Photo by Andrea Canter

One of the most unique jazz ensembles in the Twin Cities, Soul Café will hold its monthly gig at Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church on Sunday evening, April 17^th. The imaginative collaboration of three stellar local artists--Laura Caviani (piano), Steve Blons (guitar), and Brad Holden (alto sax), Soul Café will present “e.e.cummings Meets Wayne Shorter.” Sounds like a stretch?

April is National Jazz and Poetry Month! The merging of jazz and spiritual passions has an extensive history. From Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts to Coltrane’s Love Supreme to the many weekly jazz services at local churches, from the rich gospel heritage that spawned generations of great jazz artists from Nat King Cole to Cyrus Chestnut, jazz has been a natural medium of religious expression. And the merger of jazz and poetry has similarly been explored, from the presentations of the late Steve Lacy to Fred Hersch’s newly released Leaves of Grass, and locally from Prudence Johnson’s Millay Project to the weekly open poetry night at St. Paul’s Artists Quarter. And for the past few years in the Twin Cities, jazz, poetry and spirit have found a very successful partnership through Soul Café, a project funded by the Hennepin Foundation of the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church. From its origins as “Jazz Meditation” duets, Soul Café has blossomed as a monthly event in the Arts Gallery of the church, with two gigs in the past year at the Dakota.

Without bass or drum, the musical challenge for the trio has been to generate –or at least imply—the pulse. Sometimes the trio is joined by a guest artist (often vocalist Lucia Newell), but otherwise the three artists carry the groove and are always seeking new territory to explore. Says Blons, “We began experimenting with two-part and three-part improvisation, with dropping out to leave just a duo or a solo voice.  We rehearse very little and play mostly new material each time, so our interpretations and choices are very fresh.  We enjoy the risk and adventure of this kind of music.”

Soul Café builds each performance around a theme or combination of poet and composer. Their early collaborations considered such themes as "Beauty," "Change," "Light & Darkness," and "Hope," bringing together poems and songs that seemed connected to the chosen theme.  In more recent performances, Soul Café has merged Rogers and Hart with Pablo Neruda; presented a tribute to Thelonious Monk (a Caviani specialty) with readings from the Beat Poets; worked with a local painter who created art accompanying the music; and tackled the theme, “Ain’t Love a Kick in the Head: Songs of Love and Loss.” Thus the merging of poet Cummings and jazz icon Shorter is nothing unusual for Soul Café! As their press release notes, “Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk, and Wayne Shorter are the three most important and influential composers in the history of jazz. e.e. cummings is likewise one of the most important and influential 20^th century poets.”

The Musicians

Soul Café’s leader, Steve Blons (aka Dr. Jazz), grew up around jazz as the son of Twin Cities’ Dixieland musician Harry Blons. Gigging around town as a teenage guitarist, Blons pursued other career directions, and worked in higher education, adoption, and conference center management before turning to fulltime music about ten years ago. In addition to Soul Café, Blons recently joined forces with Michele (Jansen) MacKenzie for Jazz and the Spirit, airing on KBEM-FM (88.5) and simulcast on their website, Jazz88FM.com (every Sunday at 10am and again on Saturday at 8pm). 

Photo by Andrea Canter

Laura Caviani is one of the area’s busiest jazz performers, composers, and educators. Her formal education included degrees from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI and the University of Michigan; study in Japan at the Akiyoshidai International Art Village; and a grant to study with another highly inventive pianist, Joanne Brackeen. She has toured with Toots Theilemans, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, and (currently) Karrin Allyson, has released four acclaimed recordings as well as appearing on a long list of CDs of local musicians, and teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In addition to her work with her own ensembles,she appears regularly with the Pete Whitman X-Tet and Departure Point. Of her involvement in Soul Café, she says, “I’ve enjoyed focusing on a poem as we play a standard or a free piece…I love Steve and Brad's positive energy and their willingness to collaborate and especially their willingness to take risks.”

Alto saxman and Fergus Falls, MN native Brad Holden first became interested in the saxophone after attending a junior high jazz band concert at age ten. Today he notes that “for the last twenty-eight years, the alto saxophone has been at times both my best friend and my worst enemy.” Studying at the University of Minnesota where he played in jazz ensembles, Holden worked for a while playing on street corners of New Orleans. Returning to Minneapolis, he played professionally around town and studied with local legend Eddie Berger. His local gigs have ranged from solos on the rooftop of the old Loring Cafe to the Twin Cities Jazz Orchestra Big Band. His current projects include Lineup, which features the music of Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, and Warne Marsh, and of course, Soul Café. Of his bandmates, Holden says “Their ears are always open and ready to follow or lead.”

And every outing, when Blons, Caviani, Holden and guest performers (vocalist Lucia Newell is a frequent partner) pay homage to their musical and spiritual muses, is an occasion to involve their audience, “our partners, whose listening created the space and whose readings created the Yin for our Yang.” Soul Café may perform in a Minneapolis Methodist Church, but the vibe of the music and spoken word transcends the boundaries of religion and culture, embodying the very freedom that defines jazz. Says Steve Blons, “It is also very compelling for people to witness art in the making.  I think we make a connection with the creative center within all of us.”

Soul Café performs monthly on the third Sunday of the month at 7 pm in the Art Gallery of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, Lyndale and Groveland near the I-94 Lyndale exit off Loring Park in Minneapolis; $10 donation suggested. Information at 612-871-5303. Don’t miss the April offering as Wayne Shorter meets e.e. cummings!Soul Cafe also performs at the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis on May 15th.

Click here for a more detailed article about Soul Café!

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