Cafe Accordian Photo by Andrea Canrer

After its first few months of operation, the French Press Jazz Café in St. Paul’s Lowertown has become a leading contender for the Twin Cities “alternative jazz club” crown. It’s small, intimate, smoke-free, and the acoustics are surprisingly mellow. And you can get a great cappuccino (regular or decaf!), glass of wine, pizza, bruchetta, or slice of Muddy Paws Cheesecake to accompany an increasingly fine line-up of area jazz artists. Stop in for live music Monday-Saturday, often no cover and at the most, $5. Highlights for June:

Jazz Studio, Wednesday nights, 8 pm. A weekly jam featuring new talent hosted by guitar wizard Clay Moore 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.

Dan Kusz, Friday June 3; Saturday June 18; 8:30 pm. Young (just 21!) saxophonist Dan Kusz plays tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones, mixing rock, pop, r&b, and jazz all in one to create an original sound. Recently on stage at the KBEM Winter Jazz Festival, Kusz works as a studio musician and instructor as well as leader of the official house band of KJZI Smooth Jazz 100.3

Peter Schimke/Anthony Cox/Jay Epstein, Saturday June 4, 8:30 pm. A killer trio of local legends: One of the busiest keyboard talents in the Twin Cities today, Peter Schimke appears frequently at the Artists Quarter, 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.

Bassist Anthony Cox Anthony Cox has an international reputation as a versatile and creative bassist, equally at home in straight-ahead acoustic settings and avant garde electronic experiments. Rooted in the Midwest, Cox spent professionally formative years in New York and on the international touring circuit, playing and/or recording with Elvin Jones, James Newton, David Murray, Henry Threadgill, Arthure Blythe, Jon Faddis, Sam Rivers, Dewey Redman, Joe Lovano, John Scofield, and Geri Allan, among many others. His skills as a composer can be heard on his recordings, such as Dark Metals with Billy Higgins and Dewey Redman.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Drummer Jay Epstein is seen all over the Twin Cities, often in the company vocalists (Christine Rosholt, Connie Evingson) and top instrumentalists (Gordy Johnson, Benny Weinbeck). He holds the drum chair for the Phil Aaron Trio, which has a long-standing weekend gig at the Sofitel in Bloomington, and with the guitar trio, Red Planet. He has released a highly acclaimed recording, Long Ago.

Sophia Shorai, Saturday, June 11, 8:30 pm. Born in Bindura, Zimbabwe and raised in the Twin Cities, Sophia Shorai studied classical piano and contemporary vocal instruction starting at age five, and performed regularly in church singing jazz and gospel. She was constantly exposed to the sounds of jazz, but "I can't recall exactly when I decided that I wanted to be a jazz musician. I can say that the music has always been inside me, thus, propelling me towards the possibility of becoming a jazz artist someday." Shorai graduated from the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, where she worked with small and large ensembles. She now plays with many local musicians, and holds down regular gigs at Rossi’s as well as a weekly Happy Hour at the Dakota.

Clay Moore Trio, Friday June 24, 8:30 pm. The resume of guitar wizard Clay Moore would run several pages. From his native Texas to Florida to Pittsburgh to Scotland and finally to the Twin Cities, Moore has played with everyone and everywhere, including regular gigs with the Bobby Lyle Trio. He’s also a committed educator on the faculty of McNally Smith (MusicTech) in St. Paul and hosts the Jazz Studio here at the French Press every Wednesday night.

Cafe Accordion Orchestra, Saturday, June 25, 8:30 pm. Led by Daniel Newton (accordion and vocals), with Brian Barnes (guitar and vocals), Eric Mohring (mandolin, fiddle and vocals), Erik Lillestol (bass violin), and Joe Steinger (percussion), the Café Accordion Orchestra (CAO) performs an eclectic mix of French Musette, swing, Latin and European dance music. Experience the Parisian dance halls, cafés and bistros of the 1920s through the 1950s. And bring your dancing shoes!

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