Catherine Russell: Grammy Award winning vocalist Catherine Russell is a native New Yorker, born into musical royalty. Her father, the late Luis Russell, was a legendary pianist/composer/bandleader, and Louis Armstrong’s long-time musical director. Her mother, Carline Ray, was a pioneering vocalist/guitarist/bassist who performed with International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Mary Lou Williams, and Sy Oliver. A […]

As veteran members of the Grammy Award-winning music ensemble Sounds of Blackness, Geoff and Chreese have crisscrossed the globe, performing at the Montreux, North Sea and Vienne Jazz Festivals, the Olympic Games, the (Soccer) World Cup, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Soul Train, Showtime at the Apollo, the NAACP Image Awards, for global heads of state […]

The Walker West Jazzwomen Collective brings together women and non-binary musicians with ties to the Twin Cities jazz scene to promote gender justice in jazz. The group performs a mix of original compositions and arrangements. The Jazzwomen Collective is a part of Walker West’s Women in Jazz Initiative, which is focused on addressing the gender […]

Arthur “L.A.” Buckner, one of the Twin Cities’ most creative drummers, has taken iTunes by storm with the release of his project BiG HOMiE, which reached the #1 Jazz position within 24 hours of its August, 2020 release. A fusion of his musical influences of Gospel, R&B, HipHop, African Rhythm, and Jazz explodes in a […]