Since 1998, Minnesota’s big band enthusiasts have had the fortune to hear performances by the JazzMN Big Band. Formed to “promote, preserve and perpetuate jazz, America's indigenous art music, through performance, historical preservation, and education," this non-profit group is an amalgam of the best band artists in the Twin Cities. Over its five seasons, the JazzMn Big Band has presented a who’s who list of guest artists, including Arturo Sandoval, Phil Woods, James Moody, Dave Weckl, Terry Gibbs, and Buddy DeFranco. The band released its first self-titled CD on the Artegra label in 2000. Under the leadership of Dr. Doug Snapp, the JazzMN Big Band’s 2004-05 season features some well-established, if not all well-known brass specialists in concert with some of the best of the area’s vocalists.

“Made in Minnesota” is the November 13^th installment of the Big Band’s season. This concert will feature works by some of the Twin Cities’ renowned composers and arrangers, including Lester Young, Maria Schneider, Dean Sorenson, Adi Yeshaya, Laura Caviani, Pete Whitman, Steve Devich, and John Ahern. Local vocal diva Charmin Michelle and young upcoming vocal star Jose James will join the band, along with local legend Percy Hughes on sax. As always, the band will start off with some charts of big band standards but the focus this evening is on our home grown Minnesota talent.

With a style reminiscent of earlier Billie Holiday and Nancy Wilson (whom she “channeled” at the recent Selby Avenue Jazz Festival), Charmin Michelle sings with “taste and understatement, swing and savoir faire, grace and grooves, intimacy and panache” (TC Music Net). Born in Birmingham and raised in Minnesota, Michelle has wide ranging experiences, from the funk Jesse Johnson Revue to entertaining U.S. troops abroad to touring Europe with internationally known pianists Mulgrew Miller and Kirk Lightsey. On any given night she most likely can be found on stage at the Dakota, Artists Quarter, Café Luxx, Rossi’s Blue Star—anywhere that promotes top-flight jazz. Critic Tom Surowicz notes, “Her understated art is more about gentle persuasion, precise storytelling and easy swing.” In other words, a perfect fit for the repertoire of the JazzMN Big Band. Tonight she will be premiering arrangements written for her by another local icon, pianist and band leader Adi Yeshaya. (See www.charmsongs.com)

Joining in with Michelle will be Minneapolis South High graduate Jose James, who has been stirring up serious jazz dust in the Twin Cities recently. James turned a lot of heads as a finalist in the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition (Vocalists).

And hold on for a special appearance by saxophonist Percy Hughes. Cutting his teeth in an Army Ground Forces Band during World War II, young Hughes played with some of Duke Ellington's and Count Basie's bands. Returning to the Twin Cities, he headed his own bands, playing at the old Treasure Inn, which hosted such guest stars as Oscar Pettiford and Lester Young in the 40s. In recent years, Hughes has directed the Ellington Echoes, a group committed to honoring the music of Duke Ellington.

Each a star in his or her own right, the members of  the Jazz MN Big Band have diverse credentials and impeccable musicianship, ample evidence that great jazz is indeed “Made in Minnesota”:

·        Director Dr. Doug Snapp has a doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado, where he led the college jazz ensembles to several Downbeat Awards. In addition to playing trumpet and directing the JazzMN Big Band, Snapp is a Professor of Jazz Studies and Trumpet at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and plays principal trumpet in the Mankato Symphony.

·        John Ahern (trumpet) plays regularly with the Cedar Avenue Big Band and the Nova Big Band. A composer specializing in big band charts, he has played with the Jim Tolck Little Big Band for the past five years. His own John Ahern Big Band has been featured as a part of Jerry Swanberg’s Big Band Scene at the Artists Quarter.

·        Terry Burns (bass) is the Director of the Bass Department at Musictech, St. Paul and has been a professional bassist for 30 years. In addition to his first-call status in the Twin Cities, Burns has played with diverse artists including Linda Rondstadt, Jane Monheit, Freddy Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, David “Fathead” Newman, and Billy Higgins.

·        Wade Clark (bass trombone), a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston,  freelanced in San Francisco before coming to Minnesota, where he currently keeps busy as a freelance arranger, orchestrator, and copyist. His credits include working in the bands of Buddy Rich and Nelson Riddle, and backing Sammy Davis, Jr., the Moody Blues, and San Francisco Ballet.

·        Bernie Edstrom (trumpet), also a Berklee grad, toured with the Woody Herman Thundering Herd and leads the Bernie Edstrom Big Band, the Jazz Composer's Art Ensemble, the Starlight Orchestra, and his quintet, MOVE. In addition to numerous appearances with local bands and orchestras, Edstrom performed with the Tribute to Mingus Band.

·        Dave Graf (trombone) has worked in Dixieland, straight ahead jazz, salsa, big bands, and pit orchestras, and has backed legends such as Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Harry Connick, Julie Andrews and Rosemary Clooney. He performs with Percy Hughes’ Ellington Echoes in addition to the JazzMN Big Band.

·        Bob Hallgrimson (trumpet) performs regularly with the Cedar Avenue Big Band and various Latin bands in the Twin Cities. His credits include work with Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Woody Herman, the Temptations, and Rosemary Clooney.

·        Dave Jensen (trumpet) is best know for his work with the Hornheads, the Twin Cities ensemble that recorded with Prince and the New Power Generation, and has toured all over the world. His previous work included a stint with the Artie Shaw Orchestra. Also a Berklee grad, he performs with local pit orchestras and teaches at Musictech.

·        Kathy Jensen (baritone saxophone), married to Dave, is also a member of the Hornheads. She has performed with Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, and Moore By Four, and with a variety of musical and theatrical productions around the Twin Cities.

·        Dave Karr (tenor saxophone) has been composing and producing music for radio and TV since 1970. He has performed with numerous bands, symphony orchestras, Broadway shows, and recording sessions. Around town Dave performs frequently with his own quartet and backing other musicians at the Dakota, Artists Quarter and other venues.

·        Mary Louise Knutson (piano) has worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Dianne Reeves, Bobby McFerrin, Von Freeman, and top local vocalists and instrumental ensembles, as well as leading her own groups. An acclaimed composer, Knutson has won two Billboard magazine awards for her compositions. Her 2001 debut CD (Call Me When You Get There) hit the Top 50 Charts in the US and Canada.

·        Dale Mendenhall (tenor saxophone) has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Guthrie, and other local theaters. His credits include Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Ben Sidran, David Letterman, and Jay Leno. With over 30 years of music experience, he currently works with such diverse ensembles as the Hornheads, Stud Brothers, and the Minnesota Klezmer Band.

·        Clay Moore (guitar) has been impressing U.S. and international audiences for over 20 years. A native Texan, he is primarily self taught, and worked with Lee Konitz, Larry Coryell, and many others in Austin. Since moving to the Twin Cities, Moore has played with a host of local jazz artists as well as Bobby Lyle, heads his own trio, and teaches at Musictech.

·        Michael B. Nelson (trombone) is the leader, arranger, and trombonist for the Hornheads. His career includes a McKnight Composers Fellowship, touring, composing and arranging for Prince, and performances with Doc Severinsen, Chaka Khan, Lenny Kravitz, Ben Sidran, Sammy Davis, Jr., and many others. He is also a member of the local trombone ensemble, Locally Damaging Winds.

·        Mike Paulson (trombone) toured with the Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, and Artie Shaw Orchestras, and has performed on cruise ships and Mississippi river boats. Other credits include bands for Bob Hope, Natalie Cole, Rosemary Clooney, The Four Freshmen, Vic Damone, Kay Starr, and Billy Eckstine.

·        Clay Pufahl (tenor saxophone) is new to the Twin Cities. His professional credits include stints with the Holland America Cruise Lines, the Jimmy Dorsey and Guy Lombardo Orchestras, and the Wolverines Big Band. He currently serves as woodwind and jazz instructor at Totino-Grace High School in Fridley, as well as performing with various jazz groups in the Twin Cities area.

·        Joe Pulice (drums) toured with Woody Herman and his Thundering Herd during Woody's 50th Anniversary Tour, and has won two Minnesota Jazz Music Awards -- for Best Jazz Vibist and as a member of world-renowned drummer Eric Kamau Gravatt's group, "Kamanari." He has also worked with Stan Getz, Slide Hampton, David Liebman, Jack McDuff, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Harry Connick, Jr.

·        Pete Whitman (alto saxophone) has performed with Randy Brecker, Jack McDuff, and the Woody Herman Orchestra, and currently leads his own groups, Departure Point and the Tentet. An accomplished tenor and flute player, composer, and arranger, Whitman heads the Woodwind and Brass Department at Musictech.

For information on this and the remaining concerts on the JazzMN Big Band season calendar, see www.jazzmn.org. All concerts will be held at Ted Mann Concert Hall on the University of Minnesota’s West Bank campus.