Jazz88

One of the most popular jazz acts ever was the Nat King Cole trio. Cole’s widespread popularity began in the 1940s, and he still commands the attention of jazz musicians and fans. Kings of Cole is a local group organized by Joe Weismann that performs in the style of the Nat King Cole Trio. Joe sat down with Phil Nusbaum to talk about the group ahead of its show at Icehouse in Minneapolis, 5:30-8PM...

Orkestar Bez Ime travels widely to learn folk music from the Balkans, and works with local people. The result is a Twin Cities-based Balkan band with great singing and playing that rings true with the traditions represented. You can catch Orkestar Bez Ime at Crooners on August 31, and then Sept 3 and 4 at the Minnesota State Fair. When Phil Nusbaum sat down with Colleen Bertsch and Katrina Munding...

Celebrated pianist Larry McDonough has been a fixture on the jazz scene for decades and he's well-known for his love of Bill Evans. This Thursday Larry and company are gracing the mainstage of Crooners to play Bill Evans' material. They'll also share part of a moving documentary about Evans' life.

After a chance encounter 22 years ago in the Twin Cities, Tony London went on to become friends with Tony Bennett and receive support and sage advice from him as London built his career as a modern crooner. Like so many in the music industry, London recognizes Bennett as a "singer's singer" and valued his mentorship as much as his artistry. With Bennett's passing in July, Tony London is taking to...

What’s it like to be a member of the No Man’s String Band? Well, you can be kind of busy playing for one thing. When you talk to band members like fiddler Lindsey Bordner and bass player Pat Loftus, you learn that the band’s essence is a combination of a commitment to quality, and enjoying the moment. Lindsay and Pat expanded on those ideas in an interview with Phil Nusbaum.

Jazz88 Radio Host, Patty Peterson, reminisces with several Twin Cities jazz legends, who have achieved local and national acclaim, including educator, arranger and composer, Denny Malmberg (piano, accordion, bass)-composer, sculptor and Arawak Records founder, Douglas Ewart (saxophone, flute), award winning composer and educator Joan Griffith (guitar, bass, mandolin), and “A Prairie Home Companion...

Jack Barrett (piano) and Charlie Bruber (bass) are kindred musical spirits. And during the pandemic they found their way back to creativity by doing brisk, low-pressure sessions with Ben Ehrlich and Jake Baldwin bright and early in the morning. These sessions grew into the record that they are releasing as the Jack Barrett Quartet on Wednesday night at Icehouse.

On August 21, 1904 Count Basie was born in Red Bank, NJ. In his seventy-nine years on planet earth he contributed immense amounts to the development of jazz. And the legendary orchestra that he led for the majority of his life continues on to this day under the tutelage of Scotty Barnhart. Rick Carlson, a Twin Cities pianist who holds an after hours residency at Crooners, was raised on the piano w...

The Selby Avenue Brass Band does a lot of performing with singer Thomassina Petrus. On Sunday, August 27, the whole group performs during a church service. It’s part of the Gospel According to jazz project, and this performance will be during the 11AM worship service at the Liberty Community Church, 3700 Bryant Avenue in Minneapolis. The Selby Avenue Brass Band is led by Tom Wells who writes and a...

The greatness of the pop group the Beatles might just be in the musical possibilities inherent in the group’s songs. This Saturday night at 6:30 at Crooners Supper Club in Fridley, four Minneapolis guitarists explore Beatles music. They are Jeff Perry, Tim Sparks, Joel Shapira and Zach Harris, with bassist Gary Raynor and drummer Bob Johnston. Phil Nusbaum went to a Beatles Reimagined rehearsal an...

Jamecia Bennett took time out of her busy schedule to chat with Jazz88 in advance of her headlining show at the Art and All That Jazz Festival this weekend in Burnsville. Ms. Bennett, well-known for her long tenure with Sounds of Blackness, is bringing her critically acclaimed solo show to Nicollet Commons Park and already planning out further performances later in the year at the Ordway.

Deedles, aka Diane Schuur, is making her way back to the Twin Cities for two shows on Saturday, August 12 with the JazzMN Orchestra. She'll be exploring the Count Basie songbook, something she's been doing since the mid 1980s. Diane was joined for this interview by her feline partner, Puss Puss. This interview was edited by Ben Ere’imul.

Celebrated pianist and MacPhail instructor Michael Cain spent about a decade working with Jack DeJohnette from '90-'99. He was nice enough to swing through Jazz88 and talk about his love of Jack DeJohnette. He also reflected on DeJohnette's larger importance in the music world at large.

Award-winning pianist Isaiah J. Thompson is navigating life as a rising star in the jazz world, an in-demand sideman touring the world with John Pizzarelli and a newly-wed! It's a lot to balance but Thompson finds a way to that and also serenade his mother's old Volvo in song form.

JT Bates is preparing for a show on Monday August 14 with Todd Clouser and John Medeski. JT Bates connected with Sean from the Afternoon Cruise to talk about what it's like to play with Medeski and Clouser and what they plan to bring to the stage of Icehouse on Monday, August 14.

Ted Godbout is a consumate sideman supplying the needed support on the keys for many of the greats in the Twin Cities and beyond. But on Wednesday August 9 Godbout will be stepping out as a leader to bring his sounds to the plaza of the Capri Theater. Check out the conversation between Ted and Sean McPherson from the Afternoon Cruise.

Back in the 1980s, Diane Schuur was singing with the Count Basie orchestra. She recorded with Basie, the recording won a grammy, and now Diane Schuur is an established Basie interpreter. Diane comes to the Twin Cities this Saturday night to team up with JazzMN, a Twin Cities jazz orchestra that works frequently with international talent. Phil Nusbaum talked with JazzMN music director Pete Whitman,...

The 30-Days Foundation’s Art and All that Jazz Festival comes to the Ames Center and Nicollet Commons Park in Burnsville, Friday and Saturday August 18 and 19. The festival features prominent Twin Cities figures Steve Cole; Jamecia Bennett, known for her work solo and with the Sounds of Blackness; Jay Young with Ginger Commodore; Ticket to Brasil; and Mary Louise Knutson with Patti Peterson as a g...

Singer-songwriters Shahidi and Alicia Thao perform outside the Cedar Cultural Center 5PM this coming Wednesday, August 9. Shahidi and Alicia have won prestigious Cedar Commissions awards. When the two sat down with Phil Nusbaum to talk about their songs. Shahidi first talked about his song Gotta Let It Breathe.

Adam Meckler isn't just a trumpet player. He's a writer, an arranger, a curator, an educator and more. He swung down from the Upper Peninsula to get his Twin Cities based orchestra back together for a show at Crooners on Friday. In the conversation Meckler and McPherson discuss Meckler's approach to big band writing, his love of reusing material and his dedication to sharing the tricks of trade wi...

Jason Fabus is a Minnesota educated jazz musician making his way out in Los Angeles. He's swinging back through town to visit friends and play a couple shows. He'll be at Crooners on Friday night with Graydon Peterson (bass) and Phil Hey (drums) supporting. Fabus is a bit of an odd bird in the jazz world, as he works both as a saxophonist and as a vocalist. In the conversation Jason shared a bit a...

The Twin Cities based cellist Greg Byers stopped by the Afternoon Cruise to chat about his new album, "Dear Zbigniew". Greg discussed how visiting Poland in 2018 for the Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition changed his life and where he believes the world of bowed jazz players is heading.

Billy Stritch connected with Jazz88 in advance of his Crooners show, "A Musical Night Out with Billy Stritch". Sean from the Afternoon Cruise chatted with Billy about what he's learned from working with greats like Liza Minnelli, Linda Eder and others. Billy Stritch also shared a memory of playing with the late great Tony Bennett in Stritch's hometown of Sugar Land, Texas.

As a grant-supported Cedar Commissions artist, Kashimana created a set of songs about becoming a mother. The songs are now on CD, called Phantom Cries. Kashimana performs these songs at a release event at the Cedar Cultural Center, Friday July 28 at 8PM. When Kashimana talked to Phil Nusbaum, she first addressed the creative freedom grant support afforded her.

Bruce Henry dates his music career back to the first time he got paid to make music in a nightclub, going back almost exactly fifty years. He'll be celebrating his breathtaking career at the Dakota on Saturday night. Check out the conversation between Bruce Henry and Sean McPherson