Jazz88

Global Jazz Collegium performs classics of Fusion Jazz plus its own original music this Thursday night September 25 at the Hook and Ladder in Minneapolis. The show will be from 8 till 11. We open this feature with Global Jazz Collegium playing one of the great classics of the Fusion movement, a piece by Chick Corea.

Global Jazz Collegium performs classics of Fusion Jazz plus its own original music this Thursday night September 25 at the Hook and Ladder in Minneapolis. The show will be from 8 till 11. We open this feature with Global Jazz Collegium playing one of the great classics of the Fusion movement, a piece by Chick Corea.

On his website, drummer, producer and bandleader Makaya MCraven describes himself as a "beat scientist."Much of McCraven's work is involved in picking musical moments from his recorded performances and applying hip-hop style production techniques to reinvent the material. McCraven is releasing four new EPs in October, and he is performing live at Icehouse in Minneapolis on September 25th. He talks...

Since it's founding in 1985, The Dakota has become a linchpin of the music world. The Dakota's founder, Lowell Pickett, has been at the helm since the beginning and the journey from it's beginnings as a no-cover, all local music spot to one of the premier performance venues in the world has been miraculous, but also serendipitous. Pickett shares stories from the club's beginnings, shines light on...

Pianist Yuko Mabuchi is bringing her trio to the Selby Ave Jazz Fest for a performance on Saturday, September 13. Mabuchi, who hails from Japan but is based in L.A., was nice enough to connect with Sean McPherson and talk about her trio, her repertoire and her love of improvisation.

The Selby Avenue Fest includes great performances and master classes by artists with something to say. The complete schedule is at Selby Ave jazz fest dot com. Ernest Bisong is the artistic director of Walker West Academy, the presenting sponsor the Selby Avenue Jazz Fest. When Ernest met with Phil Nusbaum, the two spoke of jazz in general, some of the artists at the event, and the event’s educati...

Lawrence El, the distinguished keyboardist and songwriter from Mint Condition is reuniting with the members of Mint to celebrate a particular facet of their musical offerings; The Mintroludes. During Mint's decades long run as a band they satiated their musical appetites with short interludes that bring in a wider array of styles then their primary R&B offerings would permit. Lawrence El, so often...

Paulus Shafer is known as one of the greatest living Jazz guitarists. And Paulus makes his first Twin Cities appearance with guitarist Ryan Picone and bassist Matt Blake, from 6 till 7:30, Sunday, September 14 at Crooners Supper Club in Fridley. Ryan visited with Phil Nusbaum, and when the two got together, they first talked about Ryan’s composition, Waltz for Chacho, composed when Ryan was a stud...

The Messthetics started as a kind of post-punk instrumental trio including former Fugazi bandmates Brendan Canty on drums and Joe Lally on bass with guitarist and composer Anthony Pirog. In 2023, they brought saxophonist James Brandon Lewis into the ensemble, and the result is a fascinating quartet in which musicians from widely divergent backgrounds find common ground. The Messthetics and James B...

Songwriter Charlie Parr sings his songs at the Dakota in Minneapolis, Friday night, September 5 at 9PM. When Charlie talked to Phil Nusbaum about his songwriting, it came out that Charlie also writes short stories, and the stories and songs frequently offer differing perspectives on events and people.

Straight No Chaser. That’s the title of a Thelonious Monk composition, and also a quartet that plays Monk. Kavyesh Kavyraj plays the piano, Chris Bates the bass, Chris Thomson the sax and Joey Phillips the drums. The group plays at Berlin in Minneapolis Friday August 29 at 7:30pm. When Phil Nusbaum talked to Kavy and Chris about the quartet, he asked why the focus on Monk, and Chris was the first...

Patty Peterson leads a group of jazz women all-stars into the Dunsmore room at Crooner’s Supper Club, this Thursday, August 28 from 6 till 7:30.These shows are always different, and this time, there is a performer Patty’s been trying to get on the bill for years.

Guitarist Jeff Christiansen and bassist Larry Wiegand are Twin Cities guys who have performed together in the group Crow. In addition to that, Jeff and Larry have what you might call a side project going. The two of them, with help from some of their musical buddies have put out a recording of instrumental versions of great old songs. It is called Boday and the Big Wig plays the classics. When Jef...

After completing the long drive from the Upper Peninsula back to the Twin Cities, trumpet player and composer Adam Meckler was happy to pop in the booth at Jazz88 and discuss his upcoming gigs at Berlin on Friday, August 15. Meckler also talked about his upcoming record "Sampled" which drops in November. Meckler also shared what he and the rest of the team from the Michigan Technological Universit...

Professional pianist Abebi Stafford and student saxophonist Sam Stauning stopped by the Jazz88 studios to talk about the fundraiser concert the MN Hard Bop Collective is hosting on Monday, August 11. The concert will feature a student ensemble with Stauning alongside pianist Basil Saathoff and guitarist Kyle Baxter. The concert will also feature a professional performance with Abebi Stafford on or...

The celebrated multi-instrumentalist Dosh dreamed big a couple years ago when he put together the Larry Schaefer Memorial Orchestra. This fully improvised 12-piece unit has been performing for a handful of years and Dosh is ready to bring the show to Palmer's on the West Bank for a show this Saturday. The orchestra will be joined by LA Buckner, Little Lizard and more. Dosh was nice enough to stop...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with Ricky Riccardi, the Head of Research Collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum, and the author of three books on Armstrong. Riccardi's newest book is called "Stomp Off, Let's Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong." It draws on previously unavailable sources to provide new details and insights about Armstrong's life and music, particularly shedding light on...

The legendary guitarist Mark Whitfield is making his way back to the Twin Cities for a set at the Lakeside Guitar Festival. Whitfield is no stranger to Minnesota, having played here frequently at the beginning of his career when he was touring with Brother Jack McDuff. Whitfield covered the details of the trio he's traveling with, his reverence and love for education and his approach to improvisin...

Abinnet Berhanu and Yohannes Tona are elite musicians who can cover a lot of ground musically. But, given that they are both Ethiopian-Americans, they bring a lot of passion for Ethiopian music into our scene. After many successful individual efforts, the duo decided to reach out to a likeminded L.A. musician, Kibrom Birhane, and form a new group. ENGOCHA premieres this Friday and Saturday at Iceh...

Each year, Jazz88 honors 4 individuals who have been pioneers of Minnesota's jazz scene. This year, the honorees are Art Katzman (trombone), Grant West (piano), Jay Epstein (drums), and award winning singer, the late Debbie Duncan. The live concert and conversation took place at the Minnesota History Center's 3M Theater on April 13th, 2025 and was curated and hosted by Patty Peterson. Minnesota Ja...

JC Sanford, the organizer of the Northfield Jazz Festival, swung by the studios of Jazz88 to discuss the 2025 installment of the festival, which takes place July 11-13. The event is only its second year, but it's already tripled in size. Sanford and co will host events from Friday evening all the way to Sunday evening. Listen to find out more about the Northfield Jazz Fest and this year's headlini...

Joan Hutton from Take that Back was nice enough to visit the Jazz88 studios in anticipation of their upcoming performance at Taste of MN this weekend (Sunday July 6 at 5:45). Hutton was joined by Stephanie Wiesler, who is filling in on sax and flute for Sue Orfield. The duo discussed the upcoming gig, the joys and difficulties of subbing in and the fun of playing outside!

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with guitarist Ryan Picone about how he finds inspiration in the music of gypsy guitar legend Django Reinhardt. Picone shares some insider's knowledge about Django's life and music and  stories about his mentors, Howard Alden and Stephane Wrembel. Picone spoke from his apartment in Uptown Minneapolis, where he performed a couple of Django's compositions, including "Nu...

Toussaint Morrison is a journalist, an actor and a recording artist. This Friday, Toussaint is premiering five new music videos and a live set of all new music at the Green Room in Minneapolis. The event is in celebration of his forthcoming new album, Shapeshifter. Morrison took the time to visit with Sean from Jazz88 to discuss his love of jazz and share a couple of his personal favorites.

Pianist and composer Emmet Cohen will be back in the Twin Cities to play at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival on Friday, June 20 at 8:30 with his trio and the Four Freshmen. Cohen took a break this week to catch up with Sean McPherson and talk about his latest studio release and what he still keeps on reaching for in the world of music.