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Saturday, 20 March 2010

Mid-American Music Hall of Fame Recognizes Minnesota Legends of Jazz

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Sunday, 20 April 2008

Arne Fogel ©Andrea Canter

On May 2-4, the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame—formerly the Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame—will induct five living legends of Minnesota Jazz. Honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards at festivities at the Medina Entertainment Center in Medina, MN will be vocalist Arne Fogel, drummer Kenny Horst, vocalist Carole Martin, pianist Jeanne Arland Peterson, and tenor saxophonist Irv Williams. Each has contributed years of performance as well as knowledge and advocacy to Minnesota jazz. The Hall of Fame started out on a small scale about ten years ago and has grown in stature and artistic scope in recent years. Annually, the HOF recognizes individuals who have devoted much of their lives to the support and continuation of the music, bands, ballrooms and clubs. This year’s recipients also include Dick Shapiro, Peter Lang and the original Candy Floss writing team: Barry Thomas Goldberg, Gary Paulak, Dale Menten and Peter Steinberg.

The Inductees

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Arne Fogel grew up in the TWin Cities where he first gravitated to drawing and particularly cartooning. Part of the original Beatles generation, Arne played in several bands in high school and launched his recording career with The Puddle (later touring as The Batch) with Barry Goldberg, Gary Paulak and Jay Lee. Soon his talents as a studio vocalist were discovered, and over the years Arne has sung on over 1500 jingles as well as composing and producing his own music for jingles and industrial presentations. He also evolved as a popular radio personality, hosting programs for Minnesota Public Radio, KLBB and KBEM, and serving as music director of “The Golden Rock” (WWTC). On the air, Arne developed a reputation as “purveyor of vintage music and entertainment from an historical point of view.” Arne launched his jazz club career in the 80s, starting on the Dakota’s “open stages” with Debbie Duncan and with further encouragement from local stars Patty Peterson, Don Stille, and the Wolverines. He also launched a 14-year stint on MPR, hosting “Arne Fogel Presents.” From the late 1980s, in clubs throughout the Twin Cities, Arne has channeled Sinatra and Crosby, and has been a regular at such venues as the Times and Rossi’s. Arne is well known throughout the area for his varied presentations of the music of Bing Crosby. He’s been producer and host of "Bing Crosby on Record" for radio KLBB-AM (1985-1998), "The Retro Revue" (1998-2000), and "Arne Fogel Presents Bing & Co" (2001-2005). With vocalist Connie Evingson, Arne co-hosted "Singers & Standards" on KBEM (2002-2005) and currently hosts “The Bing Shift”, also on KBEM. Arne has released two solo jazz recordings--You Call It Madness on vinyl in 1989 and the acclaimed CD, Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams in 2001. With singing partner Maud Hixson, he released Let’s Not Be Sensible in 2005.

Kenny Horst©Andrea Canter

Drummer Kenny Horst is a native of St Paul’s West side. Starting out on piano, Kenny picked up drums as a teenager, playing with rock and R&B bands. He studied at the MacPhail Center for Music with Marv Dahlgren and Reuben Haugen and gigged around the Twin Cities with such talents as Bob Rockwell, Jim Marentic, Hubert Eaves and Eddie Berger. He also toured in the 60s with Leon Claxton’s Harlem Revue as part of the legendary Royal American Shows, played with the Bobby Lyle Trio when Lyle was launching his career in the Twin Cities, and played the West Bank jazz scene with such legendary bands as Willie and the Bees, Spider John Koerner, and Dave Ray’s Bamboo. Kenny released his first (so far only) recording in 1983—he’s been too busy recording, producing and booking everyone else. Titled simply Kenny Horst, the recording (on Pulse) was named Jazz Record of the Year by both City Pages and the Twin Cities Reader, and featured Billy Peterson on bass and Bob Rockwell on sax. Of course Kenny is now best known as one of the most successful bookers and club owners in Midwest jazz. He began booking talent at the original Artists Quarter in south Minneapolis, took over ownership when the club moved to St. Paul on Jackson Street, and has now been located in the Hamm Building since 2001. Over his career, Kenny has played with nearly every visiting artist at the AQ as well as handling the trapset on a regular basis with such bands as How Birds Work, the Dave Karr Quartet, and the Tuesday Night Band. He appears on numerous recordings from the Artists Quarter with How Birds Work, the Tuesday Night Band, the Bobby Peterson Trio, and multiple discs from fellow inductees Carole Martin (his mother-in-law!) and Irv Williams.

Carole Martin©Andrea Canter

Carole Martin was destined to a career as an entertainer, growing up in Glencoe, MN in a family of musicians and circus performers. A self-taught singer, she notes that “I was brought up on singers like Tony Bennett, and I loved Nancy Wilson and Irene Kral.” In high school she sang in the choir and, with two sisters, sang “Canadian Sunset” on a Faribault radio station. Married at sixteen and divorced with three children a few years later, she started out singing pop songs at Minneapolis clubs like Mr. Nibs, but was more attracted to the jazz tunes she heard at the adjacent Duffy’s. She worked nights on end in her 20s at Twin Cities clubs such as the White House, Harbor Room, King Solomon's Mines, and the Point, receiving her on-the-job training from such local legends as Percy Hughes. Her first recordings, For the First Time (1965) and The Music That Makes Me Dance (1968), were well received at the time, but it would be years before she returned to the studio. When regular club worked petered out in the 80s, she turned to selling men’s sportswear. She made a brief return to music in the early 90s, performing on the stages of earlier incarnations of the Artists Quarter and Dakota, but quit a few years later following the death of son Dale. But gradually—and with the memory of Dale’s encouragement ("You've got to sing, Mom”), Carole resumed public appearances, special engagements and finally a return to the recording studio for her first release in 35 years. Pieces of Dreams (2005) was an immediate success, described by Jon Bream (Star Tribune) as “the finest jazz-vocal CD from the Twin Cities in many a moon.” Fortunately Carole did not wait another three decades between recordings, releasing Songs From My Heart in November 2006. Today Carole performs a few times each year at the Artists Quarter, including her annual New Year’s Eve show.

Although she began playing the piano at age three, Jeanne Arland Peterson did not take a formal lesson until she was 15—shortly before she had her first paying gig. From then on, her career as a pianist/vocalist was on a star trajectory, her approach heavily influenced by the great Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. She spent 22 years performing on WCCO radio as well as around town on club stages and in recording studios. She was the organist for the Minnesota Twins from 1969-71, and built a resume that included work with Perry Como, Bob Hope, Dianne Carroll, Sonny Stitt, Roy Eldridge, Bud Shank, and George Benson. Along with Judy Garland, Jeanne is one of only two women in the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, and two Minnesota governors—Rudy Perpich and Arne Carlson--declared days in her honor. Additionally, Jeanne was the first woman to receive the prestigious Arts Midwest Jazz Masters Award for excellence in jazz musicianship (1977) and in 2005 was named a Minnesota Jazz Legend at the KBEM Winter Jazz Festival. Almost as amazing as her 70-year career in music is Jeanne’s role as matriarch of Minnesota’s “First Family of Music.” She now heads three generations of talented musicians who perform locally and nationally. It’s hard to find a gig or recording in the Twin Cities that does not include at least one Peterson. And Jeanne is not content to sit back and enjoy the talents of her family—she is still gigging and arranging.

Raised in Cincinnati and Little Rock, Irv Williams first performed in the Twin Cities as a clarinet and sax player with the Navy during Word War II. Turning down invitations to play with Count Basie and Duke Ellington, he stayed in the Twin Cities, although his vita includes stints with Fletcher Henderson, Mary Lou Williams, and Billy Eckstein. Here at home, Williams has played at every jazz venue, past and present, including the old Flame Bar where he was often back-to-back with such stars as Sarah Vaughn, Dizzy Gillespie, and Johnny Hodges. The first jazz musician to have his own “Irv Williams Day” granted by the State of Minnesota (1984), he has been inducted into the Minnesota Jazz Hall of Fame and was pictured on the “Celebrate Minnesota” official state map in 1990. At the KBEM Winter Jazz Festival in 2005, Irv was one of three recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards. Throughout his nearly seven-decade career, Irv has focused on the Great American Songbook and the tenor sax as a solo vehicle. His knowledge of the idiom is legendary and fellow musicians marvel at his ability to play any song in any key. Noted Matt Peiken (St. Paul Pioneer Press), “Veteran saxophonist Irv Williams has always been about sweetness not power, and he's still gigging strong.” That was three years ago, and Irv is gigging and blowing as sweetly as ever. In fact, since his 84th birthday, he’s been as prolific as any artist on the planet with back-to-back quintet releases, That’s All (2004) and Dedicated to You (2005), followed by one of his most acclaimed, Duo, with piano partner Peter Schimke in late 2006. In January 2008, Irv released what he claims to be his last recording, Finality. Don’t believe it.

The Hall of Fame Celebration, May 2-4

The Medina Entertainment Center just northwest of the Twin Cities will host the 2008 induction ceremonies with live entertainment. Scheduled inductions for Arne Fogel, Kenny Horst, Carole Martin and Irv Williams will be from 6-8 pm on May 2; Arne will also perform along with old pals Gary Palauk and Barry Goldberg; new inductee Peter Lang also performs during the early Friday night segment. Later in the evening, music will include the Irv Williams Quartet with Carole Martin. At 8 pm on Saturday, May 3rd, the Peterson Family featuring Jeanne Arland Peterson will be among the performers; Jeanne will be inducted at this time as well. Additional performances and inductions will continue Saturday and Sunday. A full schedule for the three-day event can be found at http://www.rockcountryhall.com/08event.html

The Medina Entertainment Center is located in Medina, MN at I-494 and Highway 55. Tickets and further information are available at 763-478-6661 or www.medinaentertainment.com

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