Lucia Sarmiento is a local artist who recently released a single titled “Look Up,” which features her incredible saxophone skills. To me, this song perfectly encapsulates the nature of curiosity and wonder. You can hear her genuine joy for creating music and how that’s expressed in “Look Up.” She has an obvious talent at integrating...Read More

Kavyesh Kaviraj, a local composer/pianist/arranger, has managed to give new life to a sound that we are all familiar with. His debut album, Fables, features a unique, nature-inspired piece, “Rain.” It starts soft, but quickly becomes cacophonous, jumping back and forth between the two. I’ve listened to “Rain” all the way through three times so...Read More

We are deep in fusion country here, folks. When Dan Weston’s electric bass opens up the tune on top of a synth bed provided by Ted Godbout, we are already miles deep into fusion country–with zero complaints about the journey. The tune “Ogooué” captures the spirit of adventure, technical virtuosity, and musical eclecticism that, to...Read More

The Neighborhood Quartet has been a beneath-the-radar Twin Cities mainstay for years, providing their sound on stages all across the metro. I was elated when I found out they were taking the step into commercially releasing an album, and when I heard the tune “Hey Fellas,” I knew they had found their stride. The tune...Read More

It’s another banner year for the Cornbread! Friend of the station and celebrated music writer, Andrea Swensson, recently released the book, Deeper Blues: The Life, Songs and Salvation of Cornbread Harris, and this past March, Harris released a new collection of tunes. The bluesy jam sounds lively, joyous, and comfortable. The band sounds relaxed, and I swear...Read More

Lucia Sarmiento hails from Peru but she’s been carving a path with the Twin Cities as her homebase for ten years. In that time she has toured internationally with some of the biggest names in music include Karol G and Pitbull. But when Sarmiento is in town she can fit in in almost any musical...Read More

From the Desk of Sean McPherson: Mischief is an under appreciated emotion to conjure in music. Blues music does mischief great, maybe the best. Mischievous jazz is a close second and “DONKEY” from The Early Planets’ debut record captures that for me. From note one, you can tell that all three players are listening, reactive...Read More

From the Desk of Sean McPherson: I expect new projects to often sound overly ambitious at their first couple stabs at studio recording. There’s a desire to impress each other, a desire to make it count cause who knows how long the project will last. I hear the opposite in HeyArlo. With two songs released...Read More

Start seeing marimbas! It’s a bumper sticker I would buy for sure. Jenny Klukken has carved out a lane for herself as a jazz-conversant marimba player. In the past two years, Klukken has released a handful of singles that display her great approach and her chemistry with the rhythm section of Chris Bates (bass) and...Read More

Cory Wong and his ascent to become one of the biggest jazz acts working today can often be taken for granted in his own backyard. For years Wong has been a fixture in our scene, showing up at jam sessions, collaborating with world class players and always letting his music do the talking. Here in...Read More