 Nate Brown
It's a brief respite from
the busy life of a touring artist for guitar whiz Nate Brown. Or maybe
it is just an extension of that busy schedule when Brown comes to the
Twin Cities for a late night jam at the Dakota (Friday, February 24th)
followed by a trio gig at the French Press Jazz Cafe in St. Paul (Wednesday,
March 1) and a recording session with Anthony Cox and Jay Epstein. No
matter what, this is a small window of opportunity to catch this exciting
guitarist on his "home" turf.
Alexandria native Nate Brown
studied jazz theory and improvisation at McNally Smith (MusicTech) College
in St. Paul, and recorded his first album in 2000 (Waltz for Bill).
He was soon part of the touring company for the musical Chicago,
playing tenor banjo, mandolin and ukele; this role continued with a
tour of Taiwan, and later this spring he will be again on the road with
Chicago. In 2001, Brown signed on to tour with the Broadway production
of Swing, playing guitar and lap steel, with the final show at
the Orpheum in Minneapolis. In Minneapolis, his next standing gig was
at the Melting Pot downtown, with bandmates Jay Epstein and Cody McKinney
in the trio Inner Voices. He also played with Metro Jam, joined the
Hornheads to back Prince, and taught at his alma mater, McNally Smith.
In summer 2004, Nate decided it was time to test the waters on the east
coast, and for the past year he has been playing such New York clubs
as the Bitter End, Maxim Lounge, Tonic, and Pianos. Most recently
he has opened a show at the Fringe Festival in the Village Theater;
on Broadway he has been subbing for Justin Quinn in Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang. In addition to his debut recording, Brown released a
solo guitar CD, No Way of Knowing (2002).
Nate Brown's Twin Cities'
gigs will include a trio performance (with Chris Bates and Jay Epstein)
as part of the Later at the Dakota series, with the very late set starting
at 11:30 pm on Friday, February 24th. Next he will appear
at the French Press Jazz Cafe in St. Paul's Lowertown on March 1st
with Epstein and Anthony Cox, a warm-up for their recording session.
It might be cold in Minnesota but it sounds like a warm homecoming with
Nate Brown!
Later at the Dakota sets
start at 11:30 pm; cover only $3 with happy hour-type food and drink
specials. The Dakota is locate at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis;
www.dakotacooks.com. The French Press Jazz Cafe is located at 213 4th Street East, across from Union Depot in St. Paul;
www.fpjazz.com. Show at 8 pm, cover $5.
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Tuesday, 16 March 2010
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