Kenne Thomas is a Twin Cities drummer with broad experiences and a bent towards arranging. He leads his K-Tet into Jazz Central Studios Saturday night May 14 at 8PM. When Kenne spoke with Phil Nusbaum, the talk turned to the reason for creating set arrangements for Jazz tunes.

Those are Minnesota music icons Gordy Knudtson and Bobby Schnitzer. Back in the day they were frequent collaborators on tours and in studios. The two have a new audio recording, with a You Tube video as well, all under the name Gordo and The Stinger. When the guys talked to Phil Nusbaum, Bobby the guitarist related why they’ve revived their old partnership.

Kendra Glenn plays KJ’s Hideaway in Saint Paul This Friday at 6:30. As a kid in Chicago, Kendra developed the chops to do what she does today: When she gets a song, she molds it and makes it her own. In a recent interview, Kendra told Phil Nusbaum about her process.

Tearra Oso continues her work in a field she calls Bomba-Pop. It’s a marriage of a traditional Puerto Rican form with a pop sensibility. In her new video and CD, Tearra weaves together messages of peace, justice, personal growth and healing, using a voice that comes from her ancestors. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Tearra addressed the purpose of Griot del Rio.

The Genesis Jazz Orchestra is ready for its Big Show welcoming spring, this Sunday. It will be in the Rosemount Community Center at 4PM. Genesis often opens its sets with a tune called Jackson City Jubilee. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, trumpeter Steve Olson told why.

Tou SaiK is known for addressing youth. He mixes the wisdom of his late grandmother with hip hop, and is releasing a CD that adds to the videos he has already released. In just a second, we will hear an excerpt of Tou’s grandmother’s poetry, then Tou’s conversation with Phil Nusbaum.

The Good The Bad and The Funky has been around a quarter of a century. Layne Bender of the Good the Bad and the Funky talked about the group recently with Phil Nusbaum. They started by addressing how long the group has been around. But before we hear from Layne, some genuine audio from a club appearance by the Good The Bad and the Funky.

The Roseville Community Band has been around for well over 60 years. The group plays locally and has traveled to other states and foreign countries, too. Dan Kuch directs the Roseville Community Band. I is Dan’s role to find interesting music for the group to play, and keeping things fresh. Dan has also composed the group’s calling card tune, March of the Roses. Dan’s conversation with Phil Nusbaum opened with Dan playing his original song.

Karrin Allyson talks about her upcoming Karrin's Kaleidoscope Performance on April 17 at Dakota. Mixing it up with Bonnie Raitt, Mose Allison, and some delightful originals.

This Monday at the Dakota in Minneapolis, 4 leading local guitarists from varied musical backgrounds share their Beatles interpretations. Postponed from last March, Joel Shapira, Tim Sparks, Dean Magraw and Jeff Perry are finally able to serve up their reimagined Beatles music. When the group got together with Phil Nusbaum, Jeff told where the idea for the show comes from.