It's Bobby Shew time

Even if you didn't know it, you've heard jazz trumpet great Bobby Shew. As an L.A. studio musician, he's played on hundreds of albums and soundtracks, including such megahits as "Grease," "Rocky," "Hawaii 5-0" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

Shew wears many hats with aplomb. One of the top trumpet clinicians in the world -- a jet-setting prof -- he's been a lead trumpeter for Las Vegas big bands, a star soloist with symphonies, an inventor of custom trumpets, mutes and teaching tools. He's even dabbled in acting, and hosted a prime-time TV show about jazz way down in New Zealand for three years.

But what Shew's best-known for these days is what he'll do Saturday with the JazzMN Big Band -- appearing as a hired-gun guest soloist with large jazz ensembles. He flies in a day or two early, rehearses and then performs some exemplary, demanding modern big band music.

Some of the material is luminous music you won't find anywhere else. Along with a couple of hallowed standards ("Alone Together," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"), Shew's program will feature a three-part suite by Germany's Chris Walden, a former student of Shew and lately an arranger on "American Idol"; "Ballad for a Friend" (in honor of the late Stan Getz) by Bucharest-born trombonist Peter Herbolzheimer, plus a piece by the fine Belgian trumpeter Bert Joris.

If the program seems very European, it's no accident.

"I love Europe," Shew said. "In the old days, before 9/11, I used to spend months at a time there, touring, doing concerts, teaching at conservatories, lots of stuff. But promoters are less likely now to bring over players from the U.S. I'm headed to England in July, and after that I'll be playing with the Prague Philharmonic. But these days, a lot more of my work is here in the U.S., where it's only one flight away. I've had both knees replaced, and one shoulder replaced. I have so much metal in my body that the airport security goes crazy every time I step up."

At 69, Shew has earned the right to kick back. A few years ago he retreated from the hustle and bustle of L.A., returning to his home state of New Mexico.

"I live in this country village, with horses, organic farms, a lot of potters, painters and holistic healers -- all kinds of phony ways to make a living." He chuckled. "It's a small art colony, totally peaceful. You can look up in the sky and see all the stars at night. I wouldn't live in a big city ever again. It's true that in a city you have a lot more choices entertainment-wise, and shopping-wise. But with the Internet, you can find just about anything."

And truth be told, Shew isn't that far from some jazz action. "Since I moved here, I've recorded on quite a lot of albums as a sideman. There's a little jazz scene in Santa Fe."

There should be a nice scene in Minnetonka this weekend, too, as JazzMn concludes its 2010 season with Shew and another guest, Connie Evingson. She'll sing a couple of tunes, including a vocal version of "Dahoud," by Shew's hero, Clifford Brown.