 Photo by Andea Canter My first encounter with the French
Press was a Friday night featuring the young guitar and sax quartet,
Chill 7. While the Twins home opener jammed traffic
across the river, and with Jim Rotondi packing the house down the
street at the Artists Quarter, the band nevertheless played to a full
(if constantly rotating) house, and a good number of patrons appeared
to be seriously listening, at least on the main level. Which is good
news for both curious jazz fans and a band that was worthy of
some serious (but not “take yourself seriously”) attention. These
guys have chops, from funky renditions of Herbie Hancock’s
“Canteloupe Island”, electrified (yet sanctified) ballads such as
“My One and Only Love,” swinging standards such as “All of Me,”
and high-energy originals infused with good humor, such as guitarist
Michael Burand’s “Adult Lounge.”
The rest of April has much to offer as
well. Music is offered Monday through Saturday evenings, often no
cover, and only $5 on weekends. In mid-April, a
new weekly event on Tuesday nights will bring European French Jazz with "Paris is Burning"; Wednesday nights (starting April 20th) will be a Jazz
Studio hosted by guitarist Clay Moore, focusing on new
talent. (For more information please contact Kevin at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call 651-224-2732.) Also new for April,
weekly sets on Thursday nights starting mid-month with Dazz--dance, jazz & R&B. Featured bookings include:
 Photo by Andea Canter The New Standards (Friday,
April 15, 8:30 PM, $5 cover). "The New Standards"
features Chang Poling (of the Suburbs) on piano and vocals, John
Munson of the local pop band, Semisonic, on upright bass and vocals,
and Steve Roehm (of “Your Neighborhood Trio”) on vibes. The band
presents a modern blend of music from the best songwriters of the
last half of the twentieth century.
Ned
Kantar (Saturday, April 16, 8:30 PM, $5 cover). A veteran
trio leader well known throughout the Twin Cities for special event
productions, Ned Kantar has an M.A. in Music Education from the
University of Minnesota and 35 years experience as a performer. Also
known as an educator at local public schools, community colleges, and
Augsburg
College, Kantar has worked
with such nationally acclaimed artists as Melissa Manchester, Bobby
Goldsboro, Butch Thompson, Helen Reddy, Tony Orlando, Maynard
Ferguson, Wayne Newton, and the Guy Lombardo Orchestra. Expect lively
covers of great American standards.
 Photo by Andea Canter  Photo by Andea Canter ![]() With a style reminiscent of earlier Billie Holiday and
Nancy Wilson
(whom she “channeled” at the 2004 Selby Avenue Jazz Festival),
Michelle sings with “taste and understatement, swing and savoir
faire, grace and grooves, intimacy and panache” (TC Music Net).
Born in Birmingham and raised in Minnesota, Michelle has wide ranging
experiences, from the funk Jesse Johnson Revue to entertaining U.S.
troops abroad to touring Europe with internationally known pianists
Mulgrew Miller and Kirk Lightsey. Critic Tom Surowicz notes, “Her
understated art is more about gentle persuasion, precise storytelling
and easy swing.” With simpatico guitarist Joel Schapira—her
frequent partner over the past five years--Michelle often appears in
duo, trio, and quartet settings. Expect a diverse repertoire of great
American standards, gentle bossas, and modern swing, touched with
intimate understatement.
Connie
Olson (Friday, April 29, 8:30 PM, $5 cover). Minneapolis
native Connie Olson’s career has spanned Rock and Roll, Rhythm and
Blues, and Jazz. Working in LA in the 1980s, she performed with the
Manhattan Transfer, The Rippingtons, Chicago, The Beach Boys,
Madonna, Peter Duchin's Big Band, and Prince. A busy national and
corporate performer, this past fall, Olson released a tribute to the
sweet, sexy and sassy sound of Doris Day on
Daydreaming.
 The
French Press Jazz Café is located in St. Paul’s Lowertown at
213 4th Street East, across the street from Union Depot. For complete
calendar and more information, visit http://fpjazz.com
or call (651) 224-2732.
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Twin Cities, MN 
Wednesday, 07 January 2009
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