Nathan Hanson and Erik Fratzke will explore the nooks and crannies of post-structuralist and restructuralist melodies and grooves. Jazz tunes, folk songs, and classic skronk will inform the proceedings. Join us and become familiar with the unfamiliar. Erik Fratzke is a composer/performer/educator based in St. Paul, Minn. Best known as the bassist of Happy Apple, […]

A member of the Midwest music scene for many years, Ginger Commodore is a regular visitor to the Dakota stage. Classically trained, gospel-influenced, and jazz-inspired, Ginger’s musical foundation is a true amalgam of musical styles presented with her unique delivery.

Led by chief detonators Doug Haining, sax, and Scott Agster, trombone, the Explosion Big Band draws from the area’s finest musicians. The EXPLOSION is ready to detonate with the classic sounds of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and more modern sounds of Thad Jones, Clare Fischer, Pat Metheny & others.

The Cherry Pit presents an open jam for musicians and music lovers in the Twin Cities. It’s a social hub for Twin Cities creatives, a training ground to refine musicianship, and a vehicle for high-vibrational improvisation. This is not a free-form basement jam or strictly a jazz jam. Our goal is to find an equilibrium […]

Join Zeitgeist and Sounding Ground artists Sarah M Greer, May Klug, Leyna Marika Papach, and JC Sanford for a performance of the new works they have developed through Sounding Ground. New works will include “PERSON/a requiem’ by Papach, Brennschluss by Klug, Precipice: Breaths for Diving by Greer, and Underwater Cousins by Sanford. The SOUNDING GROUND composer residency program provides commissioning, […]

Twin Talk is the longstanding Chicago trio of Dustin Laurenzi (saxophone), Katie Ernst (bass/voice), and Andrew Green (drums). The band will play two freewheeling sets of original music that blur the boundaries between near-telepathic collective improvisation and highly composed songs. Since forming in 2012, Chicago’s Twin Talk has steadily drifted from the conventions of the saxophone […]

Arthur "L.A." Buckner is one of the Twin Cities' most creative drummers. His August 2020 release reached Number One on the iTunes jazz charts within twenty-four hours. Buckner's music is a fusion of his influences: Gospel, R&B, hip hop, African rhythms, and jazz. Meet the visionary talent known as Obi Original. With deep roots in Nigeria's vibrant music […]

The Willie August Project Ben Siems- Guitar Matt Peterson- Upright Bass Jeremy Hauer- Drums

Burning Vocals, Traditional & Contemporary Orchestral Jazz, Swing & Bop When the artistry of vocalist Jennifer Grimm met the mastery of composer arranger Adi Yeshaya, a new sound was born. Don’t miss this 13-piece jazz orchestra in a night of compositions and new arrangements of jazz and pop favorites. Jennifer Grimm: Vocals Adi Yeshaya: Piano, […]

This trio play originals and also some Monk and Mingus compositions. Low and Outside trio, featuring:   Phil Hey, Drum Kyle Motl, Bass Dean Sorenson, Trombone

MESTIZX is Bolivian-born singer and multi-medium performer Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and renowned Chicago expat jazz drummer Frank Rosaly's debut album as co-composers, arrangers and musicians. Partners in both marriage and art, the Amsterdam-based Ferragutti and Rosaly dove into the sounds of their respective ancestral roots in Bolivia, Brazil, and Puerto Rico to create a deeply […]

Brad Holden & Twins

Join Zeitgeist and Sounding Ground artists Sarah M Greer, May Klug, Leyna Marika Papach, and JC Sanford for a performance of the new works they have developed through Sounding Ground. New works will include “PERSON/a requiem’ by Papach, Brennschluss by Klug, Precipice: Breaths for Diving by Greer, and Underwater Cousins by Sanford. The SOUNDING GROUND composer residency program provides commissioning, […]

Saxophonist Joan Hutton and pianist Tyler Lustek will perform two sets of melodic, inviting improvised music featuring jazz standards and their original compositions. Canadian native Joan Hutton is a performer, composer, and educator residing in Minneapolis. Joan’s diverse interests have taken her from jazz, free improv, and funk to classical, chamber music, and pit orchestras. […]

The Pete Snell Quartet Pete Snell- Saxophone Abebi Stafford- Piano Jim Chenoweth- Bass Jesse Simon- Drums

Stablemates

Featuring: Southside Aces Maud Hixson and her Town Talkers Tony Balluff and The Four A.M. Orchestra Southside Aces Your magnanimous Jazz Age Rumpus hosts, Southside Aces, are a Twin Cities institution. They’ve been performing the music of Jazz Age greats such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Fats Waller, just to name a few, since 2003. […]

The Gustavus Jazz Ensemble, the premiere jazz touring ensemble of Gustavus Adolphus College led by Dr. Dave Stamps, will take the stage for an unforgettable afternoon of music ahead of their highly anticipated international tour to Ireland and Scotland in May. The program will showcase important works from the historical American music canon alongside cutting-edge […]

Jam Session: Ethan Ostrow