Willard B. Shapira of Roseville:

1 Pat Moriarty's final concert at Roseville Area High School. On May 17 at the school, he will lead his last show as director of jazz bands and then retire to continue his career as an avant-garde saxophonist/composer.

2 Future of the Minnesota Orchestra. In the Star Tribune, classical music writer Terry Blain gave an excellent assessment of possible candidates to succeed retiring conductor Osmo Vänskä.

3 KBEM's "Big Band Scene." Big band maven Jerry Swanberg marked the 20th anniversary of his excellent radio program last month. The show is heard at 6 p.m. Sundays at 88.5 FM or jazz88.fm.

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Jon Bream of the Star Tribune:

1 "Bolden." This biopic is a ­flashback-heavy psychological portrait of the legendary and seminal New Orleans jazz figure Buddy Bolden, who was influential and troubled. He ended up spending his last 25 years in a mental institution. Stellar horn work by executive producer Wynton Marsalis and riveting creativity by filmmaker Dan Pritzker.

2 Foundations of Funk, New Orleans. This all-star band at the new Fillmore featured the Meters' mighty rhythm section of drummer Zigaboo Modeliste and bassist George Porter Jr. along with scions Ivan and Ian Neville, throwing down "Fire on the Bayou," "Hey Pocky A-Way" and other NOLA nuggets. Stoner funk never sounded so good.

3 Charmaine Neville, New Orleans. The daughter of Charles Neville is a charming, resourceful entertainer, with a wide repertoire of songs and humor. She enlisted guest musicians from the crowd and coaxed four clubgoers to play cowbell solos on "Come Together."