Ramsey Lewis©Andrea Canter

“No polite promenade down memory lane, Ramsey Taking Another Look packs up everything to love about Sun Goddess and forcefully plants it in the here and now.”

--Carl Schonbeck, Pop Matters

Three-time Grammy winner and NEA Jazz Master Ramsey Lewis makes a rare club appearance with his Electric Band at the Dakota Jazz Club May 20-21. The 77-year-old Lewis was last at the club with his trio in 2010.

Debbie Duncan©Andrea Canter

Debbie Duncan has been entertaining Twin Cities audiences for 25 years with her wide-ranging vocals and entertaining banter. Equally diverse with chops ranging from New Orleans brass to avant garde collaborations, Zack Lozier has been on the local scene for about ten years as a trumpeter and vocalist. This weekend, the Artists Quarter boasts both artists, back to back, Debbie Duncan on Friday, May 18th and the Zack Lozier Quintet on Saturday, May 19th.

RAHS Jazz Ensemble©Andrea Canter

 “ A powerful artistic statement and a joyous occasion despite the sadness for the departed friends, the Dedication records are a towering achievement…” –Francesco Martinelli, All About Music Guide

Back in the early 1970s, bassist Harry and wife Hazel Miller founded Ogun Records in London, producing recordings of South African expatriate/British avant-garde musicians. Most notably, they recorded Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath, a European-based big band that was often compared to the Sun Ra Arkestra, and an amalgam of South African and Afro-American traditions and new British jazz. In the early 90s, the Dedication Orchestra was assembled in tribute to exiled South American musicians; Ogun recorded two albums of this music of new arrangements of the music of Brotherhood of Breath and other South-African-based bands, released in 1992 (Spirits Rejoice) and 1994 (Ixesha).

Rhonda Laurie©Andrea Canter

Taking a break from her popular “Happy Days Are Here Again” tour of small-town Minnesota, vocalist Rhonda Laurie brings her take on “Uncommon Standards” to the Jazz@St Barney’s concert series on May 19th. She’ll be joined by pianist/arranger Phil Mattson, as the two explore standards of the jazz canon that are not commonly performed by vocalists, from Ellington to Monk. The Jazz@ St Barneys series is a program of St. Barnabus Church in Plymouth.

About Rhonda Laurie

Rhonda is a “real” New Yorker. Growing up in Queens, Rhonda’s life was infused with music from the beginning. Her maternal grandfather was in New York vaudeville, a trumpeter and bandleader at the Plaza Hotel in the Catskills where young Rhonda spent her summers. Her maternal uncle was at one time the youngest trumpeter to play in Broadway pit orchestras. On stage at the Plaza, Rhonda was singing with her grandfather’s band before she started kindergarten. Through high school, she continued “on stage,” performing in and directing school productions, playing in a rock ‘n roll band, and attending the famed Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater, whose alumni include Gregory Peck and Joanne Woodward. After high school graduation, however, Rhonda was persuaded by her parents to pursue something more practical than show business. While completing her degree in pre-law at SUNY-Buffalo, however, she continued to take classes in art and dance, and even had some singing gigs in local bars. Still thinking about law school, Rhonda obtained training as a paralegal after graduation, and soon found herself working on Wall Street. Yet, “I knew something was missing.” Ultimately she found a voice coach who involved Rhonda in cabaret. “But then I wanted to sing songs differently than the way they were written and my coach did not go for it. So I moved on to work with Hal Schaefer—he was the coach for Marilyn Monroe, as well as a bandleader and pianist. He taught me how to swing…I never looked back, it was all about singing jazz.”

Last Summer

One of the most prolific musicians in the Twin Cities, composer/guitarist Reynold Philipsek and friends (Matt Senjem, Gary Schulte) will celebrate his new recording, Last Summer (Zino-Rephi, 2012) this weekend, May 19th, at the Aster Café in Minneapolis.

In his liner note for Last Summer, Philipsek cites his childhood fascination with the music of the mid to late 960’s – “the soundtrack of my childhood” – and particularly Antonio Carlos Jobim, Wes Montgomery, French and Italian film music, and the orchestrations of Claus Ogerman, Oliver Nelson and Don Sebesky as captured on record by Creed Taylor. “My past few records have been rather stark and purely acoustic guitar recordings, which emphasized the influence of gypsy jazz and my Slavic heritage,” he says. “This music completes the picture of my entire musical makeup.” That entire picture includes over three dozen recordings of mostly original music and acclaimed work with the Twin Cities Hot Club, East Side, Sidewalk Café and area vocalists including Rhonda Laurie and Lee Engele.

Rick Carlson©Andrea Canter

“Piano magician…” – Tom Surowicz

Since 1980, Rick Carlson has held the piano chair for the Wolverines Jazz Band and Trio. And throughout the past 30+ years, he also has headed his own quartet and has been a favorite accompanist for area vocalists, from Charmin Michelle and Nichola Miller to Arne Carlson and wife Maud Hixson, and more. But we’ve had very few opportunities to enjoy Rick in the intimacy of a solo gig. Carlson gets a well-deserved opportunity to shine alone on May 15th at The Nicollet, a cozy coffee house just south of downtown Minneapolis. If it’s Tuesday, it must be jazz night at The Nicollet!

Lucia Newell © Andrea Canter

Described by Minnesota Monthly as “one of the most powerful vocalists on the Twin Cities scene,” Lucia Newell has spun Brazilian samba, French ballads and bop melodies; she has sung with the great Billy Eckstein, the Rio Jazz Orchestra, and Oscar Castro Neves; paid tribute to Anita O’Day and Betty Carter, and rendered lyrics in three languages. With the stellar backing of the Phil Aaron Trio (with Chris Bates and Kenny Horst), Lucia returns to the Artists Quarter on May 15th for an evening reflecting these many influences, including songs of spring and some special Brazilian songs in honor of Elizabeth Longfellow's birthday.

Irv Williams©Andrea Canter

A number of years ago, tenor saxophone legend Irv Williams hinted at retirement in his liner notes for That’s All (2004), but clearly that was premature. Three CDs later, the then 88-year-old known fondly as “Mr. Smooth” issued a more dramatic hint with the release of Finality (Ding Dong Music) in 2008. But apparently the title only referred to Irv’s feelings about recording sessions, not performing opportunities. Last spring, Irv seemed more determined that we let him rest his chops, proclaiming his April gig and release of yet another CD (Duke’s Mixture) at the Dakota Jazz Club to be his “Retirement Party.” Shortly thereafter, he was back playing for the Dakota’s Friday Happy Hour with Peter Schimke. So, what should we think of his upcoming “Retirement Party” at the Dakota on May 14th? Hard to tell. How many times did Cher schedule her “final” tour? But if nothing else, we can be sure of a night of terrific jazz, a good enough reason to celebrate one of the musical treasures of the Twin Cities. As noted in the Pioneer Press, Irv is either “the coolest old guy or the oldest cool guy…” in town.