 Photo by Andrea Canter The
French Press Jazz Café is becoming a mainstay of Lowertown
nightlife, at least for jazz fans and musicians. With standing
weeknight events (open mic Thursdays, and, by the end of September,
blues night Thursdays) and an eclectic array of weekend performers,
you’re never bored with the menu, for food or music. And apparently
the musicians regard the French Press as a welcoming venue for
inventive collaborations, which this fall will often feature the
merging of talents seldom brought together on the bandstand. For the
best bargain in local music, from blues to funk to mainstream jazz to
swing dance, check out the following events at the French Press!
Thursdays--Open
Mic (8 pm, no cover)
Open to all musicians regardless of
genre--Jazz, Funk, Soul, R&B, Blues, Reggae, Rock, all welcome!
Specials on food, beer & wine. Show up early to get on the list.
E-mail questions to
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September
16; October 29--Ascension Quartet (8:30 PM; $5).
If
some of the musicians look familiar, it’s because three-quarters of
the Ascension Quartet is three-quarters of the Paul Harper
Quarter—woodwind virtuoso Paul Harper, bassist Michael Gold, and
drummer Haralds Bondaris. Rounding
out Ascension is guitarist Kevin Daley, a graduate of
the Berklee College of Music and veteran of the faculties of St.
Mary's College, Bemidji State University, MacPhail Center for the
Arts, and the Minnesota Center for Arts Education. Voted best
jazz-fusion guitarist at the Minnesota Music Awards in 1988, he was
selected as a featured performer for the Twin Cities Jazz Society's
concert series in 1993. Working on such diverse projects as Broadway
shows at the Ordway, the New Music Theatre Ensemble, and Zeitgeist,
as well as with a variety of jazz and pop groups, Daley also
currently teaches at McNally Smith College (MuscicTech) in St. Paul.
Covering bebop through modern jazz and the Brazilian sounds of samba,
bossa nova, and frevo, the Ascension Quartet promises its audience a
high spirited, eclectic evening.
 September
17--Future Antiques (8:30 pm, $5)
Sharing in the spirit
of making danceable yet artistic music, Future Antiques encompasses
electronic, jazz, soul, drum and bass, and world music. With sultry
vocals over electronic grooves, Future Antiques shimmers with the
lush tones of sax, guitar, bass, and keyboards.
September
20--Andy Zipf (8 pm, $3).
This is a special weekday event at
the French Press. The haunting voice and evocative lyrics of “mood
rock” soloist Andy Zipf have prompted comparisons to pop
revolutionaries such as David Bowie, Neil Young, and Bjork. Armed
with an I-Pod, old radio, laptop and other gizmos, he pumps chords
through an old Martin guitar to create a stew of rock, soul, gospel,
hip hop, and electronic pop. Add in his stunning vocal palette and
you’ll understand why this Washington, DC native has been drawing
raves wherever he goes.
September
21; October 5-- French Ballroom Dance Night with the Daddy
Squeeze Trio (8 pm, $5).
French
ballroom dance night. Join us for Swing, Waltz, Latin & Tango
with Dan Newton and the Daddy Squeeze Trio. Dust off your dancing
shoes and come ready to turn the café into one big dance
floor.
September
23—Triplicate (9 pm, $5)
 Photo by Andrea Canter Triplicate
has been performing improvisational jazz around the Twin Cities since
1996, blending eclectic musical influences yield their distinctive,
collective group sound. This trio includes Joel Shapira on electric
guitar, Bruce "Pooch" Heine on acoustic and electric bass,
and David Stanoch on percussion. Earlier this year, Triplicate
celebrated the release of their new recording, Day and Age.
September
24--Meantime
(8:30 pm, $5)
 Photo by Andrea Canter
September
27 and subsequent Tuesdays-- The Down & Dirty Blues Band
(8 pm, no cover)
One
of the emerging blues bands of the Twin Cities, the Down & Dirty
Blues Band includes four exemplary musicians from nearby McNally
Smith College of Music. Their individual resumes include playing with
nationally known bands and performing overseas. With a repertoire
ranging from old Junior Wells and Elmore James tunes to Stevie Ray
Vaughan to classic rock covers, the Down & Dirty Blues Band
starts a weekly Blues night at The French Press.
September
28—Whitney Robertson & Ann Marben (8 pm, no cover).
Continuing their tradition of promoting young artists, the French
Press presents McNally Smith students in duet--piano,
guitar and vocals. Come and hear for yourself that jazz has a bright
future!
September
30--Christine Rosholt (8:30 pm, $5)
A
relative newcomer to the Twin Cities jazz scene, Christine Rosholt
graduated from the Minneapolis Children’s Theater Company &
School and earned at BFA at the Art Institute of Chicago where she
majored in performance art and photography. Her career in theater has
included original performance art pieces and traditional theater as
well as vocal performance. As a jazz vocalist, she has performed
recently at many local venues, including regular gigs at Café
Havana and Nochee, and has been a featured vocalist with Beasley’s
Big Band. Influenced by diverse muses from Ella Fitzgerald to Billie
Holiday to Joni Mitchell, Christine
says: "I especially like the Jazz standards from the 1930s and
40s because they’re timeless, they swing, and they’re sentimental
without being syrupy."
October
1--Blue Chi (8:30 PM ($5)
An
incredible trio of Dean Magraw (guitar), Pete Whitman (saxophones),
and Jay Epstein (percussion) create beautifully melodic soundscapes
from a mix of inventive originals and unorthodox interpretations of
some of the most creative composers in improvised music.
October
14--The
New Standards (9 pm, $5)
The New Standards" features Chan
Poling (of the “Suburbs”) on piano and vocals, John Munson of the
local pop band, “Semisonic,” on upright bass and vocals, and
Steve Roehm (of “Your Neighborhood Trio”) on vibes, and presents
a modern blend of music from the best songwriters of the last half
of the twentieth century.
October
15--Chris
Nielsen's Mystic Holiday CD Release Party (6 pm, $5)
Mystic
Holiday is a collection of 11 beautiful new age jazz compositions
performed with passion and soul. Christopher Nielsen's 60 minutes of
unique musical poetry and fluid improvisation style allow his music
to inspire visualization and imagination. Seamlessly flowing from one
piano interlude to another, the Mystic Holiday collection will
send you into a zone of comfort and relaxation while evoking
emotional response.
October
22—Zizix (8:30 pm, $5)
 Photo by Andrea Canter
October
28-- Sophia Shorai (9 pm, $5).
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. 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.
The French Press Jazz Café is
located at 213 E. 4th Street, St. Paul; visit
www.fpjazz.com
for updated calendar information.
|
Twin Cities, MN 
Wednesday, 07 January 2009
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