Freddy Cole
Although some of our local concert presenters have already wrapped up their seasons, there's still a lot of good jazz to be heard in St. Louis during the long Memorial Day weekend.
Beginning tonight and running through Saturday, Jazz at the Bistro will present another of the special combinations put together for their 10th anniversary season as vocalist/pianist Freddy Cole and saxophonist (and sometimes singer) James Moody team up to take the stage. Cole, the brother of legendary singer Nat "King" Cole, is a local favorite from his several appearances here in recent years, and Moody is a bonafide jazz legend and elder statesman, one of the few players still working who has a direct personal connection back to the origins of bebop.
There are also a couple of events on Friday night to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Miles Davis' birth. On the east side, trumpeter Russell Gunn returns to his hometown to perform a Miles tribute at the Blackmon's Plaza hall in East St. Louis. And over in Clayton, trumpet player Randy Holmes will offer his own tribute to Miles at of Finale Music and Dining. Gunn is, of course, an outstanding talent whose incorporation of hip-hop and funk elements sometimes evokes some of the flavor of Miles' electric period, and Holmes is a polished and experienced musician who continues to be one of the top St. Louis players on his instrument. In a way, it's too bad that both of these shows are happening on the same night, because they both seem worth hearing.
Finale has a second jazz show this weekend, too, presenting saxophonist Greg Abate for two sets on Saturday night. I don't know enough about Abate's music to offer an informed commentary, but according to his biography, he's a committed bop player who brings it in an old-school style. And it is good to see that the club is continuing to bring in touring musicians playing straight-ahead jazz and who are new to St. Louis audiences to complement its lineup of local performers, smooth jazz, R&B bands and tribute acts.
Elsewhere in town, Thursday is the final night of the sound-art performance/installation Ancora il Più Estinto, wrapping up its third annual edition at Dunaway Books on South Grand. And our local clubs, such as Cookie's, Crossings and Brandt's, will, as always, present a variety of favorite St. Louis performers. For a more complete listing of what's going on in St. Louis jazz this week, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.
(If you are a band, musician, presenter or venue who would like to have your event listed in the weekly calendar, please email your news release or schedule information to stljazznotes at yahoo dot com.)
(Edited after posting to fix the appearance of the headline.)
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