Stanley Clarke has attained “living legend” status during his over fifty-year career as a bass virtuoso. He is an NEA Jazz Master and four-time Grammy winner. Also, he is the first bassist in history who doubles on acoustic and electric bass with equal ferocity. Moreover, he is the first jazz-fusion bassist ever to headline tours, selling […]

Young, brilliant pianist who came here for McNally Smith College of Music, and now can teach the teachers

TrioAmigos is a fusion of flamenco, bossa nova, and hot club jazz, brought to life through the friendship of three Twin Cities guitarists: Ben Abrahamson, Daniel Volovets, and Ryan Picone. This collaboration unites several musical worlds to create a sound beyond words, imagining an alternate timeline where guitar legends Django Reinhardt, Paco de Lucia, and […]

Acoustic Jazz, Classical and a variety of International Music Cellist Jacqueline Ultan and guitarist Pavel Jany blend together elements of jazz, classical music and a variety of international music styles. Their repertoire includes some original material combined with works from Astor Piazzolla and Joaquín Rodrigo to Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, Django Reinhardt and Antonio Carlos […]

Guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan’s career took flight in 1985 with commercial and critical acclaim. Since then, he has consistently displayed a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and maverick daring. Here, he displays bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits. Also, blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works, solo […]

Enjoy the beautiful sounds of Mary Petrich, Ted Olsen, and Toivo Hannigan playing creative music. They will feature the compositions of Paul Motian, Bennie Maupin, Marianne Trudel, Renee Rosnes, and others. Saxophonist Mary Petrich enjoys a vibrant career as performer and teacher. Her deep love for creativity and improvisation has led her to explore traditional and […]

Broadway, Jazz, Pop Standards An evening of classic and new Broadway hits as well as your favorite jazz standards and popular tunes! Hosted by Kate Beahen with musical guests from the thriving Twin Cities theatre scene! Kate Beahen: Vocals Louis Berg-Arnold: Piano Kate Beahen is a singer actor in the Twin Cities who has been seen […]

This all-star configuration of the Bryan Nichols Quintet is Jeff Bailey on bass, JT Bates on drums, Mike Lewis on saxophone, Brandon Wozniak on saxophone, and Bryan Nichols on piano. Bryan Nichols is a pianist, composer, and educator based in Minneapolis. Often found playing jazz and improvised music, but at home in a variety of […]

An Evening of Jazz, Rock, Soul, and Great Improvisation The 1980s and 90s brought us a wealth of innovative music and fabulous songs, artists and bands. U2, The Police, Cindy Lauper, Radiohead, Tears for Fears, Soundgarden to name a few. In this show you will hear a quartet of accomplished musicians reinterpret great songs of […]

In 2024, Jay Beckenstein and band observe the 50th anniversary of what started as a diversion, something that was just for fun (and twenty-five cents at the door). It began inauspiciously when Beckenstein and a few musician friends in Buffalo, NY organized a get-together on their shared night off from working in bands that actually […]

Salin is a Thai-born, Canada-based drummer, and a Juno-nominated producer and composer. Her current music explores the enchanting sounds of Northeast Thailand and marries it with the 70’s psychedelia of West Africa. Here, she does this through the lens of modern soulful production. She released her debut album Cosmic Island in 2021. Then, she appeared at a variety […]

With energy and chops to burn, The Travis Anderson Trio brings fresh interpretations to standards and more – from Chopin to Mario Bros – they swing like there’s no tomorrow while saluting the great trios of yesterday. Travis Anderson has been delighting audiences with his dazzling piano technique and inventive arrangements since 2003. Additionally, he has taken […]

The Bill Simenson Orchestra is a 17 piece big band (5 saxes, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, guitar, piano, bass, and drums). Since June of 2012 the band has performed the first Tuesday of every month at Jazz Central Studios.

Founded in 2006, Charanga Tropical performs with instrumentation that dates back to the roots of Cuban music featuring a sizzling Latin rhythm section, three violins, vocalists, and flute. The music is rich in harmony and melody, fantastic for listening and superb for dancing. In 2015 Charanga Tropical became the first and only North American group ever to […]

David Smith, keyboards Tony Axtell, bass Ke’Andre Mack, drums Solomon Parham, trumpet Kathy Mueller, synth, flute, vocals Peter Vircks, saxophone Geoff Jones, vocals Chreese Jones, vocals A three-time Emmy Award-winning actor, vocalist, arts educator and community organizer; T. Mychael Rambo is a long-standing Twin Cities arts community pillar. T. Mychael has made an indelible mark in the […]

Great Pop and Jazz, The Women Songwriters Hall of Fame Don’t miss “The Best of Ann Hampton Callaway," the new show by the Tony-nominated singer-songwriter. Callaway dazzles us with highlights from her hit shows “The Streisand Songbook,” “Ann Hampton Callaway Sings the ‘70s,” “The Linda Ronstadt Songbook,” “To Ella with Love,” “From Sassy to Divine: […]

Trish Hurd-Paczkowski is a piano teacher and a former tango band director, arranger, pianist and singer. Now, she’s in love with jazz. Graydon Peterson is a bassist and composer living in Minneapolis. He regularly performs with a variety of vocalists and small ensembles, including Arne Fogel, Wayne Anthony, Firebell, Snowblind, Charanga Tropical, Twin Cities Latin […]

Great Pop and Jazz, The Women Songwriters Hall of Fame Don’t miss “The Best of Ann Hampton Callaway," the new show by the Tony-nominated singer-songwriter. Callaway dazzles us with highlights from her hit shows “The Streisand Songbook,” “Ann Hampton Callaway Sings the ‘70s,” “The Linda Ronstadt Songbook,” “To Ella with Love,” “From Sassy to Divine: […]

A pianist with a long association with the elegant St. Paul Hotel , who may be talked into playing some of his Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett transcriptions

Drummer JT Bates grew up at the Dakota, being in the same room as many of the drummers who created this language of the modern drumset. Billy Higgins, Ben Riley, Elvin Jones, Max Roach, and on from those depths. To share a stage shared by so much music from far and wide is an honor. JT is […]

Witness the Minnesota debut of one of the foremost up-and-coming jazz vocalists of our time! For the inaugural evening of July Reunions With Ella Grace, Julia Danielle will join us from New York City, where she is earning her master’s degree at The Juilliard School, for two dynamic sets of original compositions and arrangements from […]