Moore By Four Performed at an Achieve Minneapolis Benefit©Andrea Canter

Moore by Four has been entertaining audiences from the Twin Cities to Europe to Japan since 1986. In addition to their popular holiday shows, they have shared the stage with Harry Connick, Jr. and the late Joe Williams, Carmen MacRae, Sarah Vaughan and Dizzy Gillespie. Their special appearances have been performances for the US Olympic Committee, Super Bowl, Minnesota Twins, Vikings and Timberwolves, as well as President and Mrs. Clinton, Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev, Vaclav Havel and the King and Queen of Sweden. With their trademark precision and polish, pulsating rhythms and inventive arrangements, they have often been compared to the Manhattan Transfer, with heavy doses of gospel, jazz and pop tossed into the mix. Their initial focus on Swing classics has expanded over the years to include contemporary covers, Broadway and original compositions. 

Moore by Four

Yolande Bruce has been a featured vocalist at many churches both locally and abroad. A Minnesota Music Awards nominee for Best Female Jazz Artist in 1993, she has been active in local theater, including Penumbra’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, Sophia’s and Rossi’s Blue Star Room. 

Ginger Commodore began her career as a long-time member of the Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness. She’s an original member of Women Who Cook., and has performed with Yanni, The Minnesota Opera Company, the Twin City Gospel Ensemble, the J.D. Steele Singers, and with several local theater productions. She has also toured internationally with the Chiffons. As part of the Witness Music Series under the direction of Phillip Brunelle, she brings her music into the schools. When not otherwise engaged, Ginger performs with her own quartet and with brother and drummer Bobby Commodore. Last fall she released Live at the Hot Summer Jazz Festival, where she is a perennial performer.

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. She’s also well known as a radio host on KBEM Jazz 88. 

Around town, Dennis Spears is probably best known as the lone male voice of Moore By Four. However, his individual career is equally spectacular, including his solo Nat King Cole show, appearances in the Jazz at the G series, as a cast member of Smokey Joe’s Café and Mixed Blood Theater’s highly acclaimed Two Queens, One Castle and Heart of the Man. Dennis kept busy with the Penumbra Theater this past season, appearing in Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Blue. Last fall, Spears released a long-awaited second recording, Why Try to Change Me Now?, a tribute to Nat King Cole.

The Hopkins Center for the Arts 2007-2008 season continues with trad pianist Butch Thompson’s trio on October 20^th; the a capella quartet Tonic Sol Fa on November 2^nd,  the Mandragora Tango Orchestra on January 12^th, singer/songwriter Ann Reed on February 2^nd, Songs From the Stage II hosted by Dan Chouinard with Maria Jette, Prudence Johnson and Vern Sutton on March 1^st; Saxophone Summit II with Dave Karr, Pete Whitman, Dave Milne, Michael Walk, Greg Keel, Kathy Jensen, Kenni Holmen and Percy Hughes on saxes, backed by the Laura Caviani Trio (Caviani, Gordon Johnson and Phil Hey) on March 15^th; pianist/tap dancer/comedian Mark Nadler on April 12^th, and a new generation of the Four Freshman on May 3^rd. All concerts begin at 7:30 pm.

The Hopkins Center for the Arts is located at 1111 Mainstreet in downtown Hopkins, MN, between 11th and 12th Avenues. For tickets and information, visit http://www.hopkinsmn.com or call 952-979-1100. 

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