Taiko Arts Midwest presents a concert and dance party called Taiko Groove, Saturday June 7 at the Cedar at 7pm. The event features not only the long-standing Taiko Arts Midwest group, but a rare US performance by Go-koo, visiting from Tokyo. Jennifer Weir is the executive director of Taiko Arts Midwest. When Jennifer talked to...Read More

The Zoo Too Trio is a new recording project from some very big names in the world of modern jazz. Before listening to their new disc, Poetry Legroom, I was most familiar with the work of pianist and keyboard player Michael Cain. Michael Cain is an accomplished pianist who has been popping up in liner-notes of...Read More

Hot New Local Single for Wednesday, May 21 In the Twin Cities we are blessed to have a thriving music scene that features great players at every stage of their career. One sign of a thriving scene can be measured in the ability for new players to arrive to town, land a couple gigs and...Read More

Award-winning saxophonist, Patrick Lamb, is stepping into the spotlight with his new single, “Mint Condition.” Lamb is celebrated for his collaborations with music legends like Gino Vannelli, Bobby Caldwell, and Diane Schuur and now he is stepping into the spotlight. Patrick talks with Jazz88’s Patty Peterson about his Twin Cities debut concert at The Belvedere...Read More

This week’s Hot New Local Single comes to us from the prolific Ned Kantar, who has been a main stay in the Twin Cities Music Scene for fifty years. It’s an arrangement of “Indiana” performed by the Budapest Scoring Big Band. The song was published in January, 1917 by Tin-Pan Alley songwriter James Hanley in collaboration with...Read More

The budding local group Room3 finally has an album out and it’s been a joy to see how warmly Bill’s Garden been received in the Twin Cities scene! Today we are focusing on the third single from the album, “Don’t Forget to Breathe.” The tune features a vocal performance from the soul vocalist, Jada Lynn....Read More

In the throes of winter, I received a couple new tracks from the budding new Twin Cities group, Society of Chemists. One of the standout tracks was “By Candlelight,” a three-minute tune that captures a great spectrum of emotions. The not-so-secret weapon of Society of Chemists is the writing of their saxophonist Stephanie Wieseler. My...Read More

April 22nd marks the birthday of legendary bassist and composer Charles Mingus. Mingus had a larger-than-life personality. He was volatile and, as Nat Hentoff described him, protean. His music combined strains of blues and gospel, Ellington-inspired harmonies, and distinctive, tricky melodies, underpinned by Mingus’ aggressive virtuosic bass playing. Often, his music was imbued with an exciting...Read More

  Good Acoustics–the radio show for musical omnivores on KBEM Jazz88—has decided to start a regular showcase for the local artists we feature on our program. Come gather at MetroNOME Brewing in Lowertown St. Paul on Saturday, May 10th from 730-9pm, to hear some of the artists whose music we love. This month we’ll be...Read More

Keep it simple stupid! It is one of those pieces of advice that is so easy to say and so hard to follow but I feel that Ray Barnard really channels that ethos across his output. The man prioritizes a good groove and when he has something nice to sing into the microphone he does...Read More