This week’s hot new local single features music from the Ryan Picone Quartet. Picone is a Minneapolis-based guitarist who lives, eats, and breathes jazz manouche, i.e., music inspired by French/Romani guitar legend Django Reinhardt. Picone grew up in Phoenix and came to the Twin Cities to pursue his doctorate in music from the University of...Read More
The concert event honoring our 2025 Minnesota Jazz Legends is now a one-hour radio special available on demand. This April, music lovers gathered at the Minnesota History Center to witness a concert honoring drummer Jay Epstein, pianist and Walker West Music Academy founder Grant West, Dixieland trombonist Art Katzman, and the late, award-winning jazz vocalist...Read More
Trumpeter Jake Baldwin is back with another great solo effort titled Vanishing Point. The album comes out in full in mid-August but we are excited to feature one of the tunes this week! Baldwin tapped the same supporting cast he used on his 2023 release Misc. Items, to explore a new set of beautifully rendered...Read More
I frankly didn’t expect to hear recorded music from the Riffin’ Trio. I knew the Riffin’ Trio held court monthly over at Dusty’s in Northeast Minneapolis and I figured it was a project where A-list players had some fun on the side with no recording technology insight. But I’m so glad the group ended up...Read More
Summer jams don’t come in one variety. There are the romantic/erotic summer jams that prompt you to pull that special somebody a little closer, sweat be blessed. There are the summer songs that function like a musical ice cube, you drop them into the mix on the hottest day imaginable, and you feel like mother...Read More
The Twin Cities Jazz Festival happens in multiple locations and performers range of students to legends. Sam Keenan spoke with musicians we want to highlight. These are great teasers to help you decide all the places you need to listen to jazz during the Twin Cities Jazz. Festival Marimbist Jenny Klukken and her quartet will...Read More
Our hot local single this week comes from saxophonist Matty Harris. Harris connected with Eric Julio Carranza (guitar), Rocky Schulze (bass) and Chris Hepola (drums) to perform Harris’s tune “Farmers Market.” The tune opens with a bass line provided by Schulze that immediately gets me excited for where the tune will go. I caught Ennio...Read More
Drummer Eric Binder is a world renowned recording artist, educator, percussionist, composer, and author. The Twin Cities are fortunate enough to have Eric as part of International Jazz Night, Saturday, June 14th at 6pm, which is taking place at KLASH Drums and Coffee in Northeast Minneapolis. Ahead of the big event, Eric talked to Danny...Read More
I stay overwhelmed by the amazing things that happen in our scene! I want to explain to you how one of the most storied vocal groups in jazz history started collaborating with one of the biggest voices in modern jazz and to do that we’ll have to travel back to the 1940s! The Four Freshmen...Read More
The Combination of Thomasina Petrus singing in front of the Selby Avenue Brass Band has been very well received. Catch this pairing in a comfortable listening situation, Crooners Supper Club in Fridley, Friday evening June 13 from 8 till 9:30. The leader of the Selby Avenue Brass Band is Tom Wells. Tom and Thomasina met...Read More
