One of the most talked about happenings on the Twin Cities Jazz Scene of the past few months has been the opening of the Dunsmore Room at Crooners Lounge in the not-your-first-thought-about-jazz suburb of Fridley, about 20 minutes north of downtown Minneapolis. Now, three months into its run, the Dunsmore Room remains one of the […]
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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 three+ years. A monthly fixture at Jazz Central for about a year, then in a similar time slot at the Artists Quarter, […]
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Usually, Thursday nights at Jazz Central are reserved for vocal performances. This week there’s an exception — the young lions of Dark Blue take over the bandstand, playing original compositions and arrangements that belie their youth. Led by Thomas Strommen, Dark Blue has played together for the past four years, and includes guitarist Dylan Nelson, […]
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From ballads to blues to swing, in small ensemble or fronting a big band, Ernestine Anderson engaged audiences worldwide with her soulful voice for much of her 87 years. Over a career spanning six decades, Anderson earned four Grammy nominations, Seattle’s Bumbershoot Art Festival’s Golden Umbrella Award, and was included in the Smithsonian’s Jazz Singers […]
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Making her Dunsmore Room debut last December for the “soft opening” of the new venue within Crooners Lounge, pianist Laura Caviani couldn’t wait to return and again perform with her trio on the 9-foot Bösendorfer grand. Now open for three months, the Dunsmore Room has proven to be the intimate listening space that club owner […]
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