Greg Skaff

Jazzy Weekends (9 pm unless otherwise noted; first sets nonsmoking)

March 3-4, Greg Skaff ($10). A legend-in-the-making, guitarist Greg Skaff has been performing internationally and as part of the New York scene for two decades. With a resume that includes performing with the likes of Stanley Turrentine, Ruth Brown, Freddy Hubbard, Jimmy Scott, Kevin Mahogany and Bobby Watson, Skaff’s strings can sing a ballad, burn the blues, and bop with bebop. He tours with several working projects, including his organ trio with Mike LaDonne and Joe Farnsworth; an electric band Full House with David Hazeltine and Jim Rotondi; a double guitar group, Skaf/Alexander, and as a member of Bobby Watson’s ensemble. Hear Skaff before he leaves for a tour of Italy; his companions at the AQ will include owner Kenny Horst on drums and Billy Peterson on bass.

Davis WIlson, Photo by Andrea Canter

March 10-11, Irv Williams Quartet ($10). Noted Matt Peiken (St. Paul Pioneer Press), “Veteran saxophonist Irv Williams has always been about sweetness not power, and he's still gigging strong,” now nearing his 87^th birthday. Raised in Cincinnati and Little Rock, Williams first performed in the Twin Cities as a clarinet and sax player with the Navy during Word War II. Turning down invitations to play with Count Basie and Duke Ellington, he made the Twin Cities home and by now, has played every conceivable local venue. Throughout his sixty-year career, Williams has focused on the Great American Songbook and the tenor sax as a solo vehicle. His knowledge of the idiom is legendary and fellow musicians marvel at his ability to play any song in any key. “Mr. Smooth” released two recordings in the last 18 months, most recently That’s All?, and his working on another. He was honored at the recent Twin Cities Winter Jazz Festival with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and appears during Happy Hour every Friday night at the Dakota. But the best context to enjoy Irv Williams is with his quartet—Peter Schimke, Billy Peterson, and Kenny Horst.

March 17-18, David Hazeltine ($12). Pianist David Hazeltine is no stranger to the Twin Cities or the AQ, having spent his childhood in Milwaukee and early career in Chicago. In college, he became the house pianist at Milwaukee’s Jazz Gallery, where he played with such legends as Charles McPherson, Eddie Harris, Sonny Stitt, Pepper Adams and Chet Baker. In the 1980s he expanded his horizons, moving briefly to New York and playing venues in Chicago and the Twin Cities as well as Milwaukee. Settling permanently in New York City in the early 1990s, Hazeltine played with Freddie Hubbard, James Moody, Louis Hayes, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and Marlena Shaw, for whom he

Greg Tardy, Photo by Andrea Canter

March 24-25, Greg Tardy ($12). New Orleans native Greg Tardy first studied classical flute. In college he first encountered the music of John Coltrane, and from that point on, he switched his allegiance to jazz and saxophone. After a year working in St. Louis, Tardy returned to his home turf, playing with Nicholas Payton among others. After a tour with Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine, Tardy moved to New York where he has been recording and burning up stages for ten years. Recent projects include working with Bill Frisell, Andrew Hill, and Dave Douglas, as well as releasing his latest quartet recording on Steeplechase, The Truth. Jazz & Blues Report described him as “truly an awesome leader-performer and you’ll revel in his inventiveness and finesse…Tardy is the new talent to watch.” Greg was a big hit when he played here last winter, and for this reviewer, a high point of the recent Bill Frisell gig at the Dakota.

Gary Berg, Photo by Andrea Canter

March 31-April 1, Gary Berg’s Tribute to Stan Getz ($10). It’s always a treat when veteran sax/harmonica virtuoso Gary Berg presents his Stan Getz tribute. “Berg’s solos are masterpieces of wit and charm, bop-driven and infused with soul: Charlie Parker meets old school rhythm-and-blues meets ‘60’s hard bop” (Jonathan Francis, The Mac Weekly). A frequent featured performer, Berg has played with vocalists Prudence Johnson and Lucia Newell; has played with guitarist Clay Moore on Monday nights at Fireside Pizza in Richfield; and appears on a long list of recordings locally, from George Avaloz to Billy Holloman to Carole Martin. Every Tuesday, Gary is on the bandstand at the AQ with the Tuesday Night Band. Come hear a great saxman pay tribute to one of the greatest tenors of them all, the legendary Stan Getz.

Boppin’ Weeknights (9 pm unless otherwise noted)

With the new smoking ban fast approaching in St. Paul (March 31!), one wonders what impact it will have on small clubs like the AQ. The music will go on and I am betting the weeknight crowds will grow. But one more month of tradition at the AQ—and the lineup is as stellar as ever. In addition, Kenny Horst will inaugurate a monthly “First Monday Poetry Slam” on March 6^th.

Mondays, Green (7 pm)/Open Poetry (9 pm). This long standing gig remains on the schedule for all but the first Monday of the month. Now a quartet, the explosive post bop Green features Rob Dewey (piano), Paul Kammeyer (bass), Zack Lozier (trumpet), and Scotty Schultz (drums). Green has been the Monday night band at the AQ for the past three years. New addition Zack has focused on bringing traditional New Orleans jazz to the Midwest, and performs regularly with the Jack Brass Band. Following their sets, open mic poetry reading gets underway at 9 pm. No cover!

Tuesdays, B-3 Organ Night with the Tuesday Night Band ($3). The Tuesday Night Band features “Downtown” Bill Brown on Hammond B-3, along with Billy Franze on guitar, Gary Berg on saxes, and Kenny Horst on drums. And you never know who else will drop in and join the party. Personnel changes have not impacted the popularity or virtuosity of this long-standing gig.

March 1, Triplicate ($3). 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. Triplicate celebrated the release of their recording, Day and Age, in 2005 and were among the headliners at the Bloomington Jazz Festival last summer.

Phil Hey, Photo by Andrea Canter

March 6, Poetry Slam with Rachel McKibbens (8 pm, $5). Preceded by a set by Green at 7 pm, this brand new monthly event gets underway in March. Poets perform original works in a competitive format for cash prizes, with a featured poet each month. Two-time World Individual Poetry Slam finalist Rachel McKibbens from New York will be guest poet. Sign-up begins at 7:30 and the slam is open to anyone age 18+.

March 8, Dave Karr Quartet ($3). Multi-instrumentalist Dave Karr and his quartet can warm up the coldest Minnesota night or help you chill out in the heat of summer. 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 bands (Pete Whitman’s X-Tet). Dave blows a sweet horn and is always in the company of the best area musicians.

March 9, Dean Granros Trio ($3). 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). Granros worked with the band Curlew beginning in the late 1970s; more recent credits include FKG with Scott Fultz and Dave King (of Bad Plus and Happy Apple fame) and Siamese Fighting Fish with King and all-star bassist Anthony Cox.

Chris Lomheim, Photo by Andrea Canter

March 16, 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.

March 22, 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.” Leader/guitarist Dean Magraw has been wowing audiences with his fleet fingered plucking and creative compositions. Said Steve Tibbetts, "It's guitar, but it's so liquid, lyrical and effortless that it's like listening to a dancer." A member of the Motion Poets, Low Blow, and Framework, bassist Chris Bates has focused on composing (he was a 1999 McKnight Composer Fellow) as well as performing. Drummer Jay Epstein is seen all over the Twin Cities, often in the company vocalists and top instrumentalists. He has a long-standing gig with the Phil Aaron Trio and released a highly acclaimed recording, Long Ago

Pete Whitman, Photo by Andrea Canter

March 29, 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.

Tanner Taylor, Photo by Andrea Canter