New clubs featuring jazz open in Alton, Florissant

The St. Louis area in recent years has lost a number of bars and restaurants that regularly featured live jazz, so it's a welcome development to see two new jazz venues - one on each side of the Mississippi - opening for business.

Jazz on Broadway, located at 554 East Broadway in downtown Alton, IL was mentioned here briefly here in the "jazz this week" post a couple of weeks back, when the club held its grand opening with music from saxophonist Tim Cunningham.

This week, I got a chance to chat by phone with the club's owner Cindy Crawford, who told me that she plans to feature live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The hours for most acts will be 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., though Crawford said she eventually hopes to present two separate shows, at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., on weekend nights.

In addition to Cunningham and guitarist Bryan White, who played for the club's soft opening in July, Jazz on Broadway (pictured) so far has booked pianist Roley Overmeyer, who's playing some Fridays, including September 2; and saxophonist Fred Walker, who's playing Sundays including September 4. Also on the schedule are the blues group Mondinband (September 3); Bob and Me, with singer Ellen Martinez and pianist Bob Werner (September 9); singer Danita Mumphard (October 22); saxophonist Jim Stevens (October 28); trumpeter Jim Manley (November 12) and keyboardist Brock Walker (November 18). Although the musicians booked to date lean toward smooth jazz and R&B, Crawford says she plans to present a variety of jazz styles.

In the near future, perhaps by October, Crawford said she hopes to work with radio station WSIE, SIUE and other local colleges to present open jam sessions on Wednesdays. She said the club, which holds about 200 people, also will offer special events for occasions such as Halloween, the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.

Jazz On Broadway's website isn't online yet, but the club does have a Facebook page and an email list, which you can subscribe to by emailing them at jazzonbroadway@gmail.com; or you can call them at 618-465-JAZZ (5299).

Meanwhile, back on the Missouri side of the river up North County way, the Halls Ferry Inn Jazz Cafe, 3425 N. Lindbergh, will have its grand opening weekend this Friday, September 2 and Saturday, September 3 featuring music from singer Danita Mumphard and her band, with special guest guitarist Daryl Darden. Mumphard will perform at 7:30 and 9:30, and there's a $10 cover.

The HFIJC is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 4:00 p.m. to midnight, with music from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.. Located on the site of the old Halls Ferry Inn, the club also serves food, with a menu that reportedly incorporates a few favorites from the previous tenants.

The club's website (warning: autoplay music) presently is a bit sparse, but among the upcoming bookings listed are "Special Guitarist & Patio music" on Thursday, September 8, saxophonist Michael Fitzgerald on Saturday, September 10, and "Coming Soon - Spoken word night (and) Comedy night." Yr. humble StLJN editor will try to track down some more details in the next week, but in the meantime, for more information you can check out the website or call HFIJC at 314-972-8410.

(Edited 9/1/11 to fix a typo.)

Jazz at Holmes series announces fall 2011 schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University today announced via email their schedule of free concerts for the fall 2011 semester.

The series kicks off at 8:00 p.m. this Thursday, September 1 with a concert by drummer Bensid Thigpen's quintet and guest vocalist Marsha Evans, to be held outdoors in the Quadrangle on the main Wash U campus. Subsequent performances in the series will move indoors to the series' regular venue, Ridgley Hall's Holmes Lounge.

Among the more noteworthy dates in the series: Guitarist Daryl Darden, a former St. Louisan now based on the West Coast, will return home to perform on Thursday, September 15; and singer Jan Shapiro (pictured), another St. Louis native who now heads the vocal department at Berklee College of Music, will be back to headline on Thursday, November 3. Musicians making their Jazz at Holmes debuts as leaders this fall include trombonist Tom Hanson, who will perform on September 8, and guitarist Scott Jones, who will play on October 27.

On a more cryptic note, there are three concerts listed - "St. Louis Swing," "St. Louis Bebop" and "Bass 3" - that give no indication as to who the musicians are. Presumably more details will be forthcoming at some point; as of this writing neither the Jazz at Holmes website nor their Facebook page have been updated with the fall 2011 schedule.

Here's the list of concerts in chronological order:

Thursday, September 1: Ben Thigpen Quintet with Marsha Evans

Thursday, September 8: Trombonist Tom Hanson's octet plays West Coast jazz

Thursday, September 15: Daryl Darden Quartet with pianist Curt Landes

Thursday, September 22: Tom Kennedy with Bill Lenihan and Miles Vandiver

Thursday, September 29: St. Louis Swing

Thursday, October 6: Freddie Washington Quartet

Thursday, October 20: Mike Karpowicz and Paul Demarinis

Thursday, October 27: Guitarist Scott Jones plays electric jazz fusion

Thursday, November 3: Jan Shapiro with Ptah Williams and Bill Lenihan

Thursday, November 10: St. Louis Bebop

Thursday, November 17: Bass 3

All Jazz at Holmes 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.

StLJN Audio Archive: Julius Hemphill - Dogon A.D.

This week's Audio Archive spotlights a recording that's generally acknowledged by jazz musicians, fans, critics and scholars as being of major significance, yet somehow has remained mostly out of print for more than 30 years.

Saxophonist and composer Julius Hemphill recorded Dogon A.D. in February, 1972 at Oliver Sain's Archway Studios on Natural Bridge Rd in north St. Louis. In addition to Hemphill on saxophone and flute, the musicians included Abdul K. Wadud on cello, Baikida Carroll on trumpet, and Phillip Wilson on drums.

The session was Hemphill's debut as a leader, and somewhat unusual in that Sain recorded lots of blues, soul and R&B artists at Archway, but relatively few jazz performers. Sain is, of course, well known as an R&B saxophonist, bandleader, producer and songwriter of tunes such as "Don't Mess Up A Good Thing," but his engineering work on Dogon A.D. certainly represents another noteworthy addition to his extensive resume.

Since no producer is listed, it seems likely that Hemphill and Sain worked together on mixing and mastering the final product. Hemphill pressed up some copies - probably numbered in the hundreds rather than thousands - and issued it under his own imprint, Mbari. (You can see the original cover art above left.) A few years later when Hemphill was signed to the Arista/Freedom label, they reissued Dogon A.D. with new cover art (pictured, below left).

The album includes three tracks: "Dogon A.D.," "Rites" and "The Painter." "The Hard Blues," the fourth track recorded during the session, eventually turned up on Coon Bidness, a subsequent Hemphill album for Arista/Freedom.

Musically, Dogon A.D. is notable particularly for how the musicians start with some simple melodic, rhythmic and textural ideas and successfully develop them through improvisation. Writing for AllMusic.com, reviewer Scott Yanow awarded the album 5 stars and said, "This historic album features four then-unknowns on three lengthy avant-garde explorations that were quite influential... This important music is better to be heard than described."

You can read more about Dogon A.D. in this post at the blog Wedge Radio, and there's a very good essay and discussion in comments as part of this post at the blog Inconstant Sol that also contains links to a free downloadable version of the album.

To get your copy, scroll down to the first comment in that linked post, locate the URL for either the .MP3 or lossless FLAC version, and copy and paste it into a new tab or window. The URL takes you to a Rapidshare page with the download; look for the green button that says "download" and follow the instructions there. For more about .RAR files and how to decompress them, see this page.

The StLJN Audio Archive links only to recordings that are out-of-print or that never have been commercially available. The purpose of the Audio Archive is encourage discussion, appreciation and knowledge of St. Louis jazz artists, and we encourage you to support them (or their estates) by purchasing authorized recordings and merchandise or, whenever possible, attending live performances.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Fall 2011 jazz preview, part one

For today's video showcase, we've got clips featuring some of the touring jazz bands and musicians who will be visiting St. Louis this fall. While I probably will be writing and/or posting more videos later about many of these acts, this is a chance for you, dear reader, to get a quick overview of some of the season's highlights.

Up top, you can see a video of multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee and his band Survival Unit, which also includes Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and Michael Zerang on drums, performing in October 2010 at the Vortex jazz club in London. They'll be in St. Louis on Saturday, September 17 to perform at the Kranzberg Arts Center under the auspices of New Music Circle.

Down below, you'll find a video of vocal group Take 6, singing a medley of some of their best-known songs at the Avo Session festival in Basel, Switzerland. Take 6 will be making their St. Louis club debut with two performances nightly starting Wednesday, September 21 and continuing through Saturday, September 24 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Below that, there's a clip of pianist David Torkanowsky playing Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" at the House of Blues in New Orleans. Torkanowsky will be heading upriver to St. Louis for a duo concert with Peter Martin on Friday, September 23 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Next, it's a video of Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, shot earlier this month from the audience at a festival in San Javier, Spain. Wynton and the JaLCO will return to St. Louis on Friday, September 30 to perform at the Sheldon.

Clip number five features Garage A Trois, who will be in St. Louis the same night, Friday, September 30, for a gig at 2720 Cherokee. This performance of "Fragile" was recorded in the studios of St. Louis' own KDHX (88.1 FM) during their last visit here in September, 2010.

Wrapping part one of our fall 2011 jazz preview is some vintage footage of guitarist and singer George Benson, who will be back here in the Gateway City to play on Sunday, October 2 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center in a concert presented by Jazz St. Louis.

While Benson no doubt will perform many of his familiar hits in his concert here, this particular clip offers something different with a bit of St. Louis twist, as it features him playing an uptempo version of Miles Davis' "So What" with a band that includes St. Louis native Clark Terry on trumpet. Recorded in 1988 at a jazz festival in Pori, Finland, the group also included saxophone legend James Moody, who gets the first solo, and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, who skillfully negotiates the song's many changes in time feel.

Look for part two of the Fall 2011 Jazz Preview next week...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short local news items of interest:

* Jazz St. Louis has put online an album of photos from the concert by George Duke, Marcus Milles and David Sanborn on August 7 at the Touhill.

* Writing for the Chesterfield edition of Patch.com, John Hoffman has more about tonight's jazz benefit show for the children of the late police dispatcher Lisa O'Brien.

* Guitarist Todd Mosby (pictured) has just published some new instructional books, Acoustic Guitar Techniques for Songwriters, Volumes 1 and 2, and Classical Guitar for Contemporary Players. For details and ordering information, see Mosby's website.

* Rapper Nelly and local trade school Vatterott College are starting a music recording school in the Laclede's Landing building that formerly housed Nelly's Skybox Sports Bar & Grill.

* A couple of weeks ago in this space, we mentioned that StLJN was one of a number of local blogs with headlines now being aggregated on STLtoday. In addition to listing blogs on the relevant section pages (music, sports, etc.), it turns out there's also a page that displays all the external blog content at http://www.stltoday.com/news/special-reports/blogger-network/.

Miles Davis Festival regroups with sessions at BB's on August 29, September 11

A group of student musicians from East St. Louis High School will team up with three seasoned pros from the St. Louis jazz scene to pay tribute to Miles Davis at two performances taking place at 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 29 and 7:00 p.m. Sunday, September 11 at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

The "Miles To Go" ensemble assembled by ESL HS band director Delano Redmond includes trumpeter Brady Lewis; saxophonists Carlos Brown Jr., and Garrell Lewis; trombonist Javier Staples; bassist Marvin Cooper; and drummers Everette Benton and Kayla Coates. They'll be joined for the two performances at BB's by three veteran professional musicians - trumpeter Anthony Wiggins (pictured) and pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson, both alumni of East St. Louis' Lincoln High School, and saxophonist Willie Akins.

Both events are being presented under the banner of the Miles Davis Festival, which at a news conference in May at BB's announced an ambitious schedule of events for this summer and fall in St. Louis to coincide with the 85th anniversary of Davis' birth. The festival as originally proposed was to have included a series of performances by up-and-coming musicians at the Metropolitan Gallery under the auspices of the Nu-Art Series; an outdoor concert at a golf course in Illinois; a concert and art exhibit at the Sheldon Concert Hall and Galleries; and a giveaway of a deluxe CD box set collecting all of Davis' recordings for the Columbia label.

As it turns out, none of those events will happen, which festival organizer Deborah Granger, an East St. Louis native who now lives in Los Angeles, attributes to a lack of sponsors willing to underwrite the festival. Although the late trumpeter's estate and Sony/Legacy both ostensibly gave their blessings to the concept, financial support was supposed to have come from local businesses, foundations and other funders in the St. Louis area. With only a couple of months to fundraise in an economy still suffering from recession, Granger said she was unable to secure that support, which in turn has cast doubt on future plans. "We did want to launch an annual event, but that right now is up in the air," said Granger. "I'm wondering if St. Louis wants a Miles Davis Festival. "

(Edited after posting.)

Jazz this week: Return to Forever IV with Zappa Plays Zappa, Wild Cool & Swingin', and more

While indie rock fans at least have this weekend's LouFest to enliven their late August existence, jazz and creative music listeners in St. Louis have fewer options during the annual interregnum between the end of various summer concert series and the start of the fall presenting season. But rather than complain about what's not happening, instead let's call attention to those intrepid jazz musicians who are treading the proverbial boards to bring us some cool sounds during these dog days.

The marquee event of the weekend happens tonight, when the recently retooled version of the 1970s jazz-fusion group now known as Return to Forever IV (pictured) performs at the Fox Theatre, with Zappa Plays Zappa as opening act. This current edition of RTF includes Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, along with Frank Gambale on guitar in place of Al DiMeola, who played on RTF's 2008 reunion tour but declined to participate this time around.

For more about the new configuration of this venerable band, you can see some videos of RTF IV shot during various tour stops earlier this year in this Saturday Video Showcase post from a couple of weeks ago, and drummer Lenny White talked to Calvin Wilson of the Post-Dispatch for a very brief article here. For more about the opening act, you can read StLJN's review of Zappa Plays Zappa's first St. Louis appearance back in 2006 here, and see some video of them here. As of this writing, it appears there still are some tickets available for tonight's concert; call Metrotix at 314-531-1111 for the latest details.

Also tonight, multi-instrumentalist Jeff Anderson picks up his tenor sax to lead a quintet at Robbie's House of Jazz, joined by Danny Campbell (trumpet), Matt Villinger (piano), Irvin Neal (drums), and bassist Kent Miller, who's in town from Washington, DC for a brief visit.

On Friday evening, trumpeter Jim Manley and Wild Cool & Swingin' will be joined by singers Dean Christopher and Valerie Tichacek for a concert at the Parkway United Church of Christ, 2841 N. Ballas Rd. Proceeds from the performance will benefit the children of Lisa O'Brien, a police dispatcher in Town and Country who died suddenly last month at age 31 of complications from a respiratory illness.

Also on Friday evening, saxophonist Jeff Riley will be at Robbie's; the Yard Dawgs Jazz Quartet, with Brady Page (bass), Dusty Page drums), Bryce Kohn (saxophone) and Sam Brush (guitar), plays at the Cigar Inn in Belleville; and the Ambassadors of Swing perform for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

On Saturday afternoon, the Bluesweek festival, now in its second year, is presenting a set from an ad hoc jazz ensemble billed as the Jazz Masters and featuring Willie Akins (tenor and soprano sax), Erika Johnson (vocals), Dave Black (guitar), Peter Schlamb (vibes), Keith Moyer (trumpet), Marc Torlina (bass) and Joe Pastore (drums). Bluesweek's free outdoor shows are being held this year on a stage at Washington Avenue and 6th Street downtown, near the location of the proposed National Blues Museum. For a complete schedule of Bluesweek activities, see the event website.

On Saturday night, the eclectic string band Swing DeVille performs at Robbie's, offering a multi-genre blend of Gypsy jazz, western swing, old pop and jazz standards, and more. That same evening, singer Christy Simmons will present a cabaret show paying tribute to Rosemary Clooney at The Chapel, with accompaniment from clarinetist Scott Alberici, drummer Clancy Newell and pianist Mike Sissin.

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 in Pink to headline benefit show on Sunday, October 16 at the Sheldon

The Los Angeles-based, all-female group Jazz in Pink will be the featured musical entertainment for Community Women Against Hardship's annual benefit gala, which this year will be held at 5:00 p.m. Sunday, October 16 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Jazz in Pink is fronted by pianist Gail Jhonson (pictured), who is music director for guitarist Norman Brown; violinist Karen Briggs, who played for 13 years with new age/easy listening composer Yanni; and flutist Althea Rene. Other members of the group include bassist Lynn Keller, harpist Mariea Antoinette, guitarist Darlene Moreno, saxophonist Cece Worrall-Rubin, and keyboardist Sundra Manning. (According to the band's website, St. Louis native Lynne Fiddmont also has sung with Jazz in Pink, but she isn't mentioned in the promotion for this show. )

"Corporate" tickets, which include a post-concert reception with the artists, are $100 and $60. Single tickets are $45 for the main level, $25 for the balcony, and are on sale now via Metrotix. Proceeds from the event will benefit Community Women Against Hardship, a not-for-profit organization that provides programs and services to assist families struggling with poverty.

Project/Object with Ike Willis to play Wednesday, October 19 at Old Rock House

Attention, St. Louis area Zappaphiles: If the appearance by Zappa Plays Zappa this Thursday opening for Return to Forever at the Fox Theatre isn't enough to sate your appetite for Frank Zappa's music, there's more on the way in a couple of months, as the Old Rock House today announced that the Zappa tribute band Project/Object will perform there at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19.

Formed in the early 1990s and based in New York, Project/Object is one of the longer-lived and better-known Zappa tribute bands, and have played St. Louis a number of times before, notably at Cicero's. Former Zappa singer/guitarists Ray White and Ike Willis (pictured), who's from St. Louis, are among the many Zappa alumni who have been guest performers with Project/Object, and both are scheduled to be part of the fall tour that includes the Old Rock House show.

Tickets for Project/Object at the Old Rock House are $15 in advance, $18 day of show, and go on sale at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, August 26 via Metrotix.

Webster University announces jazz concert schedule for 2011-12

The music department at Webster University has announced the schedule of Monday night concerts by the Webster jazz faculty for the 2011-12 school year.

The series kicks off at 7:00 p.m. Monday, September 12, with a theme concert dedicated to jazz music released in 1961, a year that included significant recordings by John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Stan Getz, Max Roach, Sun Ra and many others.

Another particularly noteworthy concert is scheduled for Monday, October 10, when guitarist Steve Schenkel (pictured) will follow up last year's sellout show devoted to the music of John Lennon with a performance of music by Lennon's fellow Beatle George Harrison.

Here's the lineup of concerts in chronological order:

Monday, September 12: "It Was A Very Good Year: Great Jazz Recordings of 1961"

Monday, September 19: Willem von Hombracht Quartet

Monday, September 26: Kim Portnoy Sextet plays original jazz compositions

Monday, October 10: Steve Schenkel Trio in "All Things Must Pass: Jazz Interpretations of the Music of George Harrison"

Monday, October 24: TKT Scholarship Fund 20th anniversary benefit concert

Monday, January 30: Dave Black & Friends

Monday, February 6: Willie Akins & Friends

All concerts begin at 7:00 p.m. in Webster's Winifred Moore Auditorium, except for the TKT scholarship benefit on October 24, which will be held at the Loretto-Hilton Theatre and will carry a $10 admission charge. The other concerts are $5 at the door for general admission, and free to Webster students with ID.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A jazz documentary film festival, part 2

Our jazz video showcase continues in vacation mode for another week, with six more full-length documentaries vying for your late-summer attention.

First up is a concert film from the Jazz Icons DVD series, Duke Ellington Live In Holland 1958, It's an 80-minute concert performance from Ellington's big band, which at that time included luminaries such as St. Louis' own Clark Terry on trumpet; saxophonists Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Paul Gonsalves; trombonist Quentin "Butter" Jackson; and trumpeter, violinist and singer Ray Nance.

In the first embed window down below, you can enjoy Newport Jazz Festival 1962, a somewhat obscure documentary that includes performances by Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, the Newport All Stars, Peewee Russell, Rusty Bryant, Johnny Hodges, Joe Williams, Jimmy Rushing and Count Basie.

Below that, you'll find Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise, a 1980 film from director Robert Mugge about bandleader, composer, keyboardist and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial emissary Sun Ra. In the fourth spot, Keeping The Groove Alive tells the story of the late piano virtuoso Oscar Peterson.

Batting fifth is Art Pepper: Notes From A Jazz Survivor, director Don McGlynn's 1982 film about the alto saxophonist's hard-knock life and late-career resurgence. Rounding out the six-pack is another film about a troubled jazzman - Internal Exile, a little seen French documentary about Bud Powell that includes some rare footage of the late bop pianist.

Jazz this week: Kapsalis & Ivanovic, St. Louis Stompers, and more

We're now officially in the "dog days" of August, and though the start of the fall season for most of the local not-for-profit jazz presenters is a few weeks away, there still are some noteworthy performances in the next several days that may be of interest to St. Louis area jazz fans. While some temporary time constraints here at StLJN HQ may prevent any extended explications of impending events, here's a brief look at what's coming up...

Tonight , guitarists Andreas Kapsalis and Goran Ivanovic are in town from Chicago for a last-minute performance at Pop's Blue Moon. Ivanovic has played St. Louis a number of times before, both solo and with the group Eastern Blok, and he and Kapsalis play a mix of styles including jazz, flamenco, classical and more.

On Friday, saxophonist Harvey Lockhart, who's studying at Northern Illinois University with the noted jazz educator Ronald Carter, will bring his band to Robbie's House of Jazz. That same evening, guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio with bassist Nick Jost and drummer Marty Morrison will return to the Cigar Inn in Belleville, and the Original Knights of Swing will play big band swing the Casa Loma Ballroom.

On Saturday, Robbie's has Latin jazz from percussionist Herman Semidey Jr. and his Orquestra Nitro Son Montuno Salsa.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents a matinee concert of traditional jazz by the St. Louis Stompers (pictured) at Bel-Air Bowl in Belleville.

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.)

Single tickets on sale for Jazz at the Bistro 2011-12 season

Single tickets go on sale at 10:00 a.m. today for Jazz St. Louis' 2011-12 season shows at Jazz at the Bistro.

Among the musicians performing at the Bistro next season will be Ramsey Lewis, John Scofield, Kurt Elling, Greg Osby (pictured), The Bad Plus, Robert Glasper, Joshua Redman with Brad Mehldau, and Stanley Clarke. (Tickets for concerts presented by JSL at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, which will include George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves and Ahmad Jamal, and the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, will be sold separately by the Touhill box office.) For a complete overview of the Jazz St. Louis season, see this post from back in May.

Single tickets will be available online, by phone or in person from MetroTix outlets, with prices varying according to the act. Also, note that show times for the 2011-12 season will be at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., moving up from the old times of 8:30 p.m. and 10:15 p.m..

StLJN Audio Archive: Quartette Tres Bien - Boss Tres Bien

Today's Audio Archive post features the Quartette Tres Bien's debut recording for a national label, and comes to us via the blog Soundological Investimigations.

QTB were one of the better known groups of St. Louis' Gaslight Square era, and were sometimes compared with Ramsey Lewis, the Three Sounds, and other piano-based groups playing groove-oriented music.

The members of the group as heard on Boss Tres Bien were Jeter Thompson (piano), Richard Simmons (bass), Albert St. James (drums) and Percy James (percussion). (Thompson continues to perform with his brothers Howard and Harold in a successor group, Trio Tres Bien.)

Boss Tres Bien (pictured, upper left) was recorded for and originally issued in 1964 by the St. Louis-based Norman label, for which QTB recorded several sides. When the group signed with Decca later that same year, the LP was given new cover art (pictured, lower left) and reissued as their first effort for the label. Here's what Dusty Groove had to say about it:

"A landmark blend of soul jazz and bossa nova – cut by the legendary Quartette Tres Bien back in the 60s! The group are kind of a "piano trio plus" – an outfit with piano, bass, and drums in the lead – but also plenty of conga and added percussion – a style used here to really underscore the bossa inspiration of the set – often in ways that are more driving and more complicated than original 60s bossa recordings themselves! The feel is really unique – almost equally inspired by African rhythms in parts – and even when the group are playing familiar numbers, then manage to transform the tracks completely with their inventive approach to rhythms and super-searing work on piano!"

The tracks on the album are "Boss Tres Bien,""Rhodesian Chant", "Always on Saturday", "The Sweetest Sounds", "I Love Paris", "Lover Come Back To Me", and "Days Of Wine & Roses"

To download a free copy of Boss Tres Bien, go here, select one of the download sites from the menu displayed, click on it, and follow the instructions from there.

The StLJN Audio Archive links only to recordings that are out-of-print or that never have been commercially available. The purpose of the Audio Archive is encourage discussion, appreciation and knowledge of St. Louis jazz artists, and we encourage you to support them (or their estates) by purchasing authorized recordings and merchandise or, whenever possible, attending live performances.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A jazz documentary film festival for a summer's day

This week, we're taking a break from the usual routine of previewing upcoming shows and showcasing St. Louis musicians for a sort of summer vacation post, featuring a half-dozen full-length jazz documentaries for your late summer viewing and listening pleasure.

Kicking off our little film festival up above is Jazz On A Summer's Day, the famous movie made at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island by photographer Bert Stern and film director Aram Avakian. The film offers views of picturesque scenery and the festival crowd as well as performance footage of Jimmy Giuffre with Bob Brookmeyer and Jim Hall, Thelonious Monk with Henry Grimes and Roy Haynes, Sonny Stitt and Sal Salvador, Anita O'Day, George Shearing, Dinah Washington, Gerry Mulligan Quartet, Big Maybelle, Chuck Berry, Chico Hamilton Quintet, Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars with Trummy Young, Danny Barcelona and Jack Teagarden, and Mahalia Jackson.

Speaking of Thelonious Monk, down below you'll find Straight No Chaser, a 1988 documentary by Charlotte Zwerin about the unique pianist and composer, featuring performance footage and interview with friends and family. Below that - think of it as a double feature of sorts - there's an embed of Storyville: The Jazz Baroness, a movie by filmmaker Hannah Rothschild about her great aunt Pannonica de Koenigswarter who, for 28 years, acted as muse and helper to Monk. Known as "the Jazz Baroness," she left behind a privileged life in England and moved to New York to become "the untiring patron of bebop" and "a flagbearer for civil rights and feminism."

Below that, you'll find The Universal Mind of Bill Evans, a 1966 film by director Louis Cavrell that looks at the musical philosophy and influences of another great 20th century jazz pianist and features some fascinating interviews with Evans.

We conclude today's screenings with two films about the great bassist and composer Charles Mingus: the 1968 film Charles Mingus by director Thomas Reichman that features, among many other things, the infamous footage of Mingus getting evicted from his NYC apartment; and Triumph of the Underdog, made 30 years later by director Don McGlynn, with Mingus' wife Sue as co-producer, and offering a more comprehensive overview of the bassist's career.

(Several of the films were uploaded to YouTube by a blogger named Rick Stolk; you can check out his blog Jazz Pages here, and his YouTube channel here.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short local news items of interest:

* Nonagenarian trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry was in the hospital briefly earlier this month, to have surgery on his right leg to remove what was described as "some blockage." Terry already is back home recovering, and according to one friend who spoke to him on the phone, even has been practicing his horn. Doug Ramsey of the Rifftides blog has the story here and here.

* Last Sunday's concert by DMS at the TouPAC was reviewed here by Calvin Wilson of the Post-Dispatch. You can read StLJN's review of the show here.

* Wilson also filed a story for the Post last weekend about Jazz St. Louis' plans for a new or renovated performance space. While most of the piece covers similar ground as the Business Journal story linked to and commented upon here last month, it does clarify a couple of points. JSL executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford is quoted as saying that the organization is not starting a capital campaign at this time; the feasibility study being conducted this summer is "intended to gauge fundraising potential," not to evaluate potential new locations or facility layouts, which means things may not be quite as far along as implied in the earlier Business Journal article. More on this story as we can get it...

* Saxophonist Willie Akins (pictured) is receiving treatment for prostate cancer, and while, according to friends, his prognosis is good, the bills are piling up. Singer Wendy Gordon and other Akins amigos will present a benefit show to raise money for his medical expenses at 6:00 p.m. Sunday, September 4 in the Klymaxx Room of the Ambassador Events Center. In happier news, Akins is one of fifteen alumni of Webster Groves High School newly selected for inclusion on the school's Wall of Fame.

* Lastly, NPR's A Blog Supreme had an interesting post this week about the evolution of what remains the most famous song about our town, W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues".

Jazz this week: Tim Cunningham, Rodney Lancaster's St. Louis Trombone Ensemble, "DreamScapes" at the Pulitzer, and more

With various summer concert series wrapping up and the fall presenting season yet to begin, the middle of August usually is a relatively slow time with regard to touring jazz and creative music performers visiting St. Louis.

However, that doesn't mean the scene is entirely devoid of activity, as there still are some noteworthy shows over the next few days featuring local and regional musicians. Let's see what's happening...

On Friday, guitarist Eric Slaughter will bring his trio with Nick Jost and Marty Morrison to Robbie's House Of Jazz, while across the river in Belleville, guitarist Dave Black will perform with his trio, including drummer Kevin Gianino and bassist Willem von Hombracht, at the Cigar Inn. That same evening, the Ambassadors of Swing will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom

Also on Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham (pictured) will open a two-night stand at Jazz on Broadway, a new club that's just opened in Alton, IL. The club doesn't yet have a website, and several calls by yr. humble StLJN editor to their phone number have gone unanswered, but the Alton Telegraph's Jill Moon has a few more details about the place in this article. Look for a followup post here as soon as I can make contact with someone who can speak for the new venue....

On Saturday, trombonist and former St. Louisan Rodney Lancaster will present his St. Louis Trombone Ensemble with Doug Bert at Robbie's; and DJ/bassist Josh Weinstein and poet Brett Underwood will give one more DreamScapes performance at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts before the associated exhibit there closes.

On Sunday, saxophonist Jeff Riley's trio will play for brunch at Rue Lafayette, and that evening, Latin jazz band Clave Sol will perform at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Also on Sunday evening, the St. Louis Cabaret Conference 2011 will present its final showcase at the Bistro at Grand Center. The performance will feature 24 singers directed by Andrea Marcovicci and Jason Graae, with music direction by Rick Jensen and Shelly Markham. Tickets are $20 at the door or in advance via www.brownpapertickets.com.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday, the Sessions Big Band is at BB's, and on Tuesday, the club has Dave Black's four-piece group.

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.)

New Music Circle announces 2011-12 season schedule

New Music Circle has announced their 2011-12 season schedule, confirming preview information released earlier this summer and covered by StLJN here.

To reiterate the bottom line of that post, "it looks to a very impressive season, balancing improvised music and free jazz, intermedia performances, and contemporary composed music," and now all the particulars have been finalized.

Here's the official list of artists, dates and performance venues:

Saturday, September 17: Joe McPhee (pictured) and Survival Unit III w/guest DJ Joshua Weinstein at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand

Friday, October 14: Matthew Shipp Trio at 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave.

Friday, October 28: James Mobberley and Paul Rudy at the Kranzberg Arts Center

Saturday, November 12: Keith Fullerton-Whitman w/guest DJ Joe Raglani at White Flag Projects, 4568 Manchester Ave.

Saturday, December 3: Tony Conrad at White Flag Projects

Saturday, January 28: Chris Corsano with Darin Gray and Dave Stone w/guest DJ Jeremy Kannapell at the Kranzberg Arts Center

Friday, March 2: John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet at 560 Music Center

Saturday, April 7: Frank Stemper & The Altgeld Chamber Players at the Kranzberg Arts Center

Saturday, April 14: Craig Hultgren Luna Nova (3) at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust St.

Friday, May 11: New Music Circle Showcase with Olivia Block, Joe Raglani, Kevin Harris, Jeremy Kannapell, Pat Boland and DJ Josh Levi at William A. Kerr Foundation, 21 O’Fallon St.

Single tickets to NMC concerts are sold at the door and are $15 for regular admission, $7 for students/artists with a valid ID, with occasional exceptions for some acts.

In lieu of a traditional subscription plan, NMC sells memberships at three levels: Benefactor Membership, which includes 15 tickets, for $110; Regular Membership, with 10 tickets, for $80; and Student/Artist Membership with 10 tickets for $40. Members/subscribers can use their allotment of tickets in any combination for any concert(s) they choose. For more informaiton on purchasing a membership, see NMC's website.

Sheldon Concert Hall, Metrotix offering online presale of single tickets for 2011-12 season

Single tickets for the Sheldon Concert Hall's 2011-12 season go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, August 13, but the Sheldon and Metrotix are offering a presale that gives online buyers a couple of days worth of head start.

Beginning at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, August 11, online buyers can purchase single tickets for concerts in the Sheldon's upcoming season series by going online to http://metrotix.com/promotions, selecting "The Sheldon" from the available options, and when prompted, entering the presale code SHE11.

The Sheldon's schedule of touring jazz artists for next season will include concerts by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (pictured, Friday, September 30), the Clayton Brothers Quintet (Saturday, October 29), Chucho Valdés and the Afro-Cuban Messengers (Saturday, February 11), Straight Ahead (Saturday, March 24), and Sara Gazarek (Saturday, May 5). (Tickets for the concert by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on Thursday, March 29 won't be on sale until Saturday, February 25 of next year.)

Several St. Louis-based jazz bands and musicians also will be presented as part of the Coffee Concert and Saturday matinee series; for an overview and some commentary, see this previous post.

Review: DMS at the Touhill Performing Arts Center

Much like blockbuster action films and mystery thrillers suitable for beach reading, summer tours by big-name musicians tend to be geared toward providing popular entertainment, not profound artistic statements.

Such was the case with the concert by the jazz "supergroup" DMS on Sunday at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, as George Duke, Marcus Miller and former St. Louisan David Sanborn put on an entertaining, crisply paced two-hour show offering a sampling of familiar material from their respective catalogs, delivered with the expected first-rate musicianship but few real surprises.

The concert, which was presented by Jazz St. Louis, opened with second keyboardist Federico Pena and drummer Louis Cato taking the stage first and starting a stripped-down funk groove. Miller, Sanborn and Duke then made individual entrances, and the groove turned into a version of Sanborn’s “Run For Cover” that featured Duke (pictured) wailing on a guitar-style strap-on keyboard as well as some gritty riffing from Sanborn.

The saxophonist then took the lead for most of the rest of the first half of the show, playing tunes from his songbook including “Straight From The Heart,” “Lisa” and “Maputo,” which Miller wrote for Sanborn and pianist Bob James. Sanborn’s solos were typically concise, but also full of his characteristic verve and blues feel. The band, after a few minor sound adjustments, supplied tight and sympathetic accompaniment, with Duke adding more synth flash to “Straight From the Heart” and Miller soloing effectively on “Maputo” as well.

After an energetic “Chicago Song” that hewed closely to the recorded arrangement, the band stretched out a bit more on a medley of “Cobra,” written by Duke for Miles Davis’ album Amandla, and “Tutu,” penned by Miller as the title track for another Davis album. The latter included the evening’s only brief glimpse of straight-ahead swing, as Miller and Cato played with time feels during an extended solo by the bassist.

Duke followed that by showcasing his falsetto vocals on the slow-jam hits “Sweet Baby” and “No Rhyme, No Reason.” Then it was Miller’s turn once again, as he demonstrated his slapping-and-popping technique on his composition “Blast.” DMS kept the funk going for both the official closing number, Duke’s 1970s hit “Reach For It” and the encore, a version of E.U.’s “Da Butt,” which was written for them by Miller for use in Spike Lee’s movie School Days. At this point, it seemed a little bit like DMS had morphed from a collection of jazz greats into The World’s Most Over-Qualified Funk Cover Band, but most of the audience was having too good of a time to protest.

Random Notes:
* All three of DMS’ principals seemed in a jocular mood, with Duke drawing laughs from the moment he came onstage, just for his facial expressions and body language. While introducing “Lisa,” Sanborn wisecracked that it was finally safe to play the song again, since the statute of limitations on resentment had expired; Duke then turned that around on him during the intro to “Sweet Baby,” noting that at least he’d had the good sense not to name his love song after a specific woman.

* The audience did witness what very well may have been one genuine first, as Miller managed to goad Sanborn into singing a verse of “Da Butt” not once, but twice, to the delight of the hometown crowd and the band alike. However, while Sanborn and the song both escaped relatively unscathed, don’t look for him to cut a vocal album anytime soon.

* Sanborn mentioned that his 91-year-old mother was in the wings watching the show, and after the end of the concert, Mrs. Sanborn came to edge of the stage, peeked out around the curtains for a moment, then walked out a couple of steps on stage and waved, to cheers and applause from the remaining audience members.

Set list:
Run For Cover
Straight To The Heart
Brazilian Love Affair
Lisa
Maputo
Chicago Song
Cobra
Tutu
Sweet Baby
No Rhyme, No Reason
Blast
Reach For It
Encore: Da Butt

George Benson to perform Sunday, October 2 at the Touhill

This just in: Guitarist and singer George Benson (pictured) is returning to St. Louis to play at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, October 2 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. The show is being presented by Jazz St. Louis as part of their "Legends of Jazz" series at the TouPAC.

Benson last played St. Louis in 2007 as part of the now-defunct St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival held in Shaw Park in Clayton.

Tickets for George Benson's concert at the Touhill are priced at $40 and $60, with VIP packages available for $150. Tickets will go on sale at 10:00 a.m., next Monday, August 15 via the Touhill box office.

(Edited after posting to add ticket prices.)

More from David Sanborn

Last week, I was able to interview saxophonist and former St. Louisan David Sanborn (pictured) for a story about his concert tonight with George Duke and Marcus Miller at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

You can read the resulting article online at the Riverfront Times' site here, but there was quite a bit of material I wasn't able to fit in and so, given the interest in Sanborn as one of the best-known jazz musicians to come out of St. Louis, I thought I'd share some of it here:

Sanborn on crossing over to pop audiences, and the response of critics and reviewers:

"It wasn’t like, "Well, you know I’m going to play this shit so I can make a lot of money, but then I’m going back to playing the real music." That’s kind of a bullshit attitude anyway, and to me, it never made much sense. If you don’t like the music, don’t play it.

We’ve all had shots taken at us. Sometimes you read a review or something, and you know the guy wrote the review before he even got there. He knew what he was going to say.

I’ve had people take shots at me. If I let that deter me, I would have stopped a long time ago. I’m not in it for that. For me, frankly, I do what I do for very selfish reasons – because I love it. I enjoy it, and the decision I make are about what I want to do. I’m not calculating about it."

On working in the studio:

"I was in the middle of doing an album called Close Up several years ago, and I was in the middle of it, and I just thought ‘I’ve got to do something different.’ I finished the record as best I could, and then went on and did something radically different on the next record, called Another Hand, because that’s what I wanted to do. But prior to that, Marcus and I were making records that were excited about doing. We were trying to use some pop production values and apply them to music of more complexity.

We were kind of learning about how to work in the studio, and it was fun for a long time. Then it became more like, 'OK, this is how we do it,' at the expense of being able to think any other way. It started to inhibit my ability to be more spontaneous, and I just said, “I need to stop this for a while.”

Prior to that, I’d had another approach to it – I’d gone into the studio and pretty much done my records live. And then Marcus and I got together, and we started learning how to use the studio, and using the studio as a tool of composition, so that the way you put together a record, you’re constructing something. It was interesting and very creatively stimulating, but I think it got to be routine at a certain point, and I for one just needed a little break from it."

Now, I’m kind of in a little bit of both ways about it. I still like the idea of just going in there and doing stuff live. I love first takes."

On how he got to sit in with Little Milton and Albert King, and play his first gig at a club in Gaslight Square at age 16:

"They used to have these things called Teen Towns – The Sunset Teen Town – and there was a rec center. They had a swimming pool outside, and then inside, there was kind of a big hall that was open for dancing.

My friend Teddy Stewart, a drummer, and I used to go out there and hang out. Every summer we would go out to these dances, and we would hang out around the foot of the bandstand where Little Milton was playing. We kind of got friendly with the keyboard player, a guy named Rick Bolden. At one point Rick said, 'Hey, you guys want to come up and play with us?' And we were like, 'Do you think we could?' We were scared shitless. (laughs) And Milton was such a gentleman – he said, 'Yeah, come on up.' And so the next time they were there, we brought our instruments and got up on stage.

There was another sax player there, a guy named Leo Littleman; they called him 'Little Man.' He just said, 'OK, now you do this.' So basically I was playing (sings) - dee daaaa, DEE da - background parts. But it was like, this is it, the big time. I was playing with professional musicians, and I was hooked. And then he gradually kind of let me play a little bit (more), and as a result of that, when Albert King was out there, I was able to go and sit in with him and say I had sat in with Milton.”

And then Rick Bolden was playing at a little club down in Gaslight Square. There was a club called the Dark Side, and on the back end of that, through a parking lot and down an alley, there was a little club called the Other Side. At one point, it must have been a big storage room for the Dark Side that they walled off. It was a little hole in the wall club, and Rick was playing there with a trio, and I sat in with him. I think it was a novelty - I was 16, and looked like I was 12. I had learned a couple of Sonny Stitt solos, very simple solos, and we played the blues. It must have been convincing enough that they let me come back. Hanging out there, even thought I never got paid, I met other musicians, and one thing led to another."

Sanborn mentioned Lester Bowie and Phillip Wilson as two of the musicians he met in Gaslight Square, and then told the story of how Wilson helped him get into the Butterfield Blues Band:

"It was the summer of 1967, and I was at the University of Iowa. My friend Ted Stewart called me in Iowa, and he said, “Man, I’m out here in San Francisco, and there’s some wild shit happening out here. You’ve got to come out.” That was in March or April, and so as soon as summer hit, I packed up my wife and then-infant son, and flew to California.

"I got to San Francisco, and was living in this commune in Haight Ashbury with this band. I was out walking on Haight Street, and I ran into Phillip, just on the street, quite by accident. And I said, “What are you doing in town?” and he said, 'Oh, I just joined the Butterfield Blues Band, and we’re playing at the Fillmore tonight. Why don’t you come down and see us?' So I went down to see them, went back the next couple of nights, and then Phillip said, 'Hey, listen, we’re going to LA to make a record next week, why don’t you try to come down?’ So I scraped together some money, took the bus from San Francisco to LA, and then hitchhiked into Hollywood to where Phillip was staying. I slept on the floor of his motel room, and then just kind of went to the studio with him and then just weaseled my way into playing with the band.

I did it for the first couple of weeks for no pay, and I’d have to go around and hit everybody in the band up for money, which they were not too happy about. But after a while, I actually got paid . I remember my first paycheck – it as like $225 a week., and I thought, "Wow, this is it, the big time." We had to pay our own expenses, and ended up with about $15 a week. (laughs)"

On how George Duke joined Sanborn's TV program Night Music as music director for its second season:

"I had known George for a long time before that, and we needed somebody in there that could kind of pull things together, because I was pretty much tied up with trying to structure the show, and work on some of the scripts, and rehearse with the different artists. I needed an MD who could help me pull things together. George is a tremendously accomplished, not only as a keyboard player, but as a composer, arranger and MD. So he was a friend of mine, and it seemed like an obvious call. "

On Louis Cato, drummer for the DMS tour:

"He’s a young guy, and he’s got incredible chops, enthusiasm and talent. There’s a lot of drummers that can play like jazz drummers, but can’t really play R&B or hip-hop or anything with a backbeat and bring it off in a way that’s authentic. Louis is not like that at all. Whatever he’s playing, he’s fully committed to it, in whatever style the song is."

On whether or not Night Music will ever be issued on DVD or Blu-Ray, or made available for streaming:

"I keep trying to do it, and for one reason or another, it just never happens. It’s either music publishers shutting it down, or somebody complaining about something. I don’t know. The publishers are the biggest problem. All the artists are cool. Nobody has a problem with this except the music publishers."

StLJN Audio Archive: Clark After Dark: The Ballad Artistry of Clark Terry

For this StLJN Audio Archive post, we feature Clark After Dark: The Ballad Artistry of Clark Terry, a 1970s session featuring the legendary trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry. It's available online as a free download thanks to the blog Magic Purple Sunshine, which collects and presents out-of-print recordings originally issued on the old MPS label from Germany.

Clark After Dark was recorded in London in September, 1977 and, as the title suggests, features Terry playing flugelhorn over orchestral arrangements of mostly familiar ballads. The program includes "Misty," "Nature Boy," "Georgia On My Mind," "November Song," "Clark After Dark," "Willow Weep For Me," "Yesterdays," "Emily," "Angel Eyes" and "Girl Talk." Besides Terry, the only other musician identified individually is conductor Nat Peck, who's also credited with playing piano, despite being best known as a trombonist.

To download a free copy of Clark After Dark, go here and go to the first comment underneath the post to find the URLs for the download, which comes in two parts from Rapdishare.

The StLJN Audio Archive links only to recordings that are out-of-print or that never have been commercially available. The purpose of the Audio Archive is encourage discussion, appreciation and knowledge of St. Louis jazz artists, and we encourage you to support them (or their estates) by purchasing authorized recordings and merchandise or, whenever possible, attending live performances.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Previewing Return to Forever IV

This week, let's check out some videos of Return to Forever, who are coming to St. Louis later this month to perform at the Fox Theatre on Thursday, August 25. (Zappa Plays Zappa will be the opening act.)

This version of the band, dubbed RTF IV, features keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White, plus guitarist Frank Gambale and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty in place of guitarist Al DiMeola, who took part in the group's reunion tour back in 2008 but declined to participate this time around.

RTF IV already has been on tour for a good part of the summer, mostly in Europe, playing their vintage material and a couple of Ponty's compositions. There are quite a few fan-made videos of the group circulating online, and today we've picked out some of the better-sounding ones to give you an idea of what to expect from their St. Louis performance.

Up above, you can see and hear them play "Dayride," at a show in Marseilles, France. Down below, there's an acoustic version of "Romantic Warrior" taken from their show in Paris, followed by "Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy" from the same performance. Below that, you can check out "Renaissance," a new composition by Ponty, as performed by RTF IV in Rovinj, Croatia. (Unfortunately, the video cuts off before the end of the tune, but the 15 minutes worth captured on tape should give you an idea of what it's about.)

Below that, there's a version of Corea's most famous composition "Spain," from the Montreux Jazz Festival, and finally, Clarke's "School Days," the video of which was shot from sort of a weird angle in the balcony, but has more than acceptable sound quality.