Clarence Penn©Andrea Canter

Far from the surging waters, winds, power outages and all-around disaster, the Twin Cities nevertheless has felt some impact from the East Coast storm. With most of her band unable to fly out of New York, jazz composer/arranger/bandleader Maria Schneider had to scrap her two-night stand at the Dakota Jazz Club, scheduled for tonight and tomorrow night, October 30-31. But with three of the musicians in town (Ingrid Jensen, Marshall Gilkes, Clarence Penn), Dakota owner Lowell Pickett is putting together two nights of fund raising for disaster relief. The shows will go on at 7 pm both nights and feature local musicians Peter Schimke and Gordy Johnson along with the trio of Schneider artists. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to reschedule the MSO in early 2013. For information about refunds and rescheduling, look for messages from the Dakota or call the Box Office.

The three who made it to the Twin Cities:

Ingrid Jensen (by Kevin R Mason)

Maryland native Marshall Gilkes received his early musical training at the Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Northern Colorado, and William Patterson University, earning his degree from Juilliard. In 2003, Gilkes was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trombone Competition. His eclectic talents have been heard with the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Stanley Turrentine, Benny Golson, Machito, Chico O’Farrell, and tours of the Broadway show, Swing. Currently he plays with the MSO, David Berger’s Sultans of Swing, and the Edmar Castañeda Trio.

Clarence Penn (drums). Detroit native Clarence Penn attended the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Miami, and ultimately Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) at the suggestion of Wynton Marsalis. In 1990, Penn accompanied Ellis and Wynton Marsalis to Japan, where he met drummer Lewis Nash, who recommended him to Betty Carter. After a few years working with Carter, Penn moved on to work with Stanley Clarke and later Christian McBride, Michael Brecker, Dizzy Gillespie, Luciana Souza, Gary Burton, Joshua Redman, Richard Galliano, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Charlie Haden, Makoto Ozone and Maria Schneider.

The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Benefits for East Coast Disaster Relief October 30-31, 7 pm; www.dakotacooks.com or 612-332-1010.

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