AcoustElectric
Friday, June 24, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Twin Cities Jazz Festival
SW Craft (Señor Wong Restaurant, Bar and Lounge)
111 Kellogg Boulevard East, Saint Paul
651-224-2019
Larry McDonough Quartet
Larry McDonough, piano and vocals
Richard Terrill, saxes
Graydon Peterson, bass
Dean White, drums
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Premier of The Question of U by Prince in AcoustElectric
The Larry McDonough Quartet brings AcoustElectric back to Saint Paul, with an acoustic first set of Bill Evans, Chet Baker, Tony Bennett, La Marseillaise, and originals, and an electric jazz rock fusion second set of Spinal Tap, Brubeck, Sting, Clapton, Led Zeppelin, and more originals.
Larry will add the premier of his new jazz arrangement of The Question of U by Prince. While many groups will cover the most popular Prince tunes, Larry chose one that is less well-known and arranged it as a light 5/4 offbeat waltz, with an introduction from Paisley Park and an ending from Sometimes It Snows in April. Come hear the Prince in jazz.
The show will be a dress rehearsal for the recording of the material this summer for the CD titled Alice in Stonehenge and Other AcoustElectric Adventures.
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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 Graydon Peterson completed his bachelor's degree in music composition at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he studied classical bass with James Clute, a former bassist with the Minnesota Orchestra. While a member of the Down Beat award-winning UWEC Jazz Ensemble I, he performed with such guest jazz artists as Lewis Nash, Ingrid Jensen, Jason Marsalis, and Chris Botti. Now a resident of Minneapolis, Peterson is one of the area's top-call bassists, performing nightly with a variety of vocalists and small ensembles including Joyce Lyons, Arne Fogel, Firebell, Charanga Tropical and his own Graydon Peterson Quartet. A consummate accompanist, writer and arranger, he has become one of the backbones of the jazz scene in the twin cities.
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