Savion Glover Presents: Project 9
2026-03-30 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago)
“Savion is to tap what Charlie Parker is to jazz” – Herb Alpert

Savion Glover brings his revolutionary Project 9 back to the venue he premiered it at, in October 2024! Glover combines live jazz music and percussive movement for an expressive celebration of sound. Here, Glover acts as lead dancer and drummer! At this performance, he’ll push the boundaries of dance, taking you on an entertaining journey inspired by mythological and ancestral codes of sound.
Savion Glover began as a prodigious student of the great Honi Coles and the late Gregory Hines. It was Hines who called him “possibly the best tap dancer that ever lived.” Glover has been boldly breaking new ground for over a quarter century.
Glover was only eleven when he made his Broadway debut. There, he played the title character in 1984’s The Tap Dance Kid. Then, he received his first Tony nomination at fifteen for 1989’s Black and Blue. Also that year, he appeared alongside Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. in Tap.
By the turn of the 1990s Glover was moving freely between stage and screen. He appeared in Hines’ PBS special Gregory Hines’ Tap Dance in America. Also, he was featured in over forty episodes of the iconic children’s series Sesame Street. Furthermore, he received a 1992 Drama Desk nomination for Jelly’s Last Jam on Broadway.
Glover built on the momentum from this award-winning celebration of Jelly Roll Morton. Then, he became a cultural phenomenon at twenty-three when he co-conceived and starred in the wildly successful 1996 musical Bring in ‘Da Noise/Bring in ‘Da Funk. This was a landmark production tracing the history of Black life in America through tap. The show earned Glover a Tony Award for Best Choreography. Bring in ‘Da Noise/Bring in ‘Da Funk ran for three years at Broadway’s historic Ambassador Theatre, totaling 1,130 performances.
Recommended for fans of Gregory Hines, John Coltrane, Jimmy Slyde and Bunny Briggs.

Midwest Mavens: The Foxgloves
2026-03-31 19:00 - 21:00
“infectious energy and joy radiating off the stage” – Adventures in Americana

The Foxgloves are an all-women Americana/Newgrass band out of the Twin Cities. Here, they have been a vibrant part of the Midwest music scene since 2019. Their vibrant four-part harmonies share stories that feel weathered and deeply human, whether they are bright and driving, or shadowed and searching. Live, the energy shifts from song to song and never lets up, from lean-in moments to joyous, foot-stomping tunes. Moreover, their high-energy performances and musical depth have swept them onto big stages throughout the region. For example, Blue Ox Music Festival, Boats and Bluegrass, First Avenue Mainroom, and Big Top Chautauqua. Furthermore, this powerful band is making moves you’ll want to witness.

LaPlant Road is the duo of two childhood friends, Emily LaPlant and Liz Ashworth, who grew up in the tundra of Northern Minnesota. They found warmth and purpose in the music shared by the dwellers of LaPlant Road. There, it was named after early settlers who established themselves in the area a century prior. Together, Liz and Emily work to create new sounds, incorporating influence from their favorite genres. Then, they craft an audio ode to many of the best things in their childhood: music, family, and friends. Moreover, both ladies are multi-instrumentalists with a dynamic, harmonious vocal blend.

Lanue comes to us from Duluth as a project that stands firmly in front of a fresh creative backdrop. There, Sarah Krueger culled the name from the title of a poem on a thrift store shelf. Krueger continues to amplify her knack for straightforward and earnest songwriting. Also, she maintains a vocal delivery that sits like honey over layers of warm synths, guitars, and percussion. Here, Lanue builds a catalogue that puts the song at the center of the creative process.
Recommended for fans of Trampled by Turtles, Della Mae, Pert Near Sandstone and Steep Canyon Rangers.

Mark Lettieri Group
2026-04-01 19:00 - 21:00
“groundbreaking, genre-bending innovative group” – Jazz Guitar Today

Mark Lettieri is a six-time nominated, five-time Grammy winning guitarist, composer, producer, and instructor. He creates acclaimed guitar-based instrumental music and is a member of leading instrumental bands Snarky Puppy and The Fearless Flyers. Also, he is a session musician proficient in a multitude of styles. Thus, he has recorded and performed in virtually every genre of popular music with both independent and major-label artists.
In 2024 Lettieri released his highly anticipated new album, Can I Tell You Something? Here, Lettieri explores the world of instrumental music, blending elements of jazz, funk, rock, and soul. Further, he creates a sound that is distinctly his own. On display is his trademark intricate guitar work, infectious funk, and a range of dynamic compositions that highlight his versatility and creativity.
Mark joined Snarky Puppy in 2008, and his work with the group has resulted in five Grammy Awards. Then in 2018, Lettieri helped form The Fearless Flyers, with Cory Wong, Nate Smith, and Joe Dart. The Vulfpeck-adjacent quartet has four releases to date.
As a sideman, Lettieri has performed and/or recorded with a myriad of artists including Erykah Badu and David Crosby. Also, Kirk Franklin, The Jacksons, Fred Hammond, Tori Kelly, 50 Cent, Ledisi, Tamela Mann, Lecrae, Lupe Fiasco, and Keyshia Cole. Additionally, Xzibit, Anthony Evans, Phillip Phillips, Nelly, Chrisette Michele, Myron Butler, and even alongside comedians Dave Chappelle and Harry Shearer.
Recommended for fans of Snarky Puppy, Cory Wong, Nate Smith and Lettuce.

Toronzo Cannon
2026-04-02 19:00 - 21:00
“exceptionally gifted… man, he can play” – Blues Blast

“I want my songs to be heard and experienced, not just listened to,” says cliché-defying, internationally beloved Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon. Cannon is on the cutting edge of today’s contemporary blues scene. Further, critics hail him as one of the genre’s most creative artists. Fans love him for his richly detailed, truth-telling original songs, blistering, inventive guitar work and impassioned vocals.
Here, his heroes inspire his sound. For example, Hound Dog Taylor, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Albert King, Son Seals and Jimi Hendrix. Moreover, on his latest release, 2024’s Shut Up And Play!, Cannon blazes his own path with eleven emotionally charged originals. Thus, his powerful, cathartic guitar solos and his soulfully authoritative voice fuel his imaginative songs.
Shut Up And Play! features Cannon, a former Chicago bus driver, delivering timeless stories of common experiences. Further, his lyrics are set ablaze by his passionate and focused guitar playing. Here, Cannon sings of the heartbreak of lost love, the humor of daily life, and the pain of feeling invisible. Chicago’s New City declared, “Toronzo Cannon spins the innate human capacity of misery and regret into a kind of furious ecstasy.”
“I write what I know, what I feel,” Cannon says. “Listen to the lyrics. I am a Black man in America. These are NOT protest songs. I try to create honest, common sense understanding with my songs.”
Cannon has earned ten Blues Music Award nominations. Further, as his fan base expands, so do his friendships with famous musicians. Gary Clark, Jr. declared, “Toronzo is a beast. He lights the room up.” Also, Joe Bonamassa rightly pronounced, “Toronzo’s a great guitar player, excellent vocalist and an amazing personality.”
Recommended for fans of Lonnie Brooks, Walter Trout, Bernard Allison and Corey Stevens.

What's Going On: 29th Annual Celebration of the Life & Music of Marvin Gaye
2026-04-03 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-04-03 21:00 - 23:00
Celebrate Marvin Gaye’s birthday with an all-star lineup!

Marvin Gaye was truly a unique and gifted performer. Musician, poet, activist and visionary, Marvin’s influence still has a powerful effect on people’s lives to this day. His influence can still be heard and felt in the music of today’s most popular artists. Born on April 2nd, 1939, MidAmerica Talent has assembled an all-star lineup to pay a special musical birthday tribute to the R&B/soul legend.
Featuring vocalists:
Jay Bee
Ray Covington
Erica West
Lynval Jackson
Band –
Yonathan Bekure, bass
Brian Ziemniak, keyboards
David Eiland, saxophone
Daryl Boudreaux, percussion
Brian Kendrick, drums
David Feily, guitar
Recommended for fans of Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield.

Andrew Walesch & His Orchestra
2026-04-04 19:00 - 21:00
“Fresh and classic at the same time” – Star Tribune

Singer/pianist Andrew Walesch encapsulates the sophistication of a cosmopolite and the self-effacing charm of a country boy, like many before him. Leading his all-star big band, showman Walesch kidnaps the Blue Eyes tradition and makes it his own. With this ten-piece band, Walesch embodies both a traditionalist and an iconoclast with his jazz-bent Sinatra revue.
Walesch is busy and versatile. Here, he composes and arranges, appearing in settings ranging from solo artist to big band. Moreover, this St. Cloud native is as respectful of his predecessors as he is ready to chart a new course. Andrew routinely jams venues all over the Midwest and beyond with a uniquely cross-generational audience. Walesch’s fans include jazz enthusiasts of a certain age, as well as a younger crowd compelled by his down-home insouciance. Also, all are drawn in by the knowing irreverence of a tried-and-true American nightclub entertainer.
“Although they are my idols, I don’t attempt to imitate the great pop and jazz artists of the 50s and ’60s,” says Andrew, “but I go for broke when we do our shows – vocally and musically – which is what they all did best and why they were in a class of their own.” He possesses fine vocal and piano chops, along with a keen sensibility to find and interpret a great lyric. These have led to some great opportunities for Walesch. He has appeared on the nationally syndicated NPR broadcast Mountain Stage. Additionally, he performed at the 33rd Annual Cabaret Convention at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Walesch resides in Phoenix, AZ, where he is the Artistic Director for the world-famous Musical Instrument Museum.
Recommended for fans of Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé and Bing Crosby.

Jane Siberry
2026-04-05 19:00 - 21:00
“One of those rare artists who can crack brains and break hearts at the same time.” — Village Voice

Jane Siberry is one of Canada’s most original and influential singer-songwriters. Best known for transcendent works like “Calling All Angels”, “Love Is Everything”, and the iconic “Mimi on the Beach”, she has created a singular body of work that defies categorization. Her haunting contribution to The Crow soundtrack, “It Can’t Rain All the Time”, continues to resonate three decades later.
Despite a prolific career, Siberry reflects: “I feel like I’m inching my way toward my prime.”
2025 and 2026 are big years for Siberry. In 2025, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted her. Additionally, she won the Polaris Legends Award for her iconic album The Speckless Sky. Then in 2026, she returns with her sixteenth album, Season One: In the Thicket of Our Own Unconsciousness. She expects Season Two and Three to follow later in 2026 with a North American tour afterward. Here, Siberry continues to redefine what it means to be an independent, visionary artist.
After a decade-long recording pause, Siberry returns with a highly anticipated gathering of songs. They are interwoven with musical and spoken segues that she calls the matrix, making the album play like a musical Netflix series. Furthermore, she explores themes of flickering consciousness, compassion, and rigorous self-reckoning. Siberry calls them “the moments in between.”
Recommended for fans of Rickie Lee Jones, Kate Bush, k.d. lang and Indigo Girls.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo
2026-04-06 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-04-06 21:00 - 23:00
“sheer joy and love” – Paul Simon

Ladysmith Black Mambazo has performed for millions of people, singing a message of peace, love and harmony. With their 2024 release, Soothe My Soul… Songs From Our South African Church, the group puts their spin on gospel music.
The year 2025 marks the sixty-fifth anniversary of Joseph Shabalala forming Ladysmith Black Mambazo. His group conquered all of South Africa and would become a worldwide phenomenon. Further, they won more Grammy Awards (five) and have received more nominations (nineteen) than any World music group.
During the dark years of South African Apartheid, Ladysmith Black Mambazo followed a path of peaceful protest. Here, they did this through songs of hope and love. When Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, he said he listened to their music while in jail. Additionally, he was inspired by their powerful message of peace. Thus, when Mandela won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, he asked the group to join him at the ceremony. It was Mandela who called Ladysmith Black Mambazo “South Africa’s Cultural Ambassadors to the World.”
In the mid-1980s, American singer/songwriter Paul Simon famously visited South Africa. There, he incorporated the group’s rich harmonies into his renowned Graceland album. This became a landmark recording, considered seminal in introducing World music to mainstream audiences. Furthermore, this brought the group to the attention of music lovers all over the world.
After leading his group for over fifty years and approaching his seventy-fifth birthday, Joseph Shabalala retired in 2014, handing the leadership to his three sons, Thulani, Sibongiseni and Thamsanqa Shabalala.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is Thulani Shabalala, Sibongiseni Shabalala, Thamsanqa Shabalala, Msizi Shabalala, Albert Mazibuko, Abednego Mazibuko, Mfanafuthi Dlamini, Pius Shezi and Sabelo Mthembu.
Recommended for fans of Paul Simon, The Soweto Gospel Choir, Oliver Mtukudzi and Mafikizolo.

Tierney Sutton & Tamir Hendelman Duo
2026-04-07 19:00 - 21:00
“A serious jazz artist who takes the whole enterprise to another level” – New York Times

Singer Tierney Sutton and pianist Tamir Hendelman have a musical relationship that goes back over twenty years. Sutton racked up nine Grammy nominations for her fourteen albums as leader. Meanwhile, Hendelman arranged, recorded and performed with Barbra Streisand and Natalie Cole, and led his own trio. Additionally, he was the featured pianist of the Jeff Hamilton Trio and Grammy-winning Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Moreover, alongside all this, Tierney and Tamir still found time to tour as a duo in Italy, Japan, China and throughout the U.S.
Yet it was the pandemic that cemented and deepened the partnership of these two Los Angeles-based artists. Throughout 2020 and 2021, Tierney and Tamir created and presented live-streamed themed shows. Additionally, they created “By Request” video dedications for fans around the world.
Says Sutton: “This is truly one of my very favorite projects. No pianist in the world swings harder than Tamir and he’s an encyclopedia of songs so I’m able to be so free and improvisational. This project is a joy.”
Recommended for fans of Karrin Allyson, Stacey Kent, Jane Monheit and Emmet Cohen.

Judith Owen
2026-04-08 19:00 - 21:00
“she’s a charmer and a seducer, a rocker and… a jazz chanteuse” – Variety

Judith Owen’s outstanding new album, 2026’s Suit Yourself, can only be described as the full Judith Owen experience. Here, she celebrates all her strengths and everything that has brought her joy throughout her last three releases. It includes the joyous swagger of her wildly successful 2024 album Come On and Get It. There, this was Owen’s high-octane love letter to big band. She also evokes the mesmerizing Judith Owen Swings Christmas, and the live power of Comes Alive. Moreover, she showcases her own emotionally intoxicating songwriting and arrangements.
Suit Yourself is a beautiful blend of jazz, blues, and big band. Above all, it showcases her inimitable sound that seamlessly unites all the tracks. Whether solo at the piano or accompanied by her band, Judith’s rich, mellifluous voice seduces, and her interpretations thrill.
Recommended for fans of Davina and The Vagabonds, Veronica Swift, Blossom Dearie and Peggy Lee.
📸: Steve Rapport

Takuya Kuroda
2026-04-09 19:00 - 21:00
“inspired amalgamation of jazz, funk, hip-hop and neo-soul” – All About Jazz

Kobe-born, Brooklyn-based trumpeter Takuya Kuroda is dedicated, and his eighth studio record, 2025’s Everyday, is proof of that. Kuroda has not missed a beat since the release of 2022’s Midnight Crisp –– a record PopMatters called a “future classic”. Now, the 45-year-old musician desires to achieve the “perfect blend of production and organic performance”. It’s why he continues to throw himself into his daily practice, nearly thirty years into his musical life.
Everyday builds on and dives ever deeper into the hip hop and neo-soul elements of his previous work. Here, it is a deliciously rhythmic enterprise and a triumph of genre-blending modern jazz. Moreover, Kuroda’s playing is sure-footed and pure –– whether on the horn, synth, or Rhodes. He virtuosically dances among infectious rhythms of his own creation.
Kuroda’s twenty-one years in the United States have been fruitful. After studying composition at The New School, he threw himself into work. There, he played with DJ Premier’s Badder Band and Akoya Afrobeat and recorded as a sideman and bandleader. But as Kuroda himself says, “the only way to make the music that I want to make is to work hard, every day.” And so we have Everyday, a title which reflects, as Kuroda puts it, “that simple message.”
Everyday is hyperaware of a panoply of old ideas and a pantheon of old gods. However, as Kuroda engages these tropes and personalities day in and day out, he turns it all around in a style that’s undeniably cool and personal. As Pitchfork put it, “Kuroda’s skill is not drawing influence from so many different forms, it’s radiating joy in doing so.” It’s this sterling dedication that makes Takuya Kuroda and Everyday anything but commonplace.
Recommended for fans of Theo Croker, Kamasi Washington, Karriem Riggins and Robert Glasper.

Arturo Sandoval
2026-04-10 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-04-10 21:00 - 23:00
“one of the best ever” – Barack Obama

2024 Kennedy Center Honoree
2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
10-time Grammy Award winner
Emmy Award recipient
Six-time Billboard Award winner
A protégé of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, Arturo Sandoval was born just outside Havana, Cuba in 1949. Just two years prior, Gillespie became the first musician to bring Latin influences into American jazz. Arturo began studying classical trumpet at the age of twelve, but it didn’t take him long to catch the excitement of the jazz world.
With dazzling technique and near-limitless range, he has evolved into one of the world’s most acknowledged guardians of jazz trumpet and flugelhorn. He is also a renowned classical artist, pianist and composer.
Sandoval is one of the most dynamic and vivacious live performers of our time. He has been seen by millions at the Oscars, at the Grammy Awards, and the Billboard Awards.
Arturo can be heard on recordings from Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Woody Shaw, Michel Legrand, Josh Groban, and Tony Bennett. He has also performed with Stan Getz, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, Rod Stewart, and Alicia Keys, among many others. He has performed with John Williams with the Boston Pops, and at the Super Bowl with Tony Bennett and Patti LaBelle.
Arturo Sandoval reaches beyond the scope of mere effort. His struggles while in Cuba and since his defection have given him more energy and strength. His inner drive urges him to accomplish and surpass his childhood dreams. Filled with a virtuoso capability, he desires nothing more than to share his gift with others.
Recommended for fans of Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Chucho Valdés.
📸: Jeremy Lock

Take 6
2026-04-11 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-04-11 20:30 - 22:30
“baddest vocal cats on the planet!” – Quincy Jones

10 Grammy Awards
10 Dove Awards
Gospel Music Hall of Fame
Take 6 is Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley. Here, they are the quintessential a cappella group and the model for vocal genius. Moreover, they are the preeminent and best a capella group in the world.
Their illustrious career has garnered ten Grammy Awards, ten Dove Awards, a Soul Train Award, and membership in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. A true musical phenomenon, the ensemble features six virtuosic voices united in crystal clear harmony. Further, this is set against a backdrop of syncopated rhythms, innovative arrangements, and funky grooves. Together, this bubbles into an intoxicating brew of gospel, jazz, R&B, and pop.
They’ve earned collaborations and praise from such luminaries as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston. Additionally, the multi-platinum selling sextet has toured across the globe and collaborated across genres. Thus, they are recognized as the greatest a cappella group in the world.
Take 6 has come a long way from their days at Huntsville, Alabama’s Oakwood College. There, McKnight formed the group as The Gentleman’s Estate Quartet in 1980. The group eventually became known as Alliance but they found that there was another group with the same name. Then, they became Take 6. Their self-titled debut CD won over jazz and pop critics and they’ve never slowed down.
Recommended for fans of Naturally 7, Boyz II Men, New Edition and Manhattan Transfer.

The Cactus Blossoms
2026-04-12 19:00 - 21:00
“tightly woven harmonies.” – New York Times

At its best, harmony duo singing can transform simple math into a magic trick. One plus one, instead of equaling two, suddenly yields an unexpected third thing. An upper-case ONE. A universal hum. A deep vibration that encompasses two different points of view. Here, brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum, aka The Cactus Blossoms, once again prove themselves to be among the most adept – and distinctive – modern practitioners of that magic. However, like any great magician, The Cactus Blossoms can’t – or won’t – fully explain the illusion they create.
“Harmonies are a big part of our sound, but in some ways they’re the part we focus on the least,” says Burkum. “We put most of our attention and energy into the songs themselves and then the harmonies just happen.”
There’s all kinds of magic happening on their latest, 2024’s Every Time I Think About You. Moreover, it’s a record that sounds more like a band than any other in the Cactus Blossoms discography. Here, Jeremy Hanson (drums), Jacob Hanson (guitar) and Phillip Hicks (bass) contribute to that full-band sound. “There She Goes” casts its romantic regret against a danceable bop beat. Then, the title track is a heart-wrencher about loss and letting go.
“Even if you don’t set out to write songs with a theme in mind it seems like one usually presents itself,” says Torrey. “This record keeps returning to the idea of ‘moving on’ — from one place to another, from people and situations that bring you down, from loss and grief.”
Recommended for fans of The Everly Brothers, Margo Price, Pokey LaFarge and Charlie Parr.

MacPhail Jazz Night: Dakota Jazz Ensemble
2026-04-13 19:00 - 21:00
MacPhail Jazz Night celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month with a performance by the Dakota Jazz Ensemble, directed by Zacc Harris. Also, acclaimed MacPhail faculty artists Michael Cain, Paul Babcock, and Zacc Harris.
The Dakota Jazz Ensemble at MacPhail Center for Music is a premier, audition-based group. Here, this group features some of the Twin Cities’ most outstanding high school jazz musicians. Additionally, the tuition-free ensemble provides advanced training in improvisation, ensemble performance, and a wide range of jazz repertoire.
Meet the band:

Sam Stauning (tenor saxophone)
Dominique Paguyo (alto saxophone)
Peter Sullivan (piano)
Basil Saathoff (piano)
Finn Bergstrom (bass)
Zach Minkin (drums)

The evening highlights the vibrant tradition of jazz in the Twin Cities. Here, rising young artists unite with acclaimed performers and educators who are shaping the artform today. Presented during Jazz Appreciation Month, the concert reflects MacPhail and the Dakota’s long-standing commitment to jazz education and to supporting the next generation of musicians.

Michael Cain is an internationally recognized jazz pianist, composer, and educator. His career spans performances with Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, and the World Saxophone Quartet. A longtime MacPhail faculty member, he also serves as Vice President of Music Education. He is known for his innovative approach to improvisation and genre-blending performance.

Paul Babcock is a percussionist, educator, and CEO of MacPhail Center for Music. A professional musician and teaching artist for more than three decades, he is deeply committed to transforming lives through the power of music. He continues to perform in jazz, rock, and classical settings and has collaborated with artists including Marvin Hamlisch, Geoffrey Keezer, and Michael Cain.

Zacc Harris is a Minneapolis-based guitarist, composer, and educator known for his work with Atlantis Quartet and many other groups. A bandleader and recording artist, his projects explore modern jazz, original composition, and creative improvisation. He is on the faculty at MacPhail Center for Music and directs the Dakota Jazz Ensemble.

A Night of Classic Rock
2026-04-14 19:00 - 21:00
The Classic American Rockers is a classic rock band made up of world-class musicians who have toured with some of the biggest names in show business including Bob Dylan, Steve Miller, Boz Scaggs, Fleetwood Mac, Kenny Loggins, Prince, The Pretenders, Stevie Nicks, Peter Frampton, John Mayer, and Bonnie Raitt to name a few. The band is ready to rock the house with the nostalgic hits that everyone loves!
Paul Peterson – guitar and vocals (Steve Miller Band/ Peter Frampton)
Patty Peterson – vocals (The Peterson Family/ KBEM on-air personality)
Jason Peterson DeLaire – keyboards and vocals (Michael Bolton/Donny Osmond)
Billy Peterson – bass (Steve Miller Band/Bob Dylan)
Joe Finger – drums (Boz Scaggs)
Joe Elliott – guitar (David Sanborn)
Recommended for fans of Steve Miller Band, Fleetwood Mac, John Mayer and Bob Dylan.

Fred Hersch Trio
2026-04-15 19:00 - 21:00
“A pristine pianist with a poet’s soul… truly transcendent.” – Boston Globe

Fred Hersch belongs to jazz’s piano pantheon. He has been an influential creative force for decades as an improviser, composer, educator, bandleader, collaborator, and recording artist. Here, he has been proclaimed “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade” by Vanity Fair. Also, he is hailed as “a living legend” by The New Yorker. A seventeen-time Grammy nominee, Hersch has garnered jazz’s most prestigious awards. Here, these include a Doris Duke Artist (2016), Jazz Pianist of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association (2011, 2016, 2018), and the Jazz Magazine (France) International Artist of the Year (2021). Furthermore, the Fred Hersch Trio was voted the #1 Jazz Group in the 2019 Downbeat Critics Poll.
Hersch is an acclaimed and influential solo pianist. There, he has twelve solo recordings in his catalog including the 2024 release, Silent, Listening. All About Jazz has remarked that “when it comes to the art of solo piano in jazz, there are two classes of performers: Fred Hersch and everybody else”. Also, New York Times simply calls him “a master who plays it his way”.
The Fred Hersch Trio has remained at the pinnacle of modern jazz, venerated for embodying thrilling interplay and dynamic spontaneity. The Wall Street Journal calls the trio “one of the major ensembles of our time.” Also, the New Yorker has applauded it for playing with “high lyricism and high danger.” The Trio has appeared at major jazz festivals throughout Europe and the U.S. Additionally, they have regularly headlined the legendary Village Vanguard since 1977.
Recommended for fans of Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea and Julian Lage.

Private Event
2026-04-16 00:00 - 23:59
We are booked on APR 16 for a private event. BOOK YOUR EVENT HERE:

Big Daddy Kane
2026-04-17 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-04-17 21:00 - 23:00
“one of the fiercest emcees of his era” – Albumism

Big Daddy Kane is one of hip-hop’s most lyrical, diverse, innovative, trendsetting M.C.s. He is known by many attributes: Dark Gable, Black Caesar and King Asiatic Nobody’s Equal, but he is known to the world as Big Daddy Kane.
This baritone voiced, stylish dressing M.C. were the one to first bring the “playa” element to hip-hop. There, Kane, along with Bobby Brown and Michael Jordan, put dark skin back on the map. Kane was the first rapper to ever hold two sold out shows at the world-famous Apollo Theater for women only. Also, he appeared in magazines Right On and Source, and let’s not forget the infamous Madonna Sex book. However, in the words of the late Big Pun, Kane is not only a playa, he just crush a lot. Referring to his rapid fire, metaphoric battle rap style.
Kane’s influences are Muhammad Ali, Marvin Gaye, and his rap hero Grand Master Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers. However, on stage the James Brown and the Famous Flames influence is evident as well. With several Gold albums, Kane has endured over a long career giving us a deep catalogue of timeless music.
As a powerful figure in the rap game, Kane has collaborated with many artists. Here, he has worked with Kool G Rap, Masta Ace and Craig G, Public Enemy and Ice Cube. Also, Heavy D, UGK, Busta Rhymes, Patti LaBelle, Quincy Jones and more. All of that along with a Grammy award makes Big Daddy Kane a hip-hop legend, a member of the elite circle of rap royalty. Furthermore, the 2005 VH1 Hip Hop Honors honored him during the broadcast. Additionally, Kane continues to touch millions of fans worldwide. LONG LIVE THE KANE!!!
Recommended for fans of Biz Markie, Public Enemy, EPMD and Erik B. & Rakim.

Pat Metheny
2026-04-18 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-04-18 21:00 - 23:00, 2026-04-19 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-04-19 20:00 - 22:00
“That liquid, crystalline tone; those airborne, searching melodies.” – NPR

Pat Metheny was born in Lee’s Summit, MO on August 12, 1954 into a musical family. He started on trumpet at the age of eight, then switched to guitar at age twelve. By fifteen, he worked regularly with the best jazz musicians in Kansas City, receiving valuable on-the-bandstand experience. Then, Metheny burst onto the international jazz scene in 1974. Over his three-year stint with vibraphone great Gary Burton, the young player already displayed his soon-to-become trademarked playing style. Here, he blended the loose and flexible articulation customarily reserved for horn players with an advanced rhythmic and harmonic sensibility. Moreover, this way of playing and improvising was modern in conception but grounded deeply in the jazz tradition of melody, swing, and the blues. With his first album, Bright Size Life (1975), he reinvented the traditional “jazz guitar” sound for a new generation.
Metheny’s versatility is nearly without peer on any instrument. He has performed with Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Milton Nascimento, and David Bowie. Metheny’s body of work includes compositions for solo guitar, small ensembles, electric and acoustic instruments, large orchestras, and ballet pieces and even the robotic instruments of his Orchestrion project, while always sidestepping the limits of any one genre.
Pat Metheny has won twenty Grammy Awards spread out over a variety of different categories. Once, he won seven consecutive Grammys for seven consecutive albums. In 2015 he was inducted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame, becoming only the fourth guitarist to be included. In 2018 he was named an NEA Jazz Master, the nation’s highest honor in jazz.
Recommended for fans of Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Wes Montgomery and Bill Frisell.
These tickets do not qualify for the A-Train discount.

Urban Classic Presents REVELATION:
2026-04-20 19:00 - 20:30, 2026-04-20 21:00 - 23:00
“Revelation” brings the music of Prince and the legendary MPLS Sound to life.

This show features the songs of Prince, New Power Generation, The Time, Jesse Johnson, Vanity 6, Wendy & Lisa, Alexander O’Neal, Janet Jackson, and more. Additionally, this extraordinary lineup includes former members of the Original NPG, Mint Condition, The Time, Mazarati, Sounds of Blackness, and the Jesse Johnson Revue. Moreover, these artists helped shape the very movement being celebrated. Here, “Revelation” honors the visionaries who transformed Minneapolis’ musical heartbeat into a global phenomenon.
Michael Bland was born in Minneapolis and is one of the most revered drummers in the world. He is best known as the drummer for Prince’s New Power Generation from 1989 to 1996. He has worked with Mandy Moore, Clay Aiken, Backstreet Boys, and Miley Cyrus. Also, George Benson, Mavis Staples, Chaka Khan, and Maxwell. Additionally, Bland performed with Paul Westerberg, The Chicks, David Crosby, Jonny Lang, and Soul Asylum.
Liv Warfield’s music career took off in 2009 after Prince selected her as the newest member of New Power Generation. There, he mentored her, helping hone her stage presence and studio arrangement of her music. Then, she toured with the band for five years. Also, he Executive Produced her second solo album, 2014’s The Unexpected.
Featuring:
Michael Bland, MD/drums (Prince, NPG, Soul Asylum, Sounds Of Blackness, Cory Wong)
Special Guest – Liv Warfield, vocals (America’s Got Talent, NPG)
Tommy Barbarella, keyboards (Prince, NPG, MN Orchestra, Greazy Meal)
O’Dell, guitar (Mint Condition, NPG)
Bobby G, guitar (Sheila E., The Time, Jesse Johnson, EWF)
Ashley Commodore, vocals (Sounds Of Blackness, MPLS, Dr. Mambo’s Combo, Stokley)
G Sharp, vocals (The Bizness, Mazarati)
Jay Bee, vocals (The Routine, LTD)
Cory Eischen, keyboards (Mayda, E.L.No)
Ron Long, bass (Dr. Mambo’s Combo)
Recommended for fans of Prince, The Time, Greazy Meal and Mint Condition.
