Who's on your jazz concert wish list?

Jack DeJohnette is unquestionably one of the greatest
modern jazz drummers, a versatile composer and player
who commands virtually universal respect. So why has
it been more than 20 years since he played in St. Louis?

For St. Louis' not-for-profit jazz presenters, spring is the season for announcing upcoming bookings. The die has been cast for a couple of months now with regard to summer events like the US Bank St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Whitaker Music Festival. The Sheldon Concert Hall and Edison Theater recently announced their 2006-07 seasons, and Jazz St. Louis will be revealing next year's lineup for Jazz at the Bistro later this month.

Discussing how these organizations decide which musicians get booked is something of a recurring topic here at StLJN. On more than one occasion, I've criticized our local presenters for not taking enough stylistic chances, and for an overreliance on familiar names. As I've thought and written about the latter point, I've always contended that there's an abundance of great musicians who seem to rarely or never make it to St. Louis, even as others such as John Pizzarelli, Freddy Cole and Jane Monheit are booked for multiple appearances over a relatively short time span.

Now, this is no slam against Pizzarelli, Cole, Monheit or their fans. Obviously, musicians are going to go where the gigs are, and one can't fault a presenter too much for wanting to book a guaranteed draw. But I wanted to test my notion that there's plenty of other good stuff out there that's not making it to St. Louis. So, as a little thought experiment, I decided to draw up a wish list of jazz musicians I'd like to see perform here. Without doing too much research (other than spending about 15 minutes flipping through recent copies of Down Beat and Jazz Times), I tried to come up with a list of 50 jazz acts I'd like to see brought to town.

Some of these artists have never played in St. Louis, as far as I know. Others may have gigged here at some point in the past, but are hereby deemed overdue for a return visit. However, to avoid the repetition I have criticzed others for, I automatically eliminated from contention anyone who's been here in the last three years.

Why 50 acts? Well, I figure that's roughly enough bands and musicians to fill out a year's worth of bookings for the presenting organizations named above, and it's a nice round number. And why do this, anyway? Partly to demonstrate that there are indeed plenty of worthy musicians yet to be considered by our local presenters, and partly because it seemed like fun. So, on to the wish list.

First, let's consider some performers mentioned a couple of months ago in our roundtable discussion about jazz festivals, starting with two saxophonists, both St. Louis natives. Both Marty Ehrlich and Greg Osby currently are doing some of the best work of their respective careers, and over the last year both have expressed an as-yet-unfulfilled desire to play a gig in their hometown. Won't someone please oblige them?

During that same discussion, my colleague and former editor Rene Spencer Saller said she knew someone who was trying, without much success, to bring pianist Matthew Shipp to town, so let's add him to the list. And KWMU DJ and jazz historian Dennis Owsley mentioned that he'd been stumping for someone in town to book Jim Cullum's Jazz Band, the excellent traditional jazz outfit featured on public radio's Riverwalk: Live From The Landing program. That's good enough for me to put them on my list, too.

Some of the musicians on my personal wish list are admittedly longshots, for a variety of reasons. For example, both Jon Hendricks and Horace Silver are technically still active, but from what I can ascertain neither man has an extensive performing schedule these days. On the other hand, a number of other well-known elder statesmen I'd like to see and hear are still recording and gigging on a more-or-less regular basis, including Chico Hamilton, Benny Golson, Jim Hall, Lee Konitz, Mose Allison, Roy Haynes, Roswell Rudd, David "Fathead" Newman, Ron Carter, Phil Woods, Mark Murphy, and Joe Zawinul.

Age and health issues may keep some musicians off the road, but some of the most important jazz artists still active have always been rather selective about the gigs they take. Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton and Ornette Coleman are known for making challenging music and, in various ways, presenting a challenge to concert promoters, either through force of personality, unusual artistic demands, or simply by requiring top dollar for their services. Keith Jarrett also has a reputation as a demanding sort, and Sonny Rollins reportedly only plays concert halls these days, though his most recent St. Louis appearance in the early 1990s was at Mississippi Nights. Though it might not be easy, booking any of these performers would have to be considered a major coup for any of our local presenters.

Big bands are also a challenge for presenters, simply because they're expensive compared to a quartet or quintet. But if local concert halls can bring us the Count Basie and Glenn Miller ghost bands, they could, in theory at least, afford to present Maria Schneider's orchestra, the Mingus Big Band (or even the smaller Mingus Dynasty) or the Instant Composer's Pool (ICP). I'd also welcome return appearances by the Sun Ra Arkestra, who played the Sheldon 15 or so years ago, and Either/Orchestra, who did a gig here in the late 1980s at Soulard Preservation Hall to an audience that barely outnumbered the band.

Of course, there are plenty of other jazz artists, from the aforementioned elders to mid-career performers to young up-and-comers, who are out there working on a regular basis but just haven't been to St. Louis recently, or at all. Drummers Dave Weckl and Jack DeJohnette and saxophonist David Murray have all played here before, but all are overdue for another St. Louis show as far as I'm concerned. Saxophonist Ken Vandermark is just up the road in Chicago, but has yet to get a solid hookup for a St. Louis gig. (A Vandermark 5 performance scheduled here a couple of years ago as part of a longer tour fell through due to problems with the local promoter.)

Others I'd like to see, in no particular order, include Bobby Previte, Graham Haynes, Wadada Leo Smith, Larry Goldings, Paquito D’Riviera, Eddie Palmieri, Charles Lloyd, Cedar Walton, Joe Sample, Cassandra Wilson, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, John Zorn, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Lorraine Feather, Dave Frishberg, Pharoah Sanders, Chick Corea, Larry Coryell, Lee Ritenour, and/or Dave Leibman.

So, without a whole lot of time spent on contemplation or research, that's actually more than 50 acts - 52, if I'm counting correctly. But that's OK; that's one touring headliner a week for an entire year, and in any case, I think it's a sufficient number to prove my point. And really, I'm just scratching the surface here.

Astute observers will note that my personal wish list is heavily weighted toward mainstream, postbop and avant-garde styles, and toward musicians with very established careers. Add in all the artists in other jazz styles, from traditional New Orleans and swing to smooth and contemporary jazz, plus all the younger musicians and singers just beginning to make their reputations, and it is clear that St. Louis' jazz presenters haven't come anywhere near exhausting the available supply of great music.

So, which jazz artists would you like to see perform in St. Louis? Please feel free to use the comments to share your personal wish list.