The Lead Sheet: Twin Cities Live Jazz, September 20-26

SOURCE: JAZZINK BY ANDREA CANTER, Published: 2013-09-21
Diane Witherspoon returns for a rare hometown gig; Katie Gearty, a jazz band and dance ensemble collaborate on Belmont Hotel; the “galician bagpipe diva" brings improvisation and a wide swath of music to the Dakota where the Great Lady of Soul (Bettye Lavette) returns a night later; Fat Kid Wednesdays is featured on the upcoming two Mondays of JT's Jazz Implosion; the Golden Strings celebrate 50 years; and the Artists Quarter hosts its largest regular ensembles, the Adam Meckler Orchestra and Pete Whitman X-Tet. It's a wild week in Twin Cities jazz and improvisational music.

Friday, September 20. Refreshed and still ecstatic from her New York CD release a couple weeks ago, songbird Maud Hixson is back home and ready to sing for her local audience, tonight at Parma 8200 with Rick Carlson and Gordy Johnson. She's got some great stories from her big night at the Cafe at Broadway — just ask! And maybe she will work in a few of her sparkling Mickey Leonard tunes. Downtown Minneapolis at the Dakota, Ginger Commodore and Debbie Duncanare back on stage, surely one of the hottest vocal duos in the region. Standards, blues, soul and a thick sprinkle of sass and wit will keep Ginger's long-running band on its toes.

Friday-Saturday, September 20-21.Native Twin Citian, vocalist Diane Witherspoon makes a rare stop home for a gig this weekend, with two nights at the Artists Quarter. Sister of the late Shirley Witherspoon and a second cousin to bluesman Jimmy Witherspoon, Diane has been performing and recording on the West Coast and abroad for the past 30 years. Her local support team this weekend is worthy of it own gig — Laura Caviani, Billy Peterson and Kenny Horst.

Friday, September 20 - Sunday, September 29. After opening last night, COLLIDE Theatrical Dance Company's new production of The Belmont Hotel continues through next weekend with Thursday-Sunday performances at the Southern Theater. The music is jazz from the Prohibition Era, with vocals from Katie Gearty and Cameron Wright and instrumental backing from a combo including jazz fans' favorite Graydon Peterson; the dancers of COLLIDE are led by choreographer Regina Peluso; and the story is right out of Broadway, filled with the dark drama of the Roaring Twenties.

Read more: http://news.allaboutjazz.com/news.php?id=106242#.Uj7NNBbhEhQ