Zacc Harris is a fixture in the Twin Cities jazz scene. More than just a celebrated guitar player, Harris is the head of Shifting Paradigm Records, a Minnesota-based record label that releases gems from all around the globe. For Harris’s latest release, Chasing Shadows, he left his students and his family in Minneapolis for a couple...Read More
Today marks the birthday of trumpeter and educator Terell Stafford, born November 25, 1966 in Miami, Florida. Stafford has worked as a sideman with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Bobby Watson and Horizon, pianist McCoy Tyner, who called Stafford “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player.” Stafford has worked...Read More
Give to the Max Day is this Thursday, November 21st, and your support plays a vital role in this annual day of giving.Why donate during Give to the Max Day? This year, your donation will support our upgrade to a new and improved on-air broadcast system, in addition to helping us better plan out our...Read More
As The Bad Plus round the corner on their second full length as a guitar/saxophone/bass/drums quartet as opposed to a piano trio I am getting more drawn into their new textures. The opening track on the new album, Complex Emotions, is a Reid Anderson penned tune called “Grid/Ocean.” This song stood out to me for...Read More
Vocalist Tommy Boynton has arrived with his first album tackling jazz standards. Boynton moved to the Twin Cities about two years ago and keeps busy as a member of the Four Freshmen, the celebrated long-running vocal quartet now based partially out of the Twin Cities. Boynton has a clean, earnest voice that packs a playful,...Read More
Pictured (l-r): Patty Peterson, Wayne Selly, Warren Gerecke, at the preview of the new Jazz88 facility at the North CTE Center, July 16, 2024. We are sorry to announce the loss of one of the longtime members of the Jazz88 team. Wayne Selly died Monday, November 4, following a brief illness. He was 80. Wayne...Read More
Warren Wolf is celebrating a birthday today and beyond being one of the most talented musicians working today, he is also a true ambassador for his fellow vibraphone players. His latest record is called History of the Vibraphone and the entire record celebrates songs either penned by or made famous by vibraphone players. It was...Read More
Today, Jazz88 celebrates the birthday of Russell Malone, a technically brilliant jazz guitarist whose tasteful solos and swinging and crisp rhythm accompaniment lent a spark to dozens of great jazz recordings with an impressive list of jazz legends. Malone was a native of Albany, Georgia and was influenced by recordings of B.B. King, the Dixie Hummingbirds and particularly...Read More
This has been a banner year for Minnesota jazz releases. We are bursting at the seams with new sounds from Kavyesh Kaviraj, Take That Back, Zacc Harris and more. Another release that deserves to be on the short list for best release of the year is L.A. Buckner and BiG HOMiE’s new outing Norfside. We have already...Read More
It was a sad day when we aired the last Thistle & Shamrock show. The Twin Cities are lucky enough to have a local Celtic music show produced by Jazz88. Listen this Saturday at Noon to the latest The Shamrock Shore: Explore the traditional music of Ireland and follow the twists and turns of this vibrant, living...Read More
