Twin Cities Jazz Festival returns in June with shows at the Dakota and Crooners
May 13—Tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi and his quartet and vocalist Kurt Elling are among the acts set to play the Twin Cities Jazz Festival in June.
The festival, which runs June 24 through 27, typically takes place in St. Paul's Mears Park, but due to the pandemic, it's booked for the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis and the outdoor Belvedere stage and indoor main stage at Crooners Supper Club in Fridley. The festival has tentative plans to return to Mears Park in mid-September.
The shows at Crooners are ticketed. The Dakota concert and outdoor Crooners shows will be streamed live for free.
"Throughout the pandemic, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival has remained committed to our musicians, jazz fans and community. For the past 14 months, we've been hosting Jazz Fest Live, a weekly virtual concert series and have watched our numbers soar. We have music lovers logging in from all 50 states and several countries," said Steve Heckler, Twin Cities Jazz Festival's executive director. "We appreciate all the donations that have allowed us to continue to bring live music into homes weekly."
R&B singer and "The Voice" vet Ashley DuBose kicks off the festival June 24 with a streamed concert from the Dakota.
The Jazz Women All-Stars featuring Patty Peterson and Ginger Commodore and Andrew Walesch Plus Nine perform June 25 on Crooners' outdoor stage, while the Jerry Bergonzi Quartet headlines the main stage.
Two-time Grammy winner Kurt Elling and Jamecia Bennett play the Belvedere stage on June 26, the same night the Crooners main stage offers the Jazz Piano Showcase, which is hosted by Jon Weber and features Dale Alexander, Thomas West, Laura Caviani, Will Kjeer and Kavyesh Kaviraj.
The festival wraps up June 27 with the Jerry Bergonzi Quartet and JazzMN Orchestra on the Belvedere stage and youth bands and Connie Evingson and Jon Weber featuring Dennis Spears on Crooners' main stage.
For more details, see twincitiesjazzfestival.com.
