Live on the Levee series announces 2008 lineup

The lineup has been announced for the 2008 Live On The Levee series of free outdoor concerts on the riverfront, and once again there's precious little for fans of St. Louis' indigenous musical genres of jazz and blues.

Specifically, there are two performers that may be of interest: Teenage blues phenom Marquise Knox will open for the funk-rock-Latin band War on Saturday, July 19, and singer Gloria Brand, who mixes jazz with R&B, pop and other genres, will be the opening act for neo-soul singer Anthony Hamilton's Fair St. Louis show on July 5.

That's not to say that the series is totally without musical merit; British singer Joss Stone will headline the July 4 show at Fair St. Louis, and she and Hamilton both have made some enjoyable records, with the latter in particular said to be a galvanizing live performer.

Moreover, as a big fan of War who saw them play live several times back in the day, I'd normally be excited to see them returning to St. Louis. However, the band currently touring with the name War includes just one original member, keyboardist Lonnie Jordan, from the group that recorded hits like "All Day Music," "Low Rider," "Slippin' Into Darkness," and "The World Is A Ghetto" back in the 1970s. The other four living original members - bassist B.B. Dickerson, guitarist Howard Scott, drummer Harold Brown Jr. and harp player Lee Oskar - continue to perform together using the name Low Rider Band, and in my admittedly biased opinion, those guys would have been the ones to book to get the authentic vibe. Still, even the ersatz War does have a great catalog of tunes to draw upon, and, assuming Jordan has hired some decent sidemen, should present at least some entertainment value.

After Fair St. Louis, the Live on the Levee series proper kicks off on Friday, July 11 with jam bands Umphrey's McGee and Sound Tribe Sector 9, followed by the country group Lonestar on July 12. The series runs Fridays and Saturdays through August 2, and also will feature concerts from rock band the Black Crowes, R&B vocal group Boyz II Men, pop-rock band One Republic and roots-rock groups Rusted Root and O.A.R. The Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson has the details in his story on the series here, plus a list of the opening acts in a blog post here.

Aside from Stone, Hamilton and War, I can't say I'm particularly enthused about seeing any of these shows, though of course your mileage may vary. More to the point, it remains both a disappointment and a bitter irony that jazz and blues - the musical styles for which St. Louis is known around the world - are noticeably absent from a series produced by an organization named Celebrate St. Louis.

True, a concert devoted to jazz or blues might not draw quite as large an audience as yet another rock show, but a series like this ought to be about more than just going for the biggest possible crowds. Jazz and blues are a crucial part of St. Louis' musical heritage, and continue to have significant audiences in the area; a series that truly reflected St. Louis' tastes would find room for both genres. Conversely, if popularity is supposedly a key factor in determining what gets booked, where's the hip-hop? Though I'm not personally a big fan, St. Louis has spawned a number of successful hip-hop performers, and the music is hugely popular with a lot of people in the community.

In Johnson's story, series producer Missy Slay is quoted as saying, "The number one goal is to make sure the lineup is diverse and that we're offering music appealing to everyone regardless of gender and race." I guess it's nice that she's at least paying lip service to the concept, but if you enjoy jazz and/or blues, Live on the Levee would seem to still have a long way to go to achieve true musical diversity.

Linda Presgrave returning to play at Cookie's on Saturday, June 7

Pianist Linda Presgrave, a St. Louis expatriate now living in NYC, will return to her hometown on Saturday, June 7 to perform at Cookie's Jazz and More. Presgrave will be joined on the gig by her husband Stan Chovnick on soprano sax, plus a St. Louis rhythm section comprised of Dave Troncoso on bass and Jim Guglielmo on drums.

Although she moved to New York in 1998, Presgrave has made regular return visits to St. Louis, including several previous appearances at Cookie's. Presgrave has a special interest in performing and promulgating the work of female composers, and she and her band recently were one of two American groups featured in an Italian concert series dedicated to women in jazz. Presgrave will have a new CD titled Inspiration on the Metropolitan Records label later this year.

Jazz this week: Paula West, a celebration of Miles Davis, Kim Massie, BAG II, and more

Although some of St. Louis' not-for-profit jazz presenters, such as the universities, the Sheldon Concert Hall and the Touhill Performing Arts Center, have wrapped up their seasons, this next week still offers a decently varied menu of music of interest to jazz listeners. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, singer Paula West (pictured) opens a four-night run at the Cabaret at Savor. West will be one of the featured performers in the Sheldon's jazz series next fall, but if you don't feel like waiting until then to check her out, the intimate 65-seat space at Savor will provide an opportunity to see and hear her close up.

Also tonight, the James Davis Quintet from Chicago stops in St. Louis to perform at the Underground @ Red Sea. Though I haven't heard them live, I enjoyed their CD Angles of Refraction very much; see last week's post for details.

On Friday and Saturday, singer Kim Massie returns to Jazz at the Bistro, backed by a band including Lew Winer III on saxophones, Gus Thornton on bass, Gerald Warren on drums and yr. humble editor on piano. Without revealing any highly classified information, I can tell you that Kim has planned an eclectic program of blues, soul and jazz, featuring some fan favorites and a few less-familiar tunes as well, and I anticipate that it will an entertaining show.

Friday also brings the opening reception for the new jazz photo exhibit at the Sheldon Art Galleries, Herb Snitzer: Photographs from the Last Days of Metronome, as well as trombonist Lamar Harris performing at Erato Wine Bar, and singer/songwriter Alyse Black, winner in the jazz category of the 2007 Billboard Song Contest, opening up a multi-artist bill at The Gramophone.

On Saturday, the Carolbeth True Trio will be at Cookie's Jazz and More, while the Sidney Street Trio, featuring James Warfield Jr. on alto sax, Daryl Mixon on bass and Joe Pastor on percussion, plays at Brandt's.

On Sunday, it's the Miles Davis Jazz Celebration with saxophonist Willie Akins and drummer Arlin Strader at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, IL. See this previous post for more details. Also on Sunday, BAG II presents a free event at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe featuring poet K. Curtis Lyle, performance artist and percussionist David A.N. Jackson, and bassist/mbira player Zimbabwe Nkenya. Looking beyond the weekend, singer Jeanne Trevor will be at Brandt's on Tuesday night.

For more St. Louis jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

In recent weeks, StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds has featured music videos starring Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Count Basie, Al Green, Dave Douglas Quintet, Earth Wind and Fire, Friends of Distinction, Horace Silver Quintet, Sun Ra Arkestra, Coleman Hawkins, Felix Cavaliere's Rascals, Johnny Griffin and the Art Taylor 4Tet, Return To Forever, Count Basie, Ray Charles, The Meters, Traffic, King Crimson, George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet, Brian Auger and the Trinity with Julie Driscoll, Aretha Franklin, Sonny Rollins, Al Kooper & Friends and Jeff Beck.

You can still see them all, plus hundreds more from the archives, and there's another music video added every day from genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, classic rock, prog rock and experimental. Check it out at http://heliocentricworlds.blogspot.com.

Boney James to perform Thursday, July 10 at Ameristar's Bottleneck Blues Bar

Smooth jazz fans in the St. Louis area have another show to look forward to this summer, as saxophonist Boney James has been booked to play on Thursday, July 10 at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

Known for an R&B-influenced sound on tenor sax that has been compared to the late Grover Washington, James has recorded numerous CDs that have been best-sellers on the contemporary jazz charts, and he's also earned two Grammy nominations.

Tickets for the performance are $45 and $50 and are on sale now via the Ameristar box office; online at Ameristar.com or tickets.com; or by calling 877-444-2637.

(Edited after posting to add a link.)

StLJN jazz site of the week: Do The Math

The StLJN jazz site of the week is Do The Math, the official blog of the NYC-based trio The Bad Plus. In addition to the expected news updates on the group's live gigs and recordings, DTM also features occasional essays on some of the band members' favorite musicians - there's a tribute to pianist Geri Allen on the front page right now - and assorted musings on more general jazz- and music-related topics. Posts are less frequent these days than a year ago, but the quality level generally remains high. If you like The Bad Plus, then by all means, you should check it out - but even if you're not a huge fan of their music, Do The Math is worth a look and/or a bookmark.

Kevin Mitchell featured on STLtoday's Book Blog

Pianist and bandleader Kevin Mitchell, whose "day job" is author and journalist, recently was interviewed by writer Clair Applewhite for an article on STLtoday's Book Blog about his new tome St. Louis Dad. You can read the interview online here.

Cornet Chop Suey performing for Ozark Jazz Society

The St. Louis-based traditional jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey is headed down to the Lake of the Ozarks next weekend to headline a concert at Lodge of the Four Seasons for the Ozark Jazz Society. You can read about in an article from the Lake Sun Leader here.

Article touts live jazz in Alton

A recent article in the Alton Telegraph written by Jill Moon examined the weekly jazz offerings at two local spots, Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge and Thymes Past. You can read it online here.

Clark Terry hospitalized in Kansas City

Jazz trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry was hospitalized last week in Kansas City, where he had traveled to perform with the Kansas City Youth Jazz Band. Terry, age 87, spent several days in the cardiac intensive care unit at the University of Kansas Medical Center. However, by Friday, his condition had improved enough for him to be moved to a regular room. Here's hoping that he has a quick and complete recovery.

StLJN Saturday at the Movies: Jeff Lorber's "He Had A Hat" plus Rick Braun & Richard Elliot's "Notorious"

This week's videos feature some of the musicians who will be coming this summer to The Pageant in St. Louis as part of smooth jazz DJ/impresario Rick Sanborn's "Smooth Summer Party" series.

Up top, it's keyboardist Jeff Lorber, who will be here on Sunday, June 22 as part of the "Guitars and Saxes" show, playing his composition "He Had His Hat". The clip is from a performance in April 2007 at a resort in Arizona, and that's bass player Brian Bromberg with Lorber.

Down below, it's trumpeter Rick Braun, aided and abetted by saxophonist Richard Elliot, doing a version of Braun's tune "Notorious" in June 2007 at a festival in Southfield, MI. Longtime musical associates, Braun and Elliot have recorded and now are touring together under the name R&R, and they'll be playing The Pageant on Friday, July 25.

Foundry Arts Centre facing budget shortfall

The Foundry Arts Centre in St. Charles, which recently has served as a venue for several concerts presented by Jazz St. Louis, is facing a $100,000 shortfall in its annual operating budget, according to a story published this week in the St. Charles Journal. With corporate donations waning in recent months, the Centre's board is considering a variety of options, including asking the City of St. Charles for funding help. Read the whole story here.

Cabaret at Savor showcasing St. Louis singers

The Cabaret at Savor, located at 4356 Lindell in the Central West End, is an intimate 65-seat room that usually presents touring performers, like the upcoming gig by singer Paula West with the George Mesterhazy Trio next Wednesday, May 14 through Saturday, May 17.

However, the club is also devoting a number of weekend evenings this spring to St. Louis vocalists. Next up is singer Renee Smith (pictured), who's appearing at the club this Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 under the auspices of what's being called the "Cabaret in Blue" series. A veteran performer on the blues and R&B circuit who's sung with St. Louis legends such as Oliver Sain and Johnnie Johnson, Smith will be singing a program of love songs drawn from a variety of genres, including blues, soul, jazz, pop and standards, backed by none other than yr. humble StLJN editor on piano.

After West's four-night run, the "Cabaret in Blue" series continues with singer Uvee Hayes, whose CDs have included guest appearances from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Luther Ingram and the Phoenix Horns, and have received airplay as far away as Japan and the UK. Hayes also will be doing a wide variety of material, ranging from blues to jazz to country, and, as fate would have it, also will be backed by yr. humble editor on piano, plus another musician or two yet to be announced.

(Regular readers know that, other than linking to an occasional story I've written for the Riverfront Times, I don't use this space much for self promotion. In this case, it's more than a little awkward for me to be plugging two shows that I'm playing in, but I expect that both Renee and Uvee will put on entertaining performances, and my musical participation notwithstanding, I figure that if you're reading this far, you're certainly capable of making your own judgment as to whether or not it seems like your sort of thing. More to the point, it would be even more awkward to write about what Savor is doing with St. Louis singers and not mention these two weekends. So, now that all the disclosures have been disclosed...)

Other St. Louis vocalists who will be featured in upcoming performances at the Cabaret at Savor include Kim Massie on Friday, May 30; Erin Bode on Thursday, June 5; Sherry Drake on Saturday, June 14; Dean Christopher on Friday, June 20 and Saturday June 21; and Debby Lennon on Saturday, June 28.

You can read more about all of the performers at the Cabaret at Savor's Web site; advance tickets are available online via LicketyTix.com.

Wash U's Center for Humanities presenting summer jazz institute for classroom teachers

The Center for the Humanities at Washington University is presenting a workshop this summer that will show classroom teachers how to use jazz music as a way to better understand and teach American culture and history. "The Impact of Jazz on American Life" is described as "a fresh reconfiguration" of the successful National Endowment for the Humanities institutes that the Center administered on the same subject in the summers of 2005 and 2007.

Intended for elementary, middle school and high school teachers, the program aims to show them how "through the study of the social, cultural, technical, and aesthetic history of a major American musical genre, jazz, they can reconfigure aspects of teaching American history, literature, art, and music while broadening students' understanding of the political, social, and commercial impact that an artistic movement can have."

The lead instructor will be Gerald Early, professor of English and African American Studies at Washington University. He will be joined by Patrick Burke, assistant professor of Music at Washington University and Steve Missey, English teacher at St. Louis University High School as well as several guest lecturers.

The institute includes one week-long summer session, to be held July 7-11, 2008, and eight Saturday sessions throughout the academic year 2008-2009, from September until May. As part of their coursework, participants will attend performances at Jazz at the Bistro. You can learn more about the curriculum, requirements and reading list here.

The institute is especially interested in teachers of English, history, social studies, art, film studies, philosophy and music, but will consider applications from any school teacher regardless of discipline and from qualified non-teachers such as school librarians, media specialists, and museum staff.

The application form is available online at the Center for the Humanities Web site, or you can request an application by calling Barbara Liebmann or Jian Leng at 314-935-5576 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The deadline for completed applications is May 23, 2008, and successful applicants will be notified no later than June 2, 2008. Participants will receive a stipend of $100 per full day.

Jazz this week: Karrin Allyson, Ann Hampton Callaway, Denise Thimes with Helen Sung and Rickey Woodard, James Davis Quintet, and more

It's mostly about the ladies this weekend in St. Louis, as three of the most significant jazz events happening over the next few days will feature talented female vocalists.

First, there's singer Karrin Allyson (pictured), who's performing two sets a night at Jazz at the Bistro through Saturday. Allyson's star has been rising since she moved from Kansas City to New York a few years ago, and her current CD Imagina: Songs of Brazil seems to be getting lots of favorable attention. Freelance writer & friend o' this site Terry Perkins talked to Allyson about the CD and playing St. Louis for an article in today's Post-Dispatch, available online here. For a couple of video samples of Allyson's work, see this post from a couple of weeks ago.

On Friday, singer, pianist and songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway headlines a benefit for WSIE (88.7 FM) radio personality Ross Gentile at Royale Orleans Banquet Center, 2801 Telegraph Rd. in South County. Gentile has had some health problems recently, and the proceeds from the event will help pay for some of his medical costs and other expenses. Reggie Thomas and his trio will back Callaway, and the Gary Dammer Sextet will open the evening's festivities with a pre-dinner set featuring several special guests. There will be no ticket sales at the door, so if you'd like to attend, you'd best hurry up and secure your spot via Ticketmaster.

On Sunday, singer Denise Thimes presents her annual Mothers' Day performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The late-afternoon performance will be preceded by a buffet supper, and as usual, Thimes has lined up some special guests for the concert, namely up-and-coming pianist Helen Sung, the winner of the Kennedy Center 2007 Mary Lou Williams Competition, and veteran saxophonist Rickey Woodard. Reservations for the buffet and show are available through Metrotix.

And while this feature usually focuses strictly on live performances, we would be remiss not to note that this Friday also marks the return to St. Louis airwaves of Don Wolff, who will be bringing a new iteration of his radio program I Love Jazz to KFUO (FM 99.1) from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. every Friday from here on out.

Looking beyond the weekend, the student musicians from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program are presenting their end-of-semester demonstration on Monday. On Tuesday, singer and pianist Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum performs at Brandt's, while something called the Universal Sound Ensemble plays at The Gramophone. Whalum is a old favorite in St. Louis, but I can't tell you much about the Universal Sound Ensemble except that I like the name, and their show, like all the Tuesday night jazz sets at The Gramophone, is free, without cover charge or admission fee.

On Wednesday, the Chicago-based James Davis Quintet will be in town to perform at the Underground @ Red Sea, otherwise known as the basement of the Red Sea restaurant, located at 6511 Delmar in the Loop. Davis, the trumpet playing leader of the group, is a graduate of the well-regarded music program at the University of North Texas, and the band's impressive debut CD Angles of Refraction contains some smart, well-played original music that reflects a variety of classic jazz influences, from hard bop to West Coast cool to an almost ECM-like impressionism, through a 21st century lens. Miles Davis' mid-Sixties band circa Nefertiti would seem to be another important influence, both sonically and conceptually.

Davis has a pleasing tone and a nice melodic sense as a soloist, and keyboardist Sean McCluskey's Rhodes electric piano is featured prominently throughout, evoking the likes of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Bob James and Uri Caine without directly imitating any of them. Saxophonist Caroline Davis contributes several incisive solos, and bassist Jeff Greene and drummer Jon Deitemeyer are a solid and sensitive rhythm section. Though I haven't heard the band live, based on their CD I'd say the James Davis Quintet are definitely worth a listen and rank as the "sleeper" pick of the week.

For more St. Louis jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

(Edited after posting.)

Coming attractions for St. Louis include Alyse Black, Garaj Mahal, Tom Waits and Manhattan Transfer

The past couple of days have brought announcements of several concerts coming to St. Louis that may be of potential interest to jazz fans:

* Singer, songwriter and guitarist Alyse Black, who won first place in the Jazz category of Billboard magazine's 2007 World Song Contest for her song "Stood for Stand for," is coming to St. Louis next Friday, May 16 to perform at The Gramophone. Black, who's from Seattle but is now based in Austin, calls her music "indie-pop-jazz," and has drawn comparisons to artists ranging from Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor and Fiest to Billie Holiday, Maria Muldaur and Norah Jones.

* Jazz-influenced jam band Garaj Mahal has scheduled a show in St. Louis on Wednesday, July 2 at Lucas School House. The group includes guitarist Fareed Haque, bassist Kai Eckhardt, keyboardist Eric Levy and drummer Alan Hertz.

* Singer-songwriter Tom Waits (pictured) will make St. Louis the midpoint of his 13-city summer tour, stopping in our town on Thursday, June 26 to play the Fox Theatre. Waits' early music had a distinct jazz influence, incorporating walking bass lines, woozy horns, barroom piano and Beat-influenced lyrics, while some of his later compositions, with their unusual instrumentation and Nino-Rota-meets-Harry-Partch-at-the-circus arrangements, almost certainly must meet someone's criteria for experimental music.

* Last but not least, Pollstar has added a listing indicating that the famed vocal group Manhattan Transfer will be returning to the Touhill Performing Arts Center on Friday, December 19 with what must surely will be a reprise of their popular touring holiday show. As always, Pollstar listings should be considered tentative until confirmed by the venue, but given that the Transfer has been a solid draw at the TouPAC since the venue first opened, this one seems like a lock.

JazzU students playing at the Bistro on Monday, May 12

High school and middle school student musicians taking part in Jazz St. Louis' JazzU education program will get the chance to strut their stuff next Monday, May 12 when they give an end-of-semester performance at Jazz at the Bistro to demonstrate what they've learned over the past year.

Trumpeter and musical mentor Anthony Wiggins' young charges will take the Bistro's stage beginning at 6 p.m.. The event is free and open to the public, and the Bistro will be serving up pizza and soda to all. If you'd like to attend the JazzU student showcase, you must RSVP by Friday, May 9 by calling JSL director of education Phil Dunlap at 314-289-4033.

StLJN jazz site of the week: Rifftides

StLJN's jazz site of the week is Rifftides, the online home of veteran journalist Doug Ramsey. The author of an award-winning biography of alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, Ramsey writes clearly and well about a variety of musicians, posting several times a week and showing a particular interest in straightahead swing, bop, and the Great American Songbook. His "Doug's Picks" sidebar spotlights current favorite CDs and books, and the site also sports a fairly extensive list of links to other worthy jazz-related sites, as well as occasional guest posts and reviews from other writers. If you've got an interest in "mainstream" jazz, be sure to check out Rifftides.

Notes from the Net: Davis, Terry, Zorn, Allyson & Mehldau reviewed; George Lewis' new book on the AACM; the collapse of IAJE; and more

It's been a few weeks since the last installment of this feature, which compiles short news items and links about musicians with connections to St. Louis, plus coming attractions, recent visitors, and other stories from the worlds of jazz. There's lots to share, so let's get to it:

* We'll start this installment, as usual, with a few Miles Davis-related items, including a review of the recent book Miles Davis, Miles Smiles, and the Invention of Post Bop from All AboutJazz.com, and two reviews of the new two-CD set Miles From India. In addition, Rifftides' Doug Ramsey recently did a post ruminating on the role of mid-sized ensembles in jazz, including as one of his examples Miles' "Birth of the Cool" group.

* Miles' fellow trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry was featured recently on the public radio program Riverwalk Jazz, and Terry's new big band album with Louis Bellson, Louis and Clark Expedition Vol 2, is reviewed here.

* The Atlanta weekly Creative Loafing recently had a feature about trumpeter and former East St. Louisan-turned-Atlantan Russell Gunn, who was in town this weekend to perform at SIU-Edwardsville.

*Here's a review of a recent performance by Hamiet Bluiett with Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio.

* Pianist Tom McDermott, a St. Louis native who's lived in New Orleans for more than 20 years and has become something of a specialist in that city's musical traditions, has a new CD, Creole Nocturne, with cornetist Connie Jones, reviewed here. McDermott was also the subject of a feature story in the New Orleans music magazine Offbeat.

* There's lots of news on the always-prolific John Zorn, who once studied music here at Webster University, including two reviews of a live performance of his "pocket concerto" entitled "The Prophetic Mysteries of Angels, Witches, and Demons"; a review of his show for New Music Now in Boston and one of his new CD, The Dreamers. Zorn also revisited his famous piece "Cobra," as a benefit for for the NYC performance space Roulette, and the hatHut label is reissuing his acclaimed CD News for Lulu with guitarist Bill Frisell and trombonist/electronic musician George Lewis.

* Multi-reedman, composer and St. Louis native Marty Ehrlich also is busy this month, with NYC gigs for his quartet, sextet and all-alto-saxophone ensemble.

* Tom Kennedy, who splits his time between NYC and St. Louis, is playing bass on smooth jazz guitarist Ken Navarro's new CD The Grace of Summer Light. The CD is due out in mid-June, but can be heard for free right now via an audio stream from Navarro's Web site.

* Here's a review of jazz critic and St. Louis native Bob Blumenthal's new book Jazz: An Introduction to the History and Legends Behind America's Music, written for AllAboutJazz.com by David Rickert.

* Turning to the "coming attractions" file, singer and former Kansas Citian Karrin Allyson will be in St. Louis this week to perform at Jazz at the Bistro. Here's a review of new CD Imagina: Songs of Brazil, and a review of her recent four-night stand at NYC's Birdland.

* When bassist Stanley Clarke is here next month to perform at the Fox Theatre with Return to Forever, you can call him "Dr. Clarke," since he recently received an honorary Doctorate of Fine arts from his alma mater, The University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

* By way of catching up with some musicians who have recently performed in the Gateway City, here's a review of pianist Brad Mehldau's recent live trio CD, and a review of a performance in Cleveland. Mehldau was in St. Louis last month for a four-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro.

* One of our favorite West Coast jazz bloggers, LeRoy "The Jazzcat" Downs, recently interviewed saxophonist Billy Harper, who was in town last weekend to play a show in George Sams' Nu-Art Series.

* Pianist Taylor Eigsti, who also played the Bistro earlier this year, has a new CD called Let It Come To You.

* And finally, a few items of more general interest to jazz enthusiasts, starting with what was perhaps the biggest jazz-related news story of the past few weeks, the collapse of the International Association for Jazz Education due to financial troubles. Paul DeBarros of the Seattle Times broke the story here; LeRoy "The Jazzcat" Downs has the letter sent to the group's members by IAJE president Chuck Owen here; Secret Society's Darcy James Argue compiled reactions from the jazz blogosphere here, and Ben Ratliff of the New York Times weighs in on the debacle here.

* The aforementioned George Lewis (pictured) has finally completed his book on the history of Chicago's groundbreaking musicians collective, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). It's called A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Expermental Music, and you can read an excerpt from it here and a feature story about Lewis, the AACM and the book, written by the NYT's Nate Chinen here.

* Last but not least, Improvisation, Community and Social Practice is an international research project headquartered at the University of Guelph that "explores musical improvisation as a model for social change". Their journal Critical Studies In Improvisation has, as you might expect, an academic orientation and flavor, but also includes articles of potentially wider interest; for example, the most recent issue has an interesting feature on saxophonist and educator Jackie McLean and an interview with improvising guitarist Fred Frith.