Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Jazz this week: Alyssa Graham; a benefit for Anthony Wiggins; Paul DeMarinis; Chris Burchett plays Monk; and more

With better, almost springlike weather in the offing, it should be a good weekend to get out and hear some live music in St. Louis, and there are a number of events coming up of interest to fans of jazz and creative music.

You can get started tonight, when singer Alyssa Graham opens a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. This is Graham's debut performance in St. Louis, and her vocal style and blend of jazz, folk and pop influences would seem likely to appeal to fans of local favorite Erin Bode. You can find out more and see some videos of Graham in this post, and hear an interview with her here. Also, Jazz St. Louis has a two-for-one deal on tickets for Graham; for details on that, go here.

Also on Wednesday evening, pianist Jay Oliver is doing a free concert starting at 8:00 p.m. at 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave in University City. Oliver will be joined by guitarist William Lenihan, bassist Tom Kennedy and drummer Roger Guth. According to the Jazz at Holmes email list, compared to Saturday's concert by Oliver this one will feature "more straight-ahead jazz with the possibility of some more modern things."

Also tonight, the Black Rep's production of Yesterdays: An Evening With Billie Holiday, with Vanessa Rubin starring as Holiday, resumes its run. There are evening performances Wednesday through Saturday, plus matinees on Saturday and Sunday, through March 14.

On Thursday, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis will do a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. Then on Friday evening, trumpeter Randy Holmes will take the stage at Robbies House of Jazz to play the music Art Farmer and Jim Hall with Steve Schenkel (guitar), Eric Warren (bass), and Kevin Gianino (drums).

On Saturday afternoon, guitarist Chris Burchett will play his own compositions and the music of Thelonious Monk for the lastest installment of the Nu-Art Series' "Re-Arrangements and Nu-Compositions"

Sundaybrings a benefit show for trumpeter and jazz educator Anthony Wiggins starting at 4:00 p.m. at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups. Wiggins is recovering from a brain aneurysm suffered last month, and this event will raise money for him and his family. Scheduled performers include Par 3, Arvell Keithley, Good 4 the Soul, Mystic Voyage, and J-Rob. A minimum $10 donation will be requested at the door.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday morning, trumpeter Bob Ceccarini and pianist Pat Joyce will play a "Coffee Concert" at the Sheldon Concert Hall., with the same program repeating at the same time on Wednesday. Tuesday evening, the Jazz St. Louis CD Listening Club will have its monthly meeting at Borders in Brentwood, with JSL's Gene Dobbs Bradford and DJ and author Dennis Owsley leading a discussion of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme.

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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