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Ted Unseth Music Director Engagements: 1973-2013
Wolverines
Classic Jazz Orchestra (WCJO) 1973-1979
[ Ted
Unseth, Owner/Director; David Rodgers, full-time Manager ]
1973
July 21 The Firehouse (now Mixed Blood Theater); Minneapolis
The Electric Fetus grand opening sometime in August;
Minneapolis
September 22 Riverside
Café; Minneapolis
Valley
Pizza in Dinkytown for U of MN Homecoming; Minneapolis
1974
February 24 The Cedar Theater; Minneapolis
March 12 MPR Studios; St. Paul
April 7 Prairie Home Companion at the Walker Art Center; Minneapolis
May 18 Firehouse Theater benefit for the Palace Theater; Minneapolis
May 24-25 The Whole Coffeehouse; U of MN; Minneapolis
May 31
College of Art and Design Dance; Minneapolis
June 1 The Firehouse
(Mixed Blood Theater); Minneapolis
July
22 Walker Art Center; Minneapolis
August 4 Marquette Inn; Minneapolis
August 18
Opening act for Sarah Vaughan at Guthrie Theater; Minneapolis
August 29
First album recorded for a week at Sweet Jane Ltd.; Northern MN
October 31
College of Art and Design; Minneapolis
Winter 74-75
Re-record vocal tracks at Augsburg College band bldg.; Minneapolis
1975
January
10
Gibbon Ballroom; Gibbon, MN
January
17-18
Whole Coffeehouse; U of MN; Minneapolis
January 24 U. of St. Thomas; St. Paul
January 27,Whole
Coffeehouse; U of MN; Minneapolis
February
14-15
Cabooze; Minneapolis
February
23
Waconia Ballroom; Waconia, MN
March 7 St. Mary’s College; Winona, MN
March 8 Northwestern College of Chiropractic; St. Paul
April 6 O’Shaughnessy Theater; St. Paul
April 11 NEC showcase (unsure)
April 12 Gustavus Adolphus; St. Peter, MN
April 19 Luther College; Decorah, Iowa
April 25 Hotel Sofitel; Bloomington, MN
April 26 Hamline College; St. Paul
May 2 Carlton College; Northfield, MN
May 3 College of Art and Design; Minneapolis
May 7 St. Cloud State University; St. Cloud,
MN
May 8 Moorhead
State University; Moorhead, MN
May
16
Metro Jr. College; Bloomington, MNMay 17 Private party; Minneapolis
May 24 Shattuck Military Academy; Faribault, MN
June 13 Firehouse (Mixed Blood Theater); Minneapolis
June 20 West Bank School of Music; Minneapolis
June 22 Spring Hill Conference Center; Wayzata, MN
July 3 American National Bank; St. Paul
July 4 Performed on a barge on Mississippi River; Minneapolis-St. Paul during the day, Cabooze that night plus the 5th, and 6th
July 13
Steady engagement at the Longhorn Bar every Sunday night; Minneapolis
July 14 Gramma's; Duluth, MN
July 15
Northrop Plaza; U of MN; Minneapolis
July 18 Ridgedale Shopping Center; Minnetonka, MN
August 9 Lake Harriet Band Shell; Minneapolis
August 10
Anoka County Fair; Anoka, MN
August
1l-12
Amalgamated Restaurant; St. Louis Park, MN
August 20 Ratso's; Chicago, IL
August 22 Elgin, IL
September 6 Milwaukee, WI
September 22 thru
October 1 Three
weeks of six nights/week at the Ramada Inn; Golden Valley, MN
October 16 Minnesota Educators Association convention
October 25 Osh Kosh, WI
October 26 Marquette University; Milwaukee, WI
October 29 Minneapolis Art Institute; Minneapolis
November 8 University of Minnesota; Morris,
MN
December 7 "Sound
of Music" party (unsure)
December
27-30
Telemark; Cable, WI
December
31 Cabooze; Minneapolis
1976
January 11 Longhorn Saloon; Minneapolis
January 16-17 Whole Coffeehouse; Minneapolis
January 19 Showcase for MN county fairs (unsure)
January 25 Jazz Emporium; Mendota Heights,
MN
January 29 St. Cloud
State University; St. Cloud, MN
January
31 Kenosha, WI (unsure)
February 6 Bemidji,
MN (unsure)
February 21 Hamline College; St. Paul, MN
February 28 Minneapolis Art Institute; Minneapolis
February 29 Eau Claire, WI (unsure)
March l2-14 Longhorn Saloon; Minneapolis
March 18 Macalester College; Minneapolis-St.
Paul
March 26 University
of North Dakota; Grand Forks, ND
March
28
Longhorn Saloon; Minneapolis
April
3
River Serpent; MinneapolisMay 1 St. Paul Hotel; St. Paul
May 2 Eden Prairie Shopping Center; Eden Prairie, MN
May 6-8 Every Thur., Fri., Sat. (several weeks); Commodore Hotel; St. Paul, MN
Special Guest: Trumpet legend
Cladys 'Jabbo' Smith
May 9 Emporium of Jazz; Mendota Heights, MN
May 13 Mankato State College; Mankato, MN
May 15 College of Art and Design; Minneapolis
May 30 River Serpent; Minneapolis
June 20 Minneapolis Institute of Arts; Minneapolis
June 17 Scotties on Seventh; Minneapolis.
Started as playing Wed.-Sat. 9pm-lam;
but later in the summer an itinerary shows only Thurs.-Sat. This continues
until the end of the year when it went down to 1 night.
June 20 Minneapolis Institute of Art; Minneapolis
June 26 Wedding; Wayzata, MN
June 28-July 4 Ratso’s; Chicago, IL
July 9, Government Center for Heritage of the Arts festival; Minneapolis
July 10-ll North Shore jobs for Maw Brothers;
Duluth, MN
July 16 Lake Harriet
Band Shell; Minneapolis
July
22
University of Wisconsin; Superior, WI
July 25 Amalgamated Restaurant; St. Louis Park, MN
July 26 Northrop Plaza; U of MN; Minneapolis
August 6 The Gatehouse Speakeasy; Eagan, MN
August 15 Anoka-Ramsey Community College; Anoka,
MN
September l-6 Minnesota
State Fair; St. Paul, MN
September
10
Southdale Shopping Center; Edina, MN
September 12 Butler
Square Atrium; Minneapolis
September
18
The Bicentennial Ball at Southdale; Edina, MN
September 24 Orchestra Hall; Minneapolis
September 25 Luther College; Decorah, IA
September 26
University of Minnesota Welcome Week; Minneapolis
October 3 Eden Prairie Center; Eden Prairie, MN
October 5 Culver, IN
October 6 Carthage College; Lacrosse, WI
October 8 University of Nebraska; Lincoln,
NE
October 9 Grinnell
College; Grinnell, IA
October
16
Coe College; Cedar Rapids, IA
October 24 O’Shaughnessy Auditorium; St. Paul, MN
December 1 University of North Dakota; Grand Forks, ND
1977
January 20 Jimmy Carter Inaugural Ball; Washington DC
January 21-22 Downington Inn; Downington, PA
January 23 The Riverboat; Empire State Building; New York, NY
February 18 Radisson Hotel; Roseville, MN
February 20 Hooligans; MinneapolisFebruary 24 Gustavus Adolphus College; St.
Peter, MN
February 26 Hamline
College; St. Paul
March
11-12
Trade Show (unsure)
March
17
Commodore Hotel; St. Paul
March
19
KQRS-FM Broadcast at Sound 80; Minneapolis
March 20 Hooligans; Minneapolis
March 31 Radisson Hotel; St. Paul
April 2 Scotties on Seventh; Minneapolis
April 3 South Dakota State; Brookings, SD
April 15 Simpson College; Indianola, IA
April 23 Stout State College; Menomonee, WI
June and July: Fridays and Saturdays, Commodore Hotel; St. Paul
Castle Royale steady job begins; St. Paul
June 29 Northrop Auditorium; U of MN; Minneapolis
July 2-4 Valley Fair; Shakopee, MN
August 12: Meadow Brook Music Festival near Detroit, MI
with Lionel Hampton and Marian McPartland
August 24-September 4 Minnesota State Fair; St. Paul
Fall ’77: Tour to Chicago, St. Louis, Georgia, and South Carolina.
October 22 "Wylde Rice"; KTCA-TV; St. Paul
1978
April ’78:
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; New Orleans, LA
September 25 The Sahara Hotel; Las Vegas, NV
September 26 NWC Theater; Ridgecrest, CA
September 27-28 Variety Arts Center Theater;
Los Angeles. CA
September
29
Whittier College at noon and the Queen Mary at night; Los Angeles,
CA
Fall ’78: NECAA Convention; New Orleans, LA
October 7 Orchestra Hall; Minneapolis
December 22-23 St. Paul Hotel; St. Paul
December 31 NYE at St. Paul Hotel; St. Paul
1979
January 5 Governor Quie’s Inaugural Ball at the St. Paul Civic Center; St. Paul
Fridays, Saturdays, and
Sundays at the Hotel St. Paul in January; St. Paul
August 15 Uncle Sam’s; Minneapolis
October 17 Prom Ballroom: final show w/ Rio Nido; St. Paul
November 12 St. Paul Hotel; St. Paul (Gunther
Schuler was there)
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1979: David Louis Rodgers as Manager/Agent believed in us and worked hard on our behalf. He was severely injured in a car crash in 1979 and couldn't continue as
our business agent. He
was the most effective marketing representative I've ever
worked with and is the main reason we had such great success in the '70's.
1980-1984: Ted
entered into 3-way Partnership with former drummer and his parents. Still named WCJO. The first
two years were quite good, but repertoire clashes ended with Ted being leveraged out of the organization,
losing name and logo recognition. Incomplete
records for this period, but highlights include:
July 1980 Chicago
Jazz Festival; Chicago, IL
Special Guest: Trumpet legend Adolphus 'Doc' Cheatham
September 1980 Prom Center; St. Paul
June 1981 KTCA-TV; St. Paul
June 1981 Northrop Mall; U of MN; Minneapolis
August 1981 Meadowbrook Music Festival; Detroit,
MI
with Marian McPartland and Lionel Hampton
August/September 1981 Minnesota State Fair (daily concerts); St. Paul
September 1981
McGuire's Supper Club; St.
Paul
March 1982 First
Avenue: Minneapolis
Special Guest: Shirley Witherspoon
June 1982 First Avenue: Minneapolis
October 1982 Town Square Park; St. Paul
October 1982 O'Shaughnessy Auditorium; St. Paul
with Manhattan Transfer
November 1982
KTCA-TV; St. Paul
July 1983 Summer Arts Festival; Brookings, SD
Americana Classic Jazz Orchestra (ACJO)
The WCJO reputation and name were well established by the 1980's. After
losing
the highly marketable name, Ted had to rename his project (same philosophy and repertoire: note-for-note transcriptions
of classic Americana/American Jazz Orchestra recordings performed live! and in concert) to Americana Classic Jazz Orchestra (ACJO). Without name recognition and no
manager, gigs dwindled to next-to-nothing. 1980's
highlights:
1984-1989:
April 17, 1987 "The
Wrecking Ball"; Prom Ballroom; St. Paul
Special Guest: Cab Calloway
Summer 1988 Northrop Mall; U of MN; Minneapolis
Special Guest: Local Alto Sax
legend Eddie Berger
Ted Unseth & DE STIJLISTICSSandwiched in-between, Ted formed what he called his "concession to the recession"--a
Septet version, DE STIJLISTICS. Highlights:
1982-1983:
First Avenue/Seventh Street Entry; Minneapolis
Dudley Riggs; Minneapolis
Alfredo's; Minneapolis
Sheik's; Minneapolis
St. Anthony Main; Minneapolis
1984 KTCA-TV; St. Paul
1986 Walker Art Center; Minneapolis
With Special Guests: Leigh Kamman, MPR Jazz Host; and John Hammond, Sr.
1987 Seventh
Street Entry; (First Avenue); Minneapolis
1987 Rose Fete: Minneapolis Institute of Arts; Minneapolis
1987 Twin Cities Jazz Festival; St. Paul
1988 Hennepin Center for the Arts; Minneapolis
Special Guest: Butch Thompson, Stride Piano
Americana Classic Jazz Orchestra (ACJO) continued
1990s:
October 1993 Bandana Square; St. Paul
Special Guest, Alto Sax legend
91-year-old Benny Waters
2000s:
August 2010 Pro Bono concert;
Minnehaha Falls Park Bandshell; Minneapolis
July 2013 Pro Bono Family
Concert Tribute to Ted Unseth; Lake Harriet Bandshell; Minneapolis
Additional Ted Unseth Music Director Engagements:
1969
Composer: La Mama ETC/The University of MN Company
“Comings and Goings”; Minneapolis
1970-1973 Music Workshop Director: Urban Arts Program; Mpls. Public
Schools: Minneapolis
1976 Music Director: WCJO LP #1
1978
Composer: "Quintets 1 & 2"; West Bank School of Music;
Minneapolis
1978 Music Director: WCJO "Play That Ting" LP #2
1980
Music Director:
"Falling Moons"; Children's
Theatre Company;
Mpls., MN; Minneapolis
1983
Music Director/Arranger/Conductor/Alto
Sax: "Holiday Inn";
Mixed
Blood Theatre; Mpls., MN; Minneapolis
1983 Music Director: DE STIJLISTICS EP
1986
Music Director/Arranger/Sax/Clarinet:
AmEx/IDS National
Convention; Minneapolis
1988 Music Director/Arranger/Sax/Clarinet:
Aetna Life and Casualty
Regional
Conventions; Nationwide1989 Music Director/Arranger/Sax/Clarinet: "La Revue Negre: A Tribute to Josephine Baker"; Ruby's Cabaret; Mpls., MN; Minneapolis
1990-1992 Transcriber:
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks
Orchestra; Washington,
DC
1992
Transcriber: "Rebirth of the Cool"; Gerry Mulligan; Washington, DC
2006 Composer-Singer/Songwriter
"I'm Goin' Home"
CD; Minneapolis
2010 Music Director: "ACJO 20th Anniversary" CD; Minneapolis
2013
Composer: World Premiere: ”Concertino for Chamber Orchestra”’
Minnesota
Sinfonia; St. Mary’s Basilica; Minneapolis
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