Saxophone wizard James Carter lives up to his reputation
By Dan Emerson
Saint Paul Pioneer Press
December 10, 2008

These are bleak days for Detroit, with the Big Three automakers trying to stave off bankruptcy, and soaring numbers of unemployed workers and mortgage foreclosures.

But Tuesday night at the Dakota jazz club, saxophone wizard James Carter and his quartet — each of whom are products of Motown’s modern-jazz scene — proved the city still has grounds for civic pride.

Carter, who turns 40 in a few weeks, is considered the finest saxophonist of his generation; he lived up to the hype in his latest local appearance. With Carter on soprano sax, the combo kicked off the evening with a typically raucous composition by the late, great sax iconoclast Roland Kirk.

While drummer Leonard King and upright bassist Ralph Armstrong laid down a pulsating groove, the energetic Carter used plenty of body English to play his horn, bending from the waist and rocking back and forth, and shaking from side to side. In the spirit of the season, Carter slipped a few bars of the Christmas-season standard “Sleigh Ride.”

One of Carter’s longtime sidemen, pianist Gerard Gibbs, used a percussive keyboard attack on his solo that was in the spirit of the Kirk piece. Gibbs slyly added to the holiday mood with a few bars of “The Little Drummer Boy” in the middle of his solo ride.

Corey Wilkes, a 20-something rising-star trumpeter from Chicago, was a featured guest with the Carter Quartet. On the second tune of the set, “Mr. Dolphy” (Carter’s tribute to sax great Eric Dolphy), Wilkes blew several beboppish solo choruses over Armstrong’s throbbing bass line. On his own solo, Armstrong used a bow to make his bass-strings sing sweetly. Carter took out his bass clarinet for the next piece, an adaptation of a 1930s tune by the great saxophonist/clarinetist Sidney Bechet. The piece began with a furious, stop-time introduction, before Carter launched into a ballad, which he played beautifully — in spite of a few squeaks caused by an uncooperative sax reed.

Along the way, Carter did some resounding, polyphonic blowing in the clarinet’s lower register, almost seeming to speak through his horn.

Earlier in his career, Carter was sometimes unfairly lumped in with a group of young, neo-traditionalist jazzmen who were criticized for being more focused on the jazz classics of the past than future possibilities. But his no-holds-barred performance in Minneapolis on Tuesday showed that he has the irreverence, innovative spirit and technical skill to take old standards and totally reshape them with a modernistic twist.

One example was the combo’s exhilarating, up-tempo version of “Song of Delilah,” a song popularized by the late trumpeter Clifford Brown.

Another original from Carter’s most recent CD gave the rhythm section a chance to shine: the Latin-tinged groove “Bossa J.C.”

Late in the set, Carter left the stage, allowing Wilkes to take the spotlight with a rendition of the ballad standard “You Go To My Head,” soulfully played on flugelhorn.

Carter and his quartet will perform again tonight at the Dakota at 7 and 9:30.

Dan Emerson is a freelance writer and musician in Minneapolis.

The Irrepressible James Carter:
A High Wire Act With No Net

The first show of a two night engagement by the multi-instrumentalist James Carter and his band at The Dakota in Minneapolis last night was an exceptional musical performance. In a previous appearance at the club Carter said, “if the planets once again become aligned in harmonization which would allow us to meet again, that would be a good thing.” They are and it is a very good thing.

The quintet features Corey Wilkes (trumpet), Gerard Gibb (piano), Ralph Armstrong (bass), and Leonard King (drums).

Carter had his instruments of mass entertainment (flute, bass clarinet, tenor, alto and soprano saxophones) laid out on a table on stage like a surgeon waiting to operate and expertly performed with each of them during the evening. Carter bends the notes but doesn’t break them, stretching them to the outer limits of their register. He attacked and caressed the various reed instruments during tempo, tone, texture & chord changes within the compositions played.

Carter is multi-faceted in his playing; at times he could be called an “egg scrambler” in the mode of the early Wayne Shorter and gone too soon Eric Dolphy. Other times he could be economical in his phrasing and layer on as much texture to a ballad as Dexter Gordon. Still other times he would bring to mind Charles Lloyd, as he would allow the moment to dictate how far out he would search for the notes.

Carter has stage command & presence, elusive qualities to describe but you know when you see it. He was engaging with the audience and he & his band mates were having fun on stage.

The electric vibe created by the band running through the club was energizing and they received a standing ovation at the end of the show.

The quintet played 6 songs in a 75 minute set. Carter featured a number of songs from his excellent, stylistically varied, latest CD entitled Present Tense (EmArcy Records), where he displays his musical prowess on the bass clarinet, flute, tenor, soprano and baritone saxophones. Selections played included “Bossa J.C.,” “Bro. Dolphy,” “Song Of Delilah” and “Por Que Ma Vie Demeure.”

The concert opened with a composition called “Chant In The Night” and the band was simmering from the first note proceeding to rise to a full boil with blistering call and response exchanges between Carter, Gibbs, Armstrong and King.

“Bro. Dolphy” opens and closes in the intense, full throttle, wide open manner of its’ namesake, and in between there are intense solos by each member of the band with Carter emphatically concluding the sequence on the bass clarinet.

“Song Of Delilah” is worth the price of admission by itself. The number begins with an extended progressive introduction, followed by Carter bridging to the first chorus and then the musical exchanges alternate between what was called “free jazz” and funk. It features Gibb pounding the piano in a Brubeckian manner, Wilkes riffing while puffing his cheeks in a Gillespiesque style, Carter improvising like Ornette Coleman while his rhythm section simultaneously channels Motown’s Funk Brothers.

It was a majestic journey designed to expand your musical sensibilities and should not be missed.

Mario Carrington
December 10, 2008
jazzpolice.com

Pairing wine and food: A contest

Leslee Miller - wine consultant - and Bill Summerville - co-owner La Belle Vie - pair wines with three dishes that Chef Jack Riebel prepares. Riebel tastes their choices and declares the winner for each dish.

click here to watch the video

The Dakota is named “Best Business Lunch” in Minnesota Monthly’s “Best of the Cities” October issue

Chef Jack Riebel is probably the most underrated cook in town. He shouldn’t be. He came from a glittering background, including longtime stints at Goodfellow’s and La Belle Vie before taking over at the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant several years ago. Ever since, he has been crafting a menu of impeccably sourced local and sustainable foods prepared with lively flair: His lunch offering one day of a Caribbean take on American non-dragnet harvested shrimp was extraordinary - perfectly grilled lobster-sweet shrimp paired with a local sweet corn relish, all of it given sharp counterpoint by a fiery coconut cream sauce. And his Cobb-salad burger is nine kinds of perfect. If the food wasn’t draw enough - and it is - the Dakota is on the skyway, it’s priced to be competitive, the service staff is professional and quick, and the menu has a something-for-everyone friendliness.

MPLS ST. PAUL MAGAZINE
Nightlife: The 25 Best Bars and Clubs
by Steve Marsh
Sept 2004

Now that locals and tourists can actually find the Twin Cities’ top jazz club, don’t be surprised if you swing by for a nightcap only to be turned away by a packed house.

The handsome warm-wood-and-exposed-brick interior, smoke-free ambience, superb American wine list, and bargain happy hour grub draw a sophisticated after-work and late-night crowd in addition to the jazz aficionados who’ve been coming to the Dakota for decades. Owner Lowell Picket lures national names early in the week (Roy Hargrove, Steve Tyrell) and local favorites (Connie Evingson, Nachito Herrera) on weekends.

So slide into a banquette early, order a glass of red, and await the show in what is arguably one of the country’s best jazz venues.

mspfoodies.com
Minneapolis & St Paul Restaurant Critics
€ Nick and Natasha Laul
Nov 2007

Category: American-upscale
Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest): Food: 9 • Service: 9 • Ambience: 8
Recommendation: Excellent. Dakota has found a winning combination - innovative food prepared with culinary deft and great live music from the best Jazz musicians.

Dakota is located in the heart of Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. It’s always been the standard against which live music clubs are judged. The ambience is warm where the exposed brick walls are accentuated with dark woods - a great atmosphere to listen to cool Jazz. There is the main floor as well a mezzanine section and frankly it can feel a little compact when crowded, but we guarantee you there’s no bad seat in the house. We were seated in the back corner in the mezzanine section and there was no reason to complain (we actually liked our table because the tables in the back are
a little further apart and more open). The night we visited, we were treated to a stunning performance by Rondi Charleston and an all-star band.

The menu is in the careful hands of Chef Jack Riebel - a Minnesotan who has sharpened his culinary skills while working at top local restaurants La Belle Vie and Goodfellows. The menu is what you would expect at an upscale American restaurant but the craftsmanship in the resulting product is anything but ordinary. The complimentary Baguette was wonderful - warm and chewy. For appetizers, we had the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes (with pickled habanero aioli and sweet sour jicama slaw) - the three cakes were cylindrical and taller than your average crab cake and topped very beautifully with the jicama slaw; a very clever plating. The Beef and Basil Carpaccio was excellent and truly unique (mini beef chunks were wrapped into thinly sliced beef and topped with a spicy salad of cucumbers, basil and chilies). We loved the spiciness of the Carpaccio but if you don1t like spicy food, stay away from it. The Fries with Bernaise Sauce are definitely worth a try. The Chef1s three course meal was outstanding; the Golden Beet Salad (with feta, apple, avocado, and citrus vinaigrette) was light and fresh with hints of tangy citrus and sharp feta; the Coconut & Macadamia Crusted Mahi Mahi (with sweet potato puree, grilled shrimp, and roasted pineapple beurre blanc) left a lasting impression with its flaky texture and the sweet crreamy combination of the puree and the beurre blanc; the Baked Meringue dessert (with pineapple and pomegranate) was average, especially because of the overpowering flavors from the lemon rinds. Our server, Dan, was wonderful - his recommendations superb and his attentiveness unmatched. It’s an absolute delight to be on the receiving end of a dining experience where all aspects of the restaurant seem to work in such harmony.

MINNESOTA MONTHLY
July, 2008
Burger Kings
Our intrepid food writer consumed thousands of calories, traveled hundreds of miles, and visited dozens of restaurants, drive-ins, and dive bars across the state. Why? To bring you this: The definitive, ultimate, be-all, end-all list of the greatest burgers in Minnesota.

Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
Inherent Awesomeness: 38

If there is one burger in Minnesota that could be called the Chef’s Chef’s burger, it would be the Cobb Salad burger at the Dakota. Jack Riebel is one of those chefs who every chef in town knows and respects, but he doesn’t get a lot of public recognition. He ran the lunch at the dearly departed Goodfellow’s for 10 years, and while there, he created a burger to honor his fellow chefs: The Cobb Salad burger. He would take the trim from various high-end cuts—strip loins, rib eyes, and such—blend those with chuck, and cook it. Then he would top the burger with Goodfellow’s famous pico de gallo tomato relish, a special guacamole created by one of his Latino line cooks, and an onion relish that he credits to Isaac Becker, who is now chef and co-owner at 112 Eatery. He added smoked bacon, hard-cooked egg, and—because it’s a burger—some buttermilk battered onion rings. It became the off-the-menu sensation that every chef in town was clamoring for. “When Tim McKee [of La Belle Vie] was opening Solera, he’d call ahead: ‘I’m bringing in eight cooks, we need eight Cobb burgers. Can you do that?’” Riebel told me. McKee made Riebel promise that if he ever opened his own place he’d put the Cobb burger on the menu. Since Riebel took over the kitchen at the Dakota three years ago, his Cobb burger has been on the menu. It’s magnificent: A sturdy, beefy, gorgeously charred patty is rested on a slab of grilled Pugliese bread and surrounded by everything mentioned above, as well as a chiffonade of thinly cut Bibb lettuce leaves. All the various relishes and toppings come together to make every bite lively, fresh, and vibrant, but they never obscure the basic campfire meatiness of the burger at the core. The Dakota serves a mean basket of fries, too. If you want to know how five-star chefs make burgers for other five-star chefs, look no further.

- Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl

American Way Magazine
Caught in the Act
Feb 2007

A truly great jazz club needs super sound, a stage that everybody can see, and, of course, the charm to lure the best musicians onto its stage. A world-class piano, an evocative atmosphere, and fine food and drink are the finishing touches. What follows are our picks for the five best spots to hear the blues. — Mark Henricks

On the ground floor of Target’s headquarters, Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant serves some of the finest jazz cuisine in the U.S. Award-winning chef Jack Riebel’s art goes on the plate, while Dr. John, Branford Marsalis, and bluesy artists like Marcia Ball fill the stage. The club seats 145, and the adjoining restaurant behind floor-to-ceiling curtains accommodates another 145. Restaurant patrons hear without seeing — and without paying the cover.