Robin Eubanks © Don Berryman

THE JOHN COLTRANE JAZZ STAGE

2:00 to 3:15 PM - SEARCH FOR THE NEW LAND QUINTET

• A Tribute to Lee Morgan
• Duane Eubanks – Trumpet, Jymie Merritt – Bass
• Ronnie Burrage – Drums, Sid Simmons - Piano
• Stanley Wilson - Tenor Saxophone

David "Fathead" Newman © Andrea Canter

• Sunday, September 24, 2006--- 5:00PM-9:00PM    -The Festival Kick-Off featuring the area's finest musicians/artists   @ Cobblestone Conch House*, ( Sponsored by Annie's Guitars and Drums)
• Monday, September 25, 2006--- 8:00PM-11:00PM      Alex Nguyen Quintet  @ Cobblestone Conch House

Yolande Bruce © Ancrea Canter

On Saturday, September 9^th, jazz fans on both sides of the metro area will have the opportunity to attend festivals in two historic neighborhoods—the Fifth Annual Selby Avenue Jazz Festival in St. Paul, and the first-ever Uptown Row Django Jazz Festival in Minneapolis. Both festivals are free and offer a showcase of (mostly) local musicians, from trad and blues to hot club and vocals to the modern sounds of post bop.

Selby Avenue Jazz Festival, September 9, Noon-8 pm (corner of Milton & Selby, St. Paul)

A neighborhood event since 2002, the Selby Avenue Jazz Festival features 9 sets of music, food concessions, arts booths and activities for the whole family. “We’re really pleased with the diverse line-up of entertainers that will be gracing the Jazz Fest stage this year,” said Mychael Wright, owner of the Golden Thyme Coffee & Café who heads the festival. “Our musical line-up has something for everyone…including a kids’ play area and food and art vendors—all surrounded by a wonderful spirit of community.” This year’s festival is sponsored by the Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco, Mississippi Market, Selby Area CDC, Golden Thyme Coffee Shop, St. Paul Pioneer Press/Twin Cities.com, and KFAI Radio. Popular area vocalist Yolande Bruce will again serve as EmCee.

Roy Hargrove © Ian Gittler

2006 Grounds Tickets Selling at Record Pace

 For the 49th Annual Monterey Jazz Festiva, Grounds Weekend Passes offer a wealth of sparkling musical gems and riches for families and fans of all ages. Grounds tickets are now available, but are selling at a record pace. Fans are strongly urged to buy tickets now to avoid disappointment and increased ticket prices on day of show. Whether you're looking for jazz chanteuses, cutting-edge future jazz, hard-driving big bands, six-cylinder blues artists, world and contemporary fusion, funky soul-jazz or classic jazz combos-or just a great weekend cultural experience, surrounded by music and family fun--the 2006 Monterey Jazz Festival Grounds artists deliver a wide and far-reaching slice of the jazz world, and beyond.

Many of the Lyons Stage headlining artists are appearing in Grounds venues, including world-fusion bassist Richard Bona, sonic groundbreaker and trumpeter Roy Hargrove, contemporary jazz fusion masters the Yellowjackets, MJF's Artist-in-Residence extraordinaire, vocalist Kurt Elling, the hard-driving 14-piece brass band McCollough Sons of Thunder, and blues guitar master Robben Ford. In addition, members of Dave Brubeck's expanded ensemble performing the "Cannery Row Suite" will be performing on the Grounds and include Chris Brubeck's own group, Triple Play and vocalist Roberta Gambarini, who will be featured with the legendary 88-year old pianist, Hank Jones. Swinging drummer Jeff Hamilton, who co-leads the Clayton-Hamilton Big Band, will also perform on the Grounds with his trio.

François and Louis Moutin

Moutin Reunion will join blues man Bo Diddley and a number of other nationally-recognized performers on Saturday, Sept. 2nd at The Woodlands in Kansas City, Kan. The 2006 Blues & Jazz festival, now in the second year of its triumphant return, runs Sept. 2-3, Labor Day Weekend.

As for Moutin Reunion, the band is popular throughout the U.S. and Europe. Parisian natives and twin brothers Louis (drums) and François Moutin (upright bass) founded the band in 1999, and were influenced at an early age by their parents' large, mostly jazz record collection. Louis started on piano and François on guitar, but both switched to their current instruments by the age of 20. Louis left college with a master's degree in mathematics, François with a doctorate in physics. Within three years of graduation, both had ditched their more traditional careers to try their luck in the world of jazz.