Sophia’s

Whenever a jazz venue shuts down, it’s a loss to the community. The latest closing in the Twin Cities occurred only a few weeks after the opening of a new venue in Burnsville. There’s a good chance that the artists you enjoyed at Sophia’s River Place venue will be booked into the new Dakota County Music Café.

Sophia’s has been a part of glitzy River Place along the Mississippi River on Old Main Street since the complex opened in the 1980s. On the site of the historic St. Anthony neighborhood, the current location was home to several businesses, with Sophia’s bar and restaurant the longest-running tenant. Changes in ownership and direction occurred in the past few years, but most recently it has been a popular weekend destination for dining, dancing, and listening to the Twin Cities’ finest vocalists and supporting instrumentalists. Such renowned artists as Debbie Duncan, Connie Evingson, Vicky Mountain, Lucia Newell, Charmin Michelle and Patty Peterson, among others, have treated patrons to evenings of standards and not-so-standards, backed by such stellar musicians as Phil Aaron, Chris Lomheim, Laura Caviani, Tommy Barbarella, Nancy Bierma, Phil Hey, Jay Epstein, Nathan Norman, Jim Bierma and more. Sophia’s suddenly announced it would close as of Sunday, November 19^th. Owners apparently have plans for another bar and/or restaurant in the area, but as a jazz venue, the gig is over.

On a much brighter note, the new Dakota County Music Café opened in the Dakota County Steak House within the Holiday Inn in Burnsville, off I-35 and County Road 42. Under the leadership of Dan Gustafson, who produces the annual Burnsville Art and All That Jazz festival, the jazz room will offer top area artists every Friday and Saturday nights (possibly expanding to other nights in the future). Opening night in late October featured prominent vocalist/educator Vicky Mountain with pianist Chris Lomheim, bassist Tom Lewis, and drummer Greg Schutte. The South Metro is proving to be a welcoming location for jazz, given the audience response so far. And once you are south of the river, “This is pretty much it until you get to Mankato,” noted Schutte. Added Vicky Mountain, “It’s a great venue for musicians—you are treated well and the audience is attentive and appreciative.” Judging from the schedule of upcoming artists, Gustafson is serious about making the Dakota Steakhouse a first-rate jazz destination. In coming weeks, you will find the Signe Hensel Quartet (12/1), Dan Kusz Band (12/8), Snowblind (12/15), the Phil Hey Quartet (12/16), Sisters in Song (Vicky Mountain, Lila Ammons and Dorothy Doring on 12/22-23), Twin Cities Hot Club (12/29) and Paula Lammers & Reeves Cary (12/30).

Keep jazz alive in the Twin Cities by frequently visiting live performance venues! Check the monthly calendars here on Jazz Police and on the Twin Cities Jazz Society site (www.tcjs.org). For location, reservations, and the full schedule at the Dakota County Music Café, visit: www.hiburnsville.com/all_that_jazz.cfm.