Chris Bates Photo by Andrea Canter

July Weekends

Although the county smoking ban does not extend to the AQ, first sets on Friday and Saturday nights are non-smoking. Sets start at 9 pm and the cover is usually $10. Note that the AQ is closed for the 4^th of July weekend.

July 8-9, Dave Karr Quartet. Multi-instrumentalist Dave Karr and his quartet can warm up the coldest Minnesota night. Most often heard locally on tenor, flute, and clarinet, Karr also breaks out the baritone for his Gerry Mulligan tribute band, Mulligan Stew. A native New Yorker, Karr has been a fixture on the Twin Cities jazz scene for nearly 50 years, and has appeared on multiple recordings with local artists, ranging from vocalists (Connie Evingson) to small bands (Pete Whitman’s X-Tet). Dave blows a sweet horn and is always in the company of the best area musicians.

Dean Magraw Photo by Andrea Canter

July 15-16, Dean Magraw and Red Planet. Dean Magraw has been wowing audiences with his fleet fingered plucking and creative compositions. Said Steve Tibbetts, "It's guitar, but it's so liquid, lyrical and effortless that it's like listening to a dancer." Starting out on bugle, St. Paul native Magraw studied classical guitar at the University of Minnesota and Berklee College of Music in Boston. For many years, Magraw was half of a popular partnership with mandolin virtuoso Peter Ostroushko. Straddling jazz, folk and bluegrass, he has performed with and/or recorded with Ruth McKenzie, Claudia Schmidt and Greg Brown, among others; he has explored his Celtic heritage performing with Celtic accordionist John Williams. Magraw’s first solo recording, “Broken Silence, won the NAIRD 1994 Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year. A frequent performer at area festivals and jazz clubs, his group Red Planet--with bassist Chris Bates and drummer Jay Epstein--performed on the Peavy Plaza Main Stage at the Hot Summer Jazz Festival. Expect great tunes infused with Magraw’s impish humor.

July 22-23, Paul Bollenback and Chris McNulty (cover $12). A popular pair who have appeared on several occasions at the AQ, guitarist Paul Bollenback and Australian vocalist Chris McNulty have collaborated on two recordings, including her latest Dance Delicioso. Known for his fiery fret-work with Joey DeFrancesco, Bollenback picked up some of his exotic vibes living in New Delhi as a child. Now based in New York, he has caught the attention of such legends as George Benson and John McLaughlin and toured with Stanley Turrentine. Also based in New York, Chris McNulty grew up in Australia. Her swinging improvisation and bluesy style have prompted comparisons to Ella and Sarah. Their sets this weekend will be sure knockouts.

Jay Epstein Photo by Andrea Canter

July 29-30, Jim Marentic Quartet. Former Twin Citian Jim Marentic returns from New York—for good! Marentic is moving back home, and this weekend will celebrate his homecoming. Sax man/composer/arranger Marentic cut his teeth back in the 50s in the house band at the South of the Border Key Club in Minneapolis, and despite his infrequent returns, managed to spend some time working on George Avaloz’ 2004 recording, The Highest Mountain. Let’s give Jim a big “Welcome Home” party!

Weeknights in July

Monday and Tuesday nights have long been set aside for standing gig, usually starting at 9 pm, covers run $2-$3 unless otherwise noted:

Mondays, 7 pm, Green; 9 pm Open Poetry (no cover). From 7-9 pm, catch the sounds of Green. Featuring Rob Dewey (piano), Paul Kammeyer (bass) and Scotty Schultz (drums), Green has been the Monday night band at the AQ for the past two years. Following their sets, open mic poetry reading gets underway at 9 pm. (Closed July 4^th)

Tuesdays, 9 pm, B-3 Organ Night with the Tuesday Night Band. July marks a new era for the Tuesday Night Band. With the departure of long-standing B-3 king Billy Hollman (who is moving to Las Vegas), organ duties will be taken over by Bill Brown and guitar by Billy Franze. You can still expect to see AQ owner Kenny Horst on drums and saxman Gary Berg on tenor and soprano, and who knows what other guests might sit in?

Chris Lomhein Photo by Andrea Canter

July 7, Chris Lomheim Trio. One of the foremost piano talents on the Twin Cities jazz scene and a regular performer at the Artists Quarter and Dakota, Chris Lomheim started organ studies at age 7, moved on to piano and was into R&B in the 1980s. He was featured at the West Bank School of Music Composer’s Forum in 1991 and nominated as top pianist in the 1997 Minnesota Music Awards. Jeremy Walker of Brilliant Corners called Lomheim “the most sensitive and romantic player you will hear around the Twin Cities' scene. He has prodigious piano technique and an individual ear for harmony.” Often compared to Bill Evans, Lomheim has made two acclaimed trio recordings, And You’ve Been Waiting? (1994, IGMOD) and The Bridge (2002, Artegra). Lomheim’s regular trio includes multi-talented bassist Gordy Johnson and elegant drummer Phil Hey.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Photo by Andrea Canter

July 14, Phil Hey Quartet. Given AQ owner Kenny Horst’s own talents as a drummer, it is no surprise that Phil Hey and his Quartet are regular features. Joining Hey are Dave Hagedorn (vibes), Phil Aaron (piano), and Tom Lewis (bass). A “no-nonsense, uncompromising band of local jazz greats” (Don Berryman, Jazz Police), the quartet’s repertoire includes the tunes of Kenny Wheeler, Bobby Hutcherson, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter. A former student of Ed Blackwell, Phil Hey is one of the busiest drummers in town (he plays with everyone!) and teaches jazz drum at Macalester College. Vibist Dave Hagedorn “brings an integrated knowledge of complex harmony and rhythm that never fails to swing or to move anyone with ears” (Don Berryman, Jazz Police). Tom Lewis is another busy sideman throughout the Twin Cities, a “straight-ahead, hard bop, and bebop bassist and he swings like anything” (Don Berryman). He performs regularly with pianist Phil Aaron, who holds forth weekly at the Hotel Sofitel. Aaron draws inspiration from Bill Evans, Cedar Walton, Tommy Flanagan, and Keith Jarrett, and “can swing hard or wax romantic at the keyboard" (Minneapolis Star Tribune).

July 20, Dave Brattain Quartet. An exciting tenor saxophonist playing with fire and energy, Dave Brattain returns to the AQ with his quartet. With such big band credentials as the Jazz Mn Big Band and Cedar Avenue Big Band, as well as collaborations with guitar king Paul Renz, Brattain brings a lot of diverse influences to his music.

Photo by Andrea Canter

July 21, Dean Granros Trio. Guitarist Dean Granros “blends the vocabulary of bebop, acid rock, and delta blues into a delightful and potent cocktail that may leave you shaken or stirred” (Don Berryman, Jazz Police). Granros worked with the band Curlew beginning in the late 1970s; more recent credits include FKG with Scott Fultz and Dave King (of Bad Plus and Happy Apple fame) and Siamese Fighting Fish with King and all-star bassist Anthony Cox.

July 27, How Birds Work. One of the most popular regular attractions at the AQ, How Birds Work is the collaboration of four well-known area musicians—guitarist Dean Granros, bassist Billy Peterson, pianist Peter Schimke, and drummer Kenny Horst. Playing at least monthly at the AQ, the quartet recently made a live—and lively-- recording here. Guitarist Dean Granros “blends the vocabulary of bebop, acid rock, and delta blues into a delightful and potent cocktail that may leave you shaken or stirred” (Don Berryman, Jazz Police). Bassist Billy Peterson grew up as a member of the legendary Peterson family of musicians, appeared on Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, toured with the Steve Miller Band, and has arranged for Prince and David Sanborn. And drummer Kenny Horst is a “great hard-bop, soul jazz, and fusion chops and the sweetest guy you could meet” (Don Berryman). In his role with How Birds Work, pianist Peter Schimke also displays his skills as a composer and adds vocals to the mix. Sophisticated, often subtle, always working toward the edge from a firm foundation, How Birds Work offers multiple layers of challenge to the listener.

July 28, Pete Whitman X-Tet. The X-Tet is one of several projects led by veteran sax performer, composer, and arranger Pete Whitman. His credits include performing with Randy Brecker, Jack McDuff, and the Woody Herman Orchestra, in addition to leading his X-Tet and Quintet in the Twin Cities and working regularly with the Jazz MN Big Band. A graduate of jazz studies at North Texas State University, Whitman heads the Woodwind and Brass Department at St. Paul’s Music Tech. The 10-piece X-Tet is a virtual Who’s Who in local jazz, with Whitman, Dave Karr, and Dave Milne (reeds), Steve Wagner and Dave Jensen (trumpets), Jeff Rinear (trombone), Dave Hagedorn (vibes), Gordy Johnson (bass), Phil Hey (drums), and Laura Caviani (piano).

And Coming Soon…..

No, you can’t leave town yet, August at the AQ will be too good to miss---Happy Apple (August 5-6), Lew Tabackin (August 12-13), and Irv Williams; 86^th Birthday Bash (August 19-20).

The Artists Quarter is located at 7^th Place and St. Peter Street in downtown St. Paul, in the lower level of the Hamm Building. See the full schedule and other information at www.mnjazz.org or call 651-292-1359.

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