Jazz88

Twin Cities resident Adi Yeshaya is internationally known as an arranger, composer and orchestrator. His latest thing is a collaboration with vocalist Jennifer Grimm. Jennifer sings with Adi’s Yeshaya’s Jazz orchestra Sunday, January 11 at Crooners, at 7pm. When Phil Nusbaum showed up at a Jennifer and Adi rehearsal, Adi was tinkering with a piano intro to Alfie.

Maud Hixson, the celebrated Twin Cities song stylist has a new recording. It’s called When Winter Comes. On the recording, Maud presents a dozen great but mostly unappreciated songs. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Maud said she’s been thinking about When Winter Comes for decades. The CD has an underlying theme of getting through a Minnesota winter. As for Maud, her ability to get through var...

Fred Keller, singer, mandolinist and songwriter has created a CD and book, each called Drifting Down the Kettle River, which happens to flow by Fred’s home in northern Minnesota. These projects illuminate Minnesota history and lifestyles over time. Fred’s trio is called The Skally Line, and after a rehearsal, band members talked about Drifting Down the Kettle with Phil Nusbaum. When they got toget...

The Minnesota Boychoir performs a holiday oriented concert this Friday at Crooners Lounge in Fridley. The Minnesota Boychoir organization actually includes four choirs totaling about 150 boys. Of course, all the boys get vocal training, and through the experience, receive life lessons as well. When the group’s leader, Mark Johnson, talked with Phil Nusbaum, Mark first told of the tradition of boyc...

Three bands; Joey Ryan and the Inks, The Exchange and Consolation Champ, get together annually to present a benefit performance. Band proceeds are donated to Every Meal, a group that provides meals to local kids that might otherwise go hungry. Member of Consolation Champ, John Richards, talked with Phil Nusbaum about the show. As the December 23 show at Icehouse is the 20th benefit show by these t...

Heyrarlo performs next Thursday from 7 till 10:30pm at Berlin in Minneapolis. Trumpeter DeCarlo and bassist Mickey from the group met with Phil Nusbaum to talk about the group. When the group formed, it played private events. Then, it got a residency in a club. Mickey said that was a turning point for Heyarlo.

Adam Bohanan combines Hanukkah with Funk at the Cedar Cultural Center, 7:30 till 10:30, Thursday December 18. Adam is receiving a lot of praise for creating a type of show that’s hardly been done, if at all. When Adam talked to Phil Nusbaum about a Funky Hanukkah, he talked about why he’s including the song, The Eight Days of Hanukkah.

Vocalist Maud Hixson has released a new album of holiday songs called "When Winter Comes." She speaks with Jazz88's Morning Show host Peter Solomon about the project, and the segment includes samples of several of the tunes from the new album. On Saturday, December 20, Hixson plays shows at Crooners to mark the release of the new recording.

David Hazeltine began working as a professional jazz musician in his hometown of Milwaukee a when he was just thirteen years old. In this conversation with Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon, he reflects on a career that has lasted more than five decades, and his close friendship and musical partnership with Twin Cities bassist Billy Peterson. The duo is will perform at Jazz Central Studios Wednesd...

Kendra Glenn commands the stage at Umbra in Minneapolis Friday and Saturday December 12 and 13. As ever, Kendra will reach into her songbook covering decades of being plugged into music. When Kendra talked to Phil Nusbaum, Kendra talked about being influenced by her favorite singers, such as Anita Baker.

Peter Solomon speaks with pianist Sean Mason about his latest album "A Breath of Fresh Air." Mason also discusses how growing up in the South affected his music, his love of early jazz, his recent collaborations with singer Catherine Russell and poet Mahogany Browne, and the ways that conflicting personality types in his quintet make his music more interesting. The new album was released in Octobe...

Red Thread and Ponyfolk’s concert Friday December 12 covers many European based holiday cultural traditions. Both groups are primarily singing groups. And, the audience is going to have opportunities to sing as well. Sarah Larsson is a member of Red Thread. When she talked to Phil Nusbaum, Sarah commented on the pleasure of singing with others.

Jazz88 host Patty Peterson interviews vocalists, Connie Evingson and Bruce Henry, about their upcoming appearance with JazzMn Orchestra. "Start your holiday on an exciting note. It's time to swing in the season with the full, rich sounds of the JazzMN Orchestra… Plus the ever-popular vocal stylings of Connie Evingson and Bruce Henry. It’s an evening to remember in the comfort of the Chanhassen Din...

The name of the group, Regional Jazz Trio, is kind of a joke. It’s because each player is well known far outside the region. The three are bassist Anthony Cox, saxophonist Mike Lewis and drummer JT Bates. When the trio plays, as at Icehouse in Minneapolis on Wednesday Dec 3 at Icehouse in Minneapolis, it’s always a blend of the composition at hand, and what comes up in the moment. When Anthony Cox...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with persussionist David Tullis and bassist Charlie Bruber of the Black Market Brass, and singer and producer Obi Original about their work in the Twin Cities Afro-Beat scene and the influences that feed into their music. The Black Market Brass Band and Obi Original have recently reased a couple of new singles, and they will play at the Cedar Cultural Center on Decemb...

Jeff Perry leads the Sonic Dream Trio, whose specialty is re-imagining pop music. And, the trio is at it the Lexington in Saint Paul Friday right after Thanksgiving at 7pm. A reviewer with the Minneapolis Star Tribune sad that Sonic Dream’s specialty is “hip retooling.” So when Phil Nusbaum talked to Jeff Perry about Sonic Dream, Phil asked Jeff what is meant by hip retooling.

Scott Scooter Nelson is a singer, percussionist, arranger, recordist, but till now, always helping others. But on the new CD Point of View, Scooter takes the role of leader. In a conversation with to Phil Nusbaum, Scooter first addressed how putting out a recording under his own name is a little different experience.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with trumpeter Dan Odegaard, a North High alumnus and a member of the Execs Big Band since 1965. The Execs are celebrating sixty years with a celebratory dance Friday night, November 21st from 7 - 10 PM at Bloomington Event Center. Odegaard also leads his own large ensemble called the Classic Big Band.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with singer, composer, and songwriter Yazmin from the band Yazmin and Beat Zero. As a teenager in rural Wisconsin, Yazmin fell in love with the sounds of Cuba, and and as an adult she spent a few years studying dance and music there. Her band is a fusion of her original songwriting, classical, jazz, funk, and Afro-Cuban sounds. On Saturday, November 22nd, Yazmin and B...

Next Thursday November 20, four local composer and musicians perform at the Vanguard Music Series, at Zion Community Commons in St Paul. The composers are guitarist Maja Radovanlija, vocalist Alyssa Anderson, trumpeter Isaac Mayhew and pianist Paul Cantrell. Phil Nusbaum had the opportunity to speak with Isaac and Paul. When they met, Phil said to Isaac that playing trumpet solo left Isaac no plac...

J.D. Steele of the famed Twin Cities musical Steele Family spends a lot of his time teaching and leading groups connected to McPhail Center for music. One of JD’s projects is a performance called “Through the Ages.” Through the Ages features three teenaged or younger singers, backed by a band composed of J.D. Steele and other music pros. The show connects musicians of different generations. When J...

Elizabeth plays the piano and Carole is the singer in the Overdressed Duo. The two feature great songs with stories that link the songs together. Opera-plus, they call it. The duo plays at Crooners in Fridley this Thursday night, November 6 at 7pm. When Elizabeth and Carole talked to Phil Nusbaum about the Overdressed Duo, Elizabeth first addressed what in the world is meant by the “Overdressed” i...

Steve Kenny, Jake Baldwin, Solomon Parham and Omar Abdulkarim take the stage for an evening of four-barreled trumpet action. Titled the Trumpet Summit at Crooners, 7:30 till 9 at Croomers in Fridley. The four trumpeters have created some special, only-at-this-show segments, and there will be a lot of spontaneity, too. Phil Nusbaum talked with Steve Kenny about the show.

Pamela York is a pianist based in Lake County, Illinois who is an active member of the jazz scenes of both Chicago and Milwaukee. A couple of years ago, she formed a combo with bassist Clay Schaub and trumpeter Eric Jacobson called the Affinity Trio. On October 17th, the group released their second album, called "New Outlook," on the Origin label. The Affinity Trio will perform at Berlin in Minnea...

Zeitgeist New Music performs Underwater Cousins by J.C. Sanford and Randy Bauer’s Holding Patters at two locations next weekend. Friday October 31 and November 2, the performances take place at the Anderson Center in Red Wing. Saturday, the performance takes place at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter. All the shows are at 7:30PM. Heather Barringer is a percussionist and artistic co-director...