Notes from the Net: Davis, Terry, Zorn, Allyson & Mehldau reviewed; George Lewis' new book on the AACM; the collapse of IAJE; and more

It's been a few weeks since the last installment of this feature, which compiles short news items and links about musicians with connections to St. Louis, plus coming attractions, recent visitors, and other stories from the worlds of jazz. There's lots to share, so let's get to it:

* We'll start this installment, as usual, with a few Miles Davis-related items, including a review of the recent book Miles Davis, Miles Smiles, and the Invention of Post Bop from All AboutJazz.com, and two reviews of the new two-CD set Miles From India. In addition, Rifftides' Doug Ramsey recently did a post ruminating on the role of mid-sized ensembles in jazz, including as one of his examples Miles' "Birth of the Cool" group.

* Miles' fellow trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry was featured recently on the public radio program Riverwalk Jazz, and Terry's new big band album with Louis Bellson, Louis and Clark Expedition Vol 2, is reviewed here.

* The Atlanta weekly Creative Loafing recently had a feature about trumpeter and former East St. Louisan-turned-Atlantan Russell Gunn, who was in town this weekend to perform at SIU-Edwardsville.

*Here's a review of a recent performance by Hamiet Bluiett with Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio.

* Pianist Tom McDermott, a St. Louis native who's lived in New Orleans for more than 20 years and has become something of a specialist in that city's musical traditions, has a new CD, Creole Nocturne, with cornetist Connie Jones, reviewed here. McDermott was also the subject of a feature story in the New Orleans music magazine Offbeat.

* There's lots of news on the always-prolific John Zorn, who once studied music here at Webster University, including two reviews of a live performance of his "pocket concerto" entitled "The Prophetic Mysteries of Angels, Witches, and Demons"; a review of his show for New Music Now in Boston and one of his new CD, The Dreamers. Zorn also revisited his famous piece "Cobra," as a benefit for for the NYC performance space Roulette, and the hatHut label is reissuing his acclaimed CD News for Lulu with guitarist Bill Frisell and trombonist/electronic musician George Lewis.

* Multi-reedman, composer and St. Louis native Marty Ehrlich also is busy this month, with NYC gigs for his quartet, sextet and all-alto-saxophone ensemble.

* Tom Kennedy, who splits his time between NYC and St. Louis, is playing bass on smooth jazz guitarist Ken Navarro's new CD The Grace of Summer Light. The CD is due out in mid-June, but can be heard for free right now via an audio stream from Navarro's Web site.

* Here's a review of jazz critic and St. Louis native Bob Blumenthal's new book Jazz: An Introduction to the History and Legends Behind America's Music, written for AllAboutJazz.com by David Rickert.

* Turning to the "coming attractions" file, singer and former Kansas Citian Karrin Allyson will be in St. Louis this week to perform at Jazz at the Bistro. Here's a review of new CD Imagina: Songs of Brazil, and a review of her recent four-night stand at NYC's Birdland.

* When bassist Stanley Clarke is here next month to perform at the Fox Theatre with Return to Forever, you can call him "Dr. Clarke," since he recently received an honorary Doctorate of Fine arts from his alma mater, The University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

* By way of catching up with some musicians who have recently performed in the Gateway City, here's a review of pianist Brad Mehldau's recent live trio CD, and a review of a performance in Cleveland. Mehldau was in St. Louis last month for a four-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro.

* One of our favorite West Coast jazz bloggers, LeRoy "The Jazzcat" Downs, recently interviewed saxophonist Billy Harper, who was in town last weekend to play a show in George Sams' Nu-Art Series.

* Pianist Taylor Eigsti, who also played the Bistro earlier this year, has a new CD called Let It Come To You.

* And finally, a few items of more general interest to jazz enthusiasts, starting with what was perhaps the biggest jazz-related news story of the past few weeks, the collapse of the International Association for Jazz Education due to financial troubles. Paul DeBarros of the Seattle Times broke the story here; LeRoy "The Jazzcat" Downs has the letter sent to the group's members by IAJE president Chuck Owen here; Secret Society's Darcy James Argue compiled reactions from the jazz blogosphere here, and Ben Ratliff of the New York Times weighs in on the debacle here.

* The aforementioned George Lewis (pictured) has finally completed his book on the history of Chicago's groundbreaking musicians collective, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). It's called A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Expermental Music, and you can read an excerpt from it here and a feature story about Lewis, the AACM and the book, written by the NYT's Nate Chinen here.

* Last but not least, Improvisation, Community and Social Practice is an international research project headquartered at the University of Guelph that "explores musical improvisation as a model for social change". Their journal Critical Studies In Improvisation has, as you might expect, an academic orientation and flavor, but also includes articles of potentially wider interest; for example, the most recent issue has an interesting feature on saxophonist and educator Jackie McLean and an interview with improvising guitarist Fred Frith.