THE MINNESOTA HARD BOP COLLECTIVE

A vital element of jazz education has always been the direct transfer of knowledge between generations of musicians where students could “sit-in” to directly learn the craft from their professional contemporaries when gigs were steady, occurring often nightly.  To keep this essential tradition alive, Twin Cities jazz professionals founded The Minnesota Hard Bop Collective (aka The MNHBC) in 2016. With generous support from Minnesota’s unique Land and Legacy Amendment, The MNHBC created opportunities that bridge classroom learning with real-world performance experience.

The MNHBC Jazz Student “Sit-In Series” embodies jazz’s original learning tradition—student musicians developing their craft through direct performance experience WITH professionals. This groundbreaking program, unique worldwide, invites students of all ages and skill levels to perform alongside seasoned professionals every Monday at MetroNOME’s Fingal’s Cave, creating the longest and only steady, union-waged gig in the Twin Cities. Here, the spirit of jazz education comes full circle, where emerging musicians enhance their classroom and private instruction training through spontaneous live performance of a collection of Jazz Standards that are the building blocks to Jazz Improvisation, keeping alive an essential tradition for the next generation of jazz artists.

Today’s MNHBC Faculty are Bryan Murray on Tenor Saxophone, Ian Duerr on Guitar, Abebi Stafford on B3 Organ, and Jesse Simon on Drums/Percussion.  More Info: www.sitinseries.org

We encourage EVERYONE to perform the following list of tunes regardless of age or skill level:

After You’ve Gone

All The Things You Are

Back Home in Indiana / Donna Lee

C-Jam Blues / Now’s the Time / Sonnymoon For Two / Blue Monk

Cherokee

Con Alma

Confirmation / 26–2

I Got Rhythm / Flintstones / Oleo / Second Balcony Jump

Giant Steps

Honey Sucklerose / Scrapple from the Apple

How High the Moon / Ornithology

Lady Bird / Half Nelson

Lover

Night And Day

Out of Nowhere

Perdido

Sweet Georgia Brown / Dig

Well You Needn’t

Whisperin / Groovin High

Yardbird Suite / Dewey Square