August 8-9, Jim Marentic Quartet. Another gathering of local veterans! Saxophonist Jim Marentic was part of the house band of the South of the Border Key Club in Minneapolis during the 1950s and was a popular performer throughout the metro area. The recipient of three composition grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Jim spent several decades in New York, returning a few years ago to form his own ensembles and take the stage at the AQ, Dakota, Twin Cities Jazz Festival and more. Bassist Anthony Cox returns just a week after his Starry Eyed Lovelies gig in a more hard bop context, proving his versatility, while pianist Mikkel Romstad and AQ owner/drummer Kenny Horst fill out the rhythm section with plenty of fire. 

August 15-16, Irv Williams’ 89th Birthday Party. When tenor sax titan Irv Williams released Finality earlier this year, he helped fuel rumors of retirement. After all, it was his fourth recording in four years, a feat that would drive a much younger artist into prolonged hiatus. We can’t guarantee another recording but we can count on yet another smoldering evening with Irv and his quartet as we help him blow out 89 candles. This retiree still appears weekly for Happy Hour at the Dakota, regularly at IlVesco Vino, and now and then on other area stages. And he can still blow a big horn. Hats and noisemakers welcome. 

August 22-23, Jeanne Arland Peterson’s 87th Birthday Party. Yet another cause to celebrate when acclaimed pianist and head of Minnesota’s First Family of Music lights 87 candles on her cake and takes the stage with her trio (son Billy on bass and AQ owner Kenny Horst on drums). These days Jeanne still holds down the keys at venues like the Dakota and AQ, and gathers multiple generations of Petersons together for their annual holiday show. But August 22-23 is another holiday as we wish Jeanne another year of good health and good jazz. And you never know who will show up to salute Jeanne—but you can count on a party and a lot of folks named Peterson. 

August 29-31, Happy Apple (9 pm Friday/Saturday; 8 pm Sunday; $15) The New York Times aptly described the Happy Apple as the “combustible energy, sardonic attitudes and harsh, crackling timbres of indie rock and the musicianship, improvisational logic and humanism of jazz...” Over a decade and a handful of recordings, Michael Lewis, Eric Fratzke and Dave King have become one of the most popular bands of any genre in the Midwest, developing a cult-like following throughout the nation. Fans of modern music—any modern music—will find plenty to chew on when Happy Apple takes over the AQ for a three-night blowout of sounds that are alternately cerebral and playful, and ever-exploratory.  

Weeknight Bargains (9 pm, $5 unless otherwise noted)

Mondays, Green (7 pm) and Open Poetry (9 pm) no cover. 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!  

Tuesdays with the Tuesday Night Band (early set—7 pm with Schmidt/Wong/Meyer/Toledo/Mussleman). 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. In June, 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. 

August 3, Soap Boxing Poetry Slam with the Erotic Slam (8 pm). Instead of it’s habitual place on the first Monday night calendar, check out some really wild poetry for a Sunday evening! 

August 6, Soul Spectre/Media Addicts/Cory Wong (8 pm, $8). One evening, one cover, three hot local bands. 

August 7, Phil Hey Quartet. If my mom was in town, I would take her to the AQ tonight to hear Phil Hey for her birthday. 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. 

August 13, Dean Granros Trio. Guitarist Dean Granros “blends the vocabulary of bebop, acid rock, and delta blues into a delightful and potent cocktail that may leave you shaken or stirred” (Don Berryman, Jazz Police). With a career spanning over 30 years of playing and composing, Granros worked with the band Curlew beginning in the late 1970s; more recent credits include duo work with Brad Bellows, FKG (with Scott Fultz and Dave King), and How Birds Work (see below).  And lately he has been appearing with Starry Eyed Lovelies, at the AQ for a weekend gig earlier this month. Dean released Live at the Artists Quarter in 2001.

August 14, Gary Berg Quartet. This must be Sax Legends Month at the AQ, with the likes of Marentic, Williams and Karr on the docket, and Gary Berg holds his horn high in such company. Multi-instrumentalist Berg swings on tenor, alto, and soprano sax as well as the chromatic harmonica. He has played a supporting role for many area musicians, live and on record. Notes Don Berryman (Jazz Police), “He lets the bop riffs ride on the groove in a way that’s true to the music and the feeling.” Gary’s a fixture at the AQ as a member of the Tuesday Night Band, but hearing him fronting his own quartet is much less frequent treat. Enjoy! 

August 20, 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. 

August 21, Phil Aaron Trio. For more than a decade, the Phil Aaron Trio was a fixture at the Hotel Sofitel, and over the years, they garnered a strong fan base. Bloomington’s loss was St. Paul’s gain as the trio regularly appears at the Artists Quarter. And each musician finds himself at the AQ with great frequency in other contexts: leader/pianist Phil Aaron with the Phil Hey Quartet and backing other ensembles and vocalists; Bassist Tom Lewis, also with the Phil Hey Quartet, the Out to Lunch Quintet, and many touring artists; drummer Jay Epstein with Red Planet, Framework, Bill Carrothers and more. Drawing inspiration from Bill Evans, Cedar Walton, Tommy Flanagan, and Keith Jarrett, Phil “can swing hard or wax romantic at the keyboard" (Minneapolis Star Tribune).  

August 27, How Birds Work.  One of the most popular regular attractions at the AQ, 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. Sophisticated, often subtle, always working toward the edge from a firm foundation, How Birds Work offers multiple layers of challenge—and reward-- to the listener. 

August 28, Pete Whitman’s X-Tet ($8).The X-Tet brings together the best artists in the region for sophisticated arrangements and original compositions. Head of Woodwinds and Brass at McNally Smith College, Pete Whitman has performed with Randy Brecker, Jack McDuff, and the Woody Herman Orchestra, in addition to leading his X-Tet and working regularly with the Jazz MN Big Band. He’s also been heard locally with Andres Prado, Robert Everest and more. In June he shared the stage at the Dakota with the great German organist, Barbara Dennerlein. This is one of the most popular monthly gigs at the AQ, so come early and stay late! 

Coming in September

• September 12-13, Stephanie Nakasian &Hod O’Brien
• September 21, Joan Griffth & Laura Caviani, Sambanova!CD Release