Craig Dion and Jason Craft alongside a cast of talented musicians and vocalists will be gracing the stage of the Capri Theater in Minneapolis this Sunday for a concert celebrating the music of Stevie Wonder. They visited the Afternoon Cruise to discuss the concert, Wonder’s vast musical output and the unique unpolished joy that Stevie...Read More

Jazz88 celebrates the birthday of legendary jazz artist Billy Strayhorn, born this day in 1915 in Dayton, Ohio and raised in Pittsburgh. Strayhorn was a gifted composer, pianist and lyricist who worked closely with Duke Ellington for decades. Strayhorn’s first contribution to the Ellington book was “Take the A Train” which the band used as its theme song....Read More

Ginger Commodore, Judi Vinar and Connie Evingson are all headliners in their own right but they have elected to get together as a triple threat for the first time to usher in the holidays with their Crooner’s concert on November 30 “Holiday Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice”. The trio connected with Sean McPherson from the...Read More

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...Read More

Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five Beans and Cornbread Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens Ella Fitzgerald with Louis Jordan – Petootie Pie Louis Prima Banana Split for My Baby Una Mae Carlisle Coffee Cakes Slim and Slam Chicken Rhythm  Cab Calloway Everybody Eats When They Come to My House  Fats Waller Loungin’ at the Waldorf Bob...Read More

Maurice Jacox is a living legend. He’s lived his life on stages around the world and nowadays the Twin Cities is blessed to see him all over town. On November 28 Maurice will be leading his group “We Still R” through a concert at the Dakota. In the conversation with Jazz88’s Sean McPherson Jacox discusses...Read More

Drummer, bandleader and writer Brandon Commodore is no stranger to stages all across the world in his work with Stokley, The New Power Generation and more. But for Brandon’s own musical development, no stage looms as large as the Dakota. This Monday he and his group NRG will grace the stage and Commodore has a...Read More

Jazz88’s Peter Solomon spoke with trumpeter and composer Russ Johnson, who has described his own music as “too ‘in’ for the out crowd and too ‘out’ for the in crowd.” He is performing Saturday November 18th at Jazz Central with drummer Abinnet Berhanu, Bryan Nichols, piano and Ted Olsen, bass. Johnson has performed with iconic...Read More

Jazz 88 celebrates the birthday of Eddie Condon, born November 16, 1905 in Goodland, Indiana. As a guitarist and banjo player based in Chicago in the 20’s, Condon cut his teeth working with artists like Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden and Frank Teschemaker.  Relocating to New York in 1928, he got work organizing recording sessions and was responsible for racially integrated...Read More

Congratulations to all the great jazz musicians who received Grammy nominations for the upcoming 2024 awards. Many of the nominees are mainstays on Jazz88. Here is a complete list of the jazz category nominations as well as a handful of categories outside of jazz that featured artists we are supportive of on Jazz88 (we have...Read More