Jazz this week: Old Webster Jazz Festival, Text of Light, and much more

Jeanne Trevor is one of the headliners of the free Old Webster
Jazz Festival, which runs from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday.

Lots of stuff worth hearing this weekend, so let's get right to the highlights. On Thursday, saxophonist Freddie Washington kicks off this year's Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.When he's on, Washington is one of the best in town, and hopefully he'll bring his "A" game for this concert. After he finishes at 10 p.m., you've still got time to head south to Webster Groves and catch bassist Tom Kennedy and his trio at Crossings Taverne and Grille or vocalist Valerie Tichacek and her group at Cookie's.

On Friday, singer Kim Massie opens a two-night stand as part of Jazz at the Bistro's Spotlight Series and, as previously mentioned in the interest of full disclosure, I'll be there playing piano in her backup band. Kim is a very spontaneous performer who likes to engage the audience, so even I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen, but I'm pretty sure it will be, at the very least, entertaining.

But if that doesn't sound like your cuppa tea, there are lots of other options on Friday. Crossings Concerts (not to be confused with Crossings Taverene and Grille) is kicking off its 2005-06 season with a performance involving a jazz trio, the Nuclear Percussion Ensemble, and theatre organist/television personality Stan Kann. NPE is always worth a listen, as are jazzmen Soctt Alberici, Dan Rubright and Steve Schenkel, but I have no idea what their collaborative efforts with Kann will be like. For some reason, the phrase "so crazy it just might work" comes to mind. Also on Friday, Acoustic Alchemy brings their smooth jazz/world music hybrid to Finale for a two-night run, and the very fine guitarist Dave Black performs at Crossings Taverne and Grille.

On Saturday, the city of Webster Groves will be filled with jazz throughout the day, as the Old Webster Jazz Festival offers free musicians' workshops in the morning and then a free outdoor concert with ten different groups during the afternoon and evening. Headliners include vocalist Erin Bode, singer Jeanne Trevor in a tribute to Gaslight Square, and Billy Peek paying homage to the late Johnnie Johnson.

If I weren't working, I'd hit the Festival in the afternoon, and then try to be at Webster University that night for the performance/screening of Text of Light, which pairs the films of Stan Brakhage with live improvised music performed by a group including Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore.

And to round out the weekend, on Sunday the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center plays host to a concert of free improvisation featuring Mike Bullock on bass, Vic Rawlings on prepared cello and Mazen Kerbaj on cornet, plus St. Louisans Dave Stone and Mark Sarich as openers. That's a lot of notes for your entertainment dollar, people.

As always, there's more, and you can see it by visiting the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar. If you're a venue or a musician who would like to have your events listed in the calendar (and possibly in ye olde weekly highlights), email your info to stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.

(edited 9/15/05 to add a link & fix some typos)