Take That Back started as the meeting-of-the-minds of two veteran musicians, Joan Hutton and Sue Orfield. Drawn together by a passion for original music, both bandleaders are composers and improvisers, each with her own unique musical voice. Joan Hutton plays bass clarinet and alto sax, and Sue Orfield plays the tenor sax. The group released […]

Kenny Garrett’s latest release, 2021’s Sounds from the Ancestors, is a multi-faceted album. The music, however, doesn’t lodge inside the tight confines of the jazz idiom. Here, this is not surprising: the alto saxophonist and composer acknowledges Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye as significant touchstones. Miles Davis’ seminal LP, On the Corner, subverted its main guiding lights […]

Kenny Garrett’s latest release, 2021’s Sounds from the Ancestors, is a multi-faceted album. The music, however, doesn’t lodge inside the tight confines of the jazz idiom. Here, this is not surprising: the alto saxophonist and composer acknowledges Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye as significant touchstones. Miles Davis’ seminal LP, On the Corner, subverted its main guiding lights […]

Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene. Their high-energy live shows feature level-A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism and Sowers’ commanding stage presence. Also, their influences range from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits. Moreover, the band is converting audiences one show at […]

Musical masters Bruce Henry (vocals) and Dean Magraw (guitar) celebrate the release of their new acoustic album A New Song with a special concert, welcoming Bruce back to his former Twin Cities home. Although the two artists have collaborated over the years, this is their first duo project and reflects an unexpected musical alchemy. Rooted […]

Led by chief detonators Doug Haining, sax, and Scott Agster, trombone, the Explosion Big Band draws from the area’s finest musicians. The EXPLOSION is ready to detonate with the classic sounds of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and more modern sounds of Thad Jones, Clare Fischer, Pat Metheny & others.

Effortless. Spontaneous. Inimitable. The convergence of two of jazz’s most legendary forces of nature. Moreover, their virtuosic interpretations traverse the musical spectrum. For example, they draw on the canons of luminary composers: Ellington, Porter, Sondheim, LeGrand, Simon, and others. Here, they range from intimate ballads to soulful grooves, delivered with daring expression born of their […]

It isn’t hyperbolic to call Hancock our greatest living jazz artist. Now in his seventh decade of professional life, he has been an integral part of every popular music movement since the 1960s. His work with the Miles Davis Quintet is legendary. His Headhunters album is one of the highest-selling jazz albums of all time. He is […]

Effortless. Spontaneous. Inimitable. The convergence of two of jazz’s most legendary forces of nature. Moreover, their virtuosic interpretations traverse the musical spectrum. For example, they draw on the canons of luminary composers: Ellington, Porter, Sondheim, LeGrand, Simon, and others. Here, they range from intimate ballads to soulful grooves, delivered with daring expression born of their […]

With a solo career spanning two decades, Chris Botti is the highest-selling instrumental artist in the United States. His success has crossed over to audiences usually reserved for pop music. Additionally, his ongoing association with PBS has led to four Number One jazz albums, as well as multiple Gold, Platinum and Grammy Awards. He performs […]

With a solo career spanning two decades, Chris Botti is the highest-selling instrumental artist in the United States. His success has crossed over to audiences usually reserved for pop music. Additionally, his ongoing association with PBS has led to four Number One jazz albums, as well as multiple Gold, Platinum and Grammy Awards. He performs worldwide and […]

With a solo career spanning two decades, Chris Botti is the highest-selling instrumental artist in the United States. His success has crossed over to audiences usually reserved for pop music. Additionally, his ongoing association with PBS has led to four Number One jazz albums, as well as multiple Gold, Platinum and Grammy Awards. He performs worldwide and […]