Photo by Andrea Canter

Take one of the most poetic of keyboardists and mix in elegantly equal parts of sublime bass and drums, creatively mix and shake into fine crystal—you can’t drink it but you can nevertheless kick back and inhale some of the finest chamber jazz anywhere, the Chris Lomheim Trio. One of the busiest musicians in the Twin Cities, this coming week Lomheim joins forces with pulse masters Gordy Johnson and Phil Hey on both sides of the river, Monday August 15^th at the Dakota and Wednesday August 17^th at the Artists Quarter. If you missed this trio’s July gig at the AQ, now you have two opportunities and no excuses for missing out again!

Chris Lomheim’s first keyboard was the family organ, and as a child he studied both organ and piano in Minneapolis. He focused on R&B in the 1980s, playing with such bands as Big John Dickerson and Down Right Tight. Gaining a reputation as a composer as well as performer, he was featured at the West Bank School of Music Composer’s Forum in 1991.

Photo by Andrea Canter

A member of the acclaimed Illicit Sextet in the 1990s, Lomheim has played and/or recorded with a long list of Twin Cities’ musicians, including Gordy Johnson, Kathy Jensen, and Kelly Rossum, and vocalists Debbie Duncan, Christine Rosholt, Patty Peterson, Lucia Newell, and Vicky Mountain. He has also headlined at Chicago’s Green Mill with trumpeter Rex Richardson, and was nominated as top pianist in the 1997 Minnesota Music Awards. Often compared to Bill Evans, Lomheim has made two acclaimed trio recordings, And You’ve Been Waiting? (1994, IGMOD) and The Bridge (2002, Artegra). 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.” Noted Paul Winger, “Chris’ songs are accessible and feel familiar, yet they are neither simplistic nor trite.”

Chris Lomheim’s regular trio includes multi-talented bassist Gordy Johnson (featured on both Lomheim recordings) and sublime drummer Phil Hey (featured on The Bridge). Gordy Johnson graduated from the Eastman School of Music where he majored in flute. He toured with Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinsen, and the Paul Winter Consort, has appeared on over 50 recordings, and has kept time for most local and many visiting artists. He has released two albums featuring trios with different combinations of pianists and drummers (Trios, Volumes 1, 2) and will be releasing a third volume next month. When he is not holding down rhythm sections with his bass lines, Johnson can often be found inside the piano, tuning it up at the top clubs and concert halls in the Twin Cities. 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 and the University of Minnesota. He’s performed with Kenny Barron, Dewey Redman, Charlie Rouse, Benny Carter, and Benny Golson, leads his own groups, and is frequently on the bandstand with Laura Caviani, Pete Whitman, and visiting national artists. Watch for the release of his “Live at the Artists Quarter” recording this fall!

Photo by Andrea Canter

When these three virtuosos take the stage this week—in Minneapolis or St. Paul, you can “expect nothing but musical poetry" (Tom Surowicz, KBEM Jazz 88).

The Chris Lomheim Trio performs at the Dakota (1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis) on Monday, August 15^th, sets at 7 pm, no cover; the trio moves across the river to the Artists Quarter(7^th Place and St. Peter, St. Paul) on Wednesday, August 17th, at 9 pm, $3 cover. For information, call the Dakota at (612) 332-1010; www.dakotacooks.com; and the Artists Quarter at (651) 292-1359; www.mnjazz.com.