Jazz This Week: Mary Stallings, the St. Louis Jazz Club picnic, free music at the Art Fair, and more

Apologies to all for for the relative lateness of this post; several unpleasant and/or inconvenient events have conspired to delay the usual heads-up on this week's jazz highlights, one of which would have been the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra's return to Jazz at the Bistro on Thursday night. That ship has sailed, so speak, but not to worry, as the ensemble led by Jim Widner will be making monthly appearances at the Bistro at least through the end of the year, and presumably longer.

So, for the rest of this missive, let's concentrate on the music that hasn't actually happened yet - like singer Mary Stallings (pictured), who will be at the Bistro tonight and tomorrow night. Stallings recorded a CD not too long ago for the local MAXJAZZ label, but she's been around since the early 1960s, when a record she made with vibist Cal Tjader helped establish her on the scene. She later performed with Count Basie for several years. After taking some time off to raise her daughter, Stallings returned to the stage work and continues to work and to be held in high esteem in her hometown of San Francisco. You can read an interview with her here and a brief biography here.

Another noteworthy event this weekend is the St. Louis Jazz Club's annual picnic, which runs from noon to 6 p.m. at the Concord Farmers Club, 10140 Concord School Rd. The event is open to the public, including non-members of the StLJC, and will feature music from the St. Louis Stompers, the St. Louis Banjo Band and the St. Louis Ragtimers.

If traditional jazz isn't your thing, maybe you'd rather take in some of the free music at the St. Louis Art Fair, which runs Friday through Sunday and is put on by the same organization that presents tthe St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival. There are at least a half-dozen acts appearing over the three days that are of potential interest to jazz fans, including Latin jazz group Clave Sol, Carbondale combo The New Arts Jazztet and pianist Carolbeth True and her trio with special guest Larry Johnson on saxophone. See the event's Web site for all the details.

Also especially worth noting are two more gigs on Friday night, when smooth jazz saxophonist Tim Cunningham returns to Finale Music and Dining, and singer/flute player Margaret Bianchetta brings a trio to Brandt's.

For more local jazz-related events, please see the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, (which has received several updates over the last week but still has more 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.)

(Edited slightly after posting.)