“A top notch option on the Mpls/St Paul jazz scene!”
--Down Beat Magazine

Trio with Patty Peterson and Debbie Duncan

For the past 12 years’ of weekends at the Hotel Sofitel bar in Bloomington, MN, the Phil Aaron Trio has been playing for jazz connoisseurs and diners alike, wowing with them with great arrangements and award-winning vocalists in a low-profile setting. With Phil Aaron on piano, Tom Lewis on bass, and Jay Epstein on drums, the trio has recently featured vocalists Debbie Duncan and Patty Peterson. But this is the last call for Aaron and company—the Sofitel has announced it will not longer feature this acclaimed ensemble as of the final curtain on Saturday night, October 29^th. The trio will end the gig in style with vocalists Lucia Newell and Debbie Duncan.

The Trio

Phil Aaron, in addition to his weekly gigs at the Sofitel, plays with the Phil Hey Quartet and other area ensembles. Drawing inspiration from Bill Evans, Cedar Walton, Tommy Flanagan, and Keith Jarrett, he “can swing hard or wax romantic at the keyboard" (Minneapolis Star Tribune). Bassist Tom Lewis is a busy sideman throughout the Twin Cities, a “straight-ahead, hard bop, and bebop bassist and he swings like anything” (Don Berryman, Jazz Police). 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), as well as with the edgy trio Red Planet (with Dean Magraw and Chris Bates). He has released a highly acclaimed recording, Long Ago. The Phil Aaron Trio released I Love Paris to rave reviews; said Leigh Kamman of NPR’s The Jazz Image, "In sum, this trio shapes and colors these music materials with crackling tempos, space wit, and taste."

Final Night Divas

Photo by Andrea Canter

One of the Twin Cities most popular songstresses, Debbie Duncan "is blessed with a large, full, yet feathery voice and stylistic subtlety ranging from gospel to jazz and pop” (Jazziz). With a background rich in jazz, gospel and Motown, Detroit native Duncan has opened for Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Stephane Grapelli, and won the Minnesota Music Award for “Perpetually Outstanding Performer.” Her recording credits include work with Oleta Adams, Jimmy McGriff, pop bands Iffy and B-3, and local jazzers Fat Kids Wednesday, as well as her own recordings, including Travelin’ at the Speed of Love and just-released I Thought About You. Local gigs include frequent appearances at the Artists Quarter, Times, and Dakota, popular performances with “The Girls,” and teaching at McNally-Smith (MusicTech).

Come and be part of the “closing” of one of the longest running jazz gigs in the Twin Cities. The Hotel Sofitel is on Highway 494 at Highway 100 in Bloomington; music begins at 8 pm. For more information, see www.philaarontrio.com