Derrick Hodge, Photo by Andea Canter

The Twin Cities is one of the hottest locales for jazz in the nation, and the most combustible event is the annual Hot Summer Jazz Festival, held this year June 12-26, covering both sides of the Mississippi as well as a few suburban venues. In addition to providing a stage for festival artists, the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis will host enough other talent for its own month-long festival, from the blazing saxophone of Miguel Zenon to the live recording of the Terrell Stafford Quintet and the sublime interplay of Adam Rogers and John Patitucci. Throw in some great vocalists, visiting and local sax monsters, “tickets” to Brasil, and some incendiary ensembles—this club will be reverberating well into July!

National Acts

Miguel Zenon Quartet (June 6-7, 7 & 9 pm). “One of the strongest saxophonists in New York” (Ben Ratliffe, New York Times), Puerto Rico native Miguel Zenon has visited the Dakota before, with David Sanchez and most recently with the SF Jazz Collective. This will be his first appearance as leader of his own quartet which features Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawisching on bass, and Henry Cole on drums. Zenon left San Juan to study at the Berklee School of Music, where he gained professional experience with the drummer Bob Moses' Mozamba and the Either/Orchestra. While earning a Masters in Saxophone Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2001, Zenon studied with Danilo Perez, Dick Oatts, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, and Bill Pierce. In his young career, the 28-year-old alto sensation has performed and/or recorded with such artists and groups as David Sanchez, Danilo Perez, William Cepeda's Afrorican Jazz, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, The Guillermo Klein Big Band, The Mingus Big Band, The David Murray Big Band, Charlie Haden, Branford Marsalis, Ray Barretto, and Ed Simon, among others. In the spring of 2004 he was selected to help form “The SFJAZZ Collective,” a project created by the San Francisco Jazz Festival and which played to sell-out crowds at the Dakota in late April. As a leader, he has released three recordings: Looking Forward (Fresh Sound/New Talent) was selected by both The New York Times and TomaJazz Magazine as on of the top 10 Jazz CDs of 2002. Zenon released Ceremonial (2004) as one of the first artists signed to the new Marsalis Music label. Now, with the just-released Jibaro, the winner of the 2004 Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll for “Alto Saxophone Deserving Wider recognition,” Zenon takes his explorations of native Puerto Rican music to a new level, “a perfect example of his astonishing concentration” (Andrew Gilbert, Jazz Times). Find out why all the buzz that followed the SF Jazz Collective’s performance was about Miguel Zenon.

Rebecca Martin (June 9, 7 & 9 pm). After she opens for Madeleine Peyroux at the Pantages Theater on June 7^th, vocalist/guitarist Rebecca Martin returns for her Dakota debut. A singer who is “fearless in her pursuit of gut-wrenching emotional honesty” (Jazz Times), Maine native Martin was co-founder with Jesse Harris of the early 90's group Once Blue. "I used to say no, but I was thinking in the traditional sense," she says. "But today, I say absolutely, in the modern sense. At its simplest, jazz is swing and improvisation. That's there in my music, but not in the way we're accustomed to." With what Ben Ratliffe (New York Times) described as the outer sensibility of a pop singer and the inner resources of a jazz musician, Martin resists classification, yet acknowledges, “at its simplest, jazz is swing and improvisation. That's there in my music, but not in the way we're accustomed to." Her 2002 collection of standards, Middlehope, was selected by The New York Times for its annual Top Ten Best Jazz Albums of the Year, and attracted the attention of MaxJazz. Soon she had become the label’s first singer/songwriter, leading to the 2004 release of People Behave Like Ballads—all original tracks. Wrote Ben Ratliffe for the New York Times, “The songs are all hers this time, and nearly every one carries a chilling mule-kick…It's a facile comparison to put these songs against Norah Jones's…Those of the more popular singer turn love into a pleasant abstraction. Ms. Martin's have more depth, darkness and traction; they deal with emotion closer to the complicated way it actually occurs.”

Photo by Andea Canter

Dana Hall Photo by Andea Canter

For the past ten years, Stafford has performed with Cedar Walton, Sadao Watanabe, the Clayton Brothers, Herbie Mann, Kenny Barron, Matt Wilson, and big bands, including Jon Faddis' Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Wynton Marsalis' Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, and the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. In addition to his busy performance and recording schedule, Stafford is a dedicated educator as an Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia and on the faculties of the prestigious Vail Foundation in Colorado, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington Program, and the Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies in New York. Mentor McCoy Tyner notes, "Terell is one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player. He has his own voice on his instrument—a very personal sound. And while he is right within the tradition, he is making his own inroads.”

Stafford’s quintet includes rising stars: Now in his mid-40s, pianist Bruce Barth was a young lion who continues to roar. A California native who moved to New York in his teens, Barth studied privately with Norman Simmons, Jaki Byard, and Fred Hersch at the New England Conservatory in Boston in the early 1980s. Barth worked with Nat Adderley, Stanley Turrentine, and Terrence Blanchard; His first recordings as a leader—“In Focus” and “Morning Call” (Enja) were both were selected by the New York Times for their Top Ten lists. In addition to his numerous recording and performance duties, Barth has produced many of the Vocal Series releases for MaxJazz. Said Terence Blanchard, “Bruce is a great musician, a force to be reckoned with. He has a wide range of abilities—he can be very percussive and energetic or play with the subtleties of a Hank Jones or Herbie Hancock.”

Tim Warfield photo by Andrea Canter

The New York Times critic’s poll dubbed Tim Warfield as “possibly the most powerful tenor saxophonist of his generation.” He appears on two Grammy-nominated CDs – Stefon Harris’ The Grand Unification Theory and Nicholas Payton’s Sonic Trance, as well as on Terrell Stafford’s MaxJazz recordings. Rounding out the quintet will be Derrick Hodge (Bass) and Dana Hall (drums), both featured on Stafford’s New Beginnings. Hall has recently backed Mulgrew Miller as well as Stafford, works with Jazz at Lincoln Center, and is on the faculties of the University of Chicago and Columbia College in Chicago. Hodge has also worked with Mulgrew Miller as well as Clark Terry and Terence Blanchard. A graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, he was named outstanding soloist for Temple’s top-rated collegiate big band at the 2001 Villanova Jazz Festival.

Giacomo Aula Midwest Trio (June 16, 7 pm). Last year, Twin Cities' audiences were introduced to this monster Italian pianist when he joined forces with Doug Little at the Hot Summer Jazz Festival. Aula returns, and will play the Dakota two nights, with his "Midwest Trio" tonight and with the Doug Little Quartet tomorrow night (see below). Born and raised in Lagonegro, Italy, and now based in Berlin, Aula has performed and/or recorded with James Newton, Peter Erskine, Enrico Rava, Wynton Marsalis, Lee Konitz, and a long list of Italian jazz stars. Locally, his bandmates will include veteran virtuosos Terry Burns on bass and Jay Epstein on drums.

Andy Farber (June 20, 7 pm). Part of the Hot Summer Jazz Festival line-up, Andy Farber is a hard swinging tenor saxophonist with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. A prolific arranger and composer, he has worked with Wynton Marsalis, Jon Hendricks, Shirley Horn, Ann Hampton Calloway, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, and Roseanna Vitro; his works have been performed by major orchestras in the U.S. and Europe. The son of a drummer, Farber grew up on Long Island surrounded by music, particularly listening to Art Blakey, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. He studied clarinet, saxophone and oboe, and through an audition for Branford Marsalis, was accepted into The Tri-state McDonalds' Jazz Ensemble. He went on to study at the Manhattan School of Music, where he formed his own quintet, The Hard Bop Repertory Company, which expanded into a 15-piece ensemble. In the early 1990s, Farber became Musical Direcotr, arranger, and saxophonist for the The Jon Hendricks Explosion, later joining the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. In addition to freelancing for many artists and orchestras, Farber now leads his own 9-piece band, Andy Farber & his Swing Mavens, heard on his latest release, Bluesectomy. For his Dakota debut, Farber will be supported by the Twin Cities all-star rhythm section, Laura Caviani on piano, Gordy Johnson on bass, and Phil Hey on drums.

Adam Rogers/John Patitucci (June 21-22, 7:30 & 10 pm). Two red-hot string men, guitarist Adam Rogers and bassist John Patitucci join forces for two nights of sublime interplay. Adam Rogers has been best known as a sideman for the likes of Norah Jones, Ravi Coltrane, and Michael Brecker, as well as part of the fusion collective, Lost Tribe. He has also released three solid recordings as leader, most recently Apparition (Criss Cross, 2005) in the company of Edward Simon, Scott Colley and Clarence Penn. All About Jazz described Rogers as a “mind-boggling linear improviser…cable of navigating and renavigating the harmonic roadmaps of tunes on the fly…” Grammy-winning electric/acoustic bassist John Patitucci cut his teeth as a member of Chick Corea’s Elektric Band and Akoustic Band. His credits include playing and recording with Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard, and Danilo Pérez, as well as 11 recordings as leader of his own ensembles. Dubbed by the LA Times as “one of the most technically astute bassists around,” has been nominated for a Grammy 9 times, winning twice. Most recently he has toured and recorded with the Wayne Shorter Quartet as well as in a duo with Adam Rogers. Fingers will be flying on the Dakota stage!

Photo by Howard A. Gitelson

Lori Dokken/Patty Peterson, CD Release Party (June 1, 7 pm). Two of the area’s most accomplished vocalists and entertainers join forces on a new recording, Live at the Dakota. Pianist/vocalist Lori Dokken has been entertaining Twin Cities’ audiences for over 20 years. An award-winning songwriter and in-demand arranger, she is one of the area’s most popular cabaret performers, a member of the quartet The Girls, a frequent guest on radio talk shows, host for comedy shows and fundraisers, and has performed in state productions and on television. For much of her career, Dokken has created opportunities for up-and-coming artists, through weekly weekly open mics and showcases, often at the Times Bar. Voted Best Musician of 1999 by the readers of Lavender Magazine, she’s also received recognition for her many fund-raising and other philanthropic efforts, including the WCCO Radio "Good Neighbor" Award ,”Eleven Who Care” Nominee for NBC KARE 11, and The Thomas S. Hansen Humanitarian Award for Community Service.

Daughter of jazz matriarch Jeanne Arland Peterson and sister of recording artists Linda, Billy, Ricky and Paul Peterson, Patty Peterson has performed at nationally renowned jazz venues, including The Vine Street Bar and Grill in Hollywood and at the Dakota here in the Twin Cities. She has received the Minnesota Music Award 7 times for Best Female Vocalist and Best Group, and for "Best Jazz Recording" for her debut CD, The More I See You. In addition to her singing career, she has worked as an actress, print ad model, and national anthem singer, and, for seven straight years, was the number one female radio personality on WCCO radio. Said Jon Bream (Minneapolis Star Tribune), “She can cover anything from Chaka Kahn to Cole Porter with equal authority, exhibiting star quality and drive!"

Charmin Michelle & Joel Shapira, CD Release Party (June 8, 7 pm). The acclaimed duo, Charmin and Shapira, celebrate the release of their recording, Pure Imagination. With a style reminiscent of earlier Billie Holiday and Nancy Wilson, Charmin Michelle sings with “taste and understatement, swing and savoir faire, grace and grooves, intimacy and panache” (TC Music Net). Born in Birmingham, Michelle moved to Minnesota as a young child. Although the Land of 10,000 Lakes has been home ever since, Michelle’s experiences have taken her around the world, from the funk Jesse Johnson Revue to entertaining U.S. troops abroad to touring European festivals and appearing regularly on Twin Cities’ stages. With the promotion of organ legend “Captain” Jack McDuff, Michelle toured Europe with internationally known pianists Mulgrew Miller and Kirk Lightsey in 1997. Since then, Michelle has performed in jazz festivals throughout Spain, Portugal and France, and “moonlights” by fronting the jump band, the Senders. For the past five years she has teamed up with guitarist Joel Schapira to perform a diverse repertoire of standards, bossa novas, and modern swing. She also performs frequently with Doug Haining and the Twin Cities Seven. On her previous three recordings—Your Eyes (out of print), Destination Moon (1998, CM), and Hot (2001, CM), she covered tunes of Billie Holiday, the Great American Songbook, blues and bossa, what Tom Surowicz described as an “aural charm bracelet.”

Photo by Andea Canter

Michelle’s frequent compatriot, St. Paul native Joel Shapira studied guitar at the Berklee College of Music and with Tal Farlow, Joe Pass, Sharon Isbin, and Anthony Cox. He also studied at the Mannes School of Music in New York City where he lived, performed and taught for eight years. Active in the Twin Cities for many years, he co-leads small jazz groups and plays classical duets with saxophonist Paul Harper. He has frequently appeared with Dean Magraw, Kevin Daley, Pete Whitman, John Devine, Doug Little, Signe Hensel, Judi Donaghy, and Vic Volare, in addition to his long-standing gigs with Charmin Michelle as “Charmin and Shapira.” He’s also a member of the edgy jazz trio, Triplicate.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Photo by Andrea Canter

The Girls (June 19, 7 pm). Jazz is synonymous with fun when The Girls are on stage! This quartet of Twin Cities’ divas (and McNally Smith College instructors) has been pleasing audiences with their infectious blend of stellar voices, magnificent piano, and hilarious banter, a recipe for high flying synergy. In addition to pianist/vocalist Lori Dokken (see above), The Girls include head of the Vocal Music Department at McNally Smith, Judi Donaghy. Donaghy has an eclectic list of credits in opera, musical theater, jazz, folk, country, gospel, pop, and R&B, including appearances with Moore By Four, the Mixed Blood Theater, Yo Yo Ma, Carole King, Janis Siegel, Garrison Keillor, and Marilyn McCoo. P

Chill 7 (June 2, 7 pm). With their fresh interpretations of jazz standards, Chill 7 preserves the artistic integrity of jazz while reaching a broader audience, blending modern jazz with funk and jam band music. Led by Josh Brinkman on sax, the core members of Chill 7 (so named, they say, because they went through seven drummers in their early days), include Michael Burand on guitar, Jason Swanson on bass, and Andrew Artz on drums.

Movable Feast (June 4, 8 pm). Although named “Best R&B Band” by City Pages in 2002, this is a quartet devoted to improvised music in the spirit of Miles Davis and Weather Report, covering swing, avant garde, African and Latin grooves. Formed six years ago, this quartet of top area musicians were influenced by their exposure to the experimental music of Roscoe Mitchell, Dave Douglas, Han Bennink, and George Lewis; collectively they have worked with such modern jazz luminaries as James Carter, Chico Freeman, and Dave Murray, as well as with Prince and the New Power Generation. Saxophonist Peter Vricks studied locally with Pete Whitman and Tom Pieper before moving to Duluth, where he played in the UMD Big Band. Back in the Twin Cities, he leads his own groups and is a popular sideman and clinician. He traces the origins of Movable Feast to his days with the Kevin Washington Trio. Detroit transplant Washington was surrounded by musical opportunities as the son of musicians Fay and Donald Washington, and early on was playing at jazz festivals. In New York to study at the New School for Social Research, he played with James Carter and Antonio Hart. In the Twin Cities, Washington keeps busy with his trio, the Doug Little Quartet, and many other ensembles in addition to teaching. Pianist Tommy Barbarella may be best known for his work with Prince and the New Power Generation band throughout the 1990s, as well as with the local band Greazy Meal. He’s receive numerous nominations and awards including a Grammy nomination and Keyboardist of the Year from the Minnesota Music Awards. In addition to performing, Barbarella is a prolific composer including the musical score to the film Monsters Ball. Rounding out the group is sublime bassist Jeff Bailey. A founding member of Movable Feast, Bailey has performed in a wide variety of musical settings as one of the Midwest’s most versatile and in-demand musicians. He has performed with national artists Jack McDuff, Terrell Stafford, Bill Carrothers, Eric Garvat, Dave Pietro, Hannibal Peterson, Fred Ho, Craig Taborn, and James Carter. He’s on the faculty of the Twin Cities Jazz Workshop.

Jazz MN Big Band (June 5, 3-5 pm). Time again for the almost monthly Sunday afternoon romp with the Jazz Mn Big Band, surely the best dozen or so musicians you'll find at any one time on stage. Under the leadership of Doug Snapp, this gem of brass and rhythm is always a treat, whether playing big band standards from Ellington or Basie or covering original and modern repertoire.

Photo by Andea Canter

Doug Little Quartet with Giacomo Aula (June 17-18, 8 pm). For a guy in his mid 30s, saxophonist Doug Little is already a busy veteran performer and composer. Transplanted from San Francisco, Little graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul, founded the popular 1990s band, the Motion Poets, and became director of the Twin Cities Jazz Workshop. In recent years he has led his own quartet projects, performed at most local jazz venues, toured Europe, and released a superlative recording, Subtle Differences (2000, Touché Jazz). The winner of a number of grants and scholarships, including support from the McKnight and Bush Foundations, Little has also found time to teach master classes and participate in the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Artist in the School Program.

As he did last summer, Little brings his quartet to the Dakota as part of the Hot Summer Jazz Festival, in the superb company of bassist Jeff Bailey, drummer Kevin Washington (see profiles above), and special guest, Italian pianist Giacomo Aula. A past collaborator with Little on tour in Europe and the US, Aula is a dynamic player who adds zing and melodic intervals to the always swinging and soulful Little and company. Born and raised in Lagonegro, Italy, and now based in Berlin, Aula has performed and/or recorded with James Newton, Peter Erskine, Enrico Rava, Wynton Marsalis, Lee Konitz, and a long list of Italian jazz stars.

And Coming in July….

Watch for information about the July line-up at the Dakota—which so far includes:

• Nachito Herrera (piano) with Puro Cubano, July 1-2.

• Eldar Djangirov--teen piano sensation, one night only, July 10.

• Joey Calderazzo (piano) with Eric Revis and Jeff “Tain” Watts (yes, the rhythm section with Branford Marsalis at his recent gig at the Guthrie Theater), July 11-12.

• Doug Wamble-- guitar wizard, another compatriot of Branford Marsalis, July 18-19.

• Lorraine Feather (Emmy-winning singer/songwriter), date TBA

• Gary Burton, 5-time Grammy winning vibes master, July 25-26

For the full Dakota schedule, reservations information, etc., visit www.dakotacooks.com. The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.