Concert preview: The George Maurer Group at the Dakota

George Maurer

A performance by any of George Maurer’s bands—the 8-piece George Maurer Group, the 20-piece Big Band, the trio, quartet, or quintet—is a guaranteed good time. There’s music and banter, storytelling and jokes, and although Maurer is the leader and linchpin, he’s not the star; that role shifts from moment to moment, song to song. It’s a gathering of friends and equals, a family on stage.

The music, much of it written and arranged by Maurer and other band members, ranges from bop to pop, jazz to blues, gospel to musical theater, ballet to settings for poems by Rainer Maria Rilke. Some tunes are serious and moving; some are silly, laugh-out-loud playful. Best advice: Expect the unexpected and enjoy.

On Saturday night, the George Maurer Group will play two sets starting at 8 p.m. Earlier that day, from 4:30 until 6, they’ll play for a live audience (a large and enthusiastic one, they hope) and a camera crew.

Pioneer Public Television, the PBS affiliate serving western and southern Minnesota, received Legacy funding to produce half-hour specials on six Minnesota artists. Eric Olson, now the station’s executive producer, remembered composer and performer Maurer from his days with the KARE 11 Saturday Morning show, which featured Maurer’s group every Christmas.