Yolande Bruce © Ancrea Canter

Over the past two decades, Moore By Four has been one of the most popular vocal ensembles in the Twin Cities. This jazzy vocal quartet has performed less often over the past few years as its members have forged solo careers; Yolande Bruce, Ginger Commodore, Connie Evingson and Dennis Spears are often on the calendars of local clubs fronting their own bands. This weekend, two of these dynamic artists come together in a rare duo appearance at the Dakota (9:30 pm Saturday, December 9^th; 7 pm on Sunday, December 10^th). Joining Yolande Bruce and Connie Evingson will be a dream quartet including Mary Louise Knutson (piano), Terry Burns (bass), Bobby Commodore (drums) and Dave Karr (reeds). Bobby will also present Yolande’s debut at Rossi’s on Friday, December 8^th.

Yolande Bruce has performed with Moore by Four nationally and internationally, opening such legendary artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Sara Vaughn, and BB King. A featured vocalist at many churches both locally and abroad, Yolande was a Minnesota Music awards nominee for Best Female Jazz Artist in 1993. Active in local theater, Yolande has appeared in Penunbra’s production of Spunk, Illusion Theater productions of 2-Gether, Living Beauty, and For Our Daughters; Big River at Mankato State University, and the Guthrie Theater’s Dream on Monkey Mountain. She’s been on the stage of local venues such as the Dakota and Sophia’s, and will debut at Rossi’s Blue Star Room this Friday (December 8^th) with the Bobby Commodore Quartet.

Connie Evingson

Connie Evingson has become synonymous with the rising popularity of “hot club” jazz in the Twin Cities. Her recent recordings, Gypsy in My Soul and Stockholm Sweetnin’ have garnered rave reviews and extensive airplay, while she has appeared in Seattle with Pearl Django, in Sweden and Minnesota with the Hot Club of Sweden, and throughout the Twin Cities with the Clearwater, Parisota and Twin Cities Hot Clubs. But Connie’s repertoire is far more diverse, from the songs of the Beatles and Peggy Lee to the Great American Songbook. Her most recent project, to be released soon, is a collection of David Frishberg tunes.

Bobby Commodore © Andrea Canter

Bobby Commodore is familiar to anyone who frequents the Dakota, not just for his work behind the drumkit but also for his work behind the scenes managing and tweaking the sound for local and national artists. In addition to 20 years with Sound of Blackness, Bobby was drummer and business manager for Moore By Four for 12 years from its inception in 1986, has played for church choirs and theater productions, and is an in-demand timekeeper for many area vocalists. This weekend he will manage the trapset for Yolande at Rossi’s as well as for the duo at the Dakota.

The other supporting instrumentalists at the Dakota are each highly regarded in Midwest jazz circles: Mary Louise Knutson, a distinguished composer and educator as well as performer, was a finalist in the 2005 Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Piano Competition at Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She’ll be taking her trio on a Midwest tour in March. Terry Burns is a first-call bassist, often on stage with Nachito Herrera; he also appears on Nachito’s Live at the Dakota 2 recording. A recipient of an Individual Study Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Terry studied under renowned jazz bassist Rufus Reid in New York. He’s currently on the faculty of McNally Smith College. And Dave Karr, a New Yorker who has called the Twin Cities home for over five decades, is widely acclaimed for his swinging saxes, flute and clarinet, and of course his red socks. Dave leads Mulligan Stew, appears regularly with the JazzMN Big Band, and leads his own quartet.

Warm up your December at the Dakota with the steamy vocal team of Yolande Bruce and Connie Evingson, and their very festive band, Saturday night at 9:30 pm, Sunday night at 7 pm!

The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis; www.dakotacooks.com. You can also catch Yolande Bruce’s debut gig at Rossi’s, around the corner at 80 S. 9^th street on Friday, December 8^th at 9:30 pm ( www.bluestarjazz.com).

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