Christine Rosholt©Andrea Canter

Recently local chanteuse Christine Rosholt celebrated five years of public vocal performance. Yet anyone who has been in the audience for one of her gigs knows that whenever she takes the stage, it’s a celebration. And what better reason for a festive atmosphere than a live recording session? On January 30-31, join Christine and her all-star band (Tanner Taylor, Graydon Peterson, Jay Epstein and Dave Karr) at the Dakota Jazz Club and be a part of this special event. 

A graduate of the Minneapolis Children’s Theater Company & School, Christine earned a BFA in performance art and photography from the Art Institute of Chicago. Her career in theater has included original performance art pieces and traditional theater as well as vocal performance. As a jazz vocalist, she has performed at many local venues, including regular gigs at Café Havana, the Dakota, Dakota County Steakhouse and The Nortons (Bay City, WI), as well as a featured vocalist with Beasley’s Big Band. In early 2006, Christine released her debut recording, Detour Ahead, which garnered a nomination as the top jazz recording of the year from the Minnesota Music Academy accolades from local as well as national critics. Noted Scott Yanow in LA Jazz Scene, Christine has “a subtle but powerful voice, one that sneaks up on the listener and makes a surprisingly strong impression.” 

Citing influences ranging from Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Blossom Dearie, and Frank Sinatra to Connie Evingson, Diana Krall, Jane Monheit, John Pizzarelli and Joni Mitchell, Christine is a fan of standards from the 1930s and 40s, tunes that adorned Detour Ahead. One of her favorite songwriters, Harold Arlen, was the subject of Christine’s tribute concert held a year ago at the Bloomington Arts Center as part of the Twin Cities Jazz Society “Jazz J to Z” concert season. And moving into 50s fare, she recently sang with “Girl Singers of the Hit Parade” at venues including the Old Log Theater. Christine today notes that she also finds inspiration from more contemporary sources. “I absolutely love Tierney Sutton. Her band has some of the best arrangements out there, her band is amazingly in sync and they play their hearts out. I also really like Karryn Allison's record, Footprints. Her duets with Nancy King are sublime. All of the cats that are going to be on my new CD inspire me, they are so talented!” 

So inspired, now Christine prepares for her second effort, which again promises to sport a diverse playlist. “I try to select a wide variety of songs, mix it with swing, waltz and a couple with a Latin feel. It is really hard to select the songs to do as there are so many good ones,” notes Christine. “I picked my favorites for right now. I also asked the band for their favorites that they do with me and I took that into consideration, too. I try to mix songs that everyone will know (like ‘Summertime’) with lesser performed standards (like ‘Down With Love,’ ‘Estaté’). I picked a  couple ballads and a couple that are more ‘fun.’” 
 
Will the new recording be a natural extension of Detour Ahead or a new direction? “Not so much a new direction, just more seasoned,” explains Christine. “All the jazzers in town freelance, so it is hard to get the same exact band for every gig, but I have been trying my hardest to do just that. We have all played together a lot since my last CD and I feel more connected with the band than I did on my first recording.” And she also likes the notion of being more connected with her audience via a live recording.  “I feel much more comfortable on stage than in the studio. So I am really excited to do a live CD. My mother said that I came out talking. I really love connecting with all of the people that come to my gigs. It is a huge part of why I like to perform. So, I think the live CD will potentially be very special.” 

Christine Rosholt©Ann Marsden

As they often do on her live gigs, the “cats” accompanying Christine Rosholt will add to the special aura of the recording session. With considerable experience backing Christine as well as other vocalists, and star performers in their own right, it’s hard to top a band with Tanner Taylor, Graydon Peterson, Jay Epstein and Dave Karr! Taylor, an Iowa transplant, brings the thunderous technique of idol Oscar Peterson to the piano bench, while his sensitive voicings on ballads and inventive journeys when soloing suggest inspirations from across the stride and bop spectrum. Another 20-something whiz, bassist Graydon Peterson is a first call sideman for many area vocalists and toured last year with the Mary Louise Knutson Trio. Elegantly manning the trapset is veteran Jay Epstein, a mainstay of the Phil Aaron Trio, Red Planet, Framework and Main Time; he recently reprised his role as Merlin of percussion with Bill Carrothers’ Armistice ensemble. Native New Yorker Dave Karr has mastered all the reeds in his 50+ year career and regularly performs with his own quartet, his Mulligan Stew sextet, the JazzMN Big Band, and more.  

On January 30-31, there will be no “wallpaper” session when Christine Rosholt records live at the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis. And you better make reservations—there are few empty seats when Christine is on the bandstand. You’ll want to be part of the applause. 

Christine Rosholt will record live on January 30-31, 7-11 pm, at the Dakota—1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis; www.dakotacooks.com or 612-332-1010. More on Christine at www.christinerosholt.com