Pride in Every Note: Jazz Brings the Twin Cities Together

Established in 1999, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival unifies St. Paul’s Lowertown into a community of swing, syncopation, complex harmonies and unique voices. 

And, although my love for jazz only began upon watching “La La Land” for the first time (yes, Ryan Gosling does indeed know how to play jazz piano), many have loved the genre for much longer.

Dayna Martinez, Executive Director of Twin Cities Jazz Fest, is one of those people.

In high school, Martinez played the flute, and her mother taught her how to play the piano at a young age. She sang and danced in her local swing choirs, “Madrigal Swingers,” and although she never played jazz, she loved listening to it and “meeting her passion halfway,” through her school’s marching and concert bands. 

Yet, when Martinez attended Avila University, a catholic college in Kansas City, “I might have been the only music major,” she says. 

Here, she took piano and voice lessons, but ultimately found she wanted to be involved in the arts in a nontraditional way. So, Martinez took three years off before heading to graduate school, eventually obtaining a degree in performing arts management and leading the Flint Hills Family Festival for 10 years at the Ordway, in the only full-time position. 

“We are a small crew, but we truly love what we do,” Martinez says. “I love the planning part, but my favorite part is when it’s actually happening … seeing the people enjoy the music and each other’s company.”

Although the two-day festival doesn’t start until June 19, Martinez says the planning process goes on all year, especially since the festival is a nonprofit organization with free admission. 

From applying for grants, sponsorships, obtaining licenses and permits to booking artists and coordinating vendors for sound, staging, and food trucks, the behind-the-scenes work is what keeps the festival free and accessible to all. 

This year, there will be approximately 20 venues and 200 artists, accepting submissions from local and regional jazz musicians and bands, with the Yellowjackets headlining. The lineup organically embodies a contemporary jazz theme that weaves in traditional, manouche, electronic, global and standards jazz. 

For those who aren’t already involved in the jazz music scene, Martinez says this festival serves as the perfect opportunity to connect with other humans, especially as the city of Minneapolis heals together.

Wanting to do things a little differently each year, she arranged a new family zone at Twin Cities PBS (TPT) and an activated Sixth Street to house a beer garden and a performance space.

“You don’t even have to bring anything with you … just come and come as you are, and come and sit down and listen to some great music or dance, if you’d like,” Martinez says. 

Artist Spotlight: Leslie Vincent 

From the very start of her career, Leslie Vincent’s “why” always led back to the concept of creating something that resonates with people, saying, “That’s like the whole point, for my music to speak to someone.” 

As an openly queer jazz vocalist and songwriter, Vincent says much of her music speaks to her and her wife’s life together, and weaves in stories about her experiences as a queer woman into her shows.

“The reality of me is that I have a really big mouth, and even though I often prep what I’m going to say during a show, I almost never follow it,” Vincent says. “And so I end up just talking about things in the moment, so there was never a world where I could not talk about my wife.”

This year, Vincent will be performing much of her new album, “Little Black Book,” her first collection of all original tunes, recorded with her longtime band. Her first single, “Tallying History,” is about her dating history. 

When Vincent found out she was accepted into Jazz Fest this year, she says she was filled with excitement, the kind long-awaited after years of applying and not making it in. 

“I’m so pumped, this is a huge deal for me … it’s been my dream,” Vincent says.

The native-born Marylander describes the jazz scene in Minneapolis as “so full,” alluding to the robust nature and sheer amount of venues. And, for Vincent, she sees jazz as undefinable. 

“I always get a lot of people who tell me they don’t like jazz, and I always tell them, ‘To me, that’s like saying you don’t like the Beatles,’ because the genre has so much range … it’s hard to believe they can’t find something,” Vincent says.

To truly reach all types of audiences, Vincent has taken an unconventional approach to how she presents herself on social media, naming herself “the proudest millennial.” She uses her authenticity as her advantage. 

Across her Instagram, she uses her content to lean into the thesis of her work, discussing the realities of queer dating in modern life, and carries her mission to keep jazz in the mainstream with the #jazztok and intimate, raw conversations with the camera. 

Although Vincent has a large following on social media, she says jazz has shaped her own sense of community through the audiences at her shows, especially through post-show interactions. 

“I did a gig recently where I played a show and didn’t think anything of it, and someone came up to me,” Vincent says. “It was in a small town, and they said, ‘I just want you to know we have this, like, underground queer community. They never come out, like, they never go out in our town. And they were  mostly all here tonight.’”

Gambit Brewing Co.: Hosting Sounds and Fostering Inclusivity 

Located in Lowertown, St. Paul, Gambit Brewing Co. was built on the idea of being more than a taproom, creating a safe space for queer and trans communities, artists, and neighbors. 

General Manager Mike Christensen says that with the absence of gay- and trans-friendly places in St.Paul, being a place where everyone can come as they are was a priority. And, while Gambit signaled this attitude with a pride flag on their windows, its continual support toward the queer music, comedy, and arts community has actively reinforced this message. 

Christensen studied jazz percussion in university, nodding to the fact that his husband used to perform as a pianist for The Wolverine, and that having Gambit as a venue for Jazz Fest felt right. 

Owner Josh Secaur says they have been involved in Jazz Fest for three years, offering a whole different clientele that continues to revisit. 

The week of Jazz Fest, there will be a lineup of specialty drinks, including a tap beer, a cocktail, and an alcoholic slushy, something Christensen says will be crafted upon talking and collaborating with the artists performing.

On Friday, June 19, Blanche The Jazzy Jewess of South Minneapolis will be performing, with Gonzoes Planet on Saturday. Both shows run from 6-8 p.m. 

“They’re jazz, but more kind of rock-focused jazz,” Christensen says. “I feel like every year for Jazz Fest, we get the jazz bands that are a little more up-tempo and a little more pushing the envelope of traditional jazz.”