Jazz trumpeter/flugelhornist John Raymond, originally from Minneapolis, who moved to New York in 2009 and is now based in Bloomington, Indiana, heads back to Minneapolis for a gig at the Dakota this Monday with the NYC jazz quartet Kind Folk. (Read Pamela Espeland’s interview with Raymond from 2015 here.) The show supports the release of their new album, “Head Towards The Center,” born out of the pandemic. It addresses the emotions and also resilience of the last two years. Songs like “Around, Forever” carry a sense of anxiety, but also a levity of discovery. It also has some interesting covers, like an instrumental version of Elliot Smith’s “Between the Bars.” Started up in 2014, the group is made up of Raymond, alto saxophonist Alex LoRe, bassist Noam Wiesenberg and drummer Colin Stranahan. –SHEILA REGAN
John Raymond + the Kind Folk Quartet
MINNPOST PICK