Jazz88

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...

AJ Srubas plays multiple styles of traditional fiddle, including early bluegrass. And he’s got some of his early bluegrass buddies from his southern travels in a series of shows coming up. The players are banjoist Trevor Holder, guitarist Conner Vlietstra, mandolinist Reed Stutz and local bass player Rina Rossi. On November 15, the quintet plays at the Oak Center General Store, November 16 in Camb...

Jazz88's Peter Solomon sspeaks with arranger and composer Adi Yeshaya about his latest recording, "Produce." The album showcases vocalist Jennifer Grimm. Yeshaya discusses his association with the late Twin Cities singer Debie Duncan, sheds some light on the arrangements featured on the album, and talks about his upcoming appearance at the Dakota on Wednesday, October 29th.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon speaks with Grammy and Tony Award Winning Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater about her musical path and how her latest duet album "Elemental" is a return to her musical roots. Bridgwater talks about the music that she grew up with at home in Flint, MI and listening to the legendary black Memphis station WDIA. Bridgewater jumped into being a jazz musician with both feet when she be...

After fifteen years of performing and recording together, in 2021, the Atlantis Quartet began a hiatus. Late in the Covid pandemic, it was a period of reflection for the group. The group eventually reformed, and one of the results is the group’s new CD, Live at Berlin, the Minneapolis Jazz club. Guitarist Zacc Harris and drummer Pete Hennig talked to Phil Nusbaum about the Atlantis Quartet, its CD...

Guitarist Joel Shapira plays in multiple musical settings. But he seems more inclined than most to record solo. Joel’s new solo project is called Unscripted. He showcases music from the CD at two shows about a week out. On Saturday October 25 at 7pm, he leads a trio into the High Hat in Saint Paul, and on Saturday November 1, he plays 4:30 till 6, solo at Berlin in Minneapolis. In a conversation w...

Kristin Korb is that rare breed of musician who is equally adept as a vocalist and a jazz bassist. In this conversation with Jazz88 Morning Show Host Peter Solomon, she discusses her path as an artist, her association with bassist Ray Brown, and her latest project featuring jazz interpretations of music by the British synth-pop duo The Eurhythmics. Korb performs at the Danish American Center on Oc...

Dale Alexander and Pierre Lewis are old friends from Minneapolis. We see Dale around town playing the piano with many groups. He’s also a drummer, and years back, he played drums for Prince. He’s drumming for Pierre Lewis, who will be playing the organ, Saturday October 18 from 8 till 9:30 at Jazz Central Studios in Minneapolis. Dale talked with Phil Nusbaum about the show, music in general, and f...

Kashimana is a Minneapolis musician who experienced things during pregnancy and childbirth that she just had to write songs about. Her project is called Phantom Cries, and the songs range from ones critical of the process to others that are cute and funny. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Kashimana told of her songwriting process.

According to Sarah Morris Dot Com, Sarah is a big dreamer, a sourdough lover, a huge fan of coffee, and a sucker for morning sky. Oh, and also, a singer songwriter. Sarah’s new CD is called Say Yes, and the songs on it reflect varying moods and broad and perhaps unexpected musical settings. The CD release event takes place 7pm Friday October 10 at the Dakota in Minneapolis. Sarah sat down with Phi...

Thirty Second Street Jazz gives fresh Spins to important Jazz. Friday October 10 at 7pm at Metronome in Saint Paul, Thirty Second Street Jazz plays its take on the Miles Davis LP Kind of Blue, plus its original music and unique mashups. But what’s a mashup? When bassist Scott Anderson talked to Phil Nusbaum about Thirty Second Street Jazz, Scott first addressed the difference between a mashup and...

Billy McLaughlin has helped blaze the trail for a guitar style known as tap guitar. But when Billy talked to Phil Nusbaum, we learned that to Billy, showcasing original melodies is the important thing.

To singer Aja Parham, Sarah Vaughan is an inspiring jazz vocalist. And next Thursday at Crooners in Fridley, Aja presents an evening of Sarah Vaughn songs that Aja has studied in meticulous detail. An added bonus is the singing of Sarah’s 9 year old son and promising jazz vocalist, Asa singing a few songs. When Aja and Asa talked to Phil Nusbaum, Aja first reflected on her first awareness of Sarah...

The Riffin’ Trio delivers a program of Jazz with a carefree spirit, this Sunday September 28 at Dusty’s in Minneapolis. It’s part of the Riffin’ Trio residency at Dusty’s, every fourth monthly Sunday 5 till 8PM. Phil Nusbaum caught up with Nelson Deveraux, sax player for the group, and asked Nelson about the Riffin’ Trio’s approach to a John Coltrane blues.