Sam Miltich Duet Series

Join us at Rapids Brewing Co. for the first night of an exciting duet series with the talented Jazz guitarist Sam Miltich! Each night of the residency will feature a unique set of themed food pairings, perfectly curated to complement the music and create a truly immersive dining experience.

Whether you’re a jazz aficionado or simply looking for a fun and memorable night out, you won’t want to miss out on this series.

January’s performance features Doug Haining with a Django Reinhardt/Hot Club/French style of Jazz paired with a French themed dinner special.

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐡:

Sam Miltich is a self-taught jazz guitarist born and raised in the woods of northern Minnesota. Sam burst on the scene in his teens as a young lion of gypsy jazz, joining Paul Mehling’s Hot Club of San Francisco and touring internationally with the world-renowned Robin Nolan Trio.  Sam’s fluid and instinctive sound has graced hundreds of stages, from small town bars on the Iron Range to Lincoln Center.

In addition to fronting his own band, the Clearwater Hot Club, Sam records and performs extensively with Minneapolis-based jazz singers, Connie Evingson and Charmin Michelle; legendary Twin Cities saxophonist Dave Karr; and Dutch swing violin maestro, Tim Kliphuis.  Sam has also collaborated with mandolin virtuoso Peter Ostroushko and classical guitarist Joan Griffith. In 2010, he received a grant to study intensively with Belgian guitar icon Fapy Lafertin and has since then received many more regional and federal arts grants to further his musical development and creative projects. In addition to gypsy swing and traditional jazz Sam’s musical interests include Brazilian choro, French musette, Eastern European tamburitza, and other forms of traditional folk music.

By choice, Sam lives in northern Minnesota, performing at a very high level while maintaining life in a working class, small-town setting. Sam is committed to bringing world-class jazz to a part of the country where live jazz performances are otherwise quite rare.  In addition to a busy touring schedule, Sam also hosts a weekly Jazz at the VFW night in his home town of Grand Rapids, MN where audiences can expect to see frequent cameo appearances by well-known musicians from the Twin Cities and beyond.  He also organizes the Itasca Orchestra String Program Summer Jazz Camp which teaches young classically-trained musicians how to improvise.

Sam has also been featured on National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition,” and performed for Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion.  He also hosted his own radio program “Sam and Friends” which showcased a year of interviews with renown Minnesota jazz musicians for KAXE radio.

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐠 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠:

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 four decades in the upper Midwest. Doug leads and is the principal arranger for the Twin Cities Seven, a small swing combo that plays swing music from Basie, Ellington, Louis Armstrong and other. Doug also co-leads the Explosion Big Band, a 17-piece ensemble that plays a wide variety of big-band literature from the whole history of the genre. Doug has worked with Minneapolis, Minnesota area bands, including The Wolverines Big Band, The Mouldy Figs, The Clearwater Hot Club, the JazzMn Big Band, The Solid Senders, and many others. He has also backed many national performers such as Steve Allen, Don Rickles, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Joan Rivers, and he has played for touring and locally produced Broadway shows such as South Pacific, Music Man, A Christmas Story, West Side Story, Cats, Chicago, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and many others.

𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬:

February 23rd

Sam Miltich feat. Briand Morrison (Guitar)

March 30th

Sam Miltich feat. Tony Balluff (Clarinet)

April 27th

Sam Miltich feat. Dave Graf (Trombone)

May 25th

Sam Miltich feat. Charmin Michelle (Vocals)

Come enjoy some great music and delicious food with us!