MUSIC
Javon Jackson & Les McCann
Javon Jackson has spent his entire life engulfed in some the greatest jazz around. As a child, his parent turned him on to Gene Ammons and Ahmad Jamal. As a teen, he was blown away by Sonny Stitt (and who wouldn’t be). By the ripe age of 16, he was playing professionally with former Max Roach Quintet pianist Billy Wallace. At this time, he also befriended Branford Marsalis, who convinced him to study at the Berklee School of Music, where he studied under former Art Blakey legendary Jazz Messengers Billy Pierce (sax) and Donald Brown (piano). And he finally played with Blakey himself (as a Jazz Messenger) for three years, until Blakey’s death in 1990. But in 1991, Jackson finally took center stage with the release of Burnin’. Much like Stitt did under Charlie Parker’s tutelage, Jackson has taken the skills and schooling offered by his peers and predecessors and transformed them into a voice that’s all his own. This man has got the groove — the funky, old school groove, with a cherry on top. Make that two cherries — tonight he performs with legendary soul jazz pianist/vocalist Les McCann on organ. This show is loaded with serious funkability.
7 & 9:30 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis; 612-332-1010; $22 & $30.
Festival of the Night
For the past five years the MN sur Seine Festival has been bringing mad international
flair to the Twin Cities. What began primarily as a French jazz festival
has morphed into a worldly and wonderful collaboration between musicians
from Ethiopia, Britain, Spain, and of course, France and Minneapolis!
This evening, meet at the Black Dog Cafe in Lowertown St. Paul for the Festival
of the Night, aka Fest Noz, one of many hot tickets (and potential hot
date nights) this week on the MN sur Seine schedule. Lounge about the
Black Dog’s airy yet intimate space, sip Sangria, and enjoy the sultry
sounds of Spanish Flamenco singer/guitarist duo Gabriel Gonzalez
and Miguel Linares
along with a few super special guests, as to whose identity I’ve been sworn
to secrecy. —Kate Iverson
8 p.m., Black Dog Cafe, 4th
& Broadway, Lowertown St. Paul; $11.
Hot Roxx at the Hex
If you’re not in the mood for
cool and classy, opt for loud and sassy. This monthly
hipster-friendly sonic experience is sure to whet your classic rock
whistle. Join easy-on-the eyes DJ duo Macku$ and Jen as they host an All in the Family
party featuring local music scene staples Vampire Hands and Private Dancer, who will be playing 1970s covers in
between Hot Roxx DJ sets. Expect a whole lot of skinny jeans and tousled
hair, New York Dolls/Bowie/MC5-esque tunes, and the some of the stiffest
drinks and surliest bartenders this side of the river. —Kate Iverson
10 p.m., Hexagon Bar, 2600 27th Ave. S., Minneapolis; free.
FILM
Homegrown Film Festival
The Parkway Theater hosts an eclectic series of locally
produced films each Monday through June 2nd. Tonight
at 7:30 p.m., explore a morbid curiosity with Snuff: A Documentary
About Killing on Camera.
This flick, guaranteed to give you the major creeps, investigates the
myth and reality of snuff films (killing on camera). However, if you’re not in the mood
to be disturbed, show up for the 9:30 screening of Grown Men, a collection of five intertwining tales
(all by different local writers) about the lives of men whose lady troubles
provide mucho comedic fodder. —Kate Iverson
7:30 &
9:30 p.m., Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis; $8 for both.
Before the Rains
Before the Rains, the
first English language film by Indian director Santosh Sivan,
is a surprisingly effective, accessible, and beautiful riff on familiar
themes. Set in British-controlled 1930s India during a growing
nationalist movement, the film is about love and self-destructive
ambition in the face of a rapidly changing country. The success of the film is
rooted in its simplicity. The photography, characters,and events
fit perfectly into a concrete theme that is repeated throughout. Clocking
in at 98 minutes, it feels streamlined and well edited, sustaining a
well constructed level of tension until its satisfying conclusion. A cinematographer-turned-director,
Sivan paints a pretty picture. His mastery of photography is dramatically apparent from the
first image of sweeping countryside. It is one of the most visually
masterful films I’ve seen since the tragically mediocre Assassination
of Jesse James. —Brandon Root (read full review)
1:50, 4:30, 7:20, & 9:45 p.m., Edina Cinema, 3911 W. 50th
St., Edina; 651-649-4416.
ART
Gregory Euclide: This is How
I’ve Been Moving Through It
While this notable local artist
and recent MCAD grad may have had the bad fortune to open his show at
Augsburg College over the biggest art weekend
in Minnesota, I
can honestly say that an afternoon jaunt over to Augsburg’s Gage Family Art
Gallery today, or
any day through June 11th, is well worth it. Lay eyes on the dreamy and
organically lush mixed media works of young Euclide, whose signature style lies somewhere
between earth, wind, and water, mixed with a dash of whimsy. —Kate Iverson
8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Gage Family Art Gallery, 2211 Riverside Ave. S., 2nd Level,
Lindell Library, Minneapolis; free.
THEATRICAL READING
When We Go Upon the Sea
The Guthrie Theater presents a dramatic reading of Lee
Blessing’s When We Go Upon
the Sea, a politically
driven and tale about the reflections and actions of George Bush the
night before being tried at The Hague. Blessing is joined this evening by play Director
Lucie Tiberghien and will host an open discussion after the reading.
This event concludes The Ruth Easton New
Play Series so
get thee to the Guthrie tonight for some seriously fresh work from a
brilliant contemporary playwright. —Kate Iverson
7:30 p.m., Guthrie Theater,
818 S. 2nd St., Minneapolis; $10.
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