Jazz Police - Dakota Combo Performs With Irvin Mayfield, December 6th

Jazz Police

Home

Twin Cities, MN

Dakota Combo Performs With Irvin Mayfield, December 6th

Main Menu

Free and Cheap Jazz in the Twin Cities

Twin Cities Musicians, Venues, Reviews and Calendar

Jazz Venues

MPR news

Twin Cities Jazz Society

Walker Art News

Twin Cities news

Star Tribune

Out To Lunch Quintet, the Music of Eric Dolphy Live

Twin Cities Travel Guide

Follow Jazz Police on Twitter

"Eventually, in order to find out if you really have what it takes, you have to go to the center, and that's New York...you can only do so much in your hometown." - Sonny Fortune

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

Tuesday, 09 February 2010

Dakota Combo Performs With Irvin Mayfield, December 6th

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Sunday, 30 November 2008

The Dakota Combo©Andrea Canter

What if we had the opportunity to hear the next Charlie Parker and Miles Davis before they graduated from high school? They may not mature into such legendary figures, but the student artists of the new edition of the Dakota Combo are surely on their way to careers as exciting and committed musicians. On Saturday, December 6th, the septet will perform on the stage of the Dakota Jazz Club with trumpet star Irvin Mayfield. Mayfield and the Combo will also present an open clinic and jam session for area students on the morning of the 6th, also at the Dakota.

The Dakota Combo Project

Under the leadership of local trumpet virtuoso/composer/educator Kelly Rossum, The Dakota Combo held its first auditions in fall 2006 as a joint project of the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education and the MacPhail Center for Music, where Rossum directs the jazz program. With guest artist, saxophonist Bobby Watson, the first Dakota Combo performed at the Dakota Jazz Club in December 2006, at the Dakota Foundation Benefit the following January, at the Nomad World Pub in May, and at the 2007 Twin Cities Jazz Festival in June. Last winter, the second Combo performed at the Dakota with guest artist Delfeayo Marsalis, later appearing at the new MacPhail Center for Music, winter and summer jazz festivals, and at area schools. Graduates of the first two season have gone on to study at such prestigious college programs as the Brubeck Institute, Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory and more. Notes Rossum, the Combo program “provides the loftiest goal and final challenge to the state’s top high school jazz musicians. Plus, it inspires all student jazz musicians to pursue their own goals in music.”

Throughout the school year, the Combo musicians participate in biweekly rehearsals with Rossum at MacPhail where one emphasis is professionalism. “One of my primary goals is to bridge the gap between a student ensemble and a professional ensemble,” says Rossum. “There are different requirements and expectations assigned to each type of group. I try to overlay the professional requirements upon the student group and create a positive working environment for them as young musicians. I hold them accountable to professional standards, yet remain flexible enough to allow them to learn from their mistakes and grow as individuals.”

In addition to rehearsal, clinic and performance with Mayfield, the 2008-09 septet will perform at the annual Minnesota Music Educators Association conference in February, tour area schools, perform in the final Jazz Thursdays concert at MacPhail in May, and at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival in June. The day of school visits for clinics and “informances” was added last winter, and is regarded as essential to the goals of the Combo program. Notes Rossum, “Teaching requires a musician to reevaluate her/his own playing and style. By being involved with these clinics and master classes, the students will have an opportunity to share their own experiences and learn about other musicians’ paths through jazz. It’s a level of communication that can go beyond just listening to music; musicians (both young and old) can share their passion for the music.”

Meet the Combo

Eighteen student musicians auditioned for the Combo in September, playing with a rhythm section and judged by some of the area’s most acclaimed jazz artists. Of the selection process, Rossum noted that he had anticipated a relatively small pool as only those with considerable experience were encouraged to audition. “There were many students who have the passion, but just do not have the skill set (yet) for participation,” he noted. “Among those who did audition, the talent pool was spectacular.” Rossum was also impressed with another group who were designated as alternates this year. “There were another six to eight students at the same high level as those chosen for the group, a fantastic reflection of the talent pool here in Minnesota. As the program continues to mature, I believe the number of extremely talented students who audition will continue to grow.”

The 2008-09 Dakota Combo features returning seniors Jake Baldwin, trumpet (Minnetonka H.S.) and Cory Grindberg, bass (Minneapolis South H.S.); and new members, seniors Ryan Freitas, saxophones (Willmar H.S.), Tony Pistilli, tenor saxophone (Providence Academy, Wayzata); Carson King-Fournier, trombone (Apple Valley H.S.); Joe Strachan, piano (Northfield H.S.); and junior Cameron LeCrone, drums (Minnetonka H.S.). Each has his own sources of inspiration and plans for the future.

Jake Baldwin©Andrea Canter

Jake Baldwin started trumpet in sixth grade, he says, “because it was between that and choir, and if you've ever heard me sing, well, be glad I play trumpet.” Hearing Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra pulled him into jazz, while Charles Mingus and Thelonious Monk are other sources of inspiration. “I love the amount of passion and originality that they were able to produce in their compositions and the way they played.” In addition to his school bands at Minnetonka High School, Jake has played with the Minnesota Youth Jazz Band and currently performs with another high school ensemble, the Isaac Zuckerman Quartet. Jake notes that he wanted to continue the Combo experience for a second year because “I wanted something that would push my limits as a musician and develop my strengths in improvising. Dakota Combo has already done this and much more...I want to be able not only play the music but to have some kind of a personal connection with it.” After graduation next spring, Jake plans to continue his pursuit of music “until I fall flat on my face. Even if it doesn't work out as a career I don't think I'll ever be able to put the horn down for good. The trumpet is as much a part of me as one of my limbs.”

Ryan Frietas©Andrea Canter

Between the jazz recordings he heard at home and music at his family’s church, multi-saxman Ryan Freitas was surrounded by music growing up. His interest in jazz grew after participating in the All-State Jazz Band two years ago. “There were some really great players that made me want to get a lot better,” he recalls. “Jake [Baldwin] was one of them!” His sources of inspiration are as varied as his saxophones, from John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Parker, Paul Desmond, Coleman Hawkins and Michael Brecker to more out players like Eric Dolphy and Ornette Coleman and such nonjazz artists as Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Cold Play. Among his favorites he also lists Miles Davis, Weather Report, the Bad Plus, Happy Apple and Chick Corea. At home in Willmar, Ryan plays in various high school ensembles, including jazz band and choir, and has participated in the U of M High School Honor Band, All-State Jazz Band (on bari sax and last summer on lead alto), and jazz camp at U of M Morris with Chris Vadala and Allen Vizzutti. Ryan regards the Dakota Combo as “an incredible opportunity to play with the best kids in Minnesota. I am so honored to be a part of it... and playing with Irvin Mayfield will be pretty cool, too.” Ryan is thinking ahead now to earning a degree in jazz studies or performance, and perhaps going on to pursue graduate degrees.

Tony Pistilli©Andrea Canter

At 13, Tony Pistilli quit activities like Boy Scouts and Tae Kwan Do, and began spending his free time practicing his saxophone. His neighborhood library had a CD collection, “and I started checking out everything I could find.” He was particularly attracted to the jazz recordings. His first big influence was Sonny Rollins, and he also draws inspiration from local saxophonist Michael Lewis of Happy Apple and Fat Kid Wednesdays, “both because of his killing music, and because he seems like an average guy who is making it in the music world.” He counts among his favorite recordings Rollins’ Tenor Madness, Coltrane’s One Down, One Up, and the Shostakovich String Quartets. Tony has plenty of ensemble experience, including the Twin Cities Youth Jazz Camp, Twin Cities Jazz Workshop, Shell Lake Jazz Camp and the North Shore Music Experience. He adds, “I play a few gigs with Michael Quinn and the Bourbon Kings from time to time and am also playing with the All-State Jazz Band and MYJB Jazz I.” The Dakota Combo offered Tony more playing opportunities. “My school is small and doesn't have many jazz players so I have to find places to play outside of school. I want to learn from the rest of the Combo so I can improve my own playing.” Tony hopes to pursue his two main interests, music and philosophy, after high school graduation this year. “I have thought about being a professional musician, an orchestra conductor, or a philosophy professor.”

Carson King-Fournier©Andrea Canter

Carson King-Fournier started out on piano and began trombone in fourth grade. “I hated the trombone until 7th grade where I started to get some solos in jazz band,” he recalls. “I thought this was sweet, and I loved trombone ever since. This is consequently how I started liking jazz.” For Carson, however, jazz is a sideline to his primary interest in classical music. “I'm going to be a performance major in classical music in college. Most of my favorite artists are classical trombone players such as Christian Lindberg, Michel Bequet, Jörgen Van Rijen, Joe Alessi, and Armin Rosin... My favorite classical recording is Michel Bequet’s recording, Deux Danses." Among jazz trombonists, Carson cites J. J. Johnson, Kai Winding, Conrad Herwig, Steve Turre, and Bart Van Lier, and more broadly likes Miles Davis, Marcus Miller, Stan Getz, Tito Puente, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, and Joe Zawinul. Carson’s music resume includes serving as principal trombonist for the U of M Honor Band and the Minnesota Youth Jazz Band for the past three years; for the All-State Symphonic Band in 2007-08; for the Concordia College Honor Band in 2008; and for the All-State Jazz Ensemble 2008-09. At Apple Valley High School, he has also been the lead trombonist since his sophomore year. Carson was an alternate for the Dakota Combo last year, and auditioned “because of the reputation it has in the jazz community... I hope that it will beef up my improvisational skills so I can take some more to college [and] get a greater understanding of jazz as a genre of music.” Although Carson plans to pursue classical studies at one of the American music schools or possibly at the Rotterdam Conservatory in The Netherlands, he also hopes “to freelance in jazz when I land an orchestra job.”

Pianist Joe Strachan first studied classical music, switching to jazz in eighth grade. Says Joe, “I had the extraordinary luck to stumble upon a path of great teachers, Denny Malmberg, Ethan Frier and Laura Caviani, and a great group of friends in the Isaac Zuckerman Quartet that inspired and challenged me.” Joe cites as historic influences Ornette Coleman, Wayne Shorter, Charles Mingus, and Keith Jarrett, while more contemporary sources of inspiration include Adam Linz, Bryan Nichols, Michael Lewis, Chris Morrisey, JT Bates, Craig Taborn and Tim Berne. He stretches his ears listening, particularly this fall to Pax and Point of Departure by Andrew Hill, the Miles Davis Quartet’s Live at the Plugged Nickel, Tim Berne’s Science Friction, and Light Made Lighter by Craig Taborn. All-time favorite recordings include Please Refrain From Fronting (Happy Apple), Set One (Fat Kid Wednesdays) and The Shape of Jazz to Come (Ornette Coleman). Like his Combo-mates, Joe plays in a variety of ensembles, including his Northfield High School Jazz Band, Concert Band, Choir and Madrigals; the 2008-09 All State Jazz Band, Minnesota Youth Jazz Bands, Shell Lake Jazz Ensemble (three years), MITY Jazz Ensemble, and the Isaac Zuckerman Quartet. Joe was a finalist in the 2008 Jazz Piano Scholarship Competition sponsored by the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education and Schubert Club. Joe regards the Dakota Combo as an “opportunity to perform original music in a professional type setting. There’s more freedom and it’s a set up that I enjoy more than big band....it’s really nice to get a chance to stretch out on these tunes... I hope to learn more about jazz arranging and to strengthen my skills as a combo player.” After graduation this spring, Joe plans to continue his music studies at the college level.

Bassist Cory Grindberg started guitar lessons in 5th grade and bass the following year. His interest in jazz was fueled by his lack of interest in classical music: “Basically the real music that challenged me was jazz and classical. I wasn't interested in classical, so I went to jazz,” he explains. Hoping to get into a high school jazz band as a freshman, Cory intensified his bass studies in 8th grade, sensing the guitar would be more popular. Among his sources of inspiration, Cory cites Charles Mingus, Les Claypool and Jaco Pastorius. In addition to playing with the Minneapolis South High School Jazz band for the past three years, Cory has participated in the Minnesota Youth Jazz Band, Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth Jazz Program and the Twin Cities Jazz Workshop with Doug Little, and currently plays with the Isaac Zuckerman Quartet and other local student bands. Returning for a second year with Dakota Combo, Cory notes that “I auditioned for the Dakota Combo because I wanted an opportunity to play with some of the best jazz musicians in the metro area. I think playing with such players will improve my overall playing and listening ability. I am also looking forward to playing with Irvin Mayfield and learning as much as possible from him.” After graduation, Cory plans to pursue college studies in jazz or bass performance.

Junior Cameron LeCrone has been playing drums since he was six or seven, when his dad, also a drummer, set up a drum kit in the basement. After a few years he began to study concert percussion, and in sixth grade joined the middle school jazz band. “I didn't get serious about studying jazz until the end of my freshman year in high school, though,” he admits. “My older brother Geoff, who was a member of the Dakota Combo last year [on guitar], really inspired me to get serious about my playing.” Among drummers who have inspired him, he cites “Art Blakey, Tony Williams, Frankie Dunlop or Brian Blade. Outside of the drumming world, I like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter.” He counts as favorite recordings My Funny Valentine + Four and More (The Complete Concert) by Miles Davis, Moanin' by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Season of Changes by the Brian Blade Fellowship, and Monk's Dream by Thelonious Monk. Cameron has played in school concert and jazz bands since middle school, and currently plays with the Minnetonka High School Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble, as well as a few blues and rock groups. Cameron first saw the Dakota Combo perform two years ago “and I got an even better perspective of it when my older brother was a member last year. Small group jazz is my favorite style to play... I feel blessed to have this opportunity to play with such talented musicians, and I hope to grow as a musician through this experience. It's pretty cool when the drummer is treated as a member of the group rather than the guy in the back.” Graduation is a more than a year away, but Cameron intends to continue in music.

Irvin Mayfield, Guest Artist

From a city rich in its heritage of jazz in general and jazz trumpet in particular, New Orleans native Irvin Mayfield has managed to attain a favorite son reputation despite his mere 30 years. A protégé of Wynton Marsalis and cofounder of the popular Los Hombres Caliente, more recently Mayfield has served his city and state as cultural ambassador, a responsibility he has taken even farther in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. His own father one of Katrina’s victims, Mayfield has promoted his musical message of rebirth at venues worldwide, including this past winter with his big band at Minnesota Orchestra Hall and Quintet at the Dakota Jazz Club. In September, Mayfield was named the first Artistic Director of Jazz for the Minnesota Orchestra, and will curate a five-concert series at Orchestra Hall in 2009. As part of his tenure in the Twin Cities, Mayfield will also work with the jazz ensemble at St. Paul Central High School and direct a student jazz clinic and festival in spring 2009.

In addition to his heavy performance schedule, Irvin Mayfield serves as the executive director and founder of Dillard University's Institute of Jazz Culture and as the founder and leader of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. And his dedication goes well beyond music, as Mayfield serves on the Board of the city's Arts Council, Police and Justice Foundation, the First Responders Fund and the New Orleans Public Library Foundation. “I do what I do out of gratitude,” Mayfield told the Star Tribune. “If I can give back even 5 percent of what the city has given me, then that is what I will do."

December 6th Performance and Clinic

The Combo performance with Irvin Mayfield will take place on Saturday night, December 6, from 8-11 pm on the stage of the Dakota Jazz Club. Tickets are $10 and reservations are highly recommended for what is sure to be a sold-out show. In addition to some classic jazz standards, the band will perform original compositions and arrangements. On Saturday morning (10:30 am – Noon), Mayfield will direct a free, public student jazz clinic at the Dakota. Middle and high school student musicians are welcome (as well as any observers) – bring your instruments!

The Dakota Jazz Club is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis; www.dakotacooks.com. For further information about the Dakota Combo, visit www.dakotacombo.org. The Dakota Combo is funded through donations to the Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education; please visit www.dfje.org for information about the Foundation and to make a donation.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]

Today's top ten jazz downloads

JP Archive

Add Jazz Police button to your google toolbar