SPECIAL EVENT
¡Vive Minnesota!
The first-ever annual Vive Minnesota…El Festival® — a three-day Latino music, art, and food festival — hits Harriet Island this weekend with some seriously hot local acts performing salsa, reggaeton, Latin Jazz, and more, on two stages. The line-up, which consists of 30 musical acts spiced with Latin dance performances, includes Salsa del Soul (with two of the hottest percussionists in the region), Ticket to Brazil, Maria Isa, Andrés Prado, Desdamona, and Michael Hauser. (Co-founders Mario Duarte, Michael Robles and Alberto Monserrate hope to bring in national acts as well in the coming years.) An elevated Corona VIP skybox includes VIP parking, food, beverage, and a perfect view of the Main Stage. A dedicated kids’ play area features a Titanic Thrill Slide®, a 65’ Rock Climb Challenge Obstacle Course, a Moonwalk, Hoop Shots, and all sorts of fun and games for the little ones. And everyone is invited to enjoy (and gorge on) the eclectic mix of Latin American food and culture.
Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Harriet Island Regional Park, downtown Saint Paul, free.
MUSIC
Bella Sol Music Festival
The free love floweth in Harmony Park this weekend! Well, perhaps it’s not
exactly free, but $90 gets you three full days of music, live art installations,
sun ceremonies, fire dancing, camping, camaraderie, and much, much more.
A ridiculous number of bands are set to rock the park, including Buckethead
(yes, that guy that wears a KFC bucket on his head), God Johnson, Desdamona (who clearly has a busy festival-hopping weekend in store),
the North Mississippi All Stars, The Big Wu, and Dance Band — to name
a mere few. This yearly Festival is the perfect kick off to summer,
so pack up your patchouli oil, practice saying "Hey Man,"
and head to Geneva, MN for a memorable celebration of the
Sun. —Kate Iverson
Friday 9 a.m. – Sunday 9 p.m.,
Harmony Park, Geneva, MN, $90-$145.
And of course, don’t forget Minnesota Sur Siene. The Fine Line presents A Night in Ethiopia, with Mahmoud Ahmed, on Saturday night.
Pierre-Laurent Aimard Directs His Final Program of the Season
French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard will direct The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra this weekend in his last concert of his second season as an SPCO artistic partner. Aimard will conduct Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 in D, The Clock and Ligeti’s Chamber Concerto for 13 Instrumentalists (not included in Jazzed-Up Friday) from the podium. Then, from the piano, Aimard will direct Beethoven’s Concerto in C for Piano, Violin, Cello and Orchestra, Triple with performances by Associate Concertmaster Ruggero Allifranchini and Principal Cello Ronald Thomas. The May 23rd evening performance is a Jazzed-Up Friday. While Ligeti will not be performed, audience members can choose to return to the concert hall after intermission for Beethoven’s Trio in B-flat for Violin, Cello, and Piano, Archduke, featuring Leslie Shank, Joshua Koestenbaum, and Lydia Artymiw. Or, they can listen to live jazz in the Marzitelli foyer with The Laura Caviani Trio.
Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. [Jazzed-Up Friday], Saturday at 8 p.m., Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St, St Paul; 651-224-4222. Sunday at 2 p.m., Benson Great Hall, Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Drive, St. Paul; 651-638-6333. Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, 651-291-1144; $10-$48.
Gordon Johnson GJ4 CD Release Party
Gordy Johnson is a connoisseur of jazz piano trios, and not
coincidentally the format is his metier as a bassist. As its title
implies, GJ4 is the fourth time Johnson has mixed and matched trios
from his impressive connections with national stars and local
luminaries who are drummers and pianists, and it is arguably his best
foray into this self-defined realm thus far. My favorite songs on the
disc are the pair with Johnson musically astride the restless,
harmonically acute ivory stylings of precocious local Tanner Taylor and
the surprisingly restrained yet simmering beats offered up by
ex-Journey and current Vital Information drummer Steve Smith. Don’t
miss Matt Wilson’s innovative drumming on the Dewey Redman tribute,
"Joie de Vivre" and the Alec Wilder composition, "I’ll Be Around," or
the hushed delicacy of Johnson with Bad Plus timekeeper Dave King and
the exquisitely pensive ex-pat Minnesotan Bill Carrothers on piano on
the closing "Sleep Warm." Taylor will be on board for this CD release
gig at the Dakota, along with Monkish pianist Laura Caviani, who
contributes the gently burnished "The Return" on GJ4, and pianist Bryan
Nichols, who is featured with Johnson and Wilson on those Redman and
Wilder numbers. The beats will be ably rapped out by Phil Hey, who has
pretty much set the gold standard for local jazz drummers the past two
decades. But most of all, these trio CD releases are the rare occasions
when Johnson’s penetrating bass lines and solos are as much the star as
the character actor complement to the prevailing music, an
assertiveness that both rewards and reminds us of his talent. —Britt Robson
Sunday at 7 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis; 612-332-1010; $5.
Also on Sunday night, Dave Brubeck at Orchestra Hall.
THEATER & PERORMANCE
The Ugly One Makes U.S. Premiere
A hilarious, yet reflective
tale about a man named Lette who suddenly discovers that he’s ugly — and
subsequently his life, job, marriage, and self-esteem begin to unravel.
However, beauty can be bought, and Lette comes face to face with his
identity, and the consequences of giving it up. The Ugly One is a last minute and welcome addition
to the Guthrie’s 2007-2008 season. Written by rising star Mariu s von Mayenburg of Berlin, and directed by Benjamin
McGovern, this production makes its U.S. debut on Saturday, and runs through June 1st. —Kate Iverson
Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m., Dowling Studio, Guthrie Theater, 818 2nd Ave. S, Minneapolis, $18-$34.
FILM
Standard Operating Procedure
How much of a story can be told by looking at a photograph? What is
considered fact and proof? Is seeing truly believing? The documentary
film Standard Operating Procedure breaks apart these questions by delving into the lives of soldiers stationed at Abu Ghraib prison, in Iraq. Academy Award winning director Errol Morris
uses photographs and stories of American soldiers to depict the stained
and corrupt system within the interrogation centers in the Middle East.
Although it may feel uncomfortable and gut wrenching at times, this
documentary is an important exposé on the war. The 118-minute film
leaves you with some unanswered questions, but like the photographs,
the documentary is up for some interpretation from the audience. —Hannah Simpson (read full review and interview with Errol Morris)
Opens Friday, May 23rd at Landmark’s Lagoon Cinema.
DANCE
Celebrate National Tap Dance Day at MOA
In 1989, Congress passed a bill declaring May 25 National Tap Dance Day. I bet you didn’t know that. Why May 25th, of all days? It’s the the birth date of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who began performing in saloons at the age of six and went on to become one of the best-known vaudeville tap acts of his era. Celebrate his legacy and National Tap Dance Day at the Mall of America this Sunday with Keane Sense
of Rhythm and various dance schools around the Twin Cities. Guests are invited to enjoy live tap dance performances presented in a historical context.
Sunday from 12-4 p.m., Mall of America Rotunda, Bloomington.
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