Creative Black Music at the Walker: Timeline of Selected Performances, 1963–2019
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Timeline of Selected Performances,
1963–2019

Fab Five Freddy performs at First Avenue, Minneapolis, October 31, 1983. Walker Art Center Archives.

Jill Vuchetich, “Creative Black Music at the Walker: Timeline of Selected Performances, 1963–2019,” in Creative Black Music at the Walker: Selections from the Archives, ed. Danielle A. Jackson and Simone Austin, Vol. IV of the Living Collections Catalogue (Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2020). https://walkerart.org/collections/publications/jazz/timeline-of-selected-performances/

For decades the Walker Art Center’s presentations have featured generations of artists whose works expand the possibilities of art through the merging of disciplines. Jazz and the broader worlds of creative black music have been part of the Walker’s performing arts program since the 1960s.

This timeline focuses particularly on avant-garde and experimental jazz as well as a selection of blues, hip-hop, folk, reggae, R&B/soul, classical, gospel, and spoken word events by leading artists over six decades. While all performances listed were programmed by the Walker, many were presented at other venues around the Twin Cities, including the Guthrie Theater, Northrop Auditorium, the Children’s Theatre Company, and Cedar Cultural Center (all in Minneapolis). Unless otherwise noted, events featured in the timeline were held at the Walker and were presented in the Auditorium (from 1971 to 2003) or in the McGuire Theater, which opened with the building expansion designed by Herzog & de Meuron in 2005. When a program was part of a series, these are also included. Unless otherwise noted, performances listed as part of the outdoor music festival Rock the Garden were held on the Walker campus and in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

Researched in conjunction with the publication Creative Black Music at the Walker: Selections from the Archives, the timeline was compiled from a selection of archival materials, past event records, press reviews, and public lists collected by jazz enthusiasts. The intention of this document is to bring to the fore information on presentations by experimental, avant-garde, and creative performers outside of the mainstream. The list is not complete, nor is it intended to be comprehensive; it functions to give a sense of the variety of events curated and presented by the Walker within the context of creative black music.

Text by Jill Vuchetich

Miles Davis performs at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, February 1974. Walker Art Center Archives.

May 27, 1963

Modern Jazz Quartet, part of Jazz at the Guthrie

Poster for the Walker’s series Jazz at the Guthrie, featuring Modern Jazz Quartet and Sonny Rollins Quartet, May/June 1963. Walker Art Center Archives.

June 24, 1963

Sonny Rollins, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


July 22, 1963

Preservation Hall Jazz Band, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


February 8, 1964

Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers, Mississippi John Hurt, and Sleepy John Estes, part of American Negro Folk Songs and Blues, Guthrie Theater


June 14, 1964

Thelonious Monk with Charlie Rouse, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


July 19, 1964

Coleman Hawkins with Eddie Locke, Paul Neves, and Major (Mule) Holly, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


August 9, 1964

Dizzy Gillespie with James Moody, Christopher White, Kenny Baron, and Rudy Collins, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


September 27, 1964

Dave Bailey with Gerry Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, and Bill Crow in the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


October 18, 1964

Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Sweet Emma Barrett, Percy and Willie Humphrey, Jim Robinson, and (Josiah) Cie Frazier, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


March 23, 1965

Duke Ellington with Sam Woodyard, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, Ray Nance, Cat Anderson, Paul Gonsalves, Milt Grayson, and Mercer Ellington, part of Jazz at the Guthrie

Poster for the Walker’s series Jazz at the Guthrie, featuring Duke Ellington and his Concert Orchestra, March 23, 1965.

April 3, 1965

Reverend Gary Davis, Elizabeth Cotten, and Jesse Fuller, part of American Folk Music, Guthrie Theater


May 30, 1965

Charles Mingus, with Dannie Richmond, Lonnie Hillyer, and Jaki Byard, part of Jazz at the Guthrie 


June 20, 1965

John Coltrane with McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and James Garrison, part of Jazz at the Guthrie

a scan of a program from Jazz at the Guthrie
Program for Charles Mingus and John Coltrane, Jazz at the Guthrie, May–June 1965. Walker Art Center Archives.

November 7, 1965

Odetta, Guthrie Theater


January 21, 1966

Modern Jazz Quartet, Guthrie Theater


April 21–22, 1966

Ella Fitzgerald, part of Jazz at the Guthrie

Program notes for Jazz at the Guthrie
Program for Ella Fitzgerald, Jazz at the Guthrie, April 21–22, 1966. Walker Art Center Archives.
Program notes for Jazz at the Guthrie
Program for Ella Fitzgerald, Jazz at the Guthrie, April 21–22, 1966. Walker Art Center Archives.

May 22, 1966

Charles Lloyd Quartet, Guthrie Theater


July 24, 1966

Oscar Peterson Trio, Guthrie Theater


September 12, 1966

Miriam Makeba, Guthrie Theater


October 2, 1966

Ahmad Jamal, Guthrie Theater


October 31, 1966

Don Shirley Trio with Juri Taht and Kenneth Fricker, Guthrie Theater


April 30, 1967

Ornette Coleman with David Izenzon and Charlie Moffett, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


May 21, 1967

Cannonball Adderley with Nat Adderley, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


June 18, 1967

Nina Simone, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


July 30, 1967

Horace Silver, Guthrie Theater


September 24, 1967

Ramsey Lewis Trio, Guthrie Theater


November 5, 1967

Babatunde Olatunji, Guthrie Theater


April 7, 1968

Charles Lloyd Quartet, Guthrie Theater


May 26, 1968

Miles Davis with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, part of Jazz at the Guthrie


July 14, 1968

Muddy Waters, Guthrie Theater


November 17, 1968

Odetta, Guthrie Theater


July 27, 1969

Elvin Jones, Guthrie Theater


September 7, 1969

Chuck Berry, Guthrie Theater


October 19, 1969

B.B. King, Guthrie Theater


February 5, 1970

Bobby “Blue” Bland, Guthrie Theater


February 15, 1970

Sam and Dave, Guthrie Theater


March 22, 1970

Reverend John Wilkins, Guthrie Theater


April 2, 1970

Howlin’ Wolf, Cedar Village Theater, Minneapolis

Howlin’ Wolf performs at Cedar Village Theater, Minneapolis, April 2, 1970. Photo: David Elrod. Walker Art Center Archives.

June 30, 1970

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Cedar Village Theater


February 4, 1971

Taj Mahal, Guthrie Theater


March 19, 1971

Miles Davis with Jack DeJohnette, Keith Jarrett, Michael Henderson, Airto Moriera, and Gary Bartz, Guthrie Theater


November 19, 1972

Taj Mahal, Guthrie Theater

Taj Mahal performs at the Guthrie Theater, November 19, 1972. Photo: Tom Berthiaume. Walker Art Center Archives.

January 28, 1973

Miles Davis, Guthrie Theater

Miles Davis performs at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, January 28, 1973. Photographer unknown. Walker Art Center Archives.

February 11, 1973

Weather Report, Guthrie Theater


May 2, 1973

Aliza Ngono and Abadingi, Guthrie Theater


September 23, 1973

Charles Mingus Quintet, Guthrie Theater


February 5, 1974

Miles Davis, Guthrie Theater


May 6, 1974

Herbie Hancock, Guthrie Theater

Sarah Vaughn performing on stage
Sarah Vaughn performs at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, August 18, 1974. Photo: Boyd Hagen. Walker Art Center Archives.

August 18, 1974

Sarah Vaughn and the Wolverines, Guthrie Theater


December 20, 1974

Roy McBride, poetry reading


February 8, 1976

Sarah Vaughn, Guthrie Theater 


May 13, 1976

Bob Marley and the Wailers, Orchestra Hall


May 13, 1976

Aliza Ngono and Abadingi, Orchestra Hall


July 31, 1976

Aliza Ngono and Abadingi, Guthrie Theater


October 28, 1976

ECM Jazz Festival, featuring Jack DeJohnette, Gary Burton Quartet, John Abercrombie, Ralph Towner, Eberhard Weber, and Enrico Rava, Orchestra Hall


Nov 27, 1977

Joan Armatrading, Guthrie Theater


April 1, 1978

McCoy Tyner, Guthrie Theater 


May 28, 1978

Garland Jeffreys


March 7, 1979

Woody Shaw, part of the series Jazz Alive, Children’s Theatre Company


March 8, 1979

Ishmael Reed, lecture at Coffman Union, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis


March 23, 1979

Air, featuring Henry Threadgill, Fred Hopkins, and Steve McCall


April 3, 1979

Old and New Dreams, part of the series Jazz Alive, Children’s Theatre Company


April 29, 1979

Carei Thomas


May 3, 1979

Cecil Taylor, part of the series Jazz Alive, Children’s Theatre Company


January 23, 1980

Richard Teitelbaum and Anthony Braxton  


February 19, 1980

Traditional and Contemporary African music, featuring Bourama Soumaono and Kélétigui Diabaté


February 28, 1980

Leroy Jenkins


April 10, 1980

Roberta Davis and Reginald Buckner


April 21, 1980

Sonny Rollins, Children’s Theatre Company


May 27, 1980

Charlie Parker Memorial Concert, featuring Dizzy Gillespie with Ray Brown, Al Haig, Milt Jackson, James Moody, and Max Roach, Children’s Theatre Company


June 12, 1980

Leroy Jenkins and Oliver Lake, part of New Music America Festival 


June 13, 1980

Anthony Braxton, part of New Music America Festival


June 13, 1980

Julius Eastman, part of New Music America Festival


June 14, 1980

Art Ensemble of Chicago, part of New Music America Festival


September 19, 1980

Randy Weston


September 30, 1980

Sonny Rollins, Children’s Theatre Company


October 8, 1980

Amiri Baraka, poetry reading


October 20, 1980

Sun Ra and His Arkestra


November 2, 1980

Art Ensemble of Chicago, Orchestra Hall


November 19, 1980

Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society


December 8, 1980

Max Roach, Children’s Theatre Company


January 11, 1981

Lester Bowie, part of Blue Mondays/Fat Tuesdays


February 8, 1981

Sam Rivers Trio 


February 16, 1981

Archie Shepp Quartet, Children’s Theatre Company

Archie Shepp Quartet performs at the Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, February 16, 1981. Walker Art Center Archives.

March 2, 1981

Arthur Blythe, part of the series Jazz Alive, Children’s Theatre Company

Arthur Blythe (saxophone) performs at the Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, March 2, 1981. Walker Art Center Archives.

March 14, 1981

Muhal Richard Abrams 


May 3, 1981

Leroy Jenkins and Oliver Lake


September 13, 1981

Morris Wilson


November 19, 1981

George Lewis with Douglas Ewart, Rae Imamura, and Ray Anderson


November 24, 1981

Lucille Clifton, poetry reading


January 13, 1982

James Blood Ulmer, First Avenue, Minneapolis  


February 14, 1982

Ornette Coleman and Prime Time with Bern Nix, Charles Ellerbee, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, and Denardo Coleman, Guthrie Theater

Ntozake Shange reads at the Walker Art Center, February 17, 1982. Walker Art Center Archives.

February 17, 1982

Ntozake Shange, reading


March 2, 1982

Toni Morrison, reading 


March 14, 1982

Carei Thomas and Jazz Axiom V


April 11, 1982

Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society


April 23, 1982

Walter Zuber Armstrong


May 20, 1982

Old and New Dreams


June 9–10, 1982

The Kitchen Tour, featuring Fab Five Freddy, Oliver Lake, and Jump-Up, Walker Art Center and First Avenue, Minneapolis


September 3, 1982

Steve Lacy and Mal Waldron


October 1, 1982

Derek Walcott, reading


October 21–23, 1983

Lee Breuer and Bob Telson with J.D. Steele, The Gospel at Colonus, O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, St. Catherine University, St. Paul


October 30, 1982

Jack DeJohnette


November 11, 1982

Anthony Davis, Episteme, part of Perspectives Series


November 17, 1982

Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society, First Avenue, Minneapolis 


January 12, 1983

Roy McBride, reading


January 26, 1983

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, part of Black on Black series salute to the AACM, cosponsored by the Neighborhood Media Project


January 27, 1983

Air, featuring Henry Threadgill, Fred Hopkins, and Pheeroan akLaff, part of Black on Black series salute to the AACM, cosponsored by the Neighborhood Media Project


January 28, 1983

Anthony Braxton Trio with Anthony Braxton, Marilyn Crispell, and Baikida Carroll, part of Black on Black series salute to the AACM, cosponsored by the Neighborhood Media Project


February 12, 1983

Sojourner and the Sam Davis Gospel Ensemble, part of Black on Black series salute to the AACM, cosponsored by the Neighborhood Media Project, Sabathani Community Center, Minneapolis


February 21, 1983

King Sunny Ade and the Beats, part of Black on Black series salute to the AACM, cosponsored by the Neighborhood Media Project, First Avenue, Minneapolis


February 25, 1983

Pieces of a Dream, part of Black History Month, cosponsored by the Neighborhood Media Project, Riverview Supper Club, Minneapolis


March 1, 1983

Alice Walker, part of Writer’s Reading 


April 13, 1983

Sting! featuring Leroy Jenkins


May 18, 1983

Betty Carter and her Trio


June 12, 1983

14 Karat Soul and J.D. Steele Singers


September 30, 1983

Ntozake Shange, reading, part of Word Works, copresented with Minneapolis College of Art and Design


October 6, 1983

Roy McBride, poetry reading, part of Word Works, copresented with Minneapolis College of Art and Design


October 27, 1983

Amiri Baraka, reading, part of Word Works, copresented with Minneapolis College of Art and Design


October 31, 1983

Fab Five Freddy and Graffiti Rock, part of Word Works, First Avenue, Minneapolis, copresented with Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Fab Five Freddy performs at First Avenue, Minneapolis, October 31, 1983. Walker Art Center Archives.

February 6, 1984

Von and Chico Freeman 


March 17, 1984

Odean Pope Trio


March 29, 1984

World Saxophone Quartet


May 12, 1984

Billy Bang

David Murray Octet performs in the Walker Art Center Auditorium, September 8, 1984. Walker Art Center Archives.

September 8, 1984

David Murray Octet


September 23, 1984

J.D. Steele Quintet


November 26, 1984

Ornette Coleman and Prime Time, featuring Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Bern Nix, and Charles Ellerbe, Guthrie Theater 


December 8, 1984

Bobby McFerrin 


February 19, 1985

Horace Tapscott


May 25, 1985

George Russell and the Living Time Orchestra


December 13–14, 1985

Bobby McFerrin


January 13, 1986

Dizzy Gillespie, lecture, part of Bop Echoes


January 20, 1986

Tommy Flanagan, part of Bop Echoes


January 30, 1986

Jamaica Kincaid, reading


February 3, 1986

Out of the Blue, part of Bop Echoes 


March 8, 1986

Douglas Ewart and Inventions Clarinet Choir, part of Special Delivery


September 27, 1986

Last Exit, featuring Sonny Sharrock, Bill Laswell, Peter Brotzmann, and Ronald Shannon Jackson


October 2, 1986

Women of the Calabash


October 29–30, November 1, 1986

J.D. Steele and the J.D. Steele Singers, Body and Soul, with Minnesota Jazz Dance Company and Danny Buraczeski, Ordway Studio Theater, St. Paul


January 17, 1987

Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand) 


March 7, 1987

Geri Allen  


June 4, 1987

Butch Morris with IMP ORK


October 24, 1987

Roscoe Mitchell Group, part of Twin Cities Jazz Festival 


October 24, 1987

Craig Harris and Tailgater’s Tail, part of Twin Cities Jazz Festival


July 30, 1988

Vernard Johnson, part of Soul Searchers


August 13, 1988

Big John Patton with John Zorn, Bill Frisell, and Bobby Previte, part of Soul Searchers


March 11, 1989

Greg Osby and Sound Theatre 


April 29, 1989

Women of the Calabash


July 22, 1989

Sonny Sharrock Band


August 19, 1989

James Blood Ulmer, featuring Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Calvin Weston


September 9–10, 1989

Rufus Harley, part of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden First Anniversary Celebration


October 11, 1989

Thomas Mapfumo and Blacks Unlimited, part of the International Festival series, Afropop, Orpheum Theater, Minneapolis 


October 11, 1989

Sékou Diabaté and Bembeya Jazz National, part of the International Festival series, Afropop, Orpheum Theater, Minneapolis


April 21, 1990

Julius Hemphill and World Saxophone Quartet with Bill T. Jones & Arnie Zane Dance Company, The Promised Land/52 Handsome Nudes, part of Discover Series, Northrop Auditorium


June 2, 1990

Julius Hemphill with IMP ORK


June 16, 1990

Edward Wilkerson Jr.’s 8 Bold Souls  


July 28, 1990

Blackgirls, part of Meet the Composer


July 30, 1990

Sankofa


August 11, 1990

Don Byron Quartet


September  22, 1990

Geri Allen Trio, featuring Anthony Cox and Pheeroan akLaff


February 16, 1991

Odean Pope Trio


May 11, 1991

Sun Ra and His Arkestra


July 27, 1991

Jolly Boys


September 14, 1991

The Jazz Passengers with Curtis Fowlkes


September 29, 1991

Douglas Ewart, part of West Bank School of Music Jazz Composers


December 19, 1991

Donald Washington and the New Day Blues Band


January 4, 1992

Quincy Troupe and Hamiet Bluiett, Poetry and Music in Dialogue, part of Writers Reading


March 7, 1992

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble


April 12, 1992

Don Byron and Semaphore, part of New Vistas in Contemporary Music: Classicism Reaffirmed


June 12, 1992

Tribute to Paul Robeson with Susan Robeson, featuring films by Paul Robeson


July 18, 1992

Odean Pope Saxophone Choir


July 20, 1992

Les Exodus, part of the series Music and Movies in the Park, Loring Park, Minneapolis


December 12, 1992

Anthony Davis and Thulanie Davis, X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X, part of the Discover Series


March 14, 1992

Douglas Ewart, part of Meet the Composer


August 1, 1992

Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy


August 7, 1993

Craig Harris


December 18, 1993

Donald Washington New Day Blues Band


January 22, 1994

Alexs Pate with David Mura and music by Douglas Ewart, The Colors of Desire, part of Out There, Southern Theater, Minneapolis


August 11–14, 1994

Craig Harris and Sekou Sundiata, The Circle Unbroken Is a Hard Bop, Penumbra Theater, Minneapolis


August 20, 1994

Archie Shepp Quartet


October 29, 1994

Ed Wilkerson Jr. and Shadow Vignettes, part of the Discover Series


December 7, 1994

Julius Hemphill, A Bitter Glory, part of the Discover Series, Ted Mann Concert Hall, Minneapolis


February 25, 1995

Henry Threadgill and Very Very Circus, featuring Henry Threadgill, Mark Taylor, Brandon Ross, Ed Cherry, Edwin Rodriquez, and Pheeroan akLaff, copresented with MacPhail Center for the Arts, Minneapolis


April 13, 1995

Drummers of Burundi 


June 2, 1995

Carei Thomas and Douglas Ewart, part of Late Night in Gallery 8


February 18, 1996

Toshi Reagon, Northrop Auditorium


August 24, 1996

Amiri Baraka and the University of Minnesota Faculty Jazz Quartet


September 30, 1997

Susana Baca, part of New World Voices

Sun Ra Arkestra, featuring Marshall Allen, performs in the Walker Art Center Auditorium, Minneapolis, November 1, 1997. Walker Art Center Archives.

November 1, 1997

Sun Ra Arkestra, presented in conjunction with the exhibition The Architecture of Reassurance: Designing the Disney Theme Parks


November 7, 1997

Oumou Sangaré, part of New World Voices


November 11, 1997

Tracie Morris, reading


February 18–19, 1998

Don Byron, original score for the silent film Scar of Shame (1927), part of the Discover Series


March 9–16, 1998

Butch Morris and IMP ORK, Japan Skyscraper   

Butch Morris (center), in rehearsal with members of Japan Skyscraper, [Walker Art Center Auditorium], March 14, 1998.

April 16, 1998

Bluiett/Jackson/Mor Thiam Trio


October 7, 1998

Afro-Cuban All Stars, First Avenue, Minneapolis 

Afro-Cuban All Stars perform at First Avenue, Minneapolis, October 7, 1998. Walker Art Center Archives.

October 24, 1998

David S. Ware Quartet


March 6, 1999

Lester Bowie and the Brass Fantasy with Dianne McIntyre, Invincible Flower, part of Common Time: New Jazz and Dance, O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, St. Catherine University, St. Paul

Lester Bowie (center) and the Brass Fantasy perform at O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, St. Catherine University, St. Paul, March 6, 1999. Walker Art Center Archives.

April 3, 1999

Leon Parker Collective, featuring Elisabeth Kontomanou, Kazi Oliver, and Alonzo Undly, with choreographer and dancer Maia Claire Garrison, part of Common Time: Jazz and Dance


April 16–17, 1999

Live soundscape by Paul D. Miller (aka D.J. Spooky that Subliminal Kid), Harry Smith: A Re-Creation, orchestration by M. Henry Jones, part of Live Music/SilentFilm


May 8, 1999

David Murray Octet


May 11, 1999

Urban Bush Women with David Murray Octet, Soul Deep, part of Common Time: Jazz and Dance


September 8–11, 1999

Bobby McFerrin


November 4, 1999

Buena Vista Social Club, Northrop Auditorium


February 19, 2000

Cecil Taylor Trio, Ted Mann Concert Hall, Minneapolis


June 8, 2000

James Newton and Jon Jang, When Sorrow Turns to Joy


October 10, 2000

Omara Portuondo and Barbarito Torres, Northrop Auditorium


November 16, 2000

Muhal Richard Abrams Quartet and Carei Thomas, part of Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians 35th Anniversary Celebration


November 17–18, 2000

Fred Anderson,  Douglas Ewart, Joseph Jarman, Wadada Leo Smith, Carei Thomas, Ann Ward and Maia of Ye’Bindu, part of Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians 35th Anniversary Celebration

Brochure for a New Jazz Mini-Festival: AACM at 35, November 2000. Walker Art Center Archives.

December 1–3, 2000

Sekou Sundiata and Craig Harris, Udu, Penumbra Theatre, St. Paul 


October 6, 2001

Sam Rivers and Jason Moran Trio


April 27, 2002

Greg Osby Quartet and Strings 


July 22, 2002

Super Rail Band, part of Summer Music and Movies, Loring Park, Minneapolis


September 19, 2002

Harryette Mullen, reading


September 20, 2002

Omar Sosa Septet


December 7, 2002

Andrew Hill Quartet, featuring Andrew Hill, Greg Tardy, Nasheet Waits, and John Herbert


2003–2005

Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran, Walker artists-in-residence

Cassandra Wilson (with microphone) and the Bill T. Jones & Arnie Zane Dance Company perform in Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, June 14, 2003. Walker Art Center Archives.

June 14, 2003

Cassandra Wilson with Bill T. Jones & Arnie Zane Dance Company, part of the 15th Anniversary Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Celebration


October 3, 2003

Matthew Shipp Trio

Walker calendar page for Matthew Shipp Trio, Boxing and Jazz, October 3, 2003. Walker Art Center Archives.

December 4, 2004

Burnt Sugar-The Arkestra Chamber, Cedar Cultural Center


April 22, 2005

The Festival Dancing in Your Head, featuring the Ornette Coleman Quartet: Ornette Coleman, Denardo Coleman, Greg Cohen, and Tony Falanga


April 23, 2005

The Festival Dancing in Your Head, featuring Bang on a Can All-Stars, the Bad Plus, Dean Granros with the Antigravity Ensemble, Dosh, Zebulon Pike, Douglas Ewart/Gao Hong/Steve Goldstein/Mankwe Ndosi, Fat Kid Wednesdays, Fernando Meza and Erik Barsness, George Cartwright’s Gloryland Ponycat, Happy Apple, Nachito Herrera, Nirmala Rajasekar and Anthony Cox Ensemble, Rehobot Oromo Choir, Patrick Crossland, Tom Chiu, Zeitgeist, and the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet


May 5–21, 2005

Jason Moran and the Bandwagon, Milestone, featuring Nasheet Waits and Tarus Mateen, with special guests Marvin Sewell and Alicia Hall Moran

Jason Moran and the Bandwagon perform Milestone, McGuire Theater, Walker Art Center, May 21, 2005. Walker Art Center Archives.

March 4, 2006

Douglas Ewart, William Parker, and Hamid Drake Duo


March 31, 2006

Sekou Sundiata, the (51st) dream State

Sekou Sundiata rehearses the (51st) dream State, McGuire Theater, Walker Art Center, March 31, 2006. Walker Art Center Archives.

July 25, 2005

Doomtree, featuring P.O.S and others, part of Summer Music and Movies, Loring Park, Minneapolis


November 2, 2006

Putumayo’s Acoustic Africa, featuring Vusi Mahlasela, Habib Koité, and Dobet Gnahoré, part of the series AfricaNOW, copresented with Cedar Cultural Center


March 10, 2007

World Saxophone Quartet Plays Hendrix with David Murray, Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett, and Greg Osby


April 14, 2007

Gangbé Brass Band, Cedar Cultural Center


September 27, 2007

Dhafer Youssef


March 28, 2008

Prezens Quartet, featuring Craig Taborn, David Torn, Tom Rainey, and Tim Berne


December 6, 2008

Yusef Lateef with Douglas Ewart, Roscoe Mitchell, and Adam Rudolph


May 3, 2009

Dobet Gnahoré, Cedar Cultural Center


May 9, 2009

Jason Moran and the Big Bandwagon, In My Mind, Monk at Townhall 1959, featuring Ralph Alessi, Logan Richardson III, Aaron Stewart, Isaac Smith, Howard Johnson, Tarus Mateen, and Nasheet Waits


June 19, 2010

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


March 4, 2011

Tyondai Braxton with the Wordless Music Orchestra, Central Market


April 23, 2011

Tony Allen, Cedar Cultural Center


June 18, 2011

Booker T. Jones, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul

March 1–2, 2012

The Sound of Surprise: A Vijay Iyer Mini-Festival, featuring Wadada Leo Smith, Marcus Gilmore, Mike Ladd, Vijay Iyer Trio, Tirtha, Stephen Crump, Nitin Mitta, and Prasanna


April 14, 2012

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, Cedar Cultural Center


June 16, 2012

Doomtree, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


April 12, 2013

Fatoumata Diawara, Cedar Cultural Center


April 26, 2013

Craig Taborn, part of Heroic Frenzies: The Music of Craig Taborn


August 12, 2013

The Chalice (featuring Lizzo), part of Summer Music and Movies, Loring Park, Minneapolis


November 21, 2013

DJ /rupture (Jace Clayton) performs in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition Album: Cinematheque Tangier, a project by Yto Barrada


March 20, 2014

LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, reading, part of the series Free Verse, copresented by Rain Taxi Review of Books


April 26, 2014

Burnt Sugar-The Arkestra Chamber, Any World That I’m Welcome To: The Steely Dan Conductions, curated and conducted by Vernon Reid of Living Color


May 8, 2014

Kevin Beasley, part of the series Sound Horizon


June 21, 2014

Lizzo, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


June 21, 2014

De La Soul, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


June 22, 2014

Valerie June, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


February 26, 2015

The Campbell Brothers, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, copresented with the Cedar Cultural Center


March 12, 2015

Jack DeJohnette’s Made in Chicago project, a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), featuring Muhal Richard Abrams, Henry Threadgill, Roscoe Mitchell, and Larry Gray


May 2, 2015

Robert Glasper and Jason Moran   


June 20, 2015

thestand4rd, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


June 21, 2015

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul

Seun Kuti performs at Rock the Garden, Walker Art Center/Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, June 21, 2015. Photo: Lacey Criswell. Walker Art Center Archives.

June 18, 2016

GRRRL PRTY, part of Rock the Garden, Boom Island, Minneapolis, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


June 18, 2016

Chance the Rapper, part of Rock the Garden, Boom Island, Minneapolis, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


October 15, 2016

Amir ElSaffar’s Rivers of Sound, with Nasheet Waits and others


March 3, 2017

Mbongwana Star with ZULUZULUU, Cedar Cultural Center       


May 12, 2017

Steve Coleman’s Natal Eclipse, featuring Matt Mitchell, Greg Chudzik, Román Filiú, Rane Moore, Jonathan Finlayson, Kristin Lee, and Jen Shyu


May 18–20, 2017

Tunde Adebimpe, A Warm Weather Ghost, featuring Money Mark, Mia Doi Todd, Aaron Steele, Sean Okaguchi, Morgan Sorne, and Tracy Wannomae, copresented with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music Series and the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


July 22, 2017

Dwynell Roland, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


July 22, 2017

Benjamin Booker, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


March 3, 2018

Sonic Universe Project featuring Douglas Ewart, Wadada Leo Smith, Roscoe Mitchell, Hamid Drake, Oliver Lake, and Anthony Cox


May 3, 2018

Daymé Arocena, Cedar Cultural Center


May 18–19, 2018

Jason Moran, The Last Jazz Fest, with the Bandwagon, featuring Tarus Mateen and Nasheet Waits, and Ashland Mines, Lizzie Fitch, and Ryan Trecartin, presented in conjunction with the exhibition Jason Moran


May 31–June 1, 2018

Teju Cole and Vijay Iyer, Blind Spot, copresented with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music Series

Kamasi Washington performs at Rock the Garden, Walker Art Center/Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, June 16, 2018. Photo: Pierre Ware. Walker Art Center Archives.

June 16, 2018

Kamasi Washington, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


June 16, 2018

P.O.S, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


June 16, 2018

Chastity Brown, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


June 21, 2018

Douglas Ewart with Ananya Chatterjea, Stephen Goldstein, Mankwe Ndosi, and Carei Thomas, part of the series Sound Horizon: Curated by Jason Moran


July 19, 2018

Jason Moran and the Bandwagon, part of the series Sound Horizon: Curated by Jason Moran


October 26, 2018

Hailu Mergia and Yonathan’s Cultural Show, Cedar Cultural Center


February 15, 2019

Celebrating Henry: A Henry Threadgill Festival, featuring Tarek Abdelqader, Noah Ophoven-Baldwin, George Cartwright, Anthony Cox, Chris Cunningham, Ivan Cunningham, Douglas Ewart, Milo Fine, Nathan Hanson, Laura Harada, Eric Jensen, Michelle Kinney, Babatunde Lea, Charlie Lincoln, Mankwe Ndosi, Pat O’Keefe, Carley Olson Kokal, Cole Pulice, Davu Seru, Joseph Strachan, Dameun Strange, Donald Washington, Faye Washington, and Adam Zahller  


February 16, 2019

Celebrating Henry: A Henry Threadgill Festival, with Harriet Tubman (Melvin Gibbs, Brandon Ross, and J.T. Lewis) and Zooid (Liberty Ellman, Elliot Humberto Kavee, José Davila, and Chris Hoffman)


March 30, 2019

Wadada Leo Smith and his Golden Quintet, America’s National Parks, with Pheeroan akLaff, Sylvie Courvoisier, John Lindberg, Ashley Waby, and Jesse Gilbert Liters, with special guest Andrew Cyrille


May 18, 2019

Resonance: A Sound Art Marathon, with Tarek Atoui, Heather Barringer, Philip Blackburn, Jules Gimbrone, Walter Kitundu, Haroon Mirza, Mankwe Ndosi, Camille Norment, Matana Roberts, Christine Sun Kim, Craig Taborn, and Preston Wright

Craig Taborn and Camille Norment perform during Resonance: A Sound Art Marathon, McGuire Theater, Walker Art Center, May 18, 2019. Walker Art Center Archives.

June 29, 2019

Adia Victoria, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


June 29, 2019

deM atlaS, part of Rock the Garden, copresented with the Current, Minnesota Public Radio, St. Paul


August 15, 2019

Astralblak, part of Sound for Silents


October 5, 2019

Lonnie Holley


October 18, 2019

Makaya McCraven, In These Times, with Marquis Hill, Jeff Parker, Jeremiah Hunt, Greg Ward, Greg Spero, Macie Stweart, Lia Kohl, and Brandee Younger (Moses Sumney); and openers Astralblak, presented in association with First Avenue, Minneapolis