Experimental Jazz on Lafond Presents: Sandford / Granros / Cox

Experimental Jazz on Lafond Presents: Sandford / Granros / Cox.

Thursday, October 8th, 7pm. Arts on Lafond: 1697 Lafond Ave. St. Paul.

Tickets: $15 / $10 students. Cash, check, Venmo, Paypal accepted.

This performance is not wheelchair accessible.

(Aaron will not be performing at this show, but please stop by to hear some amazing music).

Trombonist/composer/conductor JC Sanford is a musician of wide breadth, deeply rooted in the traditions of Jazz and Classical music, yet constantly pushing at their boundaries. Equally at home in many roles, Sanford works regularly as a composer, performer, arranger and conductor. A protégé of legendary composer and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, he has performed with the likes of Danilo Pérez, Matt Wilson, John McNeil, and George Schuller. He is a member of several diverse NYC-based ensembles including the Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble, Nathan Parker Smith’s prog-rock big band, Andrew Green’s film noir tribute Narrow Margin, singer-songwriter Joy Askew’s New York Brass, and Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.’s jazz/new music hybrid Numinous. JC has performed as a trombonist in the Twin Cities area with JT and Chris Bates, Davu Seru, Anthony Cox, Babatunde Lea, Zacc Harris, Dave Hagedorn, and Laura Caviani. He co-founded the Twin Cities Jazz Composers' Workshop alongside his wife Asuka Kakitani, trumpeter Adam Meckler, and saxophonist Aaron Hedenstrom in 2017. He received a 2018 McKnight Composer Fellowship, a 2019 MN State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant to record his quartet, 2021 and 2022 Creative Support Grants to record his Imminent Standards trio, and another in 2023 to record his NEW PAST Trio with Michael Cain and Anthony Cox.

Dean Granros is a guitarist and composer residing in WI,USA. Over the past 50 years Dean has developed a unique voice on the guitar. Of Dean’s playing, New York Times jazz critic, Nate Chinen, wrote: “It was..inarguable in its logic, and to my ears it definitely qualified as something new.” As soloist, Mr. Granros explores the intersections of world music and jazz to create a tapestry of musical color and mood.

Anthony Cox is known for his work with several leading musicians including Geri Allen, Dewey Redman, Dave Douglas, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Gary Thomas, Marty Ehrlich, Ed Blackwell, Joe Lovano, and Dave King. Cox has been described as versatile enough to work in any style effectively. Peter Madsen wrote that Cox is "open to all kinds of great music from around the world" and that "his bass sound is full of beauty and warmth and his ability to accompany and still add very creative ideas into whatever music he is playing is remarkable. He is equally comfortable playing chord changes with Stan Getz or Kenny Wheeler or playing open music with Dewey Redman or Geri Allen."