Jazz Police - Charmin & Shapira at the Dakota, August 16th

Charmin & Shapira at the Dakota, August 16th

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Monday, 13 August 2012

Charmin Michelle and Joel Shapira©Andrea Canter

Long-time musical partners, vocalist Charmin Michelle and guitarist Joel Shapira, bring their savvy, swinging “Charmin and Shapira” sound to the Dakota for a “Foodie Night” on August 16th. They will be joined by their extended ensemble, including saxophonist Dave Brattain, bassist Tom Lewis and drummer Nathan Norman.

Joel Shapira studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and at the Mannes School of Music in New York City, as well as with Tal Farlow, Joe Pass, Sharon Isbin, and Anthony Cox. Active in the Twin Cities for many years, he co-leads his own small jazz groups (including Triplicate, Pooch’s Playhouse and the Joel Shapira Quartet) as well as playing classical duets with saxophonist/flutist Paul Harper and providing the instrumental half of Charmin & Shapira. He has frequently appeared with John Devine, Doug Little, Vic Volare, Larry McDonough, and Lee Engele, among others. His business Joel Shapira Productions provides music for weddings and private events. In addition to releasing two recordings as Charmin & Shapira (including the 2011 release, Dawning and Daylight), Joel recently released his debut quartet album, Open Lines.

Charmin Michelle©Andrea Canter

Charmin Michelle sings with “taste and understatement, swing and savoir faire, grace and grooves, intimacy and panache” (TC Music Net). Born in Birmingham, Michelle moved to Minnesota as a young child. Although the Land of 10,000 Lakes has been home ever since, her experiences have taken her around the world, with internationally known pianists Mulgrew Miller and Kirk Lightsey in 1997, at jazz festivals throughout Europe and, most recently, on tours in Spain and France. She has had a long-standing Monday/Wednesday night gig at Fireside Pizza with pianist/accordionist Denny Malmberg, and Sunday nights often find her at the Cinema Ballroom with the Jerry O’Hagan Orchestra; she is a monthly performer in the Loring Pasta Bar’s Musique Mystique series, and performs frequently with Doug Haining and the Twin Cities Seven. On her three solo recordings—Your Eyes (Zimboy, 1994), Destination Moon (CM, 1998), and Hot (CM, 2001), she covered tunes of Billie Holiday, the Great American Songbook, blues and bossa. On the big stage of Orchestra Hall, Charmin has joined Delfeayo Marsalis in an all-star tribute to Louis Armstrong, and recently returned from the French Quarter Jazz Festival in New Orleans where she sang with the Minneapolis South High School jazz band and sat in with Delfeayo Marsalis and Irvin Mayfield.

“Dawning and Daylight”

As on their first duo recording (Pure Imagination), on Dawning and Daylight, Charmin and Shapira mine classics from the Great American Songbook; jazz standards from Wes Montgomery, Horace Silver, Monk, and Ellington; and a beauty from Gordon Jenkins, all augmented by “friends, saxophonist Paul Harper, bassist Tom Lewis and drummer Nathan Norman, and brought to a high sonic standard by engineer Matthew Zimmerman at Wild Sound Studios. The principles similarly give us a high standard of artistry—Charmin’s pitch-perfect, buttercreamed storytelling; Joel’s wide-ranging, fleet-fingered, often delicate gymnastics. See Jazz Police for a full CD review

Foodie Night at the Dakota highlights local music talents and food and drink specials, with no cover! The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Reservations suggested at 612-332-1010; www.dakotacooks.com

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