Friday, January 22, 2016

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The 50th anniversary of famed sound engineer and designer Bob Heil's company (based in Fairview Heights, IL) is the subject of an article by St. Louis freelance writer and musician Kevin Mitchell for the music trade website Front of House Online.

* Speaking of freelance writers, St. Louis' own Terry Perkins has two articles in the current (February 2016) issue of DownBeat magazine: a feature story on trumpeter Randy Brecker, and a short history of Murry's, a club in Columbia, MO that's listed in the same issue as one of "193 Great Jazz Venues" worldwide.

Also making the jazz venue list from Missouri were Jazz St. Louis' Ferring Jazz Bistro, aka Jazz at the Bistro, and the Blue Room in Kansas City. While neither of Perkins' articles currently is among the limited content offered by DownBeat for free online, the mag would, of course, be happy to sell you a copy or an annual subscription to either the print or digital version. (Or you can look for a print copy at a bookstore or newsstand, if you can find one of those.)

* And speaking of Jazz St. Louis, the organization's executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford was interviewed on video by the website OnStL.

* According to an article by Joe Holleman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and STLtoday.com, downtown's Thaxton Speakeasy (pictured), which features live vintage jazz and swing most Thursday evenings, is being sued by ASCAP for non-payment of performance rights fees.

* Free-improvising pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn was interviewed briefly for a preview, published on the KDHX website, of her New Music Circle concert tonight with drummer Frank Rosaly.

* Also on the KDHX website, the St. Louis Banjo Club is the subject of a feature article by volunteer Bill Motchan.

* Two St. Louis natives, trumpeter Keyon Harrold and keyboardist Shedrick Mitchell, were among the musicians pictured in a New York Times photo feature about the recently concluded Winter Jazzfest.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn is set to be a guest performer on the upcoming album from Chicago saxophonist Frank Catalano and ex-Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlain.

* Collinsville native Angela Sapolis' cabaret show on January 28 at the Monocle was previewed in a story in the Belleville News Democrat.

* Keyboardist and impresario Michael Silverman was featured on the blog of digital sheet music vendor Musica Neo.

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