Abebi Stafford, a Twin Cities native, began playing piano at age nine. It wouldn’t be until he was seventeen years old when he would begin his jazz journey. Since that time, he has performed and recorded modern jazz, to fusion, to straight ahead jazz. He is an award-winning jazz pianist who plays with artistry, heart […]

Doug Haining is one of the most swinging sax and clarinet players, citing the influence of Johnny Hodges. Doug has been delighting audiences for over three decades, working in Minneapolis, Minnesota area bands including The Wolverines Big Band, The Mouldy Figs, Red Wolfe’s Ellington Echoes, the Hall Brothers Band, the JazzMn Big Band, the Russ […]

An Evening of Classic Vocal Jazz Connie explores the Dave Frishberg Songbook from the witty and swinging (“My Attorney Bernie”, “Peel Me a Grape”) to the senstive and sublime “Listen Here”, “You Are There”). Pianist Jon Weber and bassist Steve Pikal join Connie in playing selections from her CD of Frishberg songs “Little Did I […]

This 16 piece band boosts having been on-going for the last 35 years . Originally under the musical direction of arranger/ composer Steve Devich, they have built a library of big band music containing over 450 charts!

Stanley Clarke has attained “living legend” status during his over fifty-year career as a bass virtuoso. He is an NEA Jazz Master and four-time Grammy winner. Also, he is the first bassist in history who doubles on acoustic and electric bass with equal ferocity. Moreover, he is the first jazz-fusion bassist ever to headline tours, selling […]

Young, brilliant pianist who came here for McNally Smith College of Music, and now can teach the teachers

Join HEYARLO at Berlin on the last Thursdays of June, July, and August for their Shifting Forms series. As the summer goes on, the group will expand—shifting in size, sound, and sonic depth. The series will culminate in the release of HEYARLO’s highly anticipated debut EP. For the first show of the Shifting Forms series, […]

TrioAmigos is a fusion of flamenco, bossa nova, and hot club jazz, brought to life through the friendship of three Twin Cities guitarists: Ben Abrahamson, Daniel Volovets, and Ryan Picone. This collaboration unites several musical worlds to create a sound beyond words, imagining an alternate timeline where guitar legends Django Reinhardt, Paco de Lucia, and […]

Acoustic Jazz, Classical and a variety of International Music Cellist Jacqueline Ultan and guitarist Pavel Jany blend together elements of jazz, classical music and a variety of international music styles. Their repertoire includes some original material combined with works from Astor Piazzolla and Joaquín Rodrigo to Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, Django Reinhardt and Antonio Carlos […]

Guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan’s career took flight in 1985 with commercial and critical acclaim. Since then, he has consistently displayed a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and maverick daring. Here, he displays bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits. Also, blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works, solo […]

Enjoy the beautiful sounds of Mary Petrich, Ted Olsen, and Toivo Hannigan playing creative music. They will feature the compositions of Paul Motian, Bennie Maupin, Marianne Trudel, Renee Rosnes, and others. Saxophonist Mary Petrich enjoys a vibrant career as performer and teacher. Her deep love for creativity and improvisation has led her to explore traditional and […]

This all-star configuration of the Bryan Nichols Quintet is Jeff Bailey on bass, JT Bates on drums, Mike Lewis on saxophone, Brandon Wozniak on saxophone, and Bryan Nichols on piano. Bryan Nichols is a pianist, composer, and educator based in Minneapolis. Often found playing jazz and improvised music, but at home in a variety of […]

An Evening of Jazz, Rock, Soul, and Great Improvisation The 1980s and 90s brought us a wealth of innovative music and fabulous songs, artists and bands. U2, The Police, Cindy Lauper, Radiohead, Tears for Fears, Soundgarden to name a few. In this show you will hear a quartet of accomplished musicians reinterpret great songs of […]

In 2024, Jay Beckenstein and band observe the 50th anniversary of what started as a diversion, something that was just for fun (and twenty-five cents at the door). It began inauspiciously when Beckenstein and a few musician friends in Buffalo, NY organized a get-together on their shared night off from working in bands that actually […]

With energy and chops to burn, The Travis Anderson Trio brings fresh interpretations to standards and more – from Chopin to Mario Bros – they swing like there’s no tomorrow while saluting the great trios of yesterday. Travis Anderson has been delighting audiences with his dazzling piano technique and inventive arrangements since 2003. Additionally, he has taken […]

Founded in 2006, Charanga Tropical performs with instrumentation that dates back to the roots of Cuban music featuring a sizzling Latin rhythm section, three violins, vocalists, and flute. The music is rich in harmony and melody, fantastic for listening and superb for dancing. In 2015 Charanga Tropical became the first and only North American group ever to […]

David Smith, keyboards Tony Axtell, bass Ke’Andre Mack, drums Solomon Parham, trumpet Kathy Mueller, synth, flute, vocals Peter Vircks, saxophone Geoff Jones, vocals Chreese Jones, vocals A three-time Emmy Award-winning actor, vocalist, arts educator and community organizer; T. Mychael Rambo is a long-standing Twin Cities arts community pillar. T. Mychael has made an indelible mark in the […]

A pianist with a long association with the elegant St. Paul Hotel , who may be talked into playing some of his Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett transcriptions