Jazz from J to Z’: JAZZAX Celebrates the Music of Lester Young, Sept. 27

The Twin Cities Jazz Society kicks off its 2009-2010 “Jazz from J to Z” season Sept. 27 at the Capri Theater in north Minneapolis (3 p.m.) with a tribute to saxophone legend Lester Young. Co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Jazz Studies Department, the concert will feature the JAZZAX Saxophone Quartet (Dave Milne, Mike Walk, Pete Whitman, and Greg Keel), the Laura Caviani Trio (with Gordy Johnson and Phil Hey), saxophonist Dave Karr and vocalist Charmin Michelle. This year marks the centennial of the birth of Lester Young in Woodville, Missouri. Known as an early “hipster” due to his distinctive dress (including the famous porkpie hat) and idiosyncratic language, Young’s cool tone and emotional style offered a not-always-appreciated alternative to the popular powerhouse tenor of Coleman Hawkins. Considered a major influence on Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Gerry Mulligan, and Sonny Stitt, Young also had a direct impact on Charlie Parker and the bop movement of the ‘40s and ‘50s. He was Count Basie’s lead tenor throughout much of the 1930s and ‘40s, and was part of the famed Jazz at the Philharmonic in the late ‘40s and ‘50s. The 1986 film Round Midnight is based in part on the life of Lester Young. A frequent musical partner of Billie Holiday, Young is credited with dubbing her Lady Day, and in turn she nicknamed him Prez, short for President.

The “Tribute to Lester Young” will include special arrangements of Young’s classic performances with the Count Basie Orchestra of the ‘30s and ‘40s, featuring the JAZZAX Saxophone Quartet and local legend Dave Karr on such tunes as “Lester Leaps In,” “Tickle Toe,” and “Jumpin’ at the Woodside.” They will also perform new compositions and arrangements based on the music of Young and those he influenced, including Wayne Shorter’s “Lester Left Town,” Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” and David Milne’s “The Happening.” JAZZAX and the Laura Caviani Trio will perform Caviani’s original “Suite Basie,” while swinging vocalist Charmin Michelle will present American popular songs immortalized by Young and Billie Holiday.

Led by David Milne, the JAZZAX Saxophone Quartet includes four of the most respected saxophonists in the upper Midwest: David Milne (soprano, alto sax), a Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, who plays with the JazzMN Big Band and Out to Lunch Quintet; Michael Walk (alto sax), an Instrumental Music Instructor for Stillwater (MN) Area Schools who plays throughout western Wisconsin and with the JazzMN Big Band; Pete Whitman (tenor sax), head of the Brass and Woodwinds Department at McNally Smith College in St. Paul, leader of The Pete Whitman Quartet and Xtet, and member of the JazzMN Big Band; and Greg Keel (baritone sax), who is on the faculty of the MacPhail Center for Music and a member of the JazzMN Big Band. [FFI on the JAZZAX Saxophone Quartet visit, .]
Special guest saxman Dave Karr grew up in New York and has enjoyed a career spanning nearly six decades. Leader of the Dave Karr Quartet and Mulligan Stew, and member of the JazzMn Big Band, Dave is the first of first-call multi-reedists (tenor and bari sax, flute and clarinet). Supporting the horns will be the Laura Caviani Trio; pianist Laura Caviani, a well-known performer, composer and educator, plays regularly with Pete Whitman’s X-Tet while teaching at St. Olaf and Carleton colleges; bassist Gordy Johnson is everyone’s first-call, currently touring with vocalist Stacey Kent, and plays locally with the Dakota Trio and with numerous ensembles and vocalists. Drummer Phil Hey toured with the late Dewey Redman and currently with Stacey Kent, leads his own Quartet, and plays regularly with the X-Tet and Dakota Trio.

Channeling Billie Holiday at the Capri, vocalist Charmin Michelle has one of the most easily recognized voices in town, and is heard weekly at Fireside Pizza and Cinema Ballroom. She tours Spain frequently and has appeared on club and concert stages (including Orchestra Hall) throughout the Twin Cities. The TCJS “Jazz from J to Z” opening concert, “A Tribute to Lester Young,” takes place Sept. 27, 3 p.m., at the Capri Theater, 2027 W. Broadway, Minneapolis.
Admission at the door is $20; $15 for TCJS members and students. FFI, visit .
http://www.tcjs.org/content/view/87/2/