Revisiting Dakota

In the past two weeks I’ve seen two shows at the Dakota Jazz Club. I used to go there all the time over in the old location when I was studying with a couple of jazz drummers who played there frequently.

Last week I saw Rebirth Brass Band. While it wasn’t as amazing as seeing them in their hometown of New Orleans at the Maple Leaf (they have a standing Tuesday night gig there), it was great to see them and they did the impossible: They got a Minnesota audience out of their seats and dancing in what’s usually a very relaxed room.


I looked at other shows coming up and was really excited to see that drumming legend Brian Blade was playing there a few days later with his Fellowship band. Easily one of the top 5 shows I’ve seen. That band is so seasoned as a group and each player is a master of their instrument.


Seeing live music is something I didn’t realize that I missed so much. I’ll be going a lot more often.