Jazz Police

  © Andrea Canter   Gathering a band of “some of the Twin Cities’ hippest younger players,” young and hip trumpeter Adam Meckler has been leading one of the region’s most innovative big bands for the past four years. A monthly fixture at Jazz Central for about a year, then in a similar time slot […]

© Andrea Canter   “The Maria Schneider Orchestra: Led by Ms. Schneider, a composer and orchestrator of penetrating insight, this group has an ambitiously realized new album – The Thompson Fields— its first release in eight years – that underscores its stature as the pre-eminent large ensemble of our time.” –Nate Chinen, The New York […]

© Andrea Canter Renowned composer, pianist and bandleader Jeremy Walker brings his Songtet to Vieux Carre’ in downtown St Paul on February 15 (8 pm). An ensemble devoted to great songs–from the Great American Songbook to Bob Dylan to Walker originals, Songtet features Walker’s usual rhythm section partners, bassist Jeff Brueske and drummer Tim Zhorne, […]

© Andrea Canter Warmer weather, hotter music, maybe spring is not that far off after all!. And we’ll have some smoldering jazz in the metro this week, a slow burn til it all explodes at O’Shaughnessy Thursday night when Maria Schneider and Orchestra make a long-overdue return to the Twin Cities to perform her Grammy-winning  […]

© Andrea Canter One of the Midwest’s top jazz programs is in our backyard at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Alums include trumpeter John Raymond, bassist Graydon Peterson, and saxophonist Aaron Hedenstrom. Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog highlights past and current talents at UW-EC on February 11, with the student ensemble Surreal McCoy […]