Sullivan Fortner is one of the most prominent and esteemed pianists in the contemporary jazz scene. We caught up with him in between a busy schedule, ahead of his performance at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. More Posts for Show: The Afternoon CruiseRead More

Trumpeter Ella Grace came up in the Twin Cities Area, playing many a jazz fest as a student musician. Now, she’s back as an established composer and educator, to perform her debut album “Figments.” More Posts for Show: The Afternoon CruiseRead 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

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

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 Morning Show Host Peter Solomon speaks with Tony Balluff, a clarinetist who leads the Twin Cities-based traditional jazz ensemble, The South Side Aces. Balluff is something of a jazz historian, and speaks eloquently about the innovative artists that created the artform. Sunday, March 22nd, the South Side Aces and some friends will be...Read More

Peter Solomon speaks to Paul Fonfara and Spencer Roth of The Brass Messengers, a Twin Cities-based brass band that blends elements of Balkan, Macedonian, Afrobeat, Free Jazz, New Orleans sounds. The group will play a Mardi-Gras show called “Dance Your Brass Off” Tuesday, February 17th at the Turf Club, presented by Jazz88. More Posts for...Read More

Jazz88’s Peter Solomon speaks with Craig Ritacco, COO and General Manager of The Lexington, a historic restaurant in St. Paul that features jazz between Labor day and April. Benny Weinbeck, a jazz pianist who books the shows, also joins the conversation. https://kbem-od.streamguys1.com/kbem/20260129124949-TheLexFINAL.mp3Read More

Pianist Aaron Parks speaks to Jazz88’s Peter Solomon about his most recent project on the Blue Note label, a quartet session called “By All Means,” featuring bassist Ben Street, saxophonist Ben Solomon, and legendary drummer Billy Hart. Parks also discusses his musical influences, how he dealt with being labelled a jazz prodigy, and talks about...Read More

Vocalist Maud Hixson has released a new album of holiday songs called When Winter Comes. She speaks with Jazz88’s Morning Show host Peter Solomon about the project, and the segment includes samples of several of the tunes from the new album. Hixson goes beyond the standard holiday fare and comes up with some really interesting...Read More