Soundboard

Local Jazz in the Twin Cities: A Model for Eau Claire?

Gene Power |

Here is something noteworthy: The Artists' Quarter in St. Paul just celebrated 13 years in its current location in downtown St. Paul. The AQ is a unique club that often takes a backseat to the more flashy décor and nationally known acts that grace the stage at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis. Owned by drummer Kenny Horst (a well known drummer on the local scene in St. Paul) the AQ hosts local and regional acts almost exclusively while also playing host to an occasional national act. Here’s a great article about the 13th anniversary celebration on jazzpolice.com.

I really appreciate what the AQ does for the Twin Cities and the rest of the region. It allows local musicians an opportunity to experiment with different musical settings and offers professionals, who often play in commercials or pit orchestras, the chance to open up and play the music that they love. One of my early mentors on the saxophone, Brian Grivna, plays at least once a month at the AQ. His sets are electrifying and showcase his virtuosic talent on saxophone, clarinet and flute. He plays with fire and passion. Normally he plays the woodwind parts in pits across the Twin Cities but when he plays at the AQ the gloves come off. It’s inspiring.

When I was growing up in Rosemount, Minnesota, the AQ used to host a jam session every Saturday afternoon. My friends and I would drive up to St. Paul to sit in. Players good and bad from all over the place would come to the club to play. There were days when it was packed and I waited forever to get on stage for a song or two but there were other days when I could get up and blow chorus after chorus and really get a work out. I remember playing Body and Soul with some cats that were way outta my league. I mean, these guys were from another planet. I got ripped to shreds and still had to get up and finish off the tune. What a lesson – baptism by fire. I still feel the burns to this day.

I guess the most amazing thing about the AQ is that even after 13 years at its current location it still manages to make it. It’s not the flashiest club in the world. It doesn’t host national acts all that much. It doesn’t pay the greatest to the musicians. What it does provide is a consistent, solid outlet for local jazz. It gives musicians and audiences a chance to come together and experience music and to create something unique each night. Perhaps we could take a lesson from the Artists Quarter in Eau Claire. Maybe we’re ready to create this opportunity. In a town of bars and rock bands I feel like this could be a model for jazz in Eau Claire.

Check out these great videos from the AQ.