After completing the long drive from the Upper Peninsula back to the Twin Cities, trumpet player and composer Adam Meckler was happy to pop in the booth at Jazz88 and discuss his upcoming gigs at Berlin on Friday, August 15. Meckler also talked about his upcoming record "Sampled" which drops in November. Meckler also shared what he and the rest of the team from the Michigan Technological University do to support their jazz students in Michigan.

Professional pianist Abebi Stafford and student saxophonist Sam Stauning stopped by the Jazz88 studios to talk about the fundraiser concert the MN Hard Bop Collective is hosting on Monday, August 11. The concert will feature a student ensemble with Stauning alongside pianist Basil Saathoff and guitarist Kyle Baxter. The concert will also feature a professional performance with Abebi Stafford on organ, Jesse Simon on drums and Ian Duerr on guitar. Stafford and Stauning discussed navigating a rhythm section free performance and also reflected upon the skills one can learn performing in a casual setting like the Sit-In Series.

The celebrated multi-instrumentalist Dosh dreamed big a couple years ago when he put together the Larry Schaefer Memorial Orchestra. This fully improvised 12-piece unit has been performing for a handful of years and Dosh is ready to bring the show to Palmer's on the West Bank for a show this Saturday. The orchestra will be joined by LA Buckner, Little Lizard and more. Dosh was nice enough to stop by the Jazz88 studios and talk about the new project and the upcoming concert. He also took time to celebrate Palmer's, a venue with a 100+ year history that is closing its doors in Mid-September.

The legendary guitarist Mark Whitfield is making his way back to the Twin Cities for a set at the Lakeside Guitar Festival. Whitfield is no stranger to Minnesota, having played here frequently at the beginning of his career when he was touring with Brother Jack McDuff. Whitfield covered the details of the trio he's traveling with, his reverence and love for education and his approach to improvising even when playing solo.

Abinnet Berhanu and Yohannes Tona are elite musicians who can cover a lot of ground musically. But, given that they are both Ethiopian-Americans, they bring a lot of passion for Ethiopian music into our scene. After many successful individual efforts, the duo decided to reach out to a likeminded L.A. musician, Kibrom Birhane, and form a new group. ENGOCHA premieres this Friday and Saturday at Icehouse in MPLS. The group breaks new ground in the world of Ethiojazz with a number of originals and they will also add some classics from the genre to the playlist. Abinnet and Yohannes were nice enough to stop by the Jazz88 studios to talk about this new project.

JC Sanford, the organizer of the Northfield Jazz Festival, swung by the studios of Jazz88 to discuss the 2025 installment of the festival, which takes place July 11-13. The event is only its second year, but it's already tripled in size. Sanford and co will host events from Friday evening all the way to Sunday evening. Listen to find out more about the Northfield Jazz Fest and this year's headlining artists, Miguel Zenon and Luis Perdomo.

Joan Hutton from Take that Back was nice enough to visit the Jazz88 studios in anticipation of their upcoming performance at Taste of MN this weekend (Sunday July 6 at 5:45). Hutton was joined by Stephanie Wiesler, who is filling in on sax and flute for Sue Orfield. The duo discussed the upcoming gig, the joys and difficulties of subbing in and the fun of playing outside!

Toussaint Morrison is a journalist, an actor and a recording artist. This Friday, Toussaint is premiering five new music videos and a live set of all new music at the Green Room in Minneapolis. The event is in celebration of his forthcoming new album, Shapeshifter. Morrison took the time to visit with Sean from Jazz88 to discuss his love of jazz and share a couple of his personal favorites.

Pianist and composer Emmet Cohen will be back in the Twin Cities to play at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival on Friday, June 20 at 8:30 with his trio and the Four Freshmen. Cohen took a break this week to catch up with Sean McPherson and talk about his latest studio release and what he still keeps on reaching for in the world of music.

Saxophonist Steve Cole is a Mack Avenue recording artist based in the Twin Cities preparing for a show at the Dakota on Saturday, June 14. Cole checked back in with Jazz88 to talk about his recent studio album "Without a Doubt" and the fun he's having with his band of Twin Cities heavyweights.