Tom McDermott moved to New Orleans in the early eighties and has quickly himself as a leading voice in early jazz and New Orleans roots music. He brings a personal and inventive approach to the repertoire of Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Professor Longhair, and James Booker, as well as ragtime and Brazilian Choro...Read More

Jazz88’s Peter Solomon speaks with guitarists Joe Cruz and Scott Keever about the new guitar duo they are bringing to Aster Cafe on July 23rd. Both musicians have diverse musical interests, ranging from Americana to Latin, Blues, Jazz, and more. Information on the performance July 23rd from 8 – 10 PM can be found here....Read More

Russell Ferrante is a founding member of the legendary fusion band, the Yellowjackets. He spoke with Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon about his musical path, including an eye-opening first tour with blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon. He also discussed the collaboration with guitarist Robben Ford that led to forming the Yellowjackets, and the leaderless philosphy that...Read More

Choro Borealis is a Twin-Cities based Brazilian ensemble that performs a variety of musical styles from South America’s largest country, including choro, samba, forro, and original compositions that incorporate jazz influences. The term choro references a type of instrumental music that evolved in the late nineteenth century from the fusion of European dances like polkas,...Read More

Twin Cities-based guitarist Zacc Harris speaks with Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon about his latest trio project American Reckoning, the upcoming Zacc Harris group appearance at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and his work in the Atlantis Quartet. You can catch Harris’s set at the TCJF Saturday, June 20th at 4 PM at Mears Park....Read More

Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon speaks with Andrew Wallesch, the Artistic Director of the JazzMn Orchestra, about their Saturday, June 20th appearance with singer Michael Mayo at the 2026 Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Wallesch, a singer himself, discusses Mayo’s unique gifts as a vocalist and improvisor. More information on that and other Twin Cities Jazz...Read More

Guitarist Kenny Reichert is an artist who splits his time between the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, Chicago, and a teaching job in Oklahoma. He is Artist in Residence at the Minneapolis venue Berlin this month, and through the month of May he is featuring several of his different projects in a series called “Letters from the...Read More

Two Twin-Cities based musicians, guitarist and singer Caro Bernardini and bandoneon player Charles Gorczynski, join Jazz88 Morning Host Peter Solomon for an in-studio performance and conversation. They discuss the evolution of Tango music, which was a cultural fusion of European immigrants that came into contact with African-descended people that lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina in...Read More

Riley Mulherkar is a Seattle native and Julliard-trained trumpeter and composer who has embraced both jazz roots and modern production techniques in crafting his art. In a conversation with Jazz88’s Peter Solomon, he discusses his musical influences, the brass ensemble The Westerlies that he helped to found, and his solo debut project Riley. Mulherkar will...Read More

Jazz88’s Peter Solomon speaks with Jenny Klukken, a Twin Cities-based marimba player who is releasing a new album on March 27th called Marimba Standard. She talks about her musical journey and how she came to embrace the marimba, and about the artists that she colaborated with to create her new recording. An album release celebration...Read More