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.
No comments:
Post a Comment