Farewell to Pamela

October 2, 2021October 2, 2021 Andrea Canter1387

“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 […]

Jazz Students! Improvisation Workshop Deadline October 2!

September 30, 2021September 30, 2021 Andrea Canter1499

Students! Improve and inspire your improvisation skills by exploring a diverse range of techniques and approaches. On October 9, 12-2 pm, Minnesota Jazz Education (MN JazzEd) presents a FREE in-person […]

The 2021 Newport Jazz Festival – A Fabulous Return!

September 26, 2021September 26, 2021 Sheila Horne Mason2118

Although there were downpours in Newport, RI the night before the Newport Jazz Festival (NJF), on Friday, July 30, the sun rose brilliantly for the return of the NJF, after […]

The Lead Sheet — Jazzy Start to October

September 25, 2021September 25, 2021 Andrea Canter1508

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 […]

Twin Cities Jazz Festival Returns! Live and Virtually From Mears Park, September 16-18

September 12, 2021September 16, 2021 Andrea Canter3149

The first Twin Cities Jazz Festival back in 1999 wasn’t even supposed to be a jazz festival, just an “event” to promote the music. Three hundred were expected on Peavy […]

Sheila Jordan’s Comes Love: Lost Session 1960 To Be Released September 17th By Capri Records

September 6, 2021September 8, 2021 Don Berryman3160

by Don Berryman As last year brought to us found recordings from the mid-century, including Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’ Just Coolin’, Sonny Rollins in Holland, and Charles Mingus […]

The Lead Sheet: JazzMN Celebrates Women Composers

August 27, 2021August 28, 2021 Andrea Canter3378

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. […]

Take Your Best Shot: Upper Midwest B & W Music Photo Contest Underway

August 21, 2021August 21, 2021 Andrea Canter4109

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 […]

The Lead Sheet: Jazz Central This Weekend (And All Year)

August 20, 2021August 20, 2021 Andrea Canter3805

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 […]

The Lead Sheet Returns! August 2021, Part 1

August 12, 2021August 12, 2021 Andrea Canter4152

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, […]

Will Kjeer Trio to Play Compositions From Soon to be Released “Undreampt,” on Saturday Night Jazz at The Black Dog

August 4, 2021August 4, 2021 Bill Stieger5080

By Bill Stieger Any local jazz aficionado who hasn’t had the pleasure of hearing pianist Will Kjeer is hereby forewarned: get out to see this up-and-coming performer while he’s still […]

The Christian Sands Trio at The Jazz Forum

July 27, 2021July 27, 2021 Sheila Horne Mason6079

On the weekend of June 11-12, 2021, the Jazz Forum nightclub in Tarrytown, New York presented the Christian Sands Trio. This was the third weekend since the grand re-opening of […]

All-Star Tribute Recording to Benefit Frank Kimbrough Scholarship

July 18, 2021July 18, 2021 Don Berryman6826

By Don Berryman for Jazzpolice.com I just listened to 5 1/2 hours of Frank Kimbrough’s compositions performed by some of the best jazz musicians of our time. I recommend it. […]

Roy Hargrove / Mulgrew Miller In Harmony – 2-LP Record Store Day exclusive

July 9, 2021August 15, 2021 Don Berryman6988

By Don Berryman for jazzpolice.com “Artists like Roy Hargrove and Mulgrew Miller are what make our music what it is. Sometimes people think about jazz as this isolated sound for […]

Jerry Bergonzi Quartet, Friday, June 25, at Crooners Supper Club

July 1, 2021July 1, 2021 Bill Stieger6866

By: Bill Stieger for Jazzpolice.com – Photos by Andrea Canter “As long as Jerry Bergonzi is around, no tenor player can rest on his laurels.” – Saxophonist Michael Brecker. Master […]

Yes! Twin Cities Jazz Festival Returns, June 24-27

June 17, 2021June 25, 2021 Andrea Canter7395

2020 was filled with empty stages, indoors and out. Jazz artists and jazz fans started 2021 with dim prospects for gigs and festivals as venues remained closed. Yet Crooners Lounge […]

International Jazz Day and Jazz Appreciation Month!

April 23, 2021April 23, 2021 Andrea Canter10890

[From IJD and JAM press releases] The 10th Anniversary of International Jazz Day, the world’s largest annual celebration of jazz, will take place on April 30th, with thousands of worldwide […]

Litchfield Jazz Festival Presents the Emmet Cohen Trio

April 15, 2021April 15, 2021 Sheila Horne Mason11451

The Litchfield Jazz Festival presented the Emmet Cohen Trio virtually on Friday, December 18, 2020, featuring Emmet Cohen on piano, Kyle Poole on drums, and Philip Norris on bass. Saxophonist […]

Another Look Back at 2020 – David Amram’s 90th Birthday Celebration at Jazz Forum

March 29, 2021March 29, 2021 Sheila Horne Mason14006

The Jazz Forum in Tarrytown, NY celebrated yet another marvelous birthday with David Amram & Friends. This time, it was Amram’s 90th birthday, with a November 14 live-streamed set. Although […]

Looking Back – The 2020 Monterey Jazz Festival – Virtual!

March 24, 2021March 24, 2021 Sheila Horne Mason15625

2020 was an unprecedented and challenging year for live, in-person music events. Due to the pandemic, most jazz festivals held in 2020 were presented online. Occasionally, a few live, socially […]

Mourning and Celebration: Notes on Recent Losses in Twin Cities Jazz

March 22, 2021April 10, 2021 Bill Stieger13013

By Bill Stieger. “You want to play JAZZ? That music is too good. Now, you’ll really starve” – William Stieger Sr. The consequences of aging accumulate with each passing year. […]

Prepared piano of Phillip Zoubek by Freimut Bahlo. *

Prepared Piano Albums from Benoît Delbecq and Satoko Fujii

March 21, 2021March 23, 2021 Don Berryman9671

By Don Berryman The Weight Of Light by Benoît Delbecq was released on February 13th and Beyond, the debut recording of Futari, a duo of pianist-composer Satoko Fujii and vibraphonist […]

Coping With COVID: Views From the Perspective of Twin Cities Jazz

March 12, 2021April 10, 2021 Bill Stieger10080

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 […]

Experience Jazz, Grades 7-12: Applications Due March 5!

February 26, 2021February 26, 2021 Andrea Canter9878

Experience Jazz is a genre-bridging music ensemble program for aspiring musical artists with a common desire to make new music rooted in jazz, blues, pop and hip-hop, to create […]

“Return to Forever”: Chick Corea, 1941-2021

February 11, 2021February 11, 2021 Andrea Canter10993

“What making music for people does, I’ve observed, is it stimulates what’s natural in all of us. It’s native sense, in every person. You don’t have to be a professional […]

RIP: We Were Always “Pleased and Flipped” to be With Davis Wilson

January 30, 2021January 31, 2021 Andrea Canter12392

Author’s Note. Much of this article is drawn from my interview with Davis in 2006, with thanks to Al Iverson for providing much of the background information. “Support them all. […]

20 from 2020 – New Music that Helped

January 3, 2021July 7, 2021 Don Berryman12811

By Don Berryman 2020 was the Year of the Rat which seems fitting for this year of plague. Concerts have been canceled, jazz clubs closed and it was a time […]

The 2020 Litchfield Virtual Jazz Festival!

August 27, 2020September 5, 2020 Sheila Horne Mason8445

On Saturday, July 25, 2020, the Litchfield Jazz Festival held a virtual event. During this pandemic, it is wonderful to see organizations still bringing music to the people. This is […]

2020 Festival International de Jazz de Montréal – Virtual!

July 23, 2020September 5, 2020 Sheila Horne Mason8468

A couple of months ago, there was the sad, but expected, news that this year’s Montréal Jazz Festival (officially the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal – FIJM) was cancelled […]

Streaming Live at the Village Vanguard with the Vijay Iyer Trio

June 24, 2020June 26, 2020 Sheila Horne Mason8329

On Saturday, June 20, and Sunday, June 21, 2020, the Village Vanguard presented the Vijay Iyer Trio online. Before the Saturday concert started, Vijay addressed the current state of live […]

The Adam Linz Interview – Part Two

June 12, 2020July 23, 2020 Samuel Worthington8212

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 […]

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem – CRIB Collective Virtual Concert

June 10, 2020June 13, 2020 Sheila Horne Mason8330

Christian McBride and DJ Logic © Kevin R. Mason On Wednesday, May 20, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem presented an online […]

The Adam Linz Interview – Part One

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020 Samuel Worthington8394

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 […]

Celebrating Harlem Stage! – Virtual Gala

May 24, 2020June 8, 2020 Sheila Horne Mason8087

It is fortunate that during this time when live concerts and festivals are being cancelled, there are many online events to keep the music going. On Monday, May 18, 2020, […]

Tatiana Eva-Marie and the Avalon Jazz Band at On Stage at Kingsborough

May 6, 2020May 6, 2020 Sheila Horne Mason8564

Writer’s Note: This was one of the last live events in the New York area before the pandemic became full-blown. I hope you enjoy it as a reminder of […]

Litchfield Jazz Festival’s 2019 “Jingle & Mingle”

April 6, 2020April 6, 2020 Sheila Horne Mason8073

Writer’s Note: Here is another look back at a jazz event, and I hope the article will entertain you, especially if you are sheltering at home, or in quarantine. […]

The Baylor Project

March 23, 2020March 29, 2020 Sheila Horne Mason8191

Writer’s Note: With all that is going on with the growing concerns over the virus pandemic, it is nice to look back at one of the many excellent free concerts […]

Will the Arts Face a Corona Virus Challenge?

March 3, 2020March 3, 2020 Ken Vermes7830

As the announcement of art events cancellations appear from Europe, the question is how could this event affect the arts. Locally here in San Francisco, there is the question of […]

The 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition – The SASSY Awards!

March 1, 2020March 3, 2020 Sheila Horne Mason8401

On Sunday, November 24, 2019, the 8th annual contest named after the legendary Sarah Vaughan, “The Divine One,” gave five vocalists an opportunity to compete for a $5,000 cash prize […]

David Amram’s 89th Birthday at Jazz Forum

February 9, 2020February 11, 2020 Sheila Horne Mason8255

On November 16, 2019, multi-instrumentalist/composer David Amram celebrated his 89th birthday at the beautiful, intimate, art-filled Jazz Forum nightclub in Tarrytown, New York. Since opening in 2017, Jazz Forum has […]

Jesse Simon: Ambassador of Hard Bop

February 2, 2020February 23, 2020 Samuel Worthington7919

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 […]

Review: JC Sanford Quartet, Keratoconus

January 13, 2020January 14, 2020 Samuel Worthington6894

Review: JC Sanford Quartet Keratoconus (Shifting Paradigm Records) I had to learn a couple of things about JC Sanford before I could fully appreciate his 2019 release Keratoconus. For starters, […]

RIP Mr. Smooth: Irv Williams, 1919-2019

December 15, 2019December 15, 2019 Andrea Canter7315

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. […]

Twin Cities Jazz Venues

November 3, 2019November 21, 2019 Andrea Canter5270

[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! […]

Creative Spirit, Educator, Jazz Pianist Geri Allen, 1957-2017

June 27, 2017June 27, 2017 Andrea Canter2521