Hanukkah comes early this year on the Jazz Impulse! Tune into the Jazz Impulse on Jazz88  Saturday Night as we will be live from the Dakota in Minneapolis, broadcasting The Klezmatics “Happy Joyous Hanukkah” performance live on the air! Their record  Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah” has recently been reissued for the holidays and is the highlight of the current...Read More

Patty Peterson had the pleasure to interview Connie Evingson and Bruce Henry who are both singing with JazzMN Orchestra on December 8th on the mainstage at Chanhassen Dinner Theaters. They talk about the thrill of singing with this incredible orchestra, and how much fun it is to reunite with the friends who are top musicians...Read More

Jazz88’s Peter Solomon speaks with singer, composer, and songwriter Yazmin from the band Yazmin and Beat Zero As a teenager in rural Wisconsin, Yazmin fell in love with the sounds of Cuba, and and as an adult she spent a few years studying dance and music there. Her band is a fusion of her original...Read More

Jazz88’s Peter Solomon speaks with arranger and composer Adi Yeshaya about his latest recording, Produce. The album showcases vocalist Jennifer Grimm. Yeshaya discusses his association with the late Twin Cities singer Debbie Duncan, sheds some light on the arrangements featured on the album, and talks about his upcoming appearance at the Dakota on Wednesday, October...Read More

On his website, drummer, producer and bandleader Makaya McCraven describes himself as a “beat scientist.”Much of McCraven’s work is involved in picking musical moments from his recorded performances and applying hip-hop style production techniques to reinvent the material. McCraven is releasing four new EPs in October, and he is performing live at Icehouse in Minneapolis...Read More

  photos by Ian Buck Since it’s founding in 1985, The Dakota has become a linchpin of the music world. The Dakota’s founder, Lowell Pickett, has been at the helm since the beginning and the journey from it’s beginnings as a no-cover, all local music spot to one of the premier performance venues in the...Read More

Pianist Yuko Mabuchi is bringing her trio to the Selby Ave Jazz Fest for a performance on Saturday, September 13. Mabuchi, who hails from Japan but is based in L.A., was nice enough to connect with Sean McPherson and talk about her trio, her repertoire and her love of improvisation.   This interview originally aired...Read More

Lawrence El, the distinguished keyboardist and songwriter from Mint Condition is reuniting with the members of Mint to celebrate a particular facet of their musical offerings; The Mintroludes. During Mint’s decades long run as a band they satiated their musical appetites with short interludes that bring in a wider array of styles then their primary...Read More

It is with mixed emotions that I let you all know that Friday, September 12, will be my last day as the host of the Afternoon Cruise. Why am I leaving one of the world’s perfect jobs? To take another job that I hope will be perfect and will also let me have dinner with...Read More

Danny Sigelman’s State Fair Picks: I can’t think of a better way to kick off the Fair this year than with one of the Twin Cities’ finest groups, Davina and the Vagabonds August 21 and 22nd at the Bandshell stage. The consummate piano player and singer, Davina Sowers has carved out her own niche and following among...Read More