1. Leo Kottke: He’s a Minnesota musical treasure, a post-Thanksgiving institution and an inductee in the Guitar Player Hall of Fame. Kottke’s adventures on 6- and 12-string guitars are riveting, seasoned with occasional baritone vocals and spontaneous idiosyncratic stories. His humor, quirky as it may be, is as captivating as his guitar playing, mesmerizing as it is. As is his tradition of 40-some years, Kottke prefers an opening act that might be as eccentric as he is. He’s landed on Nellie McKay, the charming New York cabaret artist with the disarming wit and expansive musical palette.
LEO KOTTKE: LIVE AT THE ORDWAY
w/Special Guest Nellie McKay
DEC 5 • 7PM
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thanks to Twin Cities cartoonist Charles Schulz, we love our Charlie Brown Christmas so much that there are competing tributes by local pianists on the same night: Travis Anderson.
TRAVIS ANDERSON TRIO’S “A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS”
DEC 5 • 7 & 9PM
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7. Meshell Ndegeocello: The intrepid and suddenly prolific musical adventurer last year delivered “Omnichord Real Book,” an intimate, heartache-filled collection that captured the first Grammy for best alternative jazz album, and this year she’s dropped two albums. “Red Hot & Ra: The Magic City” is a tribute to intergalactic music maker Sun Ra, and “No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin” is inspired by the writings of the great author. In fact, his words can be heard in some songs as well as Ndegeocello’s own lyrics and spoken word from Jamaican poet Staceyann Chin. The sounds may seem gentle but the words penetrate to the heart.
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO: LIVE AT THE WALKER
DEC 7 • 6:30 & 9PM
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Dave Wakeling leads the English Beat in a reprise of the ‘80s hits “Save It for Later” and “Mirror in the Bathroom”.
THE ENGLISH BEAT
DEC 7 • 7PM
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St. Paul soul man Nicholas David offers his 11th annual St. Nick’s Day show.
NICHOLAS DAVID’S ST. NICK’S DAY SHOW
DEC 8 • 7PM
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Kathleen Johnson’s Holiday Hang features a collection of stellar Twin Cities voices including Cornisha Garmon, Lamont Keten and Len Jones.