Dorothy Doring © Andrea Canter

A relatively new venue for jazz, the Dakota County Music Café operates from the Dakota County Steakhouse at the Holiday Inn off County Road 42 and Interstate 35. Burnsville may seem an unlikely locale for some of the top jazz artists in the area, but the crowds as well as the musicians have been enthusiastic. Says Vicky Mountain, who performed at the club’s opening weekend in late October, “It's a wonderful place to come for dinner or drinks - and there's no smoking there anymore!”

Ever since their Showcase gig, “we have been talking about how fun it was and have found an opportunity to do it again,” notes Dorothy. “Vicky Mountain talked to the owner at the Dakota County Music Café about doing a holiday show with the three of us.”

Sisters in Song

Dorothy explains that “We call ourselves ‘Sisters in Song’ because we get along so well and have a great feeling of sisterhood on stage.” Each of these outstanding vocalists brings a unique background to their collaboration.

Vicky Mountain © Andrea Canter

Vicky Mountain has been performing around the Twin Cities since the 1970s when she became involved with theater and experimental jazz projects. In 1987 she won the West Bank School of Music Jazz Composers Series award, and as her reputation grew, so did her repertoire. In 1990 she toured South American with the Lakewood Jazz Ensemble and appears on two of the group’s recordings. Over the past decade, Vicky has worked not only as a performer but as a lyricist and educator. Initially she taught at the West Bank School of Music and has been on the faculty of the MacPhail Center for Music since 1986, specializing in jazz improvisation technique, vocal performance, theory, and private voice instruction. Vicky has released two recordings, Birds of a Feather and the 2005 release, Don’t Go to Strangers [click here for a Jazz Police review].

Dorothy Doring is a veteran performer and educator. With a background in rock, country, Latin, R&B, and of course, jazz, Dorothy released her first CD, About Time, in 1999. In late 2005, she released Southern Exposure, featuring a New Orleans arranger and band, and covering everything from Gershwin to Bacharach to Coltrane and Joe Greene (click here for a Jazz Police review). In the past year, Dorothy has returned frequently to New Orleans to perform in clubs in the French Quarter, including Snug Harbor. She’s also a fulltime music educator for the St. Paul Public Schools.

Lila Ammons © Andrea Canter

Lila Ammons might be one of the newer voices on the Twin Cities jazz scene, but her roots in jazz are legendary. Granddaughter of charismatic boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons and niece of tenor titan Gene (Jug) Ammons, Lila has been singing since age three, when she also started to teach herself piano. Studying classical voice in New York, Lila spent twelve years singing opera, recitals, and oratorio in the US and Europe, as well as doing commercial and film work. But the genetic pull of jazz eventually was too strong to ignore, and over the past five years, she has been moving steadily into jazz, as well as relocating to the Twin Cities. At the 2004 Minnesota State Fair, Lila won first place in the Open Division of the Amateur Talent Contest for her performance of “Love for Sale.” Recently she has appeared with the Dean Brewington Trio and at the Downtowner Woodfire Grill, and In addition to teaches private voice lessons.

This weekend, Dorothy notes that “We sing several songs each set as a trio plus each will perform solos alone. The band is Chris Lomheim on piano, Jim Chenoweth on bass and Greg Schutte on drums, the same band, by the way, who performed with us at our first concert last year. We've been rehearsing and having a ball getting this ready.”

Describing their styles as “sultry sassy, swingin' and scattin',” Sisters in Song promise a weekend of fun and great music, while the Dakota County Music Café promises a warm setting, good food, and no cover! Taking a break from holiday shopping never sounded this inviting.

The Dakota County Music Cafe is located at 14201 Nicollet Ave. S. in Burnsville. Phone 952-435-2100 or go to www.hiburnsville.com . Sisters in Song perform from 6:30 – 10:30 pm, Friday and Saturday nights, December 22-23.

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