Friends of the station Thomas and Alex Streitz are celebrating the launch of their new non-profit, The Minnesota Poets Collective. The group celebrates the art of poetry in all its forms and seeks to bring together diverse voices from all around the state of Minnesota. The father/son duo were nice enough to stop by the...Read More
Grammy-nominated drummer, vocalist and producer Kassa Overall is bringing his approach full circle with a performance at The Dakota on Wednesday night. Some of Overall’s earliest professional experiences were traveling with Geri Allen, Wallace Roney and others in very formal jazz bandstand settings. On Wednesday, Overall will bring all the enthusiasm and adventurousness that he’s...Read More
Jazz88’s Peter Solomon spoke with guitarist Martin Taylor about his musical influences and his collaboration “Great Guitars” with Ulf Wakenius and Bireli Lagrene. Taylor and Wakenius perform together at the Dakota Monday evening 4/14. Lagrene cannot make the show because of an injury.Read More
Judi Vinar is a singer’s singer. Her skills and her collaborative spirit have made her an in-demand vocalist and vocal instructor nationwide. She dropped by Jazz88 to discuss her upcoming shows with Dennis Spears and the Wolverines Jazz Trio at The Capri Theater on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6. Vinar talked about maintaining...Read More
Trombonist Ryan Keberle is making his way back through town for a performance at Berlin on April 11 with his group Reverso. Keberle was nice enough to catch up with Jazz88 and talk about Reverso as well as his other projects, Colectivo De Brasil and Catharsis. Keberle also shared his thoughts about writing memorable melodies...Read More
Her voice has been with me my whole life. I bet it’s the same for you. Don’t ask me the first time I heard Aretha Franklin. Chances are, I was in the womb at the time. Aretha Franklin is present in my moments of heartache, of triumph, of resistance and of joy. She’s also with...Read More
Singer Yazmin Bowers is also a pianist, painter, dancer and teacher. She’s also quite the world traveler spending a lot of her time in Havana, Cuba where she teaches music and culture and eventually incorporating her own experiences into her own music. With her heart and soul ultimately coming from her Midwestern roots, it’s always a...Read More
Jazz88’s Peter Solomon spoke with banjoist Béla Fleck about his recent Grammy Award-winning recording with the late Chick Corea and his new project, a collaboration with Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda and drummer Antonio Sanchez. They perform at the Dakota on Monday, March 24th and Tuesday, March 25. (Attached photo by Shervin Lainez)Read More
Shabaka is one of the most vital voices working in music today. For the past decade, he has been heralded as one of the strongest and most imaginative saxophonists and bandleaders in jazz. And while the past handful of years have seen Shabaka turn his focus towards the flute, his mission of creating “the best...Read More
April is “Jazz Appreciation Month,” and Jazz88 is looking forward to celebrating with a concert honoring our 2025 Minnesota Jazz Legends: drummer Jay Epstein, pianist and Walker West Music Academy founder Grant West, Dixieland trombonist Art Katzman, and the late, award-winning jazz vocalist Debbie Duncan. Presented by Jazz88, this special concert will be held at...Read More
