Thursday, January 14, 2010

Jazz this week: Bob Borgestede memorial concert, Kim Massie, McMoore Movement, Mardra and Reggie Thomas, and more

With at least a momentary break from the winter deep freeze, it should be a good weekend in St. Louis to get out and hear some music. And while there are no major touring headliners in town this week, there are some noteworthy performances featuring local and regional musicians, so let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, singer Erin Bode and her band return to Brandt's. Bode worked frequently at the Delmar Loop nightspot when she first began her career, and the overall vibe of Brandt's still seems like a good fit for her music, although her fan base has grown to the point of likely overwhelming such an intimate venue. If you hope to get a good seat, I'd suggest getting there early.

On Friday, there's a memorial concert honoring the late guitarist Bob Borgestede at the Rialto Ballroom, 3547 Olive St., just east of Grand. A well-liked and seemingly always busy performer and teacher, Borgestede passed away in 2007, leaving a wife and young son. His friends and colleagues will celebrate his life (and, it is hoped, raise a little money) with sounds from the Funky Butt Brass Band (pictured), the pop/soul cover band Arvell & Co., and faculty members from SIUE, UMSL and Southwestern Illinois College, where Borgestede studied and/or taught music.

Also on Friday, singer Kim Massie begins a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro, where her renditions of blues, soul and pop songs, plus the occasional unexpected cover like Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman," are always a good draw.

That same night, Robbies House of Jazz will feature the St. Louis debut of the McMoore Movement, a group of young musicians who met while studying in saxophonist Ronald Carter's jazz program at Northern Illinois University. The group plays a mix of straight-ahead and groove-oriented tunes, and features alto saxophonist Chris McBride, trumpeter John Moore, Jr., keyboardist Willerm Delisfort, guitarist Larry Brown, Jr., and drummer Bernard Long, Jr. The club's house band, the Robert Edwards Ensemble, will hold forth on Saturday night.

On Sunday, singer Mardra Thomas and pianist Reggie Thomas will perform a free concert at Second Baptist Church kicking off the second half of the St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers season.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or by becoming a "fan" of the StLJN Facebook page.

(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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