Jazz this week: Erin Bode's CD release, Nu-Art's jazz singers series, and more

The weekend of Independence Day usually isn't a busy one for live jazz performances in St. Louis, and this year is no exception. However, there are a few noteworthy shows coming up over the next several days, most of which seem to involve female vocalists:

Tonight, singer and trumpet player Dawn Weber will perform a free concert at the Missouri Botanical Garden for the Whitaker Music Festival series. Since this show features Weber's Electro-Funk Assembly, the emphasis will be on danceable grooves, not improvisation, but you can probably expect a bit of jamming during the show.

On Thursday, singer Erin Bode (pictured) opens a three-night run at Jazz at the Bistro promoting the release of her new CD Photograph. With no advance copy in hand, all we can tell you is that the CD is self-released, with no record company involved; features all-new original songs written and performed by Bode and her longstanding bandmates; and purportedly finds them using more electronic instruments and a more pop-oriented production style.

You can read a bit more about the release in this preview story, written by Terry Perkins for the Post-Dispatch. Also, if you hunt around a bit here, you may still be able to access a clip of a recent Bode appearance on the morning news at local Fox affiliate KTVI (Channel 2).

On Friday, keyboardist Tony Simmons and singer Cheryl Brown will perform at Robbie's House of Jazz, and on Saturday afternoon, the Nu-Art Series will present singer Nikki Washington doing the songs of Sarah Vaughan. The show at the Metropolitan Gallery is the first in a set of four concerts in July featuring St. Louis singers performing work associated with famous jazz vocalists.

Looking beyond the weekend, BB's Jazz Blues and Soups will feature drummer Joe Pastor's trio on Monday night.

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 clicking the "Like" icon on 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.)

(Edited 7/1/10 to correct a typo in the name of Erin Bode's CD.)

Notes from the Net: A rare Miles Davis TV appearance; the JaLCO visits London; plus news, reviews, interviews and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* There's lots of Miles Davis news this week, starting with, appropriately enough, a post from Howard Mandel on his Jazz Beyond Jazz blog reflecting on Davis' continued ubiquity nearly 20 years after his death. Then there's the recent discussion at Organissimo.org on the influence of Davis’ Kind of Blue, and a review of a concert by bassist Marcus Miller's Tutu band (which draws its setlist from the Miller-produced Davis album of the same name), written for the New York Times by Nate Chinen.

For more Miles, here's a personal reminiscence of Davis and conversation with his biographer, St. Louis native Quincy Troupe, from the NY Examiner's Deardra Shuler; a brief review of the "We Want Miles" exhibit in Montreal from Jazz.FM's Ross Porter; and video of a TV interview Davis did in 1986 for a Philadelphia program called Timeout, recently posted by the show's host Bill Boggs.

* Saxophonist and former St. Louis Oliver Lake just did a three-day residency in Pittsburgh sponsored by City of Asylum, an organization that provides sanctuary to writers exiled under threat of death, imprisonment, or persecution in their native countries. Lake will perform with Trio 3 for the NYC Museum of Modern Art's Summergarden series on Sunday, July 18.

* Opening the "recent visitors" file, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra just completed a series of performance in London, reviewed here by the blog London Jazz and here by the Independent newspaper. Marsalis also has a new book, Moving To Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life, reviewed here by Florence Wetzel for AllAboutJazz.com. Marsalis and the JaLCO were in St. Louis earlier this year to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

* Bassist Rufus Reid recently was the subject of an interview podcast for Jason Crane's The Jazz Session. Reid and the other members of his trio, pianist Steve Allee and drummer Duduka Da Fonseca, were here in May for the Jazz Education Network Conference, and they're gigging this weekend at the NYC venue Kitano.

* Here's a review of guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli's Rockin' In Rhythm CD by Percy Zvomuya of the Johannesburg Mail & Guardian. Pizzarelli was in St. Louis most recently in April to play at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Turning to news of coming attractions, bassist Stanley Clarke (pictured) has a new CD, The Stanley Clarke Band, just out on the Heads Up label. It features keyboardists Hiromi and Ruslan Sirota and drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr., along with singer Cheryl Bentyne of the Manhattan Transfer, keyboardist Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind & Fire, and various other guest musicians. Clarke and Hiromi will be in St. Louis in February to perform at the Bistro.

* Here's a review of guitarist John McLaughlin's latest release One from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Bob Karlovits. McLaughlin will be in St. Louis in November to play at Sheldon Concert Hall.

* And here's a review of saxophonist Gerald Albright's Pushing The Envelope, written for AllAboutJazz.com by Woodrow Wilkins. Albright comes to St. Louis in August to perform with Guitars and Saxes at the Pageant.

* Smooth jazz saxophonist Boney James says he's eager to return to the stage after a serious car accident that resulted in two broken teeth and a fractured jaw. James was rear-ended by a speeding motorist on the San Diego Freeway on May 15 when returning from a show at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Jazz Festival. James will play this Saturday in Healdsburg, CA before coming to the Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar next Thursday, July 8.

* Finally, in case you missed it, here's a list of the winners of the 2010 Jazz Journalists Association Awards, via AllAboutJazz.com. (In case you were wondering, none of the winners are from St. Louis, but a number of them have performed here in recent years. )

Michael Buble reviewed, Erin Bode previewed

Singer Michael Buble was in St. Louis on Friday night to perform at the Scottrade Center, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sent veteran freelancer (and pal o' this website) Terry Perkins to cover the show. You can read his review online here.

The Post also just published a short interview Terry did with singer Erin Bode about her new CD Photograph, and the release party for the disc that will take place next weekend at Jazz at the Bistro. You can read that article online here.

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

Too hot to go outside? Then we suggest you look for an air-conditioned refuge, and amuse yourself with online music videos from StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds.

There's a different music video posted every day, drawing from genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, classic rock, prog rock and experimental. Recent posts have featured performances from Brian Auger, Roy Hargrove, The Band, Herbie Hancock, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Cream, Count Basie, Henry Threadgill's Zooid, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Bobby Hutcherson, Archie Shepp, John Scofield, Tito Puente, Chico Hamilton, Aretha Franklin, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Lou Rawls, John Lee Hooker, Blood Sweat & Tears, Dizzy Gillespie & James Moody, Joe Pass, Thelonious Monk, and Professor Longhair with the Meters.

You can see them all, plus hundreds more from the archives, by visiting http://heliocentricworlds.blogspot.com/.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Four views of Oliver Lake

This week, let's take a look at some video featuring saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake, who recently created a YouTube channel for his work and has been posting all sorts of clips online.

A member of the Black Artists Group and a co-founder of the World Saxophone Quartet, Lake now lives in New Jersey but has performed in St. Louis in recent years with the WSQ, Trio 3 (with Andrew Cyrille and Reggie Workman), and with his own Organ Quartet. He's played many different types of music over the years - free jazz, reggae, funk, hard bop, and more - and at age 68, Lake continues to be involved in a variety of creative endeavors, encompassing improvised and composed music, spoken word, and visual art, too. (A painter since age 11, Lake has a gallery of some of his artwork on his website.)

As mentioned above, he has also posted a selection of choice clips on YouTube, and after perusing the archive, we've got four of them for you today. First up is a solo performance recorded in 1986 at an unspecified NYC location and titled "France Dance." It takes a minute or two for things to cohere, but once Lake gets some momentum going, the notes and inspiration both come in rapid flurries.

For clip #2, we fast-forward two and a half decades to another solo performance, a piece titled "Rocket" that was recorded March 26, 2010 at John Zorn's NYC venue The Stone. The video quality fluctuates a bit on this clip, but it's interesting to contrast this solo performance with the much earlier one in the first clip.

The third video, "Spirit" was recorded in 1998 in Seattle, and features a bit of spoken word performance as well as Lake's saxophone. The fourth and final clip, recorded in April 2007, features Lake engaged in a duo improvisation with guitarist Eugene Chadbourne, and it's a treat to hear these two resourceful veterans bob, weave, and play off of each other.

Lake's most recent CD, Plan, came out in May, 2010 and and features his Organ Quartet. No word as to when he may returning to St. Louis to perform again, but here's hoping it won't be too long.

Miles Davis Jazz Festival adds to 2010 lineup

Organizers of the Miles Davis Jazz Festival, which is scheduled for Saturday, August 14 at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey, have informed StLJN of a couple of additions to this year's musical lineup.

Along with the previously announced acts - saxophonist Michael Anthony Fitzgerald, guitarist Brian White, and the Howard Neal Band - the 2010 MDJF also will feature sets from Chicago-based saxophonist Michael Salter's 5-piece band Freakjar and Kansas City saxophonist Dave Panico.

Salter (pictured) is a former St. Louisan and graduate of the jazz program at Northern Illinois University. Panico, who bills himself as "The Soaring Saxman," is active in both secular and contemporary Christian music.

The Miles Davis Festival is sponsored by the Madison County Arts Council, Illinois Arts Council and the Alton Foundation. General admission tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Presenters Dolan schedule two cabaret shows in July

The Presenters Dolan have announced two cabaret shows to be staged in July at the Kranzberg Arts Center:

* Ken Haller will do encore performances of his sold-out show "Song By Song By Sondheim" on Friday, July 9 and Saturday, July 10. Tim Schall directed the production, with Al Fischer serving as music director.

* Beverly Brennan (pictured) will perform "St. Louie Woman" on Friday, July 16 and Saturday, July 17. Brennan, daughter of the beloved St. Louis sportscaster the late Jack Buck, will be directed by Lina Koutrakos and supported by music direction from Rick Jensen.

Ticket are priced at $20 each for Haller and $25 for Brennan. All performances start at 8:00 p.m. at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand. For tickets, visit www.licketytix.com or call 314-725-4200, ext 10.

Riverfront Times announces 2010 Music Award winners

The Riverfront Times this week announced the winners of the paper's 2010 Music Awards, which are selected by reader vote.

Veteran saxophonist Willie Akins (pictured) won the 2010 award for "Best Jazz Artist." Other 2010 winners include the Funky Butt Brass Band for "Best Funk/Soul/R&B (Group)," multi-intrumentalist Lamar Harris for "Best Funk/Soul/R&B (Solo Artist)" and Alvin Jett and the Phat Noiz Blues Band for "Best Blues Artist/Band."

You can see the complete list of all the 2010 Riverfront Times Music Award winners in the various categories here.

Jazz this week: Michael Buble, Kim Massie, Brave Combo, and more

St. Louis may be without a major jazz festival this June, but fortunately there's enough other activity this weekend that many fans of jazz and creative music can probably find something to their liking.

It looks like the busiest night of the next few is Friday; that's when singer Michael Buble (pictured), who's arguably a jazz-influenced pop singer rather than a jazz singer per se, brings his current tour to the Scottrade Center, and singer Kim Massie opens a two-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro

That same evening, pianist Carolbeth True performs at the Foundry Arts Centre in St Charles, and the Funky Butt Brass Band will be at the St. Louis Art Museum for a free "Art After 5" concert. (You can see some video of the FBBB in action here.)

Also of interest on Friday is the return to St. Louis of perennial favorites Brave Combo, who will be playing at The Gramophone. While they're not really a jazz group either, the band's eclectic mix of "salsa, meringue, rock, cumbia, conjunto, polka, zydeco, classical, cha cha, the blues and more" usually makes for interesting listening as well as providing fun, danceable beats.

Elsewhere this weekend Robbie's House of Jazz will feature house band the Robert Edwards Ensemble on Friday, with the Christopher Braig Caribbean Trio taking the stage on Saturday.

Also on Saturday: the Presenters Dolan will feature singer Christy Simmons performing her cabaret show "'Cause I'm A Woman" at the Kranzberg Arts Center, backed by pianist Joe Dreyer, bassist Dave Troncoso and drummer Clancy Newell; and, for the more cacophonously inclined, Open Lot offers "an invasion of synths, violins, and incredible noise from the north" with Stare Case, Dog Lady, Steve Kenney and Maths Balance Volumes.

BB's Jazz Blues and Soups also has a couple of jazz-related acts coming up, with Good 4 The Soul playing the early set on Sunday, and bassist David Certain's CertainBeat WorldBop, featuring saxophonists James Warfield Jr. and Willie Dineen and drummer Stan Hale, on Monday.

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 clicking the "Like" icon on 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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Herein, we introduce a new occasional feature for StLJN - a quick wrap-up of links & short local news items of interest. (The title is from the Miles Davis song that leads off Kind of Blue. The notion of using said title was inspired by (read "stolen from") the weekly "Confirmation" feature of the Kansas City jazz blog Plastic Sax.)

* Percussionist Bernard Long, Jr. will be the lead instructor for a six-week "Dynamic Drum Line" summer camp for young people ages 11 to 17, starting at noon next Monday, June 28 at the Katherine Dunham Museum, 1005 Pennsylvania Ave. in East St. Louis. For more information, call 618-910-2055 or send email to tixsay@hotmail.com.

* Singer Erin Bode went on the morning show at local Fox affiliate KTVI (Channel 2) today to plug her upcoming self-released CD Photograph, due out July 1. You can see a brief interview and hear an excerpt of one of her new songs here.

* Artist/illustrator and St. Louis blues historian Kevin Belford was interviewed about his book Devil at the Confluence by Dana Smith for a recent post on the Creative St. Louis blog.

* Recent changes at Mangia Italiano will include "The St. Louis Shuffle," a new DJ spin every other Wednesday featuring Matt Harnish playing exclusively St. Louis music. When asked "Is there one record that you're really excited to play that this gives you an excuse to play?" by the Riverfront Times' Chrissy Wilmes, Harnish said, "I'm really looking forward to playing the Human Arts Ensemble in a bar...It's really amazing, and it's going to be really cool hearing that playing in a bar." The next "St. Louis Shuffle" is on Wednesday, June 30; there's no word yet if the changes at Mangia Italiano will affect saxophonist Dave Stone's long-running Friday night gig, so stay tuned.

* The old Ozark Theatre building, once the neighborhood movie house for several generations of Webster Groves residents, is being restored and renovated as a recording studio by saxophonist/entrepreneur Dan Stevens.

Nu-Art Series to present jazz singers in July

The Nu-Art Series has announced a slate of four Saturday afternoon concerts in July featuring St. Louis singers interpreting songs associated with famous jazz vocalists.

Nikki Washington gets it started on Saturday, July 3 with the songs of Sarah Vaughan, followed on July 10 by Felicia Ezell doing the music of Ella Fitzgerald. After a week's respite, the series resumes on July 24 with Mardra Thomas (pictured) singing Nancy Wilson, and wraps up on July 31 with Erika Johnson interpreting the repertoire of Anita O'Day.

All four performances will take place starting at 3:00 p.m. at the Metropolitan Gallery, 2936 Locust St. Admission is $10 at the door. For more information, call 314-535-6500, or visit the Nu-Art Series website.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Four from Michael Buble

This week, let's take a look at some videos featuring singer Michael Buble, who will be in St. Louis next Friday, June 25 to perform at the Scottrade Center. Undeniably influenced by Frank Sinatra and, to a lesser extent, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin and other tuxedo-clad crooners of the 1950s and 1960s, Buble doesn't really fit the textbook definition of a jazz singer, primarily because he rarely seems to improvise. Think of him more as a pop vocalist who incorporates some jazz elements in his arrangements, often hires jazz players, and mines some of the same standard repertoire.

For example, check the version of "Come Fly With Me" up top. It's a big band swing-style arrangement, reminiscent of Sinatra's version but taken at an even quicker tempo. In the first clip down below, Buble sings "The Way You Look Tonight" with a small combo in a bossa nova style, letting the guitarist take a short, tasteful solo midway through.

The third clip shows Buble tackling "Feeling Good," originally a Broadway song (from the 1960s musical Stop The World, I Want To Get Off) that was famously transformed by Nina Simone into a show-stopper of a different sort. Although Buble's performance here is more dramatic than in either of the first two clips, he wisely stops short of Simone's level of bombastic divatude. Finally, in the fourth clip you can hear Buble dueting with his piano player on the Willie Nelson composition "Always On My Mind," which gets a straight ballad treatment.

Buble's vocal performance in all four clips is solid in a technical sense - in tune, on time and well-enunciated, with no obvious indications of any major technological interventions like Auto-Tune (which some accused him of using during a recent show in London). But the performances also seem very carefully worked out in advance, with little left to chance. Buble would seem to have the vocal skills necessary to at least attempt a more improvisational approach, but one can also understand why he'd be loathe to mess with what has proved to be a successful formula.

Jazz at Holmes series announces summer schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series of free concerts at Washington University has announced the lineup for this summer's series, which has been dubbed "Jazz in July."

The series will feature four shows, starting with the concert by pianist Linda Presgrave and her quintet on Thursday, July 9 that we told you about here a couple of weeks ago.

Guitarist Tom Byrne and his quartet will perform on Thursday, July 15, followed by drummer Maurice Carnes and friends on Thursday, July 22. Guitarist Chris Burchett (pictured) and his quartet will wrap up the summer series on Thursday, July 29.

All concerts are free and open to the public, and begin at 8:00 p.m. in Holmes Lounge, which is located in Ridgley Hall, on the west side of Brookings Quadrangle near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives.

Jazz this week: Peter Martin, Tim Cunningham, Peter Schlamb and more

It's a relatively light week for jazz performances in St. Louis, but there are at least a handful of shows worth noting around town. Here's a quick look:

Tonight, pianist Peter Martin leads his trio in a free concert for the Whitaker Music Festival at Missouri Botanical Garden. For more on Martin, see StLJN's previous coverage here.

Tomorrow, the Latin/jazz group Samba Bom does a free outdoor concert at St. Louis Place Park.

On Friday and Saturday, smooth jazz saxophonist Tim Cunningham (pictured) will perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

Meanwhile, Robbie's House of Jazz features singer Wendy Gordon and her trio on Friday night, and vibraphonist Peter Schlamb and his band on Saturday.

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 clicking the "Like" icon on 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.)

St. Charles Big Band honors arranger Richard Wargin, Sr.

The St. Charles Big Band honored its longtime arranger and trumpet player, the late Richard Wargin Sr., with a concert of Wargin's arrangements this past Sunday at Frontier Park in St. Charles. The Suburban Journals' Steve Pokin wrote a feature story here about the band and Wargin, who passed away at age 80 in February from complications of pneumonia.

The St. Charles Big Band, an offshoot of the St. Charles Municipal Band, has three more Sunday night concerts scheduled this year at Frontier Park, on July 11, August 8 and September 5. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

Miles Davis concerts streaming for free at Wolfgang's Vault

Via Miles Davis Online: Wolfgang's Vault is offering a free audio stream of a never-before-heard recording of Miles Davis at the Fillmore West on October 15, 1970. The concert features versions of “Honkytonk,” “What I Say,” “Sanctuary,” “Yesternow,” “Bitches Brew,” and “Funky Tonk.”

The site also has free streams of two more Davis shows from 1970; you can find all three concerts here.

Harry Connick Jr. reviewed

Singer and pianist Harry Connick Jr. was in St. Louis on Friday night to perform at the Fox Theatre, and the Post-Dispatch sent veteran music freelancer Daniel Durchholz to cover the show. You can read Dan's review online here.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on the Funky Butt Brass Band

With no major touring jazz acts scheduled to visit St. Louis in the next couple of weeks, it seems like a good time to turn our video spotlight on some local talent. And what better way to enliven a muggy early summer weekend than with the Funky Butt Brass Band, six Gateway City musicians offering their take on the classic New Orleans sound?

Up top, you can see an excerpt from a performance last year at the North City Farmers Market, in which the FBBB offers their rendition of "Mama Don't Allow."

Down below are three clips from their gig this past March at Jazz at the Bistro. First up is a medley featuring a bit of "Blue Monk" segueing into the blues standard "Stormy Monday" and finishing up with a cover of Prince's "Purple Rain."

Videos three and four feature guest appearances from trumpeters Sean Jones and Marcus Printup, who were in town that weekend to perform with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at the Sheldon a couple of blocks away. Jones and Printup stopped by after their concert was done to join the FBBB's performances of "It's All Over Now" and, inevitably, "When The Saints Go Marching In."

You can find out more about the Funky Butt Brass Band by visiting their website or MySpace page.

Notes from the Net: "First times" with Miles; Oliver Lake's new CD; Boney James on the mend; plus news, reviews, interviews and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* Starting off, as is our custom, with a Miles Davis item, NPR's A Blog Supreme recently asked readers "What Was Your First Miles Davis Album"? and got "nearly 1,000 replies on NPR's Facebook page; 103 replies here on A Blog Supreme (an astronomical amount for us) and hundreds of tweets and re-tweets." The number one intro-to-Miles album was, unsurprisingly, Kind of Blue, which remains the best selling jazz album of all time; the runner-up was Bitches Brew, which is getting a 40th anniversary re-release this year.

* In news of other St. Louis natives, saxophonist Greg Osby will headline a live webcast for NPR's "Live at the Village Vanguard" program on Tuesday, August 3. (Episodes are archived online for later listening, too.)

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake (pictured) has a new CD called Plan featuring his Organ Trio with keyboardist Jared Gold, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix and drummer Jonathan Blake. Here's a review from Music and More blogger Tim Niland, who calls it "a very exciting and constantly compelling album."

* Turning to news of recent visitors, guitarist Jeff Beck, who played St. Louis' Fox Theatre in April, this week led a tribute to guitarist and inventor Les Paul at the intimate NYC club Iridium, where Paul had a steady Monday night gig for many years right up until his death in 2009. Here's another review, written by Bill Milkowski for Jazz Times.

* Meanwhile, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, last seen here in March at the Sheldon Concert Hall, have headed across the Atlantic for a tour that includes four concerts in Berlin, three in London, and five in other UK cities.

* Singer and pianist Jamie Cullum, who also was in St. Louis in March to play the Roberts Orpheum Theatre, will be one of the headliners at the Carefusion Newport Jazz Festival in August.

* Saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and percussionist Hamid Drake have a new eponymous duo CD, reviewed here by "Stef" of the blog Free Jazz. Their recent duo tour, the first in more than a decade, included a stop in April at St. Louis' Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.

* As if he wasn't busy enough already, bassist Christian McBride is producing and playing on vibraphonist Warren Wolf's debut CD for Mack Avenue Records. McBride revealed on his Twitter feed that recent sessions in NYC also included drummer Greg Hutchinson, saxophonist Tim Green and, on piano, St. Louis' own Peter Martin, all of whom also have been associated with McBride's Inside Straight band. Last seen here in November at Jazz at the Bistro, McBride will play a duo concert with Martin in September at the Sheldon, and will return again next year in March for a Ray Brown tribute at the Bistro.

* Speaking of return engagements, trumpeter Chris Botti, who will return to St. Louis in February 2011 for a concert at Powell Hall with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, will perform next week at NYC's Carnegie Hall for the CareFusion Jazz Festival New York. Botti also will play the CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival in August.

* Singer, pianist and songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway, who's coming back to the Gateway City next March to play at the Bistro, recently did a duo show with her sister, Broadway and cabaret performer Liz Callaway, at Town Hall in NYC. The program featured their interpretations of pop hits from the 1960s and 1970s; here's the review from the New York Times' Stephen Holden.

* Saxophonist Gerald Albright has a new CD, Pushing The Envelope, on sale next week. The funk-flavored release features special guest appearances by Fred Wesley on trombone, Earl Klugh on acoustic guitar and George Duke on acoustic piano, along with keyboardists Tracy Carter and Luther "Mano" Hanes, guitarist Ricky Watford and drummer Ricky Lawson. Albright is out on the road this summer with the Guitars and Saxes tour, which hits The Pageant in St. Louis on Friday, August 13.

* Singer Tierney Sutton was one of the headliners at last week's Isthmus Jazz Festival in Madison, WI, resulting in this interview with the local magazine that sponsored the event. Sutton will be back in St. Louis in October to play the Sheldon.

* Saxophonist Chris Potter has put online some free live music from his band Underground, via the website ArtistShare. Potter and Underground will play Jazz at the Bistro next March.

* Lastly, smooth jazz saxophonist Boney James is on the mend from being rear-ended in a recent car accident, in which he suffered a gash in his chin that resulted in 14 stitches, a fractured maxilla bone, and two broken front teeth. James is taking off several weeks for orthodontic repairs and recovery, but anticipates being able to play again the first week of July, which would be in time for him to make his show scheduled for Thursday, July 8 at the Bottleneck Blues Bar in St. Charles.

Some of James' canceled shows have been rescheduled, but for his date this Saturday in Sacramento, trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Richard Elliot will fill in and co-headline what's being billed as a "Get Well Soon Tribute" as part of their ongoing "RnR" tour, which comes to the Pageant on July 30.

(Edited after posting to clean up some typos.)

Jazz this week: Harry Connick, Jr., Belleville's Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival, Denise Thimes, Patrick Terbreck, and more

It's shaping up to be a fine early summer weekend here in St. Louis, with a variety of live jazz on tap around the area. Let's take a quick look at some highlights:

Tonight, longtime local favorites Trio Tres Bien perform at the Missouri Botanical Garden in a free concert for the Whitaker Music Festival.

On Friday, singer and pianist Harry Connick Jr. (pictured) comes to the Fox Theatre in support of his most recent CD Your Songs. For some videos of Connick, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Friday, singer Dean Christopher will do his "Rat Pack and More" show for the new Encore series at the Jewish Community Center.

It's also the weekend of the annual Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival in and around the square in downtown Belleville, Illinois. The free event kicks off at 5:00 p.m. Friday with sets from saxophonist Jim Stevens, Two Times True with Carolbeth True, and singer/keyboardist Anita Rosamond and band. The music resumes at noon on Saturday with the US Air Force Band of Mid-America Hot Brass, Dawn Weber's Electrofunk Assembly, Kansas City's Boulevard Big Band, pianist Phil Gomez' Latin/jazz group Clave Sol, and the Voodoo Blues Band with singer Roland Johnson.

Over on the Missouri side of the river, singer Denise Thimes will hold forth Friday and Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro, while Robbie's House of Jazz has Chicago saxophonist Patrick Terbreck on Friday and smooth jazz keyboardist Marvin Cockrell and his band Focus on Saturday.

Looking beyond the weekend, pianist Peter Martin will headline next Wednesday's free concert for the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

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 clicking the "Like" icon on 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.)

(Edited after posting to fix some typos.)

Kevin Eubanks to perform Thursday, July 29 at Casino Queen

Before he took the job leading the band for NBC's Tonight Show 18 years ago, Kevin Eubanks (pictured) had established a very respectable career as a jazz guitarist. Now that Eubanks has left his long-running gig, he's got more time to devote to his own music and to tour, and his live dates this summer will include a performance on Thursday, July 29 at the Casino Queen's Sevens nightclub.

Eubanks' band will include former Tonight Show cohort Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums, as well as the veteran saxophonist Bill Pierce, keyboard player Gerry Etkins and bassist Rene Camacho. Eubanks will play sets at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.; tickets are $20 each, and are on sale now via Ticketmaster, Macy's, Schnucks and the Casino Queen gift shop.

More coverage of the JEN Conference

Jazz Times has just posted a story by St. Louisan Terry Perkins recapping the Jazz Education Network Conference held here last month at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. You can read the article online here.

Christian McBride, Peter Martin to perform Saturday, September 11 at the Sheldon

Peter Martin has announced the next concert in his eponymous series at the Sheldon Concert Hall: a duo show with bassist Christian McBride (pictured) on Saturday, September 11.

McBride played Jazz at the Bistro last November with his group Inside Straight (including Martin on piano), and is scheduled to return to the Bistro in March 2011 with pianist Benny Green and drummer Gregory Hutchinson for a tribute to bassist Ray Brown.

The McBride/Martin concert will be the fourth in the pianist's series at the Sheldon, which began in February with the duo of Martin and singer Dianne Reeves, followed by a concert featuring the pianist and trumpeter/singer Jeremy Davenport, and this past Friday's trio performance with Martin, bassist Chris Thomas and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr.

Tickets are on sale now at $50 for the VIP package with preferred seating and free parking, $30 orchestra, $25 balcony via Metrotix or the Sheldon's website.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Just wild about Harry

Go looking online for video clips of Harry Connick, Jr., and you'll find him in all sorts of places doing all sorts of things - hanging out with the First Lady and speaking to kids at the White House, hoofing on Broadway, teaming up with Branford Marsalis to raise funds and awareness for for Habitat for Humanity's Musicians Village development in New Orleans, and plenty more - and that's not even counting his various dramatic and comedic acting roles in TV and movies.

Connick, who will be in St. Louis next Friday, June 11 to perform at the Fox Theatre, has attained the sort of celebrity status rarely awarded a jazz musician these days, but you don't have to follow all the aspects of his multi-hyphenate career to appreciate his skills as a singer, piano player and bandleader. Today, we've got some videos showing off some different aspects of Connick's music, from smooth crooning of standards and pop hits to New Orleans funk and big band swing.

First up is a clip from his appearance earlier this year on TV's "American Idol," singing his version of the Beatles' hit "And I Love Her," as recorded for the recent CD Your Songs. It's interesting that his vocals here are slightly but noticeably rougher and looser than the technically precise style he often displayed in first part of his career, a development that recalls the way the voice of Frank Sinatra, one of Connick's major influences, changed as he moved into middle age.

Down below is an older clip of Connick showing off that Sinatra influence on "It Had To Be You," recorded back in the early 1990s for a variety show on British TV. (Pay close attention, and you'll also get a couple of glimpses of St. Louis native Jeremy Davenport in the trumpet section.)

In the third slot, there's a 2008 performance of Connick working out on Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can," for an Australian TV program. Finally, in the fourth position you'll see another older clip of Connick doing "All of Me," from a DVD called The New York Big Band Concert.

An extended addendum re: Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival

After the post here the other day about the lineup for the 2010 Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival, I got a Facebook message from Jennifer Bellm, who runs Webster Records and is in charge or programming the music for the OWJ&BF.

Bellm took exception to several aspects of the post, and though she asked that her words not be shared publicly, she raised some points that, in the interest of clearing the air, need to be addressed here.

Her first objection was to a sentence near the end of the post suggesting that the booking process for the Old Webster festival seemed to be guided by "a combination of local politics, favor-trading, and ill-advised pandering.” She felt that this unfairly implied that there was something untoward or sleazy going on, impugning the integrity of the organizers, and looking at the passage again, I think she was right to complain.

That particular sentence contains some very bad, hasty writing, and doesn't get across what I actually meant to say. I’ll see if I can do better in just a moment, but first, let’s just stipulate that I don’t think there’s anything nefarious or crooked going on with regard to the Old Webster festival booking process. I sincerely regret any such implication, and apologize to Bellm and the other organizers.

Second, she felt that I shortchanged Curt Landes by not categorizing him as one of the event’s jazz acts, and she was right about that, too. Here's what happened: Landes gigs a lot and plays many different kinds of music - jazz, blues, rock, pop and probably several other genres, too. In this case, the information available to me at the time didn't indicate anything about what style of music he'd be playing at the Old Webster event. Bellm says she's asked Landes specifically to do a all-jazz set for the fest, which will indeed boost the event's total amount of jazz content. So, apologies to Curt Landes and to you, O reader, for the misunderstanding and misinformation.

Now, back to that very bad sentence. The reference to "local politics" was a clumsy attempt to convey the notion that a local community-based event, such as the OWJ&BF, is likely to look first for talent close to home. In this case, that means booking the Webster Groves HS jazz band, the jazz faculty members from nearby Webster University, and a group representing the local music spot Robbie's House of Jazz. It's entirely appropriate that all three be represented at the fest, but that does leave fewer slots available for other musicians or groups, and hence affects the overall composition of the lineup.

"Favor trading" is a loaded phrase that implies something underhanded, but it's certainly possible for people to trade favors in a benign, beneficial way. When putting together a large event, there are inevitably a lot of personal and professional relationships that come into play, and trying to describe that with snarky shorthand doesn't increase anyone's understanding of the situation.

As for "ill-advised pandering" - it's a bit harsh, granted, but I think it's the one part of the sentence I have to stand by. From what I gather, the OWJ&BF organizers see the fest's encore tribute to the late Johnnie Johnson and the musical presence of TV weatherman Glenn Zimmermann as genuine expressions of appreciation for their past roles in helping the festival grow. I tend to see these two aspects of the event as representing the triumph of marketing over music. Based on my exchange of messages with Bellm, I don't see either one of us budging much from our respective viewpoints.

That said, I must also thank and commend Jennifer Bellm for being willing to confront criticisms directly, without getting nasty, personal or dismissive. I wish she had allowed me to publish some of her words here, because she had some interesting things to say, but perhaps she can be coaxed into doing a guest post at some point in the future.

In the meantime, as a result of our exchange she's actually asked yr. humble StLJN editor to make some suggestions about musicians for future editions of the Webster fest, which seems like a remarkably classy gesture under the circumstances. More on that at some point in the future...in the meantime, if you, dear reader, have anything to say about this whole mishegas, the comments are, as always, open.

Jazz this week: Peter Martin Trio, Brian Owens, Mardra Thomas and more

Though it may not officially be summer until the solstice on June 21, summer weather already seems to moving into St. Louis, and local jazz presenters and venues are putting their summer schedules into effect, for the most part either curtailing their offerings until fall or emphasizing homegrown talent.

However, there's still some music to be heard, so let's see what's going on around town over the next few days:

Tonight, singer Denise Thimes performs a free concert to begin this year's Whitaker Music Festival series at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

On Friday, pianist Peter Martin (pictured) leads his trio, featuring bassist Chris Thomas and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., in a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall. For more about Martin's series at the Sheldon, see these previous posts; for some video of him playing in a trio setting, check out this missive from last Saturday. Also, there's a two-for-the-price-of-one discount available on the remaining seats for Martin's concert; to access the offer, go here and and enter the promo code "PMTRIO" (without the quote marks).

Also Friday, singer Brian Owens begins a two-night stand kicking off the summer season at Jazz at the Bistro. The word is that Owens' sets will be paying tribute to singer Bill Withers, and perhaps he'll also do some material from his forthcoming CD release recently announced on his website.

On Saturday, singer Mardra Thomas reprises her interpretation of the music of Billie Holiday for "An Elegant Evening with Lady Day" at Harris-Stowe State University, and keyboardist Charlie Brown and singer Marlys Brown will celebrate their ten-year wedding anniversary with a show at Robbie's House of Jazz.

Looking beyond the weekend, yr. humble editor has just discovered that Robbie's also is now hosting weekly jam sessions on Tuesday. I'm not sure how long it's been going on, since I only learned of it by visiting the club's website, but apparently it will be a fixture until further notice.

Also on Tuesday, the Jazz St. Louis CD Listening Club will have its May meeting at bOrders Books and Music, 1519 S. Brentwood Blvd. This month's featured CD is Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, and the special guest is the aforementioned Peter Martin, with JSL's Gene Dobbs Bradford serving as moderator.

Next Wednesday, the longtime St. Louis favorites Trio Tres Bien will perform a free concert for the Whitaker Music Festival at Missouri Botanical Garden.

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 clicking the "Like" icon on 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.)

(Updated after posting to add the CD Listening Club info.)

Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival announces 2010 lineup

The Old Webster Jazz and Blues festival today announced the lineup of acts for its 2010 event, which will be held Saturday, September 18 in the Old Webster business district near the intersection of Lockwood and Gore.

The festival will feature ten bands performing on two stages, plus strolling music from the Funky Butt Brass Band. Unfortunately for local jazz fans, the musical menu this year seems to emphasize gimmicks instead of actual working St. Louis jazz musicians.

Starting at noon, the Allen Avenue stage will feature, in order: a presentation from Robbie’s House of Jazz, presumably involving the house band led by the club's co-owner, trombonist Robert Edwards; keyboardist and singer Curt Landes' Ensemble; a group led by KTVI weatherman Glenn Zimmerman, who's an amateur blues guitarist; the Webster Groves High School Jazz Band; and blues singer/guitarist Marquise Knox (pictured).

Meanwhile, the Gore Avenue stage will present blues/rock variety band the Steamrollers; funk guitarist Teddy Presberg’s Resistance Organ Trio; New Orleans R&B/funk cover band Gumbohead; the Webster University Faculty Jazz Band; and an encore of the Johnnie Johnson tribute first presented by the Old Webster fest in 2007, featuring members of Johnson's last St. Louis group playing with NYC pianist Dona Oxford.

Add it up, and you'll count just two professional jazz groups - the Robbie's house band and the Webster faculty group, which isn't really a gigging band per se - plus the student band from nearby Webster Groves HS. Both Landes and Presberg might be expected to serve up up some jazz sounds as part of their sets, too, but even so, it's relatively slim pickings for an event purporting to be a jazz festival.

UPDATE - 3:00 p.m., 6/3/10: Guitarist/composer Steve Schenkel, who's part of the Webster Jazz Faculty ensemble, posed a comment on StLJN's Facebook page with further details on their set: "The Webster Jazz Faculty will be devoting their performance at the Old Webster Festival to lesser known works by Duke Ellington. I'll be doing the transcribing and arranging, and Paul DeMarinis, Carolbeth True, Kevin Gianino, Willem von Holmbracht, and Debby Lennon will be on board. It should be a blast."

Devoting two of the remaining slots to a TV personality with scant credentials as a performing musician and an obscure variety band only waters it down even more. I don't mean to pick too much on Glenn Zimmerman, who I've heard is a good guy and supporter of local music. But given that there are dozens of very good professional blues acts in St. Louis that have never played the Old Webster festival, it's hard to see his set as anything but an attempt to draw in the merely curious and get some free TV coverage from Channel 2.

Still, it's a free event, and, depending on your musical tastes, there are certainly a number of musicians and bands worth hearing. But if you're a jazz fan, you can't help but wonder how much better the lineup could be if musical quality took precedence over what would seem to be a combination of local politics, favor-trading, and ill-advised pandering. The Old Webster Blues and Jazz Festival runs from noon to 10:00 p.m.; for more information, visit their website.

Jazz St. Louis announces educational residencies for 2010-11 season

Jazz St. Louis has announced the artists who will be coming to St. Louis for educational residencies during the 2010-2011 season.

The resident artists each come to St. Louis for a week, taking part in educational activities at schools all over the St. Louis area, including clinics, master classes, workshops, lectures, and in-school performances. They also work directly with smaller groups of students involved in Jazz St. Louis’ JazzU, Jazz St. Louis All-Stars and Adopt-a-School programs.

Gene Aitken will be the first resident artist/instructor of the season, coming to St. Louis from November 8 through November 12. Aitken is the former director of jazz studies for the award-winning program at the University of Northern Colorado. More recently, he served as director of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore, and he continues to be active in Southeast Asia, China, and the United States, working with students, teachers, ensembles, and administrators in both the wind ensemble and jazz areas.

Saxophonist Ronald Carter, the noted jazz educator and former band director for East St. Louis HS who now heads the jazz program at Northern Illinois University, will return to St. Louis for a residency March 7 through March 12, 2011. Carter's stint in St. Louis will include public performances on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12 at Jazz at the Bistro, backed by keyboardist Reggie Thomas and OGD.

Then from April 4 through April 9, pianist Cyrus Chestnut will team with special guest trumpeter Jon Faddis (pictured) for a weeklong residency. Both should know their way around town; Chestnut has been a frequent visitor to St. Louis in recent, performing most recently in April at the Sheldon Concert Hall, while Faddis was here for the 2009 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival. Chestnut and Faddis will wrap up their week with public performances on Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9 at the Bistro.

Tickets for the Bistro performances featuring Carter, Chestnut and Faddis will be available through Metrotix and directly from Jazz St. Louis. For more information on JSL's residency program, go here.

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

As persistent as a mosquito on a swampy summer evening, it's yet another blatant plug for StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds, where each day a new music video is posted online, drawing from genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, classic rock, prog rock and experimental.

Recent posts have featured artists including James Brown, the Beatles, Sun Ra Arkestra, Ben Webster, Ken Vandermark's Free Fall, Brian Auger and the Oblivion Express, Roy Hargrove, The Band, Phil Woods, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Cream, Count Basie, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Johnny Griffin, Don Byron, Memphis Slim and Tito Puente.

Fortunately, you can still see them all - plus hundreds more clips from the awesome archives - and simultaneously demonstrate to the world your superior musical taste, by visiting http://heliocentricworlds.blogspot.com/.

Summer programs introduce kids to jazz

If we believe, as George Benson crooned so memorably back in the day, that "children are the future," then today's kids are tomorrow's audience for jazz. Two programs this summer in St. Louis are helping introduce area youngsters to their American musical heritage:

* Once again this year, the Sheldon Concert Hall and the St. Louis Cardinals' Cardinals Care Foundation are teaming up to treat local kids involved in the latter's "Redbird Rookies" program to a free taste of live jazz.

Multi-instrumentalist Jeff Anderson and his Quintet will perform for the assembled youngsters at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 23 and Thursday, June 24 at the Sheldon, playing music from Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and other jazz greats. The idea is to teach the students that "jazz, like baseball, requires practice, creative improvisation, teamwork and respect for diversity."

Each child will get a free copy of Play Ball - Great St. Louis Jazz, a CD produced by The Sheldon and Cardinals Care featuring St. Louis musicians including Brian Owens, Carolbeth True, Reggie and Mardra Thomas, Ptah Williams, Rick Haydon, Montez Coleman and more. The kids also will be invited to try out their skills as scat singers live on stage, and the Cardinals' costumed mascot Fredbird is slated to appear, too.

* Craft Alliance has scheduled a jazz-themed summer day camp,"Jazz It Up," for July 19 through July 23 at their Grand Center location in the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand Blvd. Campers will spend mornings at Craft Alliance creating jazz-inspired visual art, then head across the street for an afternoon of musical activities at Jazz St. Louis, learning about the the blues, improvisation, instrument making, songwriting and more. The week concludes with an art show and performance for campers' family and friends.

The "Jazz It Up" day camp is intended for kids ages 8 to 10, and tuition is $300 per child, $270 for Craft Family Members, plus a $30 charge for materials. To register or for more information, call 314-534-7528, ext. 302 or visit the Craft Alliance website.