Monday, May 8, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Underground Music Café
1579 Hamline Ave.
Falcon Heights, MN 55108
$10 cover. Families and children are welcome.
Larry McDonough Quartet
Larry McDonough, piano and vocals
Richard Terrill, saxes
Greg Stinson, bass
Dean White, drums
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FaceBook
Video
LMQ performs Sirocco
Audio
LMQ performs Tuscarora
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The Larry McDonough Quartet takes a break from its popular shows “Bill Evans and Tony Bennett - 40 Years Later,” “Born to Be Kind of Blue: The Music of Chet Baker and Miles Davis,” and “AcoustElectric” to perform two sets entirely of compositions of pianist Larry McDonough and bassist Greg Stinson. “All Originals” filled Khyber Pass Café this winter, and was a popular show at Studio Z and Jazz Central.
Pianist, singer, and composer Larry McDonough’s trademarks are unique harmonies and rhythms in both arrangements and compositions, often in the uncommon meters of 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13. He has sprinkled his compositions in his eight recordings, ranging from ballads Lady Day (CD “Simple Gifts”) and Tuscarora (CDs “Simple Gifts” & “Tuscarora”) to the rhythmically and harmonically intense odd metered Sirocco 7/4 (CD “Solitude” and DVD “Live at Minnesota Connection”), Coming Late to Rachmaninoff 11/4 (CD “Solitude”), and Tango para Maria Luiza 9/4 (CD “My Favorite Things”).
He also has composed pieces for the SpecAbilities Project, formerly Fingersteps, based on melody fragments from kids with special abilities and disabilities, including his daughter Rosie. Pieces include A Rose for Two 5/4 (CDs "Solitude" and “My Favorite Things”), Elie's Theme (CD "Simple Gifts"), Solitude 7/4 (CD "Solitude"), and Waltz for Christian 3/4 (CD "Solitude").
For All Originals, LMQ will perform Funkability 7/4 (another SpecAbilities piece), Blue Dolphin 7/4 (a 7 bar blues based on a fragment of Dolphin Dance), Thrice As 3/4 (jazz fusion melody and chords based on thirds), and Twelfth Tri 12/4 (12 tone row with bars divided into 7/4 and 5/4), as well as a sample of previously performed compositions.
Bassist Greg Stinson is an active composer and arranger with jazz charts in the books of the CC Septet, Hortz Quintet, Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, and others, including A Dream of Hungarian Lanterns, A Fragment of Tomorrow, Expedition, Friendly Stranger, I Care Too Much, Ruya’s Dream, She’s Big in Egypt, Slopin’, The Penny Gospel, and What We Don’t Need. He has also written a number of choral arrangements and compositions for school and church groups. LMQ also will perform a sample of Greg’s compositions.
Award-winning poet and saxman Richard Terrill will add poetry about jazz.
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Larry McDonough is a St. Paul jazz pianist and singer, performing around the world and recording with his group the Larry McDonough Quartet as well as solo, and in duos and trios. He has performed with legendary saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, Trombonist Fred Wesley, and trumpeter Duane Eubanks, as well as a who’s who of local jazz artists, and was inducted into the Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame for his work in the group Danny’s Reasons. He has released eight CDs and DVDs as a leader, including “Simple Gifts,” which reached number 29 on the CMJ Jazz Chart and has been played on hundreds of stations around the country and throughout the world. He also is a lawyer and law professor selected by William Mitchell College of Law as one of “100 Who Made a Difference” over the 100-year history of the school. Larry directs pro bono legal services for the poor at Dorsey & Whitney.
Richard Terrill, sax player and Minnesota State University Mankato English Professor, received the Minnesota Book Award for Poetry for his poetry compilation “Coming Late to Rachmaninoff” (University of Tampa Press, 2003). Richard has been performing with Larry McDonough since December 2001. He also has performed with guitarist Jim McGuire and with Chaz Draper’s Uptown Jazz Quartet. As a college student, Richard was a member of the award-winning University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble and performed with later-to-be Pat Metheny keyboardist Lyle Mays in the Lyle Mays Quartet, winner of small group honors at the Midwest College Jazz Festival. He has also worked with pianist Geoff Keezer. Richard teaches creative writing at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Bassist Greg Stinson plays in several bands around the Twin Cities. He has been the bass player in the Century College Jazz Ensemble for more than 25 years. He also plays in the CC Septet, Shorn Hortz Quintet, Paul Berger Trio, the St. Croix Jazz Ensemble, and regularly subs with the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Classic Big Band, and Cedar Avenue Big Band. Greg spent many years playing saxophones, guitar, bass, and vocals in jazz/rock and variety bands in the area. Greg was a band and choir director in public and private schools before changing to his current career in telecommunications technology. The Larry McDonough Quartet performs Greg Stinson compositions from the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra recording ADance to Be-bop.
Dean White grew up in Superior, Wisconsin, and played in various working bands while attending the University of Wisconsin, Superior. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in percussion performance, he moved to Hollywood, California, to attend Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music. Half-way through the first year, Dean was offered a main showroom gig at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. He was the first drummer in the Legends In Concert Show that still performs in various incarnations across the country today. He left Las Vegas to join Tony Axtell and Toshi Hinata in Tokyo to write and play original music. Since settling back in the Twin Cities, Dean has performed with many groups, including Good, the Bad and the Funky; the Autobody Experience; Century Big Band; Nova Jazz; Big Time Jazz Orchestra; the Shorn Hortz jazz quintet; Power of 10; Jack Knife and the Sharps; Tubby Esquire; Hennessy Brothers jazz; and many others. He has also studied privately with Gordy Knudtson and his Open/Close hand technique. Dean feels blessed to be part of the rich music scene in the Twin Cities.
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Contact information:
Larry McDonough
651-398-8053
