The centerpiece of drummer L.A. Buckner‘s musical universe is North Minneapolis, aka “over North.” It only makes sense; Buckner is quick to describe his music as “very Black” and the Northside of Minneapolis is the beating heart of the Black community in Minnesota. Buckner himself is a fixture over North, both on the bandstand and...Read More

There is no half-stepping with Lucia Sarmiento. The sax phenom taps top notch players and matches them up with top notch material for all of her recordings. It’s no surprise that she’d keep the bar high as a leader considering that she frequently works as a player for international sensations like Pitbull and Karol G....Read More

Abebi Stafford is a Twin Cities mainstay best known for his masterful piano and organ work. For his fourth release as a leader, Stolen By Lies, Stafford has connected with some of the great players in our scene and turned out an energetic and inspired selection of originals plus one Keith Jarrett number. The title...Read More

I have the receipts to prove that I’ve been trying to get my hands on studio recordings from Room3 for quite some time. After I saw an explosive set from them on a flatbed truck at Grand Old Day in 2022, I’ve been jonesing to share their magic on our airwaves. The day has finally...Read More

Roof Access is a group composed of ambitious young players making their way in the jazz world. And thankfully, beyond just making their way, these players are thriving! Roof Access has a new collection of original material and today we are highlighting a piece penned by their pianist, Rafi Karpowitz. The tune is called “I...Read More

Purple Funk Metropolis is back in action with their new single “Liquid Death.” The veteran group has navigated many different facets of funk music and on this one I hear a deep connection to Afrobeat. “Liquid Death” has the sprightly guitar interplay, rapid hand percussion patterns and powerful horn blasts I associate with the father...Read More

The Adi Yeshaya Jazz Orchestra is back! Adi Yeshaya, a topflight arranger based in the Twin Cities, formed a 12-piece band decades ago to support the vocal performances of the Twin Cities icon Debbie Duncan. The group flourished for a number of years, but they ended up putting the project on hold. In 2020 Debbie...Read More

Cody Steinmann had a banner year in 2024. The Twin Cities based guitar player made connections with iconic musicians like JD Allen and cemented his reputation as one of the most prolific guitarists in the Twin Cities jazz scene. On his album Confined Spaces Steinmann uses his long-running trio with Chris Bates on bass and Abinnet...Read More

This week’s Hot New Local Single comes to us from singer Maud Hixson. Hixson is based in St. Paul, but she has built an international following. When you check out her polished, effortless and understated singing, it’s easy to understand why.  Her most recent full-length album Permanent Moonlight features songs by Richard Rodney Bennett originally written for Cleo Laine, Lena Horne and Blossom Dearie, and...Read More

Jake Baldwin and Ted Godbout stay busy enough playing as sidemen that I consider it a godsend when they find time to work as leaders. When trumpet player Jake Baldwin and pianist Ted Godbout realized they had a pile of originals they had never recorded, they decided to connect with some great players and read...Read More