Jazz Police - Slide Huxtable Week in the Twin Cities

Slide Huxtable Week in the Twin Cities

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Tuesday, 08 January 2008

Mark Miller©Andrea Canter

No, it isn’t an episode of the Cosby Show with three previews in the Twin Cities this week. The Slide Huxtable Quartet isn’t TV comedy, but rather a jazz ensemble that promises edgy arrangements from a group of veteran Twin Cities’ musicians and one New York transplant, all veterans of the acclaimed Motion Poets. With former Poets Mark Miller on trombone, Chris Bates on bass, and brother J.T. Bates on drums, along with guitarist Dean Magraw subbing for Bill Bergmann, the SHQ plays a mix of originals and standards rearranged “to put some fun into the music.”

Formed in 1998, the band takes its name from the famous Bill Cosby Show episode where Cliff's dad (Russell “Slide” Huxtable) plays at a jam session with a bunch of real jazz musicians. Notes Chris Bates, “Slide Hampton is playing off camera while Slide Huxtable does a really bad job of lip synching on camera. We all loved that episode as kids and so the band name came from there.” And Twin Cities’ jazz audiences love the quartet, hence their triple play this week with stops at the Clown Lounge in St Paul (January 7), Artists Quarter (January 10) and the Dakota (January 11, Late Night series). This is a rare treat as the quartet has only performed sporadically since Miller moved to New York in 1999. They released their debut CD last summer.

Trombone master Mark Miller, a native of Racine, WI, was a founding member of the Motoin Poets, and a fixture on the local jazz scene through the 1990s. He has played with Happy Apple, Latin Sounds, Salsa Del Soul, Doug Little’s Seven Steps to Havana, and the Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble. Mark also counts among his credits performances with such legends as Billy Joel, Doc Severinsen, Ernie Watts, Frank Foster, Cy Coleman, Gloria Gaynor, and the Jason Lindner Big Band. Mark toured for three years with the Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp Tony award-winning hit Broadway musical Movin’ Out, then toured with Swing! A featured soloist at the London, San Jose, and the Discover Jazz Festivals, Mark has toured extensively in 46 states and 17 countries.

J.T. and Chris Bates©Andrea Canter

Chris and J.T. Bates grew up with jazz, sons of trumpeter/bandleader Don Bates. Chris began bass lessons in 4th grade and progressed to jazz studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire before returning to the Twin Cities to study with Anthony Cox. A member of the Motion Poets, Framework, Low Blows, How Birds Work, Enormous, Volcano Insurance, Sambo Makti and the Kelly Rossum Quartet, Chris is also an accomplished composer (he was a 1999 McKnight Composer Fellow). Chris has recorded albums with Kelly Rossum, Klezmerica, Rhonda Laurie, Red Planet, Peg Carrothers, Motion Poets, Low Blows, Willie August Project and Craig Schumacher.

Drummer J.T. Bates has performed with Anthony Cox, Airto, Tony Malaby, Craig Taborn, Michael Formanek, Robert Skoro, Beniot Delbecq, Jim Anton, Dean Magraw, Wessell Anderson, Rodney Whitaker, Dick Oatts, David Freidman, Evan Parker, Carbon Carousel, and Dosh. His regular gigs include Fat Kid Wednesdays and the Kelly Rossum Quartet, and he has performed at many international jazz festivals in the U.S., France and Spain including extensive appearances at the Minnesota Sur Seine Festival in the Twin Cities.

Dean Magraw©Andrea Canter

Guitar master Dean Magraw is one of the most acclaimed musicians in local music, known for both his fleet-fingered plucking and creative compositions. Starting out on bugle, St. Paul native Magraw studied classical guitar at the University of Minnesota and Berklee College of Music in Boston. For many years, Magraw was half of a popular partnership with mandolin virtuoso Peter Ostroushko. Straddling jazz, folk and bluegrass, he has performed with and/or recorded with Ruth McKenzie, Claudia Schmidt and Greg Brown, among others; he has explored his Celtic heritage performing with Celtic accordionist John Williams. Playing in many ensembles, Dean leads his trio and Red Planet.

With three chances, no one should strike out—catch Slide Huxtable at the Clown Lounge on Monday (January 7th, 10 pm), at the Artists Quarter on Thursday (January 10th, 9 pm) and at the Dakota on Friday (January 11th, 11:30 pm). Don’t expect the Cosby theme song—just expect some innovative jazz and no re-runs!

Clown Lounge at the Turf Club, 1601 University Avenue in St. Paul (Monday, January 7)
Artists Quarter, 408 St. Peter Street, St. Paul; www.artistsquarter.com (Thursday, January 10)
Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; www.dakotacooks.com (Friday, January 11)

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