TCJazzFest: Explosion Big Band
Jun 21 | 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Free
TCJazzFest – June 20-21, 2025.
Free Admission. Reservations are recommended.
Doug Haining is one of the most swinging sax and clarinet players, citing the influence of
Johnny Hodges. Doug has been delighting audiences for over three decades, working in
Minneapolis, Minnesota area bands including The Wolverines Big Band, The Mouldy Figs,
Red Wolfe’s Ellington Echoes, the Hall Brothers Band, the JazzMn Big Band, the Russ
Peterson Big Band, and many others. Doug performs in pit orchestras in local theaters, and
leads the Twin Cities Seven, a local swing band playing for dances, parties, and events.
Scott Agster moved to Minneapolis in 2005 to study at the University of Minnesota. The city quickly became his new adopted home. He currently writes music for and plays with
groups: Salsa del Soul, Urban Classic, CoMingl, KAJ Productions, Adam Bohanan, and the
Minneapolis Funk All-Stars. Some career highlights include touring with the Doc
Severinsen Orchestra, Davina and the Vagabonds, and the Minneapolis-based Neo Soul
group Nooky Jones. Scott has nothing but love for Minneapolis.
In 2012 Doug and Scott teamed up to form the Explosion Big Band, a 17 piece big band that has exploded since its inception. The band has a contagious repertoire of compositions from Basie, Ellington, Thad Jones, and many more contemporary composers. The band can be heard monthly at Jazz Central Studios in an open rehearsal.
www.explosionbigband.com
The Twin Cities Jazz Fest is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission of bringing communities together to enjoy and appreciate the art form of jazz and inspire new generations of youth. What started as a small one-day event in downtown Minneapolis 26 years ago has grown into one of the largest free civic jazz festivals in the upper Midwest.