There's quite a variety of live jazz happening this week in St. Louis, so let's go right to the highlights, presented in chronological order:Tonight, the Ray Brown Tribute Band featuring bassist Christian McBride (pictured), pianist Benny Green and drummer Greg Hutchinson opens a four-night run which continues through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Brown, who worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald - whom he also married - and many others, was pretty much the gold standard of mainstream swing bass-playing throughout his more than 50 years in jazz. McBride and Green - both well versed in tradition, yet young enough to have been shaped by vastly different experiences than musicians of Brown's generation - would seem to have both the skills and the sensibility to do justice to his legacy. Here's hoping they're using the opportunity to explore some of Brown's own compositions, as the bassist did build up a catalog of tunes over the years.
UPDATE, 1:00 a.m., 4/24/08: Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a preview story about the Ray Brown Tribute Band in today's paper. Read it online here.
On Thursday, pianist Amina Figarova, who's originally from Azerbaijan, brings his group to St. Louis for a free concert in the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; and Brooklyn-based alterna-jazz band The Wee Trio, with former St. Louisan Dan Loomis on bass, performs at Lucas School House.
On Friday, former Stan Kenton trumpeter Mike Vax and his Big Band are doing a concert at Principia High School. Although Vax's band is not officially a Kenton tribute, the band does include a number of Kenton alumni and reportedly plays a few charts from Kenton's book, too.
And speaking of beloved big band bosses of a bygone era, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, still carrying on without its long-departed leader, is in the St. Louis area on Saturday, with a matinee and an evening show at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Elsewhere on Saturday, singer Carla Cook, who's familiar to local audiences because she has recorded for the St. Louis based MAXJAZZ label and performed at Jazz at the Bistro, takes the stage at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and tenor saxophonist Billy Harper plays at Luna Bar in the Central West End.
On Sunday, western swing stalwarts Asleep at the Wheel will cram themselves on to the smallish outdoor stage at Beale on Broadway, a venue that would seem to have the right vibe but insufficient room to accommodate the number of fans likely to show up for such a relatively well-known act. If you happen to dig the blend of jazz and country music that is western swing, Asleep at the Wheel are about as good as it gets these days.
Other noteworthy shows this weekend include singer Jeanne Trevor at Brandt's and Wild, Cool and Swingin' at Cookie's Jazz and More on Friday; and singer Erin Bode at Lucas School House and Trio Tres Bien with Danita Mumphard at Cookie's on Saturday.
For still more St. Louis jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, please visit 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. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)
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