlining concert ever, taking place at Crooners on Thursday, April 27.