Weeknight Jazzin’ (9 pm except 7pm on Mondays)

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. (See special Green With Envy event on November 30^th, below.)

Photo by Andrea Canter

Tuesdays, 9 pm, B-3 Organ Night with the Tuesday Night Band ($2). Although long-time B-3 master Billy Holloman has left the Twin Cities for Las Vegas, the Tuesday Night Band lives on with “Downtown” Bill Brown taking over organ duties, along with the addition of Billy Franze on guitar. With Gary Berg on saxes and Kenny Horst on drums, you never know who else will drop in and join the party.

Photo by Andrea Canter

November 2, Chris Lomheim Trio ($3). 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.

November 3, Dave Karr Quartet ($3). Multi-instrumentalist Dave Karr and his quartet can take that late fall chill out of the air and envelope you in a toasty glow. 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 ensembles(Pete Whitman’s Departure Point and X-Tet, Dave Graf’s septet) to big bands (JazzMn Big Band). Dave blows a sweet horn (as well as flute and clarinet) and is always in the company of the best area musicians.

November 9, Brian Grivna Quartet ($3). A former Young Artist clarinet soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, Brian Grivna joined the Buddy Rich band as the lead alto sax player in 1971. Back in the Twin Cities, he did a ten-year stint in the woodwind chair for the Guthrie Theater and now performs at jazz clubs and with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Children's Theater Company, and touring orchestras for musicals such as The Lion King. Grivna also is a member of the jazz faculties of Macalester College in St. Paul and the University of Minnesota.

Photo by Andrea Canter

November 10, Phil Hey Quartet ($3). Given AQ owner Kenny Horst’s own talents as a drummer, it is no surprise that Phil Hey and his Quartet are regular features. 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 recently finished a long-standing residency 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). Last month, the Phil Hey Quartet celebrated the release of Subduction: Live at the Artists Quarter, and the house is still smoldering.

Photo by Andrea Canter

November 16, Red Planet ($3). If you are looking for something a little different, a little edgy in the jazz trio format, look no farther than a trip to the Red Planet. As noted in the AQ press release, Red Planet “is creative jazz for the 21st Century, inviting you to put one ear on the launching pad of neo-bop Trane/Hendrix/Monk burn, and your other ear on the celestial weightlessness from the musical cosmos.” Led by guitarist Dean Magraw, with bassist Chris Bates and drummer Jay Epstein, Red Planet is a popular ensemble at area jazz festivals as well as on club stages. For guitarist Dean Magraw, this will be his second appearance at the AQ this month (see Anthony Cox and Shovel above). Chris Bates and his brother, drummer JT, grew up with jazz, sons of trumpeter/bandleader Don Bates. A member of the Motion Poets, Chris Bates has focused more on composing (he was a 1999 McKnight Composer Fellow) and playing regularly with Low Blow and the guitar trio, Framework, in addition to Red Planet. He was also a frequent performer during the recent Minnesota Sur Seine Festival. 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 has had a long-standing gig with the Phil Aaron Trio at the Hotel Sofitel in Bloomington, and released a highly acclaimed recording, Long Ago.

Photo by Don Berryman

November 17, How Birds Work ($3). 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 about 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.

Photo by Andrea Canter

November 23, Tanner Taylor Trio ($3). Truss and trim the turkey tomorrow, tonight is for one of the hottest piano trios in town. It was just a couple years ago that this young piano whiz from Iowa settled in the Twin Cities, and he has been burning up keyboards ever since. Tanner Taylor seems to be on stage with every vocalist in town, including stints as one of the “house pianists” when there is a performance by the Twin Cities Vocal Showcase. But his talents as a sympathetic accompanist may obscure the fact that Taylor is a monster soloist, be it as leader of his own trio or in the company of Dave Karr’s Gerry Mulligan tribute band, Mulligan Stew. And notes Pat Courtemanche, “When you consider that Gerry Mulligan didn’t use piano in his classic quartets, now that speaks volumes.” Taylor’s September weekend gig at the AQ was proof that this is not just hype.

November 30, Green with Envy (members of the Hamline Jazz Ensemble) ($5). Monday night regulars Rob, Scotty and Paul (Green) join forces with Hamline Jazz Ensemble artists (Envy). It’s a night for a great little big band!

December Alert!

Mark your calendar now for the Kelly Rossum Quartet, December 9-10, and don’t forget to make plans to attend the annual AQ New Year’s Eve Party!

The Artists Quarter is located at 7^th Place and St. Peter Street, lower level of the Hamm Building in downtown St. Paul; visit www.mnjazz.com. On weekends, first sets are nonsmoking.

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