Thursday, June 30, 2005
Ronnie Burrage to appear at
Cookie's on Wednesday, July 20
Ronnie Burrage
Drummer Ronnie Burrage, a University City native who has worked with some of the best musicians in the world, will return home to St. Louis on Wednesday, July 20 for a performance at Cookie's Jazz and More.
Burrage's Web site (Warning: Flash site is slow-loading on dialup connections) says he'll be performing with a trio, but doesn't list the personnel. But given the quality of company Burrage usually keeps - his past associations include work with McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Reggie Workman, Freddy Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Joe Farrell, Sonny Fortune, Courtney Pine, Gary Thomas, World Saxophone Quartet, Dave Kikoski, Art Farmer, Billy Bang. John Hicks, Archie Shepp and Defunkt, among others - I think it's a pretty safe bet that this will be worth hearing.
Contemporary's Schankman now managing
trumpet great Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
In last week's flurry of Jazz Festival coverage, I overlooked an item from Kevin Johnson's Post-Dispatch column announcing that Steve Schankman, founder of Contemporary Productions and one of the owners of Finale Music and Dining, will be taking over managerial duties for Maynard Ferguson. Schankman, a trumpet player himself who leads the horn section for the Fabulous Motown Review, has been friends with Ferguson for years, and has already booked the trumpeter for a return engagement at Finale during Thanksgiving week.
Jazz this week: Victor Wooten, club gigs,
and a few words on American music
Victor Wooten
After last week's flurry of activity, it's a relatively slow week for jazz in St. Louis. Victor Wooten, best known as bassist with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, is the only major touring act in town this week, appearing Thursday night at the VooDoo Lounge at Harrah's Casino. Wooten is performing shows in support of his recent solo album Soul Circus, and given his bass-hero status, you can count on there being plenty of aspiring bassists in the audience hanging on his every thumb-pop.
Also on Thursday night, Erin Bode is performing at Brandt's, while bassist Tom Kennedy brings his trio to Crossings Taverne and Grill.
Over the weekend, Crossings features Al Oxenhandler and the Curt Landes Trio on Friday, and the Scott Alberici - Steve Schenkel duo on Saturday, and the steady gigs of stalwart saxophonists Dave Stone (Friday at Mangia Italiano) and Willie Akins (Saturday at Spruill's) provide additional worthy options.
Of course, the biggest musical events of the weekend will be the the rock, pop and country concerts held at the riverfront for Fair St. Louis. Jazz has seldom been represented at this event, though some local jazz groups performed on side stages during its early days as the VP Fair, and there was one year - I'm thinking 1989, but could be wrong about this - when the Fair actually booked Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy and Cecil Taylor, among others. Given that jazz is one of the United States of America's true homegrown art forms, it's a shame there's not a way to work a little bit more of it into our town's birthday celebration for the nation.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Welcome, Blog St. Louis readers
(For those that don't know, Archpundit is one of the St. Louis area's most-linked-to bloggers, known for his eponymous site covering Illinois and national politics and for Blog St. Louis, which covers City politics with occasional detours into other local miscellany. If you haven't read his sites, check 'em out - they're good.)
Center for Humanities, Jazz at the Bistro collaborate as Wash U summer institute focuses on jazz
He confirmed that the Bistro is trying to move toward becoming a year-round operation, starting earlier in the fall, ending later in the spring, and filling weeks between touring acts with local talent. Another potentially important part of the move toward twelve months of programming is JATB's first "Summer Jazz Spectacular," comprised of three weekends of live jazz coming up in July. The series begins with Bucky Pizzarelli on July 8 and 9, followed by Pat Martino on July 15 and 16, and wraps up July 22 and 23 with a Tribute to Jimmy Smith, featuring Willie Akins and Reggie Thomas.
The "Spectacular" is, in part, a test to see if a large enough audience will turn out for jazz performances at a time of year when the Bistro has not been active before. But it's more than that, because with what strikes me as some smart thinking, the Bistro has been able to cushion itself somewhat against a financial downside on these dates by collaborating with Washington University's Center for the Humanities.
The CEH, headed by noted author, scholar and jazz fan Gerald Early, is conducting a summer institute for high school teachers this July called "Teaching Jazz as American Culture." From the institute's Web site:
"It will offer participants an exciting opportunity to learn about one of the most extraordinary art forms the United States has ever produced and how this art form, at the height of its popularity and power, deeply impacted many aspects of American artistic and cultural life—vernacular speech, film, fine art, literature, and fashion—and American social and commercial life—race relations, sex relations, and the dissemination of art to the masses. The primary goal of the institute is to work with teachers to show how, through the study of the social, cultural, technical, and aesthetic history of a major American musical genre, jazz, they can reconfigure aspects of teaching history, literature, music, art and film while broadening students’ understanding of the political, social, and commercial impact that an artistic movement can have."
Although enrollment in the course closed long ago (and was only open to high school teachers, anyway), the Web site is still an interesting read for the ideas and questions it raises about the role of jazz in American culture, and, more generally, the idea of using a specific art form such as jazz as a lens through which to view society.
And if you work your way down to the list of the various components of the institute, you'll see one devoted to live performance. That's where the Bistro comes in, for the "Summer Jazz Spectacular" is also the performance component of the Institute, and Bradford a guest lecturer. By collaborating with Washington University, an institution known to be quite well-endowed, JATB is able to stretch their budget, try something new, and minimize the downside risk, and both the Institute's students and the general public get to hear some good music. Sounds like a win-win scenario to me.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Jazz Festival, part 6: Saturday in the park
Entering the Jazz Festival site, I managed to catch the last number by the Carolbeth True Trio, the first act of the afternoon. They were swinging hard and sounding crisp, and got a nice hand from the smallish group - a few dozen at most - watching their performance.
I'm not much good at estimating crowd sizes, but at this point, it looked like there were two to three hundred people settled in front of the stage to watch Dave Douglas, with a few hundred more milling about the grounds. The crowd did grow steadily throughout Douglas' set, but I couldn't help but wonder how many more people would have turned out if the temperatures had been ten degrees cooler.
Despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions, I really enjoyed the Quintet's performance. As Douglas suggested in my interview with him, their music is an exploration of a road not taken, a place where the infusion of electric instruments into jazz didn't inevitably lead to the twin dead ends of chops-obsessed fusion and the manicured funk of smooth jazz. With its seamless integration of composition and improvisation, use of extended forms, and the signature presence of the Rhodes piano (played with consummate skill on Saturday by David Berkman), Douglas' Quintet music has frequently been compared to Miles Davis' work just before Bitches Brew. It's a valid comparison, but as Douglas pointed out, there are plenty of other reference points from the same era, too.
Regardless, Douglas himself sounds nothing like Miles. His tone is brighter, and though he can be terse at times, he generally seems to favor longer, more elaborate lines than Miles did in a similar context. On the closer "Seventeen," Douglas even manifested some flurries that recalled Don Cherry. Tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin was somewhat undermiked for most of the show, but revealed a fine technique and compelling imagination when he was fully audible.
McCaslin showed a Shorter-like elusiveness in a few passages, but was positively extroverted in others, blowing with conviction stoked by the rhythm team of James Genus on bass and Clarence Penn on drums. I especially enjoyed Penn, a smiling, energetic and charismatic presence who distributes the beat over his entire kit, relying as much on space and color as on sheer force. Penn has clearly absorbed the work of Tony Williams and Elvin Jones, but to my ears, there were also bits reminiscent of Billy Hart, Jack DeJohnette and even Billy Higgins, on Douglas' composition "Skeeterism," a quick-changing musical landscape inspired by the energetic antics of his son at age seven.
It was complex music, the kind that demands (and rewards) a listeners' full attention, and though the languid, almost hallucinatory quality of some sections seemed somehow appropriate in the sweltering heat, all five musicians managed to keep the energy level up throughout the performance. The set list included "Strange Liberation," "A Single Sky," "Just Save This" and "Skeeterism" - all announced from the stage by Douglas - and finished with two long pieces identified after the show by McCaslin as "Culture Wars" and "Seventeen." All had enough twists and turns to merit repeat listening, and I look forward to getting a couple of the Quintet's CDs so I can compare my memory of the concert performances to the recorded versions. There was a lot of musical substance there, and the Festival organizers deserve kudos for including the Dave Douglas Quintet in this year's lineup.
By the time Douglas finished at 6 p.m., a lot more people had entered the Festival grounds, with a steady stream still on their way in. However, I'd be very surprised if this year's attendance matches the totals from last year. I plan to call Festival executive director Cynthia Prost this week to get her take on how the event went, and I'll post any information gleaned from that conversation, as well as any other post-Festival reports I can find, right here.
Update: Calvin Wilson's review of Saturday's Fest-ivities, written for the Post-Dispatch, is now online here.
Jazz festival, part 5: Post review of Friday's show
Though there are no precise figures cited, it would seem that Friday's crowd was less than expected/hoped for, with the heat and humidity as likely culprits in holding down attendance. And it seems odd to me that the review is uncredited, at least in the online version. I can't ever remember the Post running a review of anything without a byline, so perhaps it's just an oversight that will be corrected later. I plan to buy the dead tree verion of the paper later today to compare to the online version. But in the meantime, it's interesting to consider this comment about Peabo Bryson that closes out the Post story:
"No, what Bryson was performing wasn’t jazz. But there’s no denying it pleased those who came to hear him. He’s an R&B singer, plain and simple, and he wouldn’t claim otherwise. But if festival producers present his music under the banner of jazz, and audiences accept that perception as reality, what’s next in the “brave new world” of jazz fest programming?"
I wonder if the the author of this review could be one of the (unnamed and unquoted) critics who prompted the quotes from Festival organizers in Kevin Johnson's story from last week? The plot thickens.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Jazz Festival, Part 4: The pre-show link roundup
The purpose of this post is simple: to offer one-stop linkage for all your Jazz Festival informational needs. Artists' Web sites, where available, are linked in the schedule, with more handy links afterwards
Friday, June 24
5 p.m.: Jonathan Whiting Trio, Stage Three
5:30 p.m.: Los Hombres Calientes, Michelob Jazz Stage
7 p.m.: Jonathan Whiting Trio, Stage Three
7:30 and 9 p.m. (two sets): Summer Storm featuring Norman Brown, Peabo Bryson and Everette Harp, Emerson Jazz Stage
Saturday, June 25
3 p.m.: Carolbeth True Trio, Stage Three
4:30 p.m.: Dave Douglas Quintet, Michelob Jazz Stage
6 p.m.: Hot House Sessions, Stage Three
6:30 p.m.: Jane Monheit, Michelob Jazz Stage
8 p.m.: Hot House Sessions, Stage Three
8:30 p.m.: Roy Hargrove and the RH Factor, Emerson Jazz Stage
US Bank Saint Louis Jazz Festival official site
Printable schedule
Ticket information
"Festival basics"
Map and Directions
Previously on St. Louis Jazz Notes:
Jazz Festival, part 3: Have you seen this man?
Jazz Festival, part 2: Viva Los Hombres Calientes!
Jazz Festival, part 1: Another view of Dave Douglas
Post articles offer two views
Another model for a successful jazz festival?
Lineup confirmed for US Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival, and snow falls in May
down beat previews US Bank Jazz Festival lineup
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Jazz Festival, part 3: Have you seen this man?
If you think you've seen this little sax-playing 'toon and his compatriots somewhere before, you're right - almost.
The artwork used to promote this year's US Bank Saint Louis Jazz Festival is done in tribute to the style of the late Jim Flora, whose illustrations and design adorned many jazz album covers during the 1940s and '50s.
Flora's work has undergone something of a rediscovery in recent years with the publication of the book The Mischievious Art of Jim Flora, written by record collector, radio host and outsider music expert Irwin Chusid. To find out more about Jim Flora and his whimsical yet still fresh-looking art, you can read an interview with Chusid here; see a gallery of some of Flora's work at the official Jim Flora Web site; and read an interview with Flora himself here.
(edited 6/23/05 to fix typos)
Jazz Festival, part 2: Viva Los Hombres Calientes!
With temperatures in St. Louis soaring into the 90s
on Friday, it should be a hot night for "The Hot Men"
I wish I'd had more time before now to write something about Los Hombres Calientes, because from what I've heard of them on CD, their St. Louis debut could end up being the surprise hit of this year's US Bank Saint Louis Jazz Festival.
Led by trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and percussionist Bill Summers, one of the original members of the Headhunters, LHC are sort of a New Orleans take on the Latin jazz genre, with the exuberance and multiple ethnic flavors that implies. They incorporate jazz, funk and even a bit of hip-hop, but also other musical influences from all over the Carribbean and South America, topped off by Mayfield's energetic showmanship and assertive trumpet solos.
Terry Perkins has a brief bit about them in the Post here that also includes the Festival schedule for the entire weekend, and Calvin Wilson adds brief descriptions of the weekend's other headliners here.
I was also able to dig up some additional stuff on the Web that may give you a better feel for what Los Hombres Calientes are like in concert, including this interview with Mayfield; two reviews of live shows (one from earlier this month and the other from last year), and some brief audio samples of "El Barrio" and "Creole Groove" (click on Flash button #4 at lower left to play).
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Jazz Festival, part 1: Another view of Dave Douglas
More coverage of the 2005 US Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival to come...
Jazz this week: US Bank Saint Louis Jazz Festival, smooth jazz players attack, and more
Downtown St. Louis will be under a "Jazz Attack" tonight, and
Richard Elliot is one of the featured smooth jazz musicians
It's a busy week in jazz here in St. Louis, highlighted by the annual US Bank Saint Louis Jazz Festival in Clayton's Shaw Park on Friday and Saturday. Whatever quibbles I may have with the Festival's programming are minor compared to the fact that, at $20 per day for a lawn ticket, the event offers a good value for the dollar on some outstanding talent including Dave Douglas, Los Hombres Calientes and Roy Hargrove and the RH Factor. I'll have a separate post - maybe more than one - on the Festival later today or tonight, but for now, I'll just say that if you're any sort of jazz fan, go. You'll hear some good music, and by supporting the event you help increase the likelihood that it will continue and grow.
The Festival aside, there are some other promising shows this week, too. Tonight, guitarist Corey Christiansen is performing a free concert at the Missouri Botanical Gardens with a band that includes Danny Gottlieb and Per Danielsson, while the Roberts Orpheum Theater plays host to the Jazz Attack smooth jazz package featuring guitarist Peter White, saxophonist Richard Elliot, singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler and trumpeter Rick Braun.
On Thursday, pianist and singer Al Oxenhandler is having a CD release party over at the Ritz-Carlton, while over at Cookie's in Webster Groves, trumpet player Dan Smith leads a quartet including vocalist Debbie Lennon. I've known Dan since high school, so this isn't exactly an unbiased recommendation, but he's always been an outstanding lead player and section man in larger groups, and so I'm betting his small group is worth hearing, too.
If you're looking for some post-Festival action on Friday or Saturday, you can see who else is playing in the local clubs this weekend by checking the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar. And if you'd a musician or venue who'd like to get your gig listed in that calendar, and possibly in the weekly highlights post as well, email your schedule or news release to me at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.
Monday, June 20, 2005
TouPAC announces 2005-2006 season
The Count may be gone, but his band swings on,
and they're coming to St. Louis in October
The Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis has announced its 2005-2006 season, and amidst offerings of classical, opera, pop, blues and standup comedy, there are some bookings of interest to jazz fans, too.
In addition to the concert on Wednesday, September 28 by the Wayne Shorter Quartet with members of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (discussed in this space last month), the TouPAC also will present:
* The Count Basie Orchestra, Saturday, October 1
* The Pat Metheny Trio, Sunday, October 2
* Chris Botti, Friday, March 3, 2006
* The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Saturday, March 11, 2006
Subscriptions for the 2005-06 season and single tickets are on sale now. Check the TouPAC Web site for prices and details.
Update: If you'd like to learn more about the recent activities of Wayne Shorter and of the Basie band, check out this interview with Shorter from earlier this month, and this interview with trombonist Bill Hughes, the current director of the Count Basie Orchestra.
Post articles offer two views
of Saint Louis Jazz Festival
Is Dave Douglas a famous jazz trumpeter?
Post scribes can't seem to agree.
To their credit, the Post-Dispatch covered the upcoming US Bank Saint Louis Jazz Festival from a couple of different angles this weekend. Pop music critic Kevin C. Johnson's article dealt mainly with the Fest's finances, attendance and booking policies, while Calvin Wilson wrote a profile of trumpeter Dave Douglas, whose Quintet will perform on Saturday afternoon.
But while the Post does get points for the quantity of their coverage, neither article offers much in the way of new information. Johnson does break the news that primary sponsor US Bank has already agreed to underwrite the Festival for the next two years. But the rest of the piece basically rehashes the financial and attendance ups and downs of the past five years from the Festival organizers' point of view, something that's been done at least a couple of times now. Meanwhile, Wilson's article is essentailly a recap of Douglas' biography, including a refutation of the tired old "Douglas-as-the-anti-Marsalis" meme. While it's written well enough, it doesn't tell you much you couldn't learn from the trumpeter's own Web site.
Now, this is a site about music, not media criticism, but there were some other things here that struck me as strange. Johnson's piece contains quotes from executive director Cynthia Prost and Jazz at the Bistro's Gene Dobbs Bradford, who helps book acts for the Festival, that seem to respond to criticism of the Fest's booking policies. But the explanations must be intended as preemptive, because none of those critics are actually quoted in the article. Instead, there's some padding in form of unenlightening quotes from the former program director of Smooth Jazz 106 and someone identified only as "music fan Barry Siegel." (Are readers supposed to know who Mr. Siegel is? Am I?)
If this is in fact a controversial issue - and if it isn't, it probably should be - wouldn't it make sense to actually interview someone whose views differ from those of the organizers? (As you may recall, I have some definite opinions of my own on the subject, but I can't be the only one.)
Johnson also writes that many jazz festivals are now diversifying their lineups to encompass non-jazz acts "including the biggie, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival." The New Orleans event has always included blues, soul, gospel and other forms of roots music, so it would seem to be an odd example to cite in this instance.
And then there's this:
"The festival lineup presents another annual hurdle to jump. Some fans want recognizable names such as Bryson, Monheit and Hargrove, and scratch their heads over Douglas and Los Hombres Calientes."Now, compare that to the lede from Wilson's article:
"Dave Douglas has to be among the hardest-working performers in jazz. The Grammy-nominated trumpeter has recorded scores of albums for numerous labels, fronted quite a few bands of various configurations and performed in clubs, concert halls and festivals throughout the world."So is Dave Douglas famous, or not? Like so many things in life, I guess it depends on who you ask. I like the notion of offering a package of stories on the Fest, but in this case, it seems to have bred confusion rather than clarity.
I'll have much more on the Festival later in the week, including a link to my own article about Douglas, which will be published in this week's Riverfront Times.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Happy birthday, Gene Sedric!
"Get on out there and tell your lie," said Fats Waller,
exhorting Gene Sedric to solo on "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie"
Clarinetist and saxophonist Gene Sedric, born in St. Louis on June 17, 1907, isn't all that well-known these days, either by local music fans or the general public, but in his time, he had a long, successful and interesting career.
Sedric, nicknamed "Honey Bear" for his build and a camelhair coat he was fond of wearing, is best remembered as the reedman for Fats Waller and His Rhythm, performing and recording with the popular pianist from 1934 until 1942. He's on virtually every small-group recording Fats made during that time period, and even turns up on camera in three Soundies - a sort of proto-music video shown in movie theaters during the Forties - featuring Waller.
His contributions to Waller's music were numerous and substantial, but as these two brief biographies show, Sedric also worked with many others over the course of his career, from playing on riverboats in St. Louis with Fate Marable as a young man to touring, recording and working in New York clubs with a diverse assortment of well-known musicians in the latter part of his career.
Before he died on April 3, 1963 in New York, Sedric had recorded only a handful of solo sides. Some appear to have been reissued in 2002 on a small collector's label called Chronological Classics as Gene Sedric 1938-47, but despite finding two different catalog numbers on the Web for the CD - 1181 and 71181 - I couldn't determine for sure if it's still in print. (If anyone reading this knows a good online resource for this sort of information, please let me know in the comments or via email.)
Fortunately, Gene Sedric's recordings with Fats Waller are still readily available. Just check out the selection of Waller CDs at your favorite retailer, look for one featuring Fats' small group (not solo or with a large band) and it's almost certain to feature a number of Sedric performances. Or, courtesy of the Red Hot Jazz site, you can read more about Waller and the band and hear some of their music in Real Audio format right here.
And even though there's not a large amount of detailed material on the Web about Gene Sedric, I did learn three fascinating bits of trivia about him in the course of researching this post:
1) Some historians of jazz organ have noted Sedric as a sort of connective tissue in the instrument's history in the music, since the reedman performed both with Fate Marable, who "was known for playing the steam calliope on Mississippi riverboats during the early years of the century," and with Waller, who's credited with introducing the organ to jazz in the 1930s.
2) The great Coleman Hawkins is usually credited as the first musician to record and release an unaccompanied solo saxophone performance. His recording of "Picasso," said to be yet another set of variations on the changes to "Body and Soul," came out in 1948 and for years has been considered the historic predecessor and inspiration for the many solo saxophone recordings made beginning in the 1960s and continuing until the present day. But it turns out that Gene Sedric waxed a little ditty called "Saxophone Doodle" all by his lonesome way back in 1937. How about them apples?
3) One of Sedric's clarinet students became quite famous, though not especially for his work as a musician. In the early Sixties, Sedric gave some music lessons to a young New York writer, comedian, aspiring filmmaker and old-time jazz buff named Allen Stewart Konigsberg, better known these days as Woody Allen.
Perkins previews Christiansen concert
Corey Christiansen
Corey Christiansen is the next to headline the Whitaker Music Festival series at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and the guitarist, author and teacher has something special planned for the evening of Wednesday, June 22. Drummer Danny Gottlieb and pianist Per Danielsson are two musicians with international reputations who worked with Christiansen on his recent CD, and both will be coming to St. Louis to perform with him at the Botanical Gardens. Terry Perkins of the Post-Dispatch reveals this tantalizing tidbit and lots more about the guitarist in a Q&A session here.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Forecasting fall at Finale
The man with the MF horn will return to Finale
for eight shows over four days in November
Finale Music and Dining has given their Web site a bit of a makeover, and while the new look is easier to navigate, the listings on the club's entertainment calendar essentially extend only through next month, although there are a couple of August shows listed as well.
However, thanks to Pollstar, we can get a little preview of what's planned for Finale in the fall, too. (Warning: This post should be considered as a sort of "appetizer," as Pollstar's listings are subject to change, and can sometimes, as I've learned before, simply be wrong. If you're interested in attending any of these shows, I suggest waiting for official confirmation from the club before making plans.)
With that caveat, some of the upcoming shows listed on Pollstar that may interest jazz listeners include the world music/fusion group Acoustic Alchemy, scheduled to appear on Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17; vocalist Diane Schuur, who will perform the following week from Thursday, September 22 through Saturday, September 24; and last but certainly not least, Maynard Ferguson and Big Bop Nouveau, who will return for a four-night run Wednesday, November 23 through Saturday, November 26.
Welcome, STLBlues.net readers!
I'd also like to use this post to publicly thank Dave Beardsley - not only for linking to this site, which certainly is much appreciated, but also for all his hard work in setting such a great example for other local music sites to follow, as well as for his advice and encouragement as I've been getting St. Louis Jazz Notes up and running. Thanks, Dave - you're the man!
Dave Stone Trio wins 2005 RFT music award
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Jazz this week: Neal Caine, a jazz tribute
to Father's Day, big bands and more
Jeanne Trevor
It's a relatively quiet week in St. Louis with regard to touring acts, but one of this week's highlights will undoubtedly be when bassist Neal Caine brings his quartet to the Missouri Botanical Gardens on Wednesday night as part of the Whitaker Music Festival. You can read more about Caine, a native of University City who's worked with some of the most famous names in jazz, here and here, and more about the Festival here.
Thursday's best bet looks like the Carolbeth Trio at Crossings Taverne and Grill in Webster Groves, and if you're up for two different groups in one night, vocalist Valerie Tichacek is performing around the corner at Cookie's.
On Friday night, head out early to catch the Gateway City Big Band in concert at the Moolah Shrine Temple. The event begins at 7 p.m.and is sponsored by the St. Louis Jazz Club. Or if you like your big band jazz with a bit of Vegas-style showmanship, catch the brassy Rat Pack-inspired sounds of Wild, Cool and Swingin', who will perform two shows Friday night at Finale.
Longtime local favorite Jeanne Trevor headlines at Cookie's on Saturday night, while guitarist Steve Schenkel and clarinetist Scott Alberici will hold forth at Crossings. And on Sunday, you can wrap up the weekend with "Songs For My Father's Day," an all-star event that will pay tribute to Dads while raising money to fight prostate cancer.
To get your event or venue included in the jazz calendar, and considered for inclusion in the weekly highlights, just send an email with your gig info, news, links and so on to stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Happy birthday, Lennie Niehaus!
Lennie Niehaus
Saxophonist, arranger and composer Lennie Niehaus was born in St. Louis, MO on June 11, 1929. He's best known as a film composer, particularly for writing the scores for a number of films directed by Clint Eastwood, such as Bird, The Bridges of Madison County, Unforgiven and many more. Though born in the Gateway City, Niehaus was raised and educated in California, and after college and military service, he worked for a number of years as a saxophonist and arranger with Stan Kenton's orchestra before getting into film scoring full time.
There's a lot of material about Niehaus online, starting with this short biography, this interview, and these two discographies. You can read more details about his film credits on his pages in the New York Times Movies section and on IMDB. There are also two radio interviews with Niehaus available for download, one from Arizona Public Radio and another from the BBC that aired for the first time earlier this month. Finally, you might also enjoy reading the liner notes Niehaus wrote for a Dexter Gordon reissue, as they provide insight into the author as well as the subject.
More on Neal Caine
Friday, June 10, 2005
Full text of Miles Davis books
available online for free
"Free copies of my autobiography?
Somebody's going to get sued!"
It's been said - even sung - that the best things in life are free. And while I'm not quite ready yet for that far-off Star Trek future in which we abandon all forms of monetary exchange, it's certainly true in the present day that you can sometimes find some good stuff for free on the Internet, even when you're searching for something else.
The "serendipitous search" method was how I ran across these pages, which appear to contain the full text in English of the best-selling book Miles: The Autobiography, written by Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe, and Troupe's own memoir of the trumpeter, Miles and Me. (The texts are available as .zip files, too.) Both books are interesting reads, and well worth the time for any jazz fan to peruse.
(I'm reasonably sure this form of distribution probably violates a whole bunch of copyright laws, but since the rest of the text on the site is in Cyrillic, the site owners would seem to be located somewhere beyond the reach of U.S. law. As for readers, I would discourage you from printing up copies of the books and selling them, but merely reading the text would seem to fall squarely under the "fair use" portion of copyright law. Please note that I am not a lawyer, and these links are offered for your information and entertainment, with no warranties or guarantees expressed or implied. Caveat lector.)
Jazz events to benefit charities
The show kicks off with a performance at 3:30 p.m. by vocalist Ron Wilkinson, who's organizing the event, and pianist Curt Landes. Saxophonist Willie Akins will play at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Trio Trés Bien with Gene Lynn at 5:30 and the Bosman Twins at 6:30. WSIE's Ross Gentile will serve as MC and host. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, and are available at Downtown Music, Vintage Vinyl, and at Wilkinson's Web site
Later that week on Thursday, June 23, pianist and vocalist Al Oxenhandler and his special musical guests will celebrate the release of Al's new CD Something's Gotta Give with a party at 8 p.m. in the Ritz-Carlton's Lobby Lounge that will also raise money to fight cystic fibrosis. Admission is free, and CDs will be available from servers for $15, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. You can find out more by visiting Al's Web site, or calling the Ritz-Carlton at 314-863-6300. Once the party's over, you'll still be able to purchase copies of the CD at St. Louis area Borders bookstores, Webster Records and other outlets, as well as through through CDbaby.com and Al's site.
Headhunters 2005 are rough but ready
The co-winners of the Most Valuable Headhunter award for tour stop #1
are drummer Terri Lynn Carrington and saxophonist Kenny Garrett.
Keyboardist and composer Herbie Hancock debuted the 2005 edition of the Headhunters last night here at the Pageant in St. Louis. As I've written here before, Hancock presumably chose St. Louis as the first stop on the band's short summer tour because of its proximity to Tennessee and the Bonnaroo Festival, where he'll serve as artist-in-residence this year. He mentioned between songs that the band had been in St. Louis for the last three days, said they'd enjoyed their time here, and thanked everyone for their "St. Louis hospitality."
Seeing Hancock again was a real treat for me. He was one of the first jazz piano players I really got into in a serious way, and he's remained high in my personal pantheon of keyboard heroes. Also, though he's made a lot of great music in the various phases of his career, I've always particularly dug the Headhunters material. The concert itself was marred by some sound problems, and a few rough spots typical for a brand new group finding its stage legs, but overall I think the Headhunters 2005 proved themselves more than worthy of the name emblematic of Hancock's funk-jazz legacy.
Though I did take a few notes, cameras were not allowed, so, alas, no pictures. And since I was there mostly to listen and enjoy myself, what follows isn't so much a formal review of the concert as it is a few general impressions and a rundown of the set list with some additional comments.
* The Headhunters 2005 show is not a Herbie Hancock solo joint, but a true ensemble work. Though Herbie, serving as master of ceremonies and conductor, was clearly in charge, he gave lots of solo space to saxophonist Kenny Garrett, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and guitarists John Mayer and Lionel Loueke. Bassist Marcus Miller, percussionist Munyungo Jackson and drummer Terri Lynn Carrington all got their own feature spots, too. Hancock remarked at one point that the stage was full of bandleaders, but all the musicians appeared to be having a lot of fun and enthusiastically embracing the funk ensemble concept.
* John Mayer didn't do anything especially rockstar-like, but he held his own with this all-star group of jazz musicians, playing rhythm guitar, working the groove and soloing effectively when called upon. He's tall and lanky, with longer hair than in many photos I've seen but the same baby face, and was dressed regular-dude style in t-shirt, nondescript pants and sneakers. When he sang his solo vocal of the night, a certain contingent of young female audience members perked up both visibly and audibly, but for the most part, he acted and was treated like just another member of the band.
* Speaking of looks, Hancock looks darned good for a man in his early sixties. Though he has, as one would expect, filled out a bit since the first time I saw him in 1975 - so have I, for that matter - he looks fit and healthy, with an unlined face and very few visible gray hairs. The guy could easily pass for someone ten or fifteen years younger than his actual age. He seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself, the performances of the other musicians, and the crowd's response.
* The sound quality, sad to say, left a lot to be desired, mostly because Herbie's piano and synths were badly distorted and/or muddy at many crucial points throughout the night. On the plus side, the bass, drums and percussion were powerful and crisp-sounding, and the solos by Garrett and Hargrove cut through the mix with no problem, as did most of the single-note parts and leads from the guitarists. Herbie's upper-register, single-note runs were mostly audible, but when he'd add in some left-hand harmonies or a synth part underneath, it seemed to overwhelm something in the signal chain and the result was just plain nasty. Hancock's sound seemed to improve a bit in spots throughout the night, but it never was as good as what one would hope for and expect. It seems to me that if you're the person responsible for sound at a Herbie Hancock concert, the most important part of your job is to make sure that people can hear Herbie Hancock really well, so I trust this will be rectified rather quickly at the next tour stop.
The band hit the stage about a half-hour after the announced starting time, with Jackson heralding the beginning of the show via the blown-shell introduction to "Watermelon Man." I guess since this is one of two songs that are absolutely mandatory for any band calling itself the Headhunters, it made sense for them to start with it. But at first, the mix was a little off, and the band wasn't quite together on some of the hits and stabs. Once they settled into the familiar groove, all the musicians seemed visibly relieved, and they went through short but tasty solos by all the front line musicians in turn before wrapping it up.
Next up was a tune from Hancock's upcoming album Possibilities, which will feature Mayer and a bunch of other guest stars. I didn't catch the name, but it was basically a two-chord Afro-Cuban vamp, not unlike the one in Santana's "Smooth," and that similarity was enhanced when Mayer started tossing off some guitar licks that sounded a lot like Carlos. Loueke sang some lyrics in (I believe) French in a husky but pleasant voice, and the song had a nice groove, but, lacking the fiendish hook overkill of the Santana tune, it wasn't particularly memorable, at least at first hearing.
The next song was announced by Hancock as a Marcus Miller feature, and the bassist and Carrington kicked off with a funky riff that seemed oddly familiar, yet I knew it wasn't one of Herbie's tunes. A few seconds later, the answer was evident: they were playing Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein," edited and rearranged into a sort of Reader's Digest only-the-hooks version, with Miller taking most of the signature synth licks on the bass. They opened up the tune in the middle for a series of solos, but, sadly for us Seventies music purists, did not attempt to replicate the signature exchange of tom-tom licks at the end of Winter's version. Still, it was fun to hear, and a surprising but clever choice.
Next up was another tune from Possibilities, a John Mayer vocal feature called "Stitch Me Up." This was an enjoyable midtempo funky groove with a little bit of a New Orleans feel, as both the song and Mayer's vocals reminded me of some of the funk stuff I've heard Harry Connick do. Herbie contributed a solo and some nice fills, but this was one of the shorter numbers of the evening. Live, it sounded like at least a semi-plausible candidate for some radio airplay in smooth jazz and AA formats, but I'd have to hear the recorded version to make a definitive assessment.
Next up was an extended version of "Spider". Long solos, more sound problems with Hancock's keyboard. The band was grooving really hard - though some of the ensemble unison licks could have been a little tighter - and everyone was having a good time, but it was frustrating not be able to hear Herbie better.
For the next tune, Marcus Miller put down his bass and picked up his bass clarinet to join Garrett on soprano and Hargrove on fluegelhorn for a lush-sounding harmonized rendering of the melody of "Butterfly." Once the head was done, he picked up the bass again and the band continued pretty much along the lines of the recorded arrangement. Good solos by Garrett and Hargrove and, overall, very nicely done, though again the keyboard sound distorted at some critical points.
A long version of another Headhunters classic, "Actual Proof," followed, and the band, by now up and running at full speed, did a good job with the tricky stop-start arrangement and multiple changes in the groove. Loueke soloed using some sort of synth guitar sound that sounded something like a combo organ, and the end result reminded me a bit of records I've heard of Sun Ra wailing away on a Farfisa - an eccentric approach to the groove and harmony, to be sure, but I liked it.
Then, the rest of the band left the stage while Loueke did a brief solo number on guitar and vocals. The audience seemed to collectively realize that this was beginning of the run-up to the finish, and so took the opportunity to order drinks, visit the bathroom, and otherwise treat the number like an in-show intermission. Truth be told, though, it was hard to see how a song featuring just guitar and voice could be expected to hold people's attention after some of the massive funk grooves and head-spinning solos that preceded it. There was nothing really wrong with the tune, but I think it might work better at a different spot in the show.
As Loueke finished up, the rest of the band returned to the stage, and Carrington and Miller kicked off the familiar groove of the other mandatory Headhunters classic, "Chameleon." This was another extended version that followed the template of the record, but stretched out the solos quite a bit, resulting in an overall length of close to 20 minutes. The highlight for me was a blistering alto solo by Garrett, who walked the line between avant garde and gutbucket as he just kept pushing the tension higher and higher with each turnaround into a new 16-bar increment. Garrett was so hot on this solo that while he was playing, Hargrove was visibly cracking up, dancing around, and pointing at him, and at one point even did the old bit of stage business where you pretend to fan a guy with a towel in order to cool him down.
This was really the emotional payoff point of the show, and it was hard to see how they could top it. The band left the stage, but after just a couple minutes of applause, returned for an encore, which turned out to be one of my personal favorite Hancock tunes, "Hang Up Your Hangups." Mayer soloed very effectively on this tune, but again, some of the ensemble parts were a little loose, and at a couple of points it sounded like not everyone went to the B section at quite the same time. Still, a little bit of slop can't kill the true funk, and I was quite glad they decided to do this particular tune.
Given that this edition of the band came together to play the Bonnaroo festival, it might make sense to think of the Headhunters 2005 as Herbie Hancock's version of a jam band. It would be really interesting to hear them again at the end of the tour in ten days or so, when they've had time to work out the sound kinks and tighten up the few dicey bits of the show. But even with those quibbles, this was a very entertaining concert, with some excellent musicians enthusiastically interpreting some of the most enduring material the funk-jazz genre has produced.
My vote for most valuable player, at least on this night, has to be split between Garrett, who was absolutely on fire on several of his solos, and Carrington, who had the crucial yet underappreciated task of maintaining a driving funk groove for almost two and half hours. I've heard some of her recorded work playing behind other artists, and had seen her when she was part of the house band on Arsenio Hall's TV talk show, so I knew she could play. But I have a whole new level of respect for Carrington after last night - behind a drum kit, the woman is one badass funk machine who can also solo and fill very creatively. Though I can think of some other drummers who might have done the same job as well, I can't think of a single one who could have done it better.
(edited 5/16/05 to fix typos)
Neal Caine concert previewed in this week's RFT
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Jazz this week: Herbie Hancock's Headhunters 2005, Jeremy Davenport, a bevy of female vocalists and more
Jeremy Davenport will sing and swing
this Thursday and Friday at Finale
Even with the fall-to-spring presenting season of Jazz at the Bistro, the Sheldon, et al, now officially over, it's another busy week in local jazz. So let's get right to the previews:
Tonight, Herbie Hancock brings his Headhunters 2005 to the Pageant for one of just a handful of dates he's doing with the band this summer. From the looks of the Pageant's website, tickets are still available as of 3 p.m.. Also tonight, Mardra and Reggie Thomas continue the Whitaker Music Festival series with a free concert beginning at 7 p.m. at Missouri Botanical Gardens.
Trumpeter and vocalist Jeremy Davenport, a product of University City, comes home to perform two shows a night at Finale on Thursday and Friday.
And this is also a great week for hearing some of the many talented female vocalists currently working in town. Also on Thursday, Margaret Bianchetta will perform at Cookie's. On Friday, Cheri Evans takes the stage at Cookie's, while Jeanne Trevor performs at Brandt's. And on Saturday, Mae Wheeler will be at Brandt's while Erin Bode sings at the Crossings Taverne and Grill.
And if you're still in the mood for more music after all that, you can finish off the weekend with the traditional jazz sounds of Cornet Chop Suey, a band that features former Soulard Blues Band trumpeter Brian Cassilly. They'll be doing a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee at the Moolah Shrine Center presented by the St. Louis Jazz Club.
Of course, this is just a portion of the live jazz on tap in St. Louis this week; for a more complete listing, see the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar. And if you're a musician or venue, and you'd like to have your event listed here and/or in the calendar, drop me an email at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Happy birthday, Grant Green!
To hear a short .wav excerpt
from a Grant Green solo, go here.
The music of guitarist Grant Green, born June 6, 1935 in St. Louis, is actually enjoying a bit of a renaissance these days. Known for his bluesy, cutting single-note style that mixed R&B with hard bop, Green was a big influence on George Benson, and the vintage soul-jazz sound of many of his records still holds appeal for all sorts of music fans, including jazz and rock guitar buffs, fans of funky club music, and smooth jazz aficionados.
As a result, in recent years, there have a number of CD reissues of Green's work, and even two books - Grant Green: Rediscovering the Forgotten Genius of Jazz Guitar is a biography written by Sharony Andrews Green, a novelist, journalist, and former daughter-in-law of her subject, while St. Louis's own Mel Bay Publishing has issued Essential Jazz Lines in the Style of Grant Green for Guitar, a method book written by the fine local guitarist Corey Christiansen.
And there's lots of stuff about Green on the Web, including an official site, a couple of reasonably informative short biographies, at least two fan sites that are worth a look, and two discographies (one with extensive personnel listings, the other with photos of the album covers). You can also find transcriptions and musical analysis of Green's solos on "The Best Things In Life Are Free," "Old Folks," and "Dog It".
Sadly, Green had a problem with heroin for a large part of his adult life, which contributed to his death in 1979 at just 44 years old. But with more than 90 recordings in his lifetime, there's still plenty of his music around for all to enjoy, and it's good to see his work getting the positive reappraisal it deserves.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Happy birthday, Oliver Nelson!
Oliver Nelson
One way to judge the impact of the career of Oliver Nelson, who was born in St. Louis on June 4, 1932, is to look at how much of his music is still with us almost 30 years after his death.
Nelson accomplished a lot in just short of 43 years on this planet. His discography as an alto saxophonist and bandleader includes at least one album generally recognized as a bona fide jazz classic, the superb Blues and the Abstract Truth, and his tune "Stolen Moments" has become part of the standard repertory of working jazz musicians and students alike. Nelson has also provided challenging practice material for several generations of professional and aspiring players with his book Patterns for Improvisation, which is used by teachers, students and woodshedders everywhere.
However, Nelson was best known as an arranger and composer. Many of his big band arrangements are still in print and being used by professional and student bands all over the world. And, along with Quincy Jones, he was one of the first African-American composers to get significant amounts of lucrative work scoring movies and television programs, writing music for network TV series like Ironside, Night Gallery and The Six Million Dollar Man. As a result, his music is still being heard today as those shows are replayed on cable and purchased on DVD.
Doug Payne has done Oliver Nelson fans and jazz scholars a fine service with his site, which includes a discography and bibliography of Nelson references in print. You may also enjoy reading this brief biography, and this account of a 1971 rehearsal of a European big band under Nelson's direction, written by Ron Simmonds, a trumpet player who was part of the group.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Jazz history project features online interview clips of Clark Terry, other jazz greats
Clark Terry, as seen in his interview with the
Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History Project
St. Louis' own Clark Terry is among the jazz notables who have been interviewed for the the Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History Project conducted by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and now you can see a clip from that interview and talks with McCoy Tyner, Doc Cheatham, Milt Hinton and Randy Weston plus 16 others online here.
The clips are short - most under a minute - but it's still interesting and fun to see how some of these famous musicians speak and behave. If you're looking for more, the archive also includes full length streaming video of interviews conducted by trumpeter and jazz scholar Jimmy Owens with trumpeter/composer Nat Adderley, drummer and bandleader Chico Hamilton, pianist and longtime public radio personality Marian McPartland and drummer/author Arthur Taylor.
Last chance to vote in 2005 RFT music poll
To cast your ballot, go here. Voting ends on Sunday.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Village Voice names St. Louis-based label MAXJAZZ among top jazz independents
Tom Hull's survey of the best independent jazz labels names St. Louis-based MAXJAZZ among that elite group, though I wondered a bit about his characterization of the label as "right-of-center...Unlike most conservatives, they're less interested in rolling back progress than playing within their well-honed talents."
Small jazz labels have always sought particular musical niches, and in this case, I think the equation of political "conservatism" as it is currently practiced with what most people think of as "mainstream" jazz is a comparison that obscures more than it clarifies. Still, it's nice to see a St. Louis-based label recognized beyond our city limits, and the piece also points out a number of other small labels that seem worth investigating.
As long as you're there, you might as well read the rest of the articles in the supplement, too, including pianist and journalist D.D. Jackson's article on how college jazz programs are the new apprenticeships; Larry Blumenfeld's piece on how arts centers and other non-traditional presenters are filling the gap left by the waning of jazz clubs; and Nate Chinen's essay on college jazz studies programs that consider the music in the context of other academic disciplines.
Two views of a Headhunter
Herbie Hancock
O faithful readers, I promised you more on next week's Herbie Hancock concert at the Pageant, and there's no time like the present:
First, check out my story in this week's Riverfront Times highlighting Herbie's relationship with his most unexpected new Headhunter, pop star John Mayer. Then, go here to read Daniel Durchholz's piece from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on the evolution of Hancock's career. After reading both, you should be able to impress your friends with suitable amounts of Hancockian lore and a side order of Mayerish trivia. It's like the journalistic equivalent of a Reese's peanut butter cup - two great tastes that taste great together!
(Seriously, I'm pleased finally to be able to link to one of Dan's pieces here. He's a fine writer whose work I have long enjoyed and admired, and he knows lots about many different musical genres, including jazz. In addition, I've gotten to know him a little bit recently, and it turns out that he's also a nice guy with a very quick wit. I will undoubtedly be linking to any future jazz-related pieces of his, but by all means you should also watch for his writing on rock, pop, soul, country and all the other stuff he covers.)
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Jazz this week: Regina Carter, James Matthews Trio, Sessions Big Band and more
Yesterday, we saw one of Regina Carter's glamour shots.
Today, we can see her in action.
I'm pressed for time today, so here's the minimalist guide to the week's highlights in St. Louis jazz:
Tonight through Saturday, Regina Carter performs two sets nightly at Jazz at the Bistro. Also tonight, the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens kicks off its free outdoor concert series with the James Matthews Trio.
On Thursday, the Sessions Big Band performs two shows at Finale. On Friday, guitarist Rick Haydon leads a quartet for another outdoor jazz concert, this one at the Sugar Hill Winery; the Bass Player's Ball featuring Michael Henderson is at the Ambassador; and the Carolbeth True Trio performs at Crossings.
On Saturday, piano and vocal phenom Peter Cincotti will perform at the Pageant, while down the street at Brandt's, the fine saxophonist John Norment will lead his trio.
If you like, you can see a more comprehensive list of jazz events for the week on the new St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar. And remember, to get your event included in this space and also listed in our new calendar, you can email your information to me at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.
Introducing the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar
The Yahoo calendar interface offers limited options, so there's not much detail beyond the name of the artist, the venue, and the starting time(s). Yahoo's calendars also make you specify a duration for each event, which for some items on this calendar will be an estimate - two hours for a concert, four hours for a club gig, unless I have specific information indicating otherwise. And of course, whenever possible you should always call ahead to confirm information, because things can change quickly, especially with club bookings.
So what events are included in the calendar? Well, there's just about everything I've blogged about on this site over the last six weeks, including the upcoming seasons at Jazz at the Bistro and the Sheldon, and some stuff that I haven't blogged about at all yet, like events sponsored by the St. Louis Jazz Club, plus whatever other concerts and club gigs I've been able to find online so far.
I hope this calendar will be a useful resource for readers, and I'll be making a good faith effort to keep it as complete and up-to-date as possible by checking Pollstar and the sites of local clubs, presenters and musicians.
However, if you are a musician, club or presenter who would like to make sure that your information is included, the best way to do that is to send email updates to me at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com. Once a month would be ideal, but really, any time is fine, and it is always better to send the information rather than assuming I may already have it.
Also new to the sidebar is a link to a page I've set up over at Bloglines.com containing RSS newsfeeds from a number of jazz-related sources. While this is partly a personal tool for me to keep up with news in the field, I thought readers might find it handy, too, and so I've opened it up for public viewing.
The last new feature is the box of links to feature articles at AllAboutJazz.com, located at the bottom of the sidebar. AAJ is one of the better jazz sites on the Web, and often features articles from St. Louis correspondent Terry Perkins, who also writes for the Post-Dispatch. The infobox looked like an easy, free way to add some more relevant material to the site, so I said "what the heck" and dropped it in there.
In the future, the AAJ box and the Bloglines page may or may not continue, depending on the outcome of upcoming experiments in importing some RSS feeds and displaying them on the sidebar. But at least for now, I think they add a bit of informational value to the site, and I hope you'll use and enjoy them.