StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The David Sanborn Trio with Joey DeFrancesco

This week, our video spotlight shines on alto saxophonist and St. Louis native David Sanborn, who's coming back to his hometown on Monday, August 16 and Tuesday, August 17 to play at Jazz at the Bistro for the benefit of Jazz St. Louis' education programs.

It's something of a coup for the Bistro to present Sanborn, who usually plays much larger venues; his most recent St. Louis gigs were at the Pageant in 2008 and as one of the headliners of the now defunct St. Louis Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2006.

Fortunately, Sanborn's been touring this year with a ensemble that's well suited to an intimate space, a stripped-down sax-organ-drums trio featuring Joey DeFrancesco on the keyboard, as featured on Sanborn's most recent CD Only Everything.

Today, we've got some video of that group in action, starting up top with a version of "Basin Street Blues" recorded earlier this year at a concert in Zurich. Down below is the conclusion of "Basin Street Blues," with a solo by drummer Gene Lake, a frequent Sanborn collaborator who's also the son of saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake.

Below that, you can see and hear the trio play "Dream," also from the Zurich show, and the fourth window features an excerpt from Sanborn's performance earlier this year at the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival in Philadelphia.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of links and short local news items of interest that you may have missed:

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold is the subject of a feature story in today's Post-Dispatch; you can read the article by Terry Perkins online here.

* Singer Jeanne Trevor (pictured) is among the first group of individuals to be enshrined on the Walk of Fame in the north county town of Ferguson.

* Don Wolff writes that he's now updating his Live365 "I Love Jazz" netcast with new music each week. Wolff also recently did a multi-part special marking the centennial of Benny Goodman's birth, and continues to post interviews on his site, including a recent conversation with bassist and singer Nicki Parrott.

* And speaking of radio, local NPR affiliate KWMU (90.7 FM) is adding classical music to its Saturday night programming, while community radio station KDHX (88.1) FM has revamped its website.

* A benefit for KDHX's Gabriel, the legendary St. Louis blues and R&B DJ whose home recently was destroyed by a fire, will be held starting at 5:00 p.m. next Saturday, August 7 at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups. Performers will include Marquise Knox, the Arthur Williams Band, Silver Cloud with Ron Edwards, the Cryin' Shame Band and more. Artist and author Kevin Belford has designed a set of Gabriel postcards, which will be avaible for purchase at the benefit, and rumor has it that Gabriel's long out-of-print catalog of tunes as a recording artist also may be available soon as a CD reissue.

Jazz St. Louis confirms additional Bistro bookings for fall 2010

Jazz St. Louis has confirmed the schedule of local and regional talent that will perform this fall at Jazz at the Bistro, filling the alternate weeks still open after the Bistro's 2010-11 schedule of touring artists was announced back in May.

Guitarist Eric Slaughter will make his Bistro debut as a leader on Friday, September 10 and Saturday, September 11, with the Funky Butt Brass Band set to return on October 1 and 2.

Two weeks later, percussionist Craig Russo (pictured) and his Latin Jazz Project venture down the road from their home in Champaign/Urbana to perform on October 15 and 16 at the Bistro. Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris will play on October 29 and 30, with Trio Trés Bien scheduled for November 12 and 13, and Good 4 The Soul wrapping things up on December 10 and 11.

Single tickets for all of these performance go on sale at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, August 17 via Metrotix and the Jazz St. Louis box office.

Jazz this week: Kevin Eubanks, Keyon Harrold, RnR with Rick Braun & Richard Elliot, and more

This week's schedule of jazz and creative music in St. Louis is atypically busy for this time of year, but rather than complain about a surfeit of potential choices, let's go to the highlights:

On Thursday, guitarist Kevin Eubanks, back on the road playing jazz again after wrapping up a long stint as bandleader on NBC's Tonight Show, performs at the Casino Queen.

Also on Thursday, guitarist Chris Burchett does a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and Robbie's House of Jazz presents the JW Trio, with bassist Nick Jost, drummer Joe Winstein-Hibbs and vibraphonist Ben Portner.

On Friday, trumpeter and St. Louis native Keyon Harrold (pictured) returns home from NYC with his quintet to begin a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro, ostensibly in celebration of the release of his CD Introducing Keyon Harrold, which came out in the fall of last year on the Criss Cross label. Harrold is considered a rising star among jazz trumpeters, and also has gotten some high-profile sideman gigs with various R&B and hip-hop performers. For more about him and some video performances, see this post from a couple of weeks ago.

(Jazz St. Louis is offering a two-for-the-price-of-one discount on tickets for Harrold's sets on both Friday and Saturday. It's available by calling the Jazz St. Louis office at 314-289-4030, or at the door. To get the discount, use promotion code KHJUL10.)

Also on Friday, The Pageant begins a late-summer series of smooth jazz shows with RnR, featuring trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Richard Elliot. To see video of them laying down some of their popular funk-flavored sounds, check out this post.

That same evening, guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio will be at Robbie's; and the blues documentary film M for Mississippi, a co-production of the St. Louis based Broke & Hungry Records, finally gets an official local premiere nearly two years after its release with a screening at the south side rock club Off Broadway.

On Saturday afternoon, singer Erika Johnson will conclude up the Nu-Art Series' summer set of concerts featuring local jazz vocalists, performing the music of Anita O'Day in a matinee concert at the Metropolitan Gallery downtown.

Then on Saturday evening, singer Anita Rosamond plays a free concert in Lafayette Park; the 2010 St. Louis Tap Festival wraps up with the annual "All That Tap" extravaganza at the Touhill Performing Arts Center; and the Tim Aubuchon Quartet plays at Robbie's House of Jazz. Aubuchon is a tenor saxophonist and an assistant professor of music at Truman State University in Kirksville, and he'll be backed pianist Ken Kehner, drummer Brian Steever and bassist Kevin Hennessey.

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.)

Notes from the Net: Al Jarreau recovering; JazzReach gets funding; 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 with some recent linkage related to the St. Louis area's most famous jazz musician, the Miles Davis exhibit in Montreal was reviewed by J.D. Considine of the Toronto Globe and Mail here. Meanwhile, JazzOnline's Miles Davis Podcast series, which features interviews with famous folk talking about Davis, in recent weeks has added segments featuring singer, actor and spoken word performer Henry Rollins, trumpeter Mike Metheny, bassist/producer Bill Laswell, trumpeter Randy Brecker, pianist Steve Kuhn and guitarist Nels Cline. You can access the whole series here. Finally, Riffs on Jazz blogger John Anderson muses on Davis' score for Louis Malle’s 1958 film Ascenseur pour l’échafraud (Elevator to the Gallows) here.

* In news of another St. Louis native, multi-instrumentalist J.D Parran was part of two "Jazz Meets Classical" concerts presented last weekend by the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute at Columbia University's Miller Theater. The performances - reviewed here by Steve Smith of the New York Times, with a photo of Parran accompanying the online version of the story - were the culmination of a weeklong series of seminars bringing together musicians from the jazz and classical worlds.

* Turning to news of coming attractions, bassist Christian McBride is doing a trio tour this summer with pianist Chick Corea and drummer Brian Blade. McBride will be back in St. Louis in September for a duo concert at the Sheldon with pianist Peter Martin, and then again in March for a Ray Brown tribute at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Singer Al Jarreau (pictured) is recovering after being admitted to a hospital in France late last Thursday, July 22. Jarreau, 70, collapsed on stage with respiratory problems during a performance, and was taken to the intensive care unit of a clinic in the southern Alpine town of Gap, where he initially was listed in critical condition. Jarreau's condition subsequently improved enough for him to be moved by helicopter on Sunday to a hospital in Marseilles, where he is expected to continue to rest and undergo tests for several more days. His management is posting updates about Jarreau's condition on the singer's website. Jarreau is scheduled to come to St. Louis in February for a concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

* Everything Is Everything, saxophonist Kirk Whalum's CD of the music of singer/songwriter/pianist and St. Louis native Donny Hathaway, is set for release next month. Whalum will be back in St. Louis on August 13 for the Guitars and Saxes concert at the Pageant.

* The Preservation Hall Jazz Band also has a new CD, Preservation, a compilation featuring an eclectic selection of more than 20 guest artists, including Angelique Kidjo, Tom Waits, Del McCoury, Terence Blanchard, Pete Seeger, Dr. John, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Ani DiFranco, Steve Earle, Merle Haggard, Bobby McFerrin and more. The disc was recorded at Preservation Hall, with proceeds to benefit the historic New Orleans venue and its Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program. The PHJB and McCoury will perform in October at the Family Arena in St. Charles.

* JazzReach, Inc. is one of 79 NYC-based arts organizations to receive "a significant infusion of funding" from the Open Society Foundations, which last week announced $11 million in grants to support community and educational arts initiatives. The two-year operating-support grants ranging from $65,000 to $250,000. Founded in 1994 by drummer Hans Schuman, JazzReach is a nationally recognized not-for-profit organization that promotes a greater appreciation, awareness and understanding of jazz music through multi-media educational programs for young audiences. JazzReach's resident ensemble Metta Quintet will return to St. Louis in November to play at the Touhill under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis.

* Guitarist John McLaughlin will be one the headliners at The New Universe Music Festival, an event to be presented by his current record company Abstract Logix on November 20 and 21 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Guitarist Jimmy Herring and drummer Lenny White also will play the fusion-filled fest. McLaughlin will be in St. Louis earlier that same month to play at the Sheldon.

* Here's a review of drummer Stanton Moore's latest CD Groove Alchemy, written by Phillip Booth for his blog Between The Lines (via AllAboutJazz.com). Moore will be in St. Louis with Garage a Trois in September to play at the Old Rock House.

* Finally, a couple of online resources for your further edification and/or amusement during these steamy dog days: The venerable jazz mag Cadence recently beefed up its online presence considerably, and the BBC's Radio 3 has just put online much of their extensive archive of "world music" programming.

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

If you can't be on vacation this week, you can at least escape to StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds, where there's a different, lovingly curated music video posted each day, drawing from genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, classic rock, prog rock and experimental.

Recent posts have featured videos of Sonny Rollins, The Beatles, Memphis Slim, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Count Basie Orchestra, Bill Frisell, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, John Zorn's Masada, Dexter Gordon, John Scofield, Tito Puente, Branford Marsalis & Buckshot LaFonque, Ellery Eskelin & Gerry Hemingway, Don Ellis, Lou Rawls, John Lee Hooker, Blood Sweat & Tears, Phil Woods, Joe Pass, Thelonious Monk, Professor Longhair with the Meters, Earl King and Dr. John, Louis Armstrong & Johnny Cash, Johnny Griffin, Ry Cooder and James Brown.

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The guitarists of Guitars & Saxes 2010

This week, let's take a look at some video clips featuring guitarists Jeff Golub and Peter White, the two men doing the six-string thing for this year's edition of the long running smooth jazz package tour Guitars and Saxes. They'll be at The Pageant on Friday, August 13, along with saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum, who played in the St. Louis area together last year at the Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar during their "Sax for Stax" tour.

Up above, you can see Golub playing his version of the Average White Band's 1970s funk hit "Pick Up the Pieces." Down below, White tackles the Isley Brothers "Who's That Lady" at a November 2007 gig in Tokyo, aided by saxophonist Mindi Abair, keyboard player Gregg Karukas, bassist Stan Sargeant and drummer Eric Valentine.

The third clip shows Golub performing "Dangerous Curves" on the 2008 Guitars and Saxes tour with Albright, saxophonist Jessy J and keyboardist Jeff Lorber. The fourth and final video is "Bullseye," another selection from White's Tokyo show.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of links and short local news items of interest that you may have missed:

* The St. Louis-based independent label MAXJAZZ recently was the subject of a feature on cable channel HEC-TV's program State of The Arts. You can see the video of the segment on MAXJAZZ's Facebook page.

* St. Louis flute player and composer Fred Tompkins (pictured) and local presenting organization New Music Circle are both mentioned in an article about Third Stream music in the most recent issue of CA-Modern magazine, a slick, glossy publication that covers California lifestyles and architecture from the mid-20th century to today. You can read the article, written by Jeff Kaliss, online here. (Note: The link goes to the first page of a Flash version of the magazine. Use the controls at the top of the page to move forward and backward through the contents.)

* Musical instrument retailer Fazio's Frets & Friends is sponsoring a free informational lecture, "Playing for Longevity: A Chiropractic Workshop for Musicians (Part II)" from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p. m. next Wednesday, July 28 in the performance room at Fazio's, 15440 Manchester Rd. in Ellisville. The discussion will include "prevention strategies and treatment options for patients regarding repetitive motion injuries and other conditions related to inflammation. An acupuncture demonstration will follow the lecture and a question & answer session will round out the evening."

*In a post on the paper's Culture Club blog, the Post-Dispatch's Diane Toroian Keaggy lists all the local organizations that will be participating in this fall's American Arts Festival, which will include performances by pianist Dave Brubeck at the Sheldon Concert Hall and saxophonist Joshua Redman at Jazz at the Bistro.

* The Riverfront Times has part two of Chrissy Wilmes' interview with Art Holliday about his documentary on the late pianist and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Johnnie Johnson, in which the KSDK newsman talks about some of the famous folks he's interviewed for the doc, and why it's taking so long to finish the film.

* Author, artist and St. Louis blues historian Kevin Belford will be signing (and presumably, selling) copies of his tome Devil at the Confluence and showing artwork from the book beginning at 11:00 am and continuing into the afternoon this Sunday, July 25 at the Urban Eats Cafe, 3301 Meramec.

* The Big Muddy Blues Festival, which will be held over Labor Day weekend on Laclede's Landing, announced part of its 2010 lineup this week. Bud Jostes, proprietor of Beale On Broadway, is booking this year's event, a task previously handled since the Bid Muddy's inception by John May of BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups and the St. Louis Blues Society. Given the change in management, it's no surprise that the musical menu this year includes touring acts Nick Curran and the Lowlifes, Magic Slim and the Teardrops and Eric "Guitar" Davis, all of whom have played the Beale in recent years, as well as local singer Kim Massie, a longtime regular performer at the Beale who's now also managed by Jostes. The rest of the lineup is TBA for now.

* Finally, we note with sadness the passing of St. Louis harmonica player and singer Keith Doder, who was part of the blues scene here for more than 30 years. Doder played with guitarists Tommy Bankhead and Jimmy Rogers and with his own group, the Blue City Band, but yr. humble editor knew him long before that as a fellow student at Webster Groves High School. Keith was a fine person as well as a musician with an authentic blues feel, and he'll be missed not only by his family and friends but by his fellow musicians and blues fans everywhere.

Kenny G to play December 16 at Family Arena

Some people love him, while others seem to love to hate him - either way, saxophonist Kenny G (pictured) often inspires some strong feelings.

If you're a fan, you'll be glad to know that the G-Man, born Kenny Gorelick, is coming to the St. Louis area to perform at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 16 at the Family Arena in St. Charles. Haters can consider this as an advance warning to either make plans to avoid the affected area during that time or, alternatively, to purchase a couple of dozen eggs and set them out to start rotting right now.

All kidding aside, while yr. humble StLJN editor is not a fan of Kenny G, I've never quite understood the level of vitriol directed at him by many jazz listeners and critics. Yes, his overdubbing of tepid sax licks on a 45-year-old Louis Armstrong record represents an egregious lapse in judgment and taste. But Pops' original "What A Wonderful World" isn't exactly a jazz classic on the order of "West End Blues," and, regardless, it also endures in its original form despite G's recording.

And yes, Pat Metheny's famous remarks about Kenny G made for some entertaining reading. But really, why waste a lot of time and effort thinking and/or complaining about someone whose music (or art, or writing) bores or annoys you? Better to just ignore them, and spend the equivalent resources looking for and listening to something you'll enjoy.

For those who enjoy Kenny G, tickets for his Family Arena performance will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. Friday, July 30 via MetroTix and at the Family Arena box office.

Jazz this week: Legacy Jazz Quintet, Maurice Carnes, Mardra Thomas, and more

It's the dog days of summer, and as often happens this time of year, once again this weekend the St. Louis area is bereft of touring jazz performers. That makes it a good time to sample some of the proverbial home cookin', so here's a brief look at some of the next few days' highlights:

On Thursday evening, drummer Maurice Carnes will do a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

On Friday, the Legacy Jazz Quintet, , led by Jazz St. Louis education director Phil Dunlap (pictured) will open a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. The performances are being presented in association with Washington University's National Endowment for the Humanities summer institute "The New Negro Renaissance in America, 1919-1941," and so Dunlap and company will perform what's being billed as "music of the Harlem Renaissance." (No word as to how the Magnus Chord Organ seen in the photo with Dunlap figures into this scenario.) Also, Jazz St. Louis is offering a two-for-the-price-of-one discount on tickets for both nights; for details, see this post.

Meanwhile, this weekend Robbie's House of Jazz will feature keyboardist Curt Landes and his trio with singer Mary Dyson on Friday, and pianist Carolbeth True on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, singer Mardra Thomas continues the Nu-Art Series' current slate of shows featuring St. Louis vocalists, performing songs associated with Nancy Wilson in a matinee at the Metropolitan Gallery.

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.)

Jazz St.Louis offering discounts on tickets for Legacy Jazz Quintet, Keyon Harrold

Jazz St. Louis is offering two-for-the-price-of-one discounts on tickets for performances at Jazz at the Bistro this weekend and next.

The regular price for tickets for this weekend's sets by the Legacy Jazz Quintet is $15, or $10 for students, while next weekend's shows featuring trumpeter Keyon Harrold are priced at $20 and $10.

UPDATE: The discounts are not available through Metrotix, and are available only by calling the Jazz St. Louis Office at 314-289-4030 or at the door. To get the two-for-one discount for the Legacy Jazz Quintet, use promotion code LJQJUL10. To get the discount for Keyon Harrold, use promotion code KHJUL10.

Updated 7/23/10 to correct the information on how to get the discount.

Jonathan Butler to play Friday, September 24 at 560 Music Center

Guitarist and singer Jonathan Butler (pictured) is coming back to St. Louis to perform on Friday, September 24 at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave. in University City.

Butler was here most recently in April, 2009, when he was part of the Jazz Attack tour that played the Pageant. His show at the 560 Music Center will be part of the festivities surrounding the annual St. Louis Gateway Classic college football game.

Show time will be at 8:00 PM, and tickets will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Wednesday, July 21 via Metrotix. Tickets are priced at $125 and $100 for VIP seating, with regular tickets available for $75, $40 and $25.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: RnR with Rick Braun and Richard Elliot

This week, let's check out a sampling of clips featuring trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Richard Elliot, who are coming to St. Louis on Friday, July 30 to perform at the Pageant.

Braun and Elliot are longtime friends and collaborators who had enjoyed successful solo careers before teaming up in 2007 under the handle RnR (sometimes written as "RNR" or even "R 'n R"). However you spell it, the duo's funk grooves have proved popular enough with smooth jazz fans to keep Braun and Elliot working together frequently ever since then.

Today, we've got four recent clips of them in performance, starting up top with the song "Q It Up" from a show in February at Pizza Express jazz club in London. The band members are keyboardist Oli Silk, guitarist Mark Jaimes, drummer Marc Parnell and bassist Frank Felix. Down below, there's a version of "Down and Dirty" from the same Pizza Express gig.

Batting third is a mostly Elliot-centric version of the Stylistics' oft-covered "People Make the World Go Round," taped on a cruise ship this past January. (Note the sign for the ship's whirlpool directly in front of Elliot!) The saxophonist first recorded the tune for his 2005 solo CD Metro Blue, which was co-produced by Braun. The rhythm section for this performance includes Rayford Griffin (drums), Nate Phillips (bass), Ron Reinhardt (keyboards) and Dwight Sills (guitar).

In the fourth slot is a version of "Curveball" recorded by an audience member at a concert at the Lyman Center in New Haven, CT. (The handheld video looks a bit shaky, and the camera's angle doesn't reveal all that much, but the audio quality on this one is surprisingly good.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of links and short local news items of interest that you may have missed:

* Trumpeter Jim Manley's latest CD Brass Poison is reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello at AllAboutJazz.com

* Singer and pianist Anita Rosamond is the latest musician profiled in the St. Louis Beacon's series on local summer music festivals.

* The Riverfront Times' Chrissy Wilmes interviewed KSDK newscaster Art Holliday about his long-awaited documentary on St. Louis blues/rock piano great Johnnie Johnson.

* St. Louis-based blues label Broke & Hungry Records will band together with Cat Head and Mudpuppy Recordings to create a new organization for marketing and distribution called Three Forks Music. The three labels previously collaborated on the award-winning blues film M For Mississippi (pictured).

The Three Forks Music catalog will be distributed in the United States by City Hall Records, an independently owned and operated national independent music distribution company located in San Rafael, California. Each label will continue to offer new titles individually, and they also will collaborate on larger projects under the Three Forks Music brand.

* As part of its upcoming renovation, the Kiel Opera House also gets a new name - the Peabody Opera House, after corporate sponsor Peabody Energy (formerly Peabody Coal) - and a new logo.

* Speaking of the Kiel, the St. Louis Blues Society this week announced the first-ever St. Louis Bluesweek, which will take place August 26 through September 5. The series of events includes the Market Street Blues Festival, a pair of free concerts on August 27 and 28 that will feature St. Louis talent on an outdoor stage in front of the Kiel/Peabody. For more details, visit http://stlbluesweek.com.

Jazz this week: Reggie Thomas, Tom Byrne, World Percussion Theatre, and more

While there are no touring jazz or creative acts of note scheduled to be in St. Louis this mid-summer weekend, there are some local gigs happening over the next few days for which it may be worth braving the muggy, swamp-like weather. Here's a quick look at some highlights:

Tonight, guitarist Tom Byrne does a free concert with his quartet for the summer Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Pianist Reggie Thomas (pictured) and his trio will play the music of Duke Ellington on Friday and Saturday night at Jazz at the Bistro, while Robbie's House of Jazz has singer Kim Massie on Friday and drummer Jerome "Scrooge" Harris' trio on Saturday.

Also on Friday and Saturday, the Presenters Dolan will feature singer Beverly Brennan in her cabaret show "St. Louie Woman" at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

On Sunday, Jazz Renaissance plays at Riddle's in the University City Loop; then on Monday, bassist David Certain's CertainBeat WorldBop returns to BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups; and on Tuesday night, it's the World Percussion Theatre performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

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.)

Notes from the Net: John Zorn's Montreal controversy, Kevin Eubanks unbound, 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:

* In the latest Miles Davis-related news, Michael Bourne reviewed the "We Want Miles" exhibit in Montreal for DownBeat magazine. Coincidentally enough, there's a new live DVD just out of a 1985 Davis concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

Elsewhere in North America, Austin, Texas trumpeter Jeff Lofton's Electric Thang recently mounted a tribute to Davis' album Bitches Brew; and bassist Michael Henderson, who anchored Davis' funk-oriented early 1970s bands, is suing rapper Snoop Dogg over music samples.

* Speaking of Montreal, saxophonist (and one-time Webster University student) John Zorn recently led a retrospective of his various Masada ensembles at the Montreal Jazz Festival, then found himself at the center of a controversy after audience members walked out of his subsequent festival concert with Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson. One local journalist even compared the audience response to the premiere of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, a famously contentious event back in 1913.

Coming up for Zorn in August: A three-night stand at Yoshi's in Oakland, featuring a duo concert with Terry Riley, a performance of the improv game "Cobra" with Bay Area improvisors, and more.

* Turning to news of coming attractions, guitarist Kevin Eubanks recently talked with NPR's "Tell Me More" about life after The Tonight Show, while a recent Eubanks gig at LA's Baked Potato is reviewed here by Tony Gieske of the International Review of Music. Eubanks will play at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis on Thursday. July 29.

* Bassist Stanley Clarke's latest CD, featuring the single-named keyboardist Hiromi as part of the band, is reviewed here by AllAboutJazz.com's Jeff Winbush, while AAJ's Ernest Barteldes has a review of a double bill last month at NYC's Carefusion Jazz Fest featuring Clarke's band and the McCoy Tyner Quartet. Clarke and Hiromi will be in St. Louis in February to perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Meanwhile, the reunited Jazz Crusaders and Al Jarreau, both set to perform next season at the Touhill under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis, are among the headliners of this year's Long Beach Jazz Festival

* Guitarist John McLaughlin is the subject of Jazz Times' cover story for the July/August issue. You can read an excerpt of the article by Geoffrey Himes here. McLaughlin will be in St. Louis in November to play at Sheldon Concert Hall.

* The Bad Plus' upcoming album Never Stop is set for release on September 14, and will be their first disc to feature all original material (and their eighth release overall). TBP will be the first touring act to play the Bistro in 2011, which will be the fifth consecutive year they've opened at the club.

* Lastly, let's wrap up this installment with links to two pairs of articles of more general interest to jazz fans. First up, PopMatters.com's Will Layman has yet another take on the long-forecast "death" of jazz, while Fred Kaplan, writing for Stereophile magazine, asks "Is Jazz a Young Person's Music After All?" And in another pair of synchronicitous items, the website The Root looks at the economics of being a working jazz musician, while the New York Times' Nate Chinen blogs about jazz and music publishing rights.

Tony DiPasquale authors book on jazz improv techniques

Belleville keyboardist Tony DiPasquale, who leads the band Groove Merchants and plays with saxophonist David Fatek and others, has published The Jazz Lictionary, a new instruction book on jazz improvisation techniques.

DiPasquale earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Millikin University and a master’s in jazz piano performance from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. He has worked for 13 years as director of bands for Belleville District #118 and has also served as an adjunct faculty member for the jazz studies program at McKendree University. In 1999 he founded the Sunday Night Jazz Workshop, a school for advanced junior and senior high school students to study jazz improvisation and performance practices.

According to the promotional copy, the book "teaches improvisers the jazz language, jazz style, and rhythmic feel all at the same time. Through characteristic jazz motives, The Jazz Lictionary finally demonstrates how to use scales to sound like the "Masters". Inside the pages of The Jazz Lictionary, students can transcribe, transpose, and transform themselves into great soloists." You can see sample pages and purchase the book at DiPasquale's website, http://thejazzlictionary.com/.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Keyon Harrold

This week, let's look at some clips of trumpet player, arranger/composer, producer and St. Louis native Keyon Harrold, who's coming back home on Friday, July 30 and Saturday, July 31 to lead his quintet at Jazz at the Bistro.

Touted by Wynton Marsalis in an interview a few years back as "the future of the trumpet," Harrold has amassed some impressive credits, both as a jazz player and as a sideman, arranger and producer for pop, R&B and hip-hop stars like neo-soul crooner Maxwell and rapper Jay-Z.

Harrold's shows at the Bistro are billed as a CD release event, though his debut disc, Introducing Keyon Harrold, actually came out last fall on the Criss Cross label. The CD features six of Harrold's own compositions, along with "Amazing Grace" and a version of Horace Silver's song "Peace," performed by a quintet featuring Harrold's frequent collaborator, tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland and his brother E.J. Strickland on drums, plus pianist Danny Grissett and bassist Dezron Douglas.

In addition to Marsalis and the Stricklands, Harrold has performed or recorded with fellow former St. Louisans David Sanborn and John Hicks, as well as Christian McBride, Billy Harper, the Count Basie Orchestra, Reggie Workman, Mark Whitfield, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Roy Hargrove, and numerous others. On the pop side, Harrold has played with Lauryn Hill, Chaka Khan, Macy Gray, Common, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, The Roots, Destiny’s Child, and more, while his production company has been involved in hit records by 50 Cent, Young Buck, Mobb Deep, LL Cool J and others.

Today's first clip features Harrold as jazz soloist, playing the standard "I Hear A Rhapsody" at a club gig in NYC. Down below, you can see another solo in a short clip of the trumpeter playing in what looks like the main auditorium at Harris Stowe State University with a band featuring Shedrick Mitchell (organ), Chuckie Haynes (drums), Gregg Haynes (guitar), Al "Boogie" (bass) and, though unheard in this short excerpt, saxophonist Donald Hayes.

Down below that, there's a clip of Harrold sitting in with saxophonist Kenneth Whalum III's quartet at another NYC club. The trumpet solo starts at about 1:14 and continues until just short of the four-minute mark. Last but not least, we get a glimpse of Harrold in the studio, as he lays down a track for producer Dave Crenshaw.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of links and short local news items of interest you may have missed:

* Jazz St. Louis has posted some photos on their Facebook page from Erin Bode's CD release shows last weekend. (You don't have to be a Facebook member to view the page.)

* St. Louis' classical music radio station KFUO, sold to new owners and destined to be reformatted with contemporary Christian music, signed off for the final time Tuesday night, as fans held a candlelight vigil outside the studio. To help fill the void left by the sale of KFUO, local NPR affiliate KWMU has added a third HD channel, 90.7 KWMU-3, featuring classical music; it can be heard for free over the air if you have an an HD radio, and also streams online at http://stlpublicradio.org/classical.

* Meanwhile, Don Wolff, whose program "I Love Jazz" aired Friday nights on KFUO and thus also was displaced by the sale of the station, will do his first Internet-only live broadcast this Friday night.

* The renovation of the Kiel Opera House (pictured) downtown will get started with a public event on Monday, and to commemorate the occastion, the Post-Dispatch offers a video tour of the hall.

* The Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries seek volunteers for the 2010-2011 season. Duties range from seating patrons at concerts and welcoming guests to the art galleries to helping out with mailings and other office tasks. If you're interested in helping, call the Sheldon volunteer coordinator at 314-533-9900, ext. 30 or visit the Sheldon's website to sign up online.

Online voting now open for DownBeat's 75th annual Reader's Poll

Online voting is now open for DownBeat magazine's 75th annual Readers Poll. You can cast a ballot for your favorite musicians, bands and recordings of the past year here. (Note: You must register and provide an email address in order to vote.)

Jazz this week: Boney James, Linda Presgrave, Good 4 the Soul, Mardra & Reggie Thomas, and more

It's summer, a time when not only is the livin' purported to be "easy," but also a time when smooth jazz musicians take to the road and free concert series in local parks and elsewhere are in full swing. Here's what's going on this weekend with jazz and creative music in St. Louis:

Tonight, the Mardra and Reggie Thomas Quartet open this summer's series of free concerts at O'Fallon Park on the North Side.

On Thursday, saxophonist Boney James (pictured) continues his "comeback tour" at Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar. For more about James (who's recovering from a serious auto accident that happened in May) plus some video samples of him in action, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Thursday, pianist, composer and St. Louis expat Linda Presgrave returns to her hometown to lead a quintet and kick off the summer Jazz at Holmes series of free concerts at Washington University; and the Funky Butt Brass Band will do a free concert at St. Louis Place Park for the Whitaker Urban Evenings series.

On Friday, the jazz/funk/R&B ensemble Good 4 The Soul returns to Jazz at the Bistro to begin a two-night stand, while the Terry Green Quartet plays at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday afternoon, trumpeter and vibes player Joe Bozzi will lead his quintet in the latest in a series of twice-monthly matinees at The Sands, a neighborhood spot in Shrewsbury just outside the city limits; and the Nu-Art Series will present the second in a summer series of concerts spotlighting vocal jazz, with singer Felicia Ezell doing the music of Ella Fitzgerald in a matinee at the Metropolitan Gallery, 2936 Locust St. downtown.

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.)

Garage A Trois to play Tuesday, September 14 at the Old Rock House

The jazz/funk combo Garage A Trois (pictured) is coming to St. Louis on Tuesday, September 14 to perform at the Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St.

Garage A Trois was formed in 1999 by drummer Stanton Moore, single-named saxophonist Skerik (nee Eric Walton) and guitarist Charlie Hunter. The band's current lineup includes Moore and Skerik along with Mike Dillon on vibes and Marco Benevento on keyboards. Their most recent CD Power Patriot came out in October 2009.

For their performance at the Old Rock House, the doors open at 8:00 p.m., and show time is 9:00 p.m. It's an "all ages" show, and tickets are $15 general admission, plus a $2 surcharge for minors.

Jim Manley releases new CD

Trumpet player Jim Manley has released a new CD on the St. Louis based Victoria Records label. Titled Brass Poison, the disc evokes memories of the mid-1970s, before "jazz-rock" officially became "fusion."

In the liner notes, Manley says, "I grew up listening to all the MF and Don Ellis Columbia stuff along with Blood,Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Tom Scott, the Brecker Brothers and so many others. I still love that era and it brings back many great memories when music seemed more creative and exciting."

The CD features Manley and an 11-piece band performing jazz standards and new arrangements of popular tunes associated with Elton John, Carole King, Sting and The Isley Brothers and others, plus the title track, written by Manley. The cover of the Isley's "It's Your Thing" features a guitar solo from special guest Ernie Isley, while other tracks include "Go Back Home," "Rocket Man," "Soul Makossa," "Seven Days," "Santa Cruzin'," "Well You Needn't," "Spooky," "Brass Poison," "Rocket," "Blues for Miles," "I Feel the Earth Move," "Grazin' in the Grass," and "Last Night."

Look for a more detailed review later, but on first listen, Brass Poison (pictured) is a well-produced, slickly arranged outing that should have considerable appeal to fans of the influences Manley cites. In particular, the title track would have fit right into one of Maynard Ferguson's MF Horn volumes, and several other arrangements recall Ferguson's approach to remaking pop hits of the day. Manley's playing is characteristically bright, nimble and energetic, and there also are nice solo contributions from saxophonists Jason Swagler and Larry Johnson, keyboardists Jim Owens and Arthur Toney, and others.

Brass Poison is available now online at www.jimmanley.net and downloadable via iTunes and Amazon MP3.

World Percussion Theatre concert to be presented Tuesday, July 20 at the Sheldon

Drummer and educator Terry Artis' Show-Me Sound production company will present "World Percussion Theatre," a concert "celebrating the diversity of the drum" at 7:00 p.m. , Tuesday, July 20 at the Sheldon Concert Hall

The program will feature the Show-Me Sound F.O.C.U.S. Drumline (pictured) along with groups representing percussion traditions from four continents: the St. Louis Caledonian Scottish Pipe and Drums; West African drum ensemble the Spirit of Angela/Kumasi Nankama Aswad Kambeng; Latin percussionists Herman and Ron Semidey; and Artis' smooth jazz band Black Shirt.

General admission tickets for "World Percussion Theatre" are $10, and are available in advance via Metrotix or by calling 1-800-293-5949.

Jazz St. Louis announces new education faculty and programs, 2010 All-Stars

Jazz St. Louis director of education Phil Dunlap recently made a couple of blog posts with some announcements about JSL's education programs for the 2010-11 season. Here's what's news:

* Nearly 80 students from Missouri and Illinois auditioned during June to be part of the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars and JazzU programs; that's an increase of more than 60% compared to last year.

As a result of those auditions, the students selected for the 2010-11 All-Stars ensemble are bassist Sam Fruend and drummer Joe Winstein-Hibbs, both of Webster Groves High School; pianist Eliot Courtois (Lindbergh High School); alto saxophonist Matthew Baldwin (Westminster Christian Academy); tenor saxophonist Michael Ferrante (Ft. Zumwalt West High School) and guitarist Joseph Clayton Floyd and trombonist William Wolff, who both attend Belleville East High School.

The All-Stars will be led next year by saxophonist Jason Swagler (pictured), a new addition to the Jazz St. Louis faculty. Faculty for the JazzU program will include Anthony Wiggins (trumpet), Cody Henry (trombone), Aaron Lehde (saxophone), Andy Ament (saxophone) and Dunlap (piano).

* JSL also has added two new permanent artists-in-residence to its faculty. Pianist Reggie Thomas will be artist-in-residence with the All-Stars, while pianist Peter Martin will fill the same role for the top group in the JazzU program. These ongoing residencies augment JSL's existing residency program, which brings in visiting jazz artists and educators for a week at a time to work with the JazzU and All-Star participants.

* In addition to next year's previously announced educational residencies by Gene Aitken, saxophonist Ronald Carter, and pianist Cyrus Chestnut with special guest, trumpeter Jon Faddis, in November Jazz St. Louis will present a series of youth concerts at the Touhill Performing Arts Center featuring JazzReach with Metta Quintet. The programs will include "Stolen Moments: The First One Hundred Years of Jazz" for grades 6-12, "Big Drum/Small World for KIDS!" for grades 3-5 and "Hangin’ with the Giants" for grades K-4. Each performance will feature narration and an interactive media presentation along with live music from Metta Quintet.

* The newest addition to Jazz St. Louis’ education programs is "Jazz from the Inside," which will use video conferencing and fiber optic technology to "bring together students from St. Louis and all around the country."

All of these programs are offered free of charge to the participating students and schools. For more information on Jazz St. Louis' education programs, visit the JSL website or call Phil Dunlap at 314-289-4033.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The return of Boney James

This week, we've got some clips of smooth jazz saxophonist Boney James, who will be back in the St. Louis area next Thursday, July 8 to perform at the Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar.

James is no stranger to St. Louis - he's played both at the Bottleneck and The Pageant in recent years - but this show marks more than just a return to the Gateway City. It also will be just the second performance for James as he recovers from a serious auto accident earlier this year that did some major damage to the saxman's teeth and thus, his embouchure.

James was rear-ended on a California freeway while driving home from a gig in May, and had to put down his horn for several weeks while recovering from subsequent dental surgery. He talked about the accident and his rehab process with Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson for an article published yesterday in the paper and online.

Here's hoping James' recovery is quick and complete, and his return to the stage successful. In the meantime, you can check out four video clips of his past live performances, starting up above with a version of "Grazin' in the Grass" recorded on board a cruise ship in 2007. That's Brian Culbertson on trombone alongside James, and they look to be having a pretty good time with the tune originally made popular in the 1960s by Hugh Masekela (instrumentally) and the Friends of Distinction (vocally).

Down below, you can see James performing "Stone Groove," from that same cruise ship show; "After The Rain," from the 2009 Smooth Jazz Fest at Chene Park in Detroit; and "Seduction," which seem fairly representative of the sort of quiet-storm tunes that James uses as contrast to more upbeat, funky numbers.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of links & short local news items of interest you may have missed:

* With the new owners of KFUO (99.1 FM) set to take possession next week, this Friday's "I Love Jazz" show will be longtime jazz radio personality Don Wolff's last broadcast for the station. However, Wolff (pictured) recently emailed to assure StLJN that he will be continuing the video version of his program I Love Jazz via cable's HEC-TV and online, as well as the Internet radio version of the program, heard on Live365 and accessible from the front page of Wolff's site. The veteran DJ and jazz advocate also recently posted on his site an interview with up-and-coming singer Nikki Yanofsky. Wolff told StLJN that he's open to another broadcast radio station picking up "I Love Jazz," but so far, no firm offers have been tendered.

* Singer Brian Owens was profiled by the North County community news website NoCo.com.

* Freelance scribe Terry Perkins is writing a series of pieces for the St. Louis Beacon profiling St. Louis-based musicians who are playing local festivals around the metro area this summer. Already published are stories featuring saxophonist Jim Stevens and singer/songwriter Javier Mendoza, with more to come.

* Downtown's Kiel Opera House, once a grand venue for concerts, theater and other events but closed since 1991, finally will be renovated and reopened, thanks to a complicated financing deal signed this week.

* Music for Lifelong Achievement, which helps get musical instruments into the hands of disadvantaged kids, will sponsor a free musical instrument "petting zoo" at this weekend's Fair St. Louis on the riverfront.

O'Fallon Park concert series to begin Wednesday, July 7

The City of St. Louis and 21st Ward Alderman Antonio French have announced the schedule for a free series of summer concerts featuring local performers that will begin Wednesday, July 7 at O'Fallon Park

Booked with an assist from the Sheldon Concert Hall, it's billed as a jazz series, but that's something of a misnomer, as the lineup actually includes more blues, soul and R&B performers than jazz acts. But category error notwithstanding, it's a talented group of performers that should make for entertaining listening, and of course, it's free, so further carping seems pointless. Here's the schedule:

July 7: Mardra and Reggie Thomas Quartet
July 14: Kim Massie
July 21: Jonathan Whiting Trio
July 28: Rich McDonough and Rough Grooves
August 4: Coco Soul
August 11: Bosman Twins
August 18: Denise Thimes (pictured)
August 25: Brian Owens

O'Fallon Park is located just south of I-70 in North St. Louis at the intersection of W. Florissant and E. Harris avenues. All concerts will begin at 6:00 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets.