“Miles Davis said that the only question for a musician was, ‘Do you have ideas and can you project them?’ For Snowblind, the answer is, ‘at all times.’” – Phil Hey

Snowblind©Andrea Canter

When none less than virtuoso Twin Cities drummer/educator Phil Hey proclaims his admiration for an ensemble, one needs to pay attention. The brass-laden quintet Snowblind has easily earned Phil’s admiration as well as fan support since they first debuted about seven years ago. On stage at venues throughout the Twin Cities, the quintet returns to the Artists Quarter with special guest, pianist Phil Aaron, to salute the artists of Blue Note Records.

The founding musicians of Snowblind came together in 2005 through their connections to the University of Minnesota: Tenor saxman and Chicago native Shilad Sen is completing doctoral studies in Computer Science at the U of M and contributes horn arrangements as well as original compositions. With performance credits including Danilo Perez, Ron Blake, Rufus Reid and Dennis Diblasio, Sen was runner-up in the 1996 North American Saxophonist Alliance Collegiate Jazz Competition and was selected to perform at Orchestra Hall in Chicago as one of seven finalists in the 1993 Illinois Young Performers Concerto Competition. 

Reid Kennedy©Andrea Canter

Once a student of Tiny Baker, trombonist Scott Agster is an alum of the famed University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band who has furthered his studies at the U of M where he is completing his DMA degree. His eclectic chops are featured locally with Salsa del Soul, Jack Brass, hip hop group G8, and the Bella Gala Big Band. A veteran of international jazz festivals, Agster has performed with Slide Hampton, Nicholas Payton, Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Dave Douglas and more. In his spare time he teaches at the MacPhail Center for Music. He recently launched a new big band, Explosion, with saxophonist Doug Hainig.

Drummer/educator Reid Kennedy has provided his timekeeping skills to such luminaries as Joe Lovano and Gunther Schuller. The Winona, MN native has studied percussion with Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton, Dave Weckl and Phil Hey, as well as vibraphone with Steve Yeager. In addition to performances with chamber and symphony ensembles, Kennedy has also appeared with Phil Woods, Shelly Berg, Bob Florence and the Disney All American College Band. Locally he has performed with Doug Little, with singer Ernestine Anderson at the Dakota, and leads his own trio, releasing his debut recording in 2010. Kennedy’s most recent project, Big Villain, involves a blend of jazz and hip hop featuring Minneapolis MC Toussaint Morrison’s lyrics over twelve of Kennedy’s instrumental compositions. Contributors include saxophonist Walter Smith III and pianist Taylor Eigsti.

Bassist Graydon Peterson joined the band in 2007 when original bassist Mark Drehmann moved to New York. Graydon graduated with a degree in music composition from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. As a member of the Down Beat award-winning UWEC Jazz Ensemble I, he performed with such guest jazz artists as Lewis Nash, Ingrid Jensen, Jason Marsalis, Chris Botti, and Christian McBride.  In Minneapolis, Peterson is a first-call bassist for area vocalists, including Debbie Duncan and Connie Evingson, and performs throughout the Twin Cities, including fronting his own Graydon Peterson Quartet.

Guest pianist Phil Aaron is a Chicago native who “grew up on Chicago food.”  He studied music at the Berklee College of Music and the University of Illinois.  After ten years in LA, he moved to Minneapolis in 1989, becoming fully immersed in the local jazz scene. By day,  Phil works as a composer of film and television scores, winning an Emmy in 2007 for his scoring work on the PBS animated series, “Auto-B-Good.” As a performing jazz artist, Phil has shared the stage with Lee Konitz, Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, Jim Snidero, Byron Stripling, Barbara Morrison and Jackie Allen, among others, and has provided piano accompaniment to many local jazz singers and ensembles. An active recording artist as sideman and on five CDs of his own, Phil plays regularly with his own trio and with the Phil Hey Quartet. 

Shilad Sen and Graydon Peterson©Andrea Canter

I usually find brass ensembles to be among the most enjoyable configurations in modern jazz. Snowblind combines the key ingredients to the success of this instrumentation—diverse rhythms; multi-hued harmonies; interesting arrangements that highlight virtuosic solos and telepathic interactions. Tonight's salute to the great artists of Blue Note will include music from the recordings of Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, Wayne Shorter, and Blue Mitchell, among others.

The Artists Quarter is located at 408 St Peter Street in the lower level of the Hamm Building in downtown St. Paul. Sets begin at 9 pm, cover $5. More on Snowblind at http://snowblindmusic.com  
 

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