Holiday Celebrations

December 12 (4:30 pm). International Steinway artist and native Minnesotan Stephen Marq gives an unusual afternoon solo performance to help usher in the holiday season. Acclaimed composer and performer of what may be best described as sophisticated "New Age" melodies, Marq notes that "The music is about life, family, and what we hold most dear to our hearts." Reservations available.

December 12 (7 pm). It wouldn't be December without Laura Caviani's holiday show at the Dakota. One of the Twin Cities' pre-eminent jazz pianists, composers, and educators, Caviani earned degrees from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI and the University of Michigan; studied in Japan at the Akiyoshidai International Art Village; and received a grant to study with another highly inventive pianist, Joanne Brackeen. She has toured with Toots Theilemans, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, and Karrin Allyson, and has released four acclaimed recordings as well as appearing on a long list of CDs of local musicians. Known for her interpretations of Monk and her work with Soul Café, Departure Point, and Pete Whitman's X-tet, Caviani always delivers an exhuberant holiday salute. Joining the quintet this evening will be Twin Cities' vocal diva Lucia Newell, guaranteed to add touches of Brazil and Strayhorn to the festive spirit.

December 17-19 (7 & 9:30 pm Friday and Saturday; 4 & 7 pm, Sunday). Another annual holiday event, The Peterson Family Christmas is a unique tribute to holiday and family. Led by matriarch Jeanne Arland Peterson through three more generations of accomplished and up-and-coming musicians, Minnesota's First Family of Music will entertain with instrumentals and song. From Jeanne's still-hot piano and Ricky's keyboards, to Billy's big bass to Patty's and Linda's cool vocals, to the multi-instrumentals of Paul and Jason, this is one family reunion that everyone will enjoy.

December 21 (7 pm). Minnesota vocalist Jennifer Grimm has been singing professionally since age 2. By the time she reached her teens, her performance credits included television, theme parks, casinos, night clubs, and resorts, as well as recordings. She appeared with the local R&B band, Power of 10, and in cabaret shows including Fairy Tales, Lost in Boston, and A Christmas Carole Petersen. She recently opened for Oleta Adams at the St. Vincent Blues Festival and has completed three caberets in New York City. Her second solo recording, A Christmas With Family and Friends, will be celebrated at this holiday CD Release Party. With what William Randall Beard (Star Tribune) described as "...the demeanor of a 1940's chanteuse," Grimm "..delivers pure magic every time she opens her mouth. Not only technically proficient, but also wondrously emotive, she has a lock on that intangible which separates musical performers from entertainment stars" (Dwight Hobbes, Pulse Magazine).

New Year's Eve.  It's always the jazziest bash in town. This year, ring in the New Year with lyrical pianist/vocalist JoAnn Funk, vocal diva Ginger Commodore, and the Cuban groves of piano dynamo Nachito Herrera and the Cuban All-Stars.  JoAnn Funk has become a happy hour fixture at the Dakota, and owner Lowell Pickett notes that, "She has a beautiful and lyrical touch and a sense of time that allows the notes to linger in the air for a moment before gently sweeping down and brushing the ear, heart, and soul of the listener. The music is gentle and it swings, and with each hearing, it seeps in just a little deeper with it's warmth and beauty." One of the areas's most acclaimed vocalists, Ginger Commodore has a long history performing for audiences in the Twin Cities and around the globe. Starting out with the Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness, she is an original member of Women Who Cook and has performed with Yanni, The Minnesota Opera, Twin Cities Gospel Ensemble, J.D. Steele Singers, and recently toured with the Chiffons. But she is best known locally as a founding member of the acclaimed vocal ensemble, Moore by Four. Said City Pages' Britt Robson, Ginger possesses some of the sweetest and most clarion pipes in town." About once a month, Nachito Herrera and his Cuban All-Stars provide incendiary sets that have made this Havana transplant one of the most popular musicians and educators in the area. Wrote critic Tom Surowicz in the liner notes to Herrera's Live at the Dakota recording, "Herrera's a piledriver, a barnburner, a wizard... Cha-cha-cha, bolero, salsa, rumba, son, mambo, meringue, guaracha, plena, guajira -- name the beat, and Herrera delivers it with mastery." Forget Time Square, make your reservations now for the volcanic eruption on Nicollet Mall.

New Year's Day (8 pm).  Do you really want to watch another Bowl Game when the Dakota is open? Ginger Commodore comes back downtown to sing-in the New Year. Particularly if you missed her on New Year's Eve, you won't want to pass up the opportunity to hear this magnificent voice to kickoff 2005!