Notes from the Net: Miles miscellany, Byron's Stravinsky, Baker musical reviewed and more

George Duke

A 1958 film from director Louis Malle that features a soundtrack by Miles Davis is being reissued on DVD next month. "Elevator to the Gallows features a now legendary soundtrack by Miles Davis. The new Criterion Collection edition of the film (out this April) will also carry archive footage of Davis improvising the film's score and a new video discussion about that score with jazz critic Gary Giddins and musician Jon Faddis."...Blogcritics recently ran two Miles-related pieces: a review of the compilation CD Miles Davis Plays for Lovers and a somehwhat contrarian essay titled "Miles Davis: Not Overrated, But Overhyped"... And yes, reviews of the Cellar Door box set are still coming out; here's one from Seattle Weekly.

A new musical about another St. Louis legend, Josephine Baker, just opened in Chicago, and is reviewed here and here...Clarinetist Don Byron, who will be in town April 12-15 to perform at Jazz at the Bistro, will conduct Stravinsky's "Ebony Concerto" later this month at NYC's Symphony Space...Saxophonist Greg Abate, who's coming to Finale in May, has a new CD that is very briefly reviewed here...Also headed for St. Louis are the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Dixie Hummingbirds, touring together in a celebration of Southern gospel that will play the Sheldon on March 31. They were recently in Hawaii, and both groups were featured in the Honolulu Advertiser newspaper...Multi-instrumentalist Douglas Ewart, who performed in St. Louis last month as part of J.D. Parran's Spirit Stage, is the subject of a nice feature article in a Twin Cities weekly.

Stuff worth readin': Popmatters writer Will Layman has another interesting jazz article online, this one about 12 CDs of adventurous modern jazz that could be used to introduce neophytes to the genre...Those with an interest in unusual musical instruments may enjoy checking out this online gallery compiled by Odd Music.com...Plenty of music was playing in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, but frustration with the slow pace of rebuilding there has given some of it an angry edge, according to this article from the New York Times.

And finally, a couple more things pertaining to our recent discussion of jazz festivals in this space. Keyboardist George Duke, who's performing with bassist Stanley Clarke at the US Bank St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival in June, talks briefly about their reunion here. Duke and Clarke's other dates this year will include a stop at the Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles, an event that will also feature another act headed for the St. Louis fest, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. But despite the Playboy fest's reputation for booking a surfeit of unchallenging and/or commercial acts, LA (unlike St. Louis) is also getting plenty of substantive mainstream jazz music, too, with appearances scheduled by Branford Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with Stefon Harris, Eddie Palmieri's Afro-Caribbean Jazz All Stars with special guests Regina Carter and David Sanchez, the Golden Striker Trio with Ron Carter, Mulgrew Miller and Russell Malone, piano phenom Eldar Djangirov, and the Benny Golson quartet. Kinda makes you wonder why St. Louis can't do something similar, doesn't it?