Next year's coming attractions include Bennett, Gazarek

In a recent post about Tony Bennett's upcoming appearance in St. Louis at a benefit for the American Liver Foundation, it was noted that only a relatively small number of fans would be able to attend, and further hoped that Bennett would soon make an appearance here in a larger venue with less stratospheric ticket prices.

Well, ask and ye shall receive, for it's now showing up on Pollstar that the singer has scheduled a concert on October 27, 2007 at the Fox Theatre. True, most shows at the Fox command a relatively steep ticket price, but even so, Bennett's show probably won't cost anything near the $500 a head they're getting for those benefit tickets, and given that the FOX holds several thousand people, it means a lot more folks will have a chance to see the show. No word yet as to when tickets go on sale, but watch this space for further updates.

The latest news from Pollstar also gives us another glimpse at what Jazz St. Louis has planned for the 2007-08 Jazz at the Bistro season, as it indicates that singer Sara Gazarek (pictured) has been booked to play a four-night stand at the club February 13-16, 2008.

It's a little surprising that a relatively new perfomer like Gazarek would get a four-night run, as she seems like a prime candidate for a "Discovery Series" two-nighter. But name recognition aside, Gazarek is a real talent and it's good to see her getting a shot in our city's showcase room. To my knowledge, she's only played St. Louis once before, performing at Finale in October 2005, not long after the release of her first CD. I wrote a Critic's Pick for the RFT about that gig which summed up my impressions of her and the CD, and you can read it online here.

As always, we must remind you that Pollstar's information has a tendency to change, and shows announced there should not be considered confirmed until officially announced by the venue or presenter.