On August 21, 1904 Count Basie was born in Red Bank, NJ. In his seventy-nine years on planet earth he contributed immense amounts to the development of jazz. And the legendary orchestra that he led for the majority of his life continues on to this day under the tutelage of Scotty Barnhart. Rick Carlson, a Twin Cities pianist who holds an after hours residency at Crooners, was raised on the piano work of Count Basie and was nice enough to come through Jazz88 to talk about Count Basie's importance in the world of music.

Jamecia Bennett took time out of her busy schedule to chat with Jazz88 in advance of her headlining show at the Art and All That Jazz Festival this weekend in Burnsville. Ms. Bennett, well-known for her long tenure with Sounds of Blackness, is bringing her critically acclaimed solo show to Nicollet Commons Park and already planning out further performances later in the year at the Ordway.

Deedles, aka Diane Schuur, is making her way back to the Twin Cities for two shows on Saturday, August 12 with the JazzMN Orchestra. She'll be exploring the Count Basie songbook, something she's been doing since the mid 1980s. Diane was joined for this interview by her feline partner, Puss Puss. This interview was edited by Ben Ere’imul.

Celebrated pianist and MacPhail instructor Michael Cain spent about a decade working with Jack DeJohnette from '90-'99. He was nice enough to swing through Jazz88 and talk about his love of Jack DeJohnette. He also reflected on DeJohnette's larger importance in the music world at large.

Award-winning pianist Isaiah J. Thompson is navigating life as a rising star in the jazz world, an in-demand sideman touring the world with John Pizzarelli and a newly-wed! It's a lot to balance but Thompson finds a way to that and also serenade his mother's old Volvo in song form.

JT Bates is preparing for a show on Monday August 14 with Todd Clouser and John Medeski. JT Bates connected with Sean from the Afternoon Cruise to talk about what it's like to play with Medeski and Clouser and what they plan to bring to the stage of Icehouse on Monday, August 14.

Ted Godbout is a consumate sideman supplying the needed support on the keys for many of the greats in the Twin Cities and beyond. But on Wednesday August 9 Godbout will be stepping out as a leader to bring his sounds to the plaza of the Capri Theater. Check out the conversation between Ted and Sean McPherson from the Afternoon Cruise.

Adam Meckler isn't just a trumpet player. He's a writer, an arranger, a curator, an educator and more. He swung down from the Upper Peninsula to get his Twin Cities based orchestra back together for a show at Crooners on Friday. In the conversation Meckler and McPherson discuss Meckler's approach to big band writing, his love of reusing material and his dedication to sharing the tricks of trade with the next generation of musicians.

Jason Fabus is a Minnesota educated jazz musician making his way out in Los Angeles. He's swinging back through town to visit friends and play a couple shows. He'll be at Crooners on Friday night with Graydon Peterson (bass) and Phil Hey (drums) supporting. Fabus is a bit of an odd bird in the jazz world, as he works both as a saxophonist and as a vocalist. In the conversation Jason shared a bit about his path to performing in two disciplines.

The Twin Cities based cellist Greg Byers stopped by the Afternoon Cruise to chat about his new album, "Dear Zbigniew". Greg discussed how visiting Poland in 2018 for the Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition changed his life and where he believes the world of bowed jazz players is heading.