Singer Yazmin Bowers is also a pianist, painter, dancer and teacher. She’s also quite the world traveler spending a lot of her time in Havana, Cuba where she teaches music and culture and eventually incorporating her own experiences into her own music. With her heart and soul ultimately coming from her Midwestern roots, it’s always a...Read More

Preparing for our move back to Minneapolis North High means we won’t be able to hang with you at the State Fair this year, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have hot tips on music happenings at the Great Minnesota Get-Together! Below, read what Jazz88’s Sean McPherson is looking forward to. When I go to...Read More

Society of Chemists is a fusion band based in the Twin Cities headed up by composer and performer Stephanie Wieseler. Hear her, and the other members of the band, as they take a break in their recording studio to discuss their beginning and their musical process with Jazz88’s Sam Keenan in this interview. https://kbem-od.streamguys1.com/kbem/20240816134425-SocietyofChemistsInterview_0724_SamKeenan.mp3 BONUS:...Read More

Astronomy Town is an indie jazz group based right here in the Twin Cities! Their first EP, Welcome To Astronomy Town, is a great introduction for what to expect when listening to them: a mix of jazz, lo-fi, and lounge. The track “Coffee & Guinness” lures you into a dreamlike state with the graceful keyboard...Read More

Twin Cities-based guitarist Pavel Jany and his Global Jazz Collegium are back with their latest disc, Labyrinth. Jany and many of the other members of the Collegium also work in the group Ticket to Brasil, but for this group, they follow their interests beyond Brazil and explore many of the international sounds that have become...Read More

Take That Back is a jazz quartet made up of some seriously talented musicians. Led by reed players Joan Hutton and Sue Orfield, the group will release their sophomore album, Splash, on Friday, July 26th. The song “Playhouse Bats” sounds right at home with other groove-oriented jazz, but upon more listens, I discovered its unique,...Read More

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