This week’s Hot New Local Single comes to us from the prolific Ned Kantar, who has been a main stay in the Twin Cities Music Scene for fifty years. It’s an arrangement of “Indiana” performed by the Budapest Scoring Big Band. The song was published in January, 1917 by Tin-Pan Alley songwriter James Hanley in collaboration with...Read More

The budding local group Room3 finally has an album out and it’s been a joy to see how warmly Bill’s Garden been received in the Twin Cities scene! Today we are focusing on the third single from the album, “Don’t Forget to Breathe.” The tune features a vocal performance from the soul vocalist, Jada Lynn....Read More

  Good Acoustics–the radio show for musical omnivores on KBEM Jazz88—has decided to start a regular showcase for the local artists we feature on our program. Come gather at MetroNOME Brewing in Lowertown St. Paul on Saturday, May 10th from 730-9pm, to hear some of the artists whose music we love. This month we’ll be...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

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

The world is paying enough attention to Cory Wong. . .but is Minnesota? Cory Wong is a bona fide festival headliner all around the world with accolades and ticket sales that match or exceed some of the titans in the world of jazz. But perhaps because he hails from Minnesota and is still based here,...Read More

After having the pleasure of writing about one of the tunes on pianist Kavyesh Kaviraj’s debut album, Fables, I knew I couldn’t stop there. Track seven, titled “Lullaby,” starts out with relaxed percussion, followed by piano and an enchanting melody delivered by Omar Abdulkarim (trumpet) and Pete Whitman (saxophone). It’s all so dreamy! Kaviraj’s piano solo...Read More

Preparing for our move back to Minneapolis North High means we won’t be able to hang with you at the State Fair this year, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have hot tips on music happenings at the Great Minnesota Get-Together! Below, read what Jazz88’s Sean McPherson is looking forward to. When I go to...Read More

Society of Chemists is a fusion band based in the Twin Cities headed up by composer and performer Stephanie Wieseler. Hear her, and the other members of the band, as they take a break in their recording studio to discuss their beginning and their musical process with Jazz88’s Sam Keenan in this interview. https://kbem-od.streamguys1.com/kbem/20240816134425-SocietyofChemistsInterview_0724_SamKeenan.mp3 BONUS:...Read More

Dylan Hicks is a Minneapolis-based writer and musician who leads a stellar group called Dylan Hicks & Small Screens. It’s obvious that Hicks is confident exploring various forms of writing and music genres, as his song, “The Unicellular Spore,” incorporates brass, woodwinds, and vocals. There’s a little something for anyone wanting to get a peek...Read More