Atlantis Quartet makes case for Twin Cities jazz scene

All of a sudden it seems like the state’s jazz scene is on the up and up. On the heels of local outfit Mark Anderson Trio recording a live album at Beaner’s Central, Atlantis Quartet will soon be gracing that same stage. Not only that, but this second trip up to Duluth finds the Twin Cities group equipped with a new album (“Animal Progress,” which follows “Again, Too Soon”) and another year of experience under its members’ collective belts.

During a recent phone interview with the Budgeteer, AQ members Zacc Harris and Pete Hennig discussed the state of jazz in Minneapolis.

“I think the scene here is really vibrant right now,” said Harris, the group’s guitarist. “There are a lot of great players, especially younger ones, guys in their 20s and 30s, who are doing some very cool things.”

Percussionist Hennig added, “… There are five to 10 bands here that are all about playing and recording their own compositions.”

Hennig went on to say that a lot of the Cities groups have a foundation in traditional jazz but are pushing the genre forward by exploring new concepts.

Harris was quick to jump in with his two cents: “I would agree,” he said. “I think that a lot of the focus here right now is on a more-modern concept. That’s not to say there are not a lot of artists doing the old thing — because there are, but a lot of those artists have been around here for awhile — but a lot of the newer things that the younger generations are trying to do [revolve around] fresher ideas and a more modern approach.”

Also influencing the growth of the scene are more places to play.

“There are a few jazz venues that cater to what we do,” Hennig said. “Also, in order to try and reach new audiences, we do occasionally book ourselves in a rock club or a place where you wouldn’t normally advertise ‘Tonight: Jazz.’”

The drummer added that AQ has been playing a lot of the jazz nights at The Clown Lounge, which is located in the lower level of The Turf Club, a predominately rock-oriented venue.

But, Harris cautioned, as strong as the Twin Cities jazz scene is, it still has a long way to come in relation to those of “the big five”: New York, Chicago, L.A., San Francisco and Boston.

“I think it’s a lot harder to get recognized if you’re not in one of those cities,” he said. “We’ve actually been kicking around the idea of putting together our own collective with some fellow groups around here, to help get the bands in Minneapolis and Saint Paul more on the national [radar].”

‘The Crave’

At least as far as Harris and Hennig go, the members of AQ draw inspiration from a wide array of influences.

“I was all over the board,” Hennig said of the paths that led him to jazz. “I started listening to bands like Led Zeppelin, and rock groups like that, and I slowly traced their influences. It all came back to a lot of jazz drummers.

“So I couldn’t leave it at just that: I had to buy all of those records, too. … I definitely got bitten by the bug, and started studying jazz. I would say that at first I was a rock musician and liked rock ‘n’ roll, so it was definitely a progressive step for me to start listening to jazz.”

Harris’ back story wasn’t far off from that.

“I actually got into jazz fairly late,” he said. “I listened to a little bit as a teenager, but it was the same thing (as Pete): A lot of the other music I liked, eventually I would read articles about those players and they talked about Miles Davis or Coltrane or whomever, and that got me interested in checking those guys out.

“I also think that the deeper you get into your instrument, the more fulfilling jazz can be because the possibilities are greater in a lot of ways.”

At the same time, he said, a lot of traditionalists only stick to swing grooves, funk numbers, Latin grooves and ballads any given night.

“In this day and age,” he said, “with so much music out there and so many different kinds of genres and grooves, trying to put some of that stuff together is a big direction in modern jazz right now. That’s something that we’re really into.”

“There’s definitely more colors on the palette,” Hennig was quick to add.

For both of the members interviewed, AQ has opened a great many doors for them — creatively speaking, that is.

“When Pete and I decided to put this thing together, it was really so that we could dig into the other grooves and not just play standards out of the book,” Harris said. “We wanted to put together a group that would allow us to try out these different ideas and focus on our own writing.

“And it’s been a great group for that; I feel like a much stronger player having worked in this ensemble for the last three or four years.”

Hennig concurred with his bandmate, whom he met about four years ago.

“I would never be able to explore some of these ideas to the depth that we’re going in any other group,” he said. “It’s a safe environment to practice this stuff and to work it out, but it also definitely keeps me in shape musically, and I think that it shows in our performances.”

NEWS TO USE
The Atlantis Quartet will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, April 16, at Beaner’s Central. Cost is $8. Find out more about this Twin Cities jazz group at www.atlantisquartet.com or by clicking on the attached "5Q" link.

Tags: budge a and e, arts and entertainment, atlantis quartet, beaners central, expanded editions, animal progress, zacc harris, pete hennig, duluth, budgeteer, life, jazz, interview