Bonerama returning to the Gramophone on Friday, September 14

New Orleans' Bonerama (pictured) is returning to St. Louis to perform at 9:00 p.m. Friday, September 14 at The Gramophone.

The group, which features a front line of four trombone players, has played here a number of times in the last few years, most recently in February 2012 at the Old Rock House.

Tickets for Bonerama at The Gramophone are $15 and are on sale now.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: GrandMothers of Invention 2012 Tour

This week, let's take a look at some videos of the GrandMothers of Invention, who will be in St. Louis to perform next Saturday, August 4 at the Old Rock House.

As their name, evoking Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, suggests, the GrandMothers are a tribute band performing Zappa's music. The group includes three former Mothers - Napoleon Murphy Brock (tenor sax, flute, vocals), Don Preston (keyboards, vocals) and Tom Fowler (bass) - along with Robbie "Seahag" Mangano (guitar, vocals) and Christopher Garcia (drums, vocals).

(Confusingly, the name "Grandmothers" also was used at one time by a band including former Zappa sidemen Jimmy Carl Black and Bunk Gardner. The current GrandMothers - the ones playing at the Old Rock House - have been together since 2002, albeit with some personnel changes, the most recent being the addition of Fowler after former bassist Roy Estrada went back to prison in California earlier this year. Adding to the confusion is that the GrandMothers of Invention at various times also have been billed as the Grande Mothers, the Grande Mothers Reinvented, the Grande Mothers Re: Invented, and several other variations on the theme.)

In any event, today we have for you some performance clips of the present-day GrandMothers of Invention, all shot during tour dates earlier this year. Note that all these clips were recorded by audience members, and so while the audio and video quality mostly are good enough, there are the sorts of variations you'd expect from material shot on the fly by non-pros using hand-held, consumer-level gear.

Up above is an extended medley, recorded in February in Verviers, Belgium, that runs through "Holiday in Berlin," "Aybe Sea" and "Little House I Used To Live In," then transitions into a couple of verses from the slow blues tunes "Merry Christmas, Baby" and "I Got News For You," and then jumps abruptly back into the end of "Little House."

Down below, the next four clips all were shot at various tour stops in May of this year. First, there's the familiar medley of "Oh No," "Orange County Lumber Truck," and "More Trouble Coming Every Day" made famous via the version on Zappa's Roxy and Elsewhere album. It was recorded at the Boulder Theatre in Boulder, CO, as was the following clip of "BeBop Tango (Of the Old Jazzman's Church)."

Then, there's a medley of "Pygmy Twylyte" and "Dummy Up," with a brief hip-hop interpolation of Grandmaster Flash's "The Message," recorded in Wilmington, DE. That's followed by another favorite combination from Roxy and Elsewhere, "Village of the Sun" and "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" recorded at Iridium in NYC. The final clip, recorded in February in Vienna, is a version of Zappa's memorable ode to the cultivation of dental floss, "Montana."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Riverfront Times' Joseph Hess writes briefly about Saturday's show by guitarist Bill Horist and bassist Darin Gray at the Schlafly Tap Room.

* The Village Voice has a review of one of last week's shows by saxophonist and St. Louis native Oliver Lake's Trio 3 at NYC's Birdland.

* The St. Louis Big Band has posted on their Facebook page some photo sets documenting recent gigs at the Casa Loma Ballroom and Sheldon Concert Hall.

* The Regional Arts Commission has put out a last call for St. Louis artists, musicians and other creative types to complete their "Artists Count!" survey. Next Tuesday, July 31 is the last day to take the survey at http://www.artistscount.com/.

* The Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival is looking for musicians to enter its "Webster's Got Talent" contest. The winners get a opening slot on one of the stages at this festival on Saturday, September 15. To see more details and download an application form, visit the festival website. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, August 14.

* Artist and author Kevin Belford's campaign to save the Palladium Building, aka Club Platnation, continues this week with the release of another graphic (pictured) designed to raise awareness of the threat to this historic structure that hosted performances from many of the greatest jazz and blues musicians of the 20th century.

Belford also linked to a new wrinkle in the story: a KTVI report that the proposed expansion of the Cochran VA Medical Center that threatens the Palladium also could wipe out the newest location of the popular soul food restaurant Sweetie Pie's, owned by former Ikettte Robbie Montgomery. Stay tuned...

* Lastly, have you voted you in StLJN's poll asking which nationally known St. Louis musicians should be asked to play at the proposed David Sanborn Jazz Festival next year? If not, go here sometime before next Tuesday and voice your choices!

Ronnie Burrage interview now online

Drummer and University City native Ronnie Burrage is coming home this weekend to perform Friday and Saturday at Robbie's House of Jazz, and earlier this week, he was kind enough to spend some time chatting by phone with yr. humble StLJN editor.

The article resulting from that conversation now is online, and you can read it on the RFT Music Blog here.

Jazz this week: Ronnie Burrage, Musica Slesa, All That Tap, Della Reese, and more

It's another week of extreme heat here in St. Louis, and yet the work of presenting jazz and creative music goes on unabated, with a homecoming gig for drummer and U City native Ronnie Burrage; the annual All That Tap festival; and several other noteworthy events. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, trumpeter Kasimu Taylor debuts a new quintet in the subterranean confines of the Cigar Inn, featuring Montez Coleman on drums, Bob DeBoo on bass, Eric Slaughter on guitar and Nicole Jonas on vocals. Taylor has gigged around town with a number of different funk, R&B, jazz and swing bands, but this reportedly is his first venture in a while as a leader, so here's your chance to get in on the ground floor, so to speak.

Also tonight, it's the monthly "Avant Garde Arts Night" at the Tavern of Fine Arts, featuring live improvised music from keyboardist Jim Hegarty, percussionist Tom Zirkle and a cast of co-conspirators. Word is that Hegarty will be bringing out his Moog Voyager for the gig, so if you're into vintage-style analog synthesis, this could be the show for you.

On Friday, drummer and U. City native Ronnie Burrage (pictured) will be back in town for the first of two evenings at Robbie's House of Jazz. Burrage, who's been teaching at Penn State University in recent years, will be fronting a hybrid version of his Band Burrage, bringing Philadelphia saxophonist Rick Tate with him, but also enlisting the aid of locals Bob DeBoo (bass) and Eric Slaughter (guitar).

In addition to drumming, Burrage is a keyboardist, singer and composer, and all those skills should be on display this weekend. For more about him, check out this Saturday video post that preceded his appearance here last summer. Also, I did an interview with Burrage that will be published shortly on the RFT Music Blog; once it's online at the RFT's site, there will be a link here, too.

Elsewhere on Friday, Latin-jazz group Musica Slesa will open a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro, and actress and singer Della Reese will perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall in a benefit for the Eugene Field Foundation. The Sheldon and Metrotix are offering a discount on the last of the regularly priced tickets for Reese's show; for details on that, go here.

On Saturday, it's the annual All That Tap concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, featuring a stellar lineup of tap dancers demonstrating their art with a musical assist from pianist Carolbeth True's trio.

Also on Saturday, saxophonist Jim Stevens will play a free outdoor concert at Lafayette Park; the Schlafly St. Louis Brewery & Tap Room will present a show of improvised/experimental music featuring the Darin Gray/Bill Horist Duo, Larva and Ghost Ice; and Jazz St. Louis' Young Friends organization will be having a patio party outside the Bistro while Musica Slesa is performing inside.

On Sunday, string-band swing band Dizzy Atmosphere will perform at the Tap Room; world music group Farshid Etniko plays a free outdoor concert at Carondelet Park; and the eclectic roots-music band Sins of the Pioneers will team up with the Compton Heights Concert Band for a free outdoor show at Francis Park, Eichelberger & Donovan. (The SOTP/CHCB will be repeated Monday night at Tower Grove Park.)

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.)

The Great Barrier Reefs to perform Thursday, August 9 at Pop's Blue Moon

The Great Barrier Reefs, a funk and fusion group based in Nashville, will perform at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, August 9 at Pop's Blue Moon.

The group (pictured) is led by steel pan player Tony Hartman of Roy "Futureman" Wooten's Black Mozart Ensemble, and also includes Taylor Lonardo (bass, audio production), Josh Dunlap (saxophone), Matthew Heller (drums), and Rheal Janelle (guitar). Their most recent album release is 2011's Finding Time, which includes nine original tracks touching on genres ranging from jazz fusion to the funk of the 1960s and '70s.

Tickets for The Great Barrier Reefs at Pop's Blue Moon will be $5 at the door.

Metrotix, Sheldon offering discount on tickets for Della Reese

Metrotix and the Sheldon Concert Hall are offering a 25% discount on tickets for this Friday's performance at the Sheldon by singer and actress Della Reese (pictured).

Reese's show "My Life In Song" draws on her six decades of experience singing jazz, blues, R&B, pop, and gospel music as she recounts her life in show business. The event is presented by the Eugene Field House Foundation.

Regular ticket prices are $60 and $40, but with the discount offer, you can purchase tickets for $45 and $30. To get the discount, go to the Metrotix website and use promo code DELLA. The offer also is available by phone through MetroTix, in person at the Fox Theatre box office, or at the door on the night of the show, but is not valid on previously purchased tickets.

StLJN Reader Poll: Who should play the David Sanborn Jazz Festival?

Last week, the Post-Dispatch ran a story announcing that plans were underway for a new jazz festival in St. Louis named after and featuring saxophonist David Sanborn. The article, linked above, indicated that organizers would like to book musicians for the event who have some sort of connection to St. Louis.

Which, as we wait for more details or an official announcement, raises a question: Who would St. Louis jazz fans like to see perform at the proposed David Sanborn Jazz Festival? Just for fun, we've created a poll listing some well-known musicians with connections to this area, and you're invited to take part and make your opinions known. You can select up to three choices from the list provided, or add your own. Just select "other," then add a comment, either on the poll or on this post, and write in the name of your alternate choice.

While we can't guarantee that anyone connected with the event will take notice of the results, it could provide some interesting possibilities for discussion...




(Edited for clarity after posting.)

Denise Thimes to perform at benefit for United Way on Saturday, September 8

Singer Denise Thimes will perform once again this year for the annual "Chocolate, Wine and All That Jazz" event kicking off the fall campaign for the Tri County Division of United Way. The fundraiser will take place starting at 6:30 p.m., Saturday September 8 at the Yacht Club of St. Louis, 105 Lake Village Dr in St. Charles.

In addition to music from Thimes (pictured, in a photo from last year's event) and her band, the evening will include wine tastings, chocolate sampling and hors d'oeuvres. Tickets are $60 each, and can be purchased online or by calling 636-939-3300.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the United Way of Greater St. Louis, which funds nearly 200 health and human service agencies located throughout a 16-county area in Missouri and Illinois.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A sampler of St. Louis big bands

Continuing with our recent informal sampling of St. Louis jazz and creative music by genre, this week let's check out some video clips of several of the big bands from around the area.

The video up top features one of the newer entries in the local field, the Dave Dickey Big Band, which began gigging around town last year, not long after Dickey, a trombonist and music educator, moved here to take a job with the Lindbergh School District. Here, you can see them, with special guest Roger Ingram on lead trumpet, playing the Duke Ellington classic "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" last month during their regular monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company. The DDBB's next appearance at Kirkwood Station is from 6:00 p..m. to 9:00 p.m. this Sunday, July 22.

Down below, the first clip shows another relatively new group, known simply as the St. Louis Big Band. Led by saxophonist and Webster University student Ryan Sheehan and featuring a number of younger, up-and-coming musicians, they're seen here performing "I've Got You Under My Skin" at Robbie's House of Jazz. The arrangement is by the band's saxophonist Dave Gill, and features guitarist Matt McCallie on vocals.

Below that, we've got clips of several other big bands that have been performing around the St. Louis area for years or, in some cases, decades. Today's third video features the Meramec Jazz Band playing an arrangement of Donald Fagen's "Walk Between the Raindrops" last year during one of their quarterly concerts at the Black Cat Theatre. Founded in 1969 on the campus of what's now known as St. Louis Community College - Meramec, the band currently is directed by Bob Boedges. The featured performers in this clip include singer Valerie Tichacek, trumpeters Fred Middlekauff and John Kinnison, alto saxophonist Colleen Templemeier, and tenor saxophonist Jason Kaminsky.

Next up, we have the Sessions Big Band, who have been playing on selected Mondays downtown at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups since the 1990s. This undated clip was made at BB's, and while the song sounds somewhat familiar to yr. humble StLJN editor, I must cop to not recognizing it by title. Perhaps one of our learned and erudite readers can identify it in the comments?

Below that, it's the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, led by bassist Jim Widner, who also directs the jazz program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, runs big band camps in several locations every summer, and heads up the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival. The Orchestra, which also has gigged with similar personnel and repertoire as the Jim Widner Big Band, is seen here playing "Danny Boy" in an undated clip that looks to have been recorded at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. The featured performers are trumpeter Lorenzo Trujillo and saxophonist Paul DeMarinis.

We finish up with two bands that make regular appearances at the Casa Loma Ballroom, playing for dancers on Friday nights. Video number six is a compilation of excerpts from several numbers by the long-running group the Ambassadors of Swing, recorded a couple of weeks ago at Casa Loma.

Today's seventh and final video features Second Generation Swing, formed in 1978 as the Althoff Catholic High School Alumni Jazz Band and also frequent performers at Casa Loma, playing an arrangement of Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Sheldon Art Galleries will present a major retrospective exhibition of the work of St. Louis-born artist Al Hirschfeld starting Friday, September 7 as part of The Sheldon’s 100th anniversary celebration. From the news release: "Al Hirschfeld’s Jazz and Broadway Scrapbook, the first major retrospective of the artist to be mounted in his hometown, will feature more than 100 original drawings, paintings, prints, collages, posters and ephemera from his long and important career, and reveals a heretofore unexplored, lifelong fascination with jazz."

"In addition to his artwork, the installation will feature his specially-made stereo system, his extensive jazz record collection, and African drums and Balinese shadow puppets from his home...A separate section of the exhibit focuses on his work in jazz and includes luminaries such as Jelly Roll Morton, Johnny Mercer, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, among many others."

* Jazz St. Louis has mailed out a lavish season brochure for 2012-13 that's really more like a magazine - it's 56 pages, with edge-to-edge color photos throughout. If you didn't get one from from the postman, you can view it online here.

* And speaking of Jazz St. Louis, their Young Friends organization is throwing a patio party outside Jazz at the Bistro from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 28. Latin jazz group Musica Slesa (pictured) will playing inside the Bistro, with an audio feed going out to the patio in nearby Strauss Park so partygoers can hear them while enjoying drinks, snacks and socializing. Entry to the patio is free, but donations to Jazz St. Louis's education programs are suggested.

* The Revivalist has some behind-the-scenes photos from the recent concert by the all-star Miles Davis tribute group, the Miles Electric Band, in Los Angeles.

* And since it's been an unusually slow news week, why not finish it by asking who looks more formidable in a lab coat - Amazing Spider-Man villain The Lizard, or avant-jazz trumpeter and St. Louis native Lester Bowie?

Post-Dispatch reports plans for David Sanborn Jazz Festival in St. Louis

This just in: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson has reported that plans are underway for a new jazz festival in St. Louis. The event would bear the name of, and be headlined by, saxophonist and St. Louis native David Sanborn (pictured) and would take place in September 2013 in the Grand Center neighborhood.

The story reports that the proposed David Sanborn Jazz Festival could run from one to three days, including both free outdoor shows and ticketed indoor concerts. The Bistro at Grand Center, home of Jazz St. Louis' Jazz at the Bistro series, likely would be one venue, with others in the Grand Center area including Powell Symphony Hall also under consideration. Along with Sanborn, the festival's bookings would emphasize musicians with a St. Louis connection.

Johnson's report is based on "a private meeting Thursday attended by organizers and potential investors of the festival." One of the reported investors is Entertainment Cruise Productions, formerly Jazz Cruises LLC, the company sponsoring Sanborn's concert with Brian Culbertson here next month at The Pageant.

StLJN will have more on this story as further details are revealed.

Jazz this week: Dan White Sextet, Willie Akins-Montez Coleman Quartet, Freddie Washington's Coltrane tribute, and more

This week's menu of noteworthy jazz and creative music shows around St. Louis includes headlining appearances by two longtime local favorite tenor saxophonists, as well as the local debut of an up-and-coming touring band. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, the Dan White Sextet from Columbus, Ohio will be in St. Louis for the first time to perform at Robbie's House of Jazz. Their debut release, New York Sessions, features a tight ensemble sound and some interesting solos in service of an enjoyable selection of original tunes and off-the-beaten-path covers. You can see and hear some samples of their music here.

Also tonight, the Cabaret Project St. Louis will present their monthly "open mic" night at the Tavern of Fine Arts

On Thursday evening, singer Erin Bode and her group will do a free concert at Bluebird Park in Ellisville.

Then on Friday, saxophonist Willie Akins and drummer Montez Coleman will team up to co-lead a quartet for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro. Akins has been a St. Louis hard bop/post-bop stalwart since the early 1960s, while Coleman, who's originally from East St. Louis and is roughly half Akins' age, already has made his mark recording and touring with major musicians including Roy Hargrove, Russell Malone and McCoy Tyner.

That same evening, the young saxophonist Kendrick Smith, having recently concluded a month-long run as part of the band for Stages St. Louis' production of Ain't Misbhavin', will lead a trio at the Cigar Inn; and the Ambassadors of Swing will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

On Saturday, the Funky Butt Brass Band plays at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

On Sunday afternoon, there are several shows on tap, starting with the St. Louis Jazz Club presenting trad jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey in a matinee concert at Bel Air Bowl in Belleville.

Also on Sunday afternoon, saxophonist Freddie Washington will headline a concert that's being billed as "a tribute to John Coltrane" at the Bistro at Grand Center. A benefit for Community Women Against Hardship, the event includes brunch plus music from Washington, bassist Jeff Anderson, drummer Jerome "Scrooge" Harris, pianist Matt Villinger and singer Anita Jackson.

Then early Sunday evening, you can choose between two big band performances, as saxophonist Stan Coleman leads the STL Metro Youth Jazz Band in a free concert at Ivory Perry Park, 800 Belt Ave., while at the same time trombonist Dave Dickey's big band does their monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday pianist Dave Becherer's trio will be at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

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.)

Marco Benevento to perform Wednesday, September 26 at Old Rock House

Keyboard player Marco Benevento (pictured) is coming to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 26 at the Old Rock House.

Benevento, who's originally from New Jersey and now lives in Brooklyn, has connections to both the jazz and jam band scenes. He studied music at Berklee and first began to gain wide recognition in the early 2000s for his duo project with drummer Joe Russo.

Since then, he has released six CDs as a solo artist/bandleader, with a seventh, TigerFace, set to come out in early September on the Royal Potato Family label. In addition to his solo projects, Benevento also has been a member of Garage A Trois and of Bitches Brew Revisited, the Miles Davis-inspired band with Cindy Blackman, Graham Haynes, Melvin Gibbs, DJ Logic and other NYC musicians.

Tickets for Marco Benevento at Old Rock House are $12 in advance, $15 day of show, and will go on sale at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, July 20.

St. Louis Cabaret Festival set for Friday, August 10 - Saturday, August 12

The St. Louis Cabaret Conference and co-sponsors The Presenters Dolan have announced the lineup of public performances for the 2012 St. Louis Cabaret Festival, which will take place starting Friday, August 10 through Sunday, August 12 at the Bistro at Grand Center, 3536 Washington Ave.

Cabaret and Broadway star Karen Mason (pictured) will kick off the weekend with a performance at 8:00 p.m., Friday, August 10 at the Bistro. Mason, who will be making her St. Louis cabaret debut with this show, has headlined at nearly every major nightclub and concert hall in New York and is the winner of 10 MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) Awards, 3 Bistro Awards, and the Nightlife Award.

Her Broadway performances include lead roles in Hairspray, Mamma Mia, and Sunset Boulevard, for which she received standing ovations on Broadway and in Los Angeles for her portrayal of Norma Desmond. Mason also has performed musical theater in St. Louis, starring at The Muny as Mama Rose in Gypsy.

At 8:00 p.m. on Friday, the Festival will present a diverse bill of performers including Barbara Fasano, Eric Comstock, Jason Graae and Rick Jensen that is designed to showcase "the breadth and depth of cabaret."

Fasano and Comstock - her husband, performing partner, and pianist - will team up to present their take on Great American Songbook standards, while Graae's approach emphasizes his skills as a comic performer. Singer and music director Jensen will round out the show with some of his original pop material.

The Festival concludes at 7:00 p.m. Sunday with the annual St. Louis Cabaret Conference Showcase. Directed by Graae and Fasono, the showcase will feature 20 singers from in and around St. Louis who have taken part in the Conference's four days of intensive workshops and master classes.

Tickets are priced at $35 each for the Friday and Saturday shows, and $20 each for Sunday's showcase. Tickets can be purchase online at http://www.licketytix.com or by phone by calling 314-725-4200, ext 10.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Swingin' St. Louis

Last week in this space, we served up a six-pack of videos from St. Louis-based musicians working in the experimental and free improv genres. This week, we journey to the polar opposite end of the musical spectrum with a sampler of six local groups working in early, pre-WWII swing and jazz styles.

Up top, you can hear Cornet Chop Suey playing an arrangement combining "When My Dreamboat Comes Home" and "Westmoreland Weave" in March, 2010 for the Great River Jazz Society in Hannibal, MO. The group includes Brian Casserly (trumpet), Tommy Tucker (trumpet), Jerry Epperson (reeds), Brett Stamps (trombone), Steve Hoover (piano), Al Sherman (bass), and John Gillick (drums).

Down below, it's Sarah Jane & The Blue Notes, caught live in May of this year at Jumpin' Jupiter playing "Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't My Baby?". Sarah Jane is on vocals, with a band including Jerry Greene (soprano sax), Doug Burns (trombone), Ben Osborne (guitar), Gian Vianello (banjo & harmonica), and Mike Major (drums).

That's followed by Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers doing "Minnie the Moocher," recorded last October at Rue Lafayette. That's Lew Winer III on soprano sax and Dan Conner on drums backing Miss Jubilee on vocals; the rest of the musicians are uncredited, but if you know who's who, please chime in via the comments.

In the fourth spot, you'll find the St. Louis Ragtimers performing "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" in a concert last July for Saint Louis Jazz Club. Al Stricker is the banjo player and vocalist, joined by Trebor Tichenor (piano), Bill Mason (cornet), Eric Sager (clarinet), Don Franz (bass saxophone), Steve Hoog (tuba), and Joe Thompson (trombone).

Sager pops up again in the next clip, this time as part of the Sidemen, a group that also features Carl Pandolfi (piano), Rich Tralles (bass), and John Marshall (drums). They're shown here playing "China Boy" at Rue Lafayette during a gig in May of this year.

Last but not least, it's Swing Deville, offering a take on the string-driven "hot club" sound with their version of "Limehouse Blues." The band members include Justin Branum (violin), Clint Hasse (guitar), Gary Hunt (guitar) and Glenn Meyers (bass), and the undated clip was recorded at the Schlafly Bottleworks.











(Edited after posting to correct the name of Cornet Chop Suey's piano player and the name of the tune they're playing in the clip.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Bassist and St. Louis native Tom Kennedy (pictured) is the subject of a profile in the latest issue of Down Beat

* Meanwhile, saxophonist Oliver Lake's Trio 3, with bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille, got a plug from the New Yorker for their gig next week at NYC's Birdland.

* Last Thursday's show by Victor Wooten at the Old Rock House was reviewed by KDHX's Wil Wander.

* The Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries are looking for volunteers for their 2012-2013 season. Volunteers are needed for a range of jobs, from ushering at concerts and welcoming guests to the art galleries, to assisting with mailings and other office duties. If you'd like to get involved, call The Sheldon's volunteer coordinator at 314-553-9900, ext 30, or visit the Sheldon's website.

* Jazz St. Louis has announced the list of area music students who will participate in the organization's JazzU and Jazz St. Louis All-Stars programs during the 2012-13 academic year. In all, fifty high school and middle school students, comprising seven different ensembles, will take part. You can see the complete list of the student musicians and their schools here.

* And while we're on the Jazz St. Louis beat, there's news this week that they're one of five presenters in the USA who will receive funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (via the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus) to implement findings from a recent study by the Jazz Audiences Initiative.

According to this story posted at JazzCorner.com, the program is funded to the tune of $120,000 and begins in the fall of this year. It will focus on "presenting in new/smaller venues, booking new artists in particular markets, and testing new marketing messages and images."

Jazz this week: Good 4 The Soul, Sandy Weltman, a benefit for Stacy Johnson, and more

Ready to hear some live jazz this weekend in St. Louis? Well, it's been a hectic week here at StLJN HQ, the result being that this post is going to be a rather minimal names-days-and-places kind of thing, without much in the way of additional commentary or recommendation.

Since all the touted gigs involve St. Louis musicians, there shouldn't be a whole lot of introductions needed, but as always, links back to the artists' sites are provided whenever available. Now, let's go the highlights....

Tonight, the Ambassadors of Swing will give a free outdoor concert at Watson Trail Pool, 12512 W. Watson in Crestwood. The performance will be followed by a screening of the animated film "Surf's Up."

Also tonight, singer Ralph Butler is at Robbie's House of Jazz, and bassist Dave Troncoso leads a trio at The Wine Press, 4436 Olive St. 63108,

On Friday, jazz/funk quartet Good 4 The Soul (pictured) returns to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of two nights.

Also on Friday, multi-instrumentalist Sandy Weltman will perform at City Music as part of their Friday night concert series; singer Feyza Eren and her group will be at Robbie's; and the St. Louis Big Band will play for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom. On the east side, drummer Paul Shaw's trio with bassist Bob DeBoo and tenor saxophonist Kristian Baarsvik will perform at the Cigar Inn,

On Saturday, keyboard player Tony Simmons will do a free, early evening outdoor show at Westport Plaza; and saxophonist Jerry Greene leads a quartet at Robbie's.

And this Sunday afternoon brings the summer edition of the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show to the American Czech Center, 4690 Lansdowne Ave. on the south side.

Also on Sunday afternoon, there's a benefit performance at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups for blues and soul singer Stacy Johnson, who's suffered some serious health problems in recent years and has been unable to work for some time now. Johnson, who's 67, has been a fixture on the St. Louis music scene since the late 1950s, so there no doubt will be a good turnout of local blues players lending their talents to support the cause.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band will do their monthly gig at BB's.

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.)

Sonny Rollins reschedules St. Louis concert to Saturday, June 22, 2013

St. Louis jazz fans who are eagerly anticipating another chance to hear the man known as the "Saxophone Colossus" will have to wait a bit longer. Jazz St. Louis has announced that saxophonist Sonny Rollins (pictured) has rescheduled his performance at the Touhill Performing Arts Center from Friday, October 12 of this year to Saturday, June 22, 2013.

JSL executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford said that Rollins requested the date change so that he could get a bit more time to rest between legs of his 2012 tour. The saxophonist, who will turn 82 in September, is spending most of the summer and fall in Europe, though he does have a couple of US dates scheduled. "He's getting to a point where he needs to pace himself," said Bradford. "We love Sonny, and we're looking forward to seeing him, so we made the change."

Tickets for Sonny Rollins at the Touhill Performing Arts Center will go on sale in August via the Touhill box office.

Fred Tompkins releases new album Flute Settings

St. Louis based composer and flute player Fred Tompkins has released a new album, Flute Settings.

Local musicians joining Tompkins in performing on the album include keyboard player Jim Hegarty, drummer Charlie Dent, saxophonist and clarinetist Dave Cheli, and steel pan player Boyd F Becker-Nunley. Flute Settings features five of Tompkins' original compositions, one piece each by Hegarty and Becker-Nunley, and an interpretation of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman."

You can hear samples from the album at Tompkins' website, linked above. Flute Settings is available for purchase there and from Amazon.com.

(Edited 7/11/12 to fix a broken link.)

Dan White Sextet to perform Wednesday, July 18 at Robbie's House of Jazz

The Dan White Sextet, an up-and-coming jazz group based in Columbus, OH, will make their St. Louis debut with a gig at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 18 at Robbie's House of Jazz.

Comprised of five current or former Ohio State students, plus one member who's still matriculating at Juilliard, the group put out their first album, New York Sessions, earlier this year. It features an eclectic mix of originals and covers, ranging from Dave Matthews and Radiohead tunes to “Man Out Of You” from the Disney movie Mulan, and was released first as a series of YouTube videos, then as an audio album via iTunes.

In addition to White (pictured), a saxophonist and clarinetist, the personnel on the recording includes trombonist Chris Ott, bassist Adam DeAscentis, drummer John Hubbell, keyboard player Chris Ziemba, and Jon Lampley, who doubles on trumpet and sousaphone. Lampley also is part of the touring horn section for the rock band O.A.R., who will be performing in St. Louis the next night at the Fox Theatre, a bit of tour routing that in turn made possible the gig at Robbie's.

Admission for the Dan White Sextet at Robbie's will be $10 at the door, $5 for students with ID. You can see and hear them perform one of the tunes from New York Sessions in the embedded video window below. "Sweatin'" was written by Lampley, and it has a sort of Jazz-Crusaders-go-to-New Orleans vibe. You can check out the rest of the tracks from the album here.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A look at outside St. Louis

It's been too hot here for the last week and a half in St. Louis to spend much time outside physically, so today we've got some videos for you that go outside in a musical sense. This sampling of live performance clips from area musicians whose work might be called experimental, free-form, or avant garde includes:

* Electronic musician Eric Hall, seen up above in a solo set recorded at Washington University's Steinberg Auditorium in December 2010;

* Flute player and composer Fred Tompkins and keyboardist/composer Jim Hegarty, seen in the first clip down below joining forces to perform Tompkins' piece "My Changes." The performance, recorded in January 2011 at the St. Charles Coffee House, starts with what Tompkins calls "certain points of reference - tonalities, a general idea of style and overall form" while leaving the exact note choices and length of each section open;

* An excerpt from one of the "Drum Line" concerts presented in 2011 by the Nu-Art Series, featuring drummers Charles "Bobo" Shaw, Gary Sykes, Jerome "Scrooge" Harris and Johnny Johnson;

* Part of an electronic music performance from Joe Raglani and Jeremy Kannapell, recorded last year at the music and art venue Floating Laboratories;

* An improvisation by percussionists Thomas Zirkle and Matt Henry, who sometimes perform together under the name HaZmaT;

* More improv from the Off-Topic Collective, a project that included Hegarty, bassist Willem von Hombracht, percussionist Henry Claude, and saxophonist Dave Stone. The clip was shot in February 2009 at the Kranzberg Arts Center;

* And finally, yet another live improv featuring Stone and friends (the clip is too dark to identify most of the players) recorded last August at El Leñador.

Obligatory disclaimer: Due to the nature of free improvisation, what you see in these clips may or may not resemble what any of these musicians may do on their next live gig. Also, the players seen here certainly aren't the only people in town doing this sort of thing. Think of this post as being merely a representative sample of some names to watch for...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Stages St. Louis' production of the Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin' came under the scrutiny of the show's creator during its final weekend, as Richard Maltby Jr, who directed the original, Tony Award winning Broadway production, visited St. Louis to catch Friday's performance.

Calling the Stages production "Broadway level work (or higher)" and "one of the best productions this show has ever received," Maltby Jr. schmoozed with theater patrons and staff, and posed for photos with the show's cast and band (pictured). Seen in the photo here, from left, are saxophonists Kendrick Smith and Jason Swagler, drummer Bernard Long Jr, Maltby, trombonist Cody Henry, bassist Jahmal Nichols, and trumpeter Matt Bittles.

* Jazz St. Louis this week announced a $50,000 gift from the Monsanto Fund to support their JazzU program during the 2012-13 academic year. The gift will let JSL continue to offer JazzU at no cost to students, and to reimburse them for transportation costs when necessary. JazzU provides weekly private instruction in ensemble playing, improvisation, music theory, and listening strategies to middle school and high school students from all over the St. Louis area.

* There's also good news this week for saxophonist and St. Louis native Greg Osby, who's one of thirteen recipients of a 2012 Pew Fellowship in the Arts worth $60,000. The awards go to Philadelphia artists from a variety of disciplines; the only other jazz musician to win one this year is saxophonist and Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen.

* Another saxophonist and St. Louis expat, Eric Person, has a new album out this week. The new CD from TrioKinesis, with Person, bassist Joseph Lepore and drummer Shinnosuke Takahashi, is available on iTunes, Amazon and CDBaby.com.

* Blues historian, author, illustrator and preservationist Kevin Belford is the latest local artist to take part in Feast magazine's "Booze Doodles" series.

* The St. Louis Rivermen played the annual Greater Olympia Dixieland Jazz Festival in Washington last weekend, and got a shout-out from the local paper.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band has posted online an album of photos from their show last week for the St. Louis Zoo's "Jungle Boogie" concert series

* The US Air Force is downsizing its band program, and the ensembles based at Scott AFB in metro east are among those being discontinued. The Post-Dispatch's Sarah Bryan Miller has a story about the last days of the 571st Air Force Band here.

* Condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and students of Matthew "Matt" Rice, band director at Fox High School in Arnold, who died Thursday of what news accounts say were natural causes. Rice, who was 37, directed several different ensembles at the school, including the jazz band.

Visitation is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday, July 9 at First Baptist Church, 2012 Missouri State Rd in Arnold. The funeral will take place at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 10 at the church, and Fox HS will hold a candlelight vigil at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening.

Alan Evans Trio returning to Old Rock House on Tuesday, September 4

Having made their St. Louis debut in May at the Old Rock House, drummer Alan Evans' trio will return to the ORH at 9:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 4.

Evans (pictured) is best known for his work with the funk/jazz group Soulive, but has been touring with his trio in support of their first album Drop Hop, which was released earlier this year. Along with Evans on drums and vocals, the trio features organist Beau Sasser and guitarist Danny Meyer.

Tickets for the Alan Evans Trio at the Old Rock House are $10 in advance, $12 day of show, and will go on sale at 5:00 p.m. Friday, July 6 via Metrotix.

Jazz this week: Victor Wooten, Reggie and Mardra Thomas, and more

Though many StLJN readers may be getting time off for Independence Day, and some even enjoying a bit of additional vacation this week, the business of live jazz and creative music goes on. Here are few of the highlights happening in and around St. Louis for the next few days:

With regard to tonight, while there are a number of regular weekly gigs that usually happen around town on Wednesdays, remember that holiday schedules can be unpredictable in the bar/restaurant business. So while StLJN hasn't received any cancellation notices, we suggest that if you're setting out for a particular destination it would be a very good idea to call ahead first to make sure they're open (and that live music is going on as scheduled).

Tomorrow night, bassist Victor Wooten will be back in town to perform at the Old Rock House. Wooten (pictured) was here earlier this year with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, but this time around, he'll be promoting the upcoming release of his latest solo project, set for release in September. For more about that and Wooten, and to see some video clips of him in action, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Thursday, singer Jeanne Trevor, saxophonist Willie Akins, pianist and singer Curt Landes, and bassist Willem von Hombracht will team up for a show at Joe's Cafe, the house concert space and gallery operated by artist Bill Christman at 6014 Kingsbury Ave. in the Central West End.

On Friday and Saturday, pianist Reggie Thomas and singer Mardra Thomas will be at Jazz at the Bistro, returning to St. Louis for their first performances here since moving to Michigan last year so that Reggie could teach at Michigan State University. Look for the Thomases to be accompanied on the gig by some of Reggie's former musical colleagues from the SIUE jazz faculty, and for a good turnout at the Bistro to welcome the couple back home.

Also on Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham will be back at Jazz on Broadway; retro swing band Wack-A-Doo will perform at the Map Room; and pianist James Matthews will lead a trio at the Wine Press.

On Saturday, swing and jump blues band Miss Jubilee at the Humdingers will play in a free outdoor concert at Benton Park, which is at the intersection of Jefferson and Arsenal on the south side. They're second on the bill, following the Johnny Cash tribute act One More Round.

Then on Sunday, there are a couple more free outdoor shows, as the St. Louis Ragtimers perform in a concert at Carondelet Park, and the St. Charles Community Big Band will play at Frontier Park on the river in old St. Charles.

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.)

Ronnie Burrage to play Friday, July 27 & Saturday, July 28 at Robbie's House of Jazz

Drummer Ronnie Burrage, who grew up in University City and has performed with many jazz greats, is coming back home to lead his own band in performances at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28 at Robbie's House of Jazz.

Burrage (pictured) has worked with musicians such as McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul and Archie Shepp, and also has appeared on gigs and recordings with other St. Louisans including Lester Bowie, Hamiet Bluiett, Kelvyn Bell, and Joseph Bowie's band Defunkt. In addition to drumming and composing, he also plays keyboards and mallet percussion, and currently teaches music at Penn State University.

For his performances at Robbie's, Burrage will bring along saxophonist Rick Tate, who's from Philadelphia. They'll be joined by two St. Louis musicians, bassist Bob DeBoo and guitarist Eric Slaughter. Burrage told StLJN he also hopes to have a guest vocalist each night, and had talked with (though at this writing, had not confirmed) singers Cherise Swann and Lynne Fiddmont.

You can read more about Ronnie Burrage and see some video clips of him performing in this Saturday video post from last year. The ticket price for his shows at Robbie's has not been announced.

Saxquest announces four free master classes for summer, fall

Saxquest has announced the featured artists and dates for four more free master classes this summer and fall.

First up is saxophonist and educator Chip McNeill, who will appear with his quartet at the south-side saxophone sales and repair shop at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 4. McNeill is known for his work in the bands of trumpeters Arturo Sandoval and Maynard Ferguson, and presently serves as associate professor and chair of jazz studies at the University of Illinois.

Next up, saxophonist Jeff Coffin and members of his band, The Mu'tet, will be at Saxquest at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, August 20. Coffin, who's based in Nashville, was a member of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones from 1997 to 2010, and then joined the Dave Matthews Band in 2008 after the death of their original saxophonist LeRoi Moore.

The following month, saxophonist Bob Sheppard will visit the shop starting at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 9. Sheppard's credits include a wide range of studio work, film and television projects, as well as tours with Steely Dan, James Taylor, Natalie Cole and other major artists.

The fourth master class will be presented by saxophonist and clarinetist Victor Goines (pictured) at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, October 20. Goines has been a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Septet since 1993, and also is the director of jazz studies at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. He's performed in St. Louis several times in recent years, both as a leader at Jazz at the Bistro and the Sheldon Concert Hall, and with JaLCO at the Sheldon.

All of these events are free and open to the public. Saxquest is located at 2114 Cherokee, two blocks west of Jefferson.

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

Though the early summer heat may be oppressive in many parts of USA, StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds is still a cool place to hang out and watch some online music videos. Each day brings a different clip, featuring some of the all-time greats in genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, classic rock, prog rock and experimental.

For example, recent posts have included video performances by B.B. King, Colosseum, Ray Charles, Deodato, Charlie Parker, McCoy Tyner Trio with Chico Freeman, Mingus Big Band, Gene Harris, Bill Evans, Was (Not Was), Jimmy Witherspoon, Roy Hargrove and the WDR Big Band, Sonny Rollins, Steely Dan, Wes Montgomery, Bob Dylan, Count Basie, Fred Wesley and the New JBs, Taj Mahal, Elvin Jones, Fela Kuti, Otis Redding, and Jon Hendricks.

If you've somehow managed to miss out on all this until now, not to worry. You still can see all these videos, plus hundreds more carefully curated clips from the astounding archives, simply by going to http://heliocentricworlds.blogspot.com/.