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Sunday, 21 March 2010

The Dakota’s “June Jazz Festival”

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Sunday, 01 June 2008

Roy Haynes courtesy of Dryfus REcords

A dozen (yeah, 12!) national acts come to the Dakota Jazz Club in June, most likely a club record. And that’s counting Andres Prado as a local act, which he no longer is. While the Twin Cities Jazz Festival brings eclectic jazz offerings to Mears Park in St. Paul (June 20-21) and Peavey Plaza in Minneapolis (June 27-29), you can experience an eclectic mix of jazz, blues and world music at the Dakota seven nights per week. And only a block from Peavey Plaza, it is always easy to combine the festival with a late set at the Dakota. Be sure to reserve your national act tickets. And it’s always a good idea to make club reservations for local shows, too.

National Touring Artists (7 and 9:30 pm unless otherwise noted)

June 1, Nels Cline Singers. There are no singers in this ensemble! Nels Cline, lead guitarist for the alternative rock band, Wilco, leads this experimental jazz band. Named one of twenty “modern guitar Gods” by Rolling Stone in 2007, Cline is an eclectic improviser who has appeared with Charlie Haden, Gregg Bendian, Wadada Leo Smith, Tim Berne, and Vinny Golia in jazz contexts as well as playing and recording with diverse projects from rock and pop to country and blues. Among his many exploits have been reworkings of classics from John Coltrane. His trademark sound derives in part from the use of pedal and looping effects.

Yellow Jackets©Andrea Canter

June 3, Buckwheat Zydeco. The reigning king of zydeco, aka Stanley Dural, Jr., is back! Said the New York Times of the accordionist, “Buckwheat leads one of the best party bands in America; he can pump out zydeco two-beats or shift into rolling 12-bar blues, steaming all the way.” And the four-time Grammy winner has been doing it for over 35 years. For a good time, call the Dakota and make reservations!

June 5-6, Ashford and Simpson. Gospel and R&B singers Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson have succeeded in dual careers as a songwriting/production team as well as performers, penning Motown hits along the way. Wrote the New York Times, “[Ashford’s] singing ranges from a husky falsetto to a frayed but agreeable baritone of medium intensity … Simpson, whose gospel delivery has lost none of its bright, metallic edge, is the assertive partner, both musically and temperamentally. The relationship between this cheerfully feisty woman, shaking her shoulders and punching the air, and her sleepy love god is alchemical; when you pull his raw silk covering away from her brass, the metal has turned to gold.”

June 9, Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth. Presented in a rare collaboration with the Artists Quarter, living legend drummer Roy Haynes brings his band of young stars to town for one night only. If you were at Ted Mann in March, you got an earful of this high energy, boppin’ volcano who at 83 drives the pulse like the Energizer Bunny. One of few living and working musicians who played gigs with Parker, Coltrane, Davis and Monk, Roy has an uncanny knack for selecting new talent---the current FOY band includes pianist Martin Bejerano, bassist David Wong, and acclaimed alto saxman Jaleel Shaw.

June 10-11, The Yellowjackets with Mike Stern. One of the all-time popular fusion bands, the Yellowjackets’ signature sound derives from their guitar-less ensemble that blends jazz, funk and blues. Over a quarter century of collaboration makes this one of the tightest bands around. Catch Bob Mintzer, Russell Ferante, Jimmy Haslip and Marcus Baylor as they join forces with one of the kings of fusion guitar, Mike Stern. You can feel the electricity pass through these musicians!

Taylor Eigsti by Devin DeHaven

June 16, Taylor Eigsti Trio. Sure, he was playing piano as a toddler, on stage with the likes of Dave Brubeck and Diane Schuur as a young teen, and has already been twice a guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz. But at 23, Taylor Eigsti has shed the mantle of “child prodigy,” living up to the prediction as he releases his sixth recording, Let It Come to You and finding acclaim as a serious and mature performer. Inspired by Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Phineas Newborn, Gene Harris, Benny Green and Geoffrey Keezer, Eigsti’s 2006 recording (Lucky to Be Me) received two Grammy nominations. His latest release likely will reach similar peaks. [Click here for a Jazz Police review]

June 17, Steve Turre Shell Choir. Trombone master and sea shell artist Steve Turre frequently tops readers and critics polls, as much for his innovative explorations as for his impeccable skills as a performer and bandleader. Working in jazz, Latin, and pop, his resume includes work with Ray Charles, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, J.J. Johnson, Herbie Hancock, Lester Bowie, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Van Morrison, Horace Silver, Max Roach, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk as well as the Saturday Night Live Band. Turre was at the Dakota last summer for the Trombone Summit. Now he returns with his latest edition of “Sanctified Shells,” an ensemble that replaces the usual horns with sea shell artists. First exposed to the haunting sounds of conch shells while touring Mexico with Woody Herman over 30 years ago, Turre’s Sanctified Shells is typically a 13-piece ensemble but will be scaled down somewhat for this rare club date.

Patricia Barber©Andrea Canter

June 18, Patricia Barber. In a sea of modern vocal talents, what makes Patricia Barber stand out is her imaginative, often witty original lyrics, her hauntingly beautiful melodies, and her daring, topsy-turvy renovations of standards and pop covers. And, oh yeah, she is one of the most exciting pianists of 21st century jazz. Last at the Dakota following the release of her Mythologies project, in which she set the poems of Ovid to music, Barber returns with an upcoming release of songs of Cole Porter, which very likely will not resemble any renditions of Porter that we have heard before. Night and day, she is the one.

June 22, Henry Butler. Described as a combination McCoy Tyner and Professor Longhair, Butler has been nominated for the W.C. Handy “Best Blues Pianist” Award eight times. Blind yet a world-class photographer, Butler has turned his classical training into a true New Orleans gumbo of jazz, Caribbean, classical, pop, blues and R&B. Holding a master’s degree in vocal music from Michigan State, the Crescent City native plays multiple instruments and sings in multiple languages. His mentors have included Alvin Batiste, Harold Mabern, George Duke, Sir Roland Hanna and Professor Longhair. In recent years he has concentrated on the music of New Orleans and the blues.

June 23, Barbara Dennerlein. Perhaps Germany’s greatest gift to modern jazz, Hammond B-3 guru Barbara Dennerlein has been garnering critical acclaim since her teens. A frequent “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” in Downbeat polls, Dennerlein has brought the organ into the limelight as a source of innovative music; she is also one of few Hammond B-3 players to master the pedal bass. In addition to international touring, Dennerlein has shared the stage with Don Alias, Randy Brecker, Thomas Chapin, Roy Hargrove, Joe Locke, David Murray, David Sanchez and Joe Zawinul, among many others. Diverse in her style as well as recordings, she has recorded with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and Vienna Symphonic Orchestra. This is not your mother’s B3!

June 28-29, Sheila E and the E Family. Daughter of percussionist Pete Escovedo, drummer Sheila E. played with her dad’s Azteca ensemble, collaborated with Prince on “Let’s Go Crazy,” and currently tours with her own band, C.O.E.D. (Chronicles of Every Diva). Coming to the Dakota with Pete and Juan Escovedo, you’ll hear why the Escovedos—based in the Bay Area but known worldwide-- are among the first families of jazz and Latin music.

June 30, Orchestra Baobab. One of the great bands of Africa, Orchestra Baobab combines Afro-Cuban, Portuguese Creole, Congolese and other traditions. Part of a vibrant (and largely Cuban) music scene in Dakar in their native Senegal in the 1970s, Baobab disbanded after about 15 years, reemerging to everyone’s delight in 2001.

Local Talent (sets at 7 pm, Sunday-Thursday; 8 pm Friday-Saturday unless otherwise noted)

June 2, Benny Weinbeck Quartet. One of the veterans of swinging jazz piano on a rare club date.
Andrea Prado©Andrea Canter
June 3, Andres Prado Quintet. Well, he was local for a while, but Peruvian guitar wizard Prado returned to his native Lima last fall. Catch him on a rare return visit.
June 7, Connie Evingson and Tim Sparks. Connie sings it all, from Peggy Lee to the Beatles to Dave Frishberg and Django. Tonight she performs with internationally acclaimed guitarist Tim Sparks. Sparks will fly!
June 8, Penumbra Theater Annual Jazz Jam. One of the best fundraisers in town for one of the cultural treasures of the Twin Cities. (Contact Penumbra for information at 651-224-3180)
June 12-14, Nachito Herrera. Three nights of son, rhumba and chacha with the Cuban keyboard dynamo! (Sets each night begin at 8 pm)
June 19, Robert Everest. If you did not catch his opening set for Tiempo Libre last month, don’t miss him this time around. Everest creates gorgeous soundscapes on his guitar, sometimes bending toward Rio.
June 20, Willie West. Transplanted from New Orleans, Willie West brings to Minnesota his Delta blues and a resume including stints with Allen Toussaint and the Meters.
June 21, Steve Clarke and the Working Stiffs. One of the area’s premiere jump blues bands—bring your dancing shoes.
June 24, Stride Piano Night with Butch Thompson, Jon Weber and Paul Asaro. There’s always fun at the keyboard when Jon Weber comes to town for the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. For this night he’s joined by local stride master Butch Thompson and nationally acclaimed rag and stride pianist Paul Asaro.
June 25, John Raymond Project. One of the young talents to watch in the midwest, Twin Cities trumpeter John Raymond, finishing up at the U of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, has already honed his chops on the Dakota stage, with Jazz Is Now!, with Nachito Herrera, and with his own ensemble, the John Raymond Project. A rich sound and exciting original compositions.
Jon Weber©Andrea Canter
June 26, Jon Weber Trio. You can’t keep Jon Weber away from a piano when he comes to town for the annual jazz festival. So when he is not on Peavey Plaza this week, you will probably find him at the Dakota. And his talents are boundless, with technical virtuosity and an encyclopedic knowledge of the idiom.
June 26, Tony Monaco and the Heatin’ System, Late Set. Not the usual weekend late set, organist Tony and his band offer a preview of their festival sets.
June 27, Bruce Henry. Catch the velvety voice of Bruce Henry before he relocates to Chicago!