The internationally acclaimed vocalist Samarth Nagarkar is bringing his Khayal Ensemble to MacPhail for a performance on Saturday October 12. In advance of the concert Mr. Nagarkar and Michael Cain, the Director of Electronic Music Recording Arts at MacPhail connected with Jazz88 via ZOOM to discuss the concert, the improvisational traditions of North Hindustani music...Read More

Joel Shapira is always out there playing. He’s out playing in town four or five times a week. But behind the scenes Shapira is always working on his own material. Joel came through the Jazz88 studios to discuss his new record Sleepless Montage and the release party coming up on Thursday, October 3 at Berlin...Read More

As we celebrate the centenary of Bud Powell’s birth today I want to reflect on his impact on me and the wider world. Sometimes it is not complicated why you like a jazz musician. For me, I started to love Bud Powell cause I thought his music was. . .cool. I didn’t know it featured...Read More

Violinist and educator Ernest Bisong from Walker West Music Academy visited Jazz88 to talk about their 2024-’25 Rondo Community Music Series. The series launches this Saturday (9/28) and rolls through to May with concerts from Kavyesh Kaviraj, Kevin Washington and RA Spirit, Katia Cardenas, Trio Zenia, and more. Bisong shared his philosophy for recruiting the...Read More

Saxophonist / composer/ arranger Benny Golson died Saturday. He was 95 years old. Inspired largely by the music of pianist Tadd Dameron, Golson composed several tunes now considered standards, including “Whisper Not,” “Along Came Betty,” and “I Remember Clifford.” With his dark, swooping sound and arpeggiated phrases, Golson’s tenor saxophone playing had a lot in...Read More

Drummer and bandleader L.A. Buckner lovingly describes fellow drummer/bandleader Brandon Commodore as the “big homie”. These two great drummers and bandleaders have years of history and the love will come through loud and clear on Saturday at Crooners when they share a bill. In their visit with Jazz88 Commodore pointed out that not only is...Read More

Pictured L to R: José Galván, Sergio Quiroz, Vanessa Millán, Luis Giolando Martínez, Sonia Solórzano and Mariana Cailly   Voz En Punto, the wildly talented acapella group out of Mexico City visited Jazz88 on Monday September 16. It was a beautiful coincidence that the group was visiting on Mexican Independence Day. Voz En Punto is...Read More

Our plan for broadcast coverage of this year’s Twin Cities Jazz Fest has come together.  We’re slated to present 27 acts on four different stages across three different broadcast and streaming platforms, with support from MetroNOME Brewery and listener donors like you.  The forecast calls for rain. It’s a free, rain-or-shine event and we’d love to see you there in...Read More

  This archived interview is with Jazz88’s Patty Peterson and legendary Saxophonist, the late David Sanborn, when he and his jazz quintet were appearing at the Dakota Jazz Club in October of 2018. David opened up about his influences, his start in the business and the conversations he always looks for when performing with his...Read More

The placard near the stool of his favorite Minneapolis haunt, Palmer’s Bar, remains and reads, “This place reserved for Spider John Koerner. Ten A.M. Till Noon.” Though the man may be gone, the indelible mark he left on the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis, helping to put the blues and folk scene happening there on the...Read More