So ln Love With Bill Carrothers

© Andrea Canter

I met Lydia Holsten last night, right before the start of Bill Carrothers’ set at the Artists Quarter with his European Trio, Belgian bassist Nicolas Thys and drummer Dre Pallemaerts. Lydia was eager to see her former piano student before he moved on to a week-long gig at the fabled Village Vanguard in New York.

So what was young Bill like as a piano student? Lydia noted that he was quite young when she first taught him, but the die was cast. “He would play the assigned tune, but then he would do what he wanted with it,” she acknowledged. So, are we surprised? He proceeded to lead his cohorts through an opening set where, even when the tune was as familiar as “Moonlight Serenade,” Bill treated it as another opportunity to rethink, reinvent, redesign.

I can think of few jazz artists working today who have the power to evoke tears, laughter and even confusion with a single phrase from a single instrument. Bill has been jabbing at our emotional as well as intellectual frailties since his first recordings and performances in the early 1990s. Nothing is sacred, not even the sounds of American pop culture. One of his recent releases goes so far as to make modern jazz of such mundane tunes as “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” and the Oscar Meyer Weiner theme song (check out Play Day on his Bridge Boy Music label).

I’ve enjoyed Bill in numerous configurations but arguably this European collaboration best fits his simultaneously off-kilter and accessible music. The first set Thursday night gave a trademark sampling of Carrothers, ranging from sublime elegance to quirky mayhem, starting with his thickly voiced “Home Row” and ending with the 70s lament of the passing of 50s bliss, “Those Were the Days” (the iconic theme song of All in the Family), taken as a romantic ballad. Ah, those were the days! In between Bill covered the history of classical piano from Bach to Ravel with snippets of Beethoven, offered a swinging version of Clifford Brown’s “Junior’s Arrival” that evoked charging cavalry, pulled “Moonlight Serenade” from a cauldron blending Cecil Taylor and Debussy, and took us back to the mid-19th century with “Jordan Is a Hard Road to Travel,” his fat voicings bouncing like two-handed block chords hitting slightly out of register.

The Belgian musicians were as intriguing to watch as hear—Thys playing one of the deepest bass tones I’ve ever heard, expanding the piano’s voicings; Pallemaerts rarely lost his smile and devilish glint, and rarely paused, his constant motion never distracting as he shifted tools and moods.

There was one jewel after another, but the gemstone of all, to me, was Cole Porter’s “So in Love,” a beautiful tune in most any rendition but filled with little surprises and twists a la Carrothers. Starting out with a prolonged and exquisite piano solo barely hinting at the melody, he was soon rolling chords into triplets and vice versa, playfully reprising snippets of “Moonlight Serenade” before leading his crew back home. And we were so in love.

Photos (top – bottom): Bill Carrothers; Nicolas Thys; Dre Pallemaerts, at the Artists Quarter on July 9th, warming up for the Vanguard. (Photos by Andrea Canter). See expanded review at JazzNK (www.jazzink.com), coming soon!

The Lead Sheet, July 10-16

© Andrea Canter

I’m still buzzing internally from the amazing talents we saw at the Iowa City Jazz Festival (see last blog). Yet returning home, I can’t help but grin at the amazing talents we have here every day. At all levels of experience, this coming week offers opportunities to enjoy!

This weekend, one of the veteran entertainers and surely one of the most powerful jazz and blues voices in the Midwest takes the stage at the Artists Quarter. Every time I hear Debbie Duncan, I think she has raised the bar another notch. With frequent collaborator Mary Louise Knutson on piano, your satisfaction is guaranteed. Across the river, frequent visitor Estaire Godinez holds forth at the Dakota, which guarantees a weekend of hot Latin vocals and percussion, and another great band.

Short on experience but long on talent, the Javier Santiago Experiment gets underway at 11:30 pm Saturday as part of the Dakota Late Night Series. If you have followed youth jazz over the past five years or more, you have most certainly run into Javier at the piano, Chris Smith on bass and Miguel Hurtado on drums, long ago with the young teen group, The Eggz, and later Second Nature and The Bridge. The three alums of the terrific jazz program at Minneapolis South High (kudos to band director Scott Carter!) have been building their careers since high school—Javier and Chris at the highly selective Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific (in 2008, the Twin Cities, and South High, boasted two of the five “fellows” selected from nationwide auditions), Miguel at the Manhattan School of Music. First Chris, now Javier have continued studies at The New School in New York. They’ll be performing with saxophonist Aaron Hedenstrom, a UW-Eau Claire musician, and St. Paul Central HS grad Daniel Duke, alternating bass duties with Chris Smith. Javier and Daniel were part of the first edition of the Dakota Combo during their senior years of high school. So all in all, the Javier Santiago Experiment brings us an update of the trajectories of some of our finest young jazz artists. Definitely worth staying out late!

In the same age group, guitarist Julian Lage makes his Dakota debut as a leader on July 14-15. From the Bay Area, Lage was gigging with the big guys as a young teen, joining Gary Burton’s New Generations Band as a high school student. He was at the Dakota with NGB back in 2005. Now all of 21, Lage is a fast-rising star. I’ve seen Lage at the Headlsburg Jazz Festival with Billy Hart’s Quartet and am eager to see and hear him now as a maturing artist.

July 14th marks one of the rare performances of the Ellen Lease/Pat Moriarty Quintet, and perhaps the last time (in a while!) that trumpeter Kelly Rossum will be part of the ensemble, given his upcoming move to New York. Pianist Lease and saxman Moriarty have been leading this creative ensemble for a long time, but they only get together on stage a couple times per year. With Dave Stanoch on drums and Chris Bates on bass, it’s a band of eccentric inventors that turn each composition into a new experiment. Catch them at Studio Z in downtown St. Paul.

Something a little bit different – following Julian Lage’s early set at the Dakota on July 15th will be a special late night performance by Tia Fuller, best known these days as the saxophonist for Beyoncé. But she’s a fine jazz musician in her own right, as you’ll hear. (She’s in town for Beyoncé’s performance at Target Center the next night.)

Message from pianist Denny Malmberg that this Sunday (July 12) will be the last for brunch music with Denny and Charmin Michelle at Kozy’s in Galleria. But you can still catch them at their swinging, joyful best, most every Monday and Wednesday night at Fireside Pizza in Richfield. Another swinging duo, Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson, are serenading diners at the Downtowner Woodfire Grill in St. Paul every Friday night in July. I love them both, and best as a duo. Initmacy, classic style, and always divine material.

Coming soon—a rare weekend at the AQ with the Pete Whitman Quartet (July 17-18); a showcase of student jazz talents and CD release for the Dakota Combo on Peavy Plaza (July 18th, 11:30 am – 2 pm); a fascinating evening with Christopher O’Reilly and his classic-turned-rock inventions at the Dakota (July 20-21); Jeremy Walker’s Nownet at the Dakota and Irvin Mayfield’s new commissioned work for Orchestra Hall (both on July 23); the long-awaited Illicit Sextet Reunion at the AQ (July 24-25).

Photos (top-bottom): Debbie Duncan sang out recently as part of the TC Jazz Festival's Bloomington annex night; Javier Santiago at a recent AQ gig; Julian Lage at the 2006 Healdsburg Jazz Festival. (Photos by Andrea Canter)

Jazztown USA - The Iowa City Jazz Festival

• © Andrea Canter
  
  I grew up in Iowa City, a Big Ten university town halfway between Minneapolis and St. Louis, Chicago and Omaha. My high school back in the 60s had a jazz band (“Rocky and the Squirrels”). I imagine the university also had a jazz band although I don’t recall hearing about it then. I didn’t discover the Iowa City Jazz Festival until 2001, and then it was quite by accident during a visit with my parents on a July weekend. I was downtown for some other reason, and came upon a crowd gathered around a stage in the intersection of two main streets, flanked by a few small concessions tents. Pat Martino and his quartet were performing. This was my first introduction to Martino as well as my first hint that Iowa City had become a jazz haven. Where had I been for the previous ten years? An avid jazz fan throughout the 90s and beyond, how did I miss the fact that my home town held this festival every July?
  
  The Iowa City Jazz Festival never escaped my attention again, and I have made it five times in the past seven years. Each year the festival seems just a bit stronger than the last. Why does this festival seem to work so well, garnering national attention? Iowa City is a unique environment, a city of 60,000 with the cultural amenities of urban centers of 600,000. It’s built around a large public university that boasts an internationally renowned Writers Workshop and highly regarded School of Music and theater departments. Then there’s Steve Grismore, guitarist, jazz faculty, and director of the festival since its modest beginnings in 1991. And sponsorship—the Iowa City Jazz Festival is supported by the city itself as well as perennial funder Toyota Scion of Iowa City and numerous other sponsors who ensure the annual event’s success. The festival is now part of the Iowa City Summer of the Arts, a series of cultural events that benefit from university and city support.
  
  Another rather unique aspect of the ICJF is its leanings toward modern jazz and world music. At past festivals I have heard for the first time the music of Patricia Barber, Henry Threadgill, Dapp Theory, Dave Berkman, Don Byron and Jacob Fred Oddysey; observed the creation of loops as Robin Eubanks performed in a trombone quintet with four electronic clones; enjoyed The Bad Plus, Geoffrey Keezer, Kenny Garrett, Buster Williams, Terell Stafford, Ron Miles, Conrad Herwig and Eric Alexander.
  
  There’s only one main stage in Iowa City, now planted on the partially shaded greenery of The Pentacrest, a confluence of the original university administration and classroom buildings that surround the gold-domed Old Capital, the state’s first capital building. It’s a charming setting for music and a stunning backdrop for fireworks. And there is no sonic competition—three side stages for high school, college and community bands are only in action between main stage sets.
  
  Did I mention the festival food? Another unique aspect about Iowa City is the gourmet concessions corridor, where you can get falafel, masaam curry, and African stews along with the obligatory pizza, smoothies and funnel cakes.
  
  The 2009 festival was a 21st century jazz fan’s “all you can eat” buffet. I was not able to get in for Friday night’s headliner, David Sanchez. But we managed the rest of the weekend:




• Orquestra Alto Maiz, an Iowa-based Latin ensemble with four percussionists rotating among the cajon, timbales, and congas and a brass section that fired one volley after another.




• Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, a funky volcano of sound coming from a band of 20-somethings, led by trombonist/ trumpeter/ vocalist Troy “Shorty” Andrews, surely one of the most charismatic young bandleaders around. Unexpected delight was the impromptu appearance of trombone master Robin Eubanks, in a day early for his performance with Dave Holland.




• Lionel Loueke Trio, led by West African guitarist/vocalist Loueke. After Shorty and company, the set was almost too mellow, the vocalizations mirrored in the pedal effects and vice versa, creating a songful breeze from African forests.




• Bob Levy and the J.O. Trio, with a veteran trumpeter playing through mostly original compositions that favored his warm vibrato and talented young cohorts.




• Chris Potter’s Underground, surely one of the best of modern small ensembles, with Craig Taborn on Fender Rhodes, Adam Rogers on guitar and Nate Smith on drums. Potter originals dominated the set, as did his virtuosic soloing (on tenor and soprano) that sets him apart from most every saxophonist in the current sea of virtuosic saxophonists. Taborn dissected themes and variations as high art; Rogers has one of the most musical approaches to modern guitar; and Smith is a power house that never overpowers.




• The Bill Frisell Quartet, an ambient, relaxed interlude between two incendiary ensembles and a welcome opportunity to again hear the trumpet magic of Ron Miles as well as the lyrical side of Frisell.




• The Dave Holland Quintet, demonstrating why it repeatedly tops DownBeat polls, the leader one of the living legends of jazz bass as well as a dominating force in modern composition. The Quintet is a long standing collaboration among musicians who are held in high esteem by peers as well as audiences, and including two from Underground, Potter and Smith, along with ubiquitous master Robin Eubanks on trombone and the ever-enchanting Steve Nelson on vibes. It was a sizzling end to the festival.
  
  Did I mention all this is free? I’ll be back in 2010.

Photos (top-bottom): Chris Potter blows soprano with Adam Rogers; Nate Smith kept busy with both Underground and the Holland Quintet; Dave Holland (black and white? the deeply orange lights were a bit much!). Photos by Andrea Canter at the 2009 Iowa City Jazz Festival.

The Lead Sheet, July 3-9

Major clubs are taking a holiday this weekend, but music never sleeps! It might be more difficult to find live jazz on July 4th, but you can nevertheless find acoustic fireworks over the weekend and beyond. The best bargain in live jazz is a five-hour drive south to Iowa City for the IC Jazz Festival. Tonight (7/3) features saxophone master David Sanchez and his Quartet; Saturday night brings the entertaining Trombone Shorty followed by West African guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke and his trio, very impressive in their Dakota debut this spring. But if you can only come down for one day, make it Sunday-- back to back to back it's Chris Potter's Underground Quartet (with Twin Citian Craig Taborn on keys), Bill Frisell's Quartet with Ron Miles on trumpet, and the Dave Holland Quintet--Potter getting another workout along with Robin Eubanks, Steve Nelson, and Potter's drummer, Nate Smith.

But if you stick around the Twin Cities this weekend, you will not be disappointed. Tonight (July 3) finds three of the area’s most distinguished vocalists on stage: Debbie Duncan, with pianist Mary Louise Knutson and more, entertains at the Dakota, while Lucia Newell helps celebrate Laura Caviani’s return to the keyboard at Crave in The Galleria. Laura’s been sorely missed over the past month while recovering from severe hand cuts suffered in a car accident. Across the river at the Downtowner Woodfire Grill off W. 7th in St. Paul, Maud Hixson with Rick Carlson will put you in the mood for a romantic holiday. (Maud and Rick perform every Friday night in July, except for July 10th when her partner will be guitar master Reuben Ristrom.)

And indeed there is some pretty hot jazz on July 4th—pianist Larry McDonough and his long-time cohort Richard Terrill on saxes will perform at the Sage Wine Bar in Mendota Heights. This is a very cozy venue for music with an eclectic menu of food, wine, beer and more. The exterior says Suburbia. The interior says casual urban elegance. Best of all, Larry is one of the most inventive musicians in the Twin Cities, taking apart standards and reconfiguring time signatures and rhythmic structures, adding some vocals as well as original compositions. And I happen to think that piano/sax duets are particularly enticing.

Tuesday (7/7) at the Dakota marks a return engagement with one of the area’s fast rising stars, vocalist Nancy Harms. Nancy has a unique style—she’s a swinging storyteller whose song book is ever expanding.

The Artists Quarter features some special post-holiday mayhem, starting with the Atlantis Quartet on Wednesday (7/8) and then the “big gig” of the week, Bill Carrothers with his European Trio on Thursday (7/9). Atlantis features master bassist Chris Bates and three stars-in-the making---guitarist Zacc Harris, saxman Brandon Wozniak, and drummer Pete Hennig. In various combinations, these musicians are drawing a lot of attention to creative music.

Bill Carrothers grew up in Edina, spent just enough time in New York to realize he wasn’t enjoying the fast pace of ultra-urban life, and relocated to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. But he’s hardly been out of the limelight, especially in Europe where he spends far more time performing than on this side of the Atlantic. Two of his favorite cohorts in Europe now join him for a brief American tour, starting at the AQ, moving on to the Green Mill in Chicago, and ending with a week-long residency at the Village Vanguard in New York. Nicolas Thys on bass and Dre Pallemaerts on drums will provide the counterpoint to Bill’s never ending quest to pull every sound possible from an acoustic piano while reinventing standards and pop tunes. Only Bill can work magic with the Oscar Meyer Weiner theme song!

There’s always great pizza and jazz with pizzaz at Fireside Pizza in Richfield, with Charmin Michelle (back from Spain) and Denny Malmberg providing the best music to go with pepperoni, every Monday and Wednesday. Arne Fogel sings with the Wolverines Trio at Hell’s Kitchen this Wednesday night (7/8)—and if you remember the old Rossi’s space, you will be pleasantly surprised by the transformation since Hell took over.

Coming soon! I’m looking forward to the Dakota Late Night on July 11th when three young men with amazingly bright futures reunite—Javier Santiago leads the trio, fresh from his two years with the Brubeck Institute and ready to join pal/bassist Chris Smith at the New School in New York. Chris also did a two-year stint at Brubeck. Miguel Hurtado, studying drums at the Manhattan School of Music, completes the trio. I first heard these guys when they were barely in their teens, performing with saxophonist Owen Nelson as The Eggz. Well, these eggz have hatched! Guitarist Julian Lage, another prodigy now barely in his 20s, makes his Dakota debut as a leader on July 14-15. (He was here as a 17-year-old with the Gary Burton New Generations Band.) And also on July 14th, catch the Ellen Lease/Pat Moriarty Quintet in what may be their last performance with Kelly Rossum before the trumpeter moves to New York. They will be performing in the intimate Zeitgeist space at Studio Z in St. Paul.

Photos: Laura Caviani is back at the keyboard; Nancy Harms performed during the Jazz Night Out Singer Showcase at Camp Bar during the TC Jazz Festival; Bill Carrothers warms up for the Vanguard at the AQ. (Photos by Andrea Canter)

The Lead Sheet, June 26-July 2

© Andrea Canter

Twin Cities Jazz Festival director Steve Heckler was euphoric when talking about the success of last weekend’s event in St. Paul. Great crowds, cooperative weather and stellar music should guarantee the event for 2010. And with the jazz lineup for the coming week, there’s really no reason to lament the elimination of the traditional second weekend in Minneapolis.

Want vocal music? Bruce Henry returns again to the Dakota Friday and Saturday nights (June 26-27), and on Friday he features special guest Debbie Duncan. In other words, two of the region’s biggest voices share the stage. I just heard Debbie at the jazz festival’s Bloomington extension Wednesday night. She manages equal parts ecstasy and blasphemy. And I miss Bruce Henry’s magic. Fortunately he misses the Twin Cities as much as we miss him.

Want over-the-edge modern sounds? Happy Apple returns to the Artists Quarter for three nights (June 26-28) of biting improvisation thanks to Mike Lewis, Erik Fratzke and Dave King. Even folks in the Big Apple were impressed when the trio gigged at Joe’s Pub last year. Expect standing room only.

Or maybe you prefer a little hip-hop with your post bop? Check out the Karreim Riggins Experience at the Dakota Sunday night. The Detroit native is an alum of Betty Carter’s famed Jazz Ahead program, and has performed with the likes of Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, Milt Jackson, Donald Byrd, Cedar Walton, Bobby Hutcherson, Ron Carter, Gary Bartz and Diana Krall. Equally accomplished as a hip-hop artist as jazzman, 34-year-old Riggins brings his new project to the Dakota, opening with a drum showcase with DJ Dummy and closing with his quintet, featuring the highly acclaimed piano master, Mulgrew Miller. This night will indeed be an Experience!

Bassist Chris Bates figures into some of the most creative ensembles in town, and he pops up twice at the Turf Club/Clown Lounge this week—with Volcano Insurance Monday night (June 29th) in the Clown (with guitarist/laptopper Luke Polipnik and drummer Joey van Phillips) and then Wednesday (July 1st) in the main Turf Club with Charlie Devanna—not a who, but a globally basted band led by guitarist Park Evans, along with Scott Fultz and Pete Hennig.

And maybe the granddaddy show of the summer, cross-culturally minded saxman Charles Lloyd brings his “New Quartet” to the Dakota on Thursday (July 2nd). Lloyd was an early cohort of Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette, later a musical partner of the late Billy Higgins, and more recently a collaborator with tabla star Zakir Hussein. Everything he touches seems to resonate across time and continents. Now he’s working again in a quartet context featuring firestorming pianist Jason Moran, eclectic bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Eric Harland, with whom Lloyd has previously toured in tribute to Higgins as well as with Hussein and Harland in an unusual percussion trio.

Coming soon? The Iowa City Jazz Festival over the holiday weekend offers the most high level jazz in the tightest time frame, all free, with Chris Potter’s Underground, the Bill Frisell Quartet and the Dave Holland Quintet playing back to back to back Sunday night (July 5th). David Sanchez hits the stage as the festival opener Friday night, and Saturday features Trombone Shorty followed by West African guitar sensation Lionel Loueke. From the Twin Cities, this is an easy 5-hour drive. (See http://www.jazzpolice.com/ or http://www.iowacityjazzfestival.com/ for details.) In the next week, mark your calendars for Bill Carrothers and his European Trio on July 9th at the Artists Quarter, warming up for a week at the Village Vanguard.

Photos: Bruce Henry and Debbie Duncan will raise the roof tonight, June 26th at the Dakota. (Photos by Andrea Canter)

Karrin Allison: The Best Of

©Andrea Canter

I recall that the last time Karrin Allyson performed at the Dakota in April 2008, I thought it was the best set I had heard from her yet, and that was certainly saying something given her long history of engaging performances.

But now, her opening set on Tuesday was surely the best I have heard from her yet. I don’t think I am losing my powers of discrimination or succumbing to the “halo effect.” I think, as good as she is, she just keeps moving forward. And regardless of material—in advance celebration of the release of her Best of Karrin Allyson on Concord, Karrin’s set covered familiar selections from her diverse repertoire, nothing we had not heard before, yet everything sounded as if she was giving it an inaugural performance. And of course that is the hallmark of a top artist.

There may be many clues to her trajectory in analyses of her intonation, phrasing, song selection, etc. But to me the key is a growing confidence and enjoyment in performing. I recall one of the first times I heard Karrin at the Dakota, she was distracted by the auto focus beam of a new digital camera, by clanking silverware; she seemed intense to a point of inhibition. Each year she returns with more joy. Her performances now are not only fun for the audience, they seem to be fun for Karrin Allyson. At the same time, the gigs seem less like gigs and more like musical conversations among friends. Which they clearly are. This week, instrumentation was pared down to guitar and bass, along with Karrin’s own accompaniment on piano for part of the set. (I heard that for the second set, pianist Laura Caviani accompanied her pal Karrin on a couple of tunes, marking Laura’s first stage appearance since cutting her hand badly in a car accident in May. Bravo!)

Without drums, with longtime cohorts Rob Fleemans and Larry Kohout, Karrin was truly home. You could hear it in every note, from her stellar blues (“I Ain’t Got Nothing But the Blues”) and Jimmy Webb’s “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” (one that she has not recorded), to her bilingual romps (including the always-requested “Patout” as well as Jobim’s “A Felicidade” and “Double Rainbow), to the wryly humorous “Robert Frost” (digging back to Collage) to her heart-rending Elton John ballad, “And So It Goes.” Unflappable, unassuming, unfettered. Nothing but the “best of.”

She’ll undoubtedly return next year. Undoubtedly I will repeat myself.

Photo: Karrin Allyson at the Dakota on June 23, 2009. (Photo by Andrea Canter.)

Make that the St Paul Jazz Festival!

© Andrea Canter

We used to call it the Hot Summer Jazz Festival. Then, perhaps to call attention to the location, it became the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. But last fall, it almost became another casualty of economic downturns, as Festival Director Steve Heckler was on the brink of announcing that the area's biggest jazz event of the year would be canceled for lack of sponsors.

In recent years, the TC Jazz Festival covered two long weekends on either side of the Mississippi, centered on Mears Park in St. Paul and on Peavy Plaza in Minneapolis. But sponsors like Mercedes Benz, Caribou Coffee and Summit Brewing gradually dropped out. And where was the city of Minneapolis? Jazz apparently just wasn’t a big enough draw despite the 25,000 or so who typically crowded both venues each June. But in winter 2009, with the annual Winter Jazz Festival scratched for similar lack of support, a funny thing happened. The city of St. Paul, specifically the office of Mayor Chris Coleman, decided a jazz festival was important to the community. They found sponsors, the city offered support, and Mears Park was soon designated as the epicenter of the 2009 Twin Cities Jazz Festival, scaled back to one weekend, in one city. Steve Heckler jumped on the opportunity to make this a festival of quality if not quantity. So who needs Minneapolis or Peavy Plaza?

With only a thirty-minute shower neatly falling between Friday night’s last sets, even the weather seemed to bless the festival. There was already a good crowd when the young Turks of the Dakota Combo opened on Friday afternoon, and by the time Irv Williams took his final bows, there literally was not even standing room at Mears Park to welcome Allen Toussaint to the stage. Much the same pattern emerged on Saturday, with more and more gathering for each set until, again, folks stood five rows deep to holler and whistle at Esperanza Spalding, whose talent outshines her near cult status. Legend and fast-rising star sparked equal interest.

I can’t estimate the size of a crowd larger than a fully loaded elevator. But if the quality of music, enthusiasm and lack of elbow room are any indication, the 2009 Twin Cities Jazz Festival of St. Paul was as successful as any I’ve attended. Irv Williams, the New Standards, Terence Hughes, the Klondike Kates, Jon Weber, Allen Toussaint and the Southside Aces are all well established with their own large followings. The Dakota Combo, Walker West ensembles, Esperanza Spalding, and the weekend's upstager of them all, 21-year-old saxman Alex Han, injected the youthful spirit that any festival needs to keep the energy (and beer) flowing and sponsors happy. Give Steve Heckler, and Chris Coleman, a high five and grand cadenza!

Photos: (top to bottom) Carson King-Fournier and the Dakota Combo opened the Mears Park stage on Friday afternoon; the crowd packed the space in front of the stage at Mears Park for Jon Weber and Alex Han; Allen Toussaint headlined Friday night; Esperanza Spalding was the best night cap on Saturday night. Photos by Andrea Canter at the 2009 TC Jazz Festival.