There will be an early show at 7 with the Alternates, an amalgam of talented high school jazz musicians from the Twin Cities.  They all have rich musical backgrounds and are prime players in their age group.  Their set includes tasty originals, fresh arrangements, and standards played from the perspective of the next generation. The players: Caleb McMahon (Perpich Center for Arts Education), trumpet; Peter Nyberg (St Paul Central HS), sax; Chris Misa (Perpich Center for Arts Education), piano; Cory Grindberg (Minneapolis South HS), bass; and Rob Fletcher (Eden Prairie HS), drums.

Pianist Phil Aaron is a beloved musician at the core of the Twin Cities jazz scene. Drawing inspiration from Bill Evans, Cedar Walton, Tommy Flanagan, Keith Jarrett, and many others, he has built a deep repertoire of original & classic jazz tunes that highlight a swinging approach to jazz classics and standards.  Phil Aaron attended the Berklee School of Music and the University of Illinois. Aaron served as music director in the dance department at UCLA and also taught music at Santa Monica College. He is a preferred pianist among vocalists and national touring acts, including Frank Morgan, Byron Stripling, Bob Sheppard, Lee Konitz, Sammy Davis Jr., John Patitucci, Scott Colley, Jeff Clayton, Ray Drummond, Barbara Morrison and Jackie Allen. Phil has five CD releases as leader. Check out this video of Phil from April 2007: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm7pNdIFl1o