Kenny HorstİAndrea Canter

It’s a month of music featuring the youngest and oldest Twin Cities’ jazz stars, and established veterans in between. On either side of the Independence Day Weekend (and a short vacation for the AQ), you can hear one of the long-time career artists on stage celebrating his 83 years, while a few days later the AQ hosts a quartet of college student musicians who prove decisively that jazz is neither dead nor complacent. 

Weekend Gigs (9 pm, $10 cover unless otherwise noted)

The AQ will be closed over the 4th of July weekend. But the remaining three weekends boast the best of the Twin Cities: 

July 11-12, How Birds Work. How Birds Work is the collaboration of four well-known area musicians—guitarist Dean Granros, bassist Chris Bates, pianist Peter Schimke, and drummer Kenny Horst. Guitarist Dean Granros keeps busy with his own trio, FKG, and the new Starry Eyed Lovelies band. Bassist Chris Bates plays regularly with Low Blow and the guitar trios, Framework and Red Planet, as well as the Kelly Rossum Quartet. In his role with How Birds Work, multi-faceted pianist Peter Schimke also displays his skills as a composer and adds vocals to the mix. And AQ owner/drummer Kenny Horst is a “great hard-bop, soul jazz, and fusion chops and the sweetest guy you could meet” (Don Berryman). Sophisticated, often subtle, the post bop explorations of HBW carry joyful doses of rock and funk. Their CD Live at the Artists Quarter is a standout among local releases, but of course “live at the AQ” is always the best vantage point. 

July 18-19, Anthony Cox, Phil Hey & Chris Lomheim. If sports fans have Fantasy Football Leagues, why shouldn’t jazz fans have Fantasy Trios? In the Twin Cities, various combinations of local artists come to mind, and surely one combination to intrigue the aural senses would be a collaboration among pianist Chris Lomheim, bassist Anthony Cox and drummer Phil Hey. Presto! Welcome to the jazz version of Fantasy Island. Pianist Chris Lomheim moved from R&B to jazz composition to the Illicit Sextet, establishing himself as one of the premiere keyboardists in the Twin Cities and appearing over the years on a raft of recordings, backing top vocalists, supporting touring musicians, and leading his own trio.  Another locally grown artist, internationally acclaimed bassist Anthony Cox moved between classical and jazz studies, landing a gig with Stan Getz. Over the years, Cox has worked and/or recorded with Bobby Previte, Dewey Redman, Geri Allen, Arthur Blythe, and Uri Caine, playing upright acoustic, electric and Spanish acoustic bass. More recently he has been on stage with Andres Prado, Bruce Henry and visiting artists. A former student of Ed Blackwell, Phil Hey is one of the busiest drummers in town and teaches jazz drum at Macalester College and the University of Minnesota. He’s performed with Kenny Barron, Charlie Rouse, Benny Carter, and Benny Golson; toured with Dewey Redman and now Stacey Kent, and leads his own Quartet.  

July 25 (6-8:30 pm), Jazz for Peace Concert with Rick DellaRatta ($25). Pianist, vocalist and composer DellaRatta tours the world with Jazz for Peace to raise money and awareness of various causes, including providing instruments to underprivileged youth. He performed at the United Nations in 2002. Says Rick, “When we fill our souls up with creativity, artistry and intelligence...we have a better chance at avoiding the behavior that leads to destruction.” His philanthropic agenda aside, Rick is also a gifted musician, his piano style and compositions compared to the likes of Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett and McCoy Tyner (among others); his vocals compared to Chet Baker, Ivan Lins and Antonio Carlos Jobim. More about Rick’s Jazz for Peace at www.jazzforpeace.org 

July 25-26, Debbie Duncan. Hot off her run at Ordway in Blues in the Night, Minnesota’s “First Lady of Song” and “Perpetually Outstanding Performer” will wring the most from a ballad, put more soul into soul, and brighten any blues. And she’s also one of the most engaging, funny entertainers in the business, whether the context is theater, dark bar or jazz club. Wherever she goes, Debbie draw a crowd, so come early and plan to stay til the wee hours. 

Week Nights (9 pm, $5 cover unless otherwise noted)

Mondays, Green (7 pm)/Open Poetry with Live Jazz (9 pm). The explosive post bop quartet Green features Rob Dewey (piano), Rich Casey (bass), Zack Lozier (trumpet), and Scotty Schultz (drums). Green has been the Monday night band at the AQ for the past three years. Rob is a noted improviser who has performed with Test Type Trio and Streets of Acid; busy Scotty works with Ross William Perry among other projects; Rich can be heard with Javier Trejo. Newest addition Zack has focused on bringing traditional New Orleans jazz to the Midwest, and performs regularly with the Jack Brass Band. Following their sets, open mic poetry reading gets underway at 9 pm. No cover! First Mondays, Poetry Slam (Soap Boxing) at 8 pm, $5.  

Tuesdays with the Tuesday Night Band (9 pm, $5). B-3 Organ Night with the Tuesday Night Band features “Downtown” Bill Brown on Hammond B-3, along with Billy Franze on guitar and Kenny Horst on drums. A weekly tradition at the AQ, you never know who might sit in—Joey DeFrancesco usually appears whenever he’s in town. Last month, the TNB was a featured band at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, performing on a Friday night in Minneapolis for a change! Tuesday night expanded last winter with an exciting new band featuring Zach Schmidt, Cory Wong, Cassie Meier, Patricio Toledo and Dan Musselman playing an early show at 7 pm (no cover). These young, talented musicians provide the perfect starter for AQ's longest-standing engagement. 

J

Tanner TaylorİAndrea Canter

July 3, Marv Dahlgren Quartet. “Elder Power” says the AQ’s calendar, and so it is with 83-year-young vibes and drums master Marv Dahlgren and friends on stage. His 47 years with the Minnesota Orchestra and tenure at McNally Smith College have spawned a legacy of some of the finest percussion talents in the Midwest. You never know who will sit in with Marv but you can be sure you will see and hear some of the hottest mallets on the planet. 

July 9, Tanner Taylor Trio. Our favorite import from Iowa (and a good reason to stop those Iowa jokes!), keyboard monster Tanner Taylor appears all over town with top vocalists like Christine Rosholt and Nicola Miller, on the bandstand with Mulligan Stew and the Dave Karr Quartet, and with his own hot trio. Lately he’s been offering tributes to his late muse, Oscar Peterson, including a set at the 2008 Twin Cities Jazz Festival. 

Javier SantiagoİAndrea Canter

July 16, Dave Karr Quartet. Long a favorite of Twin Cities’ jazz audiences and artists alike, multi-reedist Dave Karr grew up in New York listening to the great boppers, from Charlie Parker to Dizzy Gillespie. A recent recipient of a McKnight Grant, Dave can be found in the pit orchestra of touring Broadway shows, supporting the best area vocalists, holding down the horn sections of the JazzMN Big Band and Pete Whitman’s X-Tet, or leading his own bands, Mulligan Stew and this quartet. On bari, tenor, flute or clarinet, Dave’s “fluid style is both exciting and elegant” (Don Berryman). His usual suspects include Tanner Taylor, Gordy Johnson and Phil Hey. 

July 17, Phil Hey Quartet. A former student of Ed Blackwell, Phil teaches jazz drum at Macalester College and the U of M, and toured with the late Dewey Redman; this spring he toured with vocalist Stacey Kent. One of the most in-demand drummers in the Midwest, Phil keeps busy with the Pete Whitman X-Tet, Chris Lomheim Trio, Laura Caviani Trio, and the Out to Lunch Quintet. His own quartet features long-time bandmates Dave Hagedorn on vibes, Tom Lewis on bass, and Phil Aaron on piano, playing a repertoire that includes the tunes of Kenny Wheeler, Bobby Hutcherson, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter. The PHQ’s debut recording, Subduction, is one of the best local releases of the decade. 

July 23, Lucia Newell Quartet. Singing American standards or Brazilian samba, the distinctive tone and phrasing of Lucia Newell make her one of the prima divas of the Twin Cities and one of few vocalists to find a regular date on the AQ calendar. In addition to Jobim, she has her way with Strayhorn, as her most recent release, Steeped in Strayhorn, proves. No one scats like Lucia, and in multiple languages to boot. 

Pete WhitmanİAndrea Canter

July 30, Bill Carrothers Trio. Whenever Bill is back in town, he turns up at the AQ. Internationally acclaimed pianist who rarely tours in the U.S., the Twin Cities native is known for his inventive, often humor-infused arrangements and compositions and monster command of the instrument. Last winter, Bill performed his epic tone poem, Armistice. The mood will be lighter with the trio but the artistry no less compelling. 

July 31, George Avaloz Quartet. Once a popular youth performer on St. Paul’s west side and a veteran of Billy Eckstine’s orchestra, percussionist/vocalist George Avaloz has headed a sizzling quartet since relocating “home” after a long stint in New York. This winter he appeared with visiting vocalist Mary Stallings at the Dakota. His usual bandmates include Mikkal Romsted on keys, Jim Marentic on sax and Ron Evaniuk on bass.  

The Artists Quarter is located at 408 St. Peter Street in downtown St. Paul. Visit www.artistsquarter.com for full schedule.