Jazz this week: Support your local jazz musicians

With a record-setting heat wave in St. Louis this week, just about anyone who can is hunkering down somewhere air-conditioned and/or moving about as little as humanly possible.

And though these dog days of mid-August find our town once again devoid of touring jazz musicians for the weekend, our stalwart locals will be performing as always for your edification and entertainment. Should you dare to brave the infernoesque temperatures and soupy humidity long enough to transport yourself to a local nightspot, there's a good chance you'll enjoy one or more of the following:

Tonight, Jeff Anderson's Positive Energy Quartet is playing at Brandt's.

On Friday, trombonist (and bassist) Wayne Coniglio teams up with multi-woodwind player and singer Elsie Parker (pictured), best known for her work with the French-accented musical group The Poor People of Paris, to perform at Cookie's Jazz and More.

Then on Saturday, the very fine pianist Ptah Williams brings his trio to Cookie's, while singer Anita Rosamond returns to Finale Music and Dining, this time with a show focused on 1960s and 1970s pop and soul.

And last, but certainly not least, singer Mae "Lady Jazz" Wheeler will be at Brandt's on Sunday for another of her late afternoon/early evening performances.

These are your jazzmen and jazzwomen, St. Louis (and you can find a few more local jazz-related events any time you like simply by visiting the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar).

These hard-working men and women are out there doing their best, even in this undeniably blistering weather, to bring some cool music to our collective ears - so get on out this weekend and show some support, OK? (Reliable sources tell me that not only are the aforementioned nightspots air-conditioned, they also serve cold beverages along with the music. So seriously, the heat is no excuse not to go. )

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)