Singer and composer Erin Bode mesmerizes audiences with her striking stage presence, and irresistible voice, and a remarkable musical savvy. Her working band, The Erin Bode Group, features top-notch players with distinctive voices of their own. Adam Maness will be performing on keyboard, Syd Rodway on bass, and Derrek Phillips on drums. Together, this unique and talented quartet make music that both soothes and invigorates. This once-in-a-lifetime artist already has two national television appearances and a guest appearance on American Public Media’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” to her credit and is poised for even more break-out exposure as she combines elegance and familiarity in producing some of the best music in the Upper Midwest. (website)

With Glen Helgeson on guitar, Marc Anderson holding down percussion, Gary Schulte on violin and Cody McKinny anchoring on bass, Axis Mundi, meaning "the world tree," plays an alluring mixture of world-beat grooves combined with elements of modern and traditional jazz. This savvy guitar, bass and percussion trio plays a rich mixture of jazz, infused with Latin rhythms, Caribbean and Middle Eastern sounds. Helgeson's diverse guitar melodies are spiced with Anderson's exotic percussion and McKinny's searing bass rhythms. The dynamic trio is fresh, tasty and authentic. (website)

Typhanie Monique and Neal Alger have been performing their brand of soul-infused jazz for over six years now. Spawned from a weekly residency at Chicago's famed jazz venue Pops for Champagne, the duo has carefully honed their groove-oriented versions of jazz standards, pop/rock songs, and material from the R&B/Soul genre. Whether the song is old or new, played off-the-cuff or tightly arranged, however, all of their music contains a strong undercurrent of groove and soul which gives Typhanie and Neal's duo a distinctive musical personality within the jazz world. “Intrinsic,” their first release, has enjoyed airplay in every major city and music critics have unanimously given it high ratings. In support of Intrinsic, Typhanie and Neal have performed in New York City, San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Detroit, and many other cities throughout the country. Armed with a varied repertoire and a stage persona that exudes intimacy, the duo appeals to long-time jazz lovers as well as younger audiences that enjoy the contemporary material. Indeed, the vibrant music created by the duo will bring magic to the Summit Chalet at Lutsen Mountains on Saturday, May 10. (website)

Triveni, a Sanskrit word meaning "the place where three sacred rivers meet," is trumpeter Avishai Cohen's new trumpet/bass/drums trio. Continuing a long-standing tradition of bringing jazz trios without a harmonic/chordal instrument into the world of today, Triveni runs freely in the realms of hard-bop, straight-up funk, with a bit of avant-garde thrown into the mix. After leading a similarly-configured trio on his debut CD “The Trumpet Player, ”Avishai Cohen has since explored the sounds and structures of African music with Lionel Loueke, funk with Me'shell Ndegeocello, folk/pop with Keren Ann and modern jazz playing with Joshua Redman and Bobby Hutcherson of the San Francisco Jazz Collective. Heard frequently in the hottest clubs in Chicago, Israel, Paris and New York, now Avishai presents the new sound of Triveni to the Grand Marais Jazz Festival for the first time. (website)

Listen to Tony Monaco play the celebrated Hammond B3 organ. He swings like mad, solos like hell, and locks into soulful, vibrant grooves. The instrument has had a great resurgence in recent years. Listen to either of his two CDs and you can see that Monaco, while unheralded, is one of those few who can really make it talk. The real deal, who’s impressed even acknowledged master Joey DeFrancesco, among others. Monaco is a monster. Master Chops T his new CD on Summit records, released in February, is aptly named. - R.J. DeLuke, Jazz Times Magazine (website)