Rock, soul, jazz art song + gospel make for a memorable weekend of music.

Matt Wilson & His Orchestra

From Trip Shakespeare and The Twilight Hours
FRI MAY 24 • 7PM & 9:30PM
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“The song master is debuting a new ensemble that’s all-acoustic but also lushly layered.” –Star Tribune

Minneapolis singer and songwriter Matt Wilson presents his music on a featherbed of banjo rhythms and arpeggiating harp. Using tones mellow and grassy, Matt and his band spin out the best songs of Matt’s career, reaching back beyond his prog rock days as songwriter and lyricist with Trip Shakespeare, back to his first songwriting explorations of classic forms, country melodies, tear-jerking ballads.

 

Rahsaan Patterson: Heroes & Gods Album Release

“Kids Incorporated” Soul Man
SAT MAY 25 • 7PM & 9:30PM
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“Rahsaan has displayed a vocal agility rooted in the playbooks of pioneering soul vocalists ranging from Chaka Khan to Otis Redding and Patti LaBelle… [WithHeroes & Gods] Rahsaan has assured his ongoing musical relevance with a commitment to his craft and an enviable ability to stay in ‘the zone’ while expanding its parameters greatly. Highly recommended.” –Soultracks

Introduced to the public at the age of 9 to portray “The Kid” on the popular 1980s television show Kids Incorporated, Rahsaan appeared alongside such future stars as Fergie, Martika, Mario Lopez and Shanice. Totaling Rahsaan’s solo releases, songs he has written and performed on soundtracks, and songs recorded by other artists over his 36-year career, his music has contributed to 10 million records sold, all while keeping the integrity of his artistry intact.

 

Clara Osowski & Jeremy Walker: Haunted Blue

feat. Anthony Cox

Jazz Art Song
SUN MAY 26 • 6PM
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“All the works revel in spectral zones between light and shadow, loss and connection, classical and jazz.” –Classical Minnesota Public Radio

It was an unlikely partnership: a jazz pianist/composer and international award-winning Schubert vocalist, but the sparks of Jeremy Walker and Clara Osowski‘s artistic collaboration appeared the first time they performed together. The result was Haunted Blue—music by Walker with poetry by Walt Whitman, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Twin Cities lyricist Greg Foley.  The project also features renowned jazz bassist, Anthony Cox.

MPR’s New Classical Tracks host Julie Amacher observed the album was comprised of “songs that may reflect the future of classical music” and asked, “If Franz Schubert were composing songs today, would they sound like the songs heard on this new recording?” This encore performance will include new, behind-the-scenes stories told by the artists about its collaborators and creation.