Larry Coryell©Andrea Canter

One of the “Guitar Gods” of jazz and fusion, Larry Coryell brings his global Bombay Jazz Project to the Dakota for two nights, March 16-17. Credited with giving birth to the fusion movement of the 70s, particularly with his band Eleventh House, Coryell has been a popular performer in the Twin Cities, appearing at the Dakota Jazz Club in 2006 and the Artists Quarter in 2008. Bombay Jazz blends the traditions of modern American jazz and Indian classical music, putting Coryell on the bandstand with globally-influenced American saxophonist George Brooks and acclaimed Indian musicians, Ronu Mojumdar on flute (bansuri) and tabla master Aditya Kalyanpur. 

Larry Coryell

As an inspiring teen guitarist, Larry Coryell recalls a friend telling him that he would “never play with the likes of someone like Dave Brubeck.” Undaunted and full of youthful idealism, Coryell continued his quest to emulate heroes like Barney Kessell and Wes Montgomery. And not only did he eventually play with Brubeck, but as he recounts in his 2007 autobiography, Improvising: My Life in Music, his audiences have included John Coltrane and Roland Kirk; his collaborators have included Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Stephane Grappelli, Gary Burton and Sonny Rollins.  

Ticket To Brasil

Growing up in the Czech Republic, it probably seemed quite remote that Pavel Jany would one day be regarded as an accomplished performer and composer of Bossa Nova. Trained as a classical guitarist, he was introduced to the music of Villa Lobos and Baden Powell; later he spent a few years in Gabon where he was introduced to West African music and Afro –Brazilian traditions. Inspired by bossa nova and Brazilian fusion artists, these forms became his main interest, a focus he carried with him to the U.S. in the early 1990s. Based in the Twin Cities, he found like-minded musicians to join him as Ticket to Brasil, a popular international ensemble now celebrating the release of its third recording, simply titled Songs. Jany and cohorts will hold a CD release party at the Artists Quarter on Sunday, March 14th at 7 pm. 

Five of the dozen tracks on Song are penned by Jany; the rest are arrangements of celebrated Brazilian composers including Jobim, Pixinguinha, Baden Powell and more. In sum the music covers a variety of moods and colors, in varying combinations of guitar (Jany), bass (Dan Weston, Mark Haynes), percussion (Jany, Haralds Bondaris, Andrew Gillespie, Brian Rydell, Marc Anderson), sax (Doug Little), flute (Rose Rinder, Maggie Roston) and vocals (Lidia Berman, Lucia Newell, Selmara Abreu, Carla Puglia) with special appearances from Dan Newton on accordion and the late Ralph Fraisse on violin. 

Laura Caviani©Andrea Canter

There are multiple venues and organizations presenting series of jazz concerts each year—Northrop Jazz Season, Twin Cities Jazz Society Jazz From J to Z, Minnesota Orchestra Hall, JazzMN Big Band. And there’s also Jazz @ St. Barney’s, sponsored by St. Barnabus Church in Plymouth. Next on the St. Barney’s schedule is acclaimed pianist Laura Caviani and her trio (bassist Gordy Johnson and drummer Phil Hey), March 13th. 

Raised in the Midwest where she studied trumpet as well as piano through high school, Laura Caviani received a Bachelor’s of Music in Composition from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, and a Masters of Music in Improvisation from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. With a grant from the Atlantic Center for the Arts in 1997, she studied with piano virtuoso JoAnne Brackeen, and the following year was one of four American musicians selected to study in Japan at the Akiyoshidai International Art Village.  Laura’s teaching credits include St. John's University, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, the University of St. Thomas, the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point and guest artist/educator in residence in Cordoba, Argentina in summer 2007. Currently she is on the music faculties of both Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges in Northfield,  

Hiromi©Andrea Canter

I saw her Friday night in Chicago at the Jazz Showcase and was entranced. I saw her Monday night at the Dakota and was thoroughly dazzled and charmed. I saw her again Tuesday night, and by the end of the last set, I was convinced I had heard the most exciting night of piano jazz in my own history. The best? Probably not a fair question…. I’ve seen Jarrett, Peterson, Brubeck, McPartland, Hersch, Barron, Tyner, Jamal and more. Hiromi is only 30—it’s too early to burden her with “legend” status. But it is not too early to predict she will get there. For now, let’s say she may have few living peers in terms of her combination of virtuosity, ferocity, and even delicacy. It’s an exhilarating, and charming, package.

“Regina Carter creates music that is wonderfully listenable, probingly intelligent, and, at times, breathtakingly daring…taking the listener into the future of jazz. “ –Time Magazine 

Regina Carter

The Northrop Jazz Series continues its stellar season on March 15th with jazz violinist Regina Carter’s Reverse Thread Project. This quartet performance will feature the music of Carter’s new release (Reverse Thread), music of the African Diaspora. Already known for her unique interpretations that fuse modern jazz and world music, Carter now weaves together traditional instruments such as the kora from Mali (featuring special guest Yocouba Sissoko) and powerful drum rhythms from Senegal with her violin, accordion (Wil Houlshouser), bass (Chris Lightcap), and drumset (Alvester Garnett).