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1 week ago | 
jazz88.fm | Paige Tighe |Peter Solomon |Sean McPherson
Good Acoustics–the radio show for musical omnivores on KBEM Jazz88—has decided to start a regular showcase for the local artists we feature on our program. Come gather at MetroNOME Brewing in Lowertown St. Paul on Saturday, May 10th from 730-9pm, to hear some of the artists whose music we love.
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3 weeks ago | 
jazz88.fm | Peter Solomon |Paige Tighe |Sean McPherson
Get the latest MNDOT report Mon.-Fri. in AM & PM drive.
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4 weeks ago | 
jazz88.fm | Paige Tighe |Sean McPherson
A handful of weeks ago we were highlighting the title track to Hannah Harder’s debut album as a leader The Greatest of These is Love. As I’ve continued to listen to the release, I wanted to write up the tune “I Don’t Know Yet,” another gem. In an interview with Jazz88’s Sam Keenan, Harder explained that she wrote the piece to offer up a tune that’s “hard for no reason.” Given that motivation I am impressed that she wrote a piece that sounds so inspired and complete.
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1 month ago | 
jazz88.fm | Paige Tighe |Sean McPherson |Peter Solomon
Singer Yazmin Bowers is also a pianist, painter, dancer and teacher. She’s also quite the world traveler spending a lot of her time in Havana, Cuba where she teaches music and culture and eventually incorporating her own experiences into her own music. With her heart and soul ultimately coming from her Midwestern roots, it’s always a delight to hear what she’s up to musically and how her recent collaborations with the Twin Cities’ own, Havana Quartet bear fruit.
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1 month ago | 
jazz88.fm | Paige Tighe |Sean McPherson
Sean writes: I was overjoyed to get some new music from the fusion friendly group Society of Chemists in my inbox. The members of Society of Chemists are criminally busy with other projects, but they find the time to keep this one going because the band has such tangible passion for the self-described “chamber jazz fusion” they create. The groove on “transactional kindness” sounds a bit like a more caffeinated version of Keith Jarrett’s work with his European quartet from the 1970s.
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1 month ago | 
jazz88.fm | Paige Tighe |Peter Solomon |Sean McPherson
Jazz88 is excited to announce the honorees for the Minnesota Jazz Legends 2025: drummer Jay Epstein, pianist and Walker West Music Academy founder Grant West, Dixieland trombonist Art Katzman, and the late, award-winning jazz vocalist Debbie Duncan. This special concert will be held at the Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN, on Sunday, April 13, 2025, from 2–4pm. Purchase tickets online at Minnesota History Center.
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1 month ago | 
jazz88.fm | Peter Solomon |Sean McPherson |Paige Tighe
Speaking about Bill Charlap’s trio, the legendary songwriter Johnny Mandel said “It Don’t Get No Better Than That.” Bill Charlap’s quiet and humble demeanor belies the fact he is one the reigning modern modern masters of jazz piano. In this conversation with Jazz88’s Peter Solomon, he discusses his musical influences, his current trio, his newest recording And Then Again, and his profound admiration for his spouse, pianist Renee Rosnes. Charlap is appearing at the Dakota on Saturday, March 22.
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1 month ago | 
jazz88.fm | Paige Tighe |Sean McPherson
Mike Munson is a Winona-based guitarist and vocalist deeply rooted in the blues. Recently Munson has been charting a new course in his career and put together a trio featuring Twin Cities mainstays featuring Nick Salisbury and Lars-Erik Larson on drums. When I got my hands on the instrumental “Night Flying Birds” it hit a sweet spot that reminded me of the sounds of Bill Frisell, Magic Sam’s instrumental work and a heaping tablespoon of Jeff Parker.
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1 month ago | 
jazz88.fm | Sean McPherson |Paige Tighe |Emily Reese
Black Market Brass and Obi Original are two of the most respected names in Minnesota music and now they have teamed up for a collaborative release. Obi is the featured vocalists on the new single “Battle Ready” from Black Market Brass. Vocalist Obi Original along with Mitch Sigurdson (guitar) and David Tullis (congas) swung by the Jazz88 studios to talk about the new music and the release show on Saturday, March 22 at the Turf Club.
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1 month ago | 
jazz88.fm | Paige Tighe |Sean McPherson
This week’s Hot New Local Single is “Battle Ready,” a collab from Black Market Brass and Obi Original. Sean reflects on the single:I remember with great joy a night about twelve years ago where my idea of what was possible in Twin Cities music was recalibrated by seeing Black Market Brass on stage at the Nomad. Besides Cameron Kinghorn on trumpet, I didn’t know anybody on the wildly packed stage, and they were providing a level of hypnotizing Afrobeat I had never seen live from our scene.
