The Morning Show

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with Victor Cole, Director of Recruitment, Retention and Induction in the School of Urban Education at Metro State University, about a Graduate Programs Preview Day coming up April 13th.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with Brazilian guitar virtuoso Diego Figueiredo about his musical development and his recent album "My World," which featured guest appearances by clarinetist/saxophonist Ken Peplowski and trumpeter Nicholas Payton. Figueiredo is appearing at Crooners on Friday 3/29.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with pianist Miki Yamanaka on "Shades of Rainbow," her new collaboration with tenor saxophonist Mark Turner. She discusses the influence of pianist Cedar Walton on her playing, the making of the new album, and the status of women in the contemporary Jazz scene.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon caught up with singer Cyrille Aimee ahead of her performance at the Dakota on Tuesday, March 19th. She talked about her childhood in France, her introduction to jazz, her decision to move to New Orleans, the house she designed and built in Costa Rica during the pandemic, and her new album of originals "A Fleur de Peau" which is being released this month.

Singer-Composer Jennifer Grimm and her husband and musical partner, Joe Cruz, visited with Jazz88's Peter Solomon on the Morning Show. Jennifer performed two originals - "Half a Man" and "I Miss Minneapolis/St. Paul" and did a short version of "Our Love Is Here to Stay." She talked about her unusual musical background (she grew up singing in a family variety show act) and about her approach to wri...

Tenor saxophonist JD Allen speaks with Jazz88's Peter Solomon about his recent recording THIS, which features Allen playing with Gwilym Jones on drums and electronic soundscapes created by Alex Bonney. Allen will be appearing in the Twin Cities March 15th at Jazz Central and March 16th at Icehouse,

Peter Solomon spoke with Dayna Martinez, Executive Director of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, about the headliners that will be featured at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival in June.

Peter Solomon spoke with Cathy McLeer, State Director for AARP Minnesota about the Twin Cities Winter Jazz Fest.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with singer Jamecia Bennett about her concert Friday, February 23rd at the Ordway, which she says will celebrate the the evolution of music from African roots to jazz, blues, and soul. Bennett is a resident artist at the Ordway.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, the leader of the Basie Orchestra for the past twenty years. Barnhart discusses his early exposure to music at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, how he came to play the trumpet, how he felt the first time he heard the Basie Orchestra, the background behind his Grammy-winning album "Basie Swings the Blues," and what to expect from the...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with Brittany Tweed, Director of Financial Aid at Metro State University about what's happened recently with FAFSA, some opportunities for financial aid, and details on an open house event at Metro State Monday, February 26th. Metro State University is an underwriter of Jazz88.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, about a new documentary airing this week on PBS about pioneering trombonist, electric guitarist, composer, and arranger, Eddie Durham.

Aubrey Logan is the daughter of a band director and a choir teacher and grew up singing in musical theatre. Picking up a horn in high school, she became a quadruple threat as a vocalist, trombonist, composer, and arranger. She spoke with Jazz88's Peter Solomon about her career, her recent recording "Standards," her work with Postmodern Jukebox, and her appearance Saturday, February 3rd at the Nort...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with Trumpeter Steve Kenny, who curates the jazz at K.J.'s Hideaway. He brings his quintet to the St. Paul venue Saturday, February 3rd to celebrate the music of John Coltrane. This will be the 100th performance in the ongoing jazz series that Kenny has curated over the past two years.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with award-winning mystery novelist Michael Connelly about how jazz played an essential role in establishing the character of Harry Bosch, the hard-edged loner cop with a penchant for bucking authority and a deep-seated love of jazz. Connelly himself became a jazz fan as he was doing the research for his books. (Image by Mark Coggins, San Francisco)

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with drummers Abinnet Berhanu and Kevin Washington about an upcoming show at Icehouse, Friday evening, January 19th. Berhanu will be showcasing music that draws on his Ethiopian heritage and his band Ahndenet will feature the singer Genet Abate. Washington will perform with RA Spirit. Photo of Abinnet Berhanu by Beza Tuga.

Sousaphonist Erik Jacobson’s romance with New Orleans brass bands started when we was in high school and was exposed to the Dirty Dozen Brass Band record “My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now.” After sharing the album with fellow University of Wisconsin-Madison music student Christopher “Roc” Ohly, he started up Mama Digdown’s Brass Band. They’ve kept it going for thirty years and have toured all over, inclu...

Minneapolis-based pianist and composer spoke with Jazz88's Peter Solomon ahead of his December 30th birthday celebration at KJ's Hideaway in St. Paul. (Photo by Evin Rodriguez-Sosa)

Ben Monder, guitarist for The Bad Plus, recently connected with Peter Solomon to discuss The Bad Plus's upcoming residency at the Dakota, which starts on December 25 and runs until December 28.

Dave King, co-founder and drummer for The Bad Plus, recently connected with Peter Solomon to discuss The Bad Plus's upcoming residency at the Dakota, which starts on December 25 and runs until December 28.

Some changes are coming to Minneapolis Public Schools in the next couple of months. There will be new leadership with a permanent Superintendent set to take over soon for the current interim Superintendent Rochelle Cox, who MPS Voices Executive Producer Manny Hill recently caught up with. Manny and Rochelle talk about a few topics, as the winter break is coming up, but first they discussed the new...

Stacey Kent is a critically acclaimed jazz singer beloved the world over. She has sold more than two million recordings and her music has been downloaded a half a billion times. Her latest recording, “Summer Me, Winter Me” was recently issued on Naïve records. Jazz88’s Peter Solomon caught up with Kent via Zoom to discuss the new recording. (Photo by Judy Maxwell. )

Dayna Martinez, the Executive Director of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, stopped by during the Morning Show to announce the artists that will be featured in Winter Jazz Fest coming up on February 24, 2024.

Enrollment Season has gotten underway again at Minneapolis Public Schools. It started November 15, and MPS Voices Executive PRoducer Manny Hill talked with MPS Director of Enrollment Managment Martha Swanson about important dates for families to remember, and also the upcoming School Finder Fair happening on January 13!

Jazz 88's Peter Solomon spoke with Erinn Liebhard, director of the St. Paul based dance troupe Rhythmically Speaking about their upcoming show "Chill," running Dec. 1 -3 at Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St. Paul, and featuring original choreography to a live jazz performance of Vince Guaraldi's score for A Charlie Brown Christmas. (Image by Jillian Bell).