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Special Guests The Ensemble Singers of the Plymouth Music Series first sang together in 1991, part of the Plymouth Music Series-which, under the direction of world-renowned conductor, choral scholar, and performer Philip Brunelle-has grown over the past 27 years into one of the premier music organizations in Minnesota. The Ensemble Singers are known for innovative exploration of music for voices and instruments. Commissions and world premiere performances have included works of Dominick Argento, Conrad Susa, Stephen Paulus, Libby Larsen, Paul Schoenfield, Dan Kallman, Joseph Jennings, Carol Barnett, and David Baker. The Ensemble Singers made their European debut in 1994 and are heard on the Angel, Collins Classics, and RCA labels. Their second Witness recording, The Music of William Grant Still, (Collins Classics) was released in February. Performing with the Ensemble Singers tonight: soprano: Jane Anderson, Lisa Habeck, Kathleen Hanson, Barbara Nelson, Ruth Spiegel, Linda Zelig; alto: Rosita Elhardt, Barbara Kastens, Marita J. Link, Anna Mooy, Mary Jo Oldakowski, Patricia Thompson; tenor: Claude Cassagne, Gary Costello, David Henderson, Thomas Larson, David Moore, Rick Penning; bass: Steve Burger, Michael Jorgenson, Brad Runyan, Douglas Shambo, Frank Steen. Butch Thompson is well-remembered for his 12-year run as the house pianist on A Prairie Home Companion, dating back to the show's second broadcast in July 1974. The Butch Thompson trio, formed for the show in 1978, was the house band until 1986. As a soloist, Thompson has long been regarded as a leading traditional jazz musician. In the past year, he's completed a residency at the American University in Cairo, and performed a run with the hit off-Broadway show Jelly Roll! in New York, and in jazz festival and orchestra performances around the globe. Thompson's interest in jazz began during his childhood in the river village of Marine-on-St. Croix, Minnesota, where he began piano study at age six and nurtured an interest in boogie woogie. While in high school, he studied clarinet, organized his first band (Shirt Thompson and His Sleeves), and played his first professional engagement at age 16. In 1962, as a U of M undergraduate, Thompson joined the Hall Brothers New Orleans Jazz Band of St. Paul. He then studied with the New Orleans clarinetist George Lewis, made his first solo piano recordings-a 1966 album of Jelly Roll Morton solos-and began touring American and European jazz festivals. Thompson continues his critically acclaimed series on Daring Records with his latest recordings: Lincoln Avenue Blues; Yulestride, a solo Christmas set; and Butch and Doc, a collection of duets with trumpeter Doc Cheatham. Thompson has developed a Christmas show-also called Yulestride. The show has been performed at the Dakota Bar & Grill in St. Paul and in West Virginia, Iowa, and Tennessee. Performing with Thompson this evening are: Brian O'Connell (clarinet), Charlie DeVore (cornet), Jim Klippert (trombone), and Ralph Hepola (tuba). |
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An Interview with Heather Masse
In a 2009 interview, Heather Masse tells us about her earliest influences, auditioning in a women's bathroom, and a few memorable moments from A Prairie Home Companion.
Old Sweet Songs: A Prairie Home Companion 1974-1976
Lovingly selected from the earliest archives of A Prairie Home Companion, this heirloom collection represents the music from earliest years of the now legendary show: 1974–1976. With songs and tunes from jazz pianist Butch Thompson, mandolin maestro Peter Ostroushko, Dakota Dave Hull and the first house band, The Powdermilk Biscuit Band (Adam Granger, Bob Douglas and Mary DuShane).
