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4 weeks ago | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Peter Solomon |Andrew Diemand
Judi Vinar is a singer’s singer. Her skills and her collaborative spirit have made her an in-demand vocalist and vocal instructor nationwide. She dropped by Jazz88 to discuss her upcoming shows with Dennis Spears and the Wolverines Jazz Trio at The Capri Theater on Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6. Vinar talked about maintaining her calm, her longtime collaborators the Wolverines and more.
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1 month ago | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Peter Solomon |Andrew Diemand
Bob James and Dave Koz are titans in the world of contemporary jazz. After years of guesting on each other’s productions, the duo decided they would toss off a short CD of duets just as a thank you to guests on one of Dave Koz’s jazz oriented cruises. This miniature collaboration led to a full blown duo release recorded in Bob James’ home in Michigan.
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1 month ago | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Andrew Diemand
Bobby Commodore has been an indispensable part of the Twin Cities music scene since he sat behind the kit with Sounds of Blackness in 1974. During tenures with Sounds of Blackness, Moore by Four and many other great groups, Commodore served the Twin Cities. Beyond his work behind the kit, Bobby Commodore has served as a business manager, a live sound engineer and, most importantly, as a supportive voice to generations of Twin Cities players.
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1 month ago | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Andrew Diemand
Hannah Harder is a young saxophonist and composer from the Twin Cities. She recently released her debut album as a leader, The Greatest of These is Love. Harder connected with Sam Keenan from Minnesota Jazz Tracks to discuss the new record, her path to jazz and her upcoming release show at MetroNOME Brewery in St. Paul on Wednesday, February 26.
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Dec 4, 2024 | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Peter Solomon |Andrew Diemand
Vocalists Toussaint Morrison and Roz Prickel are deep into the world of holiday music. They are in rehearsals for their Sno Ball event on Saturday at PNA Hall in Northeast. They swung by the Afternoon Cruise to chat about their favorite holiday music, their love of all things pickle, and their upcoming show. This interview aired on The Afternoon Cruise 12/4/24More Posts for Show: The Afternoon Cruise
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Dec 2, 2024 | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Peter Solomon |Andrew Diemand
Vocalist Bruce A. Henry is back in town for a holiday performance with the JazzMN Orchestra. Though Henry didn’t sing holiday music for the first half of his career, he reconnected with the canon during a holiday show at a shopping mall in Colorado and hasn’t looked back since. In this conversation, Henry shares how he navigates the big band setting and the holiday songbook.
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Nov 8, 2024 | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Paige Tighe |Andrew Diemand
Bassist Erik Fratzke from Happy Apple was nice enough to stop by the Jazz88 studio to discuss the group’s new studio album New York CD. It’s the group’s first release in 17 years and Fratzke talked about the life cycle of the band and the beautiful rapport and camaraderie the group is enjoying as they hit the 25 year mark. Happy Apple is celebrating the vinyl release of New York CD this weekend with shows on Friday and Saturday November 8 and 9 at the Dakota in Minneapolis.
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Nov 5, 2024 | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Andrew Diemand
Jesse Simon from the MN Hard Bop Collective grew up loving organ jazz out in Denver, Colorado, so when it came time for Collective to add more events to their “sit-in series,” it was no surprise that Simon decided to concentrate on the organ. The MN Hard Bop Collective is launching a new weekly Sit-In Series event on Wednesdays from 4:30-5:30pm at MetroNOME Brewery in Saint Paul. The series will draw inspiration from legendary organist Shirley Scott.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Andrew Diemand |Emily Reese
Joel Shapira is always out there playing. He’s out playing in town four or five times a week. But behind the scenes Shapira is always working on his own material. Joel came through the Jazz88 studios to discuss his new record Sleepless Montage and the release party coming up on Thursday, October 3 at Berlin in Minneapolis. More Posts for Show: The Afternoon Cruise
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Sep 27, 2024 | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Andrew Diemand
As we celebrate the centenary of Bud Powell’s birth today I want to reflect on his impact on me and the wider world. Sometimes it is not complicated why you like a jazz musician. For me, I started to love Bud Powell cause I thought his music was. . .cool. I didn’t know it featured groundbreaking harmony. I didn’t know it was at the edge of what was possible in the world of jazz at that time. I thought it sounded cool and that was enough. . .and it remains enough. Bud Powell is cool.
