Reid Anderson, co-founder and drummer for The Bad Plus, recently connected with Sean McPherson to discuss The Bad Plus's upcoming residency at the Dakota, which starts on December 25 and runs until December 28.

Joyann Parker is all in for the blues and for weighted blankets. As she travels the road as a celebrated blues musician she has been amassing a fan base across the Midwest and beyond. Check out the conversation to find out Joyann Parker's 2023 album "Roots", her holiday show at KJ's Hideaway and her New Year's Eve shows at Crooners.

Karrin Allyson and Rod Fleeman are never far from the holiday spirit. After sharing many a night on stage in Kansas City Allyson and Fleeman frequently travel together to bring their special brand of holiday cheer further afield. The duo were nice enough to stop by our studios today to serenade us with renditions of "Christmas Bells Are Ringing" and "Some of that Sunshine" plus some conversation.

DeCarlo Jackson is a shining light in the Twin Cities. He is a member of HEYARLO, Hippocampus and is a gifted trumpet player and bassist. After a viewing of the Spike Lee classic Mo' Better Blues, DeCarlo Jackson wanted to combine the thriving jazz scene in the Twin Cities with the thriving comedy scene in the Twin Cities. After connecting with Emma Dalenberg, the duo planted the seeds for RIFFS, which began out at Jazz Central Studios in October. The comedy/jazz collaboration continues this weekend with shows on Sunday December 17 and New Year's Eve at the Green Room in Uptown. Listen to hear how the collaboration got started and some of the high points so far!

Toussaint Morrison and Roz Prickel are no strangers to stages of all varieties. But after about a year of contemplation and a handful of weeks of intense work, the duo are ready to stage their debut holiday show. They'll be staging it at Northeast Social on Thursday and Friday December 14 and 15.

Joshua Redman recently released his Blue Note Records debut, "Where Are We". The album is much more lyrics heavy than Redman's previous outings and features Redman's maiden voyage as a lyric writer. The album is built around a collaboration between Redman and vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa as well as a top notch band featuring Aaron Parks, Joe Sanders and Brian Blade. Joshua Redman is scheduled for two shows at the Dakota on February 6 of 2024.

We are stuffed to the gills in Minnesota with great jazz artists. We wanted to highlight some of the best songs released in 2023. This list is by no means comprehensive and we encourage you to listen our stream dedicated to Minnesota music, Minnesota Jazz Tracks. And don't miss out on the great local show of the same name on our FM airwaves on Monday nights from 7-9.

We are stuffed to the gills in Minnesota with great jazz artists. We wanted to highlight some of the best songs released in 2023. This list is by no means comprehensive and we encourage you to listen our stream dedicated to Minnesota music, Minnesota Jazz Tracks. And don't miss out on the great local show of the same name on our FM airwaves on Monday nights from 7-9.

José James is a product of South Minneapolis and even though he lives elsewhere he is still strongly connected with the Twin Cities. In fact, James fell in love with jazz as a young teenager thanks to an announcer on Jazz88 outlining the role of Billy Strayhorn in the composition "Take The A Train". In his adulthood James has become an internationally revered jazz artist. He's dropping a new album in April of 2024 and he's coming back to the Twin Cities for two shows at the Dakota on December 12 and 13. These are his annual Christmas shows and this year, he'll be joined by Christian Sands on piano. Tune in to hear about all this and more from José James.

Craig Dion and Jason Craft alongside fellow musicians and vocalists will be gracing the stage of the Capri Theater in Minneapolis this Sunday for a concert celebrating the music of Stevie Wonder. They visited the Afternoon Cruise to discuss the concert, Wonder's vast musical output and the unique unpolished joy that Stevie Wonder brings to his work behind the drum kit.