RIP Mr. Smooth: Irv Williams, 1919-2019
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...
The 2019 JazzFest White Plains
The 2019 JazzFest White Plains took place from September 15 to 19 in White Plains, New York, a city in Westchester County located about 45 minutes north of New...
Minnesota Music Hall of Famers: The Petersons Celebrate Family, Music and the Holidays
“We live our lives like our parents taught us…..with integrity, musicality, and love for each other. They all go hand in #8221; –Paul Peterson We’ve known them for...
The 27th Charlie Parker Jazz Festival
The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival celebrated its 27th year from August 21 to 25, 2019, under the auspices of the City Parks Foundation and SummerStage. From Wednesday, August 21...
JT Bates Brings World Class Jazz Quartet to Dakota
The Dakota has been, for the most part, not specifically a Jazz Club for possibly more than a decade or two, and recently has even (correctly) removed ‘Jazz Club’...
The 2019 Newport Jazz Festival – 65 Years of Musical Magic!
The 2019 Newport Jazz Festival, Presented by Natixis Investment Managers, took place from Thursday August 1 to Sunday August 4. This was the 65th anniversary of the Festival,...
Twin Cities Jazz Venues
[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...
Who Is Dean Granros?
Dean Granros is an elusive giant of the Twin Cities improvised music scene. The name alone carries weight for younger generations of musicians and fans. His photo hangs on...
Jazz Police Live Jazz Calendar, Fall 2019
Live jazz in the Twin Cities metro! The Jazz Police calendar is updated at least weekly. And we’re continuing “Andrea’s #8221; Lots of Holiday and Solstice celebrating as we...
The 2019 Litchfield Jazz Festival – Fun in the Sun!
The 2019 Litchfield Jazz Festival took place from July 26 to July 28, 2019. There were some big changes this year. The Festival moved from their longtime location of...
Review: Davu Seru’s Motherless Dollar at Jazz Central
By Sam Worthington I had the good fortune of hearing Davu Seru’s Motherless Dollar Quartet at Jazz Central Studios this past Wednesday, October 9th. I caught the second performance...
Chris Bates Red 5 at Studio Z: Never Too Much of This Good Thing
Review © Sam Worthington I had the pleasure of listening to Chris Bates’ Red 5 tonight (October 3) at Studio Z. The show was part of The “All Originals”...
The 2019 Montreal Jazz Mass – Where Jazz and Art Meet
The Montreal Jazz Festival, aka Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, brings so much music to the city, that it expands beyond the Festival itself. There are late-night...
New Season, New Directions for JazzMN
“I just feel like there’s something really special about big bands. There’s something unique, and even for people who are not jazz aficionados or don’t even like jazz,...
Inspired and Inspiring: “Summer School” With the National Youth Jazz Orchestra
Since the first Dakota Combo was launched in 2006 as an audition-only ensemble of high school jazz students, I’ve had the pleasure to meet and observe some very talented...
The 2019 Montreal Jazz Festival – 40 Years of Music!
The 2019 Montreal Jazz Festival, officially called Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, took place from June 27 to July 6. It’s a landmark year for the Festival,...
Outstanding: Eyran Katsenelenbogen ‘s New Solo Release, “Outstandards”
More than a decade ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing a solo recording by Israeli, Boston-based pianist Eyran Katsenelenbogen. At that time, Solotude (2005, Eyran Records) was already...
Coltrane ’58: The Prestige Recordings
Just after his only recording for Blue Note, and before moving to Atlantic to make his Giant Steps, John Coltrane had a very productive 1958 recording as a leader...
Minnesota’s “Jazz Hero”: Steve Kenny Recognized by Jazz Journalists Association
Steve Kenny is many things to many people, especially Twin Cities jazz fans. He is a fulltime computer tech specialist, a dad to two grown children, a professional jazz...
Larry Englund: Farewell to Our Jazz Hero
[Note: Portions of this article are drawn from Janis Ewart’s nomination letter for Larry’s designation as Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Association, and from Larry’s own self-penned obit,...