Peter is a player who who isn't afraid to push the music in new directions. When he is comping behind a soloist he is engaged in a subtle dialog, listening and responding with harmonies and rhythms that sometimes represent a suggestion or even a challenge to the soloist. He is a player who is never on 'autopilot' but is engaged and committed to the music he is participating in creating. No two takes will be the same. Either on piano or Fender Rhodes, Schimke is well worth seeking out.

With 8 stellar recordings and a stronger following in Europe, Lynne Arriale is arguably the poet laureate pianist of her generation. Both her two-night stand at the Dakota (May 10-11) and upcoming release (“Come Together,” due in later summer) significantly testify to her evolution as a composer of hauntingly lyrical melodies and a “decomposer” of familiar standards and traditional tunes. And together with long-time partners Jay Anderson on bass and Steve Davis on drums, the Lynne Arriale Trio presents a master class in musical collaboration.

Photograph courtesy of Howard Gitelson

Lila’s musical journey started at an early age. She began singing when she was three and began teaching herself how to play the piano at the same time. By age 7 she was studying piano, which she continued for the next 12 years. She also studied the violin for several years and spent most of her school years performing in musicals, orchestras, and plays.

A newcomer to the Twin Cities music scene, Lila has spent the past four years making her transition from the classical genre back to her roots in jazz and has sung at several of the Twin Cities’ finest jazz venues: The Minneapolis Summer Jazz Festival, Rossi’s, “Jazz at the G”, Blues Alley, Jazzmines and Sophia’s, to name a few.

In addition to singing, Lila puts her vocal training into action by teaching voice lessons in her private studio. She is currently working on her first CD, which is slated to be released later this year.