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Saturday in the Park With Jazz: Festival Day at Mears Park

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Saturday, 18 June 2005

Officially underway for the past week, the Twin Cities Hot Summer Jazz Festival heats up to the boiling point at Mears Park in St. Paul’s Lowertown on Saturday, June 18^th. From noon til dark, this bit of serenity in the midst of urban bustle will feature an eclectic mix of local and national talent, a perfect introduction to the diversity of jazz that defines this annual festival. And the weather forecast couldn’t be better for an outdoor event.

Located near the St. Paul Farmers Market, Union Depot, and Galtier Plaza at 6^th and Sibley Streets, the Lander Sherman Mears Park Stage line-up includes the following artists:

12 Noon- 1 pm, Walker West Academy Showcase. Festival Saturday kicks off with music from the faculty and students of St. Paul’s Walker West Academy of Music. This is a great opportunity to get a glimpse at the future of local jazz!

Photo by Don Berryman

1:30-2:30 pm, Lucia Newell and Departure Point. With her tribute to Billy Strayhorn, local diva Lucia Newell joins forces with Pete Whitman’s long-standing sextet, Departure Point. From Los Angeles to Mexico City to Rio de Janeiro, as well as locally at Orchestra Hall, the Artist's Quarter, and the Dakota, Lucia Newell has performed Brazilian samba, French ballads, and bop melodies; she has sung with the great Billy Eckstein, the Rio Jazz Orchestra, and Oscar Castro Neves. On her latest recording, Steeped in Strayhorn, she was accompanied by Departure Point, and this afternoon gig in the Park promises to feature many selections from this acclaimed release. These musicians know each other well, and their simpatico collaboration will make this a must-see set.

Photo by Andrea Canter

3:00-4:00 pm, Kelly Rossum Quartet. One of the Twin Cities most innovative musicians, trumpeter Kelly Rossum comes by his musical chops honestly--his father played clarinet in college and in an Army band; his mother was an accomplished pianist. But it was Dizzy Gillespie’s performance on an episode of Sesame Street that first attracted young Kelly to jazz. He cites as his primary (and very eclectic) influences Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, and J.S. Bach. After completing high school in Omaha and undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska, Rossum earned a Master’s degree at the University of North Texas in classical trumpet, and is working toward completing his doctorate this fall at the University of Minnesota with a specialization in baroque trumpet. Moving to Working in Minneapolis since1996, Rossum has freelanced in rock, swing, jazz and classical ensembles and performed with the Lyra Consort; he is on the faculty of the MacPhail Center for Music as a trumpet and jazz instructor. With his own jazz bands, Rossum released the all-acoustic Party’s Over/Begun (2002, Yebo), and then Renovation (612 Sides), which was named one of the top 20 local albums of 2004 by the Star Tribune and one of the top 10 by City Pages. Noted Courtney Lewis in Minnesota Monthly, Renovation “solidifies what the local jazz scene has come to love about him: studious authority and the knowledge necessary to pull off unconventional compositions and instrumental choices.” For his gig at Mears Park, Kelly Rossum will feature a piano-less quartet including Chris Thomson on sax, Michael O’Brien on bass, and J.T. Bates on drums. The repertoire will include new original music as well as some covers. High energy will be the unifying concept!

Photo by Andrea Canter

4:30-5:30 pm, Parisota Hot Club with Connie Evingson. One of the most distinctive voices among local jazz artists, Connie Evingson may be best known as a long-time member of the acclaimed vocal quartet, Moore By Four. In addition to her nearly 20-year stint with the popular ensemble, however, Evingson has established a remarkable career as a solo performer and recording artist. Beyond her tours with Moore By Four, Evingson has appeared on concert and club stages around the world as a soloist, has appeared with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony conducted by Doc Severinsen, and sang with the Vocalessence Music Series with Bobby McFerrin. In 1998, she was chosen by Jazziz magazine as "one of the top unsigned vocal talents in the country,” was among the top 15 contestants in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition, and received the McKnight Artist Fellowship Award in 2000. Evingson has released five recordings for Minnehaha Music and developed the popular show, “Fever: A Tribute to Peggy Lee.” Turning her talents to the music of Django Reinhardt, she recently released Gypsy in My Soul. Noted Rick Mason of City Pages, "With her own delicious sense of swing, silken phrasing and sense of adventure, Evingson really nails Django's spirit on 'Gypsy', rummaging through his songbook (often with added lyrics) and other tunes that fit the mood..." One of three bands on the new recording, the Parisota Hot Club will join Connie Evingson for a set of gypsy swing and great fun.

Photo by Brian Nation

6:00-7:15 pm, Charles McPherson. At 65, altoist Charles McPherson has been the keeper of the bop flame for nearly half a century. Growing up in Detroit, he started out on trumpet before switching to alto sax, playing at Detroit’s famed Bluebird Club as a teenager and listening to visiting artists such as Barry Harris, Paul Chambers, Thad Jones, and Pepper Adams. Moving to New York in 1959, McPherson was part of Charles Mingus’ bands from 1960-72. Although heavily influenced by Charlie Parker, McPherson was encouraged by Mingus to find his own voice. Despite the attention surrounding the avant garde movement of the 1960s, McPherson did not follow the direction of Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler, remaining true to his bop roots throughout his career. In the 1980s, he was known for his planned approach to collective improvisation, demonstrated particularly on his recording, The Prophet (1983). McPherson performed and/or recorded with Eric Dolphy, Eddie Jefferson, Art Farmer, Kenny Drew, Toshiko Akiyoshi, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis; in the Clint Eastwood Film tribute to Charlie Parker (Bird), he played the role of his idol. Noted Stanley Crouch (New York Times), “He is a singular voice who has never sacrificed the fluidity of his melody making, and is held in high esteem by musicians both long seasoned and young."

Today, McPherson lives in San Diego and is blowing as strongly as ever, combining passion with intricate improvisations. He doesn’t just carry the torch for bop, he takes the idiom beyond its origins. Notes George Varga (Jazz Times), “Appropriately, McPherson's music is a felicitous blend of urbane sophistication and youthful passion that combines fire and finesse in equal measure.” (McPherson also will be on stage at the Artists Quarter in downtown St. Paul, Friday and Saturday, June 17-18, at 9 pm.)

8 pm-dark, Chill 7. Close out the day with a youthful, high energy ensemble. Chill 7 blends modern jazz with funk and jam band music. 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.” With their fresh interpretations of jazz standards, Chill 7 preserves the artistic integrity of jazz while reaching a broader audience. In addition to Burand, Chill 7 includes saxophonist Josh Brinkman, bassist Jason Swanson, and percussionist Andrew Artz.

And when it’s finally dark, you are only a few blocks away from the Artists Quarter and another dose of Charles McPherson ($15 cover, sets at 9 pm). For more information and full schedule for the Hot Summer Jazz Festival, visit www.hotsummerjazz.com

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