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| MCG Jazz | |
|---|---|
| Name | MCG Jazz |
| Type | Nonprofit arts organization |
| Location | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Genre | Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, World Music |
| Website | (official website) |
MCG Jazz is a nonprofit performing arts presenter and record label based in Minneapolis and associated with the McKnight Foundation and local arts institutions. The organization is noted for producing concerts, commissioning new works, and releasing recordings that feature national and international jazz, world, and contemporary improvisers. MCG Jazz collaborates with presenters, festivals, and venues across the United States and has engaged artists connected to New York City, Chicago, Paris, London, and São Paulo.
Founded in 1999 by the Schubert Club-affiliated Minneapolis cultural community and supported early on by the MacPhail Center for Music and the Walker Art Center, the organization grew from a residency model into a presenter with a record label and touring capacity. In the 2000s MCG Jazz expanded partnerships with institutions such as the Guthrie Theater, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Walker Art Center to co-present festivals alongside presenters like the Newport Jazz Festival and the Chicago Jazz Festival. Leadership changes tied MCG Jazz to philanthropic entities including the McKnight Foundation and collaborations with municipal programs in Saint Paul, Minnesota and Minneapolis. Over time the organization built a catalog and artist roster that included performers linked to scenes in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Detroit, Cleveland, Seattle, and Boston.
MCG Jazz programming emphasizes evenings of performances featuring ensembles, soloists, and cross-genre projects. Series formats have included residency weeks with artists from New York City and Chicago, commission-driven showcases tied to institutions like the Kennedy Center and the Carnegie Hall, and themed concerts connected to festivals such as South by Southwest and Istanbul Jazz Festival. The presenter curated programs that paired established figures from the Blue Note Records and Impulse! Records catalogs with emerging musicians from conservatories such as the Berklee College of Music, the New England Conservatory, and the Juilliard School. Formats ranged from small-club sets to chamber performances in venues operated by the Guthrie Theater and civic spaces supported by the City of Minneapolis.
Artists appearing with MCG Jazz have included musicians associated with labels and ensembles like Blue Note Records, ECM Records, Verve Records, and the Concord Music Group. Performers linked to the organization span generations: veterans who worked with the Miles Davis and John Coltrane legacies alongside contemporary leaders connected to Maria Schneider, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Charles Lloyd, Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, Chick Corea, and Dizzy Gillespie-affiliated projects. Contemporary figures in MCG Jazz programs included artists with ties to Esperanza Spalding, Kurt Elling, Brad Mehldau, Robert Glasper, Tigran Hamasyan, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Kamasi Washington, Nate Wooley, Ambrose Akinmusire, Avishai Cohen (bassist), and Vijay Iyer. International guests reflected connections to scenes in Paris (artists linked to Django Reinhardt legacies), Tokyo (musicians tied to Blue Note Japan), and Buenos Aires (artists from the Astor Piazzolla tradition).
MCG Jazz operated a label that documented commissions, live concerts, and studio projects; releases often showcased artists affiliated with regional music centers and national labels such as Blue Note Records, ECM Records, and Verve Records. Catalog items included live albums captured in collaboration with venues like the Guthrie Theater and co-productions with festivals such as Newport Jazz Festival and presenters including Lincoln Center. Recordings highlighted performances by artists connected to the Cook County and Hennepin County scenes and collaborations between composers from academic institutions like Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the University of Minnesota School of Music.
Audience development strategies linked MCG Jazz to community partners including the Minneapolis Public Library, MacPhail Center for Music, and public radio stations such as Minnesota Public Radio and WBGO. Educational outreach encompassed partnerships with schools and universities—programs with the University of Minnesota, Macalester College, and Hamline University—and workshops that placed visiting artists in residency with youth ensembles and conservatory students. Community engagement extended to collaborations with civic initiatives in Minneapolis and Saint Paul and nonprofit organizations such as the Bush Foundation and the McKnight Foundation to support artist fellowships and commission funds.
MCG Jazz functioned as a nonprofit arts presenter under a board structure that included leaders from local cultural institutions like the Walker Art Center, the Guthrie Theater, and the Schubert Club. Financial and project support derived from philanthropic organizations including the McKnight Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and corporate partners active in the Twin Cities arts ecosystem. Strategic alliances included co-presentation agreements with national institutions such as the Kennedy Center and distribution partnerships with labels and public-radio syndicators tied to NPR and PRI-affiliated networks.
Category:American jazz ensembles Category:Music organizations based in Minnesota