In the spring of 2015, my colleague Evan Clark and I wanted to try an experiment: What if we set out to record some of the coolest up-and-coming jazz and jazz influenced acts in the Twin Cities, and made it into a little series? Would people listen? Would that bands agree to go along with our project? And what the heck happens at MPR in the evening hours, after most of the employees go home?

It turns out that hanging out in Studio M after hours is a whole lot of fun. There's something freeing about working on a project in those evening hours, away from the constraints of the daily work routine and hustle and bustle. As Evan and I figured out all of the steps of hosting sessions in the studio (I can now brew a mean pot of coffee), the bands were given the time and space to set up, soundcheck, rehearse, and do as many or as few takes as they'd like.

To add to the improvised feel of the sessions, we also threw a curveball at the artists as they came through the door: In addition to performing a couple of their own tunes, they would be asked to riff on the "After Hours Theme," a song I composed while taking jazz piano lessons. Each band put their own spin on the song, and it was hard to include just one to include in this best-of-2015 mixtape, but our favorite had to be the sprawling, big band-inspired rendition by Adam Meckler and his 18-piece orchestra.

As we look back on 2015, Evan and I wanted to put together a mix that features all of the great bands we got to work with this year. After Hours was a blast, and we plan to continue recording sessions in the new year. For now, check out all of our sessions at the links below, and enjoy the highlights in the playlist up top.

Thanks for listening! It was a great year for jazz.