The Morning Show

Russell Ferrante is a founding member of the legendary fusion band, the Yellowjackets. He spoke with Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon about his musical path, including an eye-opening first tour with blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon. He also discussed the collaboration with guitarist Robben Ford that led to forming the Yellowjackets, and the leaderless philosphy that has helped the band stay togethe...

Choro Borealis is a Twin-Cities based Brazilian ensemble that performs a variety of musical styles from South America’s largest country, including choro, samba, forro, and original compositions that incorporate jazz influences. The term choro references a type of instrumental music that evolved in the late nineteenth century from the fusion of European dances like polkas, schottisches, and walzes,...

Twin Cities-based guitarist Zacc Harris speaks with Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon about his latest trio project "American Reckoning," the upcoming Zacc Harris group appearance at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and his work in the Atlantis Quartet. You can catch Harris's set at the TCJF Saturday, June 20th at 4 PM at Mears Park.

Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon speaks with Andrew Wallesch, the Artistic Director of the JazzMn Orchestra, about their Saturday, June 20th appearance with singer Michael Mayo at the 2026 Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Wallesch, a singer himself, discusses Mayo's unique gifts as a vocalist and improvisor. More information on that and other Twin Cities Jazz Festival performances can be found at www.t...

Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon speaks with Andrew Wallesch, the Artistic Director of the JazzMn Orchestra, about their Saturday, June 20th appearance with singer Michael Mayo at the 2026 Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Wallesch, a singer himself, discusses Mayo's unique gifts as a vocalist and improvisor. More information on that and other Twin Cities Jazz Festival performances can be found at www.t...

Guitarist Kenny Reichert is an artist who splits his time between the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, Chicago, and a teaching job in Oklahoma. He is Artist in Residence at the Minneapolis venue Berlin this month, and through the month of May he is featuring several of his different projects in a series called "Letters from the Road." In this conversation with Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon, he discusse...

Two Twin-Cities based musicians, guitarist and singer Caro Bernardini and bandoneon player Charles Gorczynski, join Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon for an in-studio performance and conversation. They discuss the evolution of the music, which was a cultural fusion of European immigrants that came into contact with African-descended people that lived in Buenos Aires in the late nineteenth century....

Riley Mulherkar is a Seattle native and Julliard-trained trumpeter and composer who has embraced both jazz roots and modern production techniques in crafting his art. In a conversation with Jazz88's Peter Solomon, he discusses his musical influences, the brass ensemble The Westerlies that he helped to found, and his solo debut project "Riley." Mulherkar will appear at Berlin in Minneapolis on Apri...

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....

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...

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...

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pianist Aaron Parks speaks to Jazz88's Peter Solomon about his most recent project on the Blue Note label, a quartet session called "By All Means," featuring bassist Ben Street, saxophonist Ben Solomon, and legendary drummer Billy Hart. Parks also discusses his musical influences, how he dealt with being labelled a jazz prodigy,and talks about his recent essay discussing his experiences navigating...

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...

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...

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...

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...