Minnesota Hard Bop Collective Quintet! “The Music of African American Composers of The Hard Bop Jazz Era Concert Series”

This week’s MRAC sponsored Hard Bop concert will continue to explore the music and stories of Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson. and Kenny Barron. This week’s musicians are Omar AbdulKarim (Trumpet), Peter Goggin (Alto), Dale Alexander (Piano), Charlie Lincoln (Bass) and Jesse Simon (Drums). The music starts at 3pm at 56 Brewing! Shows are free, ADA accessible and family friendly!

***What is Hard Bop Jazz and who is The MN Hard Bop Collective?***
American Jazz evolved from African rhythms and European harmonies in the first half of the 20th century; a series of subgenres have evolved, including Hard Bop Jazz (HBJ). HBJ comes from a group of African American performers in the1950s as a way to express their civil rights. The music is hard-driving, often uptempo, with extensive communication between the musicians and their audience. It’s physical, gripping, and sometimes joyfully relentless! This makes the music difficult to play but fun for the performers and the listeners. Live music is often used as background to other activities such as dining, so HBJ is rarely performed outside niche jazz clubs that require a cover charge, especially during the winter months when outdoor performance is more difficult in this climate. To remedy this problem, The Minnesota Hard Bop Collective (MNHBC) was formed by Twin City (TC) professional musicians in 2016 for the purpose to introduce a new generation of musicians and audiences to this music. Our goals are to preserve HBJ, and share it with new audiences by performing free concerts in diverse neighborhoods highlighting African American HBJ composers. The MNHBC has evolved into a collective of over TC professional 25 musicians. We have successfully completed three MRAC grants and one St. Paul Cultural Star Grant and we have been featured at the TC Jazz Fest, Dakota, and several other area jazz venues.
(Sample from MRAC Application)