Ginger Commodore Quartet © Andrea Canter

It’s March and that means time to celebrate birthdays with Ginger and Bobby Commodore at the Dakota! But Bobby gets most of the limelight this year as he celebrates that big one, 60! The party will be Friday, March 8th, featuring the Ginger Commodore Quartet (with Bobby, Lee Blaske, Mark Weisberg) and special guests Kathy Jensen and Deevo Dee). And just to ensure it is a family celebration, Late Night at the Dakota will feature Commodore offspring, Brandon and Ashley Commodore, performing with very funky BoomBox.

Jack Hessburg©Andrea Canter

The Twin Cities Jazz Society’s Young Artists Series continues on Thursday, March 7th at the Artists Quarter with Audio Cabinet, a quintet mostly from Apple Valley High School. The young musicians include Jack Hessburg (alto sax), Brandon Caplin (piano), Trevor Aarsvold (bass), Blair Kelly (drums), and Kris Berg (trumpet). Kris attends South High and will fill in for usual trumpeter Parker King-Fournier. The Young Artists Series is its third season, providing a stage for high school and college student musicians to perform at a world-class jazz club. Gigs are scheduled approximately every other month as an early show, with no cover, an opening for the prime time show beginning at 9 pm.

Says leader Jack Hessburg, “We will be playing mostly jazz standards, perhaps with a few of our own arrangements, and maybe even an original composition from our bass player.”

The final Young Artists gig of the school year will be on May 2nd, featuring an ensemble from UW-River Falls, led by saxophonist Thomas Strommen.

Audio Cabinet plays the early set on March 7, promptly at 7 pm (no cover), followed at 9 pm by the Brian Grivna Quartet ($5 cover). All ages welcome. The Artists Quarter is located at 408 St Peter Street in the lower level of the Hamm Building; www.artistsquarter.com

RAndy Brecker©Andrea Canter

One of the top big bands in the Midwest, the nonprofit JazzMN Orchestra was formed in 1999 to “promote, preserve and perpetuate jazz, America's indigenous art music, through performance, historical preservation, and education." Directed by bandleader/trumpeter Doug Snapp and featuring the best band artists in the Twin Cities, the 14th season continues on March 9th with special guest artist, trumpet king Randy Brecker. Also on the evening’s program is popular local vocalist Judi Donaghy Vinar.

McCoy Tyner©Roger Humbert

Pianist McCoy Tyner is one of the working legends of his generation, an artist whose long and diverse career spans the heyday of bop, the emergence of Coltrane, and the evolution of the complex structures that are hallmarks of modern jazz. His percussive attack, orchestral voicings, and modal harmonies have influenced several generations of musicians, and his ongoing work exemplifies the life of a creative artist constantly seeking to grow and respond. Tyner is now in his 70s but is hardly considering retirement. With bassist Gerald Cannon, drummer Francisco Mela, and special guest and long-time collaborator, saxophonist Gary Bartz, Tyner and his quartet highlight the Twin Cities Jazz Society’s Jazz From J to Z season on March 9th, performing as part of the Hopkins Center for the Arts Music Series.

Dave King Trucking Company©Andrea Canter

There are five weekends in March – all the better to treat jazz audiences with a return of Chris Bates’ Red 5, the divine Miss Debbie Duncan, the irrepressible Atlantis Quartet, and two projects from Dave King – his celebrated trio with Bill Carrothers and Billy Peterson, and his internationally acclaimed Trucking Company. Weeknights offer the usual and fine eclectic mix of veteran ensembles and up-and-comers, as well as a special treat with a visit from Richie Cole.

Charles Lloyd©Andrea Canter

March is not particularly heavy in jazz booking at the Dakota, but quality trumps quantity in the arts. And there is plenty of quality here, with Charles Lloyd’s Sky Trio and the SF Jazz Collective leading the way, along with stellar local ensembles and a schedule of renowned artists from the wide arena of music.

Phil Grenadier

The second annual MacPhail Combo Festival will be held Sunday, March 3rd at the MacPhail Center for Music with special guest artist, Boston-based trumpeter Phil Grenadier. This noncompetitive festival for high school jazz combos is presented by MacPhail with support from the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education. In addition to leading an afternoon of adjudication and clinics, Grenadier will perform with the Dakota Combo and MacPhail jazz faculty in a public concert at 7 pm in MacPhail’s Antonello Hall. Adam Linz, jazz coordinator at MacPhail, directs the Dakota Combo and coordinates the jazz festival.

David Roos with Nathan Norman©Andrea Canter

One of the most area popular ensembles of the late 1980s and early 90s, the Illicit Sextet was dubbed “the Cadillac of local jazz” by critic Jim Meyer. In 1993 they released their acclaimed debut recording, Chapter One. Now back on the jazz scene after a long hiatus, the Illicit Sextet previews music from its long-anticipated follow-up, Chapter Eleven, at the Artists Quarter in St. Paul, February 28th.