Jazz88’s Peter Solomon speaks with trumpeter Dan Odegaard, a North High alumnus and a member of the Execs Big Band since 1965. The Execs are celebrating sixty years with a celebratory dance Friday night, November 21st from 7 – 10 PM at Bloomington Event Center. Odegaard also leads his own large ensemble called the Classic...Read More

Jazz88’s Peter Solomon speaks with singer, composer, and songwriter Yazmin from the band Yazmin and Beat Zero As a teenager in rural Wisconsin, Yazmin fell in love with the sounds of Cuba, and and as an adult she spent a few years studying dance and music there. Her band is a fusion of her original...Read More

This week’s Hot New Local Single is an original song by Leslie Vincent called “Tallying Strangers.” It’s from her forthcoming album, Little Black Book. Vincent grew up listening to Frank Sinatra as well as more contemporary vocalists like Brittany Spears, The style, phrasing, and instrumentation of her new recording harkens back to the days before rock...Read More

This week’s Hot New Local Single comes to us courtesy of Abinnet Berhanu’s Ahndenet, featuring singer Genet Abate. Berhanu and Abate are both Ethiopian and the music reflects that rich heritage. The song is titled Yinegera, which in English is “Let It Be Heard.” It’s about unrequited love,or as Berhanu explains, “The story of the...Read More

Pamela York is a pianist based in Lake County, Illinois who is an active member of the jazz scenes of both Chicago and Milwaukee. A couple of years ago, she formed a combo with bassist Clay Schaub and trumpeter Eric Jacobson called the Affinity Trio. On October 17th, the group released their second album, called...Read More