Saxophonist Steve Cole is one of the most celebrated players in contemporary jazz. The Chicago native exploded onto the scene with 1998’s Stay Awhile, which fellow Chicagoan Brian Culbertson produced. The disc scored multiple Number One hits and earned Cole the Oasis Smooth Jazz Award for best new artist. Cole's latest, 2023's Without a Doubt landed four singles on the […]

Over the past five decades, the voice of Janis Siegel has been an undeniable force in The Manhattan Transfer's musical catalogue. To that end, Siegel is a ten-time Grammy winner and eighteen-time nominee. Alongside her career as a founding member of this musical institution, Siegel has also sustained a solo career. Here, she has released almost a […]

Before Prince and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, “The Minneapolis Sound” had Bobby Lyle, whose legendary career included touring with Sly & The Family Stone and Young-Holt Unlimited, being Music Director for George Benson, Anita Baker and Bette Midler, and recording with Pharaoh Sanders. Shortly before Jimi Hendix passed away, he was planning a jazz-rock quartet […]

Home Grown All-Stars play Soul and Funk Infused Jazz Before Prince and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, “The Minneapolis Sound” had Bobby Lyle, whose legendary career included touring with Sly & The Family Stone and Young-Holt Unlimited, being Music Director for George Benson, Anita Baker and Bette Midler, and recording with Pharaoh Sanders. Shortly before Jimi […]

Stanley Clarke has attained “living legend” status during his over fifty-year career as a bass virtuoso. He is an NEA Jazz Master and four-time Grammy winner. Also, he is the first bassist in history who doubles on acoustic and electric bass with equal ferocity. Moreover, he is the first jazz-fusion bassist ever to headline tours, selling […]

Guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan’s career took flight in 1985 with commercial and critical acclaim. Since then, he has consistently displayed a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and maverick daring. Here, he displays bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits. Also, blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works, solo […]

In 2024, Jay Beckenstein and band observe the 50th anniversary of what started as a diversion, something that was just for fun (and twenty-five cents at the door). It began inauspiciously when Beckenstein and a few musician friends in Buffalo, NY organized a get-together on their shared night off from working in bands that actually […]

In 2024, Jay Beckenstein and band observe the 50th anniversary of what started as a diversion, something that was just for fun (and twenty-five cents at the door). It began inauspiciously when Beckenstein and a few musician friends in Buffalo, NY organized a get-together on their shared night off from working in bands that actually […]

With energy and chops to burn, The Travis Anderson Trio brings fresh interpretations to standards and more – from Chopin to Mario Bros – they swing like there’s no tomorrow while saluting the great trios of yesterday. Travis Anderson has been delighting audiences with his dazzling piano technique and inventive arrangements since 2003. Additionally, he has taken […]

Founded in 2006, Charanga Tropical performs with instrumentation that dates back to the roots of Cuban music featuring a sizzling Latin rhythm section, three violins, vocalists, and flute. The music is rich in harmony and melody, fantastic for listening and superb for dancing. In 2015 Charanga Tropical became the first and only North American group ever to […]

David Smith, keyboards Tony Axtell, bass Ke’Andre Mack, drums Solomon Parham, trumpet Kathy Mueller, synth, flute, vocals Peter Vircks, saxophone Geoff Jones, vocals Chreese Jones, vocals A three-time Emmy Award-winning actor, vocalist, arts educator and community organizer; T. Mychael Rambo is a long-standing Twin Cities arts community pillar. T. Mychael has made an indelible mark in the […]

Moore By Four quickly established themselves as a fixture on the Twin Cities music scene when the group was created in 1986 at Ruby’s Cabaret in Minneapolis. The group performed sold-out concerts at the Guthrie and Fitzgerald Theaters and went on to tour Europe and Japan, sharing concert billing with Harry Connick, Jr., Joe Williams, […]