Thursday, June 14, 2012

Jazz this week: Tim Cunningham, Funky Butt Brass Band, Erin Bode, and more

Though it's a slow week for touring musicians coming to St. Louis, there are plenty of jazz and creative music performances featuring local players happening over the next few days that are worthy of your attention. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, bassist Dave Troncoso leads a trio at the Wine Press; and trombonist/bassist Wayne Coniglio and trombonist Scott Whitfield will team up to co-front a band at Joe's Cafe, the gallery/house concert venue the Central West End.

Also tonight, Stages St. Louis will present a performance of the Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin', with another scheduled for Friday, two on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Tomorrow night, saxophonist Tim Cunningham (pictured) returns to Jazz at the Bistro to open a weekend engagement. Cunningham's most recent appearance at the Bistro was last year around this time, on a double bill with fellow saxophonist Jim Stevens. He's kept up a busy gigging schedule in the interim, recently settling into a regular Friday night spot at Jazz on Broadway in Alton (though of course he'll be absent there this week when he's playing the Bistro). Cunningham has plenty of fans for his R&B/funk influenced sound, which means if you're planning on catching him at the Bistro, advance reservations probably are a good idea.

Also on Friday, singer Anita Rosamond will give a free outdoor performance for the film-and-music series at the Old Orchard Gazebo in Webster Groves (followed by a screening of the movie O Brother Where Art Thou); guitarist Tom Byrne's trio with vocalist Tandra Alexander plays at Robbie's House of Jazz; singer Anita Jackson will be taking Cunningham's Friday night spot at Jazz on Broadway; and guitarist Mason Baran will lead a quartet with bassist Nick Jost, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb and drummer Joe Winstein-Hibbs at the Cigar Inn.

Then on Saturday, the Funky Butt Brass Band plays a free, early evening outdoor concert at Lafayette Park; Brazilian music group Samba Bom will be performing at Focal Point; and guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio is at Robbie's.

On Sunday, the Funky Butt Brass Band will be doing another free outdoor show, at Carondelet Park; and singer Erin Bode and her band will be joined by Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra violinist and concertmaster David Halen and other special guests for a concert at the Foundry Arts Centre in St. Charles.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday drummer Joe Pastor's trio will be at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups. On Tuesday, Ain't Misbehavin resumes its schedule of weekly performances (continuing through the end of the month), and Robbie's will present their weekly jam session.

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.)

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