Sheldon Concert Hall announces 2006-07 bookings

Vocalist Tierney Sutton will be one of the few fresh faces
performing as part of the Sheldon's 2006-07 jazz series


St. Louis jazz fans may get a strong sense of deja vu when looking at the just-announced 2006-07 schedule for the Sheldon Concert Hall, as the jazz acts booked for next year are mostly ones already very familiar to local audiences.

While this story in the Post-Dispatch plays up the handful of performers who are coming to the Sheldon for the first time, my first impression was that this slate of bookings reflects a distinct lack of imagination and a strong disinclination to take any artistic risks at all. (Interestingly, those same two traits also "distinguish" the lineup for this year's US Bank St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, which the Sheldon is also involved in booking.)

Among the acts set for next season at the Sheldon that have played St. Louis frequently in the past are Joey DeFrancesco, Freddie Cole, and Peter Martin with Erin Bode, who are all scheduled as part of the jazz series that will also include vocalist Tierney Sutton and the Brubeck Brothers Band. The special concert series also has some familiar names, including Aaron and Charles Neville, just here this past week, doing a Christmas show; George Winston, who's played the Sheldon several times in the past; and Don Vappie, who will lead a concert of traditional New Orleans style jazz after appearing at the Sheldon's hurricane benefit last December.

Familiarity would seem to be the word with regard to local bands and musicians, too. Vocalist Debby Lennon will perform in two concerts, a Saturday matinee alongside pianist Carolbeth True, and a holiday show with the Webster Jazz Singers as part of the Coffee Concerts series. The Webster University Faculty Jazz Ensemble will also make a couple of appearances, performing a program called "City of Gabriels," which ties in to Dennis Owsley's forthcoming book about St. Louis jazz history, on both the Special Concerts and Coffee Concerts series. And trumpeter Bob Ceccarini and pianist Pat Joyce, who performed a Mardi Gras concert this year, and the band of pianist Jean Kittrell will also both be back for another year. .

There is one jazz artist in addition to Sutton and the Brubeck Brothers who's making his local debut: pianist Fred Hersch, who will perform his song cycle based on Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" on February 10 as part of the Special Concerts series. But all in all, this upcoming season ranks as a major disappointment in my book.

Granted, DeFrancesco, Cole and the other acts mentioned above are all capable of making some good music, so it's not like the Sheldon has done something truly odious and unforgiveable, like booking Kenny G or something. But with a fine facility and strong community support, the Sheldon really ought to be leading the pack of local concert venues, not just recycling artists who have already appeared here many, many times before. With so many great, innovative jazz artists available who haven't appeared in St. Louis recently, or at all, the only possible excuses for returning to the same names again and again would seem to be laziness and a lack of familiarity with the current jazz scene, neither of which are desireable traits in a concert booker.

One also can't help but notice that, save for Cole and Bobby Hutcherson, who will perform with DeFrancesco, that the headliners in the jazz series, as well as most of the local performers featured in other jazz-oriented shows, are all white. Without knowing more about how the selection process was conducted, it would be premature to accuse the Sheldon of overt racism, but it does seem quite curious that a series devoted to music originally created by African-Americans has so few black performers.

In the Post story, the Sheldon's executive director Paul Reuter is quoted as saying, "We always try to surprise people with who we bring in." Well, if that truly was his goal, he has failed miserably with the hall's 2006-07 jazz series. If this is really the best that a great venue like the Sheldon can do, it's definitely time for some new blood in the booking department. Perhaps Mr. Reuter should just recuse himself from doing any more concert booking for, say, five years, or until he comes up with some fresh ideas, whichever is longer. Meanwhile, it looks like next season is shaping up as "The Year We've Already Seen Before, Mostly" at the Sheldon.