Jazz88 KBEM Minneapolis St. Paul

The annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival is staged at multiple venues this Friday and Saturday. The event presents some of the biggest names in Jazz, as well as highlight performances by local performers. Dayna Martinez is executive director of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, and she talked to Phil Nusbaum about a few local artists doing big things, such as Kaviesh Kaviraj.

Monday nights at Icehouse in Minneapolis are curated by Sophia Kickhofel. This Monday, bands led by Sophia and Peter Goggin pay tribute to the great composer Ornette Coleman. The show starts at 8pm at Icehouse. When Sophia told Phil Nusbaum about this Monday’s presentation, she told why she chose Ornette Coleman music as a special point of emphasis.

In anticipation of their Courtyard Concert appearance at MIA on Thursday, June 20 Sean McPherson connected with artists Queen Drea, Pavielle and Tish Jones. In addition to hailing from the same part of Saint Paul (Rondo), Jones, Queen Drea and Pavielle have served as "co-conspirators" for decades at this point. Throughout the conversation the themes of Black liberation and shared history came to the fore. The interview also features portions of songs from Pavielle and Queen Drea.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with pianist, vocalist, songwriter and composer Eliane Elias about her new album "Time and Again," coming out later this month on Candid Records. The recording features background vocals by Mark Kibble of Take 6, and guest appearances by legendary performers like Brazilian singer Djavan and jazz artists Mike Mainieri, Peter Erskine, and Bill Frisell. Elias is appearing at the Dakota for two performances on June 18th.

The Grammy winning bassist Ben Williams is in the Twin Cities to play the "Black to Life" event at Schneider Theater on Friday June 14. Before he even got his checked baggage from the carousel he hopped on the phone to talk with Sean McPherson about how he has added producer, vocalist and leader to his already impressive resume and how it all connects to the legacy of Black music and his hometown of Washington, DC.

Jazz88's Peter Solomon spoke with Jonathan Taylor Rush, guest conductor with the Minnesota Orchestra, about the second annual Juneteenth program scheduled for Friday, June 14th at 8 PM. He discusses the wide ranging program, which includes compositions by William Grant Still, Margaret Bonds, and more recent works by Omar Thomas, Carlos Simon and hip hop writer/performer Wordsmith. (Attached image by Courtney Perry).