The online touring information service Pollstar has just listed Waverly Seven (pictured) as the latest addition to the 2007-08 season schedule at Jazz at the Bistro, showing the group set to perform in St. Louis from Wednesday, November 28 through Saturday, December 1.So who are Waverly Seven? Well, don't feel too bad if you don't recognize the name, because the band was formed just six months ago and only did its first public performance in March 2007.
However, you may very well be familiar with some of the individual musicians, all young New York-based players, including brother and sister Avishai Cohen (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Anat Cohen (saxophones and clarinets), along with Joel Frahm (saxophones), Manuel Valera (keyboards), Jason Lindner (keyboards), Barak Mori (bass) and Daniel Freedman (drums, percussion). The band's debut recording Yo, Bobby, a reimagining of 24 songs associated with singer Bobby Darin, is set for release on June 26.
I'll reserve judgment on the CD until I actually hear it, but based on the concept, instrumentation and reputations of the individual musicians, this seems like a very interesting booking. Gene Dobbs Bradford, Bob Bennett and the rest of the JSL crew deserve some kudos for taking a chance on something new and, one hopes, musically adventurous.
As longtime readers know, in the past I've criticized JSL and other St. Louis presenters for being too risk-averse and for repeatedly booking too many of the same artists. Thus, when they do try to do something different, it only seems fair to give credit where it's due. Although the half-dozen artists and groups that have leaked out so far via Pollstar only give part of the picture, next season at the Bistro appears to be shaping up to be a strong one.
However, and as always, the information published by Pollstar is subject to change, and should not be considered official until confirmed by the presenter or venue. In this case, that confirmation should be coming fairly soon, since mid-May is usually the time that Jazz St. Louis announces the complete Bistro schedule for the following season. Keep an eye on StLJN for updated information.
In the meantime, you can sample a bit of Waverly Seven on video by clicking on the window below, activating a clip of a performance of "Black Coffee" recorded at the band's sold-out public debut in March at NYC's Jazz Standard.
(Edited 5/18/07 to fix a misspelled tag.)
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