Photo by Andrea Canter

Of the many benefits of jazz festivals, perhaps the most important is the opportunity to sample the range of local talent that propels jazz as a living art form. Sometimes the frequent (nearly daily it seems) appearance of national artists—at the Dakota, Artists Quarter, Rossi’s, Orchestra Hall, etc. – pushes recognition of our homegrown stars below the radar screen. And that’s a real shame because the Twin Cities is an exceptional breeding ground for jazz artists, some who go on to achieve national and international acclaim, but most who will continue to call this area and its many small stages home.

Two annual festivals in particular provide ample reminders of this pot of jazz gold in the heartland, the KBEM Winter Jazz Festival and Twin Cities Hot Summer Jazz Festival, both sponsored by Jazz 88 FM radio, both now under the production wizardry of Steve Heckler. While the summer event spans two weeks and complements local talent with a range of national artists, from bop legends (Von Freeman, David Newman, Jimmy Smith) to rapidly rising stars (Eric Alexander, Hiromi), the winter festival surrounds one or two big names (Slide Hampton, Diane Witherspoon) with five stages of local musicians, all converging at the Millennium Hotel on one Sunday in March. One can’t participate in this event without recognizing the vitality—and cross-generational spirit--of Twin Cities jazz.

Photo by Andrea Canter

A Hot Weekend of Options

The 2005 event held last weekend was no exception. And in a weekend otherwise crammed full of remarkable music, the festival forced many jazz fans to either make difficult choices between simultaneous sets and/or engage in some cross-town maneuvering to sample as much as possible: At the Artists Quarter in downtown St. Paul, Dave Karr’s Mulligan Stew celebrated the release of a live recording (from the 2004 summer festival!), channeling the spirit of the great baritone legend, thankfully on Friday and Saturday nights before the Winter Festival was fully underway. Across the river, Bruce Henry commanded attention at the Dakota, reminding patrons that only a higher profile market stands between his warm, infectious baritone and galactic acclaim. But come Sunday, the choices became more difficult. Along with the five stages at the Millennium, a newer brass ensemble, JazzAx, held an afternoon concert in south Minneapolis (at First Universalist Church), featuring some of the very finest horn specialists around. And by evening, fans of more “outer edge” jazz were pulled toward the West Bank for back-to-back sets at the Cedar Cultural Center, featuring hometown FKG (Scott Fultz, Dave King, and Dean Granros, joined by Adam Linz) and the international touring trio, Tim Berne’s Acoustic Hard Cell—featuring Twin Cities’ native son Craig Taborn. For those with bluer inclinations, Marcia Ball was on stage a block away at the Dakota. It was indeed a festive weekend of jazz, within and beyond the official Jazz Festival.

Photo by Andrea Canter

But the center of activity was the Millennium Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, site of the 13^th annual KBEM Winter Jazz Festival. The low-key kickoff Saturday night featured fund-raising auctions (including bids for Captain Jack McDuff’s cap and manuscripts, a weekend at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and a colorful ceramic trumpet) and musical interludes (sets from pianists Chris Lomheim and Butch Thompson, and funky sax man Dave Kuz), but things moved quickly into high gear by Sunday noon. If there is one drawback to the Winter Festival, it is the simultaneous presentation of music on five stages, forcing tough choices or fast-paced dashes from the lower lobby band stand to the 14^th floor dome. I opted for the latter, but still found squeezing in more than two stages within an hour to be beyond my middle age stamina.

Festival Diary

Photo by Andrea Canter

1:30 pm, and the Festival could not ask for a better start on the Main Stage than the “Artists Quarter All-Stars,” otherwise known as “The Five.” With a swinging, stalwart rhythm section of Mikkel Romsted on piano, Tom Lewis on bass, and AQ owner Kenny Horst on drums, the front line brass includes Dave Karr on tenor and Steve Kenny on trumpet. The opening tunes highlighted the compositional chops of band members, including Horst’s “Metrapolis” and contributions from Karr and Lewis. Steve Kenny was particularly impressive, from trills and flutters to energetic blowing. The crowd had not arrived yet in full force but those in attendance were treated to a glowing post bop session. And while there was nothing shakey about The Five, I learned later that vertigo almost wiped out the band—it seems that the stage was wobbling (maybe in rhythm?) until some quick repairs really nailed it down!

Photo by Andrea Canter

Photo by Andrea Canter

This time the elevator stopped at the lower lobby in time for the last few numbers from the University of Minnesota Jazz Ensemble, a student/faculty big band that was recently featured at the U of M Jazz Festival. These guys (and one gal on bass) swing hard and are living proof that young musicians are easily turned on to jazz. Back to the lobby, the Vocalists Showcase now was featuring veteran Sue Tucker, backed by another hot rhythm section of Mary Louise Knutson (piano), Dave Stanoch (drums) and young bassist, Graydon Peterson. The band took a couple turns before Tucker launched her set with a snappy rendition of “This Can’t Be Love.”

A few tunes later I realized that a line was forming outside the Main Stage, were guest artist Slide Hampton was warming up for the first of two sets. The first set was soon underway, and the veteran trombone king/bandleader was very ably supported by what perhaps was the strongest rhythm section of the day, young Tanner Taylor on piano, Gordy Johnson on bass, and Phil Hey on drums. I can’t imagine that Slide gets better support anywhere. The set opened with “In Your Own Sweet Way” and “Quiet Nights,” and Hampton’s solos ranged from simply beautiful melodies to witty romps. Having only heard him in a big band context, it was a treat to hear this master in a more intimate context.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Oops, almost missed Red Planet on the 14^th floor Horizon stage, again catching an energetic closing tune from guitar virtuoso Dean Magraw and compatriots Chris Bates (bass) and Jay Epstein (drums). I think Epstein made at least as many trips from lobby to top floor as did festival patrons. And back in the lobby, songstress Katy Gearty presented a sultry “Masquerade” and a punchy, upbeat “Night and Day” for the still-packed lounge crowd. One last time down the elevator to the Big Band Stage, I caught the Century Jazz Ensemble, an institution in suburban White Bear Lake, closing their set with “It Will Come If It Goes” and “Somebody’s Got to Do It.” The big band stage is always popular, and one could have a great festival experience by simply staying put in the Millennium’s lower lobby.

With tickets for FKG/Acoustic Hard Cell in hand, I reluctantly left the KBEM Winter Jazz Festival before the final events—Slide Hampton’s second set, Diane Witherspoon, the Cedar Avenue Big Band, the rest of the Vocalists Showcase, and the remaining sets atop the Millennium. I guess I could live in New York and face these dilemmas every day. Or maybe those New Yorkers should envy us in the Twin Cities. Every night there are tough choices among more than a dozen jazz venues, and you can usually park downtown without refinancing the house.

Summertime!

The Winter Jazz Festival is a great reminder of the depth of local talent, and the Twin Cities Hot Summer Jazz Festival will bring a lot more of our Minnesota magic to multiple stages, multiple venues over two weeks in June, as well as national headliners and clinics for students. This year the festival will be held June 12-26. Like 2004, expect to find the festival spread out from downtown St Paul to downtown Minneapolis, from suburban bandstands to city stages, indoors and out. Details will be announced soon—watch the festival website (www.hotsummerjazz.com) for information.

Apologies to musicians whose sets were not covered (or inadequately covered) for this article. So much jazz, so little time….