Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson has traversed the globe for over fifty years. As an ambassador of Western swing music, he introduced its irresistible sound to generation after generation. More than 100 musicians have passed through the Wheel, but Benson remains the front man, the keeper of the vision. To that end, he’s amassed over […]

Southside Aces are celebrating twenty years of performing the repertoire of the Jazz Age greats and beyond. From the early New Orleans of Jelly Roll Morton to the world-changing joys of Louis Armstrong. The barrel house sounds of Preservation Hall to the Crescent City rhythms of rock and roll pioneer Fats Domino. Treat yourself to a […]

A new show inspired by icons Ray Charles, Brian Auger, Booker T., Georgie Fame & Graham Bond. Willie & Tommy join up with trap kit genie Dave Anania, string bass pusher Jeremy Boettcher & wonderkid saxophonist/flutist Nelson Devereaux. Here, they wade into vintage covers and Wisely originals alike.

Join the premiere big band in the Twin Cities, JazzMN Orchestra, for an unforgettable evening. This esteemed ensemble tackles blistering, swinging and innovative arrangements from the collection of the Thad Jones and Mel Lewis Orchestra. Longtime JazzMN drummer Joe Pulice has been tapped as music director. Further, this promises to be another great concert with the band at the Dakota.

Charles McPherson was born in Joplin, Missouri in 1939 and moved to Detroit at the age of nine. He moved to New York in 1959, joined bassist Charles Mingus’s band in 1960 and stayed with the group until 1972. During his twelve years working with Mingus, McPherson collaborated frequently with Barry Harris, Lonnie Hillyer, George Coleman […]

Davina and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene. Their high-energy live shows featurelevel-A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism and Sowers’ commanding stage presence. Also, their influences range from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits. Moreover, the band is converting audiences one show at a time, […]

Dakota favorites, Jay Young and The Lyric Factory started as a father/son duo in the mid-90s that has grown into a multi-faceted family of Minneapolis’ “first call” musicians who’ve been performing for sold-out audiences around the Twin Cities since 2005.

Matteo Mancuso was born in 1996 and raised in the province of Palermo. There, people quickly recognized him as a musical prodigy. His father, Vincenzo Mancuso, a well-known guitarist and producer, guided Matteo’s introduction to the world of music. Teaming up with his father, Matteo made waves in Sicily’s jazz scene, participating in local festivals at […]

Saxophonist Steve Cole is one of the most celebrated players in contemporary jazz. The Chicago native exploded onto the scene with 1998’s Stay Awhile, which fellow Chicagoan Brian Culbertson produced. The disc scored multiple Number One hits and earned Cole the Oasis Smooth Jazz Award for best new artist. Cole's latest, 2023's Without a Doubt landed four singles on the […]

Over the past five decades, the voice of Janis Siegel has been an undeniable force in The Manhattan Transfer's musical catalogue. To that end, Siegel is a ten-time Grammy winner and eighteen-time nominee. Alongside her career as a founding member of this musical institution, Siegel has also sustained a solo career. Here, she has released almost a […]

Before Prince and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, “The Minneapolis Sound” had Bobby Lyle, whose legendary career included touring with Sly & The Family Stone and Young-Holt Unlimited, being Music Director for George Benson, Anita Baker and Bette Midler, and recording with Pharaoh Sanders. Shortly before Jimi Hendix passed away, he was planning a jazz-rock quartet […]

Home Grown All-Stars play Soul and Funk Infused Jazz Before Prince and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, “The Minneapolis Sound” had Bobby Lyle, whose legendary career included touring with Sly & The Family Stone and Young-Holt Unlimited, being Music Director for George Benson, Anita Baker and Bette Midler, and recording with Pharaoh Sanders. Shortly before Jimi […]