Katia Cardenas has no trouble staying busy. In addition to singing professionally throughout the Twin Cities, Cardenas also serves as Program Director for the  Walker West Without Walls initiative and helms their Women in Jazz initiative as well. This Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, there is a Youth Women in Jazz Workshop at South High School...Read More

As we celebrate the centenary of Bud Powell’s birth today I want to reflect on his impact on me and the wider world. Sometimes it is not complicated why you like a jazz musician. For me, I started to love Bud Powell cause I thought his music was. . .cool. I didn’t know it featured...Read More

Violinist and educator Ernest Bisong from Walker West Music Academy visited Jazz88 to talk about their 2024-’25 Rondo Community Music Series. The series launches this Saturday (9/28) and rolls through to May with concerts from Kavyesh Kaviraj, Kevin Washington and RA Spirit, Katia Cardenas, Trio Zenia, and more. Bisong shared his philosophy for recruiting the...Read More

Katia Cardenas is at the helm for Walker West’s Women in Jazz Initiative. This Saturday (3/23), the team is hosting a jazz workshop and jam sessions with players like Mary Louise Knutson, Tasha Baron, Beth Varela, Sophia Kaufmann, and more. Cardenas spoke about the importance of creating places to play and learn jazz that are...Read More

Braxton Haulcy (above; R), Executive Director at St. Paul’s WalkerWest Music Academy, and Ernest Bisong (above; L), a WalkerWest instructor and curator for the newest installment of their long-running Rondo Community Music Series, stopped by the Jazz88 studios to discuss this annual musical community event, how it comes together, and the different ways you can...Read More