Jazz88’s Peter Solomon spoke with Dale Alexander, a pianist and drummer based in Los Angeles, but originally from St. Paul, to get his thoughts on Bud Powell. The father of modern jazz piano was born September 27, 1924 and would be 100 years old. The image below was taken of Bud Powell in Europe in...Read More

As we celebrate the centenary of Bud Powell’s birth today I want to reflect on his impact on me and the wider world. Sometimes it is not complicated why you like a jazz musician. For me, I started to love Bud Powell cause I thought his music was. . .cool. I didn’t know it featured...Read More

Violinist and educator Ernest Bisong from Walker West Music Academy visited Jazz88 to talk about their 2024-’25 Rondo Community Music Series. The series launches this Saturday (9/28) and rolls through to May with concerts from Kavyesh Kaviraj, Kevin Washington and RA Spirit, Katia Cardenas, Trio Zenia, and more. Bisong shared his philosophy for recruiting the...Read More

  Kavyesh Kaviraj – Lullaby Khruangbin – Ada Jean Delfeayo Marsalis – Sidewalk Sizzle Lizz Wright – Your Love feat. Meshell Ndegeocello Lakecia Benjamin – New Mornings Steve Turre – Mr. Kenyatta Gregory Groover Jr. – May All Your Storms Be Weathered Dayna Stephens – Scrutiny Ken Peplowski – Cabin in the Sky Cornelia Nilsson...Read More

I spent an inordinate amount of my teen years listening to a record by David Fiuczynski called Lunar Crush. It came out in 1994 and it featured John Medeski’s keyboard work all over it. Much of the joy of this record can be found in how wide the palette of sounds is. Multiple keyboards, percussion appearing...Read More

Saxophonist / composer/ arranger Benny Golson died Saturday. He was 95 years old. Inspired largely by the music of pianist Tadd Dameron, Golson composed several tunes now considered standards, including “Whisper Not,” “Along Came Betty,” and “I Remember Clifford.” With his dark, swooping sound and arpeggiated phrases, Golson’s tenor saxophone playing had a lot in...Read More

Drummer and bandleader L.A. Buckner lovingly describes fellow drummer/bandleader Brandon Commodore as the “big homie”. These two great drummers and bandleaders have years of history and the love will come through loud and clear on Saturday at Crooners when they share a bill. In their visit with Jazz88 Commodore pointed out that not only is...Read More

Jazz88 celebrates the birthday of pianist and composer Muhal Richard Abrams, who was born September 19th, 1930 in Chicago. Early on, Abrams worked with a wide variety of musicians from blues artists to saxophonist Dexter Gordon and trumpeter Woody Shaw. In 1965, Abrams was a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians,...Read More

  Julian Lage – Serenade Steve Turre – Mr. Kenyatta Something Else! feat. Vincent Herring – Strasbourg/St. Denis Kamasi Washington – The Garden Path Lakecia Benjamin – New Mornings Khruangbin – Ada Jean Dayna Stephens – Scrutiny Cory Wong – Burning feat. Metropole Orkest Dylan Hicks – The Unicellular Spore Fernando Huergo – Panorama  ...Read More

Jazz88’s Peter Solomon speaks with NEA Jazz Master and Grammy award-winning trombonist and composer Delfeayo Marsalis about the inspiration behind his recent recording, Crescent City Jewels. Marsalis will be featured in two sets with the JazzMN Orchestra Sunday afternoon, Sept. 22, at the Dakota. (Attached photo by Eric Waters and Girard Mouton). https://kbem-od.streamguys1.com/kbem/20240918064147-DelfeayoFINALWEB.mp3Read More