The Morning Show

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with legendary blues and soul singer Bettye LaVette. She talks about her development as an artist and the way she had to learn how to use her voice to make a song her own. She is appearing at the Parkway Theater in a double billing with Medline Peyroux Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with trombonist Wycliffe Gordon about his musical influences and the diverse array of instruments that he plays, including soprano trumpet and didgeridoo. Gordon is appearing with the MMEA All State Jazz Band at the Dakota on Friday, February 14th.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with filmmaker John Scheinfeld about his 2023 documentary "What the Hell Happened to Blood Sweat and Tears?" The film tells the story of the pioneering jazz rock band - one of the most popular bands in the world in the late sixties and early seventies - and the disastrous impact of going on tour beind the Iron Curtain for the US State Department. Scheinfeld describes...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with guitarist and composer Scott Burton. Burton now lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin but formerly lived in Richmond, Virginia (where Peter and Scott crossed paths on occasion). An artist inspired by collaboration and pushing musical boundaries, Burton brings a newly formed trio called "Mantis" to Berlin on Monday, February 10th. Attached photo of Mantis members Sean Car...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon visited an adult jazz combo in their first rehearsal directed by bassist/educator Chris Bates at Jazz Central. The combo is one of eleven groups that got started in January through North Star Jazz Workshops.

The Star Tribune has launched a new podcast called "Ghost of a Chance" that tells the story of a black couple named Harry and Clementine Robinson who lived in South Minneapolis in the early twentieth century. The house that they occupied now belongs to Eric Roper, who happens to be the editor of the paper's regular history feature, "Curious Minnesota." Roper purchased the home in March of 2020 and...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with G. Philip Shoultz, III about the 44th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert taking place Sunday, January 19th at Ted Mann Concert Hall.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with Sarah Fornace from the Chicago-based performance collective "Manual Cinema." Fornace is the director of "Leonardo: A Wonderful Show about a Terrible Monster," a show based on two stories by Mo Willems. It's running January 8th - March 9th at Children's Theatre.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with Shawn Lewis, Community Relations Manager with the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, about planned improvements to North Commons Park. At $45 million, the North Commons renovation represents the largest investment ever made in a neighborhood park in the 140-year history of the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with Harlem-based pianist Emmet Cohen about his recent album "Vibe Provider," and about "Live from Emmet's Place" - the live stream series he started that helped him navigate the pandemic. Cohen plays the Dakota on November 15th with bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Joe Farnsworth.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with organist Pat Bianchi about his relationship to the Hammond B-3 organ and the influence of the late organist Joey DeFrancesco. Bianchi will perform at the Crooners Main Stage Thursday, November 14th with drummer Byron Landham and guitarist Paul Bollenback, who served as DeFrancesco's rhythm section for many years.

Scott Amendola is a bay-area drummer and composer who has had long associations with artists like Charlie Hunter and Nels Cline. He performs with a trio including clarinetist Ben Goldberg and bassist Todd Sickafoose at Jazz Central on Thursday, November 7th. The group just released an album called "Here to There" consisting of music inspired by the bridge sections, i.e. the transition sections, of...

Chris Botti is renowned trumpeter with lots of crossover appeal and a penchant for recording ballads. In this conversation with Jazz88's Peter Solomon, Botti discusses his musical inspirations, discusses studying with legendary post-bop trumpeter Woody Shaw, recalls his days touring with the temperamental drum legend and bandleader Buddy Rich, and speaks on the varying approaches he takes to live...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with choreographer and master dance instructor Ashe Smythe about the legacy of Katherine Dunham, the woman widely acknowledged as the "Queen Mother and Matriarch of African American Dance." Smythe is a guest artist and instructor in a two-week Katherine Dunham residency taking place at Lundstrum Performing Arts. Attached photo courtesy of Karen Nelson.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with Richard Cortez. The New-York based singer is releasing his debut album "Mood Swings" this week. Cortez discusses how his long history of gay activism plays into his musical career. Remarkably, he only started singing jazz publicly four years ago. He made a name for himself by organizing jazz performances at some of the gay bars in New York where he worked as a go...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with Jeff Coffin, a multi-instrumentalist/composer who is well-known for his role as saxophonist with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and the Dave Matthews Band. On "Only the Horizon," his 23rd album as a leader, he collaborates with a West African percussion group called the Yeli ensemble as well as guitarist Cory Wong, banjoist Bela Fleck, blues icon Keb Mo and others...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with Dale Alexander, a pianist and drummer based in LA but originally from St. Paul, to get his thoughts on Bud Powell. The father of modern jazz piano was born September 27, 1924 and would be 100 years old.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with NEA Jazz Master and Grammy-Award Winning trombonist and composer Delfeayo Marsalis about what inspired his recent recording 'Crescent City Jewels.' Marsalis will be featured in two sets with the JazzMn Orchestra Sunday afternoon at the Dakota. (Attached photo by Eric Waters and Girard Mouton).

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with Brent Von Rensberg, co-founder of Zip Zap Circus of Cape Town, South Africa. They have put together a show for their new touring arm called 'Moya' which they are staging at the Children's Theatre in Minneapolis from September 12th through October 20th.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with Bertrand Weber, Director of Culinary and Wellness Services at MPS. Weber gives a tour of Central Kitchen, where food is prepared and distributed to Minneapolis Public Schools. He talks about the changes that he initiated with the school system's culinary and wellness department when he came on board in 2012, and how he has reduced the amount of processed foods tha...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter Dylan Hicks about 'Modern Flora,' the latest jazz-inspired project featuring his nonet Small Screens. Hicks and his ensemble will play a concert to celebrate the release of the new EP Sunday, September 8th at the Parkway Theater.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with pianist Ethan Iverson, who played piano with the Bad Plus for seventeen years. Iverson discusses his recent Blue Note release 'Technically Acceptable,' as well as his passion for crime fiction and his controversial New York Times essay critiquing George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue.' Iverson performs with bassist Anthony Cox and drummer Kevin Washington at Crooner...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with singer and songwriter Lizz Wright about 'Shadow,' an album that was released in April. The recording celebrates the memory and lessons learned from her late grandmother. She discusses that and her collaborations with Angelique Kidjo, Brandee Younger, and Meshell Ndegeocello. Wright performs at the Dakota Friday night, August 16th.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with two members of the band HeyArlo: drummer Richard Haneman and bassist Megan Mahoney. The band will play as part of the Hopkins Center for the Arts Sunset Series at Downtown Park Thursday evening, August 15th in Hopkins.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with vocalist Carmen Bradford about her musical career with Count Basie and her participation in the program "Uptown Nights" with trumpeter Byron Stripling and the Minnesota Orchestra on Saturday, August 3rd. Bradford is the daughter of trumpeter Bobby Bradford, a renowned educator and former sideman with Ornette Coleman, and singer Melba Joyce.