The Band

Miguel Hurtado graduated from Minneapolis South High in 2006 and earlier attended the Ramsey K-8 Fine Arts magnet, where he was part of the jazz program directed by Tom Wells. As a teenager he played throughout the Twin Cities with The Eggz, Second Nature and The Bridge as well as with South High jazz ensembles; whenever the Twin Cities Jazz Festival came around, one could often find Miguel sitting in at the jam sessions. While attending the Manhattan School of Music, he continued to gig during vacation periods with other local stars-in-the-making, including Javier Santiago, Chris Smith, Daniel Duke and John Raymond, and with a band of college students dubbed Neoterik at the 2008 Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Miguel graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in spring 2010, and returned to the Twin Cities where he has quickly become a working member of the local jazz scene. He’s off to a good start, playing in the past year with John Raymond and Javier Santiago, with Jon Weber as well as his own quintet at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and leading his quintet. But he’s also expanding his musical resume, playing with some local pop and R&B singers, particularly Alicia Steele (with whom he appears at the Loring Theater on September 9th), and with vocalist/rapper Toussaint Morrison.  

Chicago-based trumpeter Marquis Hill earned his degree at Northern Illinois University and was soon performing with the likes of Dee Alexander, Bobby Broom, Willie Pickens, Benny Golson, Antonio Hart, Rodney Whittaker, Steve Turre, Corey Wilkes, the Ron Carter Big Band and more. His debut CD, New Gospel, was released in spring 2011. Marquis performs regularly in Chicago clubs including Andy’s and the Jazz Showcase, and is working on a Master’s Degree from DePaul University. 

Christopher McBride discovered music early, attending Suzuki classes from age 4, joining his church choir at age 7, and beginning his love for the saxophone at age 10. In his teens, he formed the band MV8, blending jazz, R&B and hiphop. After attending jazz camps at Birch Creek and Interlochen through high school, he enrolled at Northern Illinois University where he studied jazz performance and music education. Over his young career, Chris has appeared internationally and with such stars as Billy Preston, Antonio Hart, John Clayton, Jimmy Heath, Percy Gray and Roy Hargrove, and had a weekly gig at the famed Velvet Lounge. 

Guitarist Zacc Harris came to Minneapolis five years ago from Illinois, where he graduated from Southern Illinois University. Here he formed the Luminessence Trio (now Zacc Harris Trio), continuing weekly gigs at the Riverview Wine Bar. Zacc has also played with Tanner Taylor, Jay Epstein, Katie Gearty, Sophia Shorai and John Starkey; plays with Tico Tico, Vital Organ, Adam Meckler Quintet and Counterclockwise; and leads the Atlantis Quartet and Monk in Motian. In addition to performing, Zacc is dedicated to teaching, and has taught guitar for the past decade. 

Bassist James Buckley currently plays with “10 or 15 bands,” including Mystery Palace, The Pines, Bison Forest and Foodteam, in addition to his own trio and coleading Padhandlers; formally he co-lead experimental band Poor Line Condition. Over his career he’s also played and/or recorded with Alicia Wiley, Chris Thomson, Patrick Harrison, Ryan Olcott, Benoit Delbecq, Michael Lewis, Dosh, and more. A native of Eau Claire, WI, Buckley was nominated as bass player of the year (2005) by the Minnesota Music Awards, and was a featured artist at the Minnesota Sur Seine Festival in 2004-2006 and 2008, at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (2005), Sound Unseen Music and Film Festival (2004-2006), and Bent International circuit-bending festival (2006-2007). His trio was featured at the 2011 Twin Cities Jazz Festival. 

Pianist Joe Strachan grew up in Northfield where he played in a variety of school ensembles, All State Jazz Band, Minnesota Youth Jazz Bands, Shell Lake Jazz Ensemble, MITY Jazz Ensemble, the Isaac Zuckerman Quartet and his own Joe Strachan Quartet.  During his senior year, Joe was the pianist in the Dakota Combo, and earned top honors in the 2009 Jazz Piano competition sponsored by the Schubert Club and Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education. Joe attended the Lawrence University Conservatory for his freshman year, but decided to transfer to the University of Minnesota in order to become a part of the vibrant jazz scene in the Twin Cities; at the U of M he has been the pianist for Jazz Ensemble I. Joe has also played with Metropolitian Port Authority and the Aaron Hedenstrom Orchestra, brought a trio to the Artists Quarter last fall as part of the Twin Cities Jazz Society’s Young Artists Series, was featured with three different ensembles at the 2011 Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and recently played in duo and quartet configurations at Studio Z. 

The Gig

Miguel notes that he met Marquis Hill through Chicago saxophonist Michael Davenport, whom he met at the Manhattan School of Music. “Mike played a big part in forming the hip hop/jazz group, Neoterik,” recalls Miguel, and Marquis joined the band for its gig at the 2008 Twin Cities Jazz Festival. “Marquis is the trumpet player in that group but we don’t really play anymore since everyone lives in different cities. Mike was actually supposed to play the TC jazz fest in June, but wasn’t able to make it at the last minute, and Marquis suggested bringing along Chris McBride.  Chris sounded fantastic and everything ended up working out great.”  

As for this weekend, “I'm very excited about getting all of these great musicians together,” says Miguel. “This band is a group of some of my favorite musicians whom I've had the honor of playing with. The [Jazz Festival] show was a lot of fun and we got so much good feedback that I wanted to get them back to town before the summer ended… We'll be showcasing everyone's original music and style. There will definitely be freshness and spontaneity in the air.”  

Catch the freshness and spontaneity this weekend, August 19-20, 9 pm at the Artists Quarter. 
 

The Artists Quarter is located at 408 St. Peter Street in downtown St. Paul; www.artistsquarter.com