Recent Past

(From the archives, in Dan’s own words:)

2007

“Black HerStories: A Celebration of African American Women” (January 2007)
The annual MLK holiday concert at St Joan of Arc. As usual, a high-energy affair, but with a special poignancy this year: We invited our featured guests to bring their mothers onstage to sing and talk with us. And so they did: Gwen Matthews and her mother Olivia, Debbie Duncan and her mother Lucille, T Mychael Rambo and his mother Patricia all shared stories about childhoods, music around the house, favorite songs and records. And then they all sang for us, with the SJA Choir, with the house band, and all by themselves. A once-in-a-lifetime evening. You can read a review at St Joan’s website by clicking here.

“Cafe Europa” (May 2005 and ongoing)
A travel memoir with music about my midlife crisis summer spent bicycling Europe with tent and accordion. It features a whole gang of my favorite musician friends: Maria Jette, Prudence Johnson, Peter Ostroushko, Sima Shumilovsky, the Mandragora Tango Orchestra, the Rose Ensemble, Mark Stillman and Jordan Sramek. It was recorded live at the Fitzgerald Theater May 21 2005 and broadcast statewide on MPR the following June.

You can still listen to the radio version of “Cafe Europa” at mpr.org (scroll to June 4). The show was also televised on TPT channel 17 in the Twin Cities on New Year’s Eve 2006. Thanks to high viewership they’ll be airing it again this Spring. Stay tuned.

2006

“Mambo Italiano” (May 2006)
A loving look at the great pop music romance between Italy and the USA before, during and after WWII. From Enrico Caruso to Louis Prima, Connie Francis, Tony Bennett and the Frankies (Laine, Valli, Avalon and Sinatra), we go looking for the spicy meatball in the American popular songs of the 40s and 50s. With Prudence Johnson, Peter Ostroushko, Paul Peterson, Dan Dressen, Carlo Cicala, Jim TenBensel and the Mandragora Tango Orchestra.

It was recorded live at the Fitzgerald Theater May 20 2006, and a one-hour version was broadcast statewide on MPR the following June.

You can still listen to the broadcast version of “Mambo Italiano” at mpr.oprg (scroll to June 11). The show is also televised frequently on SPNN, St Paul cable televison.