PREVIEW: K-Pop Stars KARD at The Fillmore Minneapolis Arts Music by Brian Bix - August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 The Korean Pop ensemble KARD. Photo courtesy of Trend. The world-famous K-Pop group KARD is on a world tour, with The Fillmore in Minneapolis as one of 11 stops on its North American leg. The concert will be the evening of August 18 (doors open at 6:00 pm), and it is
REVIEW: “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues” Buddy Guy and John Hiatt & the Goners (Mystic Lake) Arts Music by Brian Bix - July 25, 2022July 25, 2022 Clockwise from upper-left: musicians Sonny Landreth, Buddy Guy, John Hiatt, and Marty Sammon were part of the lineups for a double-bill concert at Mystic Lake on Sunday evening. It was an amazing night at Mystic Lake to appreciate the under-appreciated, as John Hiatt shared the bill with Buddy Guy. Hiatt is a
REVIEW: Soultastic Booker T. Jones (The Dakota) Arts Music by Brian Bix - July 8, 2022July 8, 2022 Soul legend Booker T. Jones performed last night at The Dakota in Minneapolis, MN. The label "living legend" is often just a cliché or a vast overstatement, but this was not the case last night at The Dakota. After all, the featured performer, Booker T. Jones, was inducted into the Rock
REVIEW: Ain’t Too Proud: What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? Arts Dance Music Theatre by Brian Bix - June 29, 2022June 30, 2022 Harrell Holmes Jr., Elijah Ahmad Lewis, Jalen Harris, Marcus Paul James, and James T. Lane star as The Temptations in the musical Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, which opened Tuesday night at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. When measuring records sold and overall artistic influence, The
REVIEW: Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas Quintet (Crooners Supper Club) Arts Music by Brian Bix - June 24, 2022June 26, 2022 The many faces of American jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer Joe Lovano with trumpeter Dave Douglas, pianist Leonardo Genovese, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Rudy Royston. Playing as the Sound Prints quintet, the five musicians officially kicked off this year's Twin Cities Jazz Festival on Friday. On June 23, Joe
REVIEW: Straighten Up and Fly Right!: John Pizzarelli at The Dakota Arts Music by Brian Bix - April 13, 2022April 13, 2022 Three looks at singer John Pizzarelli (color) with his bandmates pianist Isaiah J. Thompson (center-bottom) and bassist Mike Karn (center-top). The Dakota was packed last night with hard-core John Pizzarelli fans. Many knew of Pizzarelli through his radio show with his wife Radio Deluxe), followed his regular streaming show It’s
REVIEW: Deedles is Back!: The Diane Schuur Quartet at Crooners Arts Music by Brian Bix - April 6, 2022April 6, 2022 L-R: Diane Schuur, saxophonist Michael Cox, UR: bassist Roger Hines, LR: drummer Kendall Kay. The great jazz vocalist Diane Schuur (two-time Grammy winner, five-time nominee) was born blind, but it has never slowed her down. She wears spangle-rimmed, almost Elton John-worthy sunglasses and includes references to her situation in her banter. One
REVIEW: That’s How You Jazz: Jelly’s Last Jam (Theater Latté Da) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Brian Bix - April 3, 2022April 3, 2022 Julius Collins (center) as Buddy and the cast of Theater Latté Da's production of Jelly’s Last Jam, which opened last night at the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis. Photo by Dan Norman. When George C. Wolfe brought Jelly’s Last Jam to Broadway in 1992, jazz fans were happy to see the important
REVIEW: The Bob James Trio at 50 Years of Music Making (Dakota Jazz Club) Arts Music by Brian Bix - January 22, 2022January 22, 2022 The many faces of jazz keyboardist, arranger, and music producer Bob James, whose namesake trio headlined at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis last night and returns this evening. Last night, the Bob James Trio played the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis, almost a half century after the ensemble won the
REVIEW: David Benoit and A Charlie Brown Christmas at The Dakota Arts Music by Brian Bix - December 10, 2021December 11, 2021 Jazz pianist David Benoit, percussionist Dan Schnell, vocalist Courtney Fortune, and bassist Roberto Vally played the Dakota Jazz Club last night in Minneapolis, MN. Last night’s performance at The Dakota traces back to a television show from 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas. The music for that animated special – the first to