CHarmin Michelle, Photo by Andrea Canter

Holidays or not, there’s a wide range of jazz offerings in December for every budget. Some of the best area musicians play venues where there is little or no cover, so come out and listen! Sleigh bells are ringing (and some great divas are singing!). For $5 or less, consider the following.

At the Artists Quarter (7^th Place and St. Peter St, St. Paul; www.mnjazz.org)

• Every Tuesday, 9 pm, B-3 Organ Night with the Tuesday Night Band. Join organ grinder Downtown Bill Brown, tenorman Gary Berg, guitar whiz Billy Franze, and drummer/owner Kenny Horst for a weekly night of hot jazz. ($2)

• December 7, 9 pm, Red Planet. Mix Dean Magraw, Chris Bates, and Jay Epstein, set on broil…. And you have the inter-galactic groove of one smokin’ guitar trio. ($3)

• December 8, 9 pm, FKG. On the edge jazz with Scott Fultz, Dave King, and Dean Granros, joined this night by the maniac of bass, Adam Linz. For modern—yet accessible—jazz, this is the band! ($3)

• December 15, 9 pm, Fat Kid Wednesdays & Slow Skate. Two “out there” ensembles featuring master innovators, FKW (saxman Michael Lewis, bassist Adam Linz, and drummer JT Bates) join forces with visiting musicians Caitlin Sherman on vocals and Jason Goessl on guitar (who with Linz and Bates form “Slow Skate”). ($5)

• December 28, Charmin, Shapira and Friends. The vocal/guitar duo of Charmin (Michelle) and (Joel) Shapira has been delighting audiences for the past five years; tonight they will have special guests adding to their festive sets. ($5)

At Bar Lurcat (1624 Harmon Place, Minneapolis; www.cafelurcat.com)

Never a cover charge!

• December 9, 8 pm, Christine Rosholt. Joining one of the sweetest songbirds in town are Tanner Taylor (piano), Graydon Peterson (bass), and Jay Epstein (drums).

• December 15, 8 pm, Larry McDonough Quartet. Hear tunes from their new CD, Simple Gifts. Larry McDonough (piano), Richard Terrill (sax), Craig Mattaresse (bass) and Chaz Draper (drums).

• December 16, 23, 30, 8 pm, Arne Fogel Presents… A master vocalist himself, the ever-popular Arne Fogel presents talented divas, Cookie Coleman (12/16), Connie Olson (12/23), and Maud Hixson (12/30).

At the Dakota (1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; www.dakotacooks.com)

Cookie Coleman, Photo by Andrea Canter

• December 8, 7 pm, Cookie Coleman. Standards and holiday fare with considerable flare from one of the area’s divine divas. ($5)

• December 15, 7 pm, Pete Whitman Quartet. The popular saxman and leader of Departure Point and the X-Tet in a more intimate ensemble. ($5)

• December 20, 7 pm, Steve Hirsh and Black Ice CD Release. Bemidji-based drummer Hirsh in the fine company of Black Ice, featuring St. Paul piano virtuoso Larry McDonough. (No cover)

• December 21, 7 pm, The Girls. With line-up reshuffled with the departure of Debbie Duncan and the arrival of Patty Peterson, join Lori Dokken, Judy Donaghy and Erin Schwab celebrating the holidays and whatever else life brings. Great voices and lots of fun. ($5)

At the French Press Jazz Café (213 E. 4^th St, St. Paul—Lowertown; www.fpjazz.com)

• December 7, 8 pm, Evercommawhat. Innovators Chris Thomson (sax) of the Jazz Is Now Orchestra, JT Bates (drums) of Fat Kids Wednesdays, and Chris Olson (guitars) join forces for an evening of funky jazz. (No cover)

• December 10, 9 pm, Tres Mundos. Sax giant Doug Little draws on two of his Seven Steps to Havana collaborators, Cuban pianist/vocalist Viviana Pintado and Brazilian percussionist Eliezer Freitas Santos, to form a new trio. Expect Tres Mundos to blend the grooves of Seven Steps with Little’s original compositions and vibrant reworkings of modern jazz standards.($5)

• December 16, 9 pm, Framework. With drummer Jay Epstein, guitarist Chris Olson and bassist Chris Bates, you can expect a lot of innovative interplay. ($5)

• December 17, 9 pm, Blue Chi. Dean Magraw (guitar), Pete Whitman (saxophones), and Jay Epstein (percussion) bring together their collective improvisation and composition chops to create a beautiful tapestry of sound and imagination. ($5)

• December 23, 9 pm, Bill Carrothers with Jay Epstein & Chris Bates. I’ll go out on a short limb and declare this the best free or cheap deal of the month. Briefly in town, local piano hero Carrothers is often touring Europe and will soon release a new recording. Catch him here with two highly sympathetic supporting voices. ($5)

• December 30, 9 pm, Triplicate. Blending eclectic musical influences to create a distinctive collaborative sound, this trio includes Joel Shapira on electric guitar, Bruce "Pooch" Heine on acoustic and electric bass, and David Stanoch on percussion. ($5)

At Rossi’s Blue Star Room (80. S. 9^th St., Minneapolis; www.bluestarjazz.com)

No cover for local shows.

• Every Monday, 6 pm, Maud Hixon. Popular songstress, a voice to savor.

• December 6 & 20, 6 pm, Dennis Spears. The male quarter of Moore By Four, Dennis is always entertaining.

• December 7-9, 6 pm Wed-Thurs, 9 pm Fri, Bruce Henry. Burnished baritone and always a great band behind him.

At the Times Bar and Café (201 E. Hennepin, Minneapolis; www.timesbarandcafe.com)

Debbie Duncan, Photo by Andrea Canter

There’s never a cover a the Times!

• Every Wednesday in December, 8 pm, Tresa Sauer & The Wolverines Trio. Combining cool and passion, vocalist Tresa Sauer deserves a higher profile. With the swinging threesome Wolverines Trio, you’ll see why.

• Every Thursday, 9:30 pm. Salsa del Soul. The Twin Cities’ own Latino dance band keeps it hot and spicey!

• December 10, 9:30 pm, Café Accordian Orchestra. A frequent act internationally, CAO will get your toes tapping, from musette to tango. Even if you stay in your seat, you can enjoy the talents of those who don’t!

• December 17, 9:30 pm, Times 3 with Christine Rosholt, Sue Tucker, and Vicky Mountain. Three songbirds from the Minnesota Jazz Vocal Coalition present their own showcase.

• December 19, 8 pm, Debbie Duncan, Tribute to Tony Bennett. Hear Minnesota’s First Lady of Song saluting one of the grand masters of all time.

• December 31, 9:30 pm. Erin Schwab and the Twin Cities Hot Club. Where else will you get a great band and no cover on NY Eve? Join one of the voices of The Girls with one of the hottest of gypsy jazz bands for a very swinging party.

And More

Many local bars and restaurants offer great jazz, no cover:

• Bellanotte (600 Hennepin, Minneapolis). Live jazz every Wednesday, 8-10 pm.

• Café Havana (119 Washington Av N., Minneapolis). 8-11 pm: Every Wednesday, Christine Rosholt; every Thursday, Paul Cherba; every Friday & Saturday, Bill Duna (Latin jazz).

• Cherokee (886 Smith Av, St. Paul). Every Saturday night, 8-11 pm, “Mr. Smooth” Irv Williams with Ron Fosse and Loren Walstad.

• D’Amico Cucina (100 N. 6^th St, Butler Square Bldg, Minneapolis). Every Friday/Saturday night, 7:30-11:30 pm, Benny Weinbeck and Gordy Johnson (piano and bass duo).

• Downtowner Woodfire Grill (253 W. 7^th, St. Paul). Every Tuesday, 7-10 pm, Arne Fogel. Every Thursday, 7-10 pm, Maud Hixson.

• Fireside Pizza (6736 Penn Av S., Richfield). Every Monday, 7-9 pm, Charmin Michelle with Denny Malmberg.

• O’Gara’s (163 N. Snelling, St. Paul). Every Tuesday, 7:30 or 8 pm, big bands. Beasley Big Band (12/6); Stan Bann Big Band (12/8); Nova Jazz Orchestra (12/27).

• Sophia’s (25 Main Street, Riverplace, Minneapolis). Jazz nightly at 9 pm.

Best Bets for $10

• December 9-10, 9 pm, Kelly Rossum Quartet at the Artists Quarter. One of the most creative musicians and composers around, Rossum and his quartet released Renovation in 2004 to high acclaim. Where Miles Davis might have gone in the 21^st century. The usual suspects include Chris Thomson on saxes, Chris Bates on bass, and JT Bates on drums.

• December 21, 9 pm, Departure Point at the Artists Quarter. Actually this one is only $6. Pete Whitman’s exciting sextet is always a must-see, must-hear event. Usual compatriots include Laura Caviani on piano, Whitman on saxes and flute, Jeff Rinear on Trombone, Dave Jensen on trumpet, Gordy Johnson on bass, and Phil Hey on drums.

• December 22, 7 pm, Mn Jazz Vocal Coalition Holiday Showcase at the Dakota. Every month the local chapter of the Jazz Vocal Coalition presents a showcase highlighting the talents of three members. For the holidays, the full Coalition is likely to turn up in varying combinations for an evening of fabulous vocal music and the support of a talented rhythm section. Coalition members include Arne Fogel, Bruce Henry, Lucia Newell, Sue Tucker, Vicky Mountain and more.

Bargain at Any Price

Patricia Barber, Photo by Andrea Canter

It’s the holidays and you deserve to splurge now and then! So here are two for you!

December 11-12, 7 & 9 pm, Patricia Barber at the Dakota. If you appreciate innovation in voice and piano, this is the gig of the year. Barber can twist a standard inside out, writes wickedly humorous and politically attuned lyrics, and happens to be one of most creative pianists around. Sets $27/22. Reservations highly recommended; (612) 332-1010.

December 26-28, 7 & 9 pm, The Bad Plus at the Dakota. Back for their annual holiday gig on “home turf,” the arguably hottest jazz trio on the planet will burn the stage for three nights that will feature original compositions and inside-out covers of anything from Black Sabbath to the Pixies. A chance to hear these guys in a small room is as rare as a blizzard in July…..Sets $35/30. Reserve today! (612) 3332-1010.

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