St. Louis Jazz Notes: December 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase:
Winter/spring 2012 jazz preview, part 3

Today, we end 2011 with the third and final part of our preview of jazz and creative musicians who are coming to St. Louis in the first part of 2012. (You can see part one here and part two here.)

First up are Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, who will perform Thursday, March 29 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The Flecktones, with original pianist and harmonica player Howard Levy now back in the fold, are seen here playing "Sunset Road" at Magfest 2011 in Virginia.

Down below, we've got a clip of saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Brad Mehldau, who will play as a duo on Saturday, April 7 and Sunday, April 8 at Jazz at the Bistro. Here, you can see them playing "The Nearness of You" in a concert last month in Munich.

Next, it's singer Marlena Shaw, who returns to St. Louis to perform Wednesday, April 11 through Saturday, April 14 at the Bistro. The video shows her mixing and matching verses on a blues during a March 2010 concert at the Paris venue New Morning.

Today's fourth video clip features cellist Craig Hultgren, who will be back in town to play in a concert for New Music Circle on Saturday, April 14 at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust. Hultgren is seen here performing Elliott Carter's "Enchanted Preludes" with flute player John McMurtery in 2006 at Birmingham Southern College.

Below that, it's percussionist Poncho Sanchez, who will headline the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival's concert on Friday, April 20 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. The clip shows Sanchez and band playing "Baila Mi Gente."

The GSLJF's other 2012 headliner will be bassist Christian McBride's Big Band, who are set to play Saturday, April 21 at the Touhill. This clip features McBride talking about the making of the band's first album The Good Feeling, released earlier this year on Mack Avenue Records.

Video number seven features saxophonist Tia Fuller, who will be making her St. Louis debut as a leader Wednesday, April 25 through Saturday, April 28 at the Bistro. The video shows Fuller, pianist Shamie Royston, bassist Miriam Sullivan, and drummer and St. Louis native Kim Thompson - like Fuller, a former member of pop singer Beyonce's all-female backup band - playing the saxophonist's song "Breakthrough" in 2007 at the Detroit Jazz Festival.

Up next is singer Sara Gazarek, who's coming to town for a concert on Saturday, May 5 at the Sheldon. This clip features Gazarek singing "Like The Wind" in a 2010 performance with the German group Triosence.

We wrap up today's video previews with a look at drummer Dafnis Prieto, who will making his St. Louis debut Wednesday, May 9 through Saturday May 12 at the Bistro. Prieto is seen here playing "New Elephant" at the NYC's Jazz Standard.

Friday, December 30, 2011

StLJN 2011 year in review

As 2011 winds down, let's take a look back at some of the most newsworthy, noteworthy, popular and/or interesting items posted here on St. Louis Jazz Notes over the past 12 months:

January 2011

Thanks to all of you who have read and/or contributed information, links, comments, and more to this site during this past year. Here's hoping that your New Year is a good one.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Jazz this week: New Year's Eve and more

The week between Christmas and New Year's usually is fairly quiet for live jazz in St. Louis, and New Year's Eve, contrary to what you might think, hasn't been an especially busy night either in recent years. Nevertheless, there are a few noteworthy shows coming up, and a handful of NYE jazz performances as well. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, Robbie's House of Jazz continues its policy of periodically presenting little-known young musicians with the debut of the Andrew Williams/Tim Aubuchon Quartet, featuring up-and-coming saxophonists Williams and Aubuchon with Chris Turnbaugh on bass and Brian Steever on drums.

On Friday, Wack-A-Doo plays at the Map Room in Soulard; drummer Paul Shaw's trio with Daryl Mixon (bass) and Ptah Williams (piano) will be at Cigar Inn; and Robbie's will feature guitarist Stan Stapleton and his band in a tribute to Santana. Also on Friday, singer Dean Christopher, pianist Carolbeth True and bassist Dave Troncoso will perform at the Frontenac Grill.

New Year's Eve offerings on Saturday night include singer Erin Bode (pictured) and her band at Cyrano's; saxophonist Tim Cunningham , singer Anita Jackson and keyboard player/singer Jeremiah Allen at Jazz on Broadway; and guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio with singer Erika Johnson at Robbie's.

Meanwhile, Jazz at the Bistro once again will be dark on New Year's Eve this year, as the club's location in the Grand Center neighborhood puts it near the center of the annual First Night celebration, which runs from 6 p.m. to midnight on Saturday. The alcohol-free event features a variety of live entertainment and "family friendly" activities, and includes a number of performers who may be of interest to jazz fans, including singers Wendy Gordon and Jeanne Trevor and the husband-and-wife piano/vocal duo Joe Dryer and Rosemary Watts at the Kranzberg Arts Center; Le Jazz Hot at St. Francis Xavier College Church; Samba Bom and Kim Massie at the Sheldon; and Funky Butt Brass Band at the Third Baptist Church.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon 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.)

(Edited 12/29/11 to fix a typo and add the Dean Christopher/Carolbeth True gig.)

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Rounding up the "Best Jazz of 2011" lists

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Bonerama to return to Old Rock House on Sunday, February 12

The New Orleans band Bonerama (pictured) must like playing in St. Louis. Less than a month after their most recent gig here on December 1 at the Old Rock House - their third St. Louis appearance in 2011 - they've already booked a return engagement at the ORH for 8:00 p.m., Sunday, February 12.

Fronted by trombonists Mark Mullins and Craig Klein, who both worked previously with Harry Connick, Jr's big band, Bonerama features four trombonists and a rhythm section delivering a blend of traditional New Orleans jazz and brass band sounds with rock, funk, free improv and more. Their previous St. Louis gigs have included shows at The Gramophone and the ballroom above the Sheldon Concert Hall.

The performance in February at the Old Rock House will be opened by Metrobones, an ensemble of high school and college student trombonists from the St. Louis area who assembled earlier this year under the direction of trombonist and educator Dave Dickey.

Tickets for the all-ages show are $15 for general admission, and go on sale at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 4 via Metrotix.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase:
Merry Christmas, Baby!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Saturday video programming to bring you these musical messages from Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby, Nat "King" Cole, and St. Louis' own Funky Butt Brass Band. The StLJN Saturday Video Showcase will return next week with part three of the winter/spring 2012 jazz preview. Happy holidays!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Jazz this week: Bhob Rainey, Rodney Lancaster & Doug Bert, Marcus Baylor & Free Day, and more

As one might expect given that a number of local venues are closed for the Christmas holidays, the calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis is a bit sparse over the next week, but there still are a few performances worth noting wrapped around the holiday weekend. Let's go to the highlights...

On Thursday night, the annual "Noel-A-Thon" concert takes place at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups. The seven-hour show features an eclectic mix of St. Louis musicians playing short sets of blues, jazz, folk, rock and more, with proceeds from the $5-per-person cover charge going to local charities.

On Friday, the improvising saxophonist Bhob Rainey will be in town for what has become an annual pre-Christmas concert at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center. Also on the bill are St. Louis' own Andrew Hefner, Jack Callahan and epicycle.

Also on Friday, drummer Montez Coleman will lead a trio with bassist Bob DeBoo and pianist Ptah Williams at the Cigar Inn; singer Charlie B. and trumpeter Jim Manley will perform for a "Rat Pack" themed dinner and show at LoRusso's Cucina; and trombonists Rodney Lancaster and Doug Bert will team up for a gig at Robbie's House of Jazz, backed by a band including bassist Willem von Hombracht, pianist Rick Zelle, and drummer Kevin Gianino.

On Monday evening, saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen of the Voodoo Blues Band will step out front to lead his own band, the Broadway Collective, in a performance at BB's.

On Tuesday night, drummer, ex-Yellowjacket and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor (pictured) returns home to perform with his new band Free Day at Lola. The group also includes his wife Jean Baylor, a singer who had some R&B hits a few years back as part of the group Zhane.

Also on Tuesday, Robbie's will host their weekly jam session, with a larger-than-usual crowd anticipated due to people visiting and/or returning home for the holidays.

On Wednesday afternoon, Bob Coleman's Legacy Big Band will perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Their "Sinatra Hit Parade!" show will feature singer Tom Heitman, plus a guest appearance by trumpet player Susan Slaughter, who retired last year after 40 years with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon 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.)

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

Need a moment's respite from the holiday hustle and bustle? Pay a visit to StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds, where each day there's an online music video posted for your entertainment and edification. Drawing on genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, classic rock, prog rock and experimental, it's a virtual College of Music Knowledge in video clip form.

Recent posts have includes videos featuring performances by Charlie Haden's Quartet West, Bruce Springsteen, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Dave Holland Quintet, Steely Dan, B.B. King, Betty Carter, Greg Osby, Oscar Peterson, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, the Spinners, Van Morrison, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Lambert Hendricks and Bavan, Memphis Slim & Matt Murphy, Erroll Garner, Jack Bruce and Friends, Jim Hall, Charles Lloyd and Joe Henderson.

You can see them all, plus hundreds more carefully curated clips from the astonishing archives, by going to http://heliocentricworlds.blogspot.com/.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase:
Winter/spring 2012 jazz preview, part two

Today, we've got part two of StLJN's video preview of jazz and creative music performers who are coming to St. Louis over the next few months. (For part one, see this post.)

The first clip up above features trumpet player Chris Botti, who, having played the Fox Theatre and Powell Symphony Hall in his two most recent visits here, will be back to perform on Friday, February 24 at the newly renovated Peabody Opera House (nee Kiel Opera House). The video is taken from a 2009 performance in Boston, and shows Botti, his band and singer Sy Smith doing their version of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David standard "The Look of Love."

Down below, you'll find a clip of singer and pianist Freddy Cole, who's coming back to town to play Wednesday, February 29 through Saturday, March 3 at Jazz at the Bistro. Cole is seen here performing "Unforgettable," first made famous by his brother Nat "King" Cole and later re-recorded by his niece Natalie Cole.

Below that, there's a video of drummer John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet, who will be playing on Friday, March 2 at 560 Music Center in a concert presented by New Music Circle. The clip is from their performance in 2009 at the Jazz Baltica festival, and features Hollenbeck, Chris Speed (clarinet, tenor saxophone), Matt Moran (vibraphone, percussion), Ted Reichman (accordion) and Drew Gress (bass) playing an original composition with a title translated simply as "arabic."

Next up, it's the New Orleans funk/jazz/hip-hop group Galactic doing "Funky Bird." They'll be back in St. Louis on Wednesday, March 14 to play at The Pageant.

That same evening, pianist Vijay Iyer will open a four-night stand with his trio at Jazz at the Bistro, continuing through Saturday, March 17. Iyer is seen here performing "Galang" in 2010 for German TV.

The next video features legendary pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who will be back in town for the first time in nearly seven years on Sunday, March 18 for a concert presented by Jazz St. Louis at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. It's a performance of one of Hancock's best-known compositions, "Watermelon Man," recorded in 2008 at the North Sea Jazz Festival with Chris Potter (sax), Lionel Loueke (guitar), Dave Holland (bass) and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums).

The following weekend, drummer Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts will come to town to play Friday March 23 and Saturday, March 24 at Jazz at the Bistro. This clip shows Wilson, trumpeter Terell Stafford, keyboard player Gary Versace and the group's late bassist Dennis Irwin (who was replaced after his death in 2008 by Martin Wind) performing "The Scenic Route" in 2007 at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival.

Next up, we have a clip of the Detroit-based group Straight Ahead, who will perform on Saturday, March 24 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Originating as a cooperative, all-female ensemble, Straight Ahead has featured a number of different players over the past 20 years, including violinist Regina Carter, who was a founding member.

These days, the band seems to function primarily as a vehicle for the two other remaining co-founders, drummer Gayelynn McKinney and bassist Marion Hayden, augmented by singer Kimberlie Wright and assorted other musicians, both male and female. This video is from June 2008, and features McKinney, Hayden, Wright, keyboardist Henry Gibson, and saxophonist Yancyy covering Earth Wind and Fire's "Can't Hide Love."

Today's final clip feature trumpeter Nicholas Payton, who will be returning to St. Louis to play Wednesday, March 28 through Saturday, March 31 at Jazz at the Bistro. The performance of "Days of Wine and Roses" seen here was recorded in June 2011 at Rio das Ostras festival in Brazil.

Look for part three of the winter/spring 2012 jazz preview next week...

Friday, December 16, 2011

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short local news items of interest:

* Tim Halpin, guitarist for the Funky Butt Brass Band (pictured), was interviewed twice this week about the FBBB's "Holiday Brasstravaganza" on Saturday at Off Broadway, by both the RFT's Christian Schaeffer and the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson.

* Former St. Louisan Benjamin Cawthra’s new book Blue Notes in Black and White: Photography and Jazz was reviewed by Ben Ratliff for the New York Times. Cawthra also has a short essay excerpted from the book now online at the Montreal Review.

* Dennis Owsley's most recent blog post for St. Louis magazine is an appreciation of singer Kurt Elling, who was in St. Louis last month to perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Jazz on Broadway has posted on Facebook an album of photos from last weekend's gig at the Alton club by bassist Bob DeBoo's quartet.

* The RFT's Kholood Eid has a look inside Native Sound, a new recording studio on Cherokee St.

* St. Louis based Jazz Cruises LLC has changed its name to Entertainment Cruise Productions, reflecting the company's expansion into cruises featuring other musical genres, including "Malt Shop Memories" and the new "Soul Train" cruise, featuring soul, funk and R&B stars from the 1970s and 1980s.

Bob Dorough to perform Sunday, January 15 at the Bistro at Grand Center

Singer, pianist and songwriter Bob Dorough (pictured), known for being one of the few vocalists ever to record with Miles Davis as well as for his compositions for the ABC-TV children's program Schoolhouse Rock, is returning to St. Louis to perform at 7:00 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Sunday, January 15 at the Bistro at Grand Center, 3536 Washington Boulevard.

The show is billed as a tribute to Fran Landesman, the late poet, songwriter and former St. Louisan who, with her husband Jay, owned the Crystal Palace nightclub in Gaslight Square. Although it is taking place in the same space used by Jazz St. Louis for Jazz at the Bistro, Dorough's show is an independent production renting the room for the evening; tickets, priced at $35 each and on sale now, are available in advance only by calling 314-968-1898.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Jazz this week: Greg Osby, Craig Pomranz, Sinatra Songbook, Funky Butt Brass Band's "Holiday Brasstravaganza," and more

As December goes on, the number of touring acts out on the road usually drops rather precipitously, but this weekend's schedule of jazz and creative music does feature homecoming performances from a couple of St. Louis natives who have enjoyed wider success, as well as some noteworthy gigs from local players.

Tonight, saxophonist Greg Osby (pictured) returns home to open a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. Osby will be performing with his regular working group, sometimes referred to as the 5tet, which includes pianist Frank LoCrasto, guitarist Nir Felder, bassist Joseph Lepore and drummer John Davis.

It's been a couple of years since the St. Louis native's last recording and his last appearance here, but Osby is known for constantly refreshing his repertoire, writing new material and rearranging older compositions, and he'll no doubt have some new twists for the hometown crowd this time around. For more about Greg Osby and some performance videos of him and his band in action, see this post. The Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson also interviewed Osby about this week's gig, and you can read that here.

Also tonight, singer Erin Bode will perform at Porter's in Collinsville.

Tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m., Osby and his group will present a workshop and clinic at Webster University's Community Music School. The event is free and open to the public. Tomorrow night, saxophonist Jim Stevens and his band will play an early show at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

On Friday, percussionist Herman Semidey and his Orquesta Nitro Son Montuno will play Latin jazz and salsa at Robbie's House of Jazz; guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio with bassist Nick Jost and drummer Marty Morrison performs at Cigar Inn in Belleville; and saxophonist Rhoda G plays at the Halls Ferry Inn Jazz Cafe.

On Saturday afternoon, Greg Osby will present a free saxophone workshop and master class at Saxquest. This event also is free and open to the public, with no reservations required.

Saturday evening, St. Louis native Craig Pomranz brings his new cabaret show "Love and the Clock" to the Kranzberg Arts Center for two performances. Called "one of New York’s most critically-acclaimed saloon singers” by New York magazine, Pomranz will be accompanied by musical director Stephen Bocchino.

Also on Saturday night, the Encore at The J series will present the Sinatra Songbook, featuring singer Tom Heitman with the Steve Schankman Orchestra, at the JCCA's Mirowitz Theatre; and the Funky Butt Brass Band will present their third annual "Holiday Brasstravaganza" at Off Broadway. Admission includes a copy of the band's new holiday EP, Shiny Christmas Balls.

The FBBB also will be appearing on Sunday at the Broadway Oyster Bar, opening for New Orleans trombonist/vocalist Big Sam's Funky Nation; and looking beyond the weekend, on Monday drummer Joe Pastor's trio will take the stage at BB's.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon 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.)

Happy birthday, Clark Terry!

Best wishes for happiness and healing go out to the legendary trumpet player, NEA Jazz Master and St. Louis native Clark Terry (pictured) , who celebrates his 91st birthday today. Terry has been hospitalized near his home in Arkansas since mid-October, and last week, doctors had to amputate his right leg above the knee.

The good news is that, after spending some recovery time in intensive care, Terry reportedly is feeling somewhat better and remains eager to hear from friends, fans, fellow musicians and former students.

You can express your birthday wishes directly to Terry over at his website, where his wife Gwen Terry has been posting updates on his condition and collecting messages and comments to relay to him. You can catch up on all of StLJN's past coverage of Clark Terry, including news, links to videos, free downloadable albums, interviews and more, here.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Young Friends groups to present "Jazz Under the Stars" on Thursday, January 26 at the Planetarium

The Young Friends of Jazz St. Louis and Young Friends of the Saint Louis Science Center will join forces to present the second annual "Jazz Under the Stars" event at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, January 26 at the Science Center's James S. McDonnell Planetarium in Forest Park.

The event will feature live music from drummer Marty Morrison & Friends, featuring Jason Swagler (saxophone), Adam Maness (keyboards) and Bob DeBoo (bass) with special guest vocalist Erin Bode (pictured). There also will be appetizers and beverages provided by Barefoot Wine, Square One Brewery and Distillery, and Augusta Brewing Company. Claire Kellett, co-anchor of the morning news broadcast on local CBS affiliate KMOV, will serve as host.

Admission includes three drink tickets and appetizers, and is priced at $25 before January 1, $30 after. Tickets are on sale now online and by phone at 314-289-4491.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Bhob Rainey to play Friday, December 23
at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center

Returning to St. Louis to do a pre-Christmas show for the ninth consecutive year, saxophonist and composer Bhob Rainey (pictured) will perform at 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 23 at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.

Also on the bill are epicycle, the solo project of LNAC's Mark Sarich, and bassist Andrew Hefner, who will play what's being touted as "an especially heart warming free-improvisation drone set."

General admission for the all-ages concert will be $5 at the door.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase:
Winter/spring 2012 jazz preview, part one

This week, we've got the first installment of a video preview of jazz and creative music bands and musicians who will be coming to St. Louis to perform this winter and spring.

First up are The Bad Plus, who will return here to kick off the New Year playing Wednesday, January 4 through Saturday, January 7 at Jazz at the Bistro. In the clip up above, they're performing "Beryl Loves to Dance" during a gig earlier this year at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis.

Down below is a clip of saxophonist Ravi Coltrane who will follow TBP into the Bistro, performing there Wednesday, January 18 through Saturday, January 21. Here, Coltrane and his band - Luis Perdomo on piano, Drew Gress on bass and drummer E.J. Strickland - can be seen playing Ornette Coleman's "Tribes of New York" at Chicago's Jazz Showcase in December 2010. (Note that since it was uploaded when YouTube still restricted the length of individual videos, the performance is divided into two parts in separate embed windows.)

Next up is a short interview clip featuring saxophonist Branford Marsalis and pianist Joey Calderazzo, who will come to town for a duo concert on Sunday, January 22 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. In this clip, part of a series of promo videos for their recent duo CD Songs of Mirth and Melancholy, you can hear a bit of the recording session while Marsalis and Calderazzo discussed how they picked the tunes for the album.

Below that is a solo clip of percussionist Chris Corsano, who will be in St. Louis for a concert presented on Saturday, January 28 at Kranzberg Arts Center under the auspices of New Music Circle. The video shows an excerpt from an improvised set in 2009 at the Sonic Arts Research Centre in Belfast, Ireland.

For something completely different, check out the next video from organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, who will be here Wednesday, February 1 through Saturday, February 4 at Jazz at the Bistro. The gospel-flavored "Pilgrimage," from Smith's 2009 CD Rise Up, features him providing a variety of organ textures in support of guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg, with additional underpinning from drummer Jamire Williams.

The next video features pianist Chucho Valdés and his Afro Cuban Messengers, who are set to play on Saturday, February 11 at Sheldon Concert Hall. Here, they're playing "Zawinul's Mambo," which incorporates bits of Weather Report's "Birdland" in 2010 at the Jazz San Javier festival in Spain. The musicians are Valdés, Lázaro Rivero (bass), Juan Carlos Rojas (drums), Carlos Manuel Miyares (tenor sax), Reinaldo Melián (trumpet), Yaroldy Abreu (percussion), and Dreiser Durruthy (percussion, batá, vocals).

After that, you can see a clip of "Hofim" from saxophonist and clarinetist Anat Cohen, who will perform with her quartet Wednesday, February 15 through Saturday, February 18 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Today's final video feature trumpeter and singer Byron Stripling, who will do a week-long educational residency for Jazz St. Louis culminating in performances on Friday, February 22 and Saturday, February 23 at the Bistro. In this clip, Stripling sings and plays the standard "St James Infirmary" with the student big band from Texas A&M University.

Look for part two of the winter/spring 2012 jazz preview next week...