Headliner : Atlantis Quartet

Zacc Harris - Guitars

Brandon Wozniak - Saxophones

Chris Bates - Bass

Pete Hennig - Drums

Atlantis Quartet has emerged as a leading voice in the twin cities’ burgeoning modern jazz scene since its inception in 2006. The group features four of Minnesota’s most exciting young jazz artists, saxophonist Brandon Wozniak, guitarist Zacc Harris, bassist Chris Bates, and drummer Pete Hennig; who have come together in this setting to create and explore fresh and original sounds in the heart of and on the edges of the jazz idiom. The ensemble’s blend of complexity and accessibility has proven a perfect fit for all listeners.

Atlantis Quartet has released four albums to date, Expansion (Shifting Paradigm Records, 2013), Lines In the Sand (2011), Animal Progress (2009), and Again, Too Soon (2007). Recently, the band headlined the opening night of the 2014 Twin Cities Jazz Festival at Mears Park. The group was names Best Jazz Artist by the Star Tribune in 2012 and in 2011 by the City Pages, who said, “No jazz band in the Twin Cities is on the prowl both creatively and in gaining national recognition quite like the Atlantis Quartet…Each player’s ideas and strengths seem to infiltrate the others’ consciousness, so the music evolves as a constantly shifting mosaic of textures, rhythmic patterns, and tonal colors…This is a band with a limitless future.”

Opening Set : Ahmed & the Creators

Ahmed Abdulkarim - Trumpet

Andrew Schwandt - Saxophones

Abebi Stafford - Piano

Ted Olsen - Bass

Adam Harder Nussbaum - Drums

Ahmed & the Creators is perhaps one of the longest running working groups in Minnesota Jazz, with roots and performances dating back to the 1970’s. Ahmed has always maintained a tight working group of straight-ahead jazzers through the years, and his sidemen are always the best of the current and up-and-coming players. Many Jazz musicians can trace their beginnings back to a stint in this Jazz institution.