Jazz Police, Author at Twin Cities Jazz Festival

The Best of 2023 – The Litchfield Jazz Festival

January 23, 2024 •

Litchfield Jazz Festival Jazz Brunch © Kevin R. Mason The 2023 Litchfield Jazz Festival (LJF) was held at the Frederick Gunn School in Washington, CT, from July 28 to 30. There are music festivals of all kinds, and every festival has its own flavor and […]

The Lead Sheet: January Jazz in the Twin Cities

January 2, 2024 •

Cecile McLorin Salvant returns to The Dakota on January 28th The end of 2023 was so busy with music that I forgot to start the Lead Sheet in time for New Year’s Day! Will Kjeer Looking Back! My December highlights included a stunning set from former resident vocalist Bruce Henry with a stellar trio of […]

My Jazz Picks for 2023

December 28, 2023 •

By Don Beryman We Sick – deVon Russell Gray, Nathan Hanson, Davu Seru What I consider the most significant and poignant release of the year is We Sick. It was recorded in 2020, the year that we all witnessed (via video from a bystander) the callous, almost casual murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police […]

The Lead Sheet: Twin Cities Jazz in December

November 26, 2023 •

Pete Whitman conducts the JazzMn Orchestra, coming to Chanhassen Dinner Theater December 11th Looking Back–November Joyce Lyons at Crooners November was busy on the Twin Cities jazz scene although for various reasons, I got to fewer gigs than usual. My highlights included JT Bates Quartet (The Dakota, November 1); Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson’s “Pre-Songbook […]

Previously Unreleased Recordings from Cal Tjader on Vinyl for Record Store Day November 24th, 2023

November 16, 2023 •

By Don Berryman Cal Tjader Catch The Groove: Live At The Penthouse (1963-1967) on the Jazz Detective label As a music fan what I love the most is hearing a band perform live in an intimate space. There is something about the energy between the audience and the artists that is magical. The best live […]

Wes Montgomery/Wynton Kelly Trio Maximum Swing: The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings on Resonance Records will release on Record Store Day 11/24/2023

November 13, 2023 •

By Don Berryman One of my favorite records is Smokin’ at the Half Note by Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio. I am not alone in my admiration for that album, Pat Metheny called it the greatest jazz guitar album every recorded. So I was really excited to hear about this release of more […]