The World Saxophone Quartet
There's almost an overload of good stuff for St. Louis jazz fans to see and hear this week, much of it connected to the Black Artists Group symposium being held Thursday and Friday at Washington University.
On Wednesday night, the World Saxophone Quartet opens a four-night run at Jazz at the Bistro. The lineup for this engagement includes two former BAG members and co-founders of the WSQ - current Metro East resident Hamiet Bluiett and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake - as well as recent recruit Bruce Williams (filling the alto sax chair originated by Julius Hemphill) and James Carter, who's substituting for David Murray, occupied with other gigs this week but still part of the group.
As a homecoming, a history lesson, and a chance to see one of the most important and longest-lived small jazz ensembles of the last three decades, this gig seems like a must for any serious jazz fan who's not terminally averse to freer sounds rooted in the developments of the 1960s and 1970s. With eight sets over four nights, expect the WSQ to go deep into their songbook, and the presence of Carter adds another iinteresting dimension to the proceedings. I''ve got a piece about the group in this week's RFT based on an interview with Bluiett, and will link to it here once it's online.
On Thursday, the BAG symposium begins at Washington University, with scheduled events including a master class with Lake and a poetry reading featuring two more members of BAG, writer and poet Shirley LeFlore and multi-reedman J.D. Parran. Then that night, Parran and trumpeter Floyd LeFlore, another former BAG member still living and working in St. Louis, will lead their respective ensembles in a free concert as part of Wash U's Jazz at Holmes Series.
On Friday, the symposium continues wiith a lecture and presentation of academic papers in the morning, and a panel discussion with Bluiett, Lake, Parran and Floyd LeFlore in the afternoon. The WSQ will continue their run at the Bistro through Saturday, then head down the road to Columbia for a gig Sunday night as part of that city's fine "We Always Swing" series.
In addition to all the BAG-related activity, there are a number of other noteworthy shows this week. Saxophonist and clarinetist Victor Goines (bio is a PDF file), best known for his work with Wynton Marsalis, performs at the Sheldon on Saturday, offering a tribute to Swing Era bandleader Artie Shaw, with the added attraction of St. Louis' own Mardra Thomas as special guest performing material that Billie Holiday sang with Shaw. Goines is fully up to the technical challenges of Shaw's music - you don't get to be head of the jazz program at Juilliard if you're a slouch, that's for sure - and the theme of the programming presents a nice alternative for those jazz listeners of a more traditional bent.
With so many internationally known musicians in town this week, time and dollars may get stretched a bit thin for some, but there's also a nice variety of St. Louis based musicians working this week. On Wednesday, Erin Bode brings her jazz-pop vocal sounds to Brandt's. Then on Thursday, singer (and TV host/producer) Valerie Tichacek and her Sextet will perform at Cookie's Jazz and More, while pianist Carolbeth True and her trio hold forth a couple of blocks away at Crossings Taverne and Grille.
Down in the Soulard neighborhood, stellar bassist Tom Kennedy and his Trio will perform Friday night at Mad Art Gallery, continuing the more-or-less-monthly "Mad Jazz" series that's shaping up as a most welcome addition to the local scene. Also on Friday, Cookie's features the brassy Vegas-style sounds of Wild, Cool and Swinging, led by trumpeter Jim Manley. Saturday night, you can check out Sandy Weltman at Crossings, Mae Wheeler at Brandt's, and Trio Trés Bien with vocalist Danita Mumphard at Cookie's, among others.
Given all these possibilities, and the rest listed in the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar, by Sunday there may be a number of fatigued ears, bleary eyes and/or empty wallets among jazz fans in our town. But it's great for everyone to have so many worthy choices, and the only way to keep them coming is to support the events you like by showing up. So, go hear some music this week, OK? Though temperatures are expected to plunge from the balmy Valentine's Day we enjoyed, there's no snow in the forecast, so the weather shouldn't impede what ought to be a great few days for live jazz in St. Louis.
(If you're a musician, band, venue or presenter who'd like to get your event listed in the StLJN calendar, please email your news release or announcement to stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.)
(edited after posting for clarity and to correct typos)
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