Jessica Nadeau is the advancement manager at Walker West Music Academy.

Ron Carter. Photo by Flickr user Wilfred Paulse.

Walker West Music Academy is kicking off its new, 13-show 8 O’Clock Jump Jazz Series in a big way. Jazz legend Ron Carter, internationally renowned for his seminal work with Miles Davis in the 1960s, will perform a concert with his trio at Walker West’s music center on Friday, Sept. 11.

Carter’s appearance will be the official start to a year’s worth of jazz concerts at Walker West’s new music center on Selby Avenue–a program that is supported, in part, through a Knight Arts Challenge St. Paul grant. Other artists appearing this fall include flutist Nicole Mitchell, Afoutayi Dance, vocalist Yolande Bruce, Eric Gravatt & Source Code, and pianist Anthony Walker. Show dates for the second half of the series will be announced in October, and include appearances from the Bryan Nichols Trio, Atlantis Quartet, Nathan Hanson and Brian Roessler, and New York-based alto saxophonist David Binney, among others.

“The 8 O’Clock Jump series presents an incredible opportunity for Walker West to host jazz artists in an accessible, intimate venue in the heart of the Summit-University community in St. Paul,” said Peter Leggett, executive director of Walker West Music Academy.

The 8 O’Clock Jump Series is a reference to the jazz standard “One O’Clock Jump,” written by big-band legend Count Basie. The series is so named because the performances will be held at 8 p.m. Walker West will engage local, Twin Cities-based jazz groups and several national artists for performances geared toward people of all ages.

Along with funding from Knight Foundation, the series receives additional support from the city of St. Paul’s Cultural STAR program and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.

For tickets and the full lineup of Walker West’s upcoming 8 O’Clock Jump Jazz Series, visit the academy’s website.