Jazz St. Louis announces 2008-09 season schedule for Jazz at the Bistro

Featured performers in the 2008-09 season at Jazz at the Bistro will include (clockwise from from top left) Robert Glasper, Bernard Purdie, Charlie Hunter and Sean Jones.

Jazz St. Louis has announced the 2008-09 season schedule for Jazz at the Bistro, and it looks like another solid year of programming from St. Louis' busiest jazz presenters.

While the schedule contains a number of musicians who previously have been featured in the series - some of whom will be presented this year in new contexts and/or combinations - there also are several players and groups making their debuts at the Bistro, including pianist Robert Glasper, trumpeter Sean Jones, and the Metta Quintet, which features saxophonist Marcus Strickland and pianist Helen Sung.

Some of the other season highlights will include veteran pianist Cedar Walton; guitarist Charlie Hunter; the Godfathers of Groove, with organist Rueben Wilson and master funk drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie; trumpeter Terence Blanchard; and a celebration of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records, which will be presented at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Listeners can also look forward to a show paying tribute to singer Eddie Jefferson, featuring singers Carla Cook and Allan Harris and pianist Eric Reed, and perhaps most intriguing of all, Greg Osby's "St Louis Shoes," a sort of multi-generational saxophone summit based on Osby's album of the same name that will feature the alto saxophonist and St. Louis native with one of his hometown mentors, Willie Akins, plus a student saxophonist from the area who will be selected through an audition process.

As for the more familar faces, saxophonist Javon Jackson will be back with a band featuring the estimable keyboardist Les McCann; organist Dr. Lonnie Smith will do four nights with guitarist Russell Malone and drummer Herlin Riley; and fusion band the Yellowjackets will return once again next spring, with guitarist Mike Stern on board as a special added attraction. We'll also hear more from singer Sara Gazarek, piano trio The Bad Plus, guitarist Frank Vignola, and singer-pianist Tony DeSare, all of whom were part of the Bistro's 2007-08 season.

In addition, the Bistro will continue a couple of holiday traditions, with trumpeter and St. Louis native Jeremy Davenport returning from New Orleans for Thanksgiving week, and singer Mardra Thomas and her husband, pianist Reggie Thomas, once again spreading the love for Valentine's Day weekend. Other local and regional acts on the schedule include the Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project, singer Brian Owens, trombonist Brett Stamps, saxophonist Jason Swagler, and trumpeter Jim Manley, along with return dates for Good 4 The Soul and a separate featured weekend for the group's guitarist Shaun Robinson.

Here's the lineup in chronological order:

September 5-6: Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project
September 10-13: Tony DeSare
September 19-20: Brian Owens
September 24-27: Cedar Walton Trio

October 3-4: Brett Stamps
October 8-11: Godfathers of Groove with Reuben Wilson, Bernard Purdie and Grant Green, Jr.
October 17 - 18: Jason Swagler Group
October 22-25: Javon Jackson/Les McCann
October 31 – November 1: Metta Quintet

November 5-8: Miguel Zenón
November 14-15: Shaun Robinson Group
November 19-22: Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band
November 28-29: Jeremy Davenport

December 3-6: Nnenna Freelon
December 12-13: Jim Manley
December 17-21: Jacky Terrasson
December 26-27: Good 4 The Soul

2009

January 7-10: The Bad Plus
January 21-24: Charlie Hunter Trio

February 4-7: Terence Blanchard Quintet
February 13-14: Mardra and Reggie Thomas
February 18-21: Robert Glasper Trio
*February 22: Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Show featuring Nicholas Payton, Ravi Coltrane, Steve Wilson, Peter Bernstein, Bill Charlap, Peter Washington and Lewis Nash
February 27-28: Bruce Barth Quintet

March 4-7: Sara Gazarek
March 18-21: Dr. Lonnie Smith, Russell Malone and Herlin Riley

April 1-4: “The Genius of Eddie Jefferson” with Eric Reed, Carla Cook and Allan Harris
April 10-11: Greg Osby's “St. Louis Shoes” featuring Willie Akins
April 15-18: Sean Jones Quintet
April 29 – May 2: Yellowjackets featuring Mike Stern

May 13-16: Frank Vignola’s Rhythm Machine

*Presented at the Sheldon Concert Hall

I had a chance this week to chat about the season with Jazz St. Louis executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford and operations director Bob Bennett, and that conversation provided a few more details on what's in store:

* The organization's emphasis on educational programs will continue, with Greg Osby, the Metta Quintet and pianist Bruce Barth all doing week-long residencies during which they'll work with student musicians and perform concerts for school groups.

* JSL would like to present some more concerts in St. Charles, but the future of those shows depends on finding the funding for them. The organization also wants to continue collaborating with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (where Bradford worked before taking his job at JSL) but no specific programs are scheduled yet.

* The monthly concerts by the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra also may return at some point, with funding again the major issue. Big band concerts are expensive to present, and after a strong start, attendance at the SLJO's shows tapered off a bit as the year went on.

* As in the past, more local and regional artists will be scheduled for the open weeks in winter and spring of 2009, but that announcement probably won't be made until near the end of the year.

All in all, it looks like Bradford, Bennett and the rest of the JSL staff once again have done a good job of putting together a schedule that should appeal to a fairly wide cross-section of jazz fans. I'd still like to see the Bistro try a few more adventurous or even avant-garde acts - how about a weekend for Ken Vandermark, or perhaps one of Kahil El'Zabar's groups? - and perhaps not repeat quite so many musicians from previous seasons. However, artistic wishes are always tempered by economic realities, and no music series can be all things to all people. The Bistro continues to present a lot of musically substantive performers in a sympathetic setting, and for that, local listeners should be glad.

(Edited after posting to fix the arrangement of photos. Edited again to clean up a few sentences.)