Weeknight Gigs

Sophia Shorai (happy hour Wednesdays, 4:30-6:30 pm). Born in Bindura, Zimbabwe and raised in the Twin Cities, Sophia Shorai began classical piano and contemporary vocal studies at age five, and performed regularly in church, singing jazz and gospel. She was constantly exposed to the sounds of jazz, but "I can't recall exactly when I decided that I wanted to be a jazz musician. I can say that the music has always been inside me, thus, propelling me towards the possibility of becoming a jazz artist someday." Shorai graduated from the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, where she worked with small and large ensembles. She now plays with many local musicians, and holds down regular gigs at Rossi's as well as the Dakota.


JoAnn Funk (happy hour Thursdays, 4:30-6:30 pm). Classically trained pianist JoAnn Funk doesn't let the boundaries of genres define her music. "I've studied and played jazz for years. It's never made sense to me to limit my solo piano playing to one style. I just like to play music that sounds great on the piano: Gershwin, Chopin, Debussy, Hoagy Carmichael." Of her 2003 CD Solo Piano (Bluebelle Productions), Dakota owner Lowell Pickett said, "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."

Jazz by Fosse and Irv Williams (happy hour Fridays, 4:30-6:30 pm). Father and son Ron (bass) and Aane (piano) Fosse team with veteran tenor man, Irv "Mr. Smooth" Williams, to warm up a happy hour faster than a hot toddy. Jazz by Fosse got its start in the late 80s at the Malt Shop in south Minneapolis. The duo has since often performed with additional musicians, and has had a long-standing happy hour gig at the Dakota as well as regular appearances at Zanders in St. Paul. Irv Williams needs no introduction to area audiences, and at 85+, he's still blowing a mellow horn from one end of town to the other.

Jaztronauts (January 5, 7 pm). Winners of the Minnesota Music Awards Acoustic Jazz Artist of the Year for 2001-2002, the Jaztronauts are an elastically eclectic band that has held regular gigs at Lee's Liquor Lounge, the Minnesota Music Café, Jitters, and Jazzmine's, and has performed as the house band on Channel 45's Big Bad Movie. Their resume also includes numerous jazz festivals, weddings, and corporate events, and a one-week stand at a Zurich night club. In a unique quartet format, Jaztronaut musicians each play instruments and provide vocals: Joe Weisman (bass), Buddy Weisman (sax), Jim Kennedy (piano), and Morris Engel (drums). Their CD Swank was described by Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine as "launch[ing] music into the post-modern neo-swing jazz era." Minnesota Monthly praised their "toe-tapping mix of swing, jive and modern jazz...complex instrumental work....[and] slick vocal harmonies."

Kelly Rossum Quintet (January 6, 7 pm). Growing up surrounded by music (his father was a clarinetist in an army band and his mother an accomplished pianist), Kelly Rossum got hooked on jazz trumpet via Sesame Street! He saw a guest appearance by Dizzy Gillespie, and by age ten was playing cornet in school bands; he discovered Miles Davis a few years later. Rossum studied classical trumpet at the University of North Texas, and now teaches himself through the MacPhail Center for Music. Living in Minneapolis since 1996, Rossum continues to peform both jazz and classical music, having worked with the Lyra Consort as well as a wide range of local jazz artists. His second recording, Renovation, was nominated for four Minnesota Music Awards; was included in the top 20 local albums for 2004 by the Minneapolis Star Tribune; and was one of City Pages' top 10 local albums of the year. Says Rossum, "I wanted to challenge some of the conventions in jazz. The styles and forms are slightly different than one would expect from a traditional jazz album." Expect more of the unexpected when Rossum's Quintet jams at the Dakota.

Dan Ristrom and the Reuben Ristrom Trio (January 13, 7 pm). One of the newer voices in Twin Cities jazz, Dan Ristrom joins local guitar legend (and Dad) Reuben Ristrom and his trio. The elder Ristrom has performed on guitar and banjo throughout the metro area for several decades, covering everything from Dixieland, mainstream jazz, swing, standards, Latin, and even vintage rock. He's performed and recorded as part of swing pianist John Sheridan's Dream Band.

Scott Fraser/Mark Asche/Alden Ikeda (January 17, 7 pm). Scott Fraser, considered a master of classical, jazz, rock, blues, folk, country and R&B guitar, has released three solo albums on the Fun Music label and composes for theatre, dance, poetry, and film. As a music educator, Fraser writes for Minnesota Guitarist and taught at Normandale and Metropolitan Community Colleges. In addition to his performance and teaching, Fraser works as a free-lance sound designer/producer/mixer, and has recorded over one hundred albums of classical, folk, jazz and avant-garde music. He has also toured as audio engineer with the Kronos Quartet. Mark Asche, active in the Twin Cities' music community as a performer and composer, plays piano and (tonight) Hammond B-3 with a range of jazz, blues, and R &B ensembles. He's worked with Dave Karr, Irv Williams, Eric Gravatte, Ed Berger, Pete Whitman, Bobby Peterson, Phil Hey, Gordy Johnson, Shirley Witherspoon, the Hornheads. Currently he performs with the Cedar Avenue Big Band, the Senders, and the Steve Vecchi Orchestra. Drummer Alden Ikeda has played with Billy Bang, Frank Foster, Julius Hemphill, Roscoe Mitchell, Don Cherry, Butch Morris, George Cartwright, Ed Berger, Bill Carrothers, Shirley Witherspoon, and more, at venues such as the Walker Art Center, The Clown Lounge, The Dakota, the Artists Quarter, and First Avenue, as well as clubs in Europe. This trio will keep the groove hot as they swing through a repertoire of classic jazz.

Chris Lomheim Trio (January 19, 7 pm). One of the foremost piano talents on the Twin Cities jazz scene and a regular performer at the Artists Quarter and Dakota, Chris Lomheim started organ studies at age 7, moved on to piano and was into R&B in the 1980s. He was featured at the West Bank School of Music Composer's Forum in 1991 and nominated as top pianist in the 1997 Minnesota Music Awards. Jeremy Walker of Brilliant Corners called Lomheim "the most sensitive and romantic player you will hear around the Twin Cities' scene. He has prodigious piano technique and an individual ear for harmony." Often compared to Bill Evans, Lomheim has made two acclaimed trio recordings, And You've Been Waiting? (1994, IGMOD) and The Bridge (2002, Artegra). Lomheim's regular trio includes multi-talented bassist Gordy Johnson and sublime drummer Phil Hey.

The Gene Adams Quintet (January 20, 7 pm). A vital force in Twin Cities' jazz, blues, and music education since moving here in the 1970s, veteran trumpeter Gene Adams has performed with a Who's Who of Twin Cities artists, from Shirley Witherspoon to Connie Evingson. With his working groups Red Beans and Rice, Straw Dogs, and the Gene Adams Quartet, he has played local venues from the Artists Quarter and Dakota to the Cabooze, Loring Bar, and Ordway. A former junior high music teacher (Prince was one of his students), Adams has been a participant in the education program How to Listen, sponsored by Harman International to bring music to elementary students. The recipient of a Minnesota Music Award, Black Music Award, and Jazz Musician Award, Adams released Lifetime of Jazz (Hot Springs Records) in 1997. Expect a lot of blues and touches of New Orleans.

Photo bt Howard A. Gitelson

Dean McGraw Group (January 24, 7 pm). Dean Magraw has been wowing audiences with his fleet fingered plucking and creative compositions. Said Steve Tibbetts, "It's guitar, but it's so liquid, lyrical and effortless that it's like listening to a dancer." Starting out on bugle, St. Paul native Magraw studied classical guitar at the University of Minnesota and Berklee College of Music in Boston. For many years, Magraw was half of a popular partnership with mandolin virtuoso Peter Ostroushko. Straddling jazz, folk and bluegrass, he has performed with and/or recorded with Ruth McKenzie, Claudia Schmidt and Greg Brown, among others; he has explored his Celtic heritage performing with Celtic accordionist John Williams. Magraw's first solo recording, Broken Silence, won the NAIRD 1994 Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year. A frequent performer at area festivals and jazz clubs, his group Red Planet (with bassist Chris Bates and drummer Jay Epstein) performed recently at the Dakota. Expect great tunes infused with Magraw's impish humor.

Connie Olson & the Benny Weinbeck Trio (January 31, 7 pm). Hot off the release of their Doris Day tribute CD, Daydreaming, vocalist Connie Olson and pianist Benny Weinbeck reprise their efforts on the Dakota stage. A native of Minneapolis, Olson was singing with local bands at 17, then moved to LA where she studied and performed at many of the area's top venues. She's performed with the Peter Duchin Big Band, Manhattan Transfer vocalists, Prince, and Madonna; she can be heard on commercials and tours around the country for concert and corporate events. Pianist Benny Weinbeck has performed for over 25 years in venues around the world, working with some of the top musicians and producers in the music industry. His three self-produced recordings highlight his compositions as well as his piano chops. Involved in film scoring and corporate projects, Weinbeck appears weekly at D'Amico Cucina in downtown Minneapolis, in duo with bassist Gordy Johnson. He appears on Johnson's new recording, Trios Volume 3.

Coming Soon!

Like a January thaw, the music just melts into the next month and the next. Virtuoso guitarist Larry Coryell and his trio will open February (1-2); followed by alto sax monster Kenny Garrett (February 17), the elegant if under-rated pianist, Bill Charlap (February 27-28), and much more from both the national and local scene.

For a full schedule and online reservation form, see www.dakotacooks.com or call (612) 332-1010 for information. The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Reservations are recommended for national shows; local acts are general admission.