Dakota Late Night
what they say
Nikki Matteson, vocals/guitar
Rich Rue, guitar/resophonic slide guitar
Carrie Deans, bass
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.
Shawn Connelly, keyboards
Jacob Hanson, guitar
Andy Mark, bass
Greg Schutte, drums
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.
Tim Sparks, guitar
Chris Bates, bass
Jay Epstein, drumsTim talks with Pamela Espeland about Rio Nido, John Zorn and more on jazz.com
Tim Sparks is a guitar virtuoso with eclectic and wonderful taste. He was raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the music he heard around him was traditional country blues, and the gospel his grandmother played on piano in a small church in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so that’s what he taught himself to play.
He was nominated for a scholarship at the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts. There he studied the classics with Andrés Segovia protegee Jesus Silva.
After college, he moved to Minneapolis, teaming up with Prudence Johnson and Tom Lieberman to form the seminal vocal jazz ensemble Rio Nido. Sparks also became proficient in jazz styles from Brazilian to Bebop, which brought him several regional music awards including Best Acoustic Guitarist, Best Latin Jazz Guitarist, and Best Jazz Guitarist in the Minnesota Music Awards.
In 1993 he won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, playing his adaptation of The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. (He worked out much of this adaptation while playing solo during Sunday brunch at the Dakotasome years ago.)
In the late 90s, Sparks had been immersed in the ethnic music scene, playing guitar in Greek and Klezmer orchestras. He was a featured performer with Crossing Borders at the Bethlehem International Music Festival in July 1995 and has received two Arts Fellowships to pursue ethno-musicological studies. He spent one fall studying Fado and Portuguese guitar in Lisbon.
In 1989 he arranged Russian folk music for the Guthrie Theater’s adaptation of Uncle Vanya and in 1991 he was commissioned to compose music for Tienanmen, a ballet depicting the student uprising in China, for Myron Johnson’s Ballet of the Dolls.
In 2000, Sparks began an association with American composer John Zorn. He recorded three highly acclaimed CDs of Jewish Klezmer music adapted for acoustic fingerstyle guitar on Tzadik Records. He also earned a McKnight Fellowship to notate and edit the arrangements on Neshamah for publication.
Sparks has performed as an opening act for Dolly Parton and has performed on the same stage as Sandor Szabo, Franco Morone, Cyro Baptista, Isato Nakagawa and Bill Frisell. He has also performed on such national venues as A Prairie Home Companion, the main stage of the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society. He has performed at the Edenkoben Festival and the Dresden Guitar Festival in Germany and held a Jazz Guitar teaching residency in Lisbon, Portugal. He frequently tours Japan, France, Belgium, Austria and Hungary.
“I was at this show in Germany and Tim was one of the highlights (among Alex Degrassi, Leo Kottke, Ralph Towner, John Renbourn, Peter Finger, etc – an amazing gathering of the great acoustic guitarists). I’ve wanted to see Tim ever since.” – Techlectic on YouTube
Mike Massey, vocals
Peter Blumgren, guitar
Stephen Rowe, bass
Colin Stumbras, drums
One of the most musically compelling local bands to emerge in recent years, City on the Make exists at a musical intersection of rock, hip-hop, funk, jazz, and blues, with enough spit and vinegar to go around.
Andrea Swensson interviews the band for City Pages
• Check out their hit single from 2008 at cityonthemake.net
Jake Baldwin, trumpet
Cory Grindberg, bass
Joe Strachan, piano
Cameron LeCrone, drums
Catch these young phenoms while they are in town! After two years of playing trumpet in The Dakota Combo, trumpeter Baldwin has moved on to studies at the New England Conservatory. He will be joined by former classmates of his who are all home from music school, including 2008 Schubert Club/Dakota Foundation Piano Competition winner Joe Strachan.
“If you like your gumbo spicy and your music hot, check out the Jack Brass Band.” -Wynton Marsalis
The crack of the snare drum, the blat of the sousaphone, the blaring brass over it all tells you that the Jack Brass Band is an infectious machine, one that drives crowd to their feet and commands them to groove. Formed in 1999, they are the only New Orleans style brass band in Minneapolis, and are the ambassadors of the Crescent City’s brass band tradition. The Jack Brass Band embraces the traditions of New Orleans jazz, at the same time adding old time blues, rock, hip-hop, pop, funk and reggae. Following this recipe, they bring to the table an overflowing plate of greasy down- home music for your soul. Simply put, the Jack Brass Band brings the party to any event with a rich tradition and a groove that will make you want to get up and dance to the New Orleans sound.
The Nick Haas Trio is a modern jazz ensemble based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With repertoire ranging from traditional standards to off-beat originals, this trio is just as comfortable entertaining in ballrooms as in bar rooms.
Nick Haas (guitar) holds a degree in performance from Hamline University and teaches at the St. Paul Conservatory of Music. When he is not playing in this trio, he can be found in one of his other groups (Say Lovey, Bankrupt in Panama).
Eron Woods (percussion) holds a degree in performance from the University of Miami. He spent several years as a house percussionist in the cruise ship industry before embarking on a career playing percussion for various circuses. Today he performs and instructs full time, both privately and through Cadenza Music in St. Paul. Other notable projects include The Dean Brewington Quintet, Exquisite Corps, The Overtones Jazz Trio and The Capri Big Band.
Peter Susag (double bass) can be heard throughout the Twin Cities playing genres ranging from classic jazz to salsa and tango. Besides his various small combo work (Scott Mateo Davies, Wes Ruelle, etc.), he can be heard in the rhythm section of The Capri Big Band (with Eron Woods) and backing any number of vocalists in the area.
A great review of their first CD, Another Dream, by Andrea Canter at JazzPolice.com: http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/7855/115/
“Funky elements woven into an acoustic ambient wash pervade all compositions, some begging for dancing shoes, some for lyrics.” -Andrea Canter
Jeremy Walker, piano
Jeff Brueske, bass
Tim Zhorne, drums
JazzIsNow! director Jeremy Walker brings us his new project, a piano trio dedicated to Walker’s unique harmonic adventures. Walker’s music has won the praise of both the media and musicians. Acclaimed trumpeter Ron Miles called it, “music of exceptional beauty…a pianist who reminds me of Ellington and Monk.” Minnpost.com says, “fascinating, warm and inviting with moments of real magic…intricate and sophisticated”.
Zacc Harris, guitar
Bryan Nichols, piano
Chris Bates, bass
J.T. Bates, drums
Guitarist Zacc Harris is gaining a reputation as one of the hardest working guitarists in town. He has been presenting his original music in a number of different ensembles, each one striking and unique: the multi-meter melodies of the Atlantis Quartet, bebop sounds or classic organ groove music with CounterClockWise or Vital Organ, a six-piece Thelonious Monk tribute a la Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band Monk in Motian, and more. This brand new group takes Harris’s music to a new level, each member bringing certifiably heavy credentials to the band.
Reynold Philipsek, guitar
Clint Hoover, harmonica
Matt Senjem, bass
Michael Bissonnette, percussion
Astor Piazzolla meets Miles Davis in this exciting new acoustic ensemble.
www.myspace.com/eastsidequartet
|
| Well known to musicians and jazz fans alike, the Dakota continues to be one of the most talked about jazz clubs and restaurants across the country |
|
|
| "The most comfortable jazz club in the world for musicians and patrons." – Grammy Award winning musician Roy Hargrove |
|
|
| "The Dakota is hands down one of my favorite venues in Minneapolis. The ambiance is romantic and sophisticated yet not pretentious…. always a good mix of people watching and the food is superb." - merchantcircle.com |
|
|
| "go early or late – the music is always good…" - thriftyhipster.com |