Joshua REdman©Andrea Canter

So far the weather has been perfect, and the music at the 14th Annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival gets equally high marks, from the festival hub at Mears Park to the Artists Quarter and other venues from Lowertown to Downtown and beyond. Don’t miss the final day and night as St Paul welcomes The Bad Plus and Joshua Redman to cap a glorious weekend of jazz. The full schedule is available on the festival website as well as in the free informative booklet available at all festival sites. With a few club exceptions, all festival events are free.

June 30, Mears Park Main Stage (E. 5th Street and Sibley)

Debbie Duncan©Andrea Canter

2 pm, Debbie Duncan. Vocalist and “Minnesota’s Perpetually Outstanding Performer” (Mn Music Awards) can turn any set into a special occasion, with her amazing range from ballads to blues and her always-entertaining banter. You never want to miss Debbie.

4 pm, Araya Orta Latin Jazz Quartet. One of the rising stars of Latin jazz, Araya Orta has worked with such stars as Michael Brecker, Eddie Gomez, Danilo Perez, Chick Corea, Paquito D’Rivera, Arturo Sandoval and Gloria Estafan. Two pairs of brothers form the quartet—bassist Nicky and pianist Mike Orta, and drummer Carlomongo and percussionist Ramses Araya. Based in Miami, they first met 20 years ago, officially forming the quartet in 2010. This is truly “feel good” music.

Luca Ciarla

8:30 pm, The Bad Plus With Joshua Redman. Artistic riches of this magnitude should be illegal! Take one of the most acclaimed ensembles in modern jazz and add in one of the most acclaimed soloists/bandleaders in modern jazz and you have a quartet offering endless opportunities for merry mayhem. The Bad Plus are no strangers to the Twin Cities, playing here at least annually (holiday gig at the Dakota) and sporting two Twin Cities natives in drummer Dave King and bassist Reid Anderson; pianist Ethan Iverson grew up down the road in Menonomie. Together now for 12 years, their unique spins on pop and rock covers and insanely interesting original compositions makes them one of the most popular and accessible bands on the current international scene. Until now, however, TBP has managed without a horn. Enter tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, whose career skyrocketed from his first release in the early 90s through his tenure as the first Artistic Director of SF Jazz and his current work with the highly regarded quartet, James Farm. Plan to arrive early at Mears Park for this blockbuster final set, or you might be listening from the other side of the river.

The Bad Plus©Andrea Canter

June 30, Sixth Street Stage (236 E. 6th Street)

1 pm. Lucia Newell (note schedule change). From Rio to Minneapolis, Lucia Newell brings a global appreciation of song and lyric, sometimes writing those lyrics herself, in English or in Portuguese. In addition to her affinity for Brazilian rhythms, Lucia has presented the music of Betty Carter, Anita O’Day and more. Today’s set includes original tunes and standards. And she has terrific band for the festival, including Dean Magraw, Dave Karr, Gordy Johnson and Phil Hey.

Marquis Hill©Andrea Canter

5 pm, Marquis Hill. Appearing at the 2011 festival with the Miguel Hurtado Sextet, we were all blown away by this young Chicago trumpeter. Now he’s back leading his own ensemble and we can expect another dose of exhilarating horn play. Only 24, Hill has already worked with such greats as Bobby Broom, Willie Pickens, Antonia Hart and Steve Turre.

7:15 pm, Koplant No. If you’ve gone down to the Iowa City Jazz Festival in recent years, you may have heard this quartet led by saxophonist Joel VanderHeyden. Or perhaps you caught their gig last year at the Artists Quarter. The musicians—VanderHeyden (saxophones), Brian Lewis Smith (trumpet, keyboards, laptop), Drew Morton (bass, keyboards) and Rob Baner (drums, loops, samples)—play original compositions, starting from a jazz foundation and adding elements of rock and electronica, reflecting influences from Michael Brecker to Radiohead and Beck. While VanderHeyden and company draw on many ploys that propel the current generation of ‘jazz meets rock’ musicians, from loops to laptops, their inventive artistry offers a compelling palette of colors and harmonies that stand out well above the crowd.

Koplant No©Andrea Canter

Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education Youth Stage (Prince Street at Broadway)

Again the DFJE is sponsoring a Youth Stage, near the Farmers Market on Prince Street, adjacent to the Black Dog Café. Six amazing ensembles of high school and college level musicians will convince you that the future of jazz is secure!

 1 pm, Southwest High School Jazz Combo directed by Keith Liuzzi

 2 pm, Roseville Area High School Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Pat Moriarty

 3 pm, Dakota Combo Alumni Band, led by Jake Baldwin

 4:30 pm, Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth (MITY) Jazz Band, directed by Scott Carter

 5:30 pm, Stillwater Area High School Jazz Combo, directed by Dennis Lindsay

 6:30 pm, Dakota Combo directed by Adam Linz

2011-2012 Dakota Combo©Andrea Canter

June 30: More Jazz Around St Paul

As you will see on the full schedule of activities, the last night of the festival is an exploding supernova of jazz from the small space of the Black Dog Café to the basement club of the Artists Quarter and even extending to the classy digs of The Lexington. This is must a mere sampling:

 Artists Quarter, 9 pm, Jon Weber

 Amsterdam, 5 pm, Peter Schimke; 6:30 pm, Patty Peterson; 8 pm, Witness Matlou; 9:30 pm, Jazz Central All-Stars & jam

 Black Dog Café, 7:30 pm, Doug Little Quartet; 9 pm, Lee Engele; 10:30 pm, Joel Shapira

 Hat Trick Lounge, 9 pm, Cory Wong

 Heartland, 6 pm, Gypsy Mania

 The Lexington, 7:30 pm, Rachel Holder and Zacc Harris

 St Paul Hotel (Lobby Bar), 7 pm, Joanne Funk Trio

 Minnesota Music Café, 8 pm,

 McNally Smith faculty and more

 Senor Wong, 7 pm, Larry McDonough and Richard Terrell

 Studio Z, 7:30 pm, Zeitgeist with Nirmala Rajesekar; 9 pm, Pat Moriarty & Ellen Lease Quintet

Enjoy the last day and night of the festival – see festival website for complete details.

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