Professional pianist Abebi Stafford and student saxophonist Sam Stauning stopped by the Jazz88 studios to talk about the fundraiser concert the MN Hard Bop Collective is hosting on Monday, August 11 at Metronome in Lowertown. The concert will feature a student ensemble with Stauning, alongside pianist Basil Saathoff and guitarist Kyle Baxter. The...Read More

Here are the top ten new releases from Jazz88! Vote for your five favorites below!   Dylan Hicks – Your Famous Footsteps Sofia Knezevic – Sunny Side Of The Street Lakecia Benjamin – Noble Rise ft. Immanuel Witkins Jaleel Shaw – Beantown  Nnenna Freelon – Dark and Lovely Cyrus Chestnut – Autumn Leaves Pino Palladino/ Blake...Read More

The celebrated multi-instrumentalist Dosh dreamed big a couple years ago when he put together the Larry Schaefer Memorial Orchestra. This fully improvised 12-piece unit has been performing for a handful of years and Dosh is ready to bring the show to Palmer’s on the West Bank for a show this Saturday. The orchestra will be...Read More

Here are the top ten new releases from Jazz88! Vote for your five favorites below!   Ski Club – Swing Tune Paquito D’Rivera – La Fleur De Cayenne The Empress – Nica’s Dream James Brandon Lewis – Exactly, Our Music Rachel Therrien – Back Home Matty Harris – Farmers Market Okonski – Summer Storm Astronomy...Read More

The legendary guitarist Mark Whitfield is making his way back to the Twin Cities for a set at the Lakeside Guitar Festival on Saturday, August 9. Whitfield is no stranger to Minnesota, having played here frequently at the beginning of his career when he was touring with Brother Jack McDuff. Whitfield covered the details of...Read More

Abinnet Berhanu and Yohannes Tona are elite musicians who can cover a lot of ground musically. But, given that they are both Ethiopian-Americans, they bring a lot of passion for Ethiopian music into our scene. After many successful individual efforts, the duo decided to reach out to a likeminded L.A. musician, Kibrom Birhane, and form...Read More

JC Sanford, the organizer of the Northfield Jazz Festival, swung by the studios of Jazz88 to discuss the 2025 installment of the festival, which takes place July 11-13. The event is only its second year, but it’s already tripled in size. Sanford and co will host events from Friday evening all the way to Sunday...Read More

Joan Hutton from Take that Back was nice enough to visit the Jazz88 studios in anticipation of their upcoming performance at Taste of MN this weekend (Sunday July 6 at 5:45). Hutton was joined by Stephanie Wiesler, who is filling in on sax and flute for Sue Orfield. The duo discussed the upcoming gig, the...Read More

Toussaint Morrison is a journalist, an actor and a recording artist. This Friday, Toussaint is premiering five new music videos and a live set of all new music at the Green Room in Minneapolis. The event is in celebration of his forthcoming new album, Shapeshifter. Morrison took the time to visit with Sean from Jazz88...Read More

Pianist and composer Emmet Cohen will be back in the Twin Cities to play at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival on Friday, June 20 at 8:30 with his trio and the Four Freshmen. Cohen took a break this week to catch up with Sean McPherson and talk about his latest studio release and what he...Read More