Saturday, July 30, 2005

Happy birthday, David Sanborn!


David Sanborn

Born July 30, 1945 in Tampa, FL and raised in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood, David Sanborn is one of the most recognized musicians in contemporary jazz, with a signature alto sax tone - tart, astringent and rooted in the popular R&B of Earl Bostic and the soul-jazz of Hank Crawford - that is instantly identifiable.

Sanborn took up sax as a way to strengthen his breathing after a childhood bout with polio, and by the time he was a teenager, he was jamming in St. Louis clubs at Gaslight Square and on the east side, as recounted in this interview. His first big professional gig was as a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. After that, he joined the original incarnation of the Brecker Brothers Band while simultaneously embarking on a career as one of the busiest session players of the late Seventies and Eighties, making memorable contributions to recordings by David Bowie, James Taylor, Paul Simon and many others as well as to film soundtracks like Michael Kamen's scores for the Lethal Weapon movies with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

As a solo artist, Sanborn can be considered the prototype for many contemporary saxophonists in the smooth jazz genre, though his music is both grittier and more substantive than many of his would-be imitators. Moreover, on albums such as Another Hand, Sanborn has proven himself fully capable of performing alongside some of the best players in mainstream jazz.

One of my favorite Sanborn projects was the late night TV show Night Music, which featured many musical guests rarely seen on network television, sometimes collaborating in novel combinations, like the time Sonny Rollins accompanied singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, or when Sanborn and folk duo the Indigo Girls backed avant-rockers Sonic Youth. The show only lasted a couple of seasons, but it is still remembered fondly by many music fans.

Given his high profile and ongoing career, there's plenty of information about Sanborn on the Web. His official site and fan club site are two good starting places to find out more about him. For more on what he's been up to lately, check out these two interviews from earlier this year when he released his most recent album Closer.

And though some are little out of context, you may also enjoy reading this list of Sanborn quotes. Finally, check out this transcription of Sanborn's solo on "Butterfat," a song from his very first solo album, to get an idea of how his approach to soloing lays out on paper.

Friday, July 29, 2005

Saxophonist Michael Brecker ailing,
needs bone marrow transplant


Michael Brecker

According to an article at the All About Jazz Web site, famed saxophonist Michael Brecker is hospitalized and gravely ill with a rare form of cancer, and needs a bone marrow transplant. Friends, colleagues and family members are looking for potential donors, and are encouraging anyone interested in helping to get tested for compatibility. Doctors say a match is most likely to come from someone with a similar ethnic background, which in Brecker's case would be someone of Eastern European Jewish heritage.

Granted, this item has nothing to do with jazz in St. Louis - but, hey, it's my blog, and I can write what I want to, even if the rules do occasionally seem Calvinballesque. Fact is, Brecker has always been a personal favorite of mine, and the more people who know about his plight, the better the chance of finding a compatible donor. You can find out how to get tested here, and look for updated information on Brecker's condition at his Web site.

Jazz this week: Support your
local jazzman (or woman)


Saxophonist Willie Akins, a master of bop, blues and ballads
in the classic style, is a St. Louis favorite who's always worth hearing


It's mid-summer, and that means it's pretty much Doldrum City here in St. Louis with regard to touring jazz acts. However, the flip side of this momentary lull is that it's an excellent time to check out some of the St. Louis musicians you've been meaning to hear, but haven't just yet. With summer vacations in progress, the pace is bit more relaxed, local nightspots may be a bit less crowded, and musicians perhaps may even be inclined to stretch out and try some new stuff.

On Friday night, I'd recommend checking out the excellent pianist Ptah Williams and vocalist Erika Johnson at Cookie's in Webster Groves; vocalist Erin Bode, who's performing around the block at Crossings, or saxophonist Dave Stone at Mangia Italiano down on South Grand. On Saturday, you can't go wrong with Willie Akins' early gig at Spruill's in midtown, or you can catch Bode performing at Brandt's in University City, or get a taste of the bygone days of Gaslight Square with Trio Trés Bien and vocalist Danita Mumphard at Cookie's.

You can see more jazz options for the weekend at the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar. And if you are a musician or venue who would like to have your gig listed, email me with your info at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.

(edited to fix typos 7/29/05)

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Najee to perform
at Missouri Black Expo
benefit show


Najee

This just in, via the Post-Dispatch: Smooth jazz saxophonist Najee will perform at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 19 at the Pageant for the Missouri Black Expo's American Family Insurance Community Benefit Gala. Tickets are $28.50 for balcony seating or $100 for VIP seating, which includes dinner, parking and a private reception. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. Friday, July 29. Call 314-361-5772 for tickets and information.

The benefit is the kickoff event for the Missouri Black Expo, which takes place August 19 - 21 at the Convention Center in St. Louis. The MBE usually includes a couple of nights of musical performances in addition to the speakers, workshops, exhibitors and other events, and while R&B and hip-hop are the main attractions, in the past there have been some jazz and old-school soul artists as well. Unfortunately, their Web site doesn't yet list the lineup for this year's Music Fest, but if there's more jazz in the offing, I'll post about it here as soon as I get details.

Monday, July 25, 2005

More jazz blogs you may enjoy


The crack research team at St. Louis Jazz Notes
is using advanced technology to bring you links
to the best jazz sites on the Web


Before I started this site, I did some searching to see what other sorts of jazz sites were out there on the Web. One result of this research was that I added links to a number of what I think are the best general interest jazz and creative music sites to the lower part of the sidebar.

I also found a number of worthy sites that had a narrower focus. I've got a future post planned about other sites devoted to the jazz scenes in specific cities, but today I'd like to point out some more personal sites - specifically, jazz blogs.

Even though there are millions of blogs out there, so far I've found surprisingly few devoted to the subject of jazz. However, these particular sites are definitely worth a look:

Miles Radio is the site for a radio program dedicated to the music and legacy of Miles Davis. The show airs Sundays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on 90.1 FM in the Rochester, NY area or online at Jazz901.org. Host/blogger Erik Telford is obviously a true Davis fan, and the blog contains some thoughtful and informed commentary as well as stuff like transcripts from interviews with Miles and even some MP3s.

Xanax Taxi (subtitled " Jazz, improvisation, fusion, funk (and the rest)") is primarily an audioblog, and posts often revolve around a theme. Recent posts include one collecting several songs dealing with the concept of silence, and a series comparing various versions of the standard "Stella By Starlight" as recorded by a variety of different jazz artists.

Straight No Chaser also includes MP3s and podcasts, too, but blogger Jeffrey Siegel tackles a wide variety of topics, from stuff he's found on the Web to local jazz happenings near his Springfield, MA home.

I found jazzofonikjamaica interesting just because it offers a perspective on jazz from outside the USA. Writing from Kingston, blogger Michael Edwards posts about American and international jazz musicians as well as about what's going on with the Jamaican jazz scene (which heavily influenced the Sixties precursor of reggae known as ska.)

Finally, the Arts Journal site has enlisted jazz journalist Doug Ramsey to create a blog called Rifftides. Ramsey knows his stuff, writes well - his recently published biography of saxophonist Paul Desmond is getting some good reviews - and tackles a variety of jazz-related topics, from posts about specific musicians and albums to more general "state-of-the-music" type musings.

Have you run across any other jazz blogs that are worth reading? If so, please leave a note in the comments, or email me. My plan is to create a folder on the St. Louis Jazz Notes Bloglines page specifically for newsfeeds from other jazz blogs. I'll start with these five, and add others as I learn of them.

Noise/experimental music
still thriving in south city


Yes, there's a veritable explosion of noise
and experimental music
at south St. Louis venues
like the LNAC and Radio Cherokee. Not for

the fainthearted and/or easily offended, though.


It's been a while since I've featured anything about the local noise/experimental scene, and so I was pleased to get an email from Josh Levi detailing some upcoming shows at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, Radio Cherokee and some other alternative spaces.

Since the LNAC's Web site seems to be returning a 404 message right now, and it's too darn hot in St. Louis to do anything that requires much more effort than copying, pasting and formatting, I'm just going to note that LNAC has scheduled their second annual Midwest Noise Festival for October 15 - 17 - more about that as the date draws closer - and then quote at length from the email:

"Local mastermind/genius, Michael Ferrer has opened up the Spooky Action Palace up to the public. Also home of the label, Spooky Action Records, the palace serves as a delightful stage for some of THE hottest acts in experimental/avant folk/noise/psychedelic music today. Several great and amazing acts will be coming through in the fall. Be sure to make it out for: Davenport, Burning Star Core, Nautical Almanac, The Skaters, and more. For more information, feel free to e-mail Mike at: rhizomatic@hotmail.com .

If you haven't heard - BrainMother, Laura Stair, has just put out issue #2 of IFIHADAHIFI. This 2nd issue is full of fun including: Poetry by Alice McCullan, Cover Art by Raglani, Spotlight on Jason Wallace Triefenbach, and so much more!! You can pick up your freshly printed copy at some of the shows below or by contacting Laura at - liberalnoise@hotmail.com . Big thank you goes out to Mike Ferrer (Spooky Action Records / Spooky Action Palace) for having the IFIHADAHIFI issue #2 release show. All acts were great! Be sure to catch the release show for IFIHADAHIFI Issue #2.5 - The Noise Chronicles at Radio Cherokee with Athletic Automaton (Ex-Arab On Radar) in August.

Raglani has just released a split CD w/ Scenic Railroads on Gameboy Records. Scenic Railroads contains Mike Shiflet (of Gameboy Rec/Sword Heaven fame) and is available directly through Joseph - josephraglani@yahoo.com , or Gameboy Records - http://www.gmby.net/ . Raglani features 3 delectable tracks taking a look into the endless abyss known as the human heart. Scenic Railroads offer 4 tracks of digital improvised madness. Sure to please.

====================
Upcoming shows:

Tuesday, July 26th:
Roxanne Jean Polise - http://xdiedenroutey.net/
Hobert Europe - http://www.myspace.com/hoberteurope
Will Soderberg - http://white-rose.net/wills.html
@ Spooky Action Palace
please e-mail for directions: rhizomatic@hotmail.com
$5 / 9PM - All Ages

St. Louis is fortunate enough to have this tour stop by! Holly, MI's Roxanne Jean Polise has just released the Changing Light Patterns of the Underwater Forest 3" on Chondritic Sound. The creeping sound of RJP will tantalize those in hopes of a zombie feast. Crunch on bones, pray for tones, take out loans, your soul they'll own. Will Soderberg has a slew of releases under his belt for those willing to plunge into their wallets. Royal Oak, MI's Hobert Europe delivers some of the finest breakbeats and enough uh-uh-uh to take you to your grave. Surgical precision matched by sledgehammer blows of unrelenting power.
====================
Friday, July 29th:
Back When - http://www.thebackwhencollective.com/
Gogglesphere - http://www.gogglesphere.com/
Vehemence 6.2 - http://www.leukos.net/v62
@ Lemp Arts Center - http://www.lemp-arts.org
3301 Lemp Ave. - St. Louis, MO 63118
$5 / 8PM - All Ages
====================
Monday, August 1st:
Warhammer 48K
The Conformists - http://www.theconformists.com/
Ghost Ice
@ Radio Cherokee - http://www.radiocherokee.net
3227 Cherokee St. - St. Louis, MO 63118
$5 / 9PM - All Ages
====================
Thursday, August 4th:
Pedestrian Deposit - http://www.monorailtrespassing.com/
Oscillating Innards - http://www.iheartnoise.com/innards/
Den Mother - http://www.angelfire.com/linux/pwnmo/
Vehemence 6.2 - http://www.leukos.net/v62
@ Radio Cherokee - http://www.radiocherokee.net
3227 Cherokee St. - St. Louis, MO 63118
$5 / 8PM - All Ages
====================
Saturday, August 6th:
Skeletons and the Girl-Faced Boys - http://www.ghostly.com/1.0/ghostly/gi46.shtml
Fa She - http://www.shinkoyo.com/catalog/midnightoils.html
Airport Elementary School
Eric Hall
@ Radio Cherokee - http://www.radiocherokee.net
3227 Cherokee St. - St. Louis, MO 63118
$5 / 9PM - All Ages
====================
Monday, August 8th:
Lazy Magnet - http://www.corleonerecords.com/banddetail.asp?bandid=18
Mercy Light
Ren Schofield - http://www.yoitsren.com/
Amil Is Personal - http://www.amilispersonal.com/
Russian Tsarcasm - http://www.cephiastreat.com/
@ Lemp Arts Center - http://www.lemp-arts.org
3301 Lemp Ave. - St. Louis, MO 63118
$5 / 8PM - All Ages
====================
Thursday, August 11th:
Jesse Kudler - http://www.white-flag.org/
Mike Shiflet - http://www.gmby.net/
Jason Zeh - http://www.gmby.net/
Raglani - http://home.myspace.com/pegasusfarmsrecords
Nui - http://www.angelfire.com/linux/pwnmo/
@ Lemp Arts Center - http://www.lemp-arts.org
3301 Lemp Ave. - St. Louis, MO 63118
$5 / 8PM - All Ages
====================
Saturday, August 13th:
*NAUGACIDE Screening / Warning Orb* - http://www.reptilica.com/naugacyde.htm
Skarekrau Radio - http://www.skarekrauradio.bizland.com/
Killer Looks
@ The Ground Floor - http://thegroundfloor.us/
215 E. Main St. - Belleville, IL
TBA - 18+
====================
Thursday, August 25th:
*IFIHADAHIFI Zine Release Show*
Athletic Automaton - http://www.athleticautomaton.com/
HteetH - http://www.mprsnd.org/swash/
Jason Wallace Triefenbach / Rick Wilson
Ghost Ice / Worm Hands - http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/wormhands/
@ Radio Cherokee - http://www.radiocherokee.net
3227 Cherokee St. - St. Louis, MO 63118
$6 / 8PM - All Ages
====================
Sunday, August 28th:
Xiu Xiu - http://www.xiuxiu.org/
D Yellow Swans - http://www.jyrk.com/yellowswans/
@ TBA
====================
MORE UPCOMING SHOWS:
Sep. 9 - 11 - 3 DAY CELEBRATION of Spooky Action! w/ Burning Star Core, Davenport, The Skaters, Eyes and Arms of Smoke, Tomutonttu, Hertta Lusuu Assä, Taikuri Tali, Navy Black, Levi / Kannapell, Phantom Power and so much more @ Spooky Action Palace
Oct. 5 - 16 Bitch Pile-Up, Sixes, Ghost Ice, Nui, Wiggpaw @ Lemp Arts Center
Oct. 15 - 17 - MIDWEST NOISE FESTIVAL @ Lemp Arts Center "

(edited to fix the photo caption 7/26/05)

Friday, July 22, 2005

Welcome, readers of Commonspace.org
and the St. Louis Syndicate

Greetings, salutations and welcome to those of you who have arrived here by following the link posted on the Commonspace.org blog and/or on the St. Louis Syndicate site. I encourage you to check out the archives, the Bloglines headlines page and the jazz calendar as well as the front page, and to bookmark this site for future reference. Things are a little slow with regard to breaking news right now, but when fall arrives there will be plenty of activity on the local jazz scene, and we'll attempt to chronicle as much of it as possible right here.

For the link itself, I must thank Brian Marston, who's one of the founders of Commonspace and the instigator of the St. Louis Syndicate, which aggregates efforts from several local bloggers. (If you're not already familiar with his sites, I encourage you to check them out.) Muchas gracias, Senor Marston!

NYC trumpet festival has St. Louis flavor


One of the most creative trumpet players of the
second half of the 20th century, the late Lester
Bowie is being honored by this year's Festival
of New Trumpet Music.


St. Louis has a tradition of producing fine jazz trumpet players, so it's no surprise that while the third annual Festival of New Trumpet Music will take place from August 2 - 27 in faraway New York City, there's a bit of a St. Louis influence there, too.

For starters, the first week of the FONT Music festival organized by trumpeters Dave Douglas, Roy Campbell and Jon Nelson is dedicated to St. Louis native Lester Bowie. Events will take place that week at the NYC club The Jazz Standard and will feature bands led by Douglas, Campbell, Bill Dixon, Graham Haynes, Cuong Vu, Bobby Bradford and others in performances that, in part, will attempt to evoke the spirit and/or substance of Bowie's approach to music.

Former St. Louisan, Black Artists Group co-founder, and trumpeter Bakaida Carroll will lead his group in concert on August 6, and other St. Louis natives appearing during that week of the festival include drummer Gene Lake, who's the son of former Oliver Lake and will perform with Douglas, and reedman Marty Ehrlich, a University City native who will play with Bradford. During the Festival's third week, young trumpet phenom Keyon Harrold, another St. Louis export, will perform with his group at Spark on August 17.

In a press release, FONT co-founder Douglas sums up the festival's premise this way:

"The Festival of New Trumpet Music is, for me, a chance to hear many facets of contemporary trumpet music, regardless of style. This festival disproves the idea that there are only two kinds of trumpet players, inside and outside. In fact, this festival demonstrates the explosion of unique visions that currently coexist. FONT Music encourages each trumpeter to explore their own point of view and to be truly 'themselves.'

"In this way we feel that this festival is a celebration of the many ways forward in music. From a week-long celebration of Lester Bowie at the Jazz Standard, to an indescribable series at Tonic, to a week of new and emerging trumpeter/bandleaders at Spark, to a week of seminars and concert music at Yamaha, culminating in a one-of-a-kind final concert with conductor and cornetist Butch Morris leading improvisations by an ensemble of many of today's most adventurous, engaging and controversial trumpeters."

All in all, August sounds like a fine month to be a trumpet fan - or a trumpet player - in New York City, and it's always good to see St. Louis players in the mix and Bowie's contribution to the music being recognized.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Jazz this week: Dave Koz and Friends,
Jimmy Smith tribute and more


Dave Koz

This time of summer in St. Louis is a bit slow for touring jazz acts, so the only major national headliner in town this week is saxophonist Dave Koz, who brings his "...and Friends" smooth jazz package show to the Roberts Orpheum Theater this Saturday night. Included in this edition of the tour is R&B vocalist Jeffrey Osborne, whose past work with LTD and as a solo artist I've usually enjoyed, as well as guitarist Mark Antoine and multi-instrumentalist Praful.

Jazz at the Bistro wraps up their first "Summer Jazz Spectacular" this weekend with a "Tribute to Jimmy Smith" featuring Willie Akins playing sax in front of Reggie Thomas's organ group OGD. Both of these guys have an great understanding and feel for this type of music, and there's aren't many chances these days to hear jazz organ in local clubs, so this should be fun. The group will do two sets per night on Friday and Saturday.

Elsehwere in town, Carolbeth True brings her piano trio back to Crossings on Friday night, and vocalist Cheri Evans returns to Cookie's on Saturday. Both are worth hearing just about any time.

If you're a musician or venue who would like to have your information included in the weekly jazz calendar, email me at at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.

Blogging about blogging

Well, I'm back, after an brief unanticipated one-week hiatus from blogging caused by 1) a momentary lack of breaking local jazz news; 2) pressing deadlines for other, paying work; and 3) aggravating an old back injury that has limited my desk time for the last several days. Barring further unforeseen complications, regular updates should be forthcoming once again.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Scrooge Harris Quartet to perform
benefit concert on July 24

Drummer Jerome "Scrooge" Harris and his quartet will perform a benefit concert for the Institute for the Advancement of Jazz Study and Performance on Sunday, July 24 at Jazz at the Bistro. The event begins with a buffet meal at 2 p.m. and the music starts at 3 p.m.

Harris is an underappreciated treasure of St. Louis' jazz scene, an old-school bebopper whose playing shows the influence of Max Roach, Kenny Clarke and Art Blakey and who can swing smoothly at impossibly high speeds or drop a fusillade of bombs with equal facility. Joining Harris on the bandstand will be saxophonist Freddie Washington, bassist Jeff Anderson, and young piano phenom Lawrence Fields, back in St. Louis for the summer after his first year at Boston's Berklee College of Music. Vocalist Anita Jackson, who often fronts the Jazz Edge big band, also will perform a few numbers with the Quartet.

Tickets are $75 for reserved VIP seating or $50 for regular admission. All proceeds benefit the IAJSP, a program of the Community Women Against Hardship that publicist Dawn DeBlaze calls "a dream in progress that mentors and supports the art of creative jazz music, and gives direction to our youth. The Institute hopes to see and hear underserved musicians grow through its cultural heritage program to become mature and disciplined artists." For more information or to make a reservation, call (314) 289-7523.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Jazz this week: Pat Martino, Rippingtons,
Webster U jazz faculty and more


Pat Martino

It's another good week in St. Louis for jazz guitar fans, as Russ Freeman brings the smooth jazz sounds of the Rippingtons to the Pageant tonight, while Pat Martino will continue Jazz at the Bistro's "Summer Jazz Spectacular" with two performances each Friday and Saturday nights. (I wrote a short piece last year about Martino for the Riverfront Times that's still relevant, and you can find it here.)

Elsewhere, Sandy Weltman will put his virtuoso chops on banjo and harmonica to work on a whole bunch of musical styles, including jazz, for an outdoor concert tonight at the Missouri Botanical Garden's Whitaker Music Festival. And there are still two free concerts left (tonight and tomorrow) in the series of performances by faculty members of Webster University's summer jazz camp.

Fans of traditional jazz may enjoy the Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band, which comes to town Sunday for a matinee at the Moolah Shrine Center sponsored by the Saint Louis Jazz Club. And there are plenty of St. Louis based performers in action this week, too - check out the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar for the details.

As always, if you're a musician, band or venue who would like to have your concert or gig listed in the calendar (and consdered for the weekly highlights post), email your information to me at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.

Monday, July 11, 2005

Happy birthday, Milt Buckner!


Milt Buckner

Milt Buckner, born in St. Louis on July 10, 1915, had a long and productive career as one of the handful of jazz musicians to enjoy success and demonstrate equal facility as both a pianist and an organist.

Though born in the Gateway City, Buckner was raised in Detroit, and got his first professional job with McKinney's Cotton Pickers before he was out of his teens. Later, he went on to work with famed vibist Lionel Hampton for many years. He also recorded a number of albums as a leader, and later in his career worked as a session musicians and sideman with Illinois Jacquet, Roy Eldridge, Jo Jones, Buddy Tate, Arnett Cobb and many other artists, moving freely between the worlds of jazz, R&B and pop. These brief biographies and this three-part discography provide an overview of Buckner's work, with the latter including some interesting photos of vintage record labels and covers and some pictures of the man himself.

As a pianist, Buckner was one of the early proponents of the "locked hands" style of playing later made famous by George Shearing. As an organist, he built on the work of Fats Waller and "Wild Bill" Davis, often using the organ orchestrally to make a small ensemble sound like a big band, and putting more emphasis on a variety of tonal colors than on fleet-fingered solo runs. Jimmy Smith cited Buckner as an early influence, although at 5'2" tall, Buckner's legs were too short to enable him to even attempt the fast-moving pedal bass lines that became one of Smith's trademarks.

An exuberant performer who connected instinctively with an audience, Buckner contined to record and tour, often in Europe, until shortly before his death in Chicago on July 27, 1977. A good deal of his music is still in print, including compilations of his work from the 40s and 50s and some full length CDs recorded later in his career. Director David Lynch used Buckner's composition "The Beast" (Real Audio file) in the film Mulholland Drive, and several Buckner tracks from the 50s and 60s have appeared on various themed compilations of lounge and "space age pop" music.

(edited 7/11/05)

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Webster U jazz faculty to present free concerts


Pianist Carolbeth True is one of the Webster University
faculty members who will perform in a series of free
concerts
July 11 - 14 at the University's Music Annex

It's almost time for the annual summer jazz camp at Webster University, and every evening after the young musicians have completed their daily schedule of classes, workshops and jam sessions, they get to hear their faculty members - all working professional musicians - perform in concert.

Webster U also invites the public to attend these free concerts, which will be held in the University's Music Annex, 8282 Big Bend Blvd (the southeast corner of Edgar Road and Big Bend) in Webster Groves, at 7 p.m. each night Monday through Thursday next week. If you can handle the early start time, it's a great chance to check out a fine sampling of our town's jazz players without paying a cover charge.

The lineup for the week looks like this:
  • Monday, July 11: Randy Holmes (trumpet), Paul DeMarinis (saxophones), Carolbeth True (piano), Willem von Hombracht (bass) and Kevin Gianino (drums).
  • Tuesday, July 12: Mike Karpowicz (saxophone), Tom Byrne (guitar), Carol Schmidt (piano), Ric Vice (bass), and Gianino.
  • Wednesday, July 13: DeMarinis, Mike Parkinson (trumpet), Ben Wheeler (bass), and Kyle Honeycutt (drums).
  • Thursday, July 14: Parkinson, Willie Akins (saxophones), Dave Black (guitar), Kim Portnoy (piano), von Hombracht and Gianino.
The students get their turn on Friday night, with a concert at 7 pm in the University's Winifred Moore Auditorium that is also open to the public. For more information, call the Webster Jazz Studies department at 314-968-7039.

(Edited to correct posting time and fix some weird line breaks on 7/7/05)

Jazz this week: Bucky Pizzarelli
kicks off the Bistro's summer series


Bucky Pizzarelli

In terms of touring acts, the big story in St. Louis this week is guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, who's opening Jazz at the Bistro's "Summer Jazz Spectacular" series with two sets per night on Friday and Saturday.

Pizzarelli is a master of the postwar, pre-Wes Montgomery style of jazz guitar. He can play it fast, and he can play it pretty, swinging in front of a high-octane rhythm section or reflecting leisurely on a ballad with a full-bodied chord-melody style. If you're a fan of jazz guitar, or great guitar playing in general, and you've never seen Pizzarelli, this is, as the saying goes, a no-brainer. Buy your ticket and check the man out.

But even if you're not a passionate guitar fan, there may be another reason you'd like to be at Jazz at the Bistro this weekend. As noted last week, the summer series is being produced in collaboration with a month-long seminar conducted by Washington University's Center for the Humanities, and it's a bit of an experiment for the Bistro - a way for them to test the market for touring jazz attractions during the summer months. So if you're a jazz fan who'd like to see the Bistro continue to move toward year-round operations, these next three weeks are your chance to vote "Yes" with your dollars and your feet.

That said, if you're just not in the mood for guitar jazz, there are still plenty of gigs featuring some fine St. Louis-based talent this weekend. Check the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar for the full rundown.

And if you are a musician or venue who would like to have your event listed on the calendar (and possibly mentioned in the weekly preview post as well), email your information to me at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.

Monday, July 04, 2005

Some jazz MP3s for free


"More of my stuff for free? Now I'm really mad!"

Since Independence Day is supposed to be a holiday about freedom, it seems like an appropriate time to see what's available for free on the Internet in the way of jazz MP3s. After a bit of Googling and poking around various sites, I found this sampling of free, complete tracks and performances available for download:

  • DarkFunk.com offers a small but select group of downloads that currently includes a Herbie Hancock performance from 1971, a complete out-of-print album by reedman Bennie Maupin, and - making that all-important St. Louis connection - a 1973 live performance from Paris by the Miles Davis Septet, featuring Miles, Dave Liebman, Pete Cosey, Reggie Lucas, Michael Henderson, Al Foster and Mtume. You'll need a high-speed connection (or a whole lot of patience and free time) to download the 169 MB file, but if you're a fan of Miles' electric stuff, you'll want to have this recording.
  • Jazz Times makes you register to get access to their page of free MP3s, but there's usually some stuff worth having in the constantly changing selection. Today's features include tracks from James Blood Ulmer and Charles McPherson, but the offerings seem to change fairly frequently, so it's worth bookmarking.
  • In addition to the sample snippets offered for many of the CDs they carry, Amazon.com also has a page of free, full-length jazz MP3s avalable here, with tracks running the stylistic gamut from from Sun Ra to Dave Brubeck.
Have you found other good sources for jazz MP3s? If so, please leave a comment with the URL and relevant information, or email it to me at stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.

Old Webster Jazz Festival
announces lineup of performers


Vocalist Erin Bode will be one of the headliners
at this year's Old Webster Jazz Festival
.

This year's Old Webster Jazz Festival - apparently, they've dropped the "and Blues" from the name - will be held from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday, September 17 near the intersection of Lockwood and Gore in the historic Old Webster business district.

Featured performers on the Festival's two stages will include Erin Bode, Corey Christiansen, Jim Manley's Wild, Cool and Swingin' and the Leslie Maclean Trio, as well as Jeanne Trevor in a tribute to Gaslight Square and blues/rock guitarist Billy Peek in what is billed as a tribute to the late Johnnie Johnson. The music is free, and food and drink will be available from local restaurants and bars. For more information, visit the Festival's Web site.

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Happy birthday, Fontella Bass!


Fontella Bass

Many people think of Fontella Bass, born in St. Louis on July 3, 1940, as a soul singer. Her hit "Rescue Me" was one of the Sixties' biggest soul records by a female vocalist, and continues to be heard today on oldies radio and in advertising, television and movies. (The song was also featured on the recent PBS special about John Lennon's personal jukebox as the only record by a female artist on the Beatle's portable juke.)

However, Ms. Bass is in fact a multi-talented singer and pianist who was raised singing gospel and got her professional start playing the blues with Oliver Sain and Little Milton. She also has a number of credits as a jazz vocalist, mostly notably three recordings with the Art Ensemble of Chicago during the time she was married to the late Lester Bowie, as well as sessions with David Murray, the World Saxophone Quartet and many others.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Bass a couple of years ago for the Riverfront Times, and the resulting story gives an broad overview of her career and what she's been up in the new millenium. (Her Wikipedia entry, this brief biography and this account of her gospel comeback fill in much of the rest of the story.)

At the time, she had recently completed some guest vocals for the British dance music group Cinematic Orchestra, and the track "All That You Give" from those sessions is available as a free download here. You might also enjoy hearing this interview Ms. Bass gave earlier this year to the radio program American Routes, available in Real Audio format here.

Though she's already secured a spot on the St. Louis Walk of Fame, Fontella Bass remains active with her group the Voices of St. Louis (which often includes pianist Ptah Williams and the Bosman Twins on saxes and flutes), touring in Europe and occasionally in America. We wish her many more happy, healthy and productive years to come.