Jazz88’s Peter Solomon caught up with singer and songwriter Nicole Zuraitis, whose 2023 recording, How Love Begins, received the Grammy award for “Best Jazz Vocal Album.” Zuraitis plays Thursday evening, June 20th, at the Dakota in an appearance billed as a pre-Twin Cities Jazz Festival show. https://kbem-od.streamguys1.com/kbem/20240619093839-NicoleZuraoitisforWeb.mp3 More Posts for Show: Judy Carmichael’s Jazz InspiredRead More
UPDATE: March 19th is Eliane Elias’ birthday, so we are pinning this post to the front page of the website. Happy Birthday, Eliane! Jazz88’s Peter Solomon spoke with pianist, vocalist, songwriter and composer Eliane Elias about her new album, Time and Again, coming out later this month on Candid Records. The recording features background vocals...Read More
Saxophonist Steve Cole is a big name in the world of smooth jazz and he has been based in the the Twin Cities for over fifteen years now. He’s bringing his horn and his Super Band onto the stage of the Dakota for two shows on Friday, April 26. Cole dropped by the Jazz88 studio...Read More
Starting his professional career in the late 70s and staying vital and relevant up to today, Kenny Garrett truly bridges generations as a jazz icon. Frequently recognized as the greatest alto player of his generation, Garrett is also a generational talent as a composer. Check out the conversation between Kenny Garrett and Sean McPherson as...Read More
After a decade as one of the most celebrated instrumental groups in the Twin Cities, Purple Funk Metropolis is back in action for 2023. Fresh off a band vacation to Puerto Rico, the group is preparing to head back into the studio and get a couple shows on their calendar. Purple Funk Metropolis is getting...Read More
The Bad Plus is back in town for their annual run of shows at The Dakota starting on December 25 and running until Thursday December 28. This annual tradition has been running for over 20 years and it has become an important part of the calendar for jazz fans in the Twin Cities. Peter Solomon...Read More
We are stuffed to the gills in Minnesota with great jazz artists. We wanted to highlight some of the best songs released in 2023. This list is by no means comprehensive and we encourage you to listen our stream dedicated to Minnesota music, Minnesota Jazz Tracks. And don’t miss out on the great local show...Read More
José James is a product of South Minneapolis and even though he lives elsewhere he is still strongly connected with the Twin Cities. In fact, James fell in love with jazz as a young teenager thanks to an announcer on Jazz88 outlining the role of Billy Strayhorn in the composition “Take The A Train”. In...Read More
LA Buckner and his Big HomiE project are preparing for another big show at the Dakota. This week he’ll be bringing a special Halloween friendly program to the stage. When he visited Jazz88 he talked about this show and his recent experience playing with Big HomiE on stages that require different levels of restraint in...Read More
During some downtime in Atlanta, Grammy-winning songster Fantastic Negrito was doing a little genealogical digging when he started down a trail leading to his seventh-generation grandparents. It turns out that, in Virginia in the 1750s, his grandparents–a white Scottish indentured female servant and an enslaved African man–fell in love and started a family. This discovery...Read More
