The World Saxophone Quartet performed their interpretations of the music of Jimi Hendrix on this CD from 2004.
Jazz at the Bistro has announced their 2005-06 season in a story appearing in Sunday's Post-Dispatch. (As of late Saturday, the schedule was not on JATB's own Web site yet.). Reporter Kevin Johnson says the Bistro's tenth anniversary season represents a look back, and in one sense he's absolutely right, because the season schedule is comprised primarily of returning favorites who have performed there at some point during the series' first ten years.
But the '05-'06 season also represents forward progress on a couple of fronts. First, JATB is adding more weeks of programming, edging ever closer toward becoming a year-round operation. The schedule retains the basic pattern of touring acts (the main subscription series) alternating weeks with St. Louis-based musicians (the "Spotlight Series") , but there are also a couple of "special event" concerts, and a new "Discovery Series" allegedly aimed at introducing new talent.
I say "allegedly" because Mulgrew Miller, who kicks off the series in September, is hardly an unproven commodity, though Chicago pianist/vocalist Patricia Barber and young piano phenom Taylor Eigsti, barely into his twenties, do qualify as "talent deserving wider recognition." With these three series, plus a "Summer Jazz Spectacular" set for three weekends in July, there are 38 weeks where some sort of live music is scheduled, and that's a welcome development.
Another sign of progress, at least by my moderately curmudgeonly standards, is that there are some carefully chosen departures from the "hard bop, Latin jazz and standards" formula that serves as JATB's bread-and-butter. The returns of Joshua Redman's electric group and the Yellowjackets seem to indicate that a discreet bit of fusion is now welcome at the Bistro, while the first-time bookings of Fly and the World Saxophone Quartet indicate a new willingness to take some risks on something even more musically adventurous.
All in all, it's a very solid lineup of talent, and given my past complaints about the room being unused too many weeks a year, and JATB's booking policy being a bit too timid, I've got to give credit to Gene Dobbs Bradford and his crew for putting together what looks like a fine season of music. (Now, how about filling up those other 14 weeks, ya lazy slackers?....OK, take a week off for Christmas if you must....I'm just keeeeding!!)
I'll have lots more to say about the Bistro and the individual artists performing there in the weeks and months to come. But for now, here's the schedule itself, rendered in straight-up chronological order for your convenience, and annotated with links to artists' websites, where available:
Aug. 26-27: Erin Bode (CD Release Party)*
Sept. 9-10: Mulgrew Miller#
Sept. 16-17: Kim Massie*
Sept. 21-24: John Pizzarelli Trio
Sept. 30-Oct. 1: Willie Akins*
Oct. 5-8: Joshua Redman Elastic Band
Oct. 14-15: Denise Thimes*
Oct. 19-22: Joey DeFrancesco, Houston Person, Marlena Shaw
Oct. 28-29: Mae Wheeler*
Nov. 2-5: Toots Thielemans & Kenny Werner
Nov. 11-12: Taylor Eigsti#
Nov. 16-19: Cyrus Chestnut with Carla Cook
Nov. 25-27: Jeremy Davenport^
Nov. 30-Dec. 3: Lou Donaldson
Dec. 9-10: Carolbeth True Trio*
Dec. 14-17: Ray Vega's Latin Jazz Quintet
2006
Jan. 4-7: Fly
Jan. 13-14: Montez Coleman*
Jan. 18-21: Nicholas Payton Quintet
Jan. 27-28: Erin Bode*
Feb. 1-4: To be announced
Feb. 10-11 & 14: Valentine's Day with Mardra and Reggie Thomas^
Feb. 15-18: World Saxophone Quartet
March 1-4: Ahmad Jamal
March 10-11: Patricia Barber#
March 15-18: Ann Hampton Callaway
March 24-25: The Bosman Twins*
March 29-April 1: Benny Green & Russell Malone
April 7-8: THF Realty All-Star Student Ensemble*
April 12-15: The Yellowjackets
April 26-29: Kenny Barron Trio
May 5-6: Erika Johnson*
May 10-13: Kurt Elling
May 19-20: Jazz at the Bistro Open House
May 25-28: Freddy Cole with James Moody
"Summer Jazz Spectacular"
July 8-9: Bucky Pizzarelli
July 15-16: Pat Martino
July 22-23: Tribute to Jimmy Smith with OGD and Willie Akins
* Spotlight Series
# Discovery Series
^ Special Event
Which of these artists are you most interested in seeing? And who would you like to see play at the Bistro who hasn't been booked there yet? Use the comments feature to let us know your thoughts.
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