“…she puts together stories that speak with the clarity of Ernest Hemingway and the musical grace of Aaron Copland.” - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Maria Schneider©Andrea Canter

One of Minnesota’s most accomplished musicians returns to her home state this week, bringing along one of the most lauded orchestra’s in modern jazz. Windom native Maria Schneider was in the Twin Cities last month to record and conduct the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra with Dawn Upshaw, and to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Minnesota. Now, wearing her jazz hat, the Grammy-winning composer, arranger and bandleader is due to fly out of the East Coast storm for the second of her two scheduled nights at the Dakota Jazz Club, leading the Maria Schneider Orchestra. That’s eighteen amazing musicians in one intimate space. SORRY, CANCELED DUE TO EAST COAST STORM--Dakota plans to reschedule early in 2013. Check Dakota for updates. October 30-31, come to the Dakota to help support storm relief efforts a few members of the MSO who were able to come to town.

Maria Schneider Orchestra%copy;Andrea Canter

For five years, the Maria Schneider Orchestra performed weekly at Visiones in Greenwich Village, developing a signature sound and approach to big band music that has served as a model to many contemporary big band writers and leaders. Schneider has extended the legacies of Duke Ellington, whose pioneered the notion of composing for specific musicians in large ensembles, and mentor Gil Evans, who brought big band arrangements into the modern era through extensions of form and instrumentation, particularly adding electronic elements (as he did during his years with Miles Davis).  Schneider has maintained her own orchestra for nearly 20 years, tailoring her compositions and arrangements to the unique talents of her musicians, who have always included top performers like pianist Frank Kimbrough and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen. Her music is not easily classified by genre, leading to a wide range of commissions from such entities as the Norrbotten Big Band and Danish Radio Orchestra (with Toots Thielemans and Ivan Lins), the Metropole Orchestra in the Netherlands, Orchestra National de Jazz (Recapitulaion), Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra (El Viento), Monterey Jazz Festival (Scenes from Childhood, Willow Lake), The American Dance Festival (for dance company, Pilobolus - Dissolution), University of Miami Concert Jazz Band (Three Romances), Hunter College (Concert in the Garden, Sky Blue), Jazz at Lincoln Center (Buleria, Soleá y Rumba), Los Angeles Philharmonic Association (Aires de Lando), Kronos Quartet (String Quartet No. 1) and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra with soprano Dawn Upshaw (Carlos Drummond de Andrade Stories). The last work had its New York premiere in May 2011 at Carnegie Hall conducted by Schneider, and was recorded with Schneider in St Paul last month. 

Frank Kimbrough©Andrea Canter

Ever since her first ArtistsShare project, Maria Schneider has used unique approaches to funding her projects. Two recent works for her own orchestra involved commissioners, not from arts organizations, but directly from her ArtistShare fan base. Schneider’s most recent work (premiering in July 2012) was co-commissioned by the Ojai Festival, The Australian Chamber Orchestra and Cal Performances, and featured the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Dawn Upshaw, and three musicians long associated with Schneider’s own orchestra: pianist, Frank Kimbrough, bassist, Jay Anderson, and multi-instrumentalist, Scott Robinson. For this work, she incorporated poems by poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, Ted Kooser, from his book, Winter Morning Walks.

Ingrid Jensen (by Kevin R Mason)

NOTE STORM RELIEF BENEFIT with a few members of the MSO, October 30-31.

The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis; www.dakotacooks.com or 612-332-5299 for Box Office reservations and information about the canceled shows.

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