Jazz this week: Tony DeSare at the Bistro, Erin Bode at SLAM, and more

This week in St. Louis jazz isn't nearly as busy as the last couple have been, but there are still some shows worth bringing to your attention.

For starters, singer/pianist Tony DeSare (pictured) is this week's featured attraction at Jazz at the Bistro, doing two sets a night through Saturday. DeSare started in musical theater, performing in, among other things, a show celebrating the music of Frank Sinatra. And the Sinatra influence remains present in what I've heard of DeSare's music, along with hints of Bennett, Torme and other Italian-American crooners, Harry Connick, Jr., and other jazz-pop performers.

Those influences may still be somewhat unassimilated at this point, but then again, DeSare is young and still evolving, and few, if any of the other artists mentioned above would do some of the material DeSare covers, such as songs from Carole King and Prince. DeSare made his St. Louis debut with a two-night engagement at the Bistro last season, and now merits a four-night stand, which tells me that he must have made a positive impression in terms of both musical quality and audience response.

You can see and hear a sample of DeSare by checking out the YouTube clip below, which was recorded in January 2007 and shows him doing a solo version of an original tune called "Mundy on Tuesdays".

UPDATE - 3/1/07 - The Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson has a brief interview with DeSare in today's paper, available online here.

Speaking of singers, St. Louis' own Erin Bode is performing a free concert at 6 p.m. Saturday night in the Griggs Gallery of the Saint Louis Art Museum. And speaking of free shows, guitarist Vince Varvel is doing one Thursday night for Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series.

There's more at the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, with updates for March in progress over the next couple of days as band and club schedules come in and data gets entered. Or if you're interested in finding out who's at a specific venue, please see the sidebar, where an extensive selection of fine links is available for your clicking and reading pleasure.

(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. No attachments, please.)

Workshops teach business to artists, plus more promotion ideas for musicians

Musicians and music students who want to learn more about the business side of the arts can take advantage of the latest installments in an ongoing series of low-cost workshops presented by the St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts (VLAA).

The Business Edge seminar series for individual artists of all disciplines continues in March and April, with a couple of events of potential interest to musicians. From a recent VLAA email:

"Anatomy of a Contract (Mar. 5) Attorneys James W. Reeves and Kim Kirn will cover the basics, including negotiation, the elements of a valid contract, when you should consult a lawyer, and the benefits of mediation as a dispute resolution tool.

Copyright Clinic (Apr. 16) Here’s a chance to learn the basics. Then you'll have an opportunity to spend 15 minutes talking to a volunteer lawyer. Consultations will be scheduled in person that evening and may not be available if you do not register in advance."

The series also includes some other subjects that will be of interest primarily to visual artists, including sessions on Artist-Gallery Contracts (Mar. 19) and Licensing Art and Design (Apr. 30).

Seminars are held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar, across the street from the Pageant and just west of the Delmar MetroLink station. The advance registration fee is $10, and registration at the door is $15. For more information, call 314-863-6930, or visit VLAA’s Web site

On a related subject, musicians and groups looking for a handy overview of music business and promotional ideas may find some useful information in Beatnik Turtle's Indie Band Survival Guide, described by its authors as "everything we’ve learned so far: Research, articles, stories, and practical know-how about the music industry written from an independent band’s perspective."

The free, 101-page collection covers topics such as recording, copyright, major label contracts, commercial radio, promoting your music, band websites, distribution, filesharing and live shows, and can be read online at the link above or downloaded as a .pdf file here. While it's written from the perspective of a band playing rock music, there's no reason that many of the ideas could not be adapted by musicians working in other genres as well. Found recently via Metafilter, and worth a look.

And as long as the subject is music business and promotion, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my old friend and colleague Bob Baker, who's been dishing out all kinds of music business and promotional advice at his Web site, The Buzz Factor, for years now. Like any good capitalist, Bob sells books, reports and other materials - but he also shares a lot of information, tips and ideas freely through his site, blog, email newsletters and so on. Check out the Buzz Factor here.

Again, while Bob's ideas are often presented in the context of rock bands or singer-songwriters, musicians from many genres may find things they can use. And based on my own experiences covering local jazz and blues bands, I'd say there's plenty of room for improvement on the St. Louis scene. There a handful of local jazz and blues acts who do a good job promoting and publicizing themselves, but there are also many who are musically worthy, yet do very little to let the world, the media and potential fans know who they are.

So, here's hoping someone out there finds these items useful, and if any readers can recommend more good Web sites and/or online resources related to music business and promotion, please feel free to share your information in the comments.

StLJN Saturday at the Movies: It's a Sonny day

Today's videos feature the man sometimes referred to as "the heavyweight champion of the tenor saxophone," Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins. Webster University's Monday night concert series just did a tribute to the famous Rollins-Jim Hall collaboration on The Bridge, which has inspired our designation of today as a Sonny day. But rather that revisit that material - some of which is online as excerpts from an old TV special - we present two more recent clips featuring this master improvisor.

The first is about 14 minutes of of the so-called "rock quarry" footage from the film Saxophone Colossus, which was shown as part of the recent program at Webster. The second clip is from a 1982 performance in Montreal, with a backing band that features longtime Rollins collaborator Bob Crenshaw on bass and special guest Jack DeJohnnette on drums.

Finally, below you'll find a promotional video for Rollins' latest recording, Sonny, Please. In addition to starting his own label, Rollins is also podcasting and posting a series of videos on his Web site, featuring, as this clip does, a combination of interviews, performance footage and more. It's good to see a veteran musician of Rollins' stature embracing new ideas and technology to try to reach more listeners, and it'll be interesting to see if others follow suit.



Edited 3//18/18 to replace video embeds.

Final part of local music history series now online

Artist/author Kevin Belford wraps up his three-part look at the history of St. Louis jazz and blues in an article published in this week's St. Louis American, and you can read it online here.

Jazz this week: Brubeck Brothers Quartet, Ronald Carter and OGD, Contemporary Music Quartet, and more

It's another busy and diverse week for creative music in St. Louis, with several special events worth noting.

The biggest name in town this week belongs to the Brubeck Brothers Quartet (pictured), who will perform Saturday night at the Sheldon Concert Hall. As mentioned in the previous post, I've got a Critic's Pick on the BBQ in this week's RFT. While that will give you my basic take on them, what I couldn't find a way to fit into the article is how much I enjoyed Sky King, the quirky, obscure funk band that bassist/trombonist Chris Brubeck played in back in the mid-1970s. They had a lot energy and an inventive approach to the genre, two characteristics Brubeck still exhibits even though he's working in a very different idiom now, and I wish someone would reissue their music on CD or as a digital download.

UPDATE - 2/22/07, 8:00 a.m.: Today's Post-Dispatch has a feature story about the BBQ by Calvin Wilson, based on an interview with Chris Brubeck. Read it online here.

A couple of blocks away, saxophonist Ronald Carter and OGD will be on stage Friday and Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Known internationally for his work in jazz education, Carter will perform two sets each night with the organ trio led by keyboardist Reggie Thomas, and he's also staying in town long enough to take part in a public conversation with Jazz St. Louis' Gene Dobbs Bradford on Tuesday at the Centene Center for the Arts.

That conversation is free to attend, although you must make reservations if you plan on going; see this post for details. And there are several other free jazz-related events this week, starting on Thursday night, when drummer Maurice Carnes leads his group, the Jazz Machine, in a free concert at Washington University's Holmes Lounge as part of the Jazz at Holmes series.

On Saturday, there's another free concert, as the Black Arts Guild - the group recently referred to in these pages as the Black Arts Group aka BAG II, and not some sort of villainous band of rogue sorcerers from a Harry Potter novel - will present the Contemporary Music Quartet in a free concert at 6 p.m. at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site. BAG II is hoping to rekindle some of the same spirit once engendered by the original Black Artists Group, and this show represents one of the first outings for this new ensemble with Floyd LeFlore on trumpet, Jerome "Scrooge" Harris on drums, J-Dubbs on reeds and Zimbabwe Nkenya on acoustic bass and mbira. Given the track records and styles of the musicians, I'd expect something that's rooted in the jazz tradition, not necessarily bound by it, but also including elements of free improvisation.

The Scott Joplin House will host another jazz event at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, a free Black History Month program featuring music from Mardra and Reggie Thomas and a talk on St. Louis jazz history from City of Gabriels author/Jazz Unlimited radio host Dennis Owsley.

Also worth noting beyond the weekend is Monday night's program at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium, which is entitled "Ellington Is Forever" and will feature the Webster Big Band and Mini Big Band and the St. Louis Air National Guard Big Band working out on various favorites from the Ducal repertoire. This concert is also free.

If that's not enough to sate your musical appetites, there's much more to hear around town (though some of it will cost you) and, as usual. you can get the scoop by consulting the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

(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. No attachments, please.)

(Edited after posting to add a link.)

Brubeck Brothers Quartet previewed in RFT

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet, featuring famed pianist Dave Brubeck's sons Dan and Chris, will be in St. Louis this Saturday night for a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall. I wrote a brief Critic's Pick about the show for this week's Riverfront Times, and you can read it online here.

Mel Bay Records releases Guitar Night double CD

St. Louis based Mel Bay Records, which specializes in presenting jazz guitarists, has a new release this week. John Pisano's Guitar Night, the first double CD from the label, features sixteen live tracks recorded at a weekly showcase gig in Los Angeles that Pisano has presided over for nearly ten years.

Performers on the CD set include Peter Bernstein, St. Louis' Corey Christiansen, Joe Diorio, Herb Ellis, Ted Greene, Scott Henderson, Pat Kelley, Larry Koonse, Frank Potenza, George Van Eps, Anthony Wilson, and Barry Zweig, with Pisano providing accompaniment on most selections.

Coming attractions include Dr. John, Ann Hampton Callaway

Two singing piano players whose styles are widely divergent, yet both of interest to at least some portion of jazz fans, will be visiting St. Louis at the end of next month.

Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack (pictured), a walking repository of the piano styles and history of New Orleans jazz and rhythm & blues music, will be in our area on Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31 for shows at the Alton Argosy Casino. Dr. John was in St. Louis most recently in June 2006 to perform at the Saint Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival. Tickets are on sale now at $20 each, and can be obtained by calling 1-800-711-4263 or in person from the Guest Services department at the casino.

Meanwhile that same weekend, those whose tastes run more to the bright lights of Broadway than to the funk of the Crescent City can look forward to checking out Ann Hampton Callaway when she performs with the Gateway Men's Chorus at the Roberts Orpheum Theater on March 30 and 31. Callaway has been to St. Louis several times in recent years, performing at Jazz at the Bistro as well as for the cabaret series at the Grandel Theatre. According to this story in the Post-Dispatch, "Callaway will perform solo and with the 70-member chorus as it sings numbers from "Dreamgirls," "The Producers," "Anything Goes" and other Broadway favorites."

(Updated 2/24/07 with corrected information about Callaway's appearance. )

Mardi Gras musings

It's Fat Tuesday, and given that St. Louis has one of the biggest Mardi Gras celebrations in the country outside New Orleans, you might expect that our local jazz and blues musicians would be quite busy. But while St. Louis' Mardi Gras is indeed a big party, it isn't necessarily a big windfall for local jazz and blues players, or even for bands imported from Louisana for the occasion, as pointed out in this Post-Dispatch article by Diane Toroian Keaggy

While local bands like Gumbohead and the Zydeco Crawdaddies that specialize in Louisana music do stay busy around Carnival time, the rest of the year is more of a hit-or-miss proposition. And you won't hear much else in the way of jazz or blues in Soulard during the height of Mardi Gras, something that has rankled me for a while, and that also apparently cheeses off some other people as well:

"It's appalling that you go down to the Mardi Gras and have to search to hear 'Saints Go Marching In,'" said (the Crawdaddies' Paul) Jarvis. "The bars ask why they should play a lot of money to bring up someone from Louisiana when they can have Joe Blow and make a lot of money."

Gumbohead took particular offense to last year's headliner, Mini Kiss, a KISS cover band composed entirely of little people. This year's headliner on Saturday is alternative act They Might Be Giants.

"It was more of a sideshow than a celebration of that tradition and heritage," said Halpin. "It was a real missed opportunity to make a gesture to a community hurt by Katrina."

Gumbohead drummer Benet Schaeffer noted: "The French heritage is almost as thick here as it is in New Orleans. Soulard is our French Quarter. We can't replicate New Orleans Mardi Gras, but can we at least not book Mini Kiss?"

Indeed. It should also be noted that even They Might Be Giants couldn't salvage a parade-day Saturday plagued by freezing weather, resulting in what this Post article is calling "the worst year yet for weekend's Mardi Gras."

Moreover, given that one of the perennial complaints about Mardi Gras is that it attracts too many underaged drinkers, would it not make some sense to book jazz and blues bands that may appeal to an older, more sedate, yet well-monied crowd? I've got nothing in particular against They Might Be Giants, but they hardly seem like a first-call choice for Mardi Gras, especially in a city with such a rich local music heritage. I'd be interested to hear readers' thoughts on this in the comments, so please feel free to chime in with your views.

Meanwhile, down in New Orleans, this year's celebration is a mixed bag, with some hopeful signs, like Mardi Gras Indians rebuilding their parade costumes, amid difficulties like the ones outlined in this New York Times article about the effects of the post-Katrina diaspora on New Orleans high schools' marchings bands. Still, they're doing their best to let the good times roll, and for all the latest coverage direct from the Crescent City, I recommend the Web site of the local daily, the Times-Picayune, which seems to have plenty of photos and video as well as text.

At least the weather in St. Louis seems like it will be better for tonight's parade, with temperatures something like 20 or 30 degrees higher than Saturday. So, by way of trying to maintain a positive attitude, we offer a bit of New Orleans YouTubery to help make your Tuesday a little fatter. The window on top has a clip of the Neville Brothers performing "Big Chief," while below you'll find Louis Armstrong blowing the heck out of "When The Saints Go Marching In". Laissez le bon temps roulez!



(Edited after posting to fix a typo.)

KSDK "cover story" spotlights Erin Bode's efforts to benefit South African girls school

Local NBC-TV affiliate KSDK now has up on their Web site a recent Newschannel 5 "cover story" about singer Erin Bode's efforts to raise money for a school for girls in rural South Africa.

Bode (pictured) got involved at the request of LCMS World Relief and Human Care, a St. Louis-based Lutheran organization dedicated to helping others around the world. LCMS told Bode about Themba Trust, the not-for-profit that operates the school, and after hearing a demo of the school's choir, Bode and her band traveled to South Africa to help the young singers make a CD to raise money for the school.

Anchor/reporter Deanne Lane did the story on Bode, which can be viewed in video form here and in print form here. The station is also streaming a video of Bode singing "The Story," a song she wrote based on her experiences in South Africa, and you can see that here.

Jeanne Trevor CD release concert at the Sheldon on Tuesday, February 27

In checking the Sheldon Concert Hall's Web site on an unrelated matter, I see that the hall has scheduled what's billed as a "CD release concert" for singer Jeanne Trevor at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday, February 27.

The show is part of the "Notes From Home" series, but other than that, I'm having a hard time finding any additional information, including the name of the CD, who's putting it out, and what's on it. Trevor self-released a couple of cassettes in the 1980s and 1990s, and recorded a CD called Love You Madly in 1999 for the Catalyst label, run by pianist and former St. Louisan Simon Rowe.

Trevor doesn't have a Web site of her own, and Catalyst's former Web site seems to have disappeared - with the URL hijacked to reroute visitors to a porn site - so it seems unlikely they're involved in this release. Closer to home, the Sheldon's PR staff is usually very good about sending out news releases for events at the Hall and Galleries, but for some reason they don't seem to do much promotion for the "Notes From Home" shows other than listing them on the Web site. Tickets for the "Notes from Home" series are $6 and are available only at the door.

Lack of details notwithstanding, given Trevor's status as a longtime St. Louis favorite with an established fan base, a new CD from her certainly seems worth noting. StLJN will try to get more information and will update this post if/when it becomes available.

StLJN Saturday at the Movies: The Dave Holland Quintet with the NDR Big Band, and Ahmad Jamal plays "Autumn Leaves"

This week's videos feature a couple of artists who will be coming to St. Louis to play at Jazz at the Bistro this spring. The first offering is a clip from 2002 of the Dave Holland Quintet performing with the NDR Big Band at Jazz Baltica in Salzau, Germany. At this time, the Quintet consisted of Holland on bass, Billy Kilson on drums, Chris Potter on saxophones, Robin Eubanks on trombone and Steve Nelson on vibes, and though the personnel has changed since then, the level of musicianship and quality should be equally high.for Holland's gig here March 14-17.

The second clip features veteran pianist Ahmad Jamal doing his thing on the standard "Autumn Leaves," with the added bonus of vibist Gary Burton sitting in with his trio for this performance. Although this was recorded in 1981, Jamal's playing has an enduring appeal that persists to this day. He's made several visits to St. Louis in recent years, and he'll be back at the Bistro with his trio April.25-28.

More on the 2007 St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival's plans to "scale back"

In a post earlier in the week, StLJN linked to an item from last weekend's Post about plans to "scale back" the 2007 edition of the US Bank St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival. And while I haven't yet been able to speak with anyone from Cultural Festivals, the producers of the event, to get more details, some recent updates to the festival Web site shed some light on a couple of the questions posed in that post.

What's most notable about the festival site is what isn't there - specifically, it looks as if US Bank, the festival's lead sponsor for the last couple of years, is no longer involved. The event is now referred to as simply the Saint Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, and there's no mention at all of US Bank on the sponsor page, or anywhere else on the site.

Losing the lead sponsor would certainly explain cutting back for 2007. But that in turn raises the question of exactly when the split occured, and what's been done, or is being done, to try to secure a replacement. With experienced producers in place, good reviews, and significantly increased attendance last year, one would think there's got to be at least one corporate entity somewhere willing to step up and buy the naming rights.

(Anheuser-Busch, I'm lookin' at you. A-B spends vast amounts of money on music and event marketing, and while the cost of a lead sponsorship for a festival of this type is no doubt substantial by the standards of us grubby artistic types, it's probably less that the donut budget for the crew that shot the last Budweiser spot. OK, I'm being somewhat facetious there, but it sure would be nice if the fine folks down at Pestalozzi St. would drop just a little bit more of that music-and-event cash on a deserving event right in their hometown )

One more thing is clear, though: the 2007 festival will indeed be a one-day event, held from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 2. No word yet on how many stages there will be, or what the lineup of performers will be, but StLJN will have additional updates as I'm able to find out more.

Second of three local music history articles now online

This week's issue of the American also features the second part of Kevin Belford's article on the history of blues and jazz in St. Louis, mentioned earlier here. Read part two online here; part 3 is set to run in next week's edition.

American article previews Carter/OGD performances

The St. Louis American now has online a feature story about saxophonist and educator Ronald Carter (pictured), former band director at East St. Louis' Lincoln High who's coming back to St. Louis next week to perform at Jazz at the Bistro. Carter will take the stage with Reggie Thomas' organ trio OGD on Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24

Written by editor Chris King, the piece profiles Carter and previews the gig:

"Carter will play saxophone and sing select vocals. He will have a class reunion on the bandstand with drummer Montez Coleman, a former student who has since been around the world and back with Roy Hargrove, and Carter’s family will get into the act as well.

Carter’s 12-year-old daughter Demetria Carter will sing a few songs, and his 16-year-old son Brian Carter - an All-State jazz drummer at Sycamore (Illinois) High School - will sit in on Coleman’s trapset.

Carter also plans to lead the band through a composition about his son, titled “Bee Man.” You can expect the mother of this talented brood, Linda Carter of East St. Louis, to join what should be a packed house for this favorite adopted son of St. Louis."

While he's in town, Carter, who currently directs jazz studies at Northern Illinois University, also will be doing one of Jazz St. Louis' "conversation" events. The free program will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 27 at the Centene Center for the Arts, the building on Olive just east of Grand that houses JSL's administrative offices (as well as those of several other local arts organizations).

(Edited 2/16/07 to fix a typo.)

Jazz at the Bistro makes Marsalis' USA Today list of top 10 jazz clubs

Wynton Marsalis has certainly been around enough jazz clubs to know a good one when he sees it. And so it would seem to be a nice honor indeed for St. Louis' Jazz at the Bistro to have been named one of the Top 10 jazz clubs in America in this article from Thursday's USA Today, written by Kathy Baruffi based on the famed trumpeter's recommendations. .

There are some legendary rooms on the list, including the Green Mill in Chicago, Yoshi's in San Francisco, Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, New Orleans' Snug Harbor and Blues Alley in Washington D.C.. I'd imagine that Gene Dobbs Bradford, Bob Bennett and the rest of the staff at Jazz St. Louis are quite pleased to be in such company, and indeed, they should be. Like any list of this sort, "10 great places to get jazzed about great jazz" is something of a travel-section PR gambit, but still, it's good to have a national newspaper saying this about JATB:

"The bookings are impeccable at this classy club; it's one of the best-managed places in the business," Marsalis says. There are no age restrictions, so everyone is welcome. Sit by the balcony rail upstairs and feel regal, as if you have your own box seat. Or, sit downstairs, a few rows from the stage, and feel like part of the music. It really draws you in.

One thing is a little odd: Though the article references Marsalis' job as director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City and plugs the Center's own small performance space, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, it doesn't mention any other NYC clubs. One would assume there are a number of NYC spots that potentially could be included in such a "10 Best" list, so perhaps Marsalis just wanted to avoid talking up the competition, so to speak. Or perhaps the editors just wanted to avoid being too New York-centric - it is "USA Today," after all.

Regardless, it's good publicity for Jazz St. Louis and a reminder that, all things considered, this is still a reasonably good city in which to hear quality jazz. You can read the whole article here.

Site news: Those new Blogger blues

Posting may be light around here for the next few days, as the (apparently mandatory) conversion of StLJN to the new version of Blogger has yet to be resolved. I spent the better part of Wednesday trying to convert without success, and when that didn't work, trying to get back into the old version so I could put up a couple of posts.

For a while, I was trapped in a seemingly endless loop, being bounced from the login page to the "conversion" page over and over again. After several hours of this, punctuated by frantic reading of various help documents and user forums, I logged off one more time and somehow managed to get back in to the old Blogger to post.
However, given the rather elusive/intermittent nature of the problem, and the fact that I'm not exactly sure how I managed to get logged back in, there's no guarantee that I'll be able to replicate that feat again tomorrow, the next day, or the day after that.

So, I've appealed to Blogger's user service gurus for help, but given the volume of requests they have to deal with, it may take a while to get the problem diagnosed and fixed and StLJN converted to the new software. In the meantime, your kind indulgence, O valued readers, will be greatly appreciated.

Jazz this week: Grady Tate, Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders, Carl Stone and more

It's a busy week for jazz on St. Louis stages, with three touring acts in town and a number of interesting local events happening as well.

Drummer and vocalist Grady Tate (pictured at left) is doing a four-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro, performing two sets a night through Saturday. Tate long ago secured his reputation as a top session drummer with literally hundreds of recordings, working with many famous musicians and entertainers, including Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith, Lionel Hampton, Stan Getz, Pearl Bailey, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Della Reese, Sarah Vaughan, Michael LeGrand, Lalo Schrifin, Andre Previn, and the Tonight Show Band. Tate is also well-regarded as a singer - he actually had something of a pop hit in the 1960s with "Windmills of My Mind," from the original version of the film The Thomas Crown Affair - and given his proclivity for romantic ballads, and the fact that this gig has been billed specifically to tie into Valentine's Day, I'd expect to see him concentrating on vocals this weekend.

Just a couple of blocks away at the Sheldon Concert Hall, guitarist/banjoist Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders (pictured at right)will bring their traditional New Orleans sound to town for a concert on Saturday night. Vappie was here last late in 2005 as part of the Big River benefit organized by Peter Martin at the Sheldon, and I guess the management liked what they heard enough to bring him in for his own show. While their material may be heavy on the standard New Orleans repertory, please don't call them "Dixieland," for Vappie and his ensemble are the real deal, not a bunch of straw-hatted, striped-shirt-wearing pretenders.

Then on Sunday, in what would be a rather head-whipping sort of musical contrast if you've been to see Tate and/or Vappie this week, electronic musician Carl Stone returns to town to do a concert for New Music Circle at Christman Studios. For more about Stone, see this post from last week.

On the local front, guitarist William Lenihan will do a free concert at Washington University's Holmes Lounge on Thursday night as part of the Jazz at Holmes series. On Friday, guitarist Todd Mosby and percussionist Henry Claude will perform the score for "Heaven Sense," a multi-media performance/installation at the Contemporary Art Museum. On Saturday night, Mosby and Claude will share a stage again as the Guitar Circus ensemble (also featuring guitarists Tom Byrne, Walker McClellan and Dan Rubright and tuba player David Hartung) performs in concert at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 6800 Washington.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday, Webster University's jazz faculty will present "Crossing The Bridge - Rollins and Hall Revisited," a program paying tribute to the famous collaboration between tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and guitarist Jim Hall. Paul DeMarinis will stand in for Sonny - a tall order, to be sure, but I'm betting he's up to the task - while guitarist Steve Schenkel will take Hall's role, backed by Willem von Hambrecht on bass and Kevin Gianino on drums.

UPDATE: 2:30 a.m., 2/16/07 - The Rollins/Hall tribute concert at Webster U's Winifred Moore Auditorium will be followed by a screening of Saxophone Colossus, Robert Mugge's film about Rollins that includes some semi-infamous footage of Rollins performing in a old rock quarry - he broke his foot when jumping from the stage - as well as at the 1986 premiere of the tenor giant's "Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra" in Japan. The screening is included in the $5 ticket price.

On Tuesday, trombonist Brett Stamps leads the SIU-Edwardsville Concert Jazz Band in a "Notes from Home" concert at the Sheldon. For more about that show, which is also something of a release party for Stamps' debut CD as a leader, see this post.

And for more about what else is going on in St. Louis jazz over the next few days, please see the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

(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. No attachments, please.)

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

Recent videos featured on StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds have included music from Sidney Bechet, Sun Ra, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, Archie Shepp, the Neville Brothers and the Meters, Charles Mingus, Tommy Flanagan, the Modern Jazz Quartet, War, Charles Gayle, The Doors, Big Joe Turner, George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars, Oscar Peterson and Chet Baker, plus many more.

To see 'em all, plus more video clips of jazz, blues, soul, funk, experimental, classic rock and progressive rock, just point your browser to http://heliocentricworlds.blogspot.com/.

Brett Stamps to present music from his debut CD in concert Tuesday, February 20

Trombonist Brett Stamps, a veteran performer on the local scene who also serves as Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Activities at SIU-Edwardsville, is set to release his debut CD as a leader.

In Your Own Sweet Way comes out this month on the St. Louis-based Victoria Records label, and Stamps (pictured) will perform some of the music from the CD as part of a concert by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Concert Jazz Band at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday, February 20, at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Stamps will direct the Concert Jazz Band through his arrangements of jazz standards as well as original material, and the band will be joined by a number of special guests (drawn primarily from the SIU-E music faculty), including drummer Miles Vandiver, bassist Zeb Briskovich and guitarist Rick Haydon, all of whom back Stamps on his CD. Other guests will be pianist Reggie Thomas, bassist Tom Kennedy, saxophonist Jason Swagler, Andy Tichenor on trumpet, and Jim Martin on bass trombone. Stamps' son, sax player and Jefferson College music faculty member Tim Stamps, will also perform.

Tickets are $6 at the door, and copies of Stamps' CD will be available for purchase for the first time anywhere that evening.

Jamey Aebersold offering free downloads from "The Jazz Handbook"

Jamie Aebersold, the publisher who produces many widely used jazz instructional materials and practice aids, offers a free booklet called "The Jazz Handbook" to interested parties, and now the company has made most of it available online as a series of free downloadable PDF files.

Topics include everything from "Jazz: The Natural Music," "Suggested Listening - Jazz Artists," and "Historically Significant Recordings" to very specific information on scales, chords, practice routines, soloing and more. It looks like a nice resource for music students and musicians and for listeners and fans who'd like to increase their understanding. You can see a list of the sections of "The Jazz Handbook" that are available for download here.

And if you should wish to buy some of Aebersold's other materials, StLJN affiliate Sheet Music Plus has a wide selection available, with competitive prices and fast shipping. (Each purchase you make by clicking through one of our links helps support StLJN, via a small commission paid by Sheet Music Plus to us.) You can see their catalog of Jamey Aebersold materials here.

Down Beat devotes cover story to David Sanborn

Saxophonist David Sanborn, raised right here in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood, is the subject of the cover story in the March 2007 issue of Down Beat magazine. The article by Ken Micalief is titled "Evolution of the Sound", and in addition to profiling Sanborn, it makes a case for him as one of the most influential alto players of his generation. Unfortunately, the article is not available online - Down Beat offers its current content in print form only - so here are a few noteworthy excerpts:

Sanborn on his own abilities as a player:

"I have a style of playing but I am far from being an innovator," he said. "I don't think I am bringing anything new to the music aside from the way I phrase and a certain conception of sound. I'm being realistic. I have a good life and I'm grateful as a result of people liking what I do. At the same time that is not why I started doing this. I didn't have a choice."

And later in the piece, on the same subject:

"I am a jazz fan who makes records," he said. "I will leave it to somebody else to decide how much jazz is in there. 1 would not define myself that way."

Sanborn on his current state, both spiritual and physical:

"I'm more content with my life than I have been in the past," he said. "I've been racked with insecurities throughout my life. I always feel a bit like I am playing catch up. A lot of that is due to my physical condition. Now I am dealing with the physical ramifications of post-polio syndrome. It's coming back. We're trying to figure out end runs around the physical difficulties. I do therapy and a gym regimen that helps me maintain, but I am comfortable in my skin."

A description of Sanborn's residence:

Sanborn owns a classy brownstone on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The five-story building is an architectural gem. Built in 1892, its details are dazzling: domed ceilings with natural wood inlays, parquet floors and panoramic staircases with elaborate banisters. Off the main floor a large deck leads to a courtyard; the upper floor holds a professional recording studio, complete with a high-end two-channel stereo, Neumann mics, grand piano and Argosy mixing desk. Downstairs, two chihuahuas, Lucy (good dog) and Miles (bad dog), greet Sanborn in the comfy living room. Family photos and books fill the space: Thesaurus Of Scales And Melodic Patterns by Nicolas Slonimsky, The Mystery Of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs In The West And Fails Everywhere Else by Hernando de Soto, The Hidden Connections: A Science For Sustainable Living by Fritjof Capra. Sanborn's interests are as eclectic as his musical influences.

Sanborn on his recording career as a leader:

"In retrospect I've made ill-advised choices on some records," he said-a few weeks after the Blue Note gig and upon returning from a tour of Asia-as the dogs took up protective positions on his lap. "Sometimes I will hear music that moves me and I will try to do that music too literally. Songs that worked as vocals, for example, I tried to translate and it didn't work. 'Neither One Of Us,' for example, was a little superficial.

'There are moments on a lot of my records that I like," he continued. "But there aren't any records that I like all the way through. There are two or three songs on Upfront that I like. 'Snakes' works, in the sense that it was what I set out to do. The solo there works and it connects the song. There were a lot of songs on Upfront that are what I intended. That is what I consider a successful record."

About that famous alto sound:

"My sound was a result of trying to emulate those players I respected," Sanborn said. "If you combine Red Prysock, Phil Woods, Jackie McLean, Cannonball, Hank Crawford and David Newman, and filter that through my physiology and experience, that's what you get. I didn't have. any goals. Music was so fulfilling on so many levels I couldn't think of doing anything else."…The sound that fired '70s hit singles by Bowie ("Young Americans"), Wonder ("Tuesday Heartbreak") and Taylor ("How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)") is the product of Sanborn's "beat to shit" mid-'60s Selmer Mark VI alto, Dukoff D8 mouthpiece, Vandoren V16 reeds and a conception that sounds as Zen as his reading habits.

"At the risk of getting abstract," Sanborn explained, "if you drop a pebble in the water you have a point of impact, which is the fundamental, the note. Then all the waves that radiate out from that are all the overtones. You need to get the fundamental and those radiating waves because that is the color. That has to do with your physiology, your equipment, the amount of resistance, all the mechanical stuff that allows you to connect to your instrument in an unobstructed way to get to the sound that you hear in your head. My sound is that fundamental laser center, with as many colors as I can get on the outside of it. How you phrase and connect the notes is how you shape the line."

Sanborn on what's next:

"I'm thinking.about the blues," he explained. "But is the blues a set of changes or a sensibility? What does the blues mean? Percy Mayfield or Albert King? In the end you try to remain true to who you are, for better or worse. Records have to have a point of view and a certain coherence."

There's much more, including Sanborn's opinions on the current state of the music business and some anecdotes from his early days in New York. If you're a David Sanborn fan, you'll definitely want to read the whole article; the March 2007 issue of DB should be available at better bookstores and newsstands now.

Post article says 2007 jazz fest will be "scaled back"

There's news this weekend about the 2007 edition of the US Bank St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, and it's not good. From the "Arts Briefs" section of the Sunday Post-Dispatch comes this item written by pop critic Kevin Johnson, reproduced here in its entirety:

"Don't expect that bigger is better will apply when the U.S. Bank St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival returns this summer. Organizer Cynthia Prost says the event will be scaled back and begin earlier: on June 2 at Shaw Park in Clayton.

Prost says organizers decided to begin the festival on a Saturday this year for the first time because it's been a challenge to bring people through the gates on a Friday evening.

Last year, about 16,000 people attended the festival June 23-24. It featured David Sanborn, Lizz Wright, George Duke and Stanley Clarke, Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

A full schedule of acts for this summer is expected later this month. (KCJ)"

Setting aside the date change, which doesn't seem to be a particularly big deal, this short item raises almost as many questions as it answers. While it's explicitly stated that the 2007 festival will be "scaled back" and will begin on a Saturday rather than Friday, what's not clear is if the event will be one day (Saturday only) or two (Saturday and Sunday), or what else this downsizing might entail - specifically, reducing the number of acts, the number of stages, or both.

Moreover, the bigger question is that, given that the 2006 festival was the best attended in five years, why cut back now? Are sponsors pulling out or failing to renew their agreements; costs rising out of proportion to revenues; or what? These questions would seem to be worth looking into, and so that's what I plan to do in the coming week. Stay tuned.

(Edited after posting to add a link back to the original item.)

St. Louis American series recounts local music history

This week's edition of the St. Louis American included the first article in a three-part series about the history of jazz and blues in St. Louis written by local artist, illustrator and music buff Kevin Belford.

Entitled "Gateway to the music, St. Louis is the true musical melting pot," this installment looks at, among other things, how early 20th century nomenclature and perceptions may have led some observers to undervalue St. Louis' standing as a historic source point for jazz and blues. You can read part one of the series here; future installments are set to appear in the next two editions of the weekly, and StLJN will link to them as they become available online.

Carl Stone concert rescheduled for February 18

After electronic musician Carl Stone's appearance in St. Louis last November was cancelled, presenters New Music Circle promised to reschedule, and they've just announced Sunday, February 18 as the new date for the show. On that night, Stone will give a concert starting at 7:30 p.m. at Bill Christman Studio, 6014 Kingsbury in the Central West End.

Considered one of the pioneers of laptop-based computer music performance, Stone doesn't put on much of a show; as the photo suggests, he basically just sits behind his computer, triggering various prerecorded samples and events and then sometimes manipulating them in real time. But if you're into electronic music at all, he's definitely worth hearing, and the eclectic, even wacky artwork and installations at the Christman Studio should provide additional visual interest.

StLJN Saturday at the Movies: Tri-Factor (with Hamiet Bluiett) meets Bateau Lavoir, plus John Zorn's Masada performs live

Since last week's video post featured a couple of singers doing well-known standards, it seemed appropriate to take this week's clips in a completely different direction, spotlighting a couple of efforts that most would categorize as "avant-garde" or "experimental".

The first clip is from a collaborative performance involving the group Tri-Factor, featuring St. Louisan Hamiet Bluiett on baritone sax, Billy Bang on violin and Kahil El'Zabar on percussion, and a Belgian group called Bateau Lavoir.

Formed in 1998, Bateau Lavoir combine spontaneous music with improvised video, and that's what's purportedly going on in this clip, which is from an event called "2Shot7" and was recorded in 2003 in Antwerp. Their lineup at the gig with Tri-Factor included Thomas Campaert, Giles Thomas and Patries Wichers, with Markus Hansen providing the visuals. This particular clip isn't the greatest quality, but since it's rather unusual it seemed worth sharing anyway.

Today's second video is of a performance by one of the better known lineups of John Zorn's Masada, playing a composition called "Karaim" in 1999 at the Warsaw Summer Jazz Days festival in Poland. For this concert, the band was made up of Greg Cohen on bass, Joey Baron on drums, Zorn on alto sax and Dave Douglas, who will be playing at Jazz at the Bistro next month with the SF Jazz Collective, on trumpet. (Astute readers will note that Douglas' upcoming gig isn't the only St. Louis connection in this video, though, as Zorn actually spent a year here in the Gateway City during the mid-1970s studying music at Webster University.)

Site news: Possible downtime ahead

Blogger, the software/hosting service that enables publication of this Web site, has released a new version of their software. I've put off getting the "upgrade" for as long as possible, but it appears that the service is about to force me to convert, possibly as soon as my next login.

From my semi-random perambulations about the blogosphere, it seems that many sites have successfully converted to the new Blogger without incident, and I'm certainly hoping for a problem-free experience. But there have also been notable problems and delays in more than a few places - for example, a few weeks ago the heavily trafficked political blog Eschaton went down for almost a whole day as a result of the conversion process, and others have had outages raging from a few minutes to several hours.

All of which is just a long-winded way of saying that if you try to visit StLJN sometime in the next few days and it seems to have mysteriously disappeared, it's probably because the conversion to the new Blogger is taking longer than hoped.

Should this happen, please wait a bit, and then check back again. Once the conversion is done and the site is back up, things will change somewhat "behind the scenes," but should look the same as usual to readers.

LNAC gets not-for-profit status

Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, the South St. Louis venue that presents experimental music, noise and assorted other performances, is now officially a not-for-profit organization. The new status means LNAC can apply for grants reserved for not-for-profits, and can solicit tax-deductible contributions from businesses and individual donors. LNAC's Mark Sarich has plans to expand the organization's physical space and its programming, and Riverfront Times music editor Annie Zaleski has the details in her column this week, available online here.

One interesting bit from the article:

"For starters, they're interested in renovating the 1860s-era townhouse connected to the center itself, to make it both eco-friendly and suitable as an auxiliary music space.

"We wanted to have a space to do more modest performances and workshops," Sarich says. "We also wanted to have a place where traveling artists can stay. That's perfect."

Although that project is farther off on the horizon, Sarich is currently talking with the Regional Arts Commission (RAC) to obtain funding for three ten-day residencies this summer. The aim of each session is to allow select experimental musicians to come to St. Louis and fully immerse themselves in their art.

Sarich envisions the visiting artists doing such things as writing and performing music; conducting "master classes," where they evaluate local musicians; or having forum-type discussions about music. (Although he'd originally planned for the residencies to be indie-rock-centric, Sarich is now pondering a workshop that focuses on exploring the city's late-'60s/ early-'70s free-jazz scene, from which there are few artists left.)"

Based on my own experiences working for a number of not-for-profit performing arts organizations, I think this is a very good development for LNAC, and Sarich's plans, while ambitious, seem feasible if all the right elements are in place. Here's hoping LNAC can develop the organizational infrastructure and donor base needed to take things to the next level.

Brandt's under new management

In a post last April, StLJN covered the news that Brandt's Cafe and Red Carpet Lounge had been put up for sale by owner Jay Brandt, who was looking for a buyer that would preserve the club's music format. Happily, Brandt has gotten his wish, as a new ownership group that includes his nephew Adam Brandt and former in-law Rick Fessler has taken over and will continue to book jazz, while adding some new groups to the regular roster of musicians. You can read all about it in a story I wrote for this week's Riverfront Times, available online here.

Wycliffe Gordon to give clinic in Belleville this Saturday

Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, known for his association with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra as well as for his own work as a musician, composer and educator, will give a jazz clinic at 1 p.m. this Saturday, February 10 at Southwestern Illinois College, 2500 Carlyle Ave. in Belleville, as part of the college's 19th annual Jazz Festival.

The day-long event will also feature non-competitive performances by area junior high school, senior high school and college jazz bands and a concert that includes Gordon and guests Reggie Thomas, Bob Borgstede, Miles Vandiver and Zeb Briskovich.

Bands performing will include the Granite City High School Jazz Band, 8:45 a.m.; the McKendree College Big Band, 9:30 a.m.; the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Jazz Combo, 10:15 a.m.; the West Junior High School Jazz Ensemble I, 11 a.m.; the SWIC Jazz Band, 2 p.m.; the Belleville West High School Jazz Band, 3:30 p.m.; and the Central Junior High School Jazz Ensemble I at 4:15.

The festival and Gordon's clinic are free and open to the public.

Jazz this week: Victor Goines, Fred Hersch's "Leaves of Grass" and more

Due to some rather severe time constraints for yr. humble editor, this entry will be a brief, highlights-only affair.

The week's jazz activities get going in earnest this evening, when the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra - directed by Jim Widner and featuring vocalist Mardra Thomas - makes the first of a series of monthly appearances at Jazz at the Bistro. Then on Friday and Saturday, singer Jeanne Trevor will take the stage at the Bistro, performing two sets each night.

As for touring acts - well, this week, it looks like all the action is at the Sheldon. On Friday, saxophonist and clarinetist Victor Goines (pictured) and the Juilliard Jazz Small Ensemble return to the Sheldon Concert Hall for a concert, and on Saturday, pianist Fred Hersch brings his critically acclaimed suite "Leaves of Grass" to the same venue. (For more on the Hersch concert, see this previous post.)

Otherwise, there's plenty more going on in St. Louis jazz this week, and you can see a more extensive list of local gigs by visiting the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

(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. No attachments, please.)

Sheldon offers "buy one, get one free" deal on Fred Hersch tickets

The Sheldon Concert Hall is offering a "buy one, get one free" deal on tickets for this Saturday's concert featuring the Fred Hersch Ensemble performing "Leaves of Grass." To get the discount, go here and enter the promotion code FREDHALF. You can also get the discount by mentioning the promotion code when you order tickets by phone at 314-534-1111 or in person at any MetroTix outlet.

MB3 CD tops JazzWeek charts again

Jazz Hits Volume 1, the debut CD from jazz guitar group MB3 released late last year by St. Louis-based Mel Bay Records, has topped the JazzWeek Radio Charts for the last two weeks. MB3 features local guitarist Corey Christiansen along with fellow plectrists Vic Juris and Jimmy Bruno, bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Danny Gottleib.

JazzWeek purports to offer "the definitive Jazz and Smooth Jazz national radio airplay chart—a weekly report of the top fifty Jazz and Smooth Jazz recordings played on radio stations across the United States and Canada." Airplay data for the charts is provided by Mediaguide.com

"Heaven Sense" performance/installation at the Contemporary on Friday, February 16

Everybody wants to get to heaven, but nobody wants to die - or so goes the old saying, anyway. With that in mind, those seeking a potential glimpse of divinity without the accompanying experience of mortality might want to check out "Heaven Sense," a multimedia performance/installation scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 16 at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Blvd. in Grand Center.

The event is sponsored by the Contemporary and the St. Louis Poetry Center, and will feature a new original score from guitarist Todd Mosby accompanying a performance featuring poet Sally Van Doren and a group of 20 dancers directed by Draza Jansky. Mosby will perform the score live for the event, with help from percussionist Henry Claude of the Nuclear Percussion Ensemble and vocalist Rebecca Ryan.

The event's title plays off of the Contemporary's current exhibition, I Remember Heaven: Jim Hodges and Andy Warhol - which includes a gallery full of floating silver pillows designed by Warhol and a seven-foot mirrored disco ball - as well as Van Doren's poem "The Sense Series," from which she will read during the performance. Van Doren's work has appeared in literary journals including Barrow Street, Boulevard, Cincinnati Review and Colorado Review. She teaches creative writing in the St. Louis Public Schools and coordinates workshops for the St. Louis Poetry Center.

Jansky is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher who has created dance/theater and multi-media performance pieces for St. Louis arts organizations including the Contemporary, The St. Louis Art Museum, COCA and Washington University Theater Department. She teaches dance and movement techniques at Saint Louis University and Maryville University, and describes "Heaven Sense" thusly: "The 20 dancers will be set up around the galleries, responding live to the exhibit and to the poetry and music. Guests will be free to roam the galleries, viewing the dancers the way they would view art, while taking in the soundscape created by Todd and company. My role is artistic director for the dance section (choosing dancers, setting them up in the space) and I will also be dancing."

KETC to air Strayhorn documentary on February 11

Lush Life, a documentary film about jazz composer and pianist Billy Strayhorn, will air on St. Louis PBS affiliate KETC (Channel 9) at 11:30 p.m. next Sunday, February 11. Broadcast under the auspices of PBS' Independent Lens series, the film will also be shown a few days earlier on KETC's digital HD channel (9.1), first at 9 p.m. this Tuesday, February 6 and again at 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 7.

During his 30-year association with Duke Ellington, Strayhorn served as Duke's right-hand man, arranger and copyist, rehearsal pianist, and all-around musical alter ego, and also composed a number of jazz standards, including "Take the A Train," "Lush Life," and "Chelsea Bridge". If you enjoy enjoy Ellington's music but don't know much about Strayhorn, this film should be worth a look; those who already know his work may want to tune in for the performances of Strayhorn's songs by musicians including Elvis Costello, Dianne Reeves, Bill Charlap, Joe Lovano and Russell Malone.

Fred Hersch's "Leaves of Grass" concert previewed in Post story

Pianist and composer Fred Hersch (pictured) will be bringing his eight-piece Ensemble to the Sheldon Concert Hall next Saturday, February 10, to perform "Leaves of Grass," his original suite of music inspired by the poetry of Walt Whitman. This weekend's Post-Dispatch has a couple of stories by Calvin Wilson previewing the concert - an interview with Hersch and a sidebar about Whitman - and you can read them online here and here.

The "Leaves of Grass" suite has gotten a fair amount of media attention since Hersch first released the CD in 2005. For example, you can read reviews of the CD here and here, and a review of a 2005 live performance here. Around the same time, Keyboard magazine did a feature story on Hersch, and NPR did two segments after the release of the CD: a Morning Edition profile of Hersch and an interview of Hersch by Terry Gross for Fresh Air. For more, you can access an MP3 stream of Hersch and vocalist Kate McGarry performing part of the suite live on New York radio station WNYC here, and read a New York Times review of a recent Hersch trio performance at Lincoln Center here.

For more about Walt Whitman, the go-to online resource would seem to be the Whitman Archive, and if you're so inclined, you can even read the entire text of "Leaves of Grass" at Bartleby, an invaluable site that makes many public domain works of literature available online for free.

StLJN Saturday at the Movies: Danita Mumphard does "What A Wonderful World," plus Nancy Kelly sings "Jeanine"

This week's videos feature a couple of female vocalists - one from right here in town, and the other a New Yorker who will make her debut here in the Gateway City next month.

The first clip shows St. Louis singer Danita Mumphard performing the standard "What A Wonderful World" and was taped live at Cookie's Jazz and More. It's one of a series of clips from the Wednesday night jam sessions at the club that the producers of the video series Jazz@Cookie's have recently put online on their YouTube channel.

There are already more than 50 such clips available, ranging from full-length songs to short excerpts of less than a minute, and co-producer Valerie Tichacek says she and her colleagues are continuing to document the jams and add new material on a regular basis. (And in case you were wondering, the original 13 half-hour episodes of Jazz@Cookie's are also still online for your perusal.) To see a list of all the available Jazz@Cookie's clips, go here.

As for Mumphard, you can see her performing at such local spots as Cookie's, Brandt's and Gene Lynn's, usually accompanied by the Trio Tres Bien, the longtime St. Louis jazz ensemble anchored by her dad Harold Thompson on bass and including her uncles Jeter Thompson on piano and Howard Thompson on drums.

The second clip is an audience video of a performance somewhere in upstate New York by singer Nancy Kelly, the NYC-based jazz vocalist who will make her St. Louis debut on Friday, March 23 at Finale Music and Dining. The song is the Duke Pearson standard "Jeanine," recorded instrumentally by Cannonball Adderly and done here with Oscar Brown, Jr's lyric (more or less) as popularized by Eddie Jefferson.

Many listeners may also be familiar with the version by Manhattan Transfer, whose arrangement seems to be the basis for this accompaniment by the Rick Holland Little Big Band. Although the camera work here is somewhat shaky, and the videographer seems more interested in the drummer than in what Kelly is doing, the audio quality is good enough to provide an idea of her style and approach.

Rick Sanborn profiled on Living St. Louis

Radio personality and smooth jazz concert impresario Rick Sanborn was profiled on Monday's episode of Living St. Louis, the local magazine show produced by PBS affiliate KETC. You can view a Windows Media stream of the segment here. (If the direct link doesn't work for you, go here and look for the link under the heading "Recently on Living St. Louis".)

Norah Jones tour coming to St. Louis on May 2

Singer/pianist Norah Jones has just announced spring tour dates in support of her new CD Not Too Late, and one of her stops will be at St. Louis' Fox Theatre on Wednesday, May 2. Tickets for the concert go on sale Wednesday, February 14 through Metrotix.

Jones' tour will include 22 shows in 21 cities, beginning in mid-April and wrapping up a month later. She is also releasing a version of the album that includes both the audio CD and a DVD with music videos, interviews, rehearsal footage and other bonus material. In the video window below, you can see a clip of Jones doing "Rosie's Lullaby," a song included on Not Too Late.