Aby Wolf & Laurels String Quartet

Vocalist Aby Wolf returns to Berlin with piano virtuoso Kavyesh Kaviraj and first-call drummer Pete James Johnson to present a collaborative set of originals and select covers (arranged by Johnson and Kaviraj) for the Twin Cities’ brilliant Laurels String Quartet. This stellar supergroup convenes once in a blue moon. Don’t miss it.

Band Members:
Erica Burton – Viola
Kavyesh Kaviraj – Piano
Pete James Johnson – Drums
Josh Misner – Violin
Devan Moran – Violin
Jacqueline Ultan – Cello
Aby Wolf – Vocals

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Aby Wolf is a Twin Cities–based vocalist, music maker, and passionate collaborator with an elastic skillset. Whether she is writing vocal arrangements; fulfilling commissions; or performing in clubs, theaters, and schools from Brainerd to Bratislava to Beijing, Aby brings a palpable element of joy to her endeavors. A lifelong learner with ever-expanding curiosity, Aby has a sound distinguished not by the typical markers of genre or instrumentation, but by her impressive range of expression and experimentation.

Having collaborated with some of Minnesota’s most esteemed musicians, Kavyesh Kaviraj has solidified himself as one of the most sought-after composers, arrangers and pianists in the Twin Cities. Taking influences from his birthplace of Oman, his rich Indian heritage, and the place he now calls home, the St. Paul virtuoso uses his astounding ability to craft compelling musical narrative. For the past seven years, Kavyesh has channelled his most transformative experiences and lessons from his heart to the piano through the language of jazz.

Pete James Johnson is a drummer, composer and educator in the Twin Cities—most often seen playing jazz and improvised music but at home in a variety of musical worlds. He has performed with local artists such as the Zacc Harris Group, Bryan Nichols, Javier Santiago, Omar Abdulkarim, Dosh, Michael Cain, Chris Bates’ Red 5, Will Kjeer, Andrew Walesch, Nooky Jones, Adam Meckler, Aaron Hedenstrom, JazzMN Orchestra, Twin Cities Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Adam Bohanan. Pete has also performed with international artists such as the Bob Mintzer Big Band, Alan Broadbent, Russ Ferrante, Alan Pasqua, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Bob Sheppard. As an educator, Pete has taught at The College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University, the University of Minnesota Morris, Hamline University, and the University of Southern California, and he has served as a clinician and guest artist at several jazz festivals around the Midwest. Pete’s primary instructors included Peter Erskine (Weather Report, Steely Dan), Ndugu Chancler (Miles Davis, Michael Jackson), Bill Platt (Cincinnati Symphony), and National Medal of Arts recipient Morten Lauridson.

After a chance meeting over a decade ago, Laurels String Quartet fell into being and quickly became a staple of the Minneapolis music scene. Their collective instinct for tuning into the emotional frequency of a song has amassed the group collaborators near and far. Artists including Belle and Sebastian, Father John Misty, Lucius, Jeremy Messersmith, Macklemore, Jason Mraz, Rogue Valley, Motion City Soundtrack, the New Standards, Ondara, and Semisonic have sought their company on stage and in the studio. The quartet has appeared on “Late Night with David Letterman,” PBS, The Current, and NPR and has performed on stages across the country, from the celebrated outdoor festival Rock The Garden at the Walker Art Center, to the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn, NY, to the legendary First Avenue in Minneapolis.