About once per month, the Artist Quarter hosts one of the more unique ensembles in Twin Cities jazz, a "little big band" featuring some of the most accomplished musicians in the area. Thursday night, January 27^th, Pete Whitman's X-Tet will again take the stage at the AQ, in the lower level of the Hamm Building in downtown St. Paul.

The X-Tet is one of several projects led by veteran sax and flute performer, composer, and arranger Pete Whitman. A graduate of jazz studies at North Texas State University, Whitman's credits include performing with Randy Brecker, Jack McDuff, and the Woody Herman Orchestra. In addition to leading his X-Tet, sextet "Departure Point," and Quintet in the Twin Cities, he works regularly with the Jazz MN Big Band. A dedicated educator, Whitman heads the Woodwind and Brass Department at St. Paul's Music Tech, teaching saxophone, improvisation, and arranging.

The X-Tet, the brainchild of Whitman and pianist Laura Caviani, originated as ten musicians coming together for a single session to record Where's When (Artegra, 2002). Named one of the top 20 locally produced recordings of the year by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Where's When also received a four-star rating from Down Beat. Wrote reviewer Bret Rudolph (Music Tap), "The music is something of a puzzle that waits for the listener to put the pieces together...The chords are well defined and exceptionally detailed, allowing the listener to not only experience the excitement but hear the synergy between the different instruments and musicians alike. This experience combined with an exceptional creativity of musical works makes even the casual listener want to tap their hands and feet to the upbeat and light-hearted music."

The 10-piece X-Tet is a virtual Who's Who in local jazz. In addition to Whitman, the X-tet includes:

Dave Karr (sax, flutes). Most often heard locally on tenor, flute, and clarinet, Karr also breaks out the baritone for his Gerry Mulligan tribute band, Mulligan Stew. A native New Yorker, Karr has been a fixture on the Twin Cities jazz scene for nearly 50 years, and has appeared on multiple recordings with local artists, ranging from vocalists (Connie Evingson) to small bands (Pete Whitman's X-Tet).

Dave Milne (saxophones). Milne leads the sax quintet Jazz Ax, is a regular member of Apex, and is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. A native of Rochester, NY, Milne earned degrees from Indiana University and the Eastman School of Music. In the Twin Cities, he is active as a performer, composer, and arranger, and is an artist/clinician for Selmer Saxophone.

Steve Wagner (trumpet and flugelhorn). Wagner is active with a wide variety of musicians in the Twin Cities, and has played and/or recorded with Bill Carrothers, Cookie Coleman, and Tom Hubbard.

Dave Jensen (trumpet). Best known as a member of the brass band, Hornheads, Jensen's experience includes touring with the Artie Shaw Orchestra; recording with Chaka Khan, Lenny Kravitz, Mavis Staples, and Ben Sidran; working as a pit musician for musical shows and theatrical productions; and performing locally with touring artists such as Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Billy Eckstine, Natalie Cole, and Rosemary Clooney. He's a member of the JazzMN Big Band and on the faculty of Music Tech.

Jeff Rinear (trombone). Rinear also toured with the Artie Shaw Orchestra before settling in the Twin Cities. He has backed up numerous national artists, including Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, the Temptations, Natalie Cole, and Kenny Rogers; and worked with Jack McDuff, Dave Stryker, and Pepper Adams. In addition to trombone duties with the JazzMN Big Band, Rinear has been a part of Pete Whitman's Departure Point and is currently the jazz ensemble director at the University of St. Thomas.

Dave Hagedorn (vibes). Hagedorn is a former student of jazz theory pioneer George Russell who "brings an integrated knowledge of complex harmony and rhythm that never fails to swing or to move anyone with ears" (Don Berryman, Jazz Police). A regular performer with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Opera, Hagedorn is Director of Jazz Bands at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. His credits include work with the George Russell Living Time Orchestra and recordings with Debbie Duncan, The Minnesota Contemporary Ensemble, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Gordon Johnson (bass). Although he graduated from the Eastman School of Music with a degree in flute, Johnson has made his mark as a highly versatile bassist, from his early days with Maynard Ferguson, Chuck Mangione, and Paul Winter to his current work with a long list of local musicians and touring national artists. Johnson has released a series of three recordings featuring different combinations of pianists and drummers (Trios, Trios V. 2 and the new Trios Version 3.0). He has recorded with Pete Whitman's X-Tet, Departure Point and Quintet, and appears on dozens of other recordings by national and local artists.

Phil Hey (drums). Hey studied with Ed Blackwell and is one of the busiest drummers in the Twin Cities. He has performed with Kenny Barron, Charlie Rouse, Benny Golson, Benny Carter, Jay McShann, and Dewey Redman, and has appeared on more than 50 recordings, including the award-winning Von Freeman Live, Pete Whitman's Departure Point, Gordy Johnson's Trios, Laura Caviani's Angels We Haven't Heard, and Chris Lomheim's The Bridge. Hey is an adjunct faculty member of the music departments of Macalester College and the University of Minnesota.

Laura Caviani (piano). Caviani is a highly acclaimed performer, composer, arranger, and educator. With degrees from Lawrence University and the University of Michigan, and individual study with the great Joann Brackeen, Caviani is one of the most versatile and creative pianists in the Twin Cities. In addition to her work with the X-Tet, Departure Point, and Pete Whitman Quintet, she fronts her own trio and larger ensembles, is a founding member of Soul Café, tours with vocalist Karrin Allyson, and has composed and arranged works for various groups including Jazz Ax, the Central Wisconsin Symphony, and the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra.