Twin Cities vocalist Aja Parham fell in love with the voice of Sarah Vaughan the first time she heard her on CD. From there, Parham has made an effort to celebrate Sarah Vaughan on stages across the Twin Cities and beyond. She’ll be exploring the Sarah Vaughan songbook on Sunday night over at Crooners. Listen...Read More

In anticipation of the upcoming Zorn @ 70 event at the Walker Art Center this Saturday (Sept. 9), Jazz88’s Sean McPherson sat down with Philip Bither, Senior Curator of Performing Arts at the Walker, to highlight some tracks from John Zorn’s vast catalog, and to talk about Zorn’s significance in the musical world. Listen: Portions...Read More

Celebrated pianist Larry McDonough has been a fixture on the Twin Cities jazz scene for decades and he’s well known for his love of Bill Evans. This Thursday (8/31), Larry and company are gracing the mainstage of Crooners to play Bill Evans’ material. They’ll also share part of a moving documentary about Evans’ life. Listen...Read More

After a chance encounter 22 years ago in the Twin Cities, Tony London went on to become friends with Tony Bennett, receiving support and sage advice from him as he built his career as a modern crooner. Like so many in the music industry, London recognizes Bennett as a “singer’s singer,” and valued his mentorship...Read More

Vocalist Maud Hixson is a mainstay of the jazz scene in the Twin Cities and she has churned out another exemplary disc. On Saturday, Sept. 2, she’s taking the stage of Crooner’s to celebrate the new release, Permanent Moonlight. Listen in to Maud’s conversation with Sean McPherson from The Afternoon Cruise about the new disc,...Read More

  Jack Barrett (piano) and Charlie Bruber (bass) are kindred musical spirits. After the pandemic, they found their way back to creativity by doing brisk, low-pressure sessions with Ben Ehrlich and Jake Baldwin bright and early in the morning. These sessions grew into the record that they are releasing as the Jack Barrett Quartet on...Read More

  On August 21, 1904 Count Basie was born in Red Bank, NJ. In his seventy-nine years on planet earth, he contributed immense amounts to the development of jazz, and the legendary orchestra that he led for the majority of his life continues on to this day under the tutelage of Scotty Barnhart. Rick Carlson,...Read More

Adam Meckler isn’t just a trumpet player. He’s a writer, an arranger, a curator, a podcaster, an educator, and more. He came down from Michigan’s upper peninsula to get his Twin Cities-based orchestra back together for a show at Crooners on Friday (Aug. 4). In the conversation, Meckler and Jazz88’s Sean McPherson discuss Meckler’s approach...Read More

Jason Fabus is a Minnesota-educated jazz musician making his way out in Los Angeles. He’s swinging back through town to visit friends and play a couple of shows. He’ll be at Crooners this Friday night (Aug. 4) with Graydon Peterson (bass) and Phil Hey (drums) supporting. Fabus is a bit of an odd bird in...Read More

Composer/pianist/music director/vocalist Billy Stritch connected with Jazz88 ahead of his upcoming Crooners show, “A Musical Night Out with Billy Stritch.” In the interview, Billy talks about what he’s learned from working with greats like Liza Minnelli, Linda Eder, and others. He also shared a memory of playing with the late, great Tony Bennett in Stritch’s...Read More