Larry McDonough Quintet Jazz Music + Movie Series presents The French Connection (1971) and the Music of Don Ellis
Sunday, March 15, 2026
6 pm Doors // 7 pm Music // 8 pm Movie
All Ages
$15 ($20.21 w. taxes/fees) Advance General Admission
$20 ($23 w. taxes/fees) At The Door General Admission
Ticket purchases are final and non-refundable
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Don’t miss the next installment of this special series, pairing music from one of the best jazz soundtracks along with an acclaimed movie! Renowned Twin Cities jazz ensemble the Larry McDonough Quintet performs the music of jazz great Don Ellis ahead of a screening of the 1971 neo-noir action thriller, The French Connection, directed by William Friedkin and starring Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, and Fernando Ray. One of the best movies of all time, accompanied by a live performance of some of the best jazz compositions in movie history.
The screenplay, by Ernest Tidyman, is based on Robin Moore's 1969 book of the same name about narcotics detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso. It tells the story of their fictional counterparts, New York Police Department detectives Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo, in pursuit of wealthy French heroin smuggler Alain Charnier (played by Rey).
At the 44th Academy Awards in April 1972, the film earned eight nominations and won five, for Best Picture, Best Actor (Hackman), Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Scheider), Best Cinematography, and Best Sound. Tidyman also received a Golden Globe Award nomination, a Writers Guild of America Award, and an Edgar Award for his screenplay. The film's commercial and critical success also propelled both Hackman and Scheider to leading man status.
Don Ellis was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. He won the GRAMMY Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement for Theme from The French Connection.
The Larry McDonough Quintet
Larry McDonough, piano
Josh May, trumpet
Richard Terrill, saxes
Greg Stinson, bass
Dean White, drums
Larry McDonough is an award-winning St. Paul jazz composer, pianist, singer, and teacher, performing around the world and recording with his group the Larry McDonough Quartet as well as solo, and in duos and trios. He has performed with legendary saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, trombonist Fred Wesley, and trumpeter Duane Eubanks, as well as a who’s who of local jazz artists, and was inducted into the Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame for his work in the group Danny’s Reasons. His awards include the American Composers Forum Showcase Award for the composition “Strait of Gibraltar.” He has released twelve CDs and DVDs as a leader. His current CDs are Best of the Aster Classic Jazz Series and Intermodulating Undercurrents Live at the Kos: The Music of Bill Evans and Jim Hall. Kind of Bill on the Palace Grounds, Marking 40 Years since the Death of Bill Evans, was played on jazz radio stations and streaming services around the country. The two-CD set Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures has played on radio stations and streaming services around the world and charted #18 on the Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Jazz Album Chart. Simple Gifts reached number 29 on the CMJ Jazz Chart and also has been played on hundreds of stations around the country and throughout the world. His other jazz projects include Fusebox (original jazz fusion trio) and Trios Trio (classic jazz). When not playing jazz, he performs jam fusion in Quantum Mechanics, funk in Funkin’ Right, classic rock in Whiskey Burn, indie-rock in HiFi, and punk in Saint Small. He also is a lawyer and law professor selected by William Mitchell College of Law as one of “100 Who Made a Difference” over the 100-year history of the school.
Josh May is an up and coming trumpet player based in the Twin Cities. He attended Bemidji State University for a B.A. in Instrumental Performance and Jazz Studies; then traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to earn his Masters in Jazz Studies from Louisiana State University. Throughout his career, he's performed around the globe; in Europe, Asia, and the North Americas. Having played with many varying acts, from jazz, funk, and rock, to the symphony orchestra, Josh prides himself in being a "musical chameleon," by blending with any scenario in which he finds himself.
Richard Terrill, sax player and retired Minnesota State University Mankato English professor, received the Minnesota Book Award for Poetry for his poetry compilation Coming Late to Rachmaninoff (University of Tampa Press, 2003). Richard has been performing with Larry McDonough since December 2001. He also has performed with guitarist Jim McGuire and with Chaz Draper’s Uptown Jazz Quartet. As a college student, Richard was a member of the award-winning University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble and performed with later-to-be Pat Metheny keyboardist Lyle Mays in the Lyle Mays Quartet, winner of small group honors at the Midwest College Jazz Festival. He has also worked with pianist Geoff Keezer. His current book of poetry is What Falls Away Is Always.
Bassist Greg Stinson plays in several bands around the Twin Cities. He has been the bass player in the Century College Jazz Ensemble for more than 25 years. He also plays in the CC Septet, Shorn Hortz Quintet, Paul Berger Trio, the St. Croix Jazz Ensemble, and regularly subs with the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Classic Big Band, and Cedar Avenue Big Band. Greg spent many years playing saxophones, guitar, bass, and vocals in jazz/rock and variety bands in the area. He is an active composer/arranger with jazz charts in the books of the Century Band, Nova, CC Septet, and others. He has also written a number of choral arrangements and compositions for school and church groups. Greg was a band and choir director in public and private schools before changing to his career in telecommunications technology, now retired.
Drummer Dean White grew up in Superior, Wisconsin, and played in various working bands while attending the University of Wisconsin, Superior. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in percussion performance, he moved to Hollywood, California, to attend Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music. Half-way through the first year, Dean was offered a main showroom gig at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. He was the first drummer in the Legends In Concert Show that still performs in various incarnations across the country today. He left Las Vegas to join Tony Axtell and Toshi Hinata in Tokyo to write and play original music. Since settling back in the Twin Cities, Dean has performed with many groups, including Good, the Bad and the Funky; the Autobody Experience; Century Big Band; Nova Jazz; Big Time Jazz Orchestra; the Shorn Hortz jazz quintet; Power of 10; Jack Knife and the Sharps; Tubby Esquire; Hennessy Brothers jazz; and many others. He has also studied privately with Gordy Knudtson and his Open/Close hand technique. Dean feels blessed to be part of the rich music scene in the Twin Cities.