Crossings Concerts announces 2005-06 season

The multi-genre music series Crossings Concerts has announced its 2005-06 season, and there are a couple of programs of interest to jazz fans. Now in its fifth year, the series is the brainchild of Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra cellist Melissa Brooks-Rubright and her husband, guitarist and composer Dan Rubright, and their mission statement says it is "dedicated to presenting musical entertainment and education with performances that celebrate the commonalities between various musical genres such as classical, jazz, folk, rock and world music."

The first Crossings program of the season, "It Beats…it Sweeps…it Cleans featuring Stan Kann!" will take place Friday, September 16 at the Columbia Theater House, 5333 Columbia, on The Hill. Kann, a theater organist and collector of old vacuum cleaners known as a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, will accompany a couple of Buster Keaton short films, and perform a piece with the Nuclear Percussion Ensemble that will utilize some of his vacuum cleaners as sound sources. There will also be jazz performed by clarinetist Scott Alberici and guitarists Dan Rubright and Steve Schenkel.

On Friday, April 7, 2006, Crossings will present "Early In the Evening," an evening of jazz compositions selected by Dr. Gerald Early, the nationally renowned author and historian from Washington University, and performed by an ensemble of jazz musicians led by pianist Reggie Thomas. The concert will be held at Christ Church Cathedral downtown.

The upcoming season also includes a Christmas concert at Christ Church Cathedral; a concert of Beatles music featuring guitarist Peter Mayer and a string ensemble, and chamber music performances of Igor Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat (with a new libretto by Kurt Vonnegut) and the U.S. premiere of Cassandre by composer Michael Jarrell. You can read more and find out how to purchase tickets here.

Webster U jazz faculty kicks off Monday concert series August 29

The Webster University Jazz Faculty Ensemble kicks off the University's Monday concert series tomorrow with “Something New – Something Blue,” a program of original jazz compositions with a blues flavor. The concert begins at 7 p.m. in Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus, and tickets are just $3. Members of the ensemble include Mike Parkinson, trumpet; Paul DeMarinis, woodwinds; Steve Schenkel, guitar; Kim Portnoy, piano; Willem von Hombracht, bass and Kevin Gianino, drums.

In the past, concerts have typcially been scheduled each Monday evening at Webster, and the series is an excellent value. For three bucks (or occasionally $5, if there's a special guest star) you can see some fine jazz musicians performing a variety of interesting programs, usually organized around some sort of theme - for example, the work of a particular jazz composer. The Music Department usually posts the schedule of concerts for the entire semester on their Web site, but as of today, it still shows last year's events. When I can find a complete schedule, I'll write another item previewing the series.

Jazz this week: Erin Bode, Sandy Weltman, Dave Black and more

Erin Bode

This week marks the kickoff of Jazz at the Bistro's 2005-06 season, as hometown favorite Erin Bode takes the stage for two sets per night on Friday and Saturday. (The club will be dark over Labor Day weekend, with the superb pianist Mulgrew Miller scheduled to perform the following week.)

At one point earlier this year, there was some talk that the gig would serve as a release party for Bode's second CD, but the word now from JATB and her label MAXJAZZ is that the CD will come out early next year, conveniently timed to coincide Bode's return visit to JATB on January 27 and 28. Though Bode does perform quite often around town, the Bistro's "listening room" policy is especially conducive to letting listeners soak up every subtle nuance, and thus this gig makes the "recommended" list.

Elsewhere in the Gateway City, on Thursday night trumpeter Dan Smith bring his quintet with vocalist Debbie Lennon back to Cookie's, while the noise, improv and punk venue Radio Cherokee will host a party for the 'zine IFIHADAHIFI, which is releasing issue 2.5 with a CD compilation "featuring tracks by jason wallace triefenbach, SHED SHOT, Rick Wilson, Dave Stone, HTEETH, Joe Ragliani and many more.." The event starts at 9 p.m. and will feature performance by triefenbach, Wilson, HTEETH and others.

On Friday, Sandy Weltman brings his New Harmonica Jazz project (with pianist Carolbeth True) to Finale, and the Second Generation Swing Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom. On Saturday, guitarist Dave Black leads a duo at Crossings, while vocalist Mae "Lady Jazz" Wheeler brings some of that old Gaslight Square flava to Brandt's in University City.

Of course, this is but a small sampling of the jazz sounds on tap in St. Louis this weekend, and to see more, you have but to look at the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar. And if you're a musician or venue who'd like to get your event listed in the calendar (and possibly mentioned in ye olde weekly highlight post as well), send your info to me at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.

Text of Light to combine film, improvised music

Improvised music will meet experimental film when Text of Light performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, September 17 at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the campus of Webster University. The group will use a number of short films directed by Stan Brakhage as springboards for improvisation. Text of Light's members include Lee Ranaldo, who's best known as guitarist for Sonic Youth, plus "minimalist guitarist" Alan Licht, free jazz drummer William Hooker, and guitarist Roger Miller from Mission of Burma. Tickets can be purchased from the Webster University Film Series box office beginning September 1.

Who is Sara Gazarek?

That's the question I asked when I saw her name listed on Finale's schedule for a performance on Thursday, October 13. Thanks to an item at ejazznews, I now know that she's a young jazz singer from Seattle who's just released her first CD and is touring this fall, both to promote the record and to call attention to Music For All, a not-for-profit foundation focusing on music education. You can find out more about Ms. Gazarek here, and more about Music For All here.

Still more jazz blogs you may enjoy

StLJN research drones deploy ultra-sophisticated technology and work
into the wee hours scouring the Web for jazz stuff that you might like

Since my first post on jazz blogs a while back, I've found several more that I think are worth recommending. In fact, I've found enough good ones that I will soon be adding a new section of jazz blog links as part of an upcoming revision of the site sidebar. But in the meantime, here are a few links to check out.

Be.Jazz is based in Belgium, I think, but it's written in English and provides an interesting take on jazz from a European perspective. Blogger Mwanji Ezana recently heard the Wayne Shorter Quartet at a festival, and has some thoughts of interest to anyone thinking of going to Shorter's concert here in St. Louis on September 28. Plus, Mr. Ezana - or is it Ms. Ezana? I confess that I have no idea.- has already linked to StLJN twice. That's enough to get Be.Jazz mentioned first all by itself!

From across the Atlantic Ocean to right up the road in Champaign, Illinois, say hello to Mr. Greg's Musings, in which Greg Kline seems to concentrate mostly on CD reviews.

Casa Valdez Jazz is written by David Valdez, a saxophonist based in Portland, OR, and has lots of fairly meaty technical, theoretical and conceptual stuff about sax playing and music in general , as well as items of general interest to jazz fans.

Armwood Jazz from Marietta, GA combines news items with occasional commentary, while Bagatellen covers a tasty blend of free improv, avant garde and creative music as well as jazz.

Then there's JazzEnvoy.com, with an eclectic mix including short profiles and biographical information on some Canadian jazz musicians who are not well known here in the U.S.; and Jazz Portraits, written by Joe Moore, who's station manager of KFSR-FM in Fresno, California.

I have a bunch more URLs to investigate, so I suspect there will be a "jazz blogs, part 3" post sometime in the not-too-distant future. And I'll be adding the RSS feeds from the blogs mentioned here (when available) to the "Jazz Blogs" folder on the StLJN Bloglines page. Reader recommendations are welcome - use the comments, or email me at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.

Notes from the Net: Miles box set, Tyner on tour, new Hancock album and more

The latest Miles Davis material to get the deluxe box set treatment is Cellar Door Sessions 1970, six live CDs from a series of shows in Washington DC. The Miles Radio blog has more here...Pianist McCoy Tyner, set to play Finale in October, is touring this fall with bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Eric Gravatt...St. Louis was one of just a handful of dates this summer for Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters 2005. Now Hancock's latest album Possibilities is hitting the stores...The New York Times has an update on the condition of saxophonist Michael Brecker, who is hospitalized with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of cancer in which the bone marrow stops producing enough healthy blood cells. Brecker's family, friends and fans are urging potential bone marrow donors to get tested....Finally, via Avant Music News, a history of 20th century avant garde music that provides some useful background on experimental concepts. composers and performers of the era.

Jazz this week: Vacation's almost over...

Did I mention that the group Swing Set is playing at Brandt's on Saturday? They swing, of course, in the jazz sense, not in the playground-equipment sense, though for all I know the members of the band may very well enjoy a romp on the teeter-totter or jungle gym now and again. Anyway, they're a good band, even if I couldn't find a current photo of them.


It's the middle of August, the "dog days," the last hurrah for summer vacationers hoping to get a bit more recreating done before Labor Day signals the inevitable return to fall schedules - which is all a longwinded way of saying that this is pretty much the trough of the summer as far as touring jazz acts visiting St. Louis are concerned.

Next week, Jazz at the Bistro begins its 2005-06 season with St. Louis vocalist Erin Bode. Then once we're into September, we can look forward to increased activity all over town, from concert halls like the Sheldon and the TouPAC to campus-based programs like Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series and the Monday night concerts at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium. So rather than think of this as a slow weekend, think of it as one more opportunity to enjoy some perennial local favorites who are out there plying their trade week after week.

On Friday, the Dave Stone Trio will be, as always, in residence at Mangia Italiano, while vocalist Jeanne Trevor holds forth at Brandt's. On Saturday, Scott Alberici deploys his fleet and mellow clarinet sound at Crossings; saxophonist Willie Akins is doing his usual Saturday thing at Spruill's; and the Bosman Twins are part of a benefit concert at the TouPAC. Those who still have hungry ears after that are urged to check out the John Norment Quartet on Sunday night at Riddle's or the Sessions Big Band on Monday night at BB's. For still more, see the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar.

If you're a band, musician or venue who would like to have your event listed in the calendar, and possibly included in the weekly highlights, email your information to stljazznotes at yahoo dot com. Also, I'm planning some sort of "fall highlights" post in the not-too-distant future, so if you've got any special events or concerts coming up that you'd like the world to know about, send your information along without delay.

Sheldon benefit concert cancelled

Tickets were supposed to have gone on sale yesterday for the September 28 concert by Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr.to benefit the Friends of the Sheldon. Instead, there's word via this page at STLtoday that the show has been cancelled. The Sheldon's Web site, which earlier this week had a page devoted to the show, now has no mention of the concert or its cancellation at all. (Here's Google's cache of the page in question.)

So what happened? Hard to say without more information. The tour schedule at Marsalis' Web site shows no live appearances at all for that week, and Connick's Web site also says he has no dates scheduled. It was announced on Tuesday that Connick will star next year in a revival of the Broadway musical "Pajama Game," but since previews don't even begin until the end of January, it seems unlikely (though possible, I suppose) that the producers couldn't spare him for a single day in late September. Or maybe, as I speculated in an earlier post, someone just looked at the calendar, did the math regarding potential attendance, and realized that scheduling this event on the same evening as the Wayne Shorter concert wasn't such a great idea after all.

Notes from the 'Net: Clinton's faves,Bowie remembered, Finale confirms

On his upcoming compilation CD, the former Prez will leave
the sax playing to David Sanborn, John Coltrane and other experts

David Sanborn's version of "Harlem Nocturne" and Miles Davis' rendition of "My Funny Valentine" are among the songs selected by former President Bill Clinton for inclusion on a CD compilation of his personal favorites...The Festival Of New Trumpet Music, dedicated in part to the memory of St. Louis trumpet great Lester Bowie, continues throughout August in New York City, and The Villager newspaper has an article that includes comments about Bowie from former St. Louisan Baikida Carroll...Clayton club Finale hosts a media luncheon - hmm, maybe my invitation got lost in the mail? - to confirm their lineup for the fall. I say "confirm" rather than "announce" because regular readers of this site will have already learned about the club's incoming touring acts here and here...(Maybe their publicist figures that since I can read Pollstar, I don't need any additional help. But - and I'm speaking purely hypothetically now, mind you - if I were running a newish club that was competing against a well-established venue like Jazz at the Bistro, one that was bringing in talent that has played at Jazz at the Bistro in the past - why, I'd want to do at least as good a job of reaching out to the local press, all of them, as Jazz at the Bistro. But hey, maybe that's just me.)...Anyway, the club also announced return dates for local acts including Erin Bode, the Bosman Twins and a Frank Sinatra tribute featuring vocalist Tom Heitman, all of which will be added to the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar in short order.

Jazz on Thursdays at Bar Roma

Bar Roma, a new spot located on Hampton Ave. next to Gino's restaurant (just south of Chippewa), is presenting some cocktail lounge-style jazz on Thursday nights. Dave Venn and Gary Dammer are among the performers mentioned in this brief Post-Dispatch review written by Terry Perkins.

Miles Davis family farm restored

A farm house that once belonged to Miles Davis' father has been restored by a Millstadt couple, and will be featured in an upcoming program on the Home and Garden cable network, according to this story from the Post-Dispatch. The current owners, Nanci and Bill Cuningham, knew Davis music and even owned some of his records, but were unaware of the connection to the Davis family when they bought the property back in 1987. Those who have read Miles' autobiography may remember the farm as one of the trumpeter's refuges when he was trying to kick drugs in the Fifties.

(edited 8/15/05 to add link to Davis' book)

Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick to perform benefit concert September 28 at the Sheldon

Branford Marsalis

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis and singer-pianist Harry Connick Jr. will perform in concert at 8 p.m., Wednesday, September 28 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Friends of the Sheldon. Patron tickets are on sale now for $125, and include parking, preferred seating for the concert and a post-concert reception. Single tickets are $35-$65 and go on sale at at 10 a.m. on September 17 via MetroTix.

As an aside: Musicians of the caliber of Marsalis and Connick are always welcome additions to the local concert calendar, but I can't help but wonder why this event was scheduled for the same night as the Wayne Shorter concert at the TouPAC. Unless the Sheldon had no other choice of dates, it seems like bad planning to book a benefit opposite a previously scheduled show that you know is going to appeal to the same core audience you're trying to attract. Though I'm sure the wealthy swells who fund the Sheldon will turn out in the expected numbers - and would do so regardless of who was playing - other local jazz fans will have a tough choice that night. Me, I'll be at the Shorter concert, since Harry and Branford figure to be around for a good long time yet, while Shorter is in his 70s and doesn't tour extensively.

Department of corrections: Special summer meltdown edition

Apologies to this site's readers and to trombonist and bandleader John Covelli for misspelling his name in a post on Thursday, and to the members of the Stone-Covelli Quintet for reversing the names of the band's co-leaders in the same post. While I could use the convenient excuse that both errors came from the Web site of the club they were playing, I could have and should have cross-checked it somewhere. Sorry about that, folks.

While trying to verify the correct spelling, I did find the Quintet's own Web site (via The 52nd City), which should make it easier to keep up with their future appearances. Next time I plug one of their gigs, I promise to spell everyone's name correctly.

(I would have posted this correction, as well as several other items, yesterday, but storms knocked out power to more than 100,000 homes, including mine, here in St. Louis. Actually, I have had a total of four power outages and restorations - one for only about five minutes - in the last 24 hours, so I'm typing this as fast as I can in hopes of getting it posted before the lights go out yet again. If updates are sporadic for a while yet, blame Ameren UE and Mother Nature.)

Jazz jam session held Thursdays at Gene Lynn's

Seen recently on several message boards for St. Louis area musicians:

WEEKLY JAZZ SHOW AT GENE LYNN'S--SIT-INS WELCOME!
I would like to invite any musicians out there who would like to "sit-in" on a weekly jazz standards jam session at Gene Lynn's in the Central West End. The session is held every Thursday night from 8:00-12:00 and is located at 348 N. Sarah on the corner of Lindell and N. Sarah at the Lindell Marketplace. Please come, enjoy the show, and bring your instrument! Contact Steve White Quintet at (314)537-0996 or e-mail swhite25 at msn dot.com

Gene Lynn, proprietor of the establishment bearing his name, is well known to St. Louis listeners as a jazzy crooner and suave entertainer who, to my ears anyway, combines elements of Frank Sinatra and Billy Eckstine. His place is just off Lindell Blvd, and isn't hard at all to find. What I can't find, however, is a Web site for the bar, but here's a little article from a couple years ago in Sauce Magazine, written by Steven Fitzpatrick Smith, that will give you an idea of what it's like.

(edited for clarity 8/10/05)

Jazz this week: Cavelli-Stone Quintet, Guitars and Saxes and more

Wayman Tisdale

Taking a look at the calendar to put together this week's post, it struck me that even in one of the less active weeks of the entire year, there are still at least 23 chances to hear some live jazz somewhere in the St. Louis area, and that's not even counting the stuff I may not be aware of yet. I'll grant you that figure doesn't quite make St. Louis a jazz hotbed, but it's not terrible, either. There's a lot of good music out there, even if it sometimes takes a little bit of seeking out.

Anyway, moving on to this week's highlights: The Guitars and Saxes smooth jazz tour featuring Jeff Golub, Mindy Abair, Wayman Tisdale and Warren Hill) plays the Pageant on Friday night. There's also a meet-and-greet reception with Tisdale before the show to benefit Harris Stowe State College. Ticket info for both the reception and the show is on the Pageant Web site.

On Thursday night, saxophonist Dave Stone makes a comparatively rare appearance outside his usual environs as the Cavelli-Stone Quintet plays at Cookie's. I haven't heard this band yet, but the personnel and instrumentation - trombone, bass, drums, vibes and saxophone - present some interesting possibilities.

On Saturday, there's jazz done Las Vegas-style at Finale as Wild, Cool & Swingin' takes the stage for two sets. And on Sunday, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents a matinee performance by Bob Ceccarini and his River City Ramblers, a "hot jazz" band of veteran St. Louis players. Finally, I should also note that the Sessions Big Band is continuing their Monday night residency at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups; they're on stage from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

All fine performers, worthy of your attention, and you'll find at least 17 more possibilities for the week by taking a peek at the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar. Venues and musicians, please email me at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com, and I'll be happy to add your event to the calendar, too.

(edited to fix typos 8/11/05)

Osby redux

In the "Sure Wish I'd Found This A Week Ago" Department, saxophonist Greg Osby has been answering questions in an ongoing thread over at the All About Jazz reader forums. Among other tidbits, I learned that Osby's booking agent has tried a number of times in recent years to schedule a concert for him in St. Louis, but has found no takers.

Frankly, I find that both astonishing and disappointing, and I hope an appropriate venue - the Bistro, Finale, the Pageant, the Sheldon, somebody - will give Osby a concert date (and some much-needed hometown love) real soon. That said, it's fun to see a thoughtful musician like Osby engaging in this kind of back-and-forth dialogue with fans. His most recent post was on Monday, so it looks there's still time to get over there and get in the conversation.

Notes from the Net: Pat Metheny, Ahmad Jamal, Lincoln Center Jazz Hall of Fame

Sonny Rollins has just been announced as one of the first two living
inductees to the Hall of Fame started last year by Jazz at Lincoln Center

With this post, I hereby inaugurate what may very well become at least a semi-recurring feature around these parts: a quick round-up of short jazz- and/or music-related items that either: a) have some connection to St. Louis; or b) catch my eye for some other reason, done in what I hope will be at least a reasonable approximation of the classic "three-dot" style. And so, to the news:

The Pat Metheny Trio, scheduled to play at the TouPAC on Sunday, October 2, has become a quartet for most of their fall tour now that saxophonist David Sanchez has joined forces with Metheny, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Antonio Sanchez. The horn-playing Sanchez - anyone know if he's any kin to the drummer who shares the same surname? - will be with the group in St. Louis, though he'll have to miss four other dates due to prior commitments...

Famed pianist Ahmad Jamal, who's set to play Jazz at the Bistro during the first week of March 2006, turned 75 last month and seems to be going strong, at least as indicated by this brief interview with the Seattle Times...

Sonny Rollins and Max Roach are the first two living inductees to the Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame, which opened last fall at Jazz at Lincoln Center 's new home in the Time Warner Center in NYC. Other new inductees this year include Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Benny Goodman, and Miles Davis was part of the first group of musicians honored last year. Interestingly, the brief bio of Miles included on the Hall of Fame site makes no mention of anything he recorded after 1966.

Given that JALC head honcho Wynton Marsalis has gone on the record many times as no fan of Davis' electric period, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. But given the historic significance and wide influence of recordings like In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew and On The Corner, it seems wrong, and a disservice to new listeners who want to learn more about the music, not to mention them at all. If projects like JALC and its Hall of Fame are supposed to educate people about the history of jazz, I think the principles of integrity and scholarship demand that they teach all of that history, not just the parts Mr Marsalis likes.

(edited 8/10/05 to correct the date of Metheny's concert)

Bosman Twins to perform benefit concert August 20

The Bosman Twins

Dwight and Dwayne Bosman, twin brothers and multi-reedmen who have been a familiar part of the St. Louis music scene since the Eighties, will perform a benefit concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 20 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Proceeds from the event will go to the St. Charles Lwanga Center, a Catholic organization that seeks to provide “spiritual formation and leadership development for the African American community of St. Louis."

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by calling the TouPAC ticket office at (314) 516-4949; the St. Charles Lwanga Center at (314) 367-7929; or Jacquelyn Crawford at the St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church, (314) 533-0304.

(edited 8/18/05 to correct date)

Jazz photo exhibit opens September 23 at Sheldon Art Galleries

Dennis Owsley, host of the Sunday night Jazz Unlimited program on KWMU, emailed with the news that the Sheldon Art Galleries will feature a show of his photographs of jazz musicians beginning next month. The exhibit opens on September 23 with a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the galleries, located adjacent to the Sheldon Concert Hall. You can see some of the photos online at Owsley's website - and while you're visiting, I suggest that you take some time to look around the rest of the site as well, as there's lots of interesting jazz-related content.

In related news, playlists for Jazz Unlimited are now being archived online, complete with links to hard-to-find recordings, here. And the audio stream of the program itself can now be heard online for up to a week after air date by going here.

(Edited 8/8/05 to fix spelling error)

Tyner, Tyrell added to Finale's fall lineup

McCoy Tyner

During one of my periodic perusals of Pollstar, I noticed that a couple more nationally known headliners have been added to the fall schedule at Finale Music and Dining in Clayton.

For me, the most exciting news was that pianist McCoy Tyner is scheduled to appear at the club on Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8. After getting his initial break with Benny Golson, Tyner gained widespread fame in the Sixties as a member of John Coltrane's legendary quartet, and has gone on to become one of the most celebrated jazz piano players in the world.

His use of modal scales, harmonies based on fourths and fifths (or "quartal" and "quintal" harmonies, in music-geek speak), and his powerful yet sensitive approach to the keyboard have been a big influence on several subsequent generations of jazz pianists. I've been a huge Tyner fan since I first heard him on record in the early Seventies, and finally got the chance to see him perform at Jazz at the Bistro a few years back. Though he may have mellowed ever so slightly over the years, Tyner still played with plenty of fire and the result was one of the best jazz piano performances I've ever witnessed.

Also added to Finale's fall lineup is vocalist Steve Tyrell, who will be in town for a five-night stand running Tuesday, September 6 through Saturday, September 10. Tyrell's no innovator, perferring to draw mostly on well-known standards familiar from recordings by Sinatra, Bennett, Mel Torme and many others. However, he does have good taste in tunes and an easygoing, swinging feel as a singer, as well as an appealing presence and a fine backing band. Some people I know don't dig Tyrell, citing his somewhat gravelly vocal tone and limited range, but I've enjoyed what I've heard from him on record, and am looking forward to catching a set or two while he's here.

Jazz this week: Smooth, swung and sung

Tim Cunningham will be in somewhat swankier surroundings
this weekend when he performs Saturday night at Finale.

It's still summer vacation season, which means there are really no touring jazz acts of note in town this week. But as usual, there's still some good St. Louis-based talent to be heard.

On Thursday night, if you head to suburban Webster Groves, you can choose from two fine trios, as bassist Tom Kennedy will be holding forth at Crossings, while pianist Kim Portnoy and his group perform at Cookie's. On Friday, saxophonist Lew Winer III brings his smooth jazz group to Cookie's, Erin Bode sings at Crossings, and Mae Wheeler will vocalize at Brandt's in University City. And on Saturday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham brings his smooth jazz sound to Finale in Clayton.

As always, you'll find more of this week's events listed in the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar. And if you're a musician or venue who would like to get your gigs listed here, please send me your schedule information via an email to stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.

Happy birthday, Greg Osby!

Greg Osby

Saxophonist Greg Osby, born in St. Louis on August 3, 1960, first gained fame in the Eighties as one of the movers and shakers of M-Base, a loosely knit group of New York based musicians exploring new ways to structure music that combines composition and improvisation.

While Osby is certainly a heady conceptualist, he's never lost touch with his musical or geographic roots, as exemplified by his 2003 CD St. Louis Shoes, an adventurous work that incorporated some of the emotional content of the blues, soul and funk Osby learned growing up here, as well as the expected intellectual rigor. (Osby appeared on Tavis Smiley's old NPR show to discuss the the CD, and you can hear a Real Audio file of the interview and some musical excerpts here.)

After taking a Sonny Rollins-like sabbatical a few years back, Osby is now in a very productive period of his career. In just the last two weeks, he's been featured in the premiere episode of a new show on the Bravo cable network called Solos; performed at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, and released a new CD.

His Web site is a good one, and includes an extensive selection of live recordings, both individual tunes and entire performances, that are available as free MP3s. And Osby is an interesting interview subject, as demonstrated in this conversation with Dr. Billy Taylor and these interviews from All About Jazz and JazzWeekly.com. (The latter has some particularly juicy stuff about the economics of jazz album production and sales in today's marketplace.) Musicians may also enjoy checking out this transcription of Osby's solo on "East St. Louis Toodle-oo" to get a sense of how he approaches a very well-known composition in his own way.

(edited to fix a photo problem 8/4/05)

Post story explores festival funding

Yes, it sure does takes a lot of this stuff to put on a music festival.

Over the weekend, the Post-Dispatch published a story about the financial problems affecting the Big Muddy blues festival, which will be held over Labor Day weekend on Laclede's Landing. Written by pop critic Kevin Johnson, the piece has some unusually candid quotes about the effects of dwindling corporate sponsorship on the festival:

"We can't afford to do Big Muddy anymore," said Dawne Massey, executive director of the Laclede's Landing Merchants Association and organizer of the fest.

Big Muddy has always been free, and as Massey ironically notes, "Free events are very expensive." Sponsors for the event have become harder to find, dropping from 12 last year to five in 2005.

Unless a last-minute miracle occurs - a "big box of money falling out of the sky," in Massey's words - the plug will be pulled on Big Muddy after this year

For comparison purposes: The reported budget for this year's two-day Big Muddy festival is $85,000, or less than one-fifth of the $500,000 budget for the 2005 US Bank Saint Louis Jazz Festival. However, as Johnson reported in an earlier story, the Jazz Festival does have something the Big Muddy doesn't: a commitment for at least two more years from its lead sponsor.

The piece goes on to look at the costs and attendance at other local outdoor festivals and music events, and I was a little surprised to learn that Big Muddy crowds have exceeded 50,000 in recent years, while the Jazz Festival has struggled to get back to the 20,000 who turned out three years ago for a lineup of acts headlined by George Benson. It's generally a well-reported piece, but there's one big omission: the fact that the Blues Heritage Festival, the predecessor of the Big Muddy, was killed by financial troubles, too.

Johnson wasn't even working in St. Louis at the time, so perhaps he shouldn't be held accountable for the omission. But it's definitely relevant, because the Blues Heritage festival was brought down in 1997, at least in part, by the same thing that is mentioned in the article as one of the Big Muddy's problems: the high cost of headline talent. (There were other reasons, too, including what one source described to me as "insufficient financial controls" and the move to Buder Park in St. Louis County, but that's a different post than the one I'm writing right now.)

However, John May, who's president of the St. Louis Blues Society and a member of Big Muddy board, thinks the Big Muddy can be saved by using more St. Louis talent:

"Being a free event, I don't see that having huge names to attract people is essential to it being a good music festival," May said. "I thought from year to year the point was to see new things you haven't seen before and see them as they grow. But some organizations feel you need big names with big-budget dollars. Ten thousand dollars can go a long way with St. Louis artists. It disappears right away in 90 minutes with a name artist."

May would like to see Big Muddy refocused with area artists who don't require large paychecks.

So what's the relevance to jazz? Just that it would indeed be possible to put on a well-attended, artistically successful music festival for a lot less money that is being spent now, simply by using more St. Louis musicians.

Now, I wouldn't want to see the US Bank Saint Louis Jazz Festival completely abandon the idea of bringing in touring acts. Festival performances by the Dave Holland Big Band, Lincoln Center Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra and the Dave Douglas Quintet have all made my personal list of musical highlights in recent years.

But I would like to see the mix adjusted a bit. (For more thoughts on possible future programming directions, see this earlier post.) Given that this year's event featured just three local acts, and devoted something along the lines of less than 1% of their operating budget to those acts, they could make their dollars stretch a lot farther by exchanging one or two of their downbill acts for a bigger helping of homegrown talent. St. Louis has some outstanding jazz musicians, and since the high-dollar headliners don't appear to be packing them into Shaw Park, perhaps it's time to give the locals more of a shot.

(edited 8/6/05 to correct the name of Dave Douglas' band)