Jazz this week: Jeremy Davenport, Steve Ross, and more

Thanksgiving isn't usually a big weekend for jazz concerts here in St. Louis, but there are a couple of noteworthy headliners visiting town over the next few days, as well as the customary assortment of local gigs for your listening enjoyment.

Most notably, trumpeter, singer and University City native Jeremy Davenport (pictured) will continue what's become a Thanksgiving weekend tradition over the last few years, returning home from his current base in New Orleans to play Friday and Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. For more about Davenport and some video clips of him in action, see this post.

Also, just around the corner from the Bistro, singer and pianist Steve Ross will be previewing his new cabaret show "Rhythm and Romance" on Friday and Saturday at the Kranzberg Arts Center. Ross will take the show to NYC's famed Algonquin Hotel in January, but was cajoled by our town's Presenters Dolan into giving St. Louis audiences a sneak peek.

Elsewhere around town, Robbie's House of Jazz will feature singer Kim Massie on Wednesday evening, and then will be closed for the rest of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend; and The Sands will present Banjos and Brass on Friday night, trumpeter Joe Bozzi and his band on Saturday afternoon, and pianist Bob Row's trio on Sunday.

Other regular gigs that should be happening around town this weekend include include saxophonist Dave Stone's at Mangia Italiano on Friday; Willie Akins' matinee at Spruill's on Saturday; Jim Manley for Sunday brunch at Jimmy's On The Park; and the Voodoo Blues Band's Sunday afternoon jam at Hammerstone's. Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday, CertainBeat WorldBop returns to BB's Jazz Blues and Soups, and on Tuesday, Robbie's will feature their weekly jazz jam.

StLJN will be on a holiday posting schedule for the next couple of days, but 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.)