Billy Childs

Two-time Grammy winning pianist/composer Billy Childs and his stellar quartet take the stage at Jazz Standard, January 26-29. Appearing with Childs will be saxophonist Steve Wilson, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Eric Harland.

Billy Childs was born in Los Angeles in 1957, and his aptitude for piano was apparent by age 6. At age 16, he enrolled in the USC-sponsored Community School of the Performing Arts, studying theory with Marienne Uszler and piano with John Weisenfluh. In 1975, he entered USC as a composition major where he studied with Robert Linn. Since earning his BM degree, Childs  has received orchestral commissions from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, The Kronos Quartet, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the American Brass Quintet, and the Dorian Wind Quintet.

Tierney Sutton©Andrea Canter

From Wisconsin to Berklee to the Oak Room, Tierney Sutton’s career has been on a steady upward trajectory. Considered one of the most accomplished singers on the modern jazz scene, Sutton has collaborated with the same band for nearly 20 years, during which time they have released 9 recordings, garnered 3 Grammy nominations and played on the stages of Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Hollywood Bowl and the Monterey Jazz Festival. With a Grammy pending for their 2011 release (American Road), the Tierney Sutton Band returns to Birdland in Manhattan, from January 24-28.

Kendra Shank©Andrea Canter

"A superbly skilled vocalist, Ms. Shank interprets jazz and pop liberally, but with an abiding respect for melody." --Nate Chinen, New York Times 

One of the most creative singers in modern jazz, Kendra Shank returns for her near-monthly gig at the 55 Bar in Manhattan on January 27th. Her cohorts in the Kendra Shank Quartet include keyboard master Frank Kimbrough, bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Tony Moreno. 

Acclaim for Kendra Shank’s unique approach vocal jazz has grown steadily over the past decade, including the designation “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” in the Downbeat International Critics Poll. With the 2007 release of her tribute to Abbey Lincoln, A Spirit Free, and her 2009 Mosaic,  the elastic improviser has been described as a performer with a “unique and immediately identifiable sound and style” (Don Heckman, LA Times), as “a singer with a sound” (Abbey Lincoln) who “phrases inventively, whether crisp and sizzling or sensuously smoky” (Patricia Meyers, Jazz Times).  

Monk in Motian (Harris, Wozniak, Fultz, Evans)©Andrea Canter

“You know, anybody can play a composition and use far-out chords and make it sound wrong. It’s making it sound right that’s not easy." -- Thelonious Monk, 1961

For many years, only the most sophisticated jazz musicians, including Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane, appreciated the genius of Thelonious Monk. One of the greatest (and most prolific) composers of the 20th century, today Monk is celebrated for his many compositions that are part of the standard repertoire of jazz, from straight ahead to avant garde. Not only did Monk write hundreds of tunes, his off-kilter structures and rhythms offer endless avenues for interpretation regardless of stylistic leanings.  One such group of interpreters is the local ensemble, Monk in Motian, performing on January 28th at part of the Jazz at Studio Z series of open rehearsals and concert performances, curated by Zacc Harris. The free, open rehearsal will be held at 4 pm, with the performance ($10) starting at 7 pm, both in the intimate space of Studio Z, in the Northwestern Building in St. Paul’s Lowertown.

Joan Griffith©Andrea Canter

The Twin Cities Jazz Society presents “Guitarists Extraordinaire,” featuring Joan Griffith and Sam Miltich with special guest, Connie Evingson and percussionist Dave Schmalenberger, at the Bloomington Center for the Arts Black Box Theater on January 28th (7:30 pm) and 29th (2 pm). This show, cosponsored by the Bloomington Center for the Arts,  is part of TCJS’s “Jazz From J to Z” concert series. 

Bryan Nichols Quintet©Andrea Canter

“...a swinging, sometimes quirky sense of time and creative expression.” – Jazz Police 

In the decade since he completed a degree in genetics at Iowa State University, pianist Bryan Nichols has been busy performing, composing and teaching music rather than studying DNA. The Twin Cities native has been in high demand since returning “home” in 2005. And 2011 was surely a break-out year for the alum of Betty Carter’s famed Jazz Ahead program, as he enjoyed the support of a McKnight grant, the release of his first CD as leader, performances with his quintet, trio , nine-piece We Are Many, and solo recital at MacPhail, and turns with Todd Clouser’s A Love Electric, Zacc Harris Quartet, and more. But 2012 is off to a fast start for Bryan. A week ago, he brought his Quintet +1 to the Artists Quarter to explore the music of Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet, and now with the core quintet will reprise some of the Jarrett material as well as his original compositions, back at the Artists Quarter this weekend (January 27-28).

“…with a straight-ahead group, everyone has to contribute, (both) opening things up compositionally (and) keeping the program well-rounded.” -Roy Hargrove

Justin Robinson and Roy Hargrove © Andrea Canter

One of the finest trumpeters in the world, Multiple Grammy-Award winning jazz trumpeter/composer Roy Hargrove has always explored diverse music, from Afro-Cuban to funk, even venturing into pop mainstream. A major force on the jazz scene since his teens, Hargrove continues to stretch his musical boundaries. A collaborator in recent years with Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, and McCoy Tyner, Hargrove plays hard-swinging trumpet and lush flugelhorn. He leads his straight-ahead quintet in further explorations of post-bop modern jazz.  Hargrove will perform with his quintet at Catalina's in Hollywood on Wednesday, January 25th through Sunday, Janurary 29th.

"And what became clear by the conclusion of this fascinating program was that Roberts...opens up a creative window on both the past and future. By retaining the substance of these works, without mimicking their styles, by finding within them new musical challenges for the present and the future, rather than a by-the-numbers need for precise historical reproduction, he is identifying the entire jazz repertory as a timeless arena for creative endeavor." -Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

Marcus Roberts © Andrea Canter