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,
MN
May
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; Minneapolis
May
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; Minneapolis
February
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)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 STIJLISTICS
Sandwiched
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; Nationwide
1989 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
