Photo by Andrea Canter

No, it isn’t an episode of the Cosby Show at the Artists Quarter Wednesday night. The Slide Huxtable Quartet isn’t TV comedy, but rather a newly formed jazz ensemble that promises edgy arrangements from a group of veteran Twin Cities’ musicians. The Slide Huxtable Quartet includes former Motion Poets Mark Miller on trombone, Chris Bates on bass, and brother J.T. Bates on drums, along with Bill Bergman on guitar. Playing a mix of originals and standards rearranged “to put some fun into the music,” the band took its name from the famous Bill Cosby Show episode where Cliff's dad (Russell “Slide” Huxtable) plays at a jam session with a bunch of real jazz musicians. Notes Chris Bates, “Slide Hampton is playing off camera while Slide Huxtable does a really bad job of lip synching on camera. We all loved that episode as kids and so the band name came from there.”

Photo by Andrea Canter

Combining set after set of great jazz with an art fair and food concessions, the second annual Burnsville Art and All That Jazz gets underway in Nicollet Commons Park at 11 am, Saturday, August 20th. From the opening music of the Metro High School Jazz All-Stars to local Cuban pianist Nachito Herrera and nationally acclaimed guitarist Nick Collione, there’s something for everybody, and the music is free to all. Primary sponsors for this year’s event include US Federal Credit Union, Smooth Jazz 100.3, and Ames Construction, while Coca-Cola Midwest Bottling provides the official beverage for the festival.

In the heart of suburban Burnsville, Art and All That Jazz will close down a block each of 126^th Street and Nicollet Avenue, with 5,000+ expected to attend. Says festival founder and Burnsville City Councilman Dan Gustafson, “this is our year for the credibility of our festival. We want to make a statement that we’re here, and we’re here for a long time … You get a jazz festival off the ground and get it going, they don’t die, they just grow.” And there are grand plans for expanding the festival in the future, according to Festival Chair Ted Olson. “Our intention is to build this thing into a two- or three-day festival with multiple stages and possibly multiple venues around the Burnsville area…What we’re actually trying to build is a large, regional musical event that just happens to be taking place in Burnsville... A former Minneapolis nightclub owner (RoxyMusic), Gustafson’s music and business contacts have been instrumental in attracting talent. His new for-profit company, Art and All That Jazz, owns the festival, and hopes to finish this festival in the black and put the proceeds toward the 2006 event. The company also plans to donate 10% of its profits to charity.

Photo by Howard A. Gitelson

None of these stellar musicians needs much of an introduction to Twin Citians. From his days with the Illicit Sextet in the 90s through his release of two lustrous trio recordings, Chris Lomheim is well known for his impeccable Evanescent lyricism in small chamber ensembles and as an elegant accompanist for area vocalists. Veteran bassist Gordy Johnson has a long-standing affinity for the trio format, appearing on Lomheim’s two recordings and releasing three volumes of Trios with a long string of guest pianists and drummers. And among drummers, none can match Phil Hey’s elegant brand of swing and dexterity. Together, these three recorded The Bridge (Artegra, 2002) under Lomheim’s moniker and are frequently on the bandstand at the Dakota and Artists Quarter. For this Evans celebration, veteran bandleader/saxophonist Pete Whitman filled out the quartet, taking advantage of the opportunity to shine as the lone horn outside of his usual large ensemble work with his Departure Point, X-Tet, and on the front line of the Jazz Mn Big Band.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Raised in Cincinnati and Little Rock, Williams first performed in the Twin Cities as a clarinet and sax player with the Navy during Word War II. Turning down invitations to play with Count Basie and Duke Ellington, he stayed in the Twin Cities, although his vita includes stints with Fletcher Henderson, Mary Lou Williams, and Billy Eckstein. Here at home, Williams has played at every jazz venue, past and present, including the old Flame Bar where he was often back to back with such stars as Sarah Vaughn, Dizzy Gillespie, and Johnny Hodges. The first jazz musician to have his own “Irv Williams Day” granted by the State of Minnesota (1984), he has been inducted into the Minnesota Jazz Hall of Fame and was pictured on the “Celebrate Minnesota” official state map in 1990. Throughout his sixty-year career, Williams has focused on the Great American Songbook and the tenor sax as a solo vehicle. His knowledge of the idiom is legendary and fellow musicians marvel at his ability to play any song in any key. Noted Matt Peiken (St. Paul Pioneer Press), “Veteran saxophonist Irv Williams has always been about sweetness not power, and he's still gigging strong” at 86.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Take one of the most poetic of keyboardists and mix in elegantly equal parts of sublime bass and drums, creatively mix and shake into fine crystal—you can’t drink it but you can nevertheless kick back and inhale some of the finest chamber jazz anywhere, the Chris Lomheim Trio. One of the busiest musicians in the Twin Cities, this coming week Lomheim joins forces with pulse masters Gordy Johnson and Phil Hey on both sides of the river, Monday August 15^th at the Dakota and Wednesday August 17^th at the Artists Quarter. If you missed this trio’s July gig at the AQ, now you have two opportunities and no excuses for missing out again!

Chris Lomheim’s first keyboard was the family organ, and as a child he studied both organ and piano in Minneapolis. He focused on R&B in the 1980s, playing with such bands as Big John Dickerson and Down Right Tight. Gaining a reputation as a composer as well as performer, he was featured at the West Bank School of Music Composer’s Forum in 1991.

Intensely cinematic and entirely unique, the rare beauty of Minneapolis-based instrumental combo The Fantastic Merlins begins with the group's unusual blend of cello, bass, sax, and drums. Replete with stunning dynamics and melodies that range from playful to mournful, the resulting style encompasses avant-garde jazz and chamber music alike, as well as everything in between: classical-yet-contemporary experimentalism, complex rhythms, and breathtaking improvisation.

The Fantastic Merlins formed in early 2005 as the result of a couple of informal playing sessions: The previous summer, Brian Roessler (bass) recruited longtime friend and collaborator Nathan Hanson (saxophone) and Minneapolis cellist Jacqueline Ferrier-Ultan to play a few gigs as a trio. Agreeing they were on to something, Hanson called on Federico Ughi (drums) to complete the group, and everyone rendezvoused in Minneapolis to play some shows and track a record.

Award-winning keyboardist Keiko Matsui, one of the most successful and innovative contemporary jazz artists, will perform at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis August 17th and 18th. Keiko Matsui has earned a large, devoted following developed over the course of her recording career that began with the 1987 release of "A Drop of Water". Since then, Matsui has wowed audiences around the world with elegant, award-winning records and high-energy live shows featuring her signature grand-in-scope compositions.

Her music is deep and passionate, combining Asian and Western classical music with modern jazz. From Tokyo, Matsui has become one of instrumental music's most distinctive and dynamic composers while reaching new heights as a concert performer. "Wildflower" is Keiko's latest release and it spotlights her classically inspired jazz grooves infused with deep spirituality. Powerful and evocative, Matsui's music has earned her fans and critics' praise the world over. Ever mindful of music's unique ability to unite people of all ages and cultures, she hopes to spread a positive message across the globe of action, compassion and understanding.

The two bands performing at the Dog Days Dance are perfectly suited for an outdoor street party. The Twin Cities Hot Club features Robert Bell and Reynold Philipsek on guitar, Gary Schulte on violin and Matt Senjem on bass. The "Hot Club" style was developed in the 1930s, in Paris, by the brilliant Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and its popularity has been growing wildly inAmerica in recent years. The swinging style is a favorite among dancers. The Twin Cities Hot Club's weekly Sunday night gigs at the Times Bar and Café in Minneapolis are extremely hot.

The Brass Messengers are a 10-piece horn outfit playing New Orleans-style street-level brass jazz music. But that's not all. Born out of the Heart of the Beast parade, the Messengers mix in Romanian marches, Germanic fare, Tex-Mex polkas and other insanely fun stuff. Put another way, it's got a good beat and it's easy to dance to.