Sophia Kickhofel is a 20 year old multi-instrumentalist and composer from Apple Valley, Minnesota. She has performed around the world at venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, Dizzy’s Club, the Dakota and New World Center for the Arts. Furthermore, Sophia studies jazz performance at the Juilliard School under […]

Led by chief detonators Doug Haining, sax, and Scott Agster, trombone, the Explosion Big Band draws from the area’s finest musicians. The EXPLOSION is ready to detonate with the classic sounds of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and more modern sounds of Thad Jones, Clare Fischer, Pat Metheny & others.

Joe Harnett is a twin cities-based saxophonist, educator, and co-founder of Noth Star Jazz Workshnops, a community-driven music school offering small-group jazz ensembles and creative learning experiences for adult musicians.   Featuring: Joe Harnett - saxophone Bryan Nichols - piano Chris Bates - bass Phil Hey - drums

This 16 piece band boosts having been on-going for the last 35 years . Originally under the musical direction of arranger/ composer Steve Devich, they have built a library of big band music containing over 450 charts!

Luca Cavalletti is an up and coming saxophonist based in the twin cities that takes heavy inspiration from Cannonball Adderely  and Patrick Bartley. This combo composed of other talented youth musicians will perform a wide variety of styles from ballads nearly a century old to modern standards.   featuring: Luca Cavalletti - tenor sax TBA […]

Michael O'Brien holds a B.A from the University of Minnesota with a major in the Spanish language. He studied bass under Anthony Cox, and West African and Haitian percussion under Marc Anderson. He has been performing and composing Internationally for over a decade with such notables as Harry Connick Jr., Ruben Blades, Toninho Horta, Gil […]

The Bill Simenson Orchestra is a 17 piece big band (5 saxes, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, guitar, piano, bass, and drums). Since June of 2012 the band has performed the first Tuesday of every month at Jazz Central Studios.

Young emerging artists playing songs they love.    Featuring: Elliot Vap - tenor saxophone Felix Hyde-Owens - guitar Tristan Khler -bass Henry Mrotz - drums

Jazz vocalist Dakota Andersen is back at Jazz Central Studios with a set of new originals! Recorded this spring and set to be released this fall, this show includes most of the tracks from Dakota's upcoming debut album and some arrangements of classic standards.   featuring: Dakota Andersen - voice Joe Mayo - tenor sax Ethan […]

Colonel Mustard's Mechanical Orchestra is a brass band playing the music of Paul Fonfara. Think Duke Ellington in an episode of Twin Peaks, the Johnny Quest theme played by Tom Waits, with some Ennio Morricone and Goran Bregovic thrown in. We play tangos, mariachi, klezmer, Balkans brass, and vintage big band jazz sounds. Some tunes […]

Fusebox is a new progressive jazz fusion trio performing odd-metered originals. Among Fusebox’s influences are Frank Zappa, Medeski Martin & Wood, Spinal Tap, and The Big Lebowski.   featuring: Larry McDonough - keys Craig Matarrese - bass Eron Woods - drums   Video Snot Boogie https://youtu.be/Pd95isk_1Bk Performed at the Minnesota Original Music Festival