Eight Grammy Awards Two Emmy Nominations Two Oscar Nominations 2024 NEA Jazz Master Terence Blanchard has been a consistent artistic force for making powerful musical statements concerning painful American tragedies – past and present. A true Renaissance man, Blanchard stands tall as one of jazz’s most-esteemed trumpeters. Moreover, he defies expectations by creating a spectrum […]

Feat. Sanford Moore, Ginger Commodore, Connie Evingson, Dennis Spears, and Ashley Commodore Moore By Four quickly established themselves as a fixture on the Twin Cities music scene upon their 1986 inception. There, they started out at Ruby’s Cabaret in Minneapolis. The group performed sold-out concerts at the Guthrie and Fitzgerald Theaters and went on to tour […]

Django Reinhardt’s unmistakable cool and jumping joie de vivre have made him an icon. Many guitar luminaries cite his inspiration, including guitar greats Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton. Moreover, Jimi Hendrix named his Band of Gypsys in tribute to Reinhardt. Willie Nelson adopted his influence in playing country swing. The star musicians of the Django Festival Allstars have grown […]

With guest drummer Joe Pulice Like a good many before him, singer and pianist Andrew Walesch manages to encapsulate the sophistication of a cosmopolite and the self-effacing charm of a country boy. Leading his all-star big band, showman Andrew Walesch kidnaps the Blue Eyes tradition and makes it his own in his jazz-bent Sinatra revue. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]