6 cool things in music this week include 'Funny Girl' star, Jelly Roll and Kurt Elling

A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:

Julie Michener of Minneapolis:

1 John Pizzarelli's "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere." Launched during the pandemic, these one-hour Facebook livestream concerts on Thursday evenings (occasionally featuring daughter Maddy and wife Jessica Molaskey, both musical talents in their own right) are post-COVID events we're glad are still around. Live from the cabin couch, Pizzarelli's upscale New York apartment and even tour hotels, these eclectic jams always entertain and warm our hearts.

2 "New Year's Eve Eve Show," Crooners. Erin Schwab and Jay Fuchs are making New Year's Eve Eve into a thing. Their show had energy with a wide-ranging musical set that even included Erin's daughter (a music theater major home from college) belting out a solo number from "Jesus Christ Superstar!"

3 Kurt Elling. We buy tickets every time he's in town at the Dakota or Crooners, and his show is never the same twice. Whether it's giving us a new holiday playlist or a new take on the blues, Elling is a jazz artist of incomparable technique. His version of "Strange Fruit" is swoon-worthy.

Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:

1 Katerina McCrimmon in "Funny Girl" at the Orpheum Theatre. Wow! She has the acting chops, the comic timing and an absolutely stunning singing voice. Who needs Streisand? People who see McCrimmon in "Funny Girl" are the luckiest people in the world.

2 Jelly Roll testifies before Congress. The indie rapper-turned-country star with the hits "Son of a Sinner" and "Need a Favor" is a former convicted drug dealer and addict. He appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, talking about his own drug experiences, going over fentanyl statistics and passionately urging lawmakers to pass an anti-fentanyl trafficking bill.

3 St. Paul Peterson Funk Friday, Green Room. To celebrate the 200th episode of his one-minute web series on which he jams with well-known musicians from around the country, the Twin Cities multi-instrumentalist led a three-hour live concert featuring a parade of guests. He screened a clip from one of the previous jams, which would then become a template for a live jam at the Green Room in Uptown. Peterson demonstrated how respected he is by out-of-town aces like Roger Smith of Tower of Power and Lenny Castro of John Mayer's band, and he showed the depth and range of Twin Cities talent including Stokley Williams, Mike Scott, Dr. Fink, Eric Leeds, Joe Elliott, Deevo, Jellybean Johnson and Jason Peterson Delaire as well as Paul's siblings Billy, Patty and Ricky and next gen bassist Isaac Levy. A funky good time.

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