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.