The Steve Kenny Quintet will play a special show with elements of tribute to Sonny Rollins in recognition of his recent passing. The show will also include some Miles Davis material celebrating his 100th birthday. Also, there will be a Chuck Mangione tune or two in tribute to the late, great flugelhornist, composer and bandleader. The quintet includes Steve Kenny on Trumpet, Dave Brattain on Saxophones, Bryan Nichols on Piano, Chris Bates on Bass, and Miguel Hurtado on Drums. They will be performing in the intimate setting of Fingal’s Cave (one of the favored venues of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival) located in the basement of MetroNOME Brewery in Lowertown St Paul, MN on Friday, July 31th, 2026 starting at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available at ttps://metronomebrewery.com/live-music/steve-kenny-quintet/
Steve Kenny is active in the Minnesota jazz community as a performer, composer, and curator. Kenny is a founding member of the illicit sextet, Group 47, What Would Monk Do?, and his own groups. Kenny was the curator of a weekly Saturday jazz series at KJ’s Hideaway, and before that the Black Dog Cafe, producing over 400 Saturday Night Jazz shows. In 2019, the national Jazz Journalists Association named Kenny a “Minnesota Jazz Hero” for his work in the jazz community and lifelong devotion to the idiom. In August of last year, Steve released a Jazz Quintet recording titled ‘Blue Chunks’ to a sold-out show at Dakota Jazz Club. It’s his 12th overall produced Jazz recording and his 3rd as a leader.
Bryan Nichols is a pianist, composer, and educator based in Minneapolis. Often found playing jazz and improvised music, but at home in a variety of musical worlds, he leads and composes for his own trio, quintet, and nonet in addition to performing, recording, and touring with forward-thinking artists like Nicole Mitchell, Ron Miles, and Olga Bell, and groups like the Gang Font, Dead Man Winter, and Halloween, Alaska. He has taught jazz piano at MacPhail Center for Music, University of Minnesota – Morris, and University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, while presenting clinics and masterclasses at a variety of colleges and high schools around the Midwest. Bryan was awarded a 2010-11 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians, a prestigious and competitive award given to Minnesota musicians. His work also earned him a 2004 residency from Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center, given to outstanding, emerging jazz performer/composers, and a 2009 subito grant from the American Composers Forum. In May 2011 Bryan released his debut recording as a leader, Bright Places, containing nine original compositions for his quintet. The Star Tribune called the album “fresh and first-rate” and it landed on multiple best-of-year lists. In September 2011, he had the honor of performing as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra for the world premiere of a Stephen Paulus’ concerto for jazz quintet and orchestra.
Dave Brattain is a first-call Twin Cities saxophonist who has been playing major Minnesota jazz ensembles and major jazz recordings since the late 1980s. He has collaborated with Dave Stanoch, Steve Wagner, The Cedar Avenue Big Band, and his own quartets and quintets. He has been a constant member of Steve Kenny’s Quintets and Coltrane tributes, perfectly channeling the sax master and infusing those performances with his own artistry.
Chris Bates is a bassist of formidable talent. Having worked professionally for 25 years across all spectrums of the musical landscape he continues to be a driving force in the Minnesota music scene. Raised in a musical household Chris learned early on that variety and diversity were the key to being a working musician and he set his sights on the stars by the time he was a teenager. Bolstered by a classical foundation from MN Orchestra bassist James Clute, Chris gained traction as an improvisor at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire where he played in the award-winning Jazz Ensemble I and was able to work with Red Rodney, Donald Harrison, Matt Harris, Ed Soph, Jiggs Whigham and Ira Sullivan in brief but intense concert experiences. In 2012, Chris released his debut album ‘New Hope’ with his quintet Red 5. An all-original affair ‘New Hope’ is full of crack shot playing and smart writing that showcases a clean and minimal sound. It was the only jazz album to make the Star Tribune’s Critic’s Tally of top albums in 2012. 2014 saw the release of a new album by ‘The Good Vibes Trio’ and showcases Chris’ love of more standard jazz repertoire with gems from Charles Mingus, Freddie Hubbard and John Coltrane mixed with some original tunes from each band member. In Short, Chris is a member of many of Minnesota’s best and most important jazz ensembles and ha=s a staggering discography of recordings.
Miguel
played throughout the Twin Cities as a teenager in several youth bands, as well as with South High jazz ensembles. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in spring 2010, he returned to the Twin Cities where he quickly became a busy member of the local jazz scene. In addition to leading his own bands, he has performed with Jake Baldwin, John Raymond, Jeremy Walker, Javi Santiago, Joe Strachan, Ted Olsen, Will Kjeer, Steve Kenny, and Courageous Endeavors. He is also expanding his musical resume, playing with some local pop and R&B singers, particularly Alicia Steele and vocalist/rapper Toussaint Morrison.
- Venue: MetroNOME Brewery
- Address: 385 Broadway St, St Paul, MN 55101
- Phone: (651) 317-9080
- Tickets: :ttps://metronomebrewery.com/live-music/steve-kenny-quintet/
- Date: Friday, July 31th, 2026
- Time: 7:30-9:30 pm.
