The Jazz Olympics (R3R FEB25)
Welcome back to The Room3 Report: An informal newsletter keeping you up to date on all upcoming performances, music releases, merch drops, and general happenings in the world of Room3.
All this talk around the Olympics the last few weeks has me thinking... what if there was an olympics for jazz musicians?? Each country assembled their best players and sent them to one city to compete in a variety of music-related competitions–some more academic and technique based, others more self-expression and creativity based. There would be live transcription competitions, speed swinging for drummers, solo performance and duo head-to-heads, and it would all culminate in the big band and small ensemble competitions. These would be some damn near impossible competitions to judge, but we'd have to stack the judges table with some living legends from a variety of countries (to avoid impartiality) who know the music inside & out and therefore have authoritative taste. Nobody is arguing with Herbie Hancock's judgement, ya know.
I really just want to see who would be chosen for each country and who would be the "captain," or in musical terms, MD (music director), of each of the big bands & small combos. Another tough call. There would be some absolutely killinggg groups built from this, though, and it would more than likely get some lesser-known players from smaller countries major global recognition. I think some years ago, the US would've dominated this kind of thing, but nowadays there's so much talent everywhere in the world that it would honestly be a toss up.
And the opening and closing ceremonies would just be some crazy international jam sessions between all the musical olympians.
Anyway, there's a half-baked idea to daydream about during the end of your workday today. If you have an idea of who you'd send to represent the US, or another country, drop your ideal lineup in the comments! Read on for some new & old show announcements (Slum Village w/ Room3 one week from today!) and some music recs from our percussionist, Evan.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
March 4 @ Dakota, Slum Village w/ Room3 - Tickets
March 6 @ The Anderson Center (Red Wing, MN) - Tickets
April 16 @ Volsteads - (Ticket link coming soon)
April 24 @ Atwood Music Hall (Madison, WI) - Tickets
May 9 @ Midwest Music Fest (Winona, MN) - Tickets
May 15 @ Whirlygig (Minneapolis, MN) - FREE
WHAT'S HAPPENING??
Whirlygig (May 15, 2026) Lineup Announced!
Another festival lineup featuring Room3! We'll be playing at 8pm on Friday, May 15 at Indeed Brewing's Whirlygig music festival, part of the neighborhood-wide arts festival, Art-A-Whirl. This one is gonna be a rager, don't miss it. Boyish, headlining that night, is an awesome indie rock group that fans of our music will surely enjoy. And the whole thing is free, so how bout dat.
Slum Village w/ Room3 & Kevin Gamble - March 4
Our show backing Slum Village is one week away. I get more and more excited each time I go through the set list for this. No skips whatsoever. If you can swing that $50 cover, you gotta be there!! Ticket link above.
Room3 at The Anderson Center (Red Wing, MN) - March 6
A couple days after the SV gig, we're doing a 90 minute set at The Anderson Center down in Red Wing, MN. This one is full band and we're playing two new songs for the very first time. Looks like it's a beautiful venue. Tickets for this one are $25. Come thruuuuu. Ticket link above.
NEW DROPS
Recorded music
Album 2 is on the way, just marked down some recording dates for this summer! Check out our contribution to the "Melt ICE" compilation album for a tiny little taste of some new R3 music.
Concert footage
Stay tuned for footage from our opening set for The Headhunters on Feb. 4. We'll post some clips on our website and socials eventually (I swear!). Look up our YouTube channel (@room3collective) to revisit some old live concerts.
Merch
New iterations of the classic “Room3” T-shirt will be available at all future shows. Now in Pink and Dark Purple for $30 a pop. “Bill’s Garden” CDs are also available for $10.
WHAT Y'ALL KNOW ABOUT THIS??
One member of the group hand-selects one album and one live concert to highlight, offering insight into its significance (personal or otherwise). All of the artists highlighted in this segment have at least one thing in common: They're all innovators. These giants set the standard for what’s possible and what's hip, and they inspired us to keep reaching. We hope they do the same for you!
THIS WEEK'S PICKS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Evan Espinoza Robles
In the words of Chris Dave himself: “A Drumhedz show is like going to a record store and picking up different records from different genres and putting it in your bag.” That sentiment perfectly captures how we as a band operate and exactly how this live video and album unfold.
Chris Dave is constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on a drum set. His seemingly infinite imagination behind the kit is both consistently innovative and immediately influential, shaping the way drummers and musicians think, play, and listen in real time.
To close, here’s Robert Glasper reflecting on his many hangs at Chris’ house: “He’s an infinite amount of just… stuff. It comes out of him, and he knows everybody’s gonna take it. He’ll be at the crib like, ‘Watch this… mm… mm… mmm… Now watch, in two months, everybody gonna do that.’ And then, everybody does that.”
ALBUM OF THE WEEK: "Chris Dave And The Drumhedz" - Chris Dave and The Drumhedz (2018)
LIVE CONCERT OF THE WEEK: Chris Dave and The Drumhedz Live in Manchester UK (2013)