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Crooners
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...
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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...
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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,...
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  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...
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  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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Brian Ziemniak of the BZ3 Organ Trio rolled through The Afternoon Cruise to talk about their upcoming show at Crooners, and he brought along Julius Collins, one of the special guests joining the group on stage. Check out the full conversation here: This interview originally aired on The Afternoon Cruise on 7/21/23 This podcast was...
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Bruce Henry dates his music career back to the first time he got paid to make music in a nightclub, almost fifty years ago. He’ll be celebrating his breathtaking career at the Dakota on Saturday night. Check out a conversation between Bruce Henry and Jazz88’s Sean McPherson here: This interview originally aired on The Afternoon...
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