Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival announces schedule of events

The Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival has announced the complete schedule of events for this year's fest, which will be held Thursday. April 15 through Saturday, April 17 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL).

The 2010 GSLJF will feature concerts by trombonist Conrad Herwig's Latin Side All-Stars at 8:00 p.m., Friday, April 16 and Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, April 17.

Herwig (pictured) has played with Joe Henderson, Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Eddie Palmieri, the Mingus Big Band and many others, and has recorded 19 albums as a leader. In addition to his concert, Herwig will present two free jazz clinics at the TouPAC that will be open to the public, at 1:30 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday.

The Big Phat Band returns to the GSLJF for an encore after performing at the 2007 fest. Formed in 2000, the 18-member group includes many top studio musicians from Los Angeles, and has released four albums on Silverline Records.

While the weekend concerts are the public face of the GSLJF, the event also includes three days of performances, clinics and critiques for student musicians from around the St. Louis metro area. Six high school combos and UMSL's small ensemble will play on Thursday, with more than 30 big bands representing area middle schools, high schools and colleges scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

The student ensembles will work with a roster of clinicians including bassist Jim Widner, who directs UMSL's jazz program and the GSLJF; saxophonists Jamey Aebersold, Rick Condit and David Seiler; bassist Lou Fischer; trumpeters Ron Modell and Allen Beeson; and trombonist/euphonium player Peter Madsen.

For more information about the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, visit the GSLJF website. To purchase tickets for the concerts by Conrad Herwig and Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, go to the TouPAC's site.