Gypsy Jazz Concert to Raise Money for MacRostie Art Center

Saturday, November 17 | 7:30 PM | Community Presbyterian Church | $15-$20

MacRostie Art Center is pleased to announce that gypsy jazz cellist Martha Larson will join local musicians in the Clearwater Hot Club for a community concert raising funds in support of MacRostie Art Center. The concert will be held on Saturday, November 17, at 7:30 pm at Community Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, MN.

MacRostie Art Center (MAC) is a nonprofit art center dedicated to community growth through the arts in northern Minnesota. The organization presents monthly art exhibitions, offers classes for youth and adults, and is home to an art shop featuring the work of many talented local and regional artists – including local musicians.

In the fall of 2011, the MAC began a series of concerts featuring Minnesota-based musicians with a performance by Peter Ostroushko and Sam Miltich followed by a spring concert featuring guitarist Joan Griffith also in a duo performance with Miltich. Now, the MAC is pleased to welcome a larger group to the stage with the popular gypsy jazz and swing music of the Clearwater Hot Club featuring cellist Martha Larson from Northfield, MN.

A native of Minnesota, Martha Larson was classically trained as a cellist from a young age. As a mechanical engineering student at Northwestern University she gained exposure to the world of club and coffeehouse performance and began her exploration of cello in non-classical music. She performed in diverse settings of the Chicago music scene — from children's recordings to accompanying vocalists to prog rock bands — before discovering the gypsy jazz music pioneered by guitarist Django Reinhardt. She studied jazz and improvisation with musicians David Bloom, Al Erich, and Kevin Guin and worked with renowned gypsy jazz guitarist Alfonso Ponticelli of the quintet Swing Gitan.

Larson connected with the Clearwater Hot Club after returning to Minnesota in 2010. She was eager to find fellow Minnesota-based musicians who shared her love of acoustic jazz music. Grand Rapids native Sam Miltich has played gypsy swing music for over ten years with his band the Clearwater Hot Club. In the past two years Larson and Miltich have played together across the state from Winona to Grand Marais. A performance at the Grand Rapids VFW in 2011 packed the house, a feat which the group hopes to repeat with the November 17 concert.

"Martha is a musician with incredible talent and spirit," says Miltich. "She is passionate about the gypsy swing music that has been so important to me, but she is also curious and always looking to try new things. Her sense of adventure keeps our performances together fresh and exciting – for the players and the audience alike."

This unique ensemble will present a wide range of material from Django Reinhardt standards to modern compositions by artists such as Andrew Bird in a program that will appeal to serious jazz fans and casual music lovers alike.

Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door and available at MacRostie Art Center, 405 NW 1st Ave, downtown Grand Rapids. This event is sponsored by Broberg & Ferraro CPAs, Grand Dental Center, and Itasca Surgical Clinic. For more information contact MacRostie Art Center at 218-326-2697 or info@macrostieartcenter.org