Jazz this week: Diana Krall & Chris Botti, tributes to Charlie Parker and Tony Bennett, and more

As summer winds down, there's lots to do in St. Louis, and though the fall season won't really get going full steam for another couple of weeks, there are some noteworthy jazz events competing for your time, attention and entertainment dollars this weekend.

Most prominently, singer/pianist Diana Krall (pictured) and trumpeter Chris Botti bring their joint tour to St. Louis this evening for a performance at the Fox Theatre. As of this writing, Metrotix is not showing the concert as a sellout, which means there indeed still may be some tickets available; I'd suggest calling ahead, though, rather than just showing up at the box office.

As for the rest of the Labor Day weekend, on Thursday you can catch trumpeter Randy Holmes and Hard Bop Heritage doing a tribute to Charlie Parker at Finale Music and Dining, or the Denver-based Mike Beck Trio, in town to play a one-nighter at Cookie's Jazz and More.

On Friday, Finale present singer Anita Jackson fronting a band led by drummer Jerome "Scrooge" Harris; Brandt's has singer/pianist/tenor saxophonist/raconteur Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum; and trumpeter Jim Manley brings his band Wild, Cool and Swingin' to Cookie's.

Saturday night is a bit skimpier, but if you don't feel like seeing singer Al Oxenhandler and the Carolbeth True Trio doing their "salute to Tony Bennett" at Finale, there's always Willie Akins' weekly gig at Spruill's.

More local jazz-related events can be found by consulting the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, with the caveat that said calendar will be in a state of more or less continuous update for the next several days as September schedules straggle into the StLJN mailbox from area clubs and musicians.

(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.)

Notes from the Net: Harrold featured, Lake at work, Carter nostalgic, and more

It's a new week, and so here's another compilation of news concerning jazz artists from St. Louis, recent visitors, coming attractions, and other items of interest:

* Trumpeter and St. Louis native Keyon Harrold is a featured guest soloist on Open Reel Deck, the just released CD from saxophonist Marcus Strickland. The set was recorded live at NYC's Jazz Standard this past April.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake (pictured) will be performing this weekend an NYC's Iridium, as part of the ensemble Trio 3 with bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille, plus their special guest, pianist Geri Allen.

* Ron Carter waxed nostalgic about former employer Miles Davis in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times prompted by the bassist's new CD, Dear Miles.

* Tony Bennett, who's coming to the Fox Theatre in October, will debut his new album Tony Bennett Sings The Ultimate American Songbook, Volume 1 this weekend on, of all places, the QVC home shopping channel. Bennett will go on QVC at 11 p.m. Saturday, September 1 to hawk a specially packaged CD that's being put on sale 24 days before the "official" release date.

* Performers at the upcoming Rosslyn Jazz Festival, held September 8 in Arlington, VA, will include violinist Regina Carter, singer Kevin Mahogany, and mallet percussionist Bobby Hutcherson, all of whom performed in St. Louis over the last year. The event will be broadcast live in the Washington DC area by jazz station WPFW 89.3 FM, and you can listen online here.

* Bassist Dave Holland, another ex-Miles Davis sideman who played the Bistro earlier this year with his quintet, recently brought a sextet to NYC's Blue Note. Read the New York Times review here.

* Speaking of NYC, avant garde and experimental musicians there recently rallied to call for more support and performance venues for creative musicians in the city.

* And continuing on the subject of musicians rallying, the AP reported that this weekend, as the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approached, "musicians, instruments strapped to their backs and signs in hand, marched to the French Quarter on Sunday, demanding better wages and asking tourists, music lovers and political leaders not to take them for granted." The article continued:

"It ain't easy to be in the Big Easy," Deacon John Moore, the president of the local musicians union, told onlookers after the low-key march through the rain from Louis Armstrong Park. "Our musicians are suffering. We hate to come out here and beg, but we have no alternative at this point."...

Before Katrina, he said, there were more than 3,000 professional musicians, including music teachers, in New Orleans; this spring, there were less than 1,800, he said. Moore estimated a quarter of those commute into the city, where music has long been part of the colorful culture...

"The local music economy has forced local musicians to live in survival mode, 'a little something is better than nothing,'" the guitarist-band leader-singer said. "That's how you live when your back's against the wall.""

Read the whole thing here. Also worth a look is this appreciation of New Orleans and plea for reconstruction from travel writer Janis Turk.

Site news: StLJN post #1,000

This is the 1,000th post on St. Louis Jazz Notes. Many thanks to all the readers, commenters and sources who have been part of this site for the last 28 months. Here's hoping you'll stay with StLJN for at least another 1,000 posts, and please feel free to use the comments to offer your hearty congratulations, helpful suggestions and/or bitter complaints.

AWB to play JATB on September 27

In a bit of a departure from their usual booking policies, Jazz St. Louis has just announced that the Average White Band (pictured) will perform at Jazz at the Bistro on Thursday, September 27, 2007.

AWB, best known for their 1970s hits such as "Pick Up The Pieces" and "Cut The Cake", will play two sets at the usual times, 8:30 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. Tickets will be $25 each for all seats (no discounts, coupons or special offers will be honored) and go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. next Tuesday, September 4 via Metrotix and the Jazz St. Louis box office.

While the AWB is usually categorized as a funk/soul band, they do improvise, and have appeared at plenty of jazz clubs and festivals over the years. Jazz purists may not find this show to be their particular cup of tea, but given that it's a relatively last-minute booking that is not displacing any jazz acts from the Bistro's schedule, I'm inclined to see it as a way for JSL to put a few bucks in its coffers presenting a band that many jazz fans of a certain age will remember fondly. You can see and hear a bit of the present-day Average White Band in the video window below, a performance of "Pick Up The Pieces" recorded at last year's Jazz In The Woods Festival in Kansas City.

Jazz St. Louis will offer "Jazz Perspectives" from Haynes, Stafford, and the Heath Brothers

Jazz St. Louis will continue its series of informal conversations with visiting musicians again during the organization's 2007-08 season. Last year, JSL hosted talks with pianist Ahmad Jamal, saxophonist/ educator Ronald Carter and author/journalist Dan Morgenstern.

This year, the "Jazz Perspectives" series will kick off at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 23 with a reception and conversation with drummer Roy Haynes. Trumpeter Terell Stafford (6 p.m., Tuesday, February 19) and the Heath Brothers (6 p.m., Tuesday, March 25) will also take part in the series. All three events will be held on the 4th floor at the Centene Center for the Arts, 3547 Olive Street, and tickets for each are $10 per person, available through the Jazz St. Louis Web site.

(Edited 8/27/07 to reflect the fact that there will be a $10 admission charge.)

KMOX sets lineup for Jazz and Wine Festival

KMOX radio has set the lineup of musicians for the station's second Jazz and Wine Festival, to be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, September 29 at Faust Park in Chesterfield. Singers Denise Thimes, Anita Rosamond and Kim Massie and multi-woodwind-playing brothers The Bosman Twins will provide music for the event. You can see more details at KMOX's Web site.

StLJN Saturday at the Movies:Diana Krall's "Devil May Care," plus Chris Botti and David Sanborn play "Flamenco Sketches"

The Diana Krall/Chris Botti comes to St. Louis' Fox Theatre next Wednesday, August 29, and so this seems an opportune time to showcase a couple of videos from two of the best-selling jazz artists around today.

The first clip features Krall performing a song that's become a concert staple for here, Bob Dorough's "Devil May Care." This version is from 2002, and also features guitarist Anthony Wilson, who's back working with Krall on her current tour.

Today's second video features Botti, and as a sneaky way of getting some explicitly St. Louis-related content into this post, it's his version of "Flamenco Sketches," best known, of course, as one of the tracks on Miles Davis' classic album Kind of Blue. Sitting in as Botti's special guest on this performance (and providing more local flavor) is St. Louis native David Sanborn, who toured with the trumpeter early last year.

MFLA seeks donations of used musical instruments

Speaking of Terry Perkins, in addition to his work in journalism and artist management, he's also involved with Music For Lifelong Achievement, a fine charitable effort that aims to put musical instruments in the hands of students who might not otherwise have access to them. MFLA is beginning its fifth annual drive for donated instruments in September. From the news release:

"This September 7th marks the kickoff of the 5th annual musical instrument donation drive in which St. Louis metro area Starbucks stores will serve as drop-off locations for musical instruments donated to Music For Lifelong Achievement, part of the non-profit Sheldon Arts Foundation based at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The donated instruments will then be repaired and placed in local schools and community music programs serving disadvantaged students who otherwise would not have access to an instrument. The instrument donation drive runs through Sunday, October 14, 2007.

...Over the past four years, the MFLA Starbucks instrument drives have collected almost 500 instruments, which have been recycled to St. Louis City and County school districts and a variety of community music programs...

There are two ways to participate. Used musical instruments, can be donated at any St. Louis area Starbucks location, or, those without an instrument to donate, can make a cash donation to help pay for necessary repairs of donated instruments, as well as accessories such as like strings, reeds and sheet music. MFLA will provide a thank you letter that will serve as a tax deduction receipt for the value of the instruments or the funds donated."

So, if you've got an old musical instrument in the basement, spare room or garage (or know someone who does), here's a chance to put it back into productive use and help some deserving youngsters learn to play and appreciate music. You can find out more or contact MFLA via their Web site.

Diana Krall featured in Post article

Singer and pianist Diana Krall talked with writer Terry Perkins for a feature published in Thursday's Post-Dispatch, and shared some memories of early gigs in St. Louis, some thoughts about the musicians on her current tour (which comes to the Fox Theatre next Wednesday), and more. Read the story online here.

Jazz this week: A new jazz interpretation of Porgy and Bess; Matthew Von Doran; and more

Both the Internet in general and Blogger in particular are acting rather spiteful and capricious right now, so this will be a short post.

Two particularly noteworthy gigs this weekend: First, the local debut of the new guy in town, guitarist Matthew Von Doran, as he plays a free concert and clinic tonight at Fazio's Frets and Friends with drummer Miles Vandiver and bassist Bob Deboo.

And on Sunday, the Ivory Perry Park summer concert series wraps up its season with a jazz version of Porgy and Bess, performed by a group led by saxophonist Aaron "Strayhorn" Parker and including Raymond Eldridge, Jr., Jerome "Scrooge" Harris, Clifton McBride, Mike Nelson and Dennis Block. The concert is free and open to the public; Ivory Perry Park is located at 800 Belt (at Cabanne) in west St. Louis.

In between those two shows, Jeff Anderson's Positive Energy Quartet is at Brandt's tonight; Dave Stone performs as usual at Mangia Italiano on Friday; and Willie Akins holds forth at Spruill's early Saturday evening. Meanwhile, Cookie's Jazz and More presents a trio of female vocalists over the weekend, with trumpeter Dan Smith and his quintet featuring singer Debby Lennon performing this evening, Kim Massie on Friday and Trio Tres Bien with Danita Mumphard (pictured) on Saturday.

For an expanded list of local jazz-related events, please see the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which will be getting some major updates over the next week, as September gig info arrives from bands and venues and presenters like Webster University and Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series announce their schedules for the rest of the year.

(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.)

KMOX cancels Saturday night jazz program

St. Louis Post-Dispatch gossip columnist Deb Peterson is reporting in today's paper that radio station KMOX is canceling the long-running Saturday night jazz program hosted by local attorney and jazz buff Don Wolff:

"WOLFF IS AT THE DOOR: The latest ornament to fall off the KMOX radio family tree? Don Wolff. Wolff has been hosting the five-hour, Saturday night "I Love Jazz" show for nearly 15 years. The tradition of broadcasting jazz at the station on Saturday nights goes back 30 years. When contacted about the change, Wolff said, "I have enjoyed my long association with KMOX and I'm sad to be leaving." The last broadcast of the show is scheduled for Sept. 29. Wolff's two-hour program "Justice for All," which airs on Sunday evenings is slated to have its last airing on Sept. 30. Tim Dorsey of KTRS radio, are you reading this?"

Given all the changes over the last couple of decades in the radio business in general and at KMOX in particular, I suppose this shouldn't come as a huge shock. But as a longtime occasional listener, often while driving home from a Saturday night gig, I'm sorry that Wolff is leaving KMOX.

His playlist may be somewhat retro, relying mostly on traditional jazz, swing, the Great American Songbook and an occasional smattering of bop, but Wolff generally displays good taste in recordings; interviews many musicians and talks up many local gigs; and his enthusiasm and love for the music has always been palpable. He'll be missed by many jazz fans not just in St. Louis, but across the Midwest.

While I suspect that some other station will want to make use of his talents, contacts and established audience, it likely will be one that doesn't reach as far as the 50,000 watt clear channel KMOX, which I'm told can be heard in more than 30 states at night. Still, I can't really imagine Wolff hanging it up completely, so here's hoping he finds a suitable outlet for his jazz DJ skills sooner rather than later.

(Edited slightly after posting.)

A guitarist leaves town, a guitarist comes to town

You don't necessarily have to believe explicitly in the concept of karma to think that the universe somehow usually manages to balance things out, but you rarely see it happen as quickly as in the story of how guitarist Matthew Von Doran (pictured) recently moved from southern California to the St. Louis area.

Our tale begins with guitarist Corey Christiansen, who's lived in St. Louis for the past six years working for Mel Bay Publications as an author and clinician and doing occasional gigs and recordings. In what's certainly a loss for the local music scene, Christiansen recently decided to move back to Utah, where he grew up and earned his music degree from Utah State University.

That's where the whole universe-balancing thing comes in. As Von Doran recounted by email, "Corey and I have been buddies for a while and I called him a few months ago to see if he was going to be in town this fall so I could stay at his house when I did (a) clinic at Fazio's. That's when he told me he was leaving Mel Bay to move to Utah. I made a joke about buying his house just to use for my show and one thing led to another. Believe me, the last thing I was thinking about this year was to move to STL, but I loved this house and neighborhood so here I be."

The guitarist and his wife are now comfortably ensconced in Christiansen's former digs in Webster Groves, and he's got his debut performance in St. Louis coming up at 7 p.m. this Thursday, when he'll do the aforementioned free concert and clinic at Fazio's Frets and Friends, 14239 Manchester Rd, accompanied by drummer Miles Vandiver and bassist Bob Deboo.

Von Doran studied at GIT in Los Angeles and has gigged in a variety of settings from trio to big band, playing straightahead jazz and fusion as well as many other different types of music. His debut CD as a leader, In This Present Moment, was produced by Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip and features an impressive roster of musicians including Bob Mintzer, Larry Goldings, Peter Erskine, James Genus, Terri Lyne Carrington and more. You can download a track from the CD by visiting his Web site, and check out more audio samples on his MySpace page.

Though it's always a shame to lose a player of Christiansen's caliber, Von Doran seems like he could be a nice addition to the local music community. So, with apologies to science fiction writer and blogger Cory Doctorow for the headline of this post, StLJN wishes the best to Corey Christiansen and welcomes Matthew Von Doran to St. Louis.

(Edited 8/23/07, with apologies, to correct spelling errors, etc.)

St. Louis Art Fair to feature jazz performers

The annual St. Louis Art Fair is put on by Cultural Festivals Inc, the same organization that stages the St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival. As a result, jazz musicians are usually featured as part of the musical entertainment for the Art Fair, which will be held this year from Friday, September 7 through Sunday, September 9 in downtown Clayton.

Performances on Saturday that may be of interest to jazz listeners include the Jazz Lab Band from St. Louis Community College at Meramec; the Kevin Lucas Orchestra, a fusion combo that numbers jazz among its many influences; Le Jazz Hot, a rather nondescript name for a very good group of musicians including Bensid Thigpen (drums and percussion), Ptah Williams (keyboards), Chad Evans (alto saxophone) and Darrell Mixon (bass); and Lamar Harris presents The Georgia Mae, which features a number of the funky trombonist and brassman's students from Crossroads College Prep.

On Sunday, the Art Fair will present a performance by the New Arts Jazztet (pictured), a group from Carbondale, IL featuring Bob Allison on trumpet and flugelhorn, Tyler Kuebler on saxophones and reeds, Ron Coulter on drums and Phil Brown on bass; as well as sets from pianist Carolbeth True with Larry Johnson (saxophone), Glen Smith (bass) and Kevin Gianino (drums); and singer Brian Owens.

The St. Louis Art Fair is a free outdoor festival with 165 visual artists exhibiting and selling original works of art. The Art Fair also presents performances on three stages featuring jazz, blues, folk, bluegrass, gospel and old-time music, as well as storytelling, theatre, dance and puppet theater. For more information and a schedule of all performances, go to the Art Fair's Web site.

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

Over the last couple of weeks, StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds has featured music videos by Eric Dolphy, Diamanda Galas, Howlin' Wolf, Jeff Beck, Leroy Jenkins, Frank Zappa, Elvis Presley, Andrew Hill, Greg Osby, Miles Davis, Jimmy Smith, Dave Douglas, John Lee Hooker, Tony Williams and Anthony Braxton with William Parker and Hamid Drake.

You can still see all these choice clips, plus many others from genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, classic rock, prog rock, experimental music and more, by clicking on over to http://heliocentricworlds.blogspot.com/.

Notes from the Net: More on the latest Miles reissue; Legends of Jazz DVD reviewed; new CDs from Carter, Denson, Botti and Krall; and more

StLJN's news roundup was slightly delayed this week, due to the need for yr. humble editor to complete some actual paying writing work, but not to worry, the news remains equally tasty even after simmering for an additional day:

* The upcoming Miles Davis reissue The Complete On The Corner Sessions continues to get press coverage, even from rock music site Pitchfork. Meanwhile, the impending release of the box set also prompted Be.jazz blogger Mwanji Ezana to listen once again and review the original version of the album. In addition, Ezana offers links to three interesting essays about Miles from the Web site Race Matters - a career overview by New York Times writer Ben Ratliff; Martha Bayles' "Miles Davis: An Innovator With Dueling Ambitions," and a consideration of Miles-as-pimp, "Miles Davis, Genius Hustler."

* And speaking of Davis, his former bassist Ron Carter is getting more coverage of his new tribute CD dedicated to the trumpeter, Dear Miles .

* The season one DVD set of Legends of Jazz, which features performances from St. Louis natives Clark Terry and David Sanborn (pictured) among many others, is finally out and is reviewed by the Chicago Tribune along with other, more modestly budgeted jazz DVDs from Chicago and New Orleans.

* Catching up with some recent visitors to St. Louis, we find that saxophonist Karl Denson, who's been in town this year with his own trio and with the Greyboy All-Stars, has a new CD out called Lunar Orbit.

* Another funky saxophonist, Kirk Whalum, who's the nephew of St. Louisan Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum and recently appeared at the Pageant with the Guitars and Saxes smooth jazz show, also has a new CD ready to drop.

* Turning to coming attractions, singer and pianist Diana Krall, who will perform at St. Louis' Fox Theatre next Wednesday, has a new "best of" CD coming out next month, and delivered a crowd-pleasing show this past weekend at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

* Trumpeter Chris Botti, who's touring with Krall, also has a new recording coming next month. Italia is Botti's salute to Italy and will be released as special CD/DVD package.

* Singer Tony Bennett, who will play the Fox in October, is plotting a jazz album with Stevie Wonder.

* Moving to coverage of stories StLJN has been following on an ongoing basis, as New Orleans still struggles to rebound almost two years after Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu seems to at least grasp the broad principle that promoting culture is good for the state and the City of New Orleans: "Culture drives tourism," he said. "Culture is in fact business, but unless it is treated like one, the business will not grow."

* Commenters at Doug Ramsey's blog Rifftides take up the issue of one of StLJN's pet peeves, the growing number of non-jazz musicians appearing at jazz festivals.

* Finally, though he had no connections to St. Louis that I know of, we must note the recent passing of legendary drummer Max Roach with respect and appreciation for his many accomplishments and contributions to jazz. Blogger and composer Darcy James Argue has the most comprehensive roundup of related links.

StLJN Saturday at the Movies: Lester Bowie's New York Organ Ensemble

This week's videos showcase the late trumpet great Lester Bowie, who grew up in St. Louis but is perhaps best known as a member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. In addition to his work with AECO, Bowie led many different bands of his own, served as a key point of contact between Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and St. Louis' Black Artists Group, and for a time was married to another St. Louis music legend, singer Fontella Bass.

These two clips are from a 1992 performance by Bowie and the New York Organ Ensemble, most likely their show at the Jazzaldia Festival in San Sebastien, Spain. The NYOE was built around around the B-3 playing of Amina Claudia Myers, and gave Bowie a chance to give voice to the influences of gospel, soul, funk and blues found in many of the St. Louis avant-garde musicians of his generation.

One certainly can hear echoes of the church and a bit of New Orleans in this piece, which, in addition to Bowie and Myers, features St. Louis native Kelvyn Bell on guitar; Julian Priester on trombone; a young and skinny looking James Carter on tenor sax; and, although he's not credited onscreen, I'm pretty sure that's Bowie's Art Ensemble bandmate Famoudou Don Moye on drums.

Bistro adds Davenport matinee

Jazz at the Bistro has added an additional performance by trumpeter and singer Jeremy Davenport (pictured) to its fall schedule.

Davenport was already set to return from New Orleans to play the Bistro on Friday, November 23 and Saturday, November 24, and now he'll also do a matinee performance at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 25 to benefit PanCAN, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

All proceeds from this matinee will go directly to PanCAN, a national patient advocacy organization for the pancreatic cancer community.

Single tickets for all of Davenport's sets as well the rest of Jazz at the Bistro's 2007-08 season are now on sale via Metrotix or the Jazz St. Louis Web site.

Jazz this week: Support your local jazz musicians

With a record-setting heat wave in St. Louis this week, just about anyone who can is hunkering down somewhere air-conditioned and/or moving about as little as humanly possible.

And though these dog days of mid-August find our town once again devoid of touring jazz musicians for the weekend, our stalwart locals will be performing as always for your edification and entertainment. Should you dare to brave the infernoesque temperatures and soupy humidity long enough to transport yourself to a local nightspot, there's a good chance you'll enjoy one or more of the following:

Tonight, Jeff Anderson's Positive Energy Quartet is playing at Brandt's.

On Friday, trombonist (and bassist) Wayne Coniglio teams up with multi-woodwind player and singer Elsie Parker (pictured), best known for her work with the French-accented musical group The Poor People of Paris, to perform at Cookie's Jazz and More.

Then on Saturday, the very fine pianist Ptah Williams brings his trio to Cookie's, while singer Anita Rosamond returns to Finale Music and Dining, this time with a show focused on 1960s and 1970s pop and soul.

And last, but certainly not least, singer Mae "Lady Jazz" Wheeler will be at Brandt's on Sunday for another of her late afternoon/early evening performances.

These are your jazzmen and jazzwomen, St. Louis (and you can find a few more local jazz-related events any time you like simply by visiting the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar).

These hard-working men and women are out there doing their best, even in this undeniably blistering weather, to bring some cool music to our collective ears - so get on out this weekend and show some support, OK? (Reliable sources tell me that not only are the aforementioned nightspots air-conditioned, they also serve cold beverages along with the music. So seriously, the heat is no excuse not to go. )

(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.)

More on Erin Bode's legal issues

It's been a week since Erin Bode issued an unusual appeal on her Web site and via email, asking fans to contribute money to help with an unspecified legal matter that could put "the future of the Erin Bode Group...in jeopardy." The singer has made no further public statements on the subject since then, but a few clues as to what's really going on have emerged in the last two days.

First, someone has edited the statements posted last week on Bode's Web site and MySpace page, taking the word "defense" out of the phrase "legal defense fund" and substituting the word "support". Why is this significant? We'll get to that in just a minute, but here's a hint: it has to do with the difference between being the defendant in a lawsuit and being the plaintiff.

Second, a online search yesterday of civil court records from St. Louis city and St. Louis County did not turn up any lawsuits involving Bode, the Erin Bode Group, her husband and bass player Syd Rodway or her record label MAXJAZZ. While not particularly significant in and of itself, this does indicate that whatever legal action Bode was referencing has not yet resulted in the official filing of documents in the two most likely jurisdictions for a lawsuit.

Which leads us to the juicier clues, courtesy of a couple of sources who must remain unnamed. I usually am quite rigorous about explicitly revealing the sourcing for everything that appears in StLJN, and have rarely, if ever, used unnamed sources. However, these are not just some random people who happened to call or email me with a "hot tip." They are two individuals I've known for some time; who are in positions to know something about this situation; who have proved honest and credible in the past; and who, as far as I know, have no axes to grind with regard to Erin Bode. They are "anonymous" only in the sense that what they told me for this story was revealed under the condition that their identities remain secret.

I mention this now so that you, the reader, can understand how this information was obtained and, thus informed, make your own judgment as to whether or not it seems credible, plausible and/or believable.

The first unnamed source said that, as posited in the previous post on this subject, the legal matter Bode refers to in her recent statement is indeed a contract dispute.

More specifically, "she's trying to get out of her MAXJAZZ contract, which has 4 CDs to go, and is basically on the verge of suing MAXJAZZ unless a settlement can be reached." The source also believes that Bode "thinks she needs to be on a different label, one that is not so closely identified with "jazz,"" and added that "she has a pretty awful contract and I guess it's gone too far for renegotiation possibilities."

The second unnamed source told me that when the subject of MAXJAZZ came up during a recent conversation about an unrelated matter, Bode said that she was "no longer with" the label and then quickly changed the subject. Now obviously, Bode wouldn't have to raise money for lawyers tif she truly were "no longer with" them, in the sense of having completed or been released from her contract. So this second anecdote seems more an indication of a certain attitude than a statement to be taken literally.

All of which brings us back to that first clue, the substitution of the word "support" for the word "defense". Considered along with the other new information, one reasonably can conclude that Bode anticipates becoming a plaintiff, not a defendant, in a potential legal action.

Still, many questions remain unanswered. For starters, why would fulfilling Bode's contract, disadvantageous though it may be, necessarily put the future of the Erin Bode Group in jeopardy? Bode's albums are credited to her, not the Erin Bode Group, and, as far as I know, she was signed as a solo artist.

Could the specific reference to the Group in her fund-raising appeal indicate some sort of dissention in the ranks, such as band members threatening to bolt if they don't get more money, a greater share of the credit, or some other type of improved deal that is, in turn, being prevented by the specifics of Bode's contract with MAXJAZZ? The recent revision of Bode's original public statement certainly indicates some degree of care and calculation in its exact wording, so this phraseology could be significant.

In any event, a six-record contract (in this example, encompassing two CDs already released and four yet to come) does seem a bit long by the standards of today's music business. And there are many points of potential disagreement in any contract, from advances to royalty rates to artistic control to marketing support and beyond - so many that, without actually reading it, it's impossible to know whether a contract is a "good" or "bad" deal for the artist. Suffice it to say that there's no way to know what Erin Bode's specific beefs with her MAXJAZZ contract might be, unless and until she chooses to tell the world.

Clearly, there's much more to this story than what has become public so far. StLJN will have more information as it becomes available.

New label Freedonia Music offers adventurous sounds

Saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Jay Zelenka has been around the St. Louis music scene for quite a while - long enough to have performed with Luther Thomas and the Human Arts Ensemble back in the 1970s. Over the ensuing three decades, Zelenka has maintained a comparatively low profile, resurfacing occasionally (often in the company of pianist Greg Mills) for a concert or two or a new recording.

Now Zelenka has a way to keep his music before the public on a more consistent basis with the launch of Freedonia Music, described as "a web based outlet for CDs of new music produced by myself and various friends."

Specializing in "free jazz/free improv & creative composition," Freedonia Music has five CDs in its initial offering, including titles credited to Squid Choir Orkestra, Free Jazz Posse, Exiles, Stone/Zelenka/Mills, and Greg Mills solo. You can download sample tracks in .MP3 format by visiting Freedonia's downloads page.

Zelenka says he has "numerous projects in the works for future release," including historic performances and new recordings by Human Arts Ensemble, Exiles and Free Jazz Posse; solo projects by keyboardist Greg Mills and multi-reed player Dave Stone; and some spoken word recordings featuring poet Michael Castro with reed player J.D. Parran, with keyboardist Joe Catalano, and with The Human Arts Ensemble.

Crossings Taverne and Grille is closing

Crossings Taverne and Grille, the Webster Groves restaurant and bar that has featured live jazz music several nights a week for the last few years, is closing. An item in Sauce magazine - scroll down to the entries for August 3 - says the establishment's landlords want to raise the rent when the current lease expires on August 20, and reports that Crossings' operators were disinclined to renew at the new rate.

In retrospect, the signs that Crossings was in trouble have been coming for several months. In late spring, they stopped sending out email updates on who would be performing there. Then, they stopped updating their Web site (which now comes up with an "account suspended" message from their hosting provider). In July, the club closed unexpectedly for a "vacation" without first notifying the bands scheduled to perform, with the result being that at least one musical act that had been booked didn't learn of the closing until they arrived at the club to set up for their gig.

The Sauce magazine item says Crossings' operators want to reopen at a new location. Meanwhile, the owners of the building shouldn't have much trouble attracting a new tenant to the site in the Old Webster business district, an area that, Crossings' failure notwithstanding, seems to have very few retail vacancies.

Will Crossings succeed in finding a new location? Will another restaurant/bar take Crossings' place? And will either one feature jazz music as part of a live entertainment policy? Nothing else to do but stay tuned...

Notes from the Net: Miles' On The Corner re-released; Oliver Lake reviewed, Marcus Baylor interviewed; and more

From near and far across the Internet comes this week's compilation of short news items, reviews and miscellania:

* The Complete On The Corner Sessions, a six-CD box set due out in September from Sony, will offer a expanded perspective on one of Miles Davis' most controversial and sonically challenging releases, and jazz critic Howard Mandel has a first reaction to the set over at his new blog, Jazz Beyond Jazz: "His all-star jam-band stills sounds prophetic after 35 years, and even unedited it's energies are razor sharp, infinitely more exciting than most of jazz (much less pop or new music composition) today."

* AllAboutJazz.com writer Ivana Ng has a review of Lake/Tchicai/Osgood/Westergaard, a recently issued session from 2003 recorded just after saxophonist Oliver Lake completed a brief tour of Denmark with tenor saxophonist John Tchicai, drummer Kresten Osgood and bassist Jonas Westergaard.

* Drummer Marcus Baylor (pictured) was featured in the local paper, the Daily Tribune, when the Yellowjackets played a show in Southfield, MI.

* Multi-reed player and St. Louis area native Marty Ehrlich will duet with pianist Myra Melford as part of the fall schedule at Firehouse 12, an adventurous music venue in New Haven CT.

* A blog called Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches has a review of Benjamin Looker's book Point from Which Creation Begins': The Black Artists' Group of St. Louis.

* Saxophonist and jazz enthusiast John Hess, who once owned Shattinger Music here in St. Louis, passed away at age 86 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he had lived since 1980.

* Singer/pianist Freddie Cole, who's played St. Louis' Jazz at the Bistro and Sheldon Concert Hall in recent years, was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame as part of the Hall's class of 2007.

* Acoustic Alchemy guitarist Greg Carmichael, in St. Louis the week before last to play Finale Music and Dining, summed up the band's career for the local paper before a performance in Harrisburg, PA.

* They're lining up to buy tickets to hear Tony Bennett open the new Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, CA late next month. Bennett will perform at St. Louis' Fox Theatre in October.

* And finally, regular readers know I've had my gripes about the programming at the St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, and so it seems only fair to note that at least St. Louis does have actual jazz musicians playing at its jazz festival, unlike Baltimore. "All what jazz? Not at this fest" reads the headline in the Baltimore Sun for an article about the Paetec Jazz Festival, which includes headliners like Little Richard, B.B. King and AL Green, but "offers little of its namesake musical form". Said Andy Bienstock, a jazz radio DJ in Charm City, "I wish I knew why the word jazz has a larger folllowing than the music jazz." Indeed.

Interviews with Bird, Bode on this week's Jazz Unlimited

Dennis Owsley, host of KWMU's Jazz Unlimited program on Sunday nights, doesn't just play CDs by jazz musicians, photograph those musicians, and write about them; sometimes he talks to them, too. This Sunday, Owsley's got a couple of interviews - one old and one new - scheduled to occupy a sizeable portion of his program, which airs from 9 p.m. to midnight.

The first hour will feature a vintage conversation between alto saxophonists Charlie "Bird" Parker and Paul Desmond, originally recorded in 1954 for a Boston radio station. "With the music, the interview is 25 minutes long (14 minutes of talking)," says Owsley via email. "(Parker) talks about his practice regimen as a young man, Edgar Varese, Dizzy and a whole lot of other stuff." The segment will also include music from two of the most famous live performances in the annals of bop - the 1945 Town Hall concert and the 1953 Massey Hall concert - and from an AFRS radio broadcast from 1945 featuring Parker as a member of Billy Berg's band.

The program's second hour will be given over to an extended interview between Owsley and singer Erin Bode, who discusses her work, influences and career so far, but does not address her recent appeal for money for a legal defense fund. (The interview was recorded before Bode's announcement of her as-yet-unspecified legal woes.) "The interviews are done "live on tape" in that we start a stopwatch and go for an hour, so there is no editing of any kind, except to take out silences to make it fit the hour exactly," explains Owsley. "I don't do these interviews to promote anything, I want the audience to get to know what makes the artist tick."

You can hear Jazz Unlimited by tuning into KWMU 90.7 FM, or via online stream here.

Mel Bay Records readies new release from guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg

Mel Bay Records, the St. Louis-based label that specializes in recordings of jazz guitarists, will be adding another title to their fast-growing catalog with The South of Everywhere, a new CD from guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg (pictured) set for release on Tuesday, September 18.

The disc is Kreisberg's second for the label, and features Matt Penman on bass, Mark Ferber on drums, Gary Versace on piano, and Will Vinson on alto sax.

StLJN Saturday at the Movies: Getting acquainted withEsperanza Spalding and Sara Gazarek

Since touring jazz acts are in relatively short supply here in St. Louis during the dog days of August (and I can't run Diana Krall and/or Chris Botti videos all month), let's expand the time horizon of our recurring sneak-peek-of-coming-attractions theme just a bit and get acquainted with two up-and-coming young jazz artists who will be performing in St. Louis as part of the 2007-08 season at Jazz at the Bistro.

First up is bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding, who comes to town to perform at the Bistro on October 26 and 27. While she's here, Spalding is also scheduled to work with student musicians taking part in Jazz St. Louis' JazzU workshops, which seems fitting since the young phenom, born in 1984, is a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music herself. In this clip from May 2007, Spalding is seen performing with her trio at the Artsplosure Festival in Raleigh, NC.

Today's second video features singer Sara Gazarek, who's performed in St. Louis once before (at Finale a couple of years ago) but will be making her Bistro debut in the 2008 Valentine's Day slot, February 13 through 16. In this clip, Gazarek sings a medley of the Beatles' "Blackbird" and the standard "Bye Bye Blackbird". It was recorded in February 2007 at the Vic in Santa Monica, CA, and also shows off Gazarek's working band, comprised of Josh Nelson (piano), Erik Kertes (bass) and Matt Slocum (drums).

Erin Bode seeking funds for "legal defense"

Fans of singer Erin Bode who subscribe to her email list got a rather cryptic message this week along with Bode's gig schedule for August:

"I am sad to tell you that the future of the Erin Bode Group is in jeopardy. We have added to our website a link for contributions to our legal defense fund. As soon as I am allowed to give you more details, I will. Until then, if you care to help today you can go to the link and donate. Any amount will be greatly appreciated."

A similar message is posted on the home page of Bode's Web site, along with a PayPal link to a page labeled "Erin Bode Legal Support Fund". And another similar, but slightly different, message appears on her MySpace page, notable because it includes an additional sentence stating, "I know that a lot of musicians find themselves in this very situation but it doesn't make it any easier."

So what's going on here? I tried to reach Bode by phone, but the number I used when I interviewed her last year for the Riverfront Times apparently is no good anymore, and there's no listed number in her name or the name of her husband and bass player Syd Rodway. I also was unable to reach anyone at MAXJAZZ, the St. Louis-based independent record label that has released two CDs of Bode's music. While I plan to pursue the story further, without any further public statements by Bode or her label, it seems unlikely that there will be any more information forthcoming until the start of the new work week on Monday, at the earliest.

So, what's left is trying to parse the meaning of her public statement. First off, though I'm not a lawyer, it seems to me that the wording suggests that it refers to to a civil matter, as opposed to a criminal case of some sort. (Besides, wouldn't a criminal bust of Bode or one of her band members have made the news, at least locally here in St. Louis?)

This in turn raises the question: What sort of civil matter could threaten the future of a musical group? Lawsuits resulting from disagreements among band members, or between bands and their management firms or record labels are certainly not unusual in the music business. In some cases, musicians have found themselves losing the rights to a band name or to their back catalog of recordings. Either one of those outcomes certainly could threaten a band's future.

Since, as best as I can tell, the personnel of the Erin Bode group remains unchanged, and Bode is still married to Rodway, an intramural dispute among band members seems unlikely.

Other possibilities could theoretically include anything from some sort of liability issue (for example, if a fan were to be injured while attending a concert) to a plagiarism suit contesting the authorship of a particular song or songs. However, it seems to me that these kinds of legal actions, while costly to fight in court or to settle, wouldn't necessarily shut down a band's career. Moreover, the plaintiffs in such cases often tend to seek public attention, to boost their standing in the so-called court of public opinion.

So, by process of elimination, the scant information available so far suggests that it could be a good old-fashioned contract dispute. But absent further details from Bode, this is all speculation and conjecture. StLJN will continue to pursue the story, and if more information becomes available, or if Bode releases another public statement, we'll have it for you right here.

Jazz this week: Improvised film scores, Todd Mosby, "Decades of Divas" and more

It's a weekend without any well-known touring jazz headliners in St. Louis - a comparatively rare occurance these days - but fortunately the locals are stepping up to fill the gap with a number of creative endeavors for your listening pleasure.

On Thursday, guitarist Todd Mosby will lead his group in a free outdoor concert of Indian-influenced jazz, held outside Holmes Lounge on the Washington University quadrangle and sponsored by the Jazz at Holmes series. (For those who need help finding the concert site, here's a .pdf map of campus.)

Also on Thursday, the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center will screen two movies by German director F. W. Murnau with live, improvised musical accompaniment. A trio of local musicians - cellist/electronic musician Mark Sarich, Charles Turner on electronics and Andrew Hefner on bass - will create a spontaneous soundtrack to accompany the 1922 horror classic Nosferatu, while touring group My Education will perform a live score for the film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.

On Friday, BAG II is presenting another free program in the Rosebud Cafe at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site. They're calling this one "an evening of diverse creative voices," and it features BAG mainstay Zimbabwe Nkenya on mbira along with poets Marsha Cann, Michael Castro and Blue-Mashibini.

On Sunday, the Touhill Performing Arts Center will serve as the venue for "Decades of Divas," a musical program hosted by radio personality, journalist, author and all-around good guy Bernie Hayes and featuring singers Jeanne Trevor (pictured), Kim Massie, Anita Rosamond and Monya Fisher. The press release promises an "entertaining, enlightening journey through the music of legendary divas Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Barbara Streisand, Nancy Wilson, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Carole King and Gladys Knight, and more," and with that lineup of vocal talent, I'm inclined to think it should be an entertaining show for those who enjoy this sort of thing.

Also on Sunday, LNAC presents an eclectic bill topped by the NYC group Hi Red Center, described as "music school graduates" employing guitar, bass, drum set and xylophone to produce "complicated rhythms, angular melodies and strange references to prog rock and Bartok (that) limp from a context which merges Stravinsky, Zappa and punk rock." Also on the bill: a solo electronics and synthesizer performance by Jim Hegarty; “.e” (pronounced "Dottie"), a solo performer who works with programmable drummers, guitar and voice; and teenage "math rock" duo Muscle Brain.

Some other noteworthy shows this weekend include Thursday night performances by singer Erin Bode at Cookie's and Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum at Brandt's, and on Friday, smooth jazz saxophonist Tim Cunningham at Finale and the Tom Kennedy Trio at Brandt's. And of course, there are also a number of ongoing steady gigs, such as the Dave Stone Trio at Mangia Italiano on Fridays and Willie Akins at Spruill's on Saturdays, that provide reliably enjoyable listening.

For a more complete listing of local jazz-related events, 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.)

Sheldon offering online presale of single tickets for 2007-08

A while back, StLJN noted that single tickets for all the series in the Sheldon Concert Hall's 2007-08 season would go on sale this Saturday, August 11. However, the Sheldon also is offering an online presale of single tickets for the upcoming year beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 9.

To purchase tickets during the presale, go to metrotix.com/promotions and enter the promotion code SHE07.

Jazz St. Louis announces student workshop series

Jazz St. Louis has announced a series of free weekly educational workshops for middle school and high school student musicians in the St. Louis metro area. The program, called "JazzU," will begin Monday, September 24 and continue on subsequent Mondays and Tuesdays at the Centene Center for Arts and Education, 3547 Olive in the Grand Center district.

The program will be overseen by local jazz educators including trumpeter Anthony Wiggins and pianist Phil Dunlap, who serves as Jazz St. Louis' Director of Education. Activities will include instruction in ensemble performance, jazz language, improvisation, music theory concepts and listening strategies. Students will also make field trips to performances at Jazz at the Bistro, and work with visiting educators and musicians such as Ronald Carter and Reginald Thomas as well as Jazz St. Louis resident artists such as the Terell Stafford Quintet, the Cyrus Chestnut Trio, and the Esperanza Spalding Trio.

Students interested in participating must submit an application along with a letter of recommendation from their music teacher or band director. Applications are due by Monday, September 10, and students will be notified of their acceptance by Monday, September 17.

You can find application forms and more information on the Jazz St. Louis Web site, or you can contact Dunlap by calling 314-289-4033 or via email at phil @ jazzstl.org.

Notes from the Net: Blanton remembered, Waverly Seven featured, New Orleans musicians recovering, and more

For your Monday reading pleasure, it's StLJN's weekly compendium of brief items of interest from around the Web:

* Bassist Jimmy Blanton (pictured), who lived and worked in St. Louis for a couple of years just before he joined Duke Ellington's orchestra, was remembered on the anniversary of his death in a brief article at AllAboutJazz.com.

* Performers at the fifth annual Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT) will include Jeremy Pelt, who has recorded for the St. Louis label MAXJAZZ and played Jazz at the Bistro last season.

* Speaking of the Bistro, the new band Waverly Seven will play there from November 28 - December 1, and the NYC news station NY1 has a feature story about them and their first CD, an appreciation of the music of Bobby Darin.

* Pianist Jason Moran, who's playing the Bistro next year from January 30 through February 2, will be among the many participants in the "Following Monk" festival to be held this fall at Duke University.

* Guitarist John Scofield, a frequent visitor to St. Louis in recent years, has a new CD, This Meets That, on a new label, EmArcy.

* Last but certainly not least, an article from the New York Times examines how working musicians in New Orleans are trying to rebuild their lives and careers. Meanwhile, the Musicians Village project, built by Habitat for Humanity and championed by Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr., is getting its first residents.

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

Are the heat and humidity of the St. Louis summer getting you down? Beat those dog days of August - or at least distract yourself for a few minutes - with some cool music videos from StLJN's sibling site, Heliocentric Worlds.

Over the past couple of weeks, the site has featured the sounds and sights of David Murray, John Abercrombie, The O'Jays, Sun Ra, Elvis Presley, Heatwave, Bass Desires, Graham Central Station, The Fugs, The Crusaders, Red Holloway, John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy, Stevie Wonder, Jackie McLean, Koko Taylor with Little Walter, David "Fathead" Newman, and Deodato.

There's a new video posted every day, encompassing genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, classic rock, prog rock, experimental and more. To see it all, click here.

StLJN Saturday at the Movies: Giving the drummers some...

This weekend's videos spotlight two of the top drummers in jazz, both of whom will be performing in St. Louis as part of Jazz at the Bistro's 2007-08 season.

First up is Roy Haynes, still kicking hard after more than 60 years in the music business and still inspiring players who are young enough to be his grandkids. This clip is from 2005, and shows Haynes and his working quartet of the time playing a tune called "Summer Night". Haynes and his current band will be in the Gateway City for a four-night run at the Bistro September 19-22.

Down below, we've got St. Louis' own Dave Weckl in a clip recorded earlier this year from the audience at the Keitele jazz festival in Finland. He's performing in a trio with guitarist Mike Stern and bassist Anthony Jackson, and this excerpt starts mid-tune to capture Weckl's solo. Stern and Weckl will revisit the trio format (with another St. Louisan, Tom Kennedy, in for Jackson) for their gig at the Bistro next March 12-15.

Jazz this week: Acoustic Alchemy, Jazz at Holmes summer series, Tommy Money Orchestra, and more

Compared to some past years, it's been a relatively busy summer so far for jazz in St. Louis, but the activity level will be dropping a bit in the month of August, as it's the height of vacation season, and most of the not-for-profit presenters, concert series, university affiliated programs, and so on won't resume until the beginning of September.

Still, the cupboard is not entirely bare this weekend - for starters, the British smooth jazz group Acoustic Alchemy (pictured) will be in town tonight to do two sets at Finale Music and Dining, providing fans with the opportunity to see them up close in an intimate club setting.

Also tonight, Washington University's Jazz at Holmes summer series of free concerts continues with pianist Ptah Williams and singer Tony Viviano teaming up for a program focused on the music of Tony Bennett. At first consideration, this seems like an odd pairing - Williams is a hard-driving pianist with a distinctly modern, post-bop style, while Viviano is a genial crooner specializing in classic pop and tunes from the Great American Songbook. Then again, sometimes musicians with contrasting styles can draw each other into new places, and I certainly wouldn't put it past these two to find an interesting middle ground.

On Saturday, trumpeter Tommy Money will squeeze his big band onto the stage at Cookie's Jazz and More, which is reopening this weekend after a brief mid-summer vacation.

Other noteworthy gigs over the next several days include a troika of singers: Jeanne Trevor at Brandt's on Thursday; Debby Lennon doing a Cole Porter tribute at Finale on Saturday; and Mae "Lady Jazz" Wheeler in an early evening show at Brandt's on Sunday.

Also on Sunday, radio host, jazz historian, author and occasional StLJN co-conspirator Dennis Owsley continues his "Jazz Decades" series of broadcasts with a program featuring three house of music recorded in the years 1965-1969 by artists such as Albert Ayler, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, John Handy, Charles Lloyd and Anthony Braxton. To hear it, tune in to KWMU 90.7 FM from 9 p.m. to midnight, or catch the online stream at KWMU's Web site.

For a more extensive listing of local jazz performances, please consult 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.)