Jazz Police

The Twin Cities Jazz Festival brought us some great voices throughout St Paul—Bruce Henry, Lila Ammons, Maryann Sullivan, Ginger Commodore, Connie Evingson… the list goes on. So we’re primed for […]

By Ryan Garmoe A newcomer to Volstead’s Emporium would probably be put off. They would see a line extending from a large metal door located in a back alley behind […]

By Ryan Garmoe Since 2019, something special has been happening every Tuesday evening in Northeast Minneapolis. Jazz musicians gather, share some drinks, and ultimately play tunes from 10pm-1am at Whitey’s […]

By Dan Emerson The popular Saturday Night Jazz series in St. Paul’s Lowertown neighborhood has found a new home in an “old” location. Uprooted by the recent closing of Lowertown’s […]

“She had huge listening ears and an even bigger heart.”–Wendy Lewis, Twin Cities vocalist  About 17 years ago, I formally met Pamela Espeland and her husband John Whiting after months […]

Seems we are getting back to “jazz normal”, at least a lot closer to it.  Some high powered gigs with local and national heroes/heroines coming up! Crooners keeps three stages […]

Yes, there are bigger events than jazz gigs across the Metro this weekend, generating more ink, more hype, more COVID concerns… like the the State Fair and Immersive Van Goh. […]

Under the leadership of area photographer Steven Peterson, the Upper Midwest Black and White Music Photography Contest is underway!  Launched to support Midwest musicians and venues, the contest also celebrates […]

There’s a lot of great music, including hot jazz, around the metro this week but I need to specifically salute Jazz Central Studios and founder/director/veteran drummer Mac Santiago. Operating the […]

I sort of retired “The Lead Sheet” when COVID shut down live music. And while I am no longer willing to commit to a weekly “heads up” regarding area jazz, […]

The pandemic of 2020 has forced a tsunami of change for everyone in the performing arts. With nightclubs, theaters, and museums closed, or operating at limited capacity, Twin City jazz musicians […]

Adam Linz is a double bassist and an eminent force on Twin Cities jazz and creative music scenes. Linz has been a part of some of the area’s most exciting […]

Adam Linz is a double bassist and an eminent force on Twin Cities jazz and creative music scenes. Linz has been a part of some of the area’s most exciting […]

Good things have a way of sticking around. And few things are better than the music called hard bop which flourished roughly from 1955 to 1965. Luckily for those of […]

Either “the coolest old guy or the oldest cool guy…” — Pioneer Press Like a bobo doll, saxophonist Irv Williams seemed as if he would bounce back for an eternity. […]

[Updated November 1, 2019] I hear these questions a lot: Where does one find live jazz in the Twin Cities? And how do you learn about it? Look no farther! […]