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© 2013 The Artists' Quarter Jazz Club: Live Music in Downtown Saint Paul, MN,
Special thanks to Al Iverson, the original AQ webmaster. We apologize for any errors that may occur. In the event of discrepancies Davis Wilson, your host at the door, is always the final authority. |
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A free opening performance at 7:00pm by “Steve Kenny and the Bastids”, featuring Mr. Kenny on Trumpet with Jesse Mueller on Piano, Aaron Rupar on Drums, and Adam Tucker on Bass along with some very interesting weekly special guests. Part jam session, part stand-up comedy, and part game show, the Bastids are always a rousing warm up to the evening’s festivities. 
Formed in 2005, Snowblind is one of the finest collections of young and inspired talent on the Twin Cities jazz scene. Each group member possesses extensive musical training and professional accolades, but together they chase the communal ideal of the jazz ensemble: a group in which all members are equal and pursue common musical goals through relentless rehearsal. Music in the tradition of jazz masters such as Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Art Blakey serve as a foundation for the group. Ventures into Afro-Cuban and groove-oriented material further augment this horn-fueled jazz group’s sound. Snowblind features Scott Agster (trombone), Reid Kennedy (drums), Graydon Peterson (bass), Adam Rosmiller (trumpet) and Shilad Sen (sax). 
Vicky Mountain has been a mainstay of the Twin Cities music scene since the mid-70s. Her performances in many musical genres include shows with jazz, swing and big bands as well as R&B, Top 40, avant garde and free jazz. She has performed regularly with her own trio/quartet as well as the Lakewood Jazz Ensemble (big band - in the 90s) and the BelaGala Big Band. Vicky is a teacher of jazz and pop voice at MacPhail Center for Music where she is also the head of the voice department. 
Bryan Nichols is a Minneapolis-based pianist and composer who returned to the Twin Cities in 2005 after four busy years in Chicago. 
In the Windy City, he played with jazz heavyweights like Nicole Mitchell, Ernest Dawkins, Von Freeman and Hamid Drake. These days, he leads and composes for his own trio, his quintet and his large group. He also plays regularly with Gang Font, James Buckley Trio, and the Zacc Harris Quartet, in addition to being an in-demand freelancer. 
He was awarded a 2010-11 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians and a 2004 residency by Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center, given to outstanding, emerging jazz performer/composers.