Yes, even on Father’s Day, someone has to pay for beer.
We have quite the week of music coming up here in the Twin Cities. Young jazz cats, veteran blues and rock musicians, beer festivals, Father’s Day celebrations and more are on the calendar. There is no lack of opportunities to hear music this coming week, including a number that are free. Have a good one.
Jazz
Wednesday, June 12
Lee Engele & Joel Shapira @ Centennial Lakes Park Amphitheater, Edina. 7pm (Free) Here’s a chance to see Engele, a chanteuse with a slightly smoky voice, accompanied by the sensitive guitar stylings of Shapira.
Stewfrog @ The Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar, Saint Paul. 7:30pm (Tip Jar) Scott Fultz, sax; Dean Granros, guitar; Steve Goldstein, electronics. Fultz and Granros are superb improvisors. The presence of Goldstein on electronics bodes well for those with open ears and/or an appreciation of the unexpected in music.
LBS Trio (Lozier, Bates, & Suarez) @ Jazz Central, Minneapolis. 8:30pm (Donation) Bassist Chris Bates curates the Wednesday nights at Jazz Central, and tonight has chosen to play with Zack Lozier on trumpet and Adrian Suarez on drums. Don’t know if this will be electric or acoustic, but either approach is exciting from this combination of musicians.
Hurtado, Santiago, & Courage @ The Artists’ Quarter, Saint Paul. 9pm ($5) Javier Santiago (piano) is back in town, and once again he’s playing with his pal drummer Miguel Hurtado. They’ve played together since their early teens, and as might be expected, have great communication. Brian Courage will be on bass. He’s a relative newcomer to the Twin Cities, yet has already established himself playing with a number of veterans about town.
Thursday, June 13
Lee Tomboullian Sextet @ The Artsits’ Quarter, Saint Paul. 9pm ($10) Tomboullian is a New York pianist who served as teacher and mentor to trumpeter Adam Meckler. He’s performed with Airto, Nat Adderley, Doc Cheatham, Larry Coryell, Pharoah Sanders, and others. Tomboullioan will be joined Adam Meckler, trumpet; Pete Whitman, sax; Dave Milne, sax; Brian Courage, bass; and Mac Santiago, drums. Some vocals by Tomboullian’s wife Betty. Here he is doing a bit of a mash-up of Rhapsody In Blue and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Friday, June 14
FireFly Forest and JelloSlave @ The Ice House, Minneapolis. 11pm ($6) Here’s an interesting match-up. FireFly Forest is pianist/accordionist Steve Hoberts’ whimsical project that’s poppy, with a hint of jazz. JelloSlave is the two-cello project of Michelle Kinney and Jacqueline Ultan, with Greg Schutte on drums and Gary Waryan on tablas. Their repertoire ranges from Bach and the Beatles to Leonard Cohen and Asto Piazolla. Here is a video of JelloSlave at the Dakota.
Roessler & Hanson
Hanson, Roessler, & Nichols @ The Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar, Saint Paul. 8pm (tip jar) Nathan Hanson, sax; Brian Roessler, bass; and Bryan Nichols, keyboards, play with sound, creating some wonderful music.
Friday, Saturday, June 14, 15
Atlantis Quartet @ The Artists’ Quarter, Saint Paul. 9pm ($10) This critically acclaimed quartet is back at the AQ for another weekend of modern, bracing jazz. Zacc Harris, guitar; Chris Bates, bass; Brandon Wozniak, sax; and Pete Hennig, drums.
Saturday, June 15
Cabaret Artists’ Network @ Jazz Central, Minneapolis. 7:30 (Suggested Donation – $10) Ten different artists, including Dorothy Doring, Connie Dussl, Les Block, and Erin Duffy, singing and telling stories. Light refreshments will be available.
Pavel Jany Trio @ The Ivy Hotel, Minneapolis. 9pm. (Free) Actually, they are performing in the lower level lounge of Porter & Frye, the restaurant at the Ivy. It’s a fine place to hear music, with plenty of tables right in front of the band. There are cozy booths off to the side, though sightlines are limited. There’s even room for a bit of dancing to the mostly Brazilian sounds of Pavel Jany, guitar; Chris Lomheim, keyboards, and Andrew Foreman, bass. Presenting music is a new venture for the restaurant.
Sunday June 16
Sidewalk Cafe @ The Saint Paul Main Library, Saint Paul. 2pm (Free) This is part of the run-up to the Twin Cities Jazz Festival in a couple of weeks. Sidewalk Cafe plays gypsy jazz with verve and elan. The group features a trio of talented musicians: Gary Schulte on violin, Reynold Philipsek on guitar, and Jeff Brueske on bass.
Monday, June 17
Dean Magraw @ Jazz Central, Minneapolis. 8:30pm (Donation) Dean, the most versatile guitarist in the Twin Cities, is joined by Chris Bates on bass, and Mac Santiago on drums. Who knows what kind of music will transpire? I only know it will be improvised, and stellar.
More listings for Twin Cities jazz can be found at KBEM and at Jazz Police. Jazz Police also features jazz commentary as well, as do Bebopified, and Jazz Ink.
Blues, Roots, Other
Wednesday, June 12
Bill Payne: Tracing Footsteps @ The Dakota, Minneapolis. 7pm ($25) Payne is an in-demand rock n’ roll piano player, who has played on hundreds of albums, from Linda Rondstadt and Bonnie Raitt to Pink Floyd and John Cale, besides being a founding and current member of Little Feat. He’s also a photographer, and this particular show, in addition to featuring his solo piano playing, will have stories and photos of his rock n’ roll life and a Q&A with the audience.
The Ericksons @ The Amsterdam Bar & Hall, Saint Paul. 9pm (Tip Jar) True sisterly harmonies deliver emotions of all sorts, buoyed acoustic instruments. This is part of a month long Wednesday residency at the ‘Dam. Tonight’s openers are The Grandchildren.
Thursday, June 13
Bruce Henry & Debbie Duncan @ Live on the Drive, 3401 Xerxes Avenue North, Minneapolis. 6pm – 8pm (Free) Victory Memorial Drive will come alive with R&B and Jazz as Bruce Henry and his band perform music ranging from Motown to Freddie Hubbard. Special guest Debbie Duncan is also a singer who can bridge jazz, R&B, and blues.
Friday, June 14
Jay Young’s Tribute to Earth Wind & Fire @ The Dakota, Minneapolis. 8pm ($10) Bassist Young brings his quintet plus three female singers to perform the music of Earth, Wind, & Fire. The place will be crowded, so as usual, it will be difficult, at best, to find room to dance.
Johnny Rawls @ Famous Dave’s, Minneapolis. 9pm ($5) You’d be hard pressed to find a more professional performer in the soul/blues circuit. Rawls can work the crowd and deliver a satisfying, sweat inducing show. he started out playing for folks like ZZ Hill and Joe Tex, and eventually led the bands of OV Wright and Little Johnny Taylor before setting out on a solo career in the late 80s. Here’s an example of him at work.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, June 14, 15, 16
Stone Arch Bridge Festival @ Saint Anthony Main, Minneapolis. 6pm – 10pm Friday, 11am – 10pm Saturday, 11am – 5pm Sunday. Singer/Songwriters, Bluegrass, jamgrass, indie pop, folk, and rock abound as a soundtrack for wandering through and around booths filled with original art. There’s even a Father’s Day Car Show. See the complete music schedule here.
Saturday, June 15
Harriet Brewing’s Summer Picnic Brewdown @ Harriet Tap Room, Minneapolis. 2pm ($5 after 5pm) Blues, roots, beer, and a food truck. Quite the way to spend the day. 2pm: Jeff Ray & Hurricane Harold, 4pm: Frogleg, 6pm: Nathan Miller & the Unstoppables, 8pm: God Johnson.
Fifth Annual Saint Paul Summer Beer Festival @ State Fair Grounds, Saint Paul. 2pm – 6pm ($40 – Designated Drivers – $10) Another chance to spend an afternoon imbibing and listening to music, you can taste samples from over 100 breweries while listening to the likes of the Como Avenue Jug Band, Steve Sullivan and Factory, Boys “n the Barrels, and the Big Wu, among others.
4th Annual Howlin’ Wolf Tribute @ Lee’s Liquor Lounge, Minneapolis. 9pm ($6) Wolf, as he was sometimes called, was a pioneer of Chicago Blues. You would be hard pressed to find a fan of the blues who doesn’t have at least one Howlin’ Wolf recording or any blues artists that doesn’t have a song of Wolf’s in their repertoire. Sneaky Pete Bauer, 9pm; Fattenin’ Frogs, 10pm; Javier & the Innocent Sons, 11pm; Poverty Hash, midnight.
Sunday, June 16
The original Mill City Blues
Papa John Kolstad & Sorry Muthas CD Release @ Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis. 7:30pm ($15) It’s the Sorry Muthas for Father’s Day as Mill City Blues, the legendary West Bank album from 1971, is released on CD for the first time. It’s old timey, thumpin’ country blues that transcend time and memories. For this performance, Papa John has gathered original Muthas Judy Larson and Cal Hand, along with Bob Stelnicki, washtub bass; Rod Bellville, mandolin; Gary Schulte, violin, and Bill Smith, mouth harp. Also along for the ride are Amanda Hand, Cadillac Kolstad, Katey Bellville, and Marilynne Hand.
Tuesday, June 18
Bernhoft @ The Dakota, Minneapolis. 7pm ($20) Okay, this Norwegian retro-soul singer is essentially a one-man band, using looping to texture his tunes. This approach has gotten him three million views on YouTube for the song “C’Mon Talk,” sales of over 250,000 copies of his second album, and an appearance on Ellen Degeneres. Here’s the video that has gotten all the attention.
For a more comprehensive listing of blues (and some roots) events, see the Minnesota Blues Society calendar. For a comprehensive listing of Cajun and Zydeco events, see the Krewe de Walleye calendar.
Posted by Larry 
rhythm and grooves 