There’s plenty of music on tap for the St. Paul Winter Carnival, starting with the Winter Jazz Festival, newly expanded to fill two days.
Sponsored by the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, the third annual event kicks off at 5 p.m. Jan. 28 with an evening of entertainment at TPT’s Street Space, including selections from rare historic jazz films and a tribute to the late jazz radio host Leigh Kamman. Later that evening, Jon Weber plays Vieux Carre, the Rodney Ruckus Group headlines Black Dog Cafe and Jazz Alley is on tap at Golden’s Lowertown.
On Jan. 29, the Saint Paul Hotel will be home to four stages of music starting at 1:30 p.m. with 10 acts, including Patty Peterson, Joann Funk, Sam Rosenstone Trio, Jon Weber and Andrew Walesch. The Leigh Kamman Project will also be on hand all day playing archival interviews with jazz legends.
Advance tickets are $25 for Jan. 28, $35 for Jan. 29 and $50 for both days. Prices increase $5 each night at the door. See twincitiesjazzfestival.com for further details.
Charlie Parr
For a free option, Rice Park has eight days of live concerts planned, culminating with the Prince cover act Chase and Ovation on closing night, followed by fireworks. The schedule includes:
– My Famous Friends, 6 p.m. Jan. 26.
– Charlie Parr and Poppa Bear Norton, 6 p.m. Jan. 27.
– Trainwreck Duet, 8 p.m. Jan. 28.
– McNasty Brass Band and Walker West Jazz Ensemble, noon Jan. 29.
– Koo Koo Kanga Roo, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 31.
– West Side Band and Mariachi Jalisco, 5 p.m. Feb. 1.
– White Iron Band, 6 p.m. Feb. 2.
– Maiden Dixie and Trailer Trash, 6 p.m. Feb. 3.
– Chase and Ovation, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4.
The Germanic-American Institute promises some naughty good fun at its Karneval Tanzparty on Jan. 28 in the organization’s Summit Hill mansion. It’ll be transformed into a European-style carnival inspired by Fasching, Germany’s version of Mardi Gras. It starts at 7 p.m. and includes cabaret acts, fortune tellers, the burlesque troupe Ass N’ Sass, a photo booth and a live DJ until 1 a.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, with attendees encouraged to wear costumes. See gai-mn.org for more information.
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Finally, beer may be the focus of the eighth annual Beer Dabbler Winter Carnival, but there’s live music to go with the suds. Held from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, the event features samples from more than 150 breweries. Live music in the Midway includes DJ Shannon Blowtorch, the 4onthefloor and Zuluzuluu. Tickets are $45 in advance and $55 at the gate, with additional options for VIP tickets and designated drivers. See beerdabbler.com for the details.
Pop music critic Ross Raihala can be reached at 651-228-5553. Follow him at twitter.com/RossRaihala.
Copyright 2017 Pioneer Press.
