Pippi Ardennia©Andrea Canter

PipJazz Sundays continues on July 8th with special guests Dean Magraw (guitar) and Marcus Wise (tablas). This concert, hosted by vocalist Pippi Ardennia and her PipJazz house band (Peter Schimke, Brian Nielsen, Billy Peterson and Glenn Swanson), takes place at 5 pm in the Weyerhauser Auditorium in the lower level of Landmark Center in St. Paul. In addition to Magraw and Wise, the concert will feature student guest artist/pianist John Blanda, sponsored by Walker West Music Academy. The youth program is also cosponsored by the Twin Cities Jazz Society.

Dean Magraw©Andrea Canter

Marcus Wise is not only a master table player, he brings the tabla to American audiences through folk, jazz, gospel and pop genres as well as Eastern classical music. His credits include The Doors’ John Densmore, sitar player David Whetstone, R&B vocalist Alexander O’Neal, classical Indian musician Nirmala Rajasekar, jazz artist Anthony Cox, cellist David Darling, sarod player Bruce Hamm and pop producer Jimmy Jam. A native Minnesotan, Wise learned to play congas in Spain and later studied tablas in India with Ustad Diam Ali Qadri, whom he had met when Ustad was a visiting artist at the University of Minnesota. Over his 35-year career, Marcus has toured internationally, including performing for the Dalai Lama at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in 1989 and at the 2000 reunion of the Doors for MTV; he recorded with Dean Magraw and Steve Tibbets. Marcus has also worked with poets and playwrights, composed music for the Guthrie Theater’s 1991 production of Medea, and played for the opening of the new Walker Art Center in 2005.

Marcus Wise (by Evan Kerr)

Youth guest artist John Blanda, 16, will start his junior year this fall at Hill Murray High School in Maplewood, where he plays in the school jazz band. He also studies piano at Walker West Music Academy and performs in the WWMA jazz ensembles.

PipJazz concert tickets are available for $25 for adults ($20 advance), $10 for students 12-18; children under 12 free. Some free student tickets are also available. Visit www.pipjazz.com for tickets and more information. Landmark Center is located at 75 W. 5th Street in downtown St. Paul. Pipjazz concerts are held on the second Sundays of the month, March through December.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites