Rakim, Davina and The Vagabonds, Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves, Melissa Manchester, Lloyd Cole, Lucibela, MC Lyte Featured in Star Tribune

He’s maybe the most influential rapper not widely known outside of hip-hop circles, and now he’s entering the jazz/supper club realm. The Long Island, N.Y. rap pioneer born William Griffin Jr. made his mark with his duo Eric B. & Rakim and their landmark 1987 album “Paid in Full.” Over the past quarter century he has collaborated with the Roots, Eminem and Linkin Park and issued a steady string of solo albums, including last year’s “The Re-Up.” He has long shown jazz influences and will perform two special live sets in Minneapolis with local jazz-funk band Room3.

Last month marked the 100^th anniversary of the birth of influential jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. To commemorate this momentous music maker, celebrated New Orleans saxophonist Marsalis teamed with five-time Grammy winning vocalist Reeves to recreate the 1963 classic, “John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman,” a saxophone/vocalist collaboration that was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The new project, “Dedicated to You,” features six standards from the original album plus some treatments of Coltrane instrumental pieces. Highlights: an intimate, minimalist reading of “Lush Life” and a slow, elegant “They Say It’s Wonderful.”

The New York singer has been a Twin Cities favorite since she launched her career in 1975 under the purview of Clive Davis. Her biggest hits, including “Midnight Blue,” “Don’t Cry Out Loud” and “You Should Hear How She Talks About You” came in her Clive era. She segued into writing and recording songs for movies, acting in TV and musicals, and even composing classical music of late. The Grammy winner will settle into the Dakota for her first local appearances in nearly a decade for her “Fifty Threads” one-woman show.