 What happens when four of the areas first-call jazz musicians get a monthly gig where they are simply allowed to pursue the music they choose? Magic!
The Phil Hey Quartet features Dave Hagedorn on vibes, Phil Aaron on piano, Tom Lewis on bass and Phil on drums and has been an Artists' Quarter favorite for the past 5 years. No surprise really. This is a no-nonsense, uncompromising band of local jazz greats regularly performing the tunes of Kenny Wheeler, Bobby Hutcherson, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter and others. Over the years they have attracted a loyal crowd of hardcore jazz fans and students who show up on the monthly Thursday night when they perform.
Phil Hey, a swinging drummer and former student of Ed Blackwell, leads this group and announces the tunes from the stage with a little humor and a few interesting notes on the tunes they are presenting.
In winter, Dave Hagedorn will sometimes show up a little late, and in tails from fresh from a gig at the Minnesota Opera. or some other orchestra. It is worth the wait. Dave is a professor at Saint Olaf where he heads the Jazz program. He plays in several local jazz ensembles including Apex, the eclectic Low Blows, the straight-ahead The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, first published in 1953, was the first theoretical contribution to come from jazz and was responsible for introducing modal improvisation which resulted in the seminal recording of Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue." Dave brings an integrated knowledge of complex harmony and rhythm that never fails to swing or to move anyone with ears,
 As a blog entry from www.gospacewaitress.com says: " ... I moseyed over to the Artist's Quarter in St Paul to see local jazz group the Phil Hey Quartet. The best thing about the quartet - and they're all skilled musicians - is Dave Hagedorn on vibes with his blurry mallets. It's mesmerizing. Even though it was late and we were tired, I'm glad we stuck around until the end. The last two songs they played are two of my favorites - Highway 1 by Bobby Hutcherson, and Fifth House by John Coltrane. We're lucky to have such a good music scene here in the Twin Cities".
Tom Lewis is a solid swing bass player who is well suited for the often difficult music performed by this group. Combined with Phil Aaron's Bill-Evans influenced style completes the sound of this group. These two may play so well together because they work together several days a week, Phil Aaron leads his own trio with Tom Lewis and drummer Jay Epstein and have had a regular week-end engagement at the Sofitel for years.
Catch the Phil Hey Quartet live at the |
Twin Cities, MN 
Saturday, 20 March 2010
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