Rick Germanson, April 1-2: If New York pianist Rick Germanson keeps up this rash of Twin Cities gigs, we just might have to claim him as one of our own. Slam-bang gigs last fall-- at the Artists Quarter in October and at the Dakota with the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band in November—were followed by appearances with Carole Martin on New Year’s Eve and again with Martin a few weeks ago, both at the AQ. And no April Fooling, Germanson is coming back again to the AQ for the weekend, April 1-2. Maybe Kenny Horst has plans to name this Milwaukee native as house pianist? We couldn’t ask for more.

Jim Rotondi (April 8-10). One of his generation’s most exciting trumpeters, Montana native Jim Rotondi first was encouraged by his mother, a piano teacher, to study piano at age 8. He made the switch to trumpet at age 12. While attending the jazz program at North Texas State University, he won first place in the International Trumpet Guild's jazz competition in 1984. After graduation, he nailed down a seat in the Ray Charles Orchestra. Next was a six-year stint with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and chairs with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Charles Earland Quintet, and Toshiko Akiyoshi band. With New York saxophonist (and frequent AQ guest star) Eric Alexander and trombone whiz Steve Davis, Rotondi shares front line duties as a member of One for All. After four successful recordings with Criss Cross, he released Destination Up on Sharp Nine (2001), and returned to Criss Cross with his latest, New Vistas (2004). He has also recorded with Eric Alexader, George Coleman's Octet, Cecil Payne’s Quartet, and drummer Ray Appleton's Sextet. Today Rotondi lives in New York, teaching workshops and clinics in addition to his busy performance schedule. When not on tour, he plays Thursday nights at Smoke in Manhattan. “One of the unsung heroes of the trumpet" (Bret Primack, gmn.com), Jim Rotondi “has the passion and focus to find a place for the music in the new millennium” (New Yorker).

Round Trip (April 15-16). Celebrating the music of avant garde sax legend Ornette Coleman (who himself appears at the re-opening of the Walker Art Center on April 22), this quartet of local virtuosos includes Pat Moriarty on sax, Kelly Rossum on trumpet, Tom Lewis on bass, and Phil Hey on drums. Challenging listeners in the 50s and 60s, Coleman eschewed accepted harmonic and chordal structures, and his innovations set the stage for successive generations of experimenters. Four decades later, his music continues to redefine the boundaries of modern music. Pat Moriarity co-leads an avant-garde quintet with Ellen Lease (which includes Round Trip trumpeter Kelly Rossum), a group known for its adventurous, exciting musicianship. He also performs with Rossum’s new music ensemble, Exit 50.

Kelly Rossum studied classical trumpet at the University of North Texas, and now teaches through the MacPhail Center for Music. Living in Minneapolis since 1996, Rossum performs both jazz and classical music, having worked with the Lyra Consort as well as with 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. Tom Lewis played bass in Eddie Berger’s last band, The Jazz All-Stars, and is a regular member of the Phil Hey Quartet, Phil Aaron Trio, Apex, and The Five. He’s a first-call musician who plays with just about everyone in town. A former student of Ornette Coleman contemporary Ed Blackwell, Phil Hey is one of the busiest drummers in town and teaches jazz drum at Macalester College. His quartet frequently performs at the Artists Quarter, and Hey is often found on the bandstand backing touring and local vocalists and small ensembles; he also manages percussion duties for the Pete Whitman X-Tet, Mulligan Stew, Apex, and other local ensembles.

Stephanie Nakasian (April 22-23). First gaining attention singing with John Hendricks in the 1980s, Stephanie Nakasian is a familiar voice at the AQ. Touring extensively with partner and bop pianist Hod O’Brien, she is a regular performer on the radio show “Riverwalk.” Hailed world wide, she recently portrayed herself on “Riverwalk” with Dick Hyman on two tributes (to composers Hoagy Carmichael and Walter Donaldson). A popular educator as well as performer, her "Great Ladies" revue (tracing the development of jazz singing from Bessie Smith and the Blues through Mildred Bailey, Billie Holiday, and the Band singers to Broadway, Bebop and the modern era) is offered for academic credit at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where she lives with her family and teaches private voice. She teaches jazz voice and vocal jazz improvisation at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, has directed vocal jazz ensembles, and gives numerous workshops each year to schools and conventions on "Teaching Jazz Voice," "Coaching Jazz and Show Choirs on Jazz" and "How to Sing what's NOT on the Page." Nakasian has performed internationally at jazz festivals, and in concert with such jazz luminaries as Urbie Green, Pat Metheny, Milt Hinton, Clark Terry, J.R., Scott Hamilton, Sheila Jordan, Hank Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Roy Haynes, and Annie Ross, among others. Notes Jazz Connect, “Stephanie's clean, clear, lovely tone is another reason for her popularity… [she’s] fun to watch and exciting to be part of ‘the experiment’ and the spontaneous creativity of her art.”

Billy Holloman and The Tuesday Night Band (April 29-30). If you have never caught the usual gig of the Tuesday Night Band, aka B-3 Organ Night, at the Artists Quarter, you can’t pass on the “weekend edition.” For nine years, organ master Billy Holloman has been the center of a weekly gig at the AQ and “a genius at manipulating the sweet sound of the B3,” according to Don Berryman (Jazz Police). The regular Tuesday Night Band, featuring Holloman, AQ owner/drummer Kenny Horst, and multi-saxist Gary Berg, recently released its first recording, This is Organ Night. Notes Don Berryman, “Under Holloman’s control, [the organ’s] sound can be sweet and thick as molasses, or it can cut through the room like sharks’ teeth.” If you’re lucky, Holloman might add some vocals!

Green/Open Poetry (every Monday night and April 6): On Mondays from 7-9 pm, catch the sounds of Green (and at 9 pm on April 6). Featuring Rob Dewey (piano), Paul Kammeyer (bass) and Scotty Schultz (drums), Green has been the Monday night band at the AQ for the past two years. Following their sets, open mic poetry reading gets underway at 9 pm. No cover!

Billy Holloman and the Tuesday Night Band (every Tuesday night, 9 pm, $2). The usual time and place to catch this swinging trio (see above).

Craig Schumacher CD Release Party (April 7, 9 pm, $3). Minneapolis singer/songwriter Craig Schumacher celebrates his debut CD, Live at Creation. Recorded “live” at Creation Studio A in Minneapolis, Schumacher assembled a great band including Ricky Peterson (keyboard player for David Sanborn, Boz Scaggs, Prince) and Don LaMarca on keys, Geoff Bouchier and John Della Salva on lead guitars, Bobby Vandell and Timmy Z on drums, with Big Al T. on bass. Schumacher has co-written songs for Tim Mahoney and last year wrote tunes for and produced the Melanie Rosales’ CD, Can't Change It. Live at Creation is a collection of rock, pop, alternative and blues, with one cover of Zombies’ classic “Time of the Season.” Notes TC Music.Net, “Schumacher's versatile voice has that time-honored raspy full of character quality when he needs it and the honest straight-ahead almost talking tone on the appropriate cuts when they call for it. The music is deceptively simple. The musicians and the approach bring out the complexity.”

How Birds Work (April 13, 9 pm $3). One of the most popular regular attractions at the AQ, How Birds Work is the collaboration of four well-known area musicians—guitarist Dean Granros, bassist Billy Peterson, pianist Peter Schimke, and drummer Kenny Horst. Playing at least monthly at the AQ, the quartet recently made a live—and lively-- recording here. Guitarist Dean Granros “blends the vocabulary of bebop, acid rock, and delta blues into a delightful and potent cocktail that may leave you shaken or stirred” (Don Berryman, Jazz Police). Bassist Billy Peterson grew up as a member of the legendary Peterson family of musicians, appeared on Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, toured with the Steve Miller Band, and has arranged for Prince and David Sanborn. And drummer Kenny Horst is a “great hard-bop, soul jazz, and fusion chops and the sweetest guy you could meet” (Don Berryman). In his role with How Birds Work, pianist Peter Schimke also displays his skills as a composer and adds vocals to the mix. Sophisticated, often subtle, always working toward the edge from a firm foundation, How Birds Work offers multiple layers of challenge to the listener.

The Five (April 14, 9 pm, $5). A group formerly known in the 1990s as M.A.C. Music V, The Five are devoted to promoting jazz as modern American chamber music. Inspired by the Modern Jazz Quartet, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and the early bands of Herbie Hancock, The Five features original compositions (many by drummer/AQ owner Kenny Horst). In addition to his ownership and management of the Artists Quarter, Kenny Horst is one of the most popular drummers in the area. He worked with Bobby Lyle for three years at the Blue Note in New York, toured with Jimmy McGriff, briefly with Al Hirt, and locally has played with many of the national artists booked at the AQ. A trumpeter who “favors smoldering hard-bop inventiveness” (City Pages), Steve Kenny is best known as a founding member of the Illicit Sextet, one of the regions most popular bands of the 1990s. He’s also played trumpet and flugelhorn for the Cedar Avenue Big Band. Bassist Tom Lewis played in Eddie Berger’s last band, The Jazz All-Stars, and is a regular member of the Phil Hey Quartet, Apex, and Phil Aaron Trio. He’s a first-call musician who plays with just about everyone in town. Mikkel Romstad has played and/or recorded with just about every jazz instrumentalist and vocalist in the Twin Cities at one time or another, including Irv Williams, George Avaloz, Christine Rosholt, and Lucia Newell. Master of reeds and flute, Dave Karr rounds out the quintet (see below).

Dave Karr Quartet (April 20, 9 pm, $3). A native New Yorker, multi-reedist Dave Karr got hooked on jazz listening to some of the great jazz legends, including Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. A fixture on the Twin Cities jazz scene for nearly 50 years, composing and producing music for radio and TV, Karr has performed with name bands, symphony orchestras, and Broadway shows; he has played and recorded with many local artists, ranging from vocalists (Connie Evingson, Cookie Coleman, Lucia Newell, and Prudence Johnson) and small groups (The Five) to small bands (Pete Whitman’s X-Tet) and the JazzMN Big Band. With his bari sax, Karr leads the ever-popular tribute band, Mulligan Stew. Dave blows a sweet horn and is always in the company of the best area musicians.

Jon Pemberton Quintet (April 21, 9 pm, $3). Trumpeter Jon Pemberton has had an eclectic career, including performing with Skatet, a 7-piece traditional ska band with heavy heavy jazz influences, and playing trumpet for the Paul Renz Quintet, Shangoya, and George Avaloz. Pemberton is also dedicated to private teaching (tuba!) through the Hopkins School District; and leads his own band, the Pembertones, in addition to his quintet. The JPQ includes some of the finest jazz musicians around town—veteran saxman Gary Berg, AQ owner/drummer Kenny Horst, first-call bassist Tom Lewis, and the sublime pianist, Chris Lomheim.

Peter Schimke Trio (April 27, 9 pm, $3). One of the busiest keyboard talents in the Twin Cities today, Peter Schimke appears frequently at the AQ, Dakota, and just about anywhere else that requires first class comping and soloing on piano or Fender Rhodes. Notes Don Berryman (Jazz Police), "When he is comping behind a soloist, he is engaged in a subtle dialog, listening and responding with harmonies and rhythms that sometimes represent a suggestion or even a challenge to the soloist." And when he takes off in a leading role, Schimke blazes new trails and challenges others to keep up. Among his various projects includes the piano chair for the new Jazz Is Now! Orchestra. His usual trio compatriots are Billy Peterson (bass) and Kenny Horst (drums).

The Pete Whitman X-Tet (April 28, 9 pm, $6). The X-Tet is one of several projects led by veteran sax performer, composer, and arranger Pete Whitman. His credits include performing with Randy Brecker, Jack McDuff, and the Woody Herman Orchestra, in addition to leading his X-Tet and Quintet in the Twin Cities and working regularly with the Jazz MN Big Band. A graduate of jazz studies at North Texas State University, Whitman heads the Woodwind and Brass Department at St. Paul’s McNally Smith College (MusicTech). The 10-piece X-Tet is a virtual Who’s Who in local jazz, with Whitman, Dave Karr, and Dave Milne (reeds), Steve Wagner and Dave Jensen (trumpets), Jeff Rinear (trombone), Dave Hagedorn (vibes), Gordy Johnson (bass), Phil Hey (drums), and Laura Caviani (piano).