The Music
Taj Weekes and Adowa
Fri., June 14, 8 pm • First Avenue & 7th St. Entry, 701 N. 1st Ave., Mpls., 612-338-8388 or http://first-avenue.com • St. Lucia native Taj Weekes and his band Adowa blend elements of acoustic roots rock and afro-folk simplicity. The band’s vibrant sound has garnered critical acclaim and a wide audience across the globe. • With Dred I Dread.
Ramsey Lewis Trio w/Dee Dee Bridgewater
Wed., June 19, 7 pm • Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-332-1010 or www.dakotacooks.com • One of the legendary pianists in the history of jazz, Ramsey Lewis is joined by the stellar ensemble of keyboardists Edsel Gomez and Tim Gant, guitarist Henry Johnson, bassist Charles Heath and drummer Joshua Ramos • Dee Dee Bridgewater’s early days were spent working with Sonny Rollins, Stanley Clarke, Dizzy Gillespie and other jazz heavyweights. For over four decades she has been one of the most celebrated vocalists in jazz. She continues to perform in many different venues and hosts a nationally syndicated radio show on NPR.
Questlove and D’Angelo
Sun., June 23, 7 pm • First Avenue & 7th St. Entry, 701 N. 1st Ave., Mpls., 612-338-8388 or http://first-avenue.com • Questlove and D’Angelo team up for their two-man show, Brothers in Arms which has been earning rave reviews since they teamed up for D’Angelo’s first U.S. concert in 12 years last summer. Previous shows with the two have seen them grooving with Funkadelic singer Kendra Foster during a funky cover of the Beatles’ “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” and D’Angelo shredding guitar on Jimi Hendrix’s “Power of Soul.”
Jay Young’s Tribute to Earth, Wind and Fire
Fri., June 14, 8 pm • Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-332-1010 or www.dakotacooks.com • Jay Young is a monster on the bass, and one of the most versatile musicians to come out of the Twin Cities. His deep jazz roots, combined with a funky style and a flair for rock, find him well suited to lead a jazz-infused tribute to soul legends Earth, Wind and Fire.
David Murray Infinity Quartet w/Macy Gray
Sun., June 23, 7 pm • Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-332-1010 or www.dakotacooks.com • David Murray, one of the giants of modern jazz, teams up with Macy Gray, one of the most unique voices of her generation, for a special new project. Murray has rearranged his original music and some of the covers Gray did on her last record, with predictably stunning results.
The Screen
After Earth
Various theaters • A crash landing leaves Kitai Raige and his father Cypher stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help • Starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith.
Love Thy Neighbor
Wednesday’s on OWN, 9/8c • Written and directed by Tyler Perry, this new series, which debuted on May 29, had the second highest ratings ever for a series premiere on OWN, second only to Perry’s other new program on the network The Haves and the Have Nots. This new series, starring Patrice Lovely, Palmer Williams, Kendra C. Johnson and Andre Hall is a half-hour sitcom set in a location known as the Love Train Diner, a restaurant that offers advice to its customers in all facets of life.
Rapture-Palooza
Various theaters/Comcast Pay-per-view • Starring Craig Robinson and Anna Kendric • Left behind after the Rapture, a young woman and her boyfriend set out to prevent the Antichrist (Craig Robinson) from taking her as his unholy bride.
The Stage
Lil Rel
June 12-15, various times • House of Comedy, Mall of America,
408 East Broadway,
Bloomington, 952-858-8558 or www.houseofcomedy.net/ • Milton “Lil Rel” Howery takes you inside his world of growing up on Chicago’s West Side. Introducing characters inspired by his mother, father, uncle, and of course your favorite neighborhood “hoodrat,” his character style comedy leaves audiences in stitches. He is perhaps best known for his appearances on Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central’s Russell Simmons Presents, Diddy’s Bad Boys of Comedy, and Chelsea Lately.
Bill Cosby
Sat., June 22, 5 pm and 8 pm, Treasure Island Resort and Casino, 5734 Sturgeon Lake Road, Welch, MN, www.treasureislandcasino.com • Bill Cosby is a legendary comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician, activist and veteran stand-up performer.
The Arts
Juxtaposition Arts Fundraiser and Closing Reception for Question Bridge: Black Males Exhibition
Sat., June 15, 8 pm • 1108 W. Broadway Ave., Mpls., 612-588-1148 or http://juxtapositionarts.org/ •
Juxtapositions Arts (JXTA) Board of Directors member Herman Milligan hosts this special event • The exhibition, installed by JXTA’s Gallery and Contemporary Arts Director, Nate Young, is a video installation that threads together 1,500 conversations with Black men across the United States and offers from the project creators (Chris Johnson, Hank Willis Thomas, Bayete Ross Smith, and Kamal Sinclair) perspective, a “more complex, multi-faceted, and whole images and narratives of Black males.” • Music provided by DJ Herman.
Five by Five
Through June 30 • Obsidian Arts, 3501 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls., 612-787-3644 or www.blackartsmn.org • Five African photographers accepted the challenge of conveying visually, in just five images, the essential totality of their respective communities. Hailing from the lands associated with the Congolese, Liberians, Ethiopians, Somalians, and African Americans these five photographers surprise, lecture, and nurture a broad recognition of what is “the essential”. Side by side visitors may reflect on the differences in artistic perspectives and philosophies. The artists are: Travis Lee, Albert Nyembwe, Mohamed Barre, Getachew Irko, and Tarnue Jallah.
Realism Reconsidered
Through July 26 • Gordon Parks Gallery, Metro State Univ. Library and Learning Center, 645 E. 7th St., St. Paul, 651-793-1631 • Featuring Minneapolis-based artists Raina Belleau and Howard Quednau, who turn to folklore and the narrative to explore a different sense of truth. Belleau’s manipulated animal sculptures and Quednau’s skillful tiny model dioramas become playful, and sometimes dark, representations of altered realities and fictitious spaces • Mon.-Thurs., 11 am — 7 pm,
Fri.-Sat., 11 am — 4 pm No Fri. hours during summer months.
Send all Entertainment Spot briefs to abuchanan@spokesman-recorder.com,
or call 612-827-4021.
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