Lynne first came to the public’s attention through a duet with George Jones in 1988. Regarded as a promising talent, she recorded three albums in as many years, landing several singles on the Country charts and winning the CMA’s Horizon Award (given to the year’s top emerging artist) in 1991. Tired of the Bonnie Raitt-esque sound she was forced to create, she got a new recording deal and emerged with 1993’s Temptation, an inspired romp through Bob Wills-style Western swing and big band jazz. The record suffered from poor distribution, and aside from a brief return to commercial country, Lynne was quiet for the rest of the decade.

She made a triumphant return to recording in 2000 with I Am Shelby Lynne, a focused roots-rock effort that was widely praised by fans and critics alike, winning a Grammy Award for Best New Artist (an irony she noted in her acceptance speech). Aside from a foray into slick pop that confused her fan base, she has remained true to form on recordings and in concert. Her feet firmly planted in the fertile ground where rock, country and soul meet, Lynne’s music is more vibrant and colorful than ever.

“Clarinetwork: Live at the Village Vanguard” is Cohen’s tribute to legendary clarinetist Benny Goodman.

“Cohen has emerged as one of the brightest, most original young instrumentalists in jazz… [she] has expanded the vocabulary of jazz with a distinctive accent of her own.” -Washington Post

There is perhaps no reed player on the New York scene being talked about as much as Anat Cohen these days. As a saxophonist and clarinetist she is well versed in a dizzying number of musical styles, including modern and traditional jazz, classical music, Brazilian choro, Argentine tango, and an expansive array of Afro-Cuban styles. This is evident in her original music as well as in the projects she has worked with: The Choro Ensemble, which specializes in playing the difficult Brazilian choro genre; The Gully Low Jazz Band, an exploration of Louis Armstrong’s music; The Waverly Seven, an all-star swing band tribute to Bobby Darin.

Cohen’s original music wraps all these disparate influences into one arresting package, embodying all that the clarinet can be to 21st Century music. But Cohen has a deep respect for the clarinet’s past, especially the long shadow cast by Swing Band-era master Goodman.

• Anat shreds with Paquito D’Rivera

• A lovely duet with John Pizzarelli

Acoustic blues rock, soulful old timey & psychedelic folk, with enchanting three-part harmonies. The Ruemates’ 2008 recording, We All Live Together, has earned praise from many corners of the local music industry.

Simply put, MPLS Dub Ensemble plays dub music. All of its members are very active in the Minneapolis music scene, in many different contexts, but they come together under a common passion for groove.

Although he has been residing in Minnesota for the past few years, his renown is growing. He has played at the preeminent piano festival in North America, the Gilmore Festival, twice in a row and they are bringing him back. He performed recently at Joe’s Pub in New York, and just completed a 40 city tour of American performing arts centers and theaters as the pianist in the Afro-Cuban All-Stars. We don’t know how much longer his historically regular Dakota performances will last, as he is traveling more and more. In June, he was flown to Singapore for one 90 minute show.

Nachito • Show Stopping Solo with the Afro Cuban All-Stars at Town Hall in New York on You Tube

Nachito Herrera’s pianistic prowess was recognized early on, performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Havana Symphony Orchestra at age 12. Combining Western Classical music with traditional Cuban rhythms, Herrera has been at the forefront of an exciting renaissance in Cuban music. While in his twenties, Herrera took the job of Musical Director at the famous “Tropicana” nightclub in Cuba, playing every night and deepening his repertoire. He spent the late 1990s touring with Cubanissmo, serving as lead pianist, arranger, and musical director and touring the world.

Since moving to the Twin Cities in 2001, Herrera has been an invigorating presence in the music community, and a fixture here at the Dakota. His most recent recordings, Live at the Dakota, Vol 1 and 2, are available here.

“Hotter than the burning tip of a contraband Cuban cigar. Stronger than a straight shot of Havana rum. As exciting as a World Series game, with ‘El Duque’ on the mound. Explosive. Crowd pleasing. Rhythmically intense. Romantic. Dynamic. Jaw-droppingly good.”
- Tom Surowicz, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Nachito will be re-joined this weekend by his daughter, Mirdalys, whose maturing talent is starting to echo Nachito’s powerful performances.

“His 18-year-old daughter, Mirdalys Herrera, began the show with grand, soaring vocals, her pianist father creating a storm beside her. Herrera made use of a grand piano, a synthesizer and even a cowbell. Yohannes Tona plucked out heavy funk on electric bass, and Kevin Washington backed it all with solid drumming. The musical stew, with Mirdalys’ amazing voice, was evocative of a funky Cuban mysticism.” - Mark Wedel, Kalamazoo Gazette 7/30/08
Read the entire review of this Gilmore Keyboard Festival performance …

“As magnificent as is Nachito throughout this set, he is nearly upstaged by his daughter’s vocal incantation on Mercedita Valdes’ ‘Babá Fururú.’ Hayo starts off on congas, providing a tribal/folk vibe of anticipation; he is joined by Nachito’s solemn, almost hymnal phrases that hint of thunder, a passage reminiscent of Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Sounding like a cantorial sorceress conjuring the Gods, Mirdalys Herrera gives a ceremonial performance, her voice powerful and penetrating. One can imagine a mythical Yoruban Princess, especially when her only accompaniment is the congas. The rest of the cast serves as the chorus; the piano sounds the final benediction as the crowd erupts.” - Andrea Canter, Jazz Police

Hear Nachito on You Tube • 1

Hear Nachito in Los Cabos on You Tube • 2

Yohannes Tona • “Sand from the Desert”

“Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera steps onto the national stage as a fully evolved artist, brimming with confidence, in total command of a vast array of traditional and contemporary Cuban idioms” - AllAboutJazz

From contemporary Brazil comes CéU, with an album blending force and grace. Her roots are in samba, which “sticks to the soles of her feet”. But she covers many other musical territories too, from soul to afrobeat and electrojazz. With a rare maturity and finesse, she has taken a rich and eclectic musical culture and made it all her own.

It sometimes happens that a new artist appears on the scene and brings together all that is best at that particular moment in time. An artist whose vision is both personal and of universal significance, and the fruit of a particular time and place. A case in point is Céu, whose first album is in fact a sound-photo of the city of São Paulo, that wonderfully rich musical melting pot. Céu’s real name is Maria do Céu Whitaker Poças, but perhaps ‘Mary of heaven, full of grace’ would better describe how she looks and sounds! What strikes you first and foremost is Céu’s incredible voice, with its highly subtle tessitura. These names can serve as reference points, but they are soon forgotten as we listen to Céu’s unique timbre. The versatility of her voice in different registers is truly astonishing. Her cover of Bob Marley’s ‘Concrete Jungle’ shows what a great voice can do for legendary music – transcending it without betraying it. There are few covers on the present album, and only one excursion into the Brazilian repertoire, with a song written by João Bosco and Aldir Blanc, ‘o ronco da cuíca’. All the lyrics here were written by Céu. She also co-wrote the music with highly talented musicians: Beto Villares, first of all, who produced the present album so gracefully, as he did Mestre Ambrosio’s latest album, Terceiro Samba. And Alec Haiat, Céu’s musical double. Danilo Moraes also contributed to the composition (‘lamento’). The album reflects Céu’s eclectic music tastes, with a generous place accorded to soul music (‘lenda’), to afro-beat (‘rainha’) and to electro-jazz (‘véu da noite’).

Just when you think that Brazil must surely have exhausted its supply of irresistibly jazzy, funky, sexy, soulful electro-pop singer-songwriters, someone like Céu comes along and makes you think that maybe that particular well is bottomless after all.



• CeU performs “Lenda” on a Brazilian TV show

• Just a taste of how funky and dynamic her show can be

One of the most popular sitar players of her generation, Shankar is second in stature only to her father, Ravi. Like the elder Shankar, Anoushka has taken classical Indian music to Western audiences in new and exciting ways, and is finding ways to meld Eastern and Western music that were previously unthinkable.

Born in New Dehli, Anoushka began studying the sitar with her father at age nine. At 13 she made her performance and recording debuts in New Delhi. Her third recording, Live at Carnegie Hall (2001), garnered her first Grammy nomination, making her the youngest-ever nominee in the World Music category. Not satisfied with simply being a classical performer, she began looking for ways to incorporate the music of her personal life into her performances: electronica, pop, and even Western classical music. Collaborating with Karsh Kale, an Indian-American multi-instrumentalist with a similar passion, she expanded on this vision on 2007’s Breathing Under Water. Featuring electronic textures, a string orchestra, and even vocals in English (from her half-sister Norah Jones and Sting), critics were unanimous in their praise.

The artists she has appeared with read like a who’s who of the music world: Eric Clapton, Joshua Bell, Mitislav Rostropovich, Lenny Kravitz and many more. Shankar continues to reach for the boundaries of Indian and Western music with each project she undertakes.

• Anoushka performs with Joshua Bell in 2007

• and with her father Ravi

Chick Corea is one of the most important jazz pianists in the world, and is one of the most prolific composers of the last 50 years. From his early days with Blue Mitchell and Mongo Santamaria to his important work with the beginnings of electric fusion with Miles Davis and Return to Forever, Corea has constantly been at the crux of what is new in the jazz world. He has won 15 Grammy Awards, having been nominated a staggering 51 times.

Gary Burton is easily the most influential vibraphonist of his generation and is one of the most unique jazz artists to have emerged in the last 50 years. Getting his start with George Shearing and Stan Getz, Burton has been recording under his own name for over 40 years, resulting in 6 Grammy Awards and 15 Grammy nominations, and countless awards from esteemed jazz publications. He also has a long history with the Berklee College of Music in Boston, spending 33 years at the school as instructor, Dean of Curriculum, and Executive Vice President.

The double-CD live concert recording, The New Crystal Silence, came out in 2008, resulting in the sixth Grammy for Gary Burton and the 14th for Corea at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

• Chick and Gary play “Rhumbata” in Munich, 2006

• “Monk’s Dream” from a recent Blue Note appearance

FIVE BY DESIGN
Lorie Carpenter-Niska, vocals
Sheridan Zuther, vocals
Kurt Niska, vocals
Michael Swedberg, vocals
Terrence Niska, vocals

Tanner Taylor, piano
Matt Edlund, drums
Graydon Peterson, bass
 

A jazz legend returns to the Dakota!

 
Alto sax jazz icon Richie Cole and the Twin Cities vocal quintet  Five By Design headline the Dakota Jazz Club to launch their 2010-2011 tour of Richie’s House of Jazz.

The collaboration is a celebration of Cole’s 40 year career with Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, Doc Severinsen, Sonny Stitt, Freddie Hubbard, Tom Waits, Boots Randolph, Art Pepper, The Manhattan Transfer and numerous other jazz luminaries.

“A bebop delight… Cole’s writing and arranging are bright and sharp, his melodies complex and catchy. Richie Cole is the last of a breed – a fast and competitive musical gunslinger acquiring legendary status for his willingness to demonstrate his command of Charlie Parker’s bebop language by taking on all comers at any speeds…”
—All About Jazz

Five By Design is one of the nation’s leading symphony pops artists and the creative talent behind musical theatre productions for orchestra concert halls and performing art centers. The vocal fivesome has made over 200 appearances with many of the leading symphony orchestras throughout the U.S. and Canada, including in-state appearances with the Minnesota Orchestra, Duluth Superior Symphony, and Mankato Symphony Orchestra.

Five By Design will debut arrangements of Cole’s compositions, including Richie’s House of Jazz, D.C. Farewell, New York Afternoon, Bossa Nova Eyes, Eddie Jefferson, It’s The Same Thing Everywhere, and Waltz For A Rainy Be-bop Evening.