 Carole Martin©Andrea Canter National touring artists bookend a month of nonstop jazz at the Artists Quarter in October. Starting with the maverick bluesman, Mose Allison October 3-5, this month brings back such favorites as the Phil Hey Quartet, Dean Granros, Tanner Taylor, Peter Schimke, Dave Karr, Brian Grivna, Gary Berg, Carole Martin, Source Code, How Birds Work, and Pete Whitman’s X-tet; with New York pianist Rick Germanson closing out the month on Halloween Weekend. And don’t miss the very special “Lucky Thirteen Anniversary” Party on Sunday, October 19th—celebrating thirteen very lucky years in downtown St. Paul. We can expect a lot of musical treats at the AQ!
Weekends (9:00 pm unless otherwise noted)  Mose Allison©Andrea Canter
October 10-11, Carole Martin ($10). If you missed the AQ Tribute to Leigh Kamman in late September, you missed one of the most passionate versions of “Blame It On My Youth” to be performed in the Twin Cities, and maybe anywhere else. Carole knows how to make a ballad into a love poem, how to make mere lyrics an intimate conversation. And she can belt it out with a big band but a club like the AQ is really the best setting for Carole’s storytelling. She only does a few public gigs per year, and you don’t want to miss any.  Peter Schimke©Andrea Canter
October 19, Lucky Thirteen Anniversary Party (5 pm, $10). The AQ has been a vital part of the St. Paul music scene for a lucky thirteen years. So let’s have a jazz party! Music includes How Birds Work, Dean Magraw, Pete Whitman, Dave Karr, Carole Martin, Kenny Horst and a lot more!  Eric Kamau Gravatt©Andrea Canter
October 31-November 1, Rick Germanson Trio ($12). Rick comes so often that we think of him as one of our local artists. But Pat Martino and Louis Hayes, among others, know otherwise and lay claim to the pianist’s time on a regular basis. With a unique sense of harmony, movement, and drama, Rick’s multi-layered improvisations and shifting rhythms blend the strong two-handed attack of Tatum, Peterson, and Tyner with the lyricism of Evans, along with a complex, dense approach to improvisation that is all his own. His octave-spanning chords, often in tandem right and left, cover the keyboard at least as often as his single note runs; his rhythms and dynamics can shift in sudden and sweeping cascades like a windstorm swirling on a sandy dune. With rich chord structures suggesting how Van Cliburn might approach jazz, Rick’s arrangements of standards and original compositions provide enough melody to follow the line but sufficient abstraction to constantly provoke his fellow musicians to add new layers of harmony and rhythm. Lucky for us, Rick looks forward to his annual AQ gigs almost as much as we do!  Rick Germanson©Andrea Canter
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. 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, with the monthly Poetry Slam on October 6th (featuring Andrea Gibson and Christian Silverman). No cover! Tuesdays, B-3 Organ Night with the Tuesday Night Band. The Tuesday Night Band features “Downtown” Bill Brown on Hammond B-3, along with Billy Franze on guitar, Gary Berg on saxes, 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. Recently Tuesday night expanded with an exciting new band featuring Zach W. Schmidt, Cory J. Wong, Cassie Meier, and Dan M. Musselman playing an early show at 7 pm (no cover). These young, talented musicians provide the perfect starter for AQ's longest-standing engagement. October 1, Soul Spectre/Javier Trejo/Chastity Brown. Born in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico and raised on St. Paul's Westside, Javier Trejo is a singer, songwriter and guitarist for The Beads, and guitarist and co-vocalist for New Primitives. Javier has opened and played with some high-powered national acts including The Neville Brothers, Widespread Panic, The Big Wu, Willie Waldman Project, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Los Lobos. October 2, Phil Hey Quartet. Put four eclectic and electrifying musicians on stage—pianist Phil Aaron, bassist Tom Lewis, vibes master Dave Hagedorn and drummer/ leader Phil Hey—and you get volcanic activity. A former student of Ed Blackwell and Marv Dahlgren, Phil has toured with Dewey Redman and more recently, Stacey Kent; he’s backed numerous touring musicians as well as appearing on recordings of a long list of local artists. He manages the trapsets for the Out to Lunch Quintet, Pete Whitman X-Tet, and small ensembles led by Laura Caviani, Chris Lomheim, and more. But his own quartet is where Phil shines most, and the PHQ’s release Subduction garnered Best of the Year awards in 2006. October 5, Jazz for Peace Concert with Rick Della Ratta (3 pm, $25). Pianist and fund raiser Rick Della Ratta returns for yet another Sunday special, raising funds to benefit a variety of causes. Great entertainment for a good purpose. October 8, 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). Dean released Live at the Artists Quarter in 2001. October 9, Tanner Taylor Trio. His hands are faster than speeding bullets and his musical mind kicks it up another notch no matter what format—accompanying a vocalist, playing with Mulligan Stew, or leading his own trio. Iowa’s best import since corn, young keyboard demon Tanner Taylor will dazzle with technique and intrigue with ideas. With musical genes straight out of Oscar Peterson, this trio might remind you of some of OP’s early ensembles. October 15, Brian Grivna. Eclectic saxman Brian Grivna plays it cool in big band and small ensemble settings, or when partnering with fellow sax veteran Dave Karr. A Young Artist clarinet soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra when he was just 12, Brian earned a degree in English literature from Dartmouth before finding work in jazz, commercial, and theater music, joining the Buddy Rich band in 1971. Today Brian works with the SPCO, Minnesota Orchestra, Children’s Theater Company and touring show pit orchestras (clarinet and sax), teaches at the University of Minnesota and in his home studio, band rings his own quartet to such venues as the Dakota and Artists Quarter. October 16, 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. October 22, U of M Jazz Ensemble Showcase. Under the baton of Dean Sorenson, the U of M Jazz Ensemble presents a glimpse into the future of jazz with its annual student showcase. October 23, 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. Today he holds down the horn sections of the JazzMN Big Band and Pete Whitman’s X-Tet, as well as leading his own bands, Mulligan Stew (here last month) and this quartet. He’s also a frequent sideman to vocalists such as Christine Rosholt and Connie Evingson. On bari, tenor, flute or clarinet, Dave’s “fluid style is both exciting and elegant” (Don Berryman). October 29, Gary Berg Quartet. A local legend, multi-instrumentalist Gary 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, “He lets the bop riffs ride on the groove in a way that’s true to the music and the feeling.” October 30, McNally Smith X-Tet (7 pm)/Pete Whitman X-Tet (9 pm, $8). Two X-Tets are better than one! As director of woodwinds at McNally Smith College of Music, it is only natural that saxman Pete Whitman directs the X-Tet. The young musicians lead off an evening that must be rated as XX! Following the students, stick around for the best little big band in the Midwest, featuring not only Pete Whitman but a cast that will knock your socks off--- Kelly Rossum, Phil Hey, Gordy Johnson, Laura Caviani and more.
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Twin Cities, MN 
Thursday, 08 January 2009
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