Shannon Fitzgerald here with Episode #22 of the Underground Arts Club. The club is a recommendation, not a review. My goal is to introduce you to all of the Twin Cities art that you haven't yet discovered. Carl Swanson joins us once more with a host of holiday-themed (and other!) events from the music scene

The Must-See

Holidays in our jazz clubs

'Tis the season for Carols, Nutcrackers, and choir concerts, but maybe some of the most fun and interesting holiday fare can be found in the Twin Cities' jazz clubs. If jazz isn't really your thing, these shows can be a great entry into some of our most fun and intimate rooms. Check out the calendars, but here are some highlights – The Dakota on Nicollet Mall hosts New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band for four shows on December 19 & 20, and they always bring a rollicking and raucous good time. Crooner's Supper Club, just north on Highway 65, presents Christmas with the Champagne Drops on December 10, which promises sparkles, glam and gorgeous vocal harmonies from the duo of Leslie Vincent and Emily Dussault. Berlin in the North Loop also has a full calendar of holiday shows, as well as shows all throughout the night on New Year's Eve, a perfect spot to smooch a sweetheart. And don't worry, all three clubs have performances of Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas, if you're looking for the perfect nostalgic soundtrack.

‍Festive Beats of Afrika at the Cedar Cultural Center

Apropos of world news, have you been to a show at the Cedar Cultural Center recently? This vintage gymnasium turned venue is easily one of the Twin Cities' best listening rooms, with enough flexibility to throw a wild party. As it's in the heart of the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, there is great food all around from Afro Deli, Dilla Ethiopian, the Hard Times Cafe, Baarakallah, and more. Make a night of it and shake off your winter blues with December 20th's Festive Beats of Afrika with Carolyne Naomi, Diatoti, and Afrocontigbo, highlighting Afrobeats, Congolese music, and West African dance.

Braids: A Conversation with Dyani White Hawk and Jovan C. Speller

Dyani White Hawk's midcareer retrospective Love Language at the Walker Art Center is a can't miss show, full of monumental sculptures built from the tiny glass beads of White Hawk's Lakota heritage, as well as drawings, sketches, and videos about people and place that are, as advertised, full of love. Braids is one of those videos, with White Hawk and artist Jovan C. Speller speaking with their mothers and meditating on hair braiding, care, and connection in Black and Indigenous communities. Join the two artists in conversation on December 11, don't miss the show, which runs through February 15.

The Discovery

The Discovery is all about small moments of surprise and delight, and one of my favorite moments in all of the Twin Cities is the Smallest Museum St. Paul right outside the front door of Workhorse Coffee. Check out the holiday installation featuring artificial Christmas Trees and go inside to get a coffee and snack. Also check out MidModMen+friends next door for some gorgeous MCM furniture and accessories, then head around the corner for dinner at Herbst Eatery and Farm Stand.  You can also find some of Creative Enterprise Zone’s amazing murals in the area!

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Field Notes (from Shannon)

When I moved from the coast of California ten years ago, I loved Minneapolis winter. There is something about being forced to stay in, to just stop, to be physically restrained from going outside that creates an inner world that many Californians seem to be missing. (I don’t want to hear anything about those of you who still go out biking and running. There’s something wrong with you.) Here is the list of books I’m enjoying (and would recommend) while sitting next to the fire:

H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald

The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing by Adam Moss

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

Picturing Frederick Douglass: An Illustrated Biography of the Nineteenth Century's Most Photographed American by Bernier, Stauffer, and Trodd

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