StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Stanley Jordan

This week, our video spotlilght shines on guitarist Stanley Jordan, who will be in St. Louis to perform next Wednesday, November 4 through Saturday, November 7 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Jordan is known for his two-handed tapping technique, which he developed as a teenager in the 1970s and is used to produce simultaneous melody, chords and/or bass lines. He's played in St. Louis a number of times before, notably at Mississippi Nights and Finale Music and Dining, but this will be his debut at the Bistro.

These four clips show Jordan applying those impressive chops to a variety of material. Up above, you'll find his take on John Coltrane's "Cousin Mary," recorded in the early 1990s, as was the second video just below this text, a version of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby."

The other two clips are more recent, and a big rougher in terms of audio/video quality, but offer some interesting performances. The third clip was recorded in 2007 at the International Guitar Festival in Santo Tirso, Portugal, and shows Jordan improvising in sort of a Spanish guitar style. And in the fourth clip, dated 2008, Jordan plays around with what's identified as a theme from Mozart. (Can any of you astute StLJN readers identify the pieces in videos #3 and #4? If so, please share your info in the comments.)

For yr. humble editor, Jordan is a little bit like Art Tatum, or a fancy restaurant's elaborate, impossibly rich dessert that take many hours to prepare: The quality is undeniably high, and you can't help but admire the skill involved, but a small portion usually is enough to satisfy. Of course, your tastes may vary, and if you're one of those who can't get enough of Jordan, you've got eight sets to look forward to next week.

KFUO files application for license transfer

The Post-Dispatch's Sarah Bryan Miller reported today that the license assignment application to transfer ownership of KFUO (99.1 FM) from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to Gateway Creative Broadcasting (a.k.a. Joy FM) has been submitted to the FCC.

The proposed sale would put an end to St. Louis' only classical music radio station, also the current home of Don Wolff's long-running program "I Love Jazz," which airs on Friday nights. (For more background on the story, click the "KFUO" label at the bottom of this post to see all previous related posts.)

The 60 page application is supposed to be available at fcc.gov for viewing and commenting. However, it doesn't seem to be online yet, as a search for the application reference number 20091026AAX that was listed in Miller's story only turns up the commission's daily minutes acknowledging receipt of the form on Tuesday. (Presumably, it will be online soon, and if so, I'll update this post or make a new one, as seems appropriate. )

In the meantime, Miller has some analysis of the application in a follow-up post here; StLJN will have more on this story as it develops.

UPDATE - 1:00 a.m., 10/31/09 - A P-D reader has ferreted out the link to the application on the FCC Web site, and Miller has another follow-up post with specifics on the commenting procedure.

Stanley Jordan featured in latest Jazz St. Louis podcast

Hot on the metaphorical heels of their recent podcast featuring bassist Christian McBride, Jazz St. Louis is rolling out another installment in their ongoing series of audio interviews with jazz artists who are coming to St. Louis.

The newest podcast features a conversation between JSL's Gene Dobbs Bradford and guitarist Stanley Jordan, who will be in town next Wednesday, November 4 through Saturday, November 7 to perform at Jazz at the Bistro. You can download the podcast or listen to an audio stream here.

Jazz this week: Reggie Thomas and OGD, Lamar Harris and Tribal Funk, Kim Portnoy Trio, and more

Though ghosts, goblins and ghouls may reign supreme this Halloween weekend, it should still be possible for interested listeners to scare up some good jazz in St. Louis.

Tonight, singer Erin Bode and her group will help inaugurate a new "special events" room at Cyrano's in Webster Groves. There's no word yet if Cyrano's plans to make this new addition a regular venue for live music, but fans who in the past have packed in to see Bode perform in the main part of the restaurant no doubt will enjoy the extra elbow room.

On Friday and Saturday, keyboardist Reggie Thomas and his organ trio OGD will take the stage at Robbie's House of Jazz, augmented for the weekend by special guests Ronald Carter (pictured) on saxophone and Anthony Wiggins on trumpet. Thomas is one of the top keyboard talents in the area, and adding Carter and Wiggins to the mix will expand the band's sonic pallette considerably.

Also on Friday and Saturday, trombonist Lamar Harris and Tribal Funk will perform at Jazz at the Bistro. Harris' music blends jazz, funk, R&B and hip-hop, and though I haven't heard his newest project yet, given the name I'd expect an emphasis on beats and grooves.

On Sunday evening, pianist Kim Portnoy and his trio will team up with virtuoso harmonica player Sandy Weltman for a concert at 7:30 p.m. at Eliot Unitarian Chapel, 100 S. Taylor (at Argonne) in Kirkwood. Weltman's work on the chromatic harp is both technically impressive and emotionally expressive, and Portnoy is a thoughtful pianist and composer whose playing ranges from swinging to impressionistic. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door and can be purchased by calling 314- 662-2947.

As usually happens with the first of a new month coming up, some schedule information for November is still arriving at StLJN HQ. So, for updated information on more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check out the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar, or by clicking here. Also, you can now follow St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes and/or become a "fan" by signing up on the StLJN Facebook page.

(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.)

Memorial service for Leanne Butts to be held Thursday, October 29

A memorial service for bassist Leanne Butts will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, October 29 at St. Paul's Cemetery, 7600 S Rock Hill Rd. Butts died Wednesday, October 21 at age 49. Her obituary in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch did not list a cause of death.

Leanne Butts performed jazz around the St. Louis area with Lee Hyde, After Six, Terry Thompson, her own trio, and various others. She earned a master's of music degree from Webster University, and studied with Carolyn White and Henry Loew of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Eugene Levinson of the New York Philharmonic. Butts played classical music with the St. Louis Philharmonic starting at age 14, and also performed with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Webster University Orchestra, and Washington University Orchestra.

In addition to her career in music, Butts also held a master's degree in nursing from St. Louis University and worked as a registered nurse at St. Anthony's Hospital.

After the memorial service, a luncheon will be held for family and friends at Bethel Community Church, 210 Chestnut Ave. in Webster Groves. The family has requested that any memorial donations go to Bethel Community. Mourners also may share their condolences and memories at
www.baumannchapel.com

New Jazz St. Louis podcast features interview with Christian McBride

Jazz St. Louis has just posted a new installment in their ongoing series of podcasts. This latest edition features a conversation between bassist Christian McBride and Jazz St. Louis' Bob Bennett.

McBride is bringing his new band Inside Straight (with St. Louisan Peter Martin on piano) to town from Wednesday, November 18 through Saturday, November 21 to perform at Jazz at the Bistro. You can listen to a stream of the podcast or download a copy here.

Class will study "The Great Jazz Soloists" beginning Thursday, November 5

Author, photographer and radio host Dennis Owsley will teach another series of jazz history classes beginning at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, November 5 at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd.

Owsley's topic this time is "The Great Jazz Soloists," and the course will cover the work of jazz greats including Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Art Tatum, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Keith Jarrett, Joe Lovano and more.

As with the course on St. Louis jazz history that Owsley taught earlier this year, classes will include selections from his extensive collection of recordings, amassed over a lifetime of jazz fandom and more than 25 years hosting jazz programs on KWMU (90.7 FM).

Owsley's current program Jazz Unlimited is broadcast from 9:00 p.m. to midnight Sundays, and his book City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis 1895 – 1973 is considered the definitive text on its subject.

After the first class on November 5, subsequent classes will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. the next two Thursdays, November 12 and 19. Tuition for the course is $35 for Ethical Society members and $40 for non-members. For more information or to register, call 314-991-0955 or check the adult education schedule (.pdf file) on the Ethical Society Web site.

SIUE chancellor Vandegrift says WSIE will keep jazz format

In a story published today by the Belleville News-Democrat, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift is quoted as saying that radio station WSIE (88.7 FM) will retain its jazz format.

The fate of the university owned station has been in question for months, as a committee appointed by Vandegrift studied station operations and debated whether to preserve WSIE's status as the only jazz radio station in the St. Louis area, or to go in another direction. The story by BN-D reporter Elizabeth Donald says that the announcement, made by Vandegrift on Wednesday in his annual address, was "greeted with applause in the crowded hall."

While the chancellor's statement certainly seems like welcome news for area jazz fans, there are many details yet to be resolved, starting with exactly what sort of programming will be featured on the "new" WSIE.

For many years, the station featured a mix of syndicated jazz programs and local shows hosted by hometown DJs such as Ross Gentile and E.B. Stevenson. Earlier this year, Gentile, Stevenson and the rest of the local on-air staff were let go, supposedly for budgetary reasons. Since then, the station has featured all syndicated programming, with virtually no live, local material except for twice-hourly newscasts.

The decision to sack the local DJs, combined with general uncertainty over the station's future, has created some ill will with local jazz fans, as demonstrated by the tone of many of the messages on the "Save 88.7 The Jazz Station" Facebook group. And what the university seems to have in mind for WSIE may not placate its most vociferous critics.

Under the new plan, outlined for the BN-D by SIUE director of marketing Elizabeth Keserauskis, WSIE will now be part of the marketing department instead of mass communications, and "will be used as a marketing tool for the university." SIUE's jazz program, which consists of 35 students, four full-time and four adjunct faculty members, will be featured on the "new" WSIE, but there also will be "regular features spotlighting other programs on campus," the story said. "Keserauskis said her vision of WSIE's new direction will include spotlighting SIUE programs, increased broadcasting of SIUE's athletic programs -- garnering more interest now that the university is in Division I -- coaches' shows and 'other things that are not unusual in a Division I school'."

Given that WSIE has been starved for resources in recent years, more attention (and funding) from university authorities could be a good thing. But if the station becomes nothing but a 24-hour promotional vehicle, it could alienate what remains of its once-loyal audience. Time will tell - but for now, you can read the whole story from the BN-D here, and, if you like, use the comments section below to express your opinions and thoughts about what ought to happen next with WSIE.

(Edited after posting to correct a misspelled name.)

Lloyd Bartlett, jazz pianist and former St. Louisan, dead at age 85

According to an article published today by the Arizona Daily Star, jazz pianist and former St. Louisan Lloyd Bartlett (pictured) has died of natural causes at age 85.

Bartlett moved from St. Louis to Tuscon, Arizona "about a dozen years ago," the article said, and had continued to perform solo and with local groups including the Big Band Express until just a few days before his death.

Lloyd Bartlett began his career as a professional musician in St. Louis at age 17. Over the years, he played all the typical gigs of a working local musician - weddings, parties, corporate events, lounges, restaurants, and so on - but also backed many touring headliners on their visits to St. Louis, including Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Liberace, Debbie Reynolds, Ann-Margret, Henny Youngman, Johnny Carson and Red Buttons. Bartlett also played with bands fronted by Tex Beneke, Tommy Dorsey, Bob Crosby and Lester Lanin, and spent eight years at performing at singer/actress Martha Raye's club in Miami.

The father of three also taught piano to several generations of St. Louis music students, including, for a couple of years in the 1970s, yr. humble StLJN editor (who, though far from an exemplary student, remains grateful to this day for Bartlett's extensive knowledge and general affability.)

A memorial service for Lloyd Bartlett will be held at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, October 27 at the St. Thomas Chapel, 5150 N. Valley View Road in Tuscon. For more about his life and work, read the complete article.

Photo of Lloyd Bartlett from www.bigbandexpress.net.

Notes from the Net: Lester Bowie reissued; Jimmy Cobb's So What band reviewed; plus news, reviews, interviews, and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest.

Starting off, as we usually do, with a couple of items about Miles Davis, it seems that Kind of Blue drummer Jimmy Cobb's So What band played last week at the Gem Theater in Kansas City, and the show was reviewed for the Kansas City Star by Bill "Plastic Sax" Brownlee here, for Pitch Weekly by Jason Harper here, and by local music blogger Joel Francis here.

In other Davis-related news, Monster, the company that makes premium-priced audio cables and similar products, is coming out with Miles Davis special edition headphones. The 'phones, which feature a silhouetted image of the trumpeter, have a "pre-sale price" of $399 (!) and go on sale in November.

* Turning to news of other St. Louis natives and former denizens, the late trumpeter Lester Bowie's first recordings as a leader, made in 1967 for the Nessa label, have been reissued on a two-CD set. All The Numbers: Complete Numbers 1 & 2 Sessions features Bowie, saxophonists Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman, and bassist Malachi Favors in the first documentation of what would soon become the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and includes everything from the original LP plus much previously unreleased material and outtakes.

* Baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett performed with percussionist Kahil El’Zabar last weekend at Sista’s Place in Brooklyn, NY.

* Meanwhile, multi-instrumentalist Marty Ehrlich's Rites Quartet with James Zollar on trumpet, Erik Friedlander on cello and Pheeroan akLaff on drums, just played a concert at NYC's Miller Theater.

* And way out West, we learn via LeRoy "The JazzCat" Downs that saxophonist Eric Person and Meta Four West just performed this past weekend at Santa Monica College.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn will be featured in January by the jazz series at the South Orange Performing Arts Center in New Jersey. Sanborn just wrapped a four-night stand at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in San Francisco.

* Saxophonist Greg Osby (pictured) will lead a group of Berklee College of Music students on Monday for a gig in NYC at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola as part of the Lincoln Center Upstarts! program, where up-and-comers and veteran musicians jam together on one bandstand. Osby also is blogging now for the Web site Indaba Music, and his recent entry on the sartorial choices and mistakes of jazz musicians has attracted some attention and sparked some conversations among musicians and fans.

* Here's a review of saxophonist John Zorn's new Masada CD, which feature tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano.

* Electronic/experimental/noise composer and former St. Louisan Andy Ortmann is now doing a podcast called "The Eternal Now" for NYC's eclectic public radio station WFMU. Get more info, subscribe to the podcast feed, or listen online here.

* Opening up the "recent visitors" file, tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and his band will perform a special benefit concert for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater in December at the Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, NY. Rollins played here last month at the Touhill Performing Arts Center under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis.

* New photos from DowntownMusic.net include shots of a recent concert by Larry Ochs Sax & Drumming Core at NYC's Roulette. The pics were taken just four days after their St. Louis performance, presented by New Music Circle at the Sheldon Concert Hall. And here's a review of Och's show, written for AllAboutJazz.com by Martin Longley and bundled with three other live reviews, including one of a Kenny Garrett set two weeks ago at NYC's Iridium. Garrett was in St. Louis this weekend to play at Jazz at the Bistro.

*Singer DeeDee Bridgewater, who also was here earlier this month at the Sheldon Concert Hall, is in Shanghai, China to perform with an international big band

* Catching up with the "coming attractions" file: From the Huffington Post, here's an interview with Nellie McKay about her new CD, which is a tribute to singer and actress Doris Day. McKay will be St. Louis on November 18 and 19 to perform for Cabaret St. Louis at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

* Here's a review by the New York Times' Stephen Holden of the new duet show featuring singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli and his wife, singer Jessica Molaskey, at the Carlyle in NYC. Pizzarelli will be back in St. Louis in April to play at the Bistro.

* Also from the NYT, here's a feature story about bassist John Patitucci, who will follow Pizzarelli at the Bistro next spring.

*Singer Kurt Elling and pianist Bill Charlap were among the musicians featured on the recent 30th anniversary celebration of NPR's "Piano Jazz" program, hosted by Marian McPartland. Elling will be in St. Louis the first week in December to perform at Jazz at the Bistro, while Charlap comes to town the following week for four nights at the Kranzberg backing singer Sandy Stewart (who's also his mom).

* Our fave avant-jazz blog Destination: Out just featured a guest post from pianist Vijay Iyer with two tracks from his new CD. Iyer also recently performed live on the radio program "Studio Session," broadcast by WBGO radio in Newark NJ and available online here. And here's a review of Iyer's latest CD from Music and More's Tim Niland. Iyer will be here in January to play at the Bistro.

* In an interesting little review/essay, Popmatters' Will Layman muses about virtuosity in jazz as it applies to saxophonists Chris Potter and James Carter. Carter returns to St. Louis in May, bringing his organ trio to Jazz at the Bistro.

* Singer/pianist John Proulx, who has a new CD on the St. Louis-based MAXJAZZ label, just kicked off a new "After Hours" series at Feinstein's at Loews Regeny is NYC. performance Sunday, October 18 at 10:00PM. Meanwhile, another MAXJAZZ artist, singer and pianist Dena DeRose, was among the performers at the just-concluded Seasons Festival in Seattle.

*And finally, last week's "Hearing Voices" program on NPR featured excerpts from “The Bushy Wushy Rag,” a new composition by Phillip Kent Bimstein that combines sounds from a St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball game, motifs from Scott Joplin’s "Maple Leaf Rag," and the distinctive calls of veteran Busch Stadium beer vendor Robert Logan, a.k.a. "Bushy Wushy the Beer Man." Bimstein's piece was performed by the Equinox Chamber Players, who premiered the work here in St. Louis. Although "Hearing Voices" isn't broadcast over the air here - it runs on KWMU-2, a digital subchannel of the local NPR affiliate - you can hear the broadcast with "The Bushy Wushy Rag" online at the program's Web site.

(Updated on 10/26/09 to correct the price of the Miles Davis headphones.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Three views of Nicholas Payton

This week, we've got three video clips featuring trumpeter Nicholas Payton, who will be in St. Louis on Saturday, November 7 to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall. A New Orleans native, Payton covers a lot of musical bases, from funk to bop to the traditional styles of his hometown. He's been to St. Louis before, most recently in February of this year, when he played the Sheldon as part of the Blue Note 7, and also has played at Jazz at the Bistro a couple of times in recent years.

For those who may just be getting to know Payton, these three clips show trumpeter in three different musical contexts. The first was recorded in November 2008 at Widder Bar in Zürich, Switzerland, and features Payton's quartet performing "Nida," a song from his CD Into The Blue. He's joined by bassist Vicente Archer, percussionist Daniel Sadownick, and drummer Marcus Gilmore, who spurs on Payton, puts some real stank on the funk groove, and gets a little second-line feel in there in places, too.

Down below is a clip recorded in September, 2007 at Piety Street Studios in New Orleans during the sessions for Into The Blue. The song is "Drucilla," a ballad written by Payton's dad, bassist Walter Payton, for which the trumpeter uses a mute, dialing down the volume but retaining intensity. It's the same band as in the live clip above, with the addition of pianist Kevin Hays.

Finally, in the third clip you can see Payton playing a modern bop/blues on a funk-to-swing version of the classic Milt Jackson tune "Bags' Groove." There's no date indicated, but from the look of it, I'd say it's from the 1990s. Hearing how a musician approaches a well-known tune can often provides useful insight into their musical personality, and here Payton shows off a bright tone and a high energy level while getting around the horn quite nimbly.

A couple of additional notes: Back in 2001, Payton fronted a centennial tribute to Louis Armstrong that toured around the country with new arrangements of songs associated with Armstrong written for a 12-piece ensemble. YouTube has three videos of the tribute group that, while very different from what I'd expect Payton to do here in St. Louis, are worth a look and a listen. Check 'em out here.

Also, the Sheldon is offering a half-price special on tickets for Payton's concert; for details, check out this post.

Site news: St. Louis Jazz Notes now on Twitter and Facebook

In keeping with yr. humble editor's ongoing efforts to disseminate this site's content as widely as possible, St. Louis Jazz Notes has set up accounts on both Facebook and Twitter.

For now, both will be used mostly as additional channels for distributing blog posts, but I may find other uses for one or both as we go along.

In the meantime, you can keep up with StLJN-related "tweets" by following the Twitter account at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes; or access the most recent posts, check out a version of the site calendar, and/or become a "fan" of StLJN by visiting the Facebook page. (FYI, both pages also now have permanent links on the StLJN sidebar in the "site navigation" section. )

Jazz this week: Kenny Garrett, Maude Maggart, benefits at SIUE and Webster U, and more

As fall weather really begins to settle in to the St. Louis area, here's what's going on around town over the next few days with jazz and creative music:

Tonight, saxophonist Kenny Garrett (pictured) begins a four-night stand that continues through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. For more on Garrett, see last Saturday's video post here, and his interview with the Post-Dispatch here.

Also tonight, singer Maude Maggart begins a four-night run for Cabaret St. Louis at the Kranzberg Arts Center. Broadly speaking, Maggart seems to come more from the theatrical side of cabaret than from jazz, but she's known for interpreting works by great American songwriters such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Vernon Duke, and Rodgers and Hart, so there may indeed be some interest there for some local jazz fans.

Tomorrow night, trumpeter Danny Campbell and drummer Maurice Carnes will do a free concert of hard bop and straight-ahead jazz for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Also on Thursday, the Unity Theatre Ensemble resumes their production of Lady Day at the Boston Bistro (An Evening with Billie Holiday), which feature singer Mardra Thomas and her husband, pianist Reggie Thomas, and continues through Sunday at the Ivory Theatre in south St. Louis. You can read a review of the show here.

Moving ahead to Sunday, singer Erin Bode will headline the annual benefit for the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Friends of Music benefit at Dunham Hall on the SIUE campus. Proceeds from the event go to support music scholarships at SIUE.

Then on Monday, Webster University holds the annual benefit concert for its TKT Scholarship Fund at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus. The"Celebration of the Great American Songbook" concert will include songs by Hoagy Carmichael, George Gershwin, Sammy Fain, Tadd Dameron, Burton Lane and Paul Simon performed by vocalists Amanda Carr, Ashley Mason and Peter Ayres; the Webster Jazz Singers directed by Debby Lennon; and Webster jazz faculty members Steve Schenkel (guitar), Paul DeMarinis (saxophones) , Kim Portnoy (piano), Carolbeth True (piano), Willem von Hombracht (bass) and Kevin Gianino (drums).

Proceeds benefit a scholarship established in memory of former Webster music students Terry Jackson, Kirk Cappello and Tony Saputo, who in 1991 were all killed in a plane crash while on tour with country singer Reba McIntyre.

For more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check out the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar or by clicking here.

(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.)

Lady Day at the Boston Bistro reviewed in the Post-Dispatch

The Unity Theatre Ensemble production of Lady Day at the Boston Bistro (An Evening with Billie Holiday) was reviewed this past weekend for the Post-Dispatch by veteran freelance theater critic Gerry Kowarsky, who called it "a moving tribute to an extraordinary figure" with "an outstanding performance by Mardra Thomas as Holiday and excellent piano playing by husband Reginald Thomas."

The musical play, which is a fictional account of a nightclub performance by Holiday near the end of her life, continues this weekend at the Ivory Theatre in south St. Louis. You can read the complete review of the show here.

Jazz St. Louis CD Listening Club meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 10

Jazz St. Louis has scheduled the next meeting of their CD Listening Club for 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 10 at Borders Books and Music, 1519 S. Brentwood Blvd in Brentwood.

The featured CD this month will be John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, the historic 1963 collaboration between the saxophonist and the singer. Singer Erin Bode and Jazz St. Louis executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford will lead the discussion.

The CD Listening Club is free and open to the public, but because space is limited, those who wish to attend are asked to call Devin Rodino at 314-289-4144 to reserve a place.

Zimbabwe Nkenya releasing new CD, performing in-store at Vintage Vinyl on Monday, October 26

Bassist, composer and mbira player Zimbabwe Nkenya (pictured) will celebrate the release of his new CD, Bag II Project Vol. 2, with an in-store performance at 7:30 p.m. Monday, October 26 at Vintage Vinyl.

After returning to the St. Louis area in 2006, Nkenya was the prime mover behind a revived version of the Black Artists Group, a.k.a. "BAG II." The group folded at the end of last year, but Nkenya continues to perform around town solo and in various duo, trio and ensemble settings.

His CD release event at Vintage Vinyl is free and open to the public.

Shanachie, Amazon offering free download of smooth jazz sampler album

The Shanachie record label is offering a free download on Amazon.com of a smooth jazz sampler album that includes a track from singer and East St. Louis native Phil Perry (pictured).

The sampler album is called Shanachie: Cool Urban Jazz, and also includes songs from drummer Norman Connors, saxophonist Kim Waters, singer Maysa, The Sax Pack, saxophonist Everette Harp, Streetwize, and saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa.

You can download the whole album or individual tracks in .mp3 form for free here.

More on the KFUO sale

Although there's been no breaking news over the last few days regarding the proposed sale of radio station KFUO (99.1 FM), St. Louis Post-Dispatch classical music critic Sarah Bryan Miller has continued to dig and explore various aspects of the story via a series of posts on the paper's Culture Club blog.

Local jazz fans have an interest in the sale because in addition to being St. Louis' only classical music station, KFUO also is home to Don Wolff's long-running program "I Love Jazz," which airs on Friday nights. For those of you who are following the story, rather than attempting to summarize everything Miller has reported on, let's just link to all the related posts from the last several days:

KFUO/LCMS: Another precinct heard from with "Steadfast Lutherans"

KFUO poll results! Plus: somebody does the math on the Joy FM deal, and finds it wanting

KFUO/LCMS: An intriguing proposal from a St. Louis businessman

KFUO/LCMS: An editorial in the Jewish Light

KFUO/LCMS: Last chance to vote in the Culture Club poll

KFUO/LCMS: “An appeal to the Board of Directors”

KFUO/LCMS: The petition to the LCMS board of directors

Kevin Belford, Bob Koester signing books at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Vintage Vinyl

Author and artist Kevin Belford will sign copies of his new book Devil at the Confluence: The Pre-War Blues Music of St. Louis, Missouri at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Monday, October 19, at Vintage Vinyl, 6610 Delmar Blvd in University City.

Belford will be joined at the signing by former St. Louisan Bob Koester, the owner of Chicago's Jazz Record Mart and the blues and jazz label Delmark Records, who helped compile the companion CD included with the book.

Devil at the Confluence tells the story of St. Louis' pre-World War II blues musicians through Belford's original paintings, historic record labels, sheet music covers, ads, newspaper clippings and photographs. The book (pictured) is published by St. Louis based Virginia Publishing and is available from their Web site and at most local book stores. You can read a review written by Terry Perkins for the Post-Dispatch here.

Belford also will have signings at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, November 7 at Borders Books in Sunset Hills, and at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, December 3 at Subterranean Books in University City.

Kenny Garrett featured in Post-Dispatch

Today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a feature story written by Calvin Wilson about saxophonist Kenny Garrett, who will be in town starting Wednesday for a four-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. You can read the article online here.

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

Since we last checked in with StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds, recent posts have featured videos from Jimmy Smith, Muddy Waters, Cannonball Adderley, Stevie Wonder & Aretha Franklin, Bill Frisell, Andrew Hill, Betty Carter, Tower of Power, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Klaus Doldinger & Passport, Elvin Jones, Don Cherry. Gary Bartz, Modern Jazz Quartet, Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Pharoah Sanders, Bill Evans, Billy Preston, Paul Motian Quintet, Bob Dylan and the Band, Don Pullen, Jimmy McGriff & Hank Crawford, BT Express, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Defunkt.

There's a different music video posted every day, drawing on genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, prog rock, classic rock and experimental. You can see all of the clips mentioned above, plus hundreds more from the archives, by visiting http://heliocentricworlds.blogspot.com/.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Four from Kenny Garrett

This week, let's peruse some video clips of saxophonist Kenny Garrett, who will be in St. Louis with his quartet starting this Wednesday, October 21 through Saturday, October 24 to perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

After launching his career working with the big bands of Duke Ellington and Mel Lewis, Garrett first gained wide public attention as a member of one of Miles Davis' last groups, performing and recording with the trumpeter for nearly five years near the end of Davis' life.

As a player and composer, Garrett draws on a variety of influences, including hard bop, funk, Latin jazz and various Asian musics. In addition to recording 18 CDs as a leader, he also has worked with many other well-known musicians, such as Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Brian Blade, Marcus Miller, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones, and Mulgrew Miller.

In a concert here in St. Louis four years ago, Garrett was particularly impressive working with Hancock's all-star Headhunters 2005. More recently, he's toured with another all-star fusion group, the Five Peace Band, which also includes guitarist John McLaughlin, pianist Chick Corea, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta.

The first clip up above shows Garrett playing one of his best known songs, the title track for the 2002 CD Happy People. It's taken from a concert at the 2002 North Sea Jazz Festival in the Hague, Netherlands, and features Garrett on alto sax along with Vernell Brown on piano, Kris Funn on bass and Ronald Bruner Jr. on drums.

Next up is an excerpt from a performance earlier this year in Tel Aviv, Israel, with Garrett and an organ-driven quartet playing "Intro to Africa." Below that, there's a clip of the Five Peace Band from a concert in Spain last November, performing a sort of medley of two pieces made famous by Miles Davis, "It's About That Time" and "In A Silent Way." Finally, there's an oldie-but-goodie clip of Garrett and one his early bands, including the late Kenny Kirkland on piano, doing a cover version of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues."

Lamar Harris replaces Matthew Von Doran for Halloween weekend at Jazz at the Bistro

Jazz St. Louis has announced that trombonist Lamar Harris (pictured) and his group Tribal Funk will perform at Jazz at the Bistro on Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31.

Harris replaces guitarist Matthew Von Doran, who originally was set to perform on those dates when the Bistro's season schedule was announced earlier this year. In a brief phone interview, Von Doran said he had to forgo his Halloween weekend at the Bistro after getting hired for a series of lucrative road gigs with Latin/pop group La Quinta Estación, but he hopes to reschedule for next year.

Tickets for Harris are priced at $15 for general admission, $10 for students. The news release sent out by Jazz St. Louis announcing the schedule change did not include any information on refunds or exchanges; however, if the usual JSL policy is in effect, those who have already purchased tickets to see Von Doran can either use them to see Harris instead, or get a refund at the point of purchase.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band to play Thursday, November 19 at Broadway Oyster Bar

New Orleans' Dirty Dozen Brass Band (pictured) is returning to St. Louis to perform on Thursday, November 19 at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Although the show already is listed on the Web site of the DDBB's booking agency, there's no mention of it yet on the Oyster Bar site, and thus there are no details on ticket prices or an on-sale date.

Check back here for updates, or you can call the Oyster Bar for more information at 314-621-8811.

Jazz this week: Eddie Henderson, The Wee Trio, Bernard Harris, and more

From a musical theater production honoring one of the music's most revered legends to an up-and-coming trio stretching the boundaries of the genre, there's a diverse lineup of jazz events happening over the next few days in St. Louis. Here are some of the most noteworthy shows coming up this weekend:

Tonight, the Unity Theatre Ensemble's production Lady Day at the Boston Bistro (An Evening With Billie Holiday) opens at the Ivory Theatre, with Mardra Thomas as Holiday and her husband, pianist Reggie Thomas, as arranger and accompanist. The show will be performed Thursdays through Sundays ending October 25.

On Friday, The Wee Trio begins a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. The critically acclaimed young group, which has drawn comparisons to The Bad Plus, includes former St. Louisan Dan Loomis on bass, James Westfall on vibraphone and Jared Schonig on drums. You can see some video samples of them in action by going to this post

Also on Friday, bassist Bernard Harris will perform a concert of "inspirational smooth jazz" at the Hilton Regency Conference Center, 400 Regency Park Drive in O'Fallon, IL. For more on Harris, see this post.

On Saturday evening, trumpeter Eddie Henderson (pictured) performs in a show sponsored by the Nu-Art Series at Luna Bar, 13 Maryland Plaza in the Central West End. Though he's perhaps still best known for his work with Herbie Hancock and the series of electrified jazz-fusion albums he released after leaving the pianist's group in the 1970s, in recent years Henderson has worked more in the acoustic hard-bop idiom and also has taken part in a number of tributes to Miles Davis, including an extended tour in 2005 and 2006 with drummer Jimmy Cobb. He'll be backed on his St. Louis gig by a local rhythm section of pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Jamal Nichols and drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw.

Also on Saturday, the smooth jazz group Three Central will do a free concert for the Vaughn Cultural Center at the Urban League, 3701 Grandel Square in the Grand Center area.

On Sunday, the Bosman Twins kick off this year's St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers series with a free concert at the Second Baptist Church of St. Louis, 9030 Clayton Rd. (at McKnight). And on Monday evening, the Sessions Big Band is back at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

For more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check out the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar or by clicking here.

(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.)

(Edited 10/17/09 to fix a typo.)

Notes from the Net: New releases from Marty Ehrlich and Keyon Harrold, plus news, reviews, interviews, and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest.

* In the latest Miles Davis-related news, the Associated Press has distributed a feature story about the 50th anniversary of Kind of Blue, with remarks from Jimmy Cobb, Quincy Jones, Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Chris Botti and others.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang's Vault, which claims to be "the largest collection of licensed streaming live recordings on the Internet," will open its archives beginning November 3 to add more than 1,000 titles from 919 artists to the approximately 500 already available for purchase from the site's Concert Vault section. To promote "Cracking the Vault Day," they're offering a few new shows twice weekly, with concerts featuring Davis, Weather Report and the Mahavishnu Orchestra going online this Friday, October 16.

Also, here's a review of the new Complete Birth of the Cool reissue from Tim Niland's blog Music and More, and a free download of a previously unissued Davis concert, recorded November 3, 1969 at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, France.

Lastly, news comes this week that Davis' former home on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu is up for sale; if you've ever wondered just how large the trumpeter was livin' on the West Coast, you can check out the description and photos here.

* Turning to news of other St. Louisans, here's a review written by Marcia Hillman for AllAboutJazz.com of three new solo piano CDs, including the posthumously issued I Remember You from the late St. Louis native John Hicks.

* Here's a review of saxophonist Oliver Lake's new Organ Trio CD Makin' It written for for AllAboutJazz.com by Hrayr Attarian, who calls it "a very stimulating session that successfully marries the soul-jazz format of the organ/saxophone/drums trio to freer improvisations and edgy avant-garde styles."

* Here's a review of a recent Hamiet Bluiett duo gig in Takoma Park, MD that paired the baritone sax master with poet Lee Pearson.

* Multi-instrumentalist Marty Ehrlich's Rites Quartet has a new CD, Things Have Got To Change, on the Clean Feed label. Inspired by the sound of Julius Hemphill’s Dogon A.D., it features Ehrlich (pictured) on alto sax with James Zollar on trumpet, Erik Friedlander on cello, and Pheeroan AkLaff on drums. AllAboutJazz.com already has up two reviews of the disc, one from Stuart Broomer here, and another from Troy Collins here.

* Here's an interview with bassist and St. Louis native Steve Kirby, who now teaches music at the University of Manitoba, focusing on his take on the Canadian jazz sound and Canadian musicians.

* The Night Lights program on radio station WFIU in Bloomington, IN recently broadcast “John Zorn’s Hardboiled Bop,” a tribute program featuring music from the alto saxophonist's two News for Lulu releases; Voodoo: the Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet; and other late-1980s recordings. Zorn attended Webster University here in the mid-1970s.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold has just released his first CD as a leader, Introducing Keyon Harrold, on the Criss Cross label. The disc features six original tunes, a spiritual, and an interpretation of Horace Silver's "Peace," performed by a band including Harrold, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, his brother E.J. Strickland on drums, pianist Danny Grissett and bassist Dezron Douglas. Harrold's former teacher, trumpeter Charles Tolliver, guests on one track.

* Turning to news of recent visitors to St. Louis, JazzWax' Marc Myers has a multi-part interview with saxophonist Sonny Rollins, focusing on Rollins' affinity for the Wild West and the connection between his childhood love of Western movies and his 1957 album Way Out West. Read part one here, and follow the links to subsequent installments. Rollins was here last month for a concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

* Singer and pianist Ann Hampton Callaway, who was in town a couple of weeks ago for a performance at the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis, will perform this week at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on a bill with pianist Ramsey Lewis.

* Turning to the "coming attractions" file, there's some entertaining reading in one saxophonist's account of how "James Carter Ruined My Life," via the Twin Cities jazz blog bebopified. Carter will be back in St. Louis next May to perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Pianist Vijay Iyer, who will make his St. Louis debut in January at the Bistro, recently was featured on NPR's A Blog Supreme. Also, here are two reviews Iyer's new CD - the first written for AllAboutJazz.com by Troy Collins, and the second from About.com's Jacob Teichroew.

* From the "items of more general interest" file: A new issue of the always interesting online jazz magazine Point of Departure is now available.

* And, last but not least, regular readers of this space know that yr. humble editor has an interest in unusual musical instruments. from homemade to high tech. Falling into the latter category is the Eigenharp, a new synth controller that looks like something played by the aliens in the Star Wars cantina band and costs nearly $6,400 US . Is the Eigenharp, as its British developers claim, "the most expressive electronic musical instrument ever made," or is it just a tarted-up Chapman Stick with a bassoon-like breath controller stuck on the side? See it (and decide for yourself) in a BBC report here.

More coverage of KFUO sale

The proposed sale of radio station KFUO (99.1 FM) is continuing to generate controversy and press coverage. Over the weekend, reporter Charles Jaco of local Fox affiliate KTVI (Channel 2) did a story on the sale that included an interview with Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra president Fred Bronstein. You can see that report online here.

(For more background on the sale of KFUO, and why it matters to local fans of jazz as well as classical music, see here, here, here, here and here. )

Also, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Sarah Bryan Miller has another sale-related post today on the paper's Culture Club blog - specifically, it seems that the station's current owners, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, now have told KFUO personnel to refrain from talking to the press about the sale.

Over the weekend, the Post also ran a piece from religion reporter Tim Townsend headlined "Evangelism at the heart of KFUO-FM sale," which prompted a sharp response from pro-classical music commenters as well as an answering post from Miller.

Last but not least, an earlier StLJN post on the subject prompted an interesting comment by reader "fromwis," which apparently also is being posted on comment threads related to the story on various media outlets around town. The comment indicates that not all the LCMS board members are happy with the terms of the proposed sale, and because the post in question has slipped off the front page, the comment is reproduced in full below:

"Used with the express permission of Dr. Paul L. Maier

Paul L. Maier, Ph.D., Litt.D, LL.D.
Department of History
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI 49008

(269) 387-4816 maier@wmich.edu Fax: (269) 387-4651

STATEMENT REGARDING KFUO

October 8, 2009

Selling KFUO-FM was a clear violation of Christian ethics. Primed with wrong information, the LCMS Board of Directors that authorized the sale ignored an appeal by 41 principal church leaders not to sell KFUO-FM, disregarded crucial ethical issues involved in betraying the trust of KFUO’s founders and supporters, and has now sold a vital mission of our church, gaining proceeds to which it was legally but not morally entitled. This was not Synod’s investment, but that of listeners across 85 years who prayed, worked, and gave sacrificially to support KFUO. Did the matter of basic ethics ever occur to board members, the obligation to do right rather than wrong? And in a church board, no less?

And all this while destroying one of our country’s great, pioneer radio stations and alienating the cultural community of St. Louis -- and the world.

Moreover, radio experts wonder why the Board relegated so important a decision to a small committee (one which avoided other options for Lutheran ownership), and are mystified that it would sell such an asset at the worst possible time economically. They deem the sales agreement “dead on arrival,” since the millions claimed in the sale have little chance of reali- zation. Joy-FM, the purchaser, is non-commercial and already owes $600,000 on its two “rim-shot” stations. One cannot escape the conclusion that this was one of the worst decisions ever made by any board in the history of our church body.

Paul L. Maier
Second Vice-President
The Lutheran Church—Mo. Synod"

(Edited after posting to add a link and fix a typo.)

The Sheldon offering half-price tickets for Nicholas Payton concert on November 7

The Sheldon Concert Hall is offering tickets at half price for trumpeter Nicholas Payton's concert on Saturday, November 7.

The regular ticket prices are $40 for orchestra seats and $35 for the balcony, but with the discount you can get tickets for just $20 and $17.50.

To get the discount, go to www.metrotix.com/promotions and enter the promotional code TRUMPET09, or mention the code when you order by phone at 314-534-1111 or in person at any MetroTix outlet or the Fox Theatre box office, 531 N. Grand Blvd.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on The Wee Trio

This week, our video spotlight shines on The Wee Trio, who will be in St. Louis next week to perform Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17 at Jazz at the Bistro.

The Wee Trio is comprised of former St. Louisan Dan Loomis on bass, James Westfall on vibraphone and Jared Schonig on drums. The group came together a few years ago in Brooklyn, NY, although Westfall has subsequently moved back to New Orleans, where he previously had lived and attended university. Their first CD, Capitol Diner, Vol. 1, was released last year.

In addition to performing original music, they've done covers of contemporary pop and rock songs that have invited critical comparisons to The Bad Plus, E.S.T. and pianist Brad Mehldau's Largo. The Wee Trio have played several one-off gigs in St. Louis over the last year, but since this will be their Bistro debut and first multi-night engagement in one spot here, it seems like an opportune time to take a closer look/listen to them.

First up is a Dan Loomis composition titled "Orange Finnish Tulip," recorded live in concert at an unspecified location in California. The second clip features one of Westfall's pieces, "The Ghost of Potato Creek Johnny," and was recorded in September 2008 at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. The third video offers The Wee Trio's' interpretation of "About A Girl," written by the late singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain of the rock band Nirvana and taken from a concert at West Valley College in Saratoga, CA.

Bernard Harris to perform Friday, October 16 at Regency Conference Center

Bassist Bernard Harris will headline a concert of "inspirational smooth jazz" at 7:30 p.m., Friday, October 16 at the Hilton Regency Conference Center, 400 Regency Park Drive in O'Fallon, IL.

Citing influences such as Larry Graham, Stanley Clarke, and Louis Johnson of The Brothers Johnson, Harris is a left-hander who plays in a "lead bass" style that also invites comparison to latter-day Miles Davis sideman Joseph "Foley" McCreary. You can see and hear Harris playing his version of "Amazing Grace" in the embedded video window below.

Tickets for Harris' concert are $25 for general admission, and are on sale now via Metrotix.



(Edited after posting to fix a broken link.)

Jazz this week: Houston Person; "Rapology" with Troupe, Bell and Burrage; Larry Ochs; "A Jazz Heaven"; and more

It's another busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, so let's go right to the highlights:

Tonight, saxophonist Houston Person (pictured) opens a four-night stand that continues through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. A seasoned veteran who's had a lifetime of experience wrapping blues, bop and ballads into a crowd-pleasing package, Person was in St. Louis most recently at the end of August to perform in a benefit concert at Harris Stowe State University for the Wolff Jazz Institute.

You can see a video sample of his playing in a post previewing that show here, and hear a podcast interview with Person here. Note also that tickets for some of Person's sets will be available at half price if purchased in advance via Metrotix.

Also tonight, the Washington University Music Department presents its "Chance Aesthetics" concert at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City. The free event will feature performances of music by John Cage and Terry Riley, plus an improvised piece.

On Thursday, guitarist William Lenihan leads a tribute to Miles Davis' classic album Birth of the Cool in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University

There are three noteworthy shows on Friday, starting with the first of two nights of the Quincy Troupe/Kelvyn Bell/Ronnie Burrage collaboration "Rapology" at Robbie's House of Jazz. For more about Troupe, Bell and Burrage plus some video samples of all three in action, see this post.

Also on Friday, New Music Circle presents saxophonist Larry Ochs' Sax and Drumming Core at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Ochs, who's known for his work with the Rova Saxophone Quartet, will be joined by drummers Donald Robinson and Scott Amendola, Natsuki Tamura on trumpet, and Satoko Fujii on synthesizer and piano to perform a mix of original compositions and collective improvisations.

That same evening, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra presents "Swing, Swing, Swing" a program of swing music including songs made famous by Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller, just around the corner from the Sheldon at Powell Symphony Hall.

On Saturday night, the Chicago Afrobeat Project returns to The Gramophone.

Then on Sunday, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents clarinetist Bud Shultz and the You Can't Beat Experience Jazz Band in a matinee performance of traditional New Orleans style jazz and swing at the Doubletree Hotel in Chesterfield.

Also on Sunday afternoon, singer Wendy Gordon and a cast of musicians and singers including longtime local favorite Jeanne Trevor will perform Gordon's cabaret musical A Jazz Heaven at the Kranzberg Arts Center. For more about the production, which pays tribute to jazz icons including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis, see these two posts.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Chicago-based guitarists Andreas Kapsalis and Goran Ivanovic will perform a duo show at The Gramophone.

Tuesday evening brings the monthly meeting of Jazz St. Louis' CD Listening Club at Borders bookstore, 1519 S. Brentwood Blvd. in Brentwood. This month's featured CD, Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage, will be discussed by JSL executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford and Dr. Gerald Early of Washington University.

Then on Wednesday evening, Jazz St. Louis will present a free concert of Hancock's music by keyboardist Adaron "Pops" Jackson and his group at the Community Music School of Webster University, 535 Garden Avenue in Webster Groves.

For more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check out the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar or by clicking here.

(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.)

(Edited after posting to fix a formatting problem. Edited again to add a couple of Houston person-related links.)

Sale of radio station KFUO finalized

According to a story by Sarah Bryan Miller published today by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the sale of radio station KFUO (99.1 FM) by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to Gateway Creative Broadcasting will become final in March.

Gateway, which currently operates two FM stations on the outskirts of St. Louis that play Christian contemporary music, will pay $18 million for KFUO and according to the story was the only prospective buyer allowed to submit a bid. The transaction still must be approved by the Federal Communication Commission, which would seem to be a mere formality at this point.

The deal is of interest to local jazz fans because in addition to being the St. Louis area's only classical music radio station, KFUO for the last 18 months has been the home of Don Wolff's long-running program I Love Jazz, which airs Fridays from 8:00 p.m. to midnight. You can read Miller's story in its entirety here.

UPDATE - 5:30 p.m., 10/7/09: Miller has filed an updated version of her original story, and added a series of related blog posts, including a reader poll, reaction from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, a look at the communication (or lack of same) between the LCMS board and the lawyer who oversaw the sale, and some reader comments.

Over at STLMedia.net, proprietor Mike Anderson, who worked in St. Louis radio for many years, had a strong negative reaction to news of the sale, urging readers to file protests with the FCC. The site's message board, which is members-only, also has a thread going on the sale, with some interesting analysis by poster "dez" based on the financial statements of prospective KFUO buyers Gateway Creative Broadcasting:

"Bottom line: For this transaction to work for LCMS, the organization to which they are selling has to quadruple the amount of money it takes in each year. Not maintain, not double, but quadruple. And, according to their current stated intentions, do that without commercial revenue.

Was the LCMS pulling in anywhere near $4m/yr from their commercial operation of KFUO? If not, what makes them believe Joy-FM has any chance of doing that without commercials?

When the numbers don't add up, and here they certainly do not, one has to wonder what the deal really is. It appears to do little if anything to meet the LCMS's stated intention of shoring up its financial condition."

Supported of the classical music format on KFUO also have formed a Facebook group called "Stop the Sale of KFUO Classic 99 in St. Louis!" which can be found here.

(Edited after posting to add a tag. Edited again 10/8/09 to fix a broken link.)