Benny Green and Russell Malone
There's lots to see and hear at St. Louis' jazz venues this week, so let's get right to the highlights.
Pianist Benny Green and guitarist Russell Malone will be performing as a duet beginning tonight and running through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. In a way, this is sort of a homecoming for both men, since they recorded their first CD as a duo at the Bistro back in 2002. Their most recent duet recording, 2004's Bluebird, is a very enjoyable set - swinging, melodic, and featuring some very nice interplay between piano and guitar.
On Thursday, saxophonist and clarinetist Victor Goines makes his third trip to St. Louis since December, this time leading his students in the Juilliard Jazz Small Ensemble in a concert at the Sheldon. Also at the Sheldon, New Orleans natives the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the legendary vocal group the Dixie Hummingbirds will appear together Friday in "Just A Closer Walk With Thee," a program celebrating Southern gospel music.
On Saturday night, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones will bring their eclectic world-jazz-funk-bluegrass sound to the Pageant, touring in support of their latest CD The Hidden Land. Given that they've got a substantial following in the area, I'd expect a good turnout for the show and suggest calling ahead for tickets now before they sell out.
Of course, many St. Louis based performers are busy on local stages this week, too. The Sessions Big Band ventures out of BB's Jazz Blues and Soups, their usual Monday night haunt downtown, and heads out to Clayton to perform two sets tonight at Finale. In nearby University City, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis will bring his group to the Holmes Lounge at Washington University for a free show on Thursday night, and then will perform with guitarist Steve Schenkel on Friday at Crossings in Webster Groves.
As always, for more complete listings you can consult the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar. It looks like we'll have some nice weather this weekend, so I hope you'll get out and celebrate spring by hearing some live music.
(If you are a band, musician, presenter or venue who would like to have your event included in the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, please email your news release or gig information to stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.)
(Edited 4/2/06 to fix a particularly annoting typo.)
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