Drummer Kevin Washington and his septet RA Spirit

Framework—the jazz trio composed of drummer Jay Epstein, guitarist Chris Olson, and bassist Chris Bates—will perform two hour-long sets. Chris Bates is an accomplished bassist recognized for his remarkable contributions to the world of jazz. Bates is a key member of the Atlantis Quartet, where his dynamic and inventive bass lines contribute to the ensemble's […]

A Fantastic Steely Dan Tribute! With dynamic lead vocalists driving every performance, richly layered harmonies, and a tight 4-piece horn section, Steeling Dan meticulously recreates the intricate jazz-rock fusion and sophisticated arrangements that defined the original band’s legacy. John Heinen: Lead Vocals Dave Larsen: Lead Vocals Stephanie Devine: Background and Lead Vocals Shelly Domke: Background […]

Saxophonist-composer Alex Hahn and his Reflections Tour

An Evening of Expressive, Groovy Jazz Minneapolis-based jazz pianist and composer, Mary Louise Knutson has been called "one of the most exciting artists to happen to jazz piano in quite some time." Her warm, inviting tone, broad range of emotional expression, and distinctive compositions have brought her much recognition on the national music scene. If […]

A member of the Midwest music scene for many years, Ginger Commodore is a regular visitor to the Dakota stage. Classically trained, gospel-influenced, and jazz-inspired, Ginger’s musical foundation is a true amalgam of musical styles presented with her unique delivery.

For the first night of his Berlin residency, Bryan Nichols presents two very different trios: each a mix of longtime associates of Bryan's and newer faces to the Twin Cities improvised music community. Expect deconstructed songs, constructed improvisations, and much more. Set 1: Bryan Nichols - Piano Christopher Rochester - Saxophones Jay Epstein - Drums […]

What is “Sitting-In”? Sitting in is not the same as a “jam session”. A musician’s definition of “sitting in” is to participate in a working group, as a guest, usually to play a couple of songs. This usually occurs at the invitation of someone in the band. This is how Jazz Musicians typically audition and […]

The Boys are back!!!! Here some free free jazz with the Twin Cities dynamic quartet. Magraw, Bates, Kaviraj, Epstein

One of the most lyrical and intimate voices of contemporary jazz piano, Brad Mehldau has forged a unique path. Here, he embodies the essence of jazz exploration, classical romanticism and pop allure. Mehldau has garnered critical acclaim as a bandleader, and major international exposure in collaborations with Pat Metheny, Renee Fleming, and Joshua Redman. Furthermore, […]

Saint Paul native Pierre Lewis spent his formative years filling in for twin cites organ legend Bobby Lyles. He has been keyboardist for R&B legends the Commodores for the past 12 years. He will be exploring his roots as one of the area's most experienced masters of the Hammond B3 organ, channeling everyone from Jimmy […]

Two of the most respected artists in contemporary jazz join forces in this duo. Brad Mehldau is hailed as “one of modern jazz’s most innovative musicians” by Glide Magazine. Christian McBride says, “Brad is justifiably revered as one of the greatest pianists of all time. I’m very proud to have been friends and cohorts with him […]

New York-based saxophonist, composer, and educator David Bixler continues his recent streak of creative reinvention with incognito ergo sum—the second release from his boundary-pushing trio with bassist Dan Loomis and drummer/percussionist Fabio Rojas. A follow-up to the trio’s 2020 debut, Inside the Grief—which responded powerfully to the overlapping crises of that year—this new album draws […]

Two of the most respected artists in contemporary jazz join forces in this duo. Brad Mehldau is hailed as “one of modern jazz’s most innovative musicians” by Glide Magazine. Christian McBride says, “Brad is justifiably revered as one of the greatest pianists of all time. I’m very proud to have been friends and cohorts with him […]

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 […]

sunpearl and friends will sonically articulate the effect of light bending through water throughout two improvised sets. The first set will be a duo performance by Robert Lehmann and Toby Ramaswamy, and the second set will be a trio set with sunpearl, Toby Ramaswamy, and Shahzad Ismaily. sunpearl is an ambient vocal project that draws […]

Bassist Josh Granowski, drummer Chris Jamal, and pianist Mike Vasich will pay tribute to legendary pianist Ahmad Jamal. Longtime Midwesterner Josh Granowski has been making music in Minnesota for more than a decade. He has played upright bass and bass guitar/FX with notable forward-thinking improvisers including Davu Seru, George Cartwright, Dave King, and deVon Gray. […]

32nd Street Jazz returns to Fingal’s Cave with a special tribute to the legendary Miles Davis. The band will perform all the music from Kind of Blue, the groundbreaking album from 1959. MICHAEL WILSON ALTO & BARITONE SAXOPHONES, FLUTE Mike studies chimpanzees and human evolution in his day job at the University of Minnesota. He […]

Prepare yourself for an intimate evening of juicy ballads, intricate improvisation, and youthful interplay between esteemed saxophonist Jovon Williams and nimble-minded composer/pianist Marvelous. These artists share a strong bond and lift each other’s voices with great care. Steeped in the traditions of jazz/blues and improvisation, this is an act you'll feel deep in your soul […]

Tina Schlieske, a revered figure in the Minneapolis music scene, embarks on a transformative jazz odyssey. Her inaugural jazz recording, "The Good Life," saw her teaming up with a stellar ensemble to create a lush album of standards. The same band will be backing her up for her latest show at Berlin. Band Members: Tina […]

This all-star trio presents an evening of intimate improvisation.   Featuring: Bryan Murray - saxophone Anthony Cox - bass Davu Seru - drums

This group, a brand-new aggregation, pays homage to the great pianist and composer Thelonious Monk just two days after his birthday (Oct. 10). More an appreciation band than a cover band, this quartet will share some unexpected songs and reimaginings of Monk's incredible music. Band Members: Bryan Nichols - Piano Dave King - Drums Bryan […]

The MNHBC Jazz Student “SIT-IN” Performance Series is funded by a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and the St. Paul Cultural Star.   What is “Sitting-In”? Sitting in is not the same as a “jam session”. A musician’s definition of “sitting in” is to participate in a working group, as a guest, usually […]

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 […]

6-7pm Mike Cramer Mike Cramer <https://mikecramermusic.com/> is a stylistically versatile multi-instrumentalist. An active musician in the Twin Cities, he is a member of several fine ensembles including the bluegrass group The Barley Jacks and Cafe Accordion Orchestra. He also leads his own jazz trio and the roots/Americana trio, 43 Degrees. His award-winning flatpicking arrangements have been […]

This 16 piece band boosts having been on-going for the last 35 years . Originally under the musical direction of arranger/ composer Steve Devich, they have built a library of big band music containing over 450 charts!

Adam Wolff is a jazz pianist based in San Diego, California. He plays with a strong groove/blues element, in the style of Gene Harris. Ahmad Jamal is also a strong influence- while living New York City for many years, he had the good fortune to study and record with two of Jamal’s drummers. His travels […]

PeterKoganJazzPresents at the MetroNOME TWO TENORS – a non lethal battle of the Saxes Thursday, October 16th, 7 pm to 9:15 pm Pete Whitman, tenor sax – champion? Bryan Murray, tenor sax – challenger Rick Carlson, piano – referee Gary Raynor, bass  – in this corner Peter Kogan, drums -in that corner

Upright bassist Liz Draper, drummer Chris Hepola, and vocalist/keyboardist Crystal Myslajek unite to present two sets of genre-defying music spanning experimentalism; improvisation; and new expansive, reflective songs exploring geographical and environmental themes. Bassist Liz Draper has played with everyone from Sub Pop's Grammy-nominated slowcore band Low to the Balkan folk group Orkestar Bez Ime, Righteous […]

Alto saxophonist Owen Brady and guitarist Jackson Peters will perform two sets, rendering a mix of familiar and obscure pieces of jazz repertoire, orchestral excerpts, film scores, and originals. Jackson Peters is a graduate from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in guitar performance. Known for his range and versatility, he has performed alongside a wide […]

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. […]

Vocalist Aby Wolf returns to Berlin with piano virtuoso Kavyesh Kaviraj and first-call drummer Pete James Johnson to present a collaborative set of originals and select covers (arranged by Johnson and Kaviraj) for the Twin Cities’ brilliant Laurels String Quartet. This stellar supergroup convenes once in a blue moon. Don't miss it. Band Members: Erica […]

Drummer Chresten Hyde, guitarist Toivo Hannigan and bassist Dan Carpel perform a mix of old and new standards, deep cuts, and improvisation. Drawing on a wide variety of influences both inside and outside of jazz, they bring a modern, fresh approach to the guitar trio. Chresten Hyde is a drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter based in […]

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 […]

Rekindling a project from before Kaleena Miller moved to NYC, these four dance around each other—literally and musically—to improvise new forms and connect music and dance in previously unheard ways. Band Members: Bryan Nichols - Piano Kaleena Miller - Dance JT Bates - Drums Cody McKinney - Bass ⊹ Bryan Nichols is a pianist, composer, […]

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 […]

Love Call is a trio that unites all that is beautiful in the world into a set of original music that blurs the line between composition and improvisation. Band Members: Max Bessesen - Saxophone/Woodwinds Devin Drobka - Drums Ethan Philion - Bass ⊹ NYC woodwind artist and composer Max Bessesen creates music that “pushes boundaries […]

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 […]

Chicago-born, Minneapolis-based drummer Kenne Thomas brings his quartet of established jazz players to Berlin. Band Members: Kenne Thomas - Drums Solomon Parham - Trumpet Abebi Stafford - Piano Vic Smith - Bass Kenne Thomas was raised in a musical family and was encouraged to pursue music by family friends Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt. He […]

Suwal Singh (tabla, guitar) has contributed to the Minnesota music scene as part of projects such as SitarTabla (Eastern classical), Yeti Steady (avant-garde soundscapes), MoMoSauce (Nepali music), and Jest (pop rock). He has also worked as a session musician with Nathan Hanson, Brian Roessler, Eric Carranza, Colleen Buckman, and Dave Mehling and has appeared at […]

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 […]

Atlantis Quartet is a dynamic jazz ensemble hailing from Minneapolis, MN. This fall, they will be celebrating the release of Live at Berlin—a freewheeling set from a band with deep musical telepathy—on vinyl. The quartet pushes into a more open-ended sound on this bold live album. Band Members: Chris Bates - Bass Zacc Harris - […]

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 […]

Folks, there’s a new rockabilly band in town – Grant Edwards & The Cousins-In-Law. Grant Edwards, 42, has “the music” in him. It may have first grown in spirit, raised in an extremely strict religious sect, Edwards divine is not complete without song. At age 28, Grant quit his church opening a path of continued […]

Johnnie Brown was born in Mississippi. He began singing as a child in his father’s church choir. As an adult, Johnnie’s sibling and friends encouraged him to take singing more seriously. Brown decided to take his vision as a performer to the next level and formed a band. Since, he has established a reputable name […]

The finale of Bryan Nichols’s October residency at Berlin, We Are Many is an improvisational large group playing Nichols' compositions. Based on a Pablo Nerudo poem, We Are Many combines some of the best elements of large and small group jazz and harnesses the power of an incredible assemblage of the Twin Cities' finest musicians. […]

The MNHBC Jazz Student “SIT-IN” Performance Series is funded by a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and the St. Paul Cultural Star.   What is “Sitting-In”? Sitting in is not the same as a “jam session”. A musician’s definition of “sitting in” is to participate in a working group, as a guest, usually […]

Brandee Younger is revolutionizing the harps’ role in modern music. She has worked relentlessly over the past fifteen years to stretch boundaries and limitations for harpists. In 2022, she made history. Then, she became the first Black woman to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. That same year, she was also nominated […]

Founded in 2014 by Geoffrey West Senn and Mac Santiago (percussionist/drum set), the Twin Cites Latin Jazz Orchestra (TCLJO) brings together the drama of big band jazz, the rhythmic intensity of Latin music, and the virtuosity of eighteen of the Twin Cities’ most accomplished musicians.

When the artistry of vocalist Jennifer Grimm met the mastery of composer-arranger Adi Yeshaya, a new sound was born. Don’t miss this thirteen-piece jazz orchestra in a night of compositions and new arrangements of jazz and pop favorites. Composer, arranger and jazz pianist Adi Yeshaya was born and raised in Israel. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, […]

After a musical meeting at Jazzorca in Mexico City earlier this year, Nathan Hanson and Álvaro Torres are joining forces to investigate the spaces where spontaneity meets the familiar, and where familiarity meets the unknown. Their quartet is completed by Liz Draper and Davu Seru, who expand the field of viable sound research. Pianist and […]

Pianist Alec Watson, upright bassist Pat Keen, and drummer Dave Power will play two sets of Alec Watson originals, improvised pieces, and jazz standards during the dinner hour. Alec Watson is a Minneapolis based pianist, songwriter, and improviser. Under the moniker DPCD, Watson has steadily released music ranging from minimalist folk to haunted parlor ballads. […]

Affinity Trio creates an intimate ambience with a strong rhythmic groove. Individually, its members have worked with some of the biggest names in the jazz world: Benny Golson, Phil Woods, Jeff Hamilton, John Clayton, Bruce Barth, Brian Lynch, Greg Tardy, Frank Morgan, and more. The trio has held a regular Monday night residency at the […]

Guitarist Joel Shapira will perform original compositions and jazz classics off his new solo guitar release, Unscripted. He is a leader and/or member of multiple top Twin Cities jazz ensembles, and he is a master of the demanding discipline of solo guitar. He performs regularly with world-class musicians, has numerous recordings to his credit, and […]

Backed by her powerhouse Minneapolis band, Lucia Sarmiento will deliver explosive sax solos, unstoppable energy, and a bold new take on pop and jazz from her debut album, Escape. Band Members: Lucia Sarmiento - Saxophone David Feily - Guitar Jason Craft - Keys Aníbal Soares - Bass Pete James Johnson - Drums On her remarkable […]

A Wonderful Night of Jazz - Cabaret Style Life is a cabaret! Four shows in one night. Three amazing vocalists. An all-star, award winning lineup of players. Jazz from four different eras /styles of jazz placed in historical perspective. Steve Clarke: Saxophones, Flutes and Host Phil Aaron: Piano Tom Lewis: Bass Haralds Bondaris: Drums Maurice […]