Jazz88

The Foxgloves leads LaPlant Road and Lanue into the Dakota in Minneapolis, 7pm, Tuesday March 31. The Foxgloves specialize in creating song versions together, and that includes new songs as well as fresh spins on old ones. When 3 of the 5 Foxgloves, Sara, Liz and Steph met with Phil Nusbaum, Sara first told how the group chose to perform House of the rising Sun.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with Jenny Klukken, a Twin Cities-based marimba player who is releasing a new album on March 27th called "Marimba Standard." She talks about her musical journey and how she came to embrace the marimba, and about the artists that she colaborated with to create her new recording. An album release celebration will take place Saturday, March 28th at Art House North in St....

Jazz in the Cities takes place Saturday March 28. Sponsored by the Noack Endowment and the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Jazz in the Cities combines performance and other kinds of programs that enrich jazz experiences. Jazz in the Cities comes from the imagination of Ryan Picone. When Ryan talked to Phil Nusbaum about the event, Ryan told why the focus on J...

Jazz88 Morning Show Host Peter Solomon speaks with Tony Balluff, a clarinetist who leads the Twin Cities-based traditional jazz ensemble, The South Side Aces. Balluff is something of a jazz historian, and speaks eloquently about the innovative artists that created the artform. Sunday, March 22nd, the South Side Aces and some friends will be featured playing Bechet's music at Jazz Age Rumpus V, tak...

Ella Grace, an award winning trumpet player, and recording artist, speaks with Jazz88's Patty Peterson about her upcoming album release concert at Berlin in Mpls. The album's title is "Figments" and she is bringing her band from Chicago who is also featured on the recording project, to perform along with her. Ella talks about when she started composing jazz, and creating arrangements at a young ag...

Pert Near Sandstone hosts the annual String Band Gatherin’ at the Turf Club in Saint Paul this Friday and Saturday. Each night there will be local and visiting bands, plus an opening act, and an after party. Phil Nusbaum talked to J. Lenz and Justin Bruhn of the band about the event. First, J responds to Phil’s question about thinking, all year ‘round, about acts for the Gatherin’.

Bassist and composer Eli Zukor has recently returned to Minneapolis. Eli leads his quintet into Jazz Central Studios this Saturday night, March 21, from 8 till 9:30. Eli is the bassist, Bryan Murray the saxophonist, Jordan Christianson on the piano, and Everett Needleman is the drummer. When Eli spoke with Phil Nusbaum, Phil asked Eli, Why compose?

When you say Motown, you are saying more than the name of a record label located in Detroit. You are referencing a group of artists who collectively made a greater contribution to American music than their numbers would suggest. Locally, the Minneapolis Men of Motown, as well as the Minneapolis Women of Motown, and they celebrate Motown music at the Dakota in two shows on Saturday March 21. When P...

Arne Fogel Visited with Peter Solomon on the Morning Show to discuss his new recording "Arnthology," a compilation featuring recordings made between 1971 and 2026. Fogel will celebrate the release of the album Saturday, March 14th at Crooners with a performance featuring Rick Carlson, Maude Hixson, bassist Graydon Peterson, and other special guests. In this segment, you'll hear some tracks from th...

Jacquelin Ultan, Josh Misner, Devan Moran and Erica Burton comprise the Laurels String Quartet. All the players are classically trained, but the quartet frequently plays in non-classical situations. Every Sunday this March, the Laurels String Quartet plays at Berlin in Minneapolis, each week with a select collaborator. When Phil Nusbaum talked with members of the quartet, he asked about how they m...

Peter Solomon speaks with Greg Brosfske, writer and composer of a jazz-infused operetta called "Strange Heart," in spired by Pulitzer-winning poet John Berryman's writings. Actors Anna Hashizume and Bradley Greenwald also join the conversation. "Strange Heart" opens at Open Eye Theatre opened March 5th and runs through March 22nd.

About thirty years ago, Lilith Fair was created to point out gender-based inequities in the music business. Sunday evening March 8 at 6:30, at a performance at Crooner’s in Fridley, vocalist Tristana Ward fronts Pandora’s Other Box, a celebration of the original Lilith Fair artists and those who came later. When Tristana talked to Phil Nusbaum, she reflected on her shock, in the late 1990s, when s...

Theo Bleckmann is an vocalist with a penchant for creating experimental, boundary-pushing recordings drawing on a wide range of musical styles. His latest recording, called "Love and Anger," is no exception. It includes highly personal and sometimes radical arrangements of two Kate Bush songs, Sylvester’s disco hit “Mighty Real,” “Hide Your Love Away” by the Beatles, “Dido’s Lament” by Henry Purce...

Guitarist Dean Magraw and percussionist Davu Seru have each performed in many ensembles. Take together all that playing, and Dean and Davu are well prepared to show up in clubs and entertain. They perform Saturday February 28 at the High Hat in Saint Paul, at 7pm. Dean and Davu say that what they do is to play in the moment. But what does that mean? Phil Nusbaum asked the pair, and Dean was the fi...

John Penny has had multiple musical careers, including performing and music production for movies and commercials. Today, among other things, he leads the Virtual Band. He creates dense musical textures through synthesizing multiple instruments and sings and plays his electric guitar in performance. John’s virtual Band performs Sundays 11 to 2 at the Golden Thyme in Saint Paul. John Penny says he...

Saturday night, the Cedar Cultural Center presents a group of artists commissioned to create new musical work. It’ll be the second Cedar Commissions show, from 7:30 till about 11pm. Phil Nusbaum talked with two of the artists performing February 21, Mikey Marget and Valentine Lowry-Ortega. But first, we hear from John Marks, Operations director of the Cedar, who tells why the Cedar puts on the Ced...

Peter Solomon speaks to Paul Fonfara and Spencer Roth of The Brass Messengers, a Twin Cities-based brass band that blends elements of Balkan, Macedonian, Afrobeat, Free Jazz, New Orleans sounds. The group will play a Mardi-Gras show called "Dance Your Brass Off" Tuesday, February 17th at the Turf Club, presented by Jazz88.

Each year, The Cedar Cultural Center presents a group of artists commissioned to create new work. The grant that funds the Cedar Commissions comes from the Jerome Foundation, and the performances are Friday and Saturday February 20 and 21 at the Cedar, 7:30 till 11pm. Phil Nusbaum talked with the artists performing February 20, Deeq Abdi, Creekbed Carter Hogan and Trick Locket. As we join the arti...

Four Musical couples perform at Crooners in Fridley on valentine’s Day and at Chanhassen Dinner Theater on February 15. The couples are Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson, Deb Brown and Brian Zimniak, Amy and Boyd Lee and Jennifer Grimm and Joe Cruz. When Phil Nusbaum talked with Jennifer Grimm about the show, they first talked about the intimate musical conversations that each couple represents.

On his latest album "Sampled," trumpeter, composer, and educator Adam Meckler collaborated with several different hip hop producers, rappers, and instrumentalists to reimagine and recontextualize his original big band music. He talks about his collanorative process with Jazz88's Peter Solomon.

Rhythmically Speaking Dance performs next Thursday at 7:30 at the Ordway in Saint Paul. The group dances to jazz and other American social forms. In other words, its artistic palette is very broad. We’ll hear how choreographers and dancers base the dance on the inner rhythms of the music they dance to. When Rhythmically Speaking Executive director Erinn Leipard talked to Phil Nusbaum, she first ad...

Motown Reimagined! That’s the theme when a Geoff and Cherese Jones sing in front of a rhythm section that presents acoustic versions of great Motown music. The show takes place 6pm, Sunday January 8 at Crooners in Fridley. When Geoff Jones spoke with Phil Nusbaum about the show, he first addressed singing great songs.

Cellist Jacqueline Ultan and guitarist Pavel Jany are each trained classically, but have broad interests. In their new group, Duo Corda, they play and adapt music from multiple sources, creating a sound that seems to feature them both, but is at its core, integrated. Duo Corda plays Thursday Feb 5 at Crooners in Fridley at, 6pm. When Duo Corda talked to Phil Nusbaum, Jacqueline and Pavel addressed...

Joanne Lundberg is a Financial Counseling Supervisor with Lutheran Social Services. She speaks with Jazz88's Peter Solomon about debt consolidation, with an an explanation of the process and when and for whom it might be a good option.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with Craig Ritacco, COO and General Manager of The Lexington, a historic restaurant in St. Paul that features jazz between Labor day and April. Benny Weinbeck, a jazz pianist who books the shows, also joins the conversation.