StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Victor Wooten

This week, we're putting the bass right in your face, as we look at some video clips featuring bassist Victor Wooten, who's returning to St. Louis to perform this coming Thursday, July 5 at the Old Rock House.

Born in 1964 in Virginia, Wooten grew up as one of five brothers in a musical family. As an aspiring musician, he learned from the electric bass innovators of the 1970s, such as Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius and Larry Graham, and picked up on and developed their ideas and techniques successfully enough that as a mature player, he's now often mentioned alongside his influences as being one of the top electric bassists of the post-fusion era.

Wooten was in St. Louis most recently in March at the Sheldon Concert Hall, playing with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones; his last show here under his own name was in 2009 at the Pageant in a duo gig drummer J.D. Blair. And while he's still known for being a founding member of the Flecktones, Wooten also has been putting out solo albums since 1996, with a half-dozen releases so far as a leader.

His next effort, which comes out in September, actually will be two CDs offering different versions of the same group of original songs; Words & Tones will feature female singers interpreting Wooten's material, while Sword & Stone offers all-instrumental versions of those same songs, with alternate arrangements, solos and personnel. Besides his solo work and the Flecktones, Wooten also has been involved in various other projects over the years, playing with pianist Chick Corea's Elektrik Band, Vital Tech Tones and Bass Extremes, and touring and recording with fellow bassists Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller under the moniker SMV.

Given the opportunity, though, Wooten's technique is such that he can sound almost like a whole band all by himself, playing bass notes, chords and melodies at more or less the same time. In some ways, it's similar to what guitarist Charlie Hunter does, and like Hunter, Wooten often works in a duo format, the better to show off his chops without having to worry about sharing space with other musicians.

For next Thursday's show, the Old Rock House website specifically mentions the Victor Wooten Band, another of the bassist's projects that featuring his brothers Regi and Joseph Wooten on guitar and keyboards, respectively, plus Derico Watson on drums. However, that same blurb also makes reference to a 2010 tour, which suggests that it may have been taken from some older press material. Meanwhile, a recent wire story about Wooten's current activities lists the band's personnel as including both Watson and J.D. Blair, plus bassists Anthony Wellington, Steve Bailey and Dave Welsch, all of whom contributed to Wooten's upcoming CDs.

Today, however, we're going to concentrate on Wooten himself, starting in the first video up above, where you can see a half-hour's worth of one of his duo gigs with J.D. Blair in an clip that's undated (but fairly recent) and was recorded in Lucerne, France.

Down below, we've got four clips of Wooten playing solo. There's a version of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely," taped in April during a master class at a Virginia music school. Below that is Wooten's take on the gospel standard "Amazing Grace," recorded in 2010 at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show. Then there are two videos of Wooten doing some more free-form jamming, first in a video demo for EMG pickups and then at a gig in Budapest.

Finally, for those who may have wondered about the specifics of some of Wooten's techniques, our last clip today is an hour-long, in-depth instructional video featuring him demonstrating and discussing a number of his technical ideas and musical concepts.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* As part of the campaign to save the historic Palladium Building (aka Club Plantation) in midtown, artist and author Kevin Belford has created some new images with a vintage look that liken the significance of the Palladium to that of New Orleans' Preservation Hall (pictured), Chicago's Green Mill, and Harlem's Cotton Club. Those who support preserving the building, which is scheduled to be razed for a parking lot, are being asked to email the Landmarks Association of St. Louis' Andrew B. Weil at aweil@stlouis.missouri.org.

* Rhino Records has announced plans to issue a newly compiled 2-CD "best of" anthology from saxophonist and St. Louis native David Sanborn on Tuesday, July 31.

* One of guitarist Charlie Hunter's sets last Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro was reviewed by KDHX's Wil Wander.

* The Meramec Jazz Band has posted a photo album on their Facebook page of their recent concert at Old Orchard Gazebo Park.

* Pianist and composer Jim Hegarty has posted a new entry in his "Creativity Is..." video interview series. This installment features a chat with John Tamm-Buckle, electronic musician and founder of Kvist Records. You can see a one-minute excerpt here, and the whole interview, which runs just over 15 minutes, here.

* The Regional Arts Commission (RAC) this week announced the results of a study showing that not-for-profit arts and culture organizations generated $582.3 million in total economic activity in St. Louis city and county in fiscal 2010, up 4 percent from fiscal 2005. That amount includes $313.3 million in spending by nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and $269.1 million in event-related spending by their audiences. You can see a .pdf of the study results here.

* And speaking of RAC, they're still looking for artists, musicians and other creative people living in the St. Louis region to take their "Artists Count" survey. Those who complete the online questionnaire by Monday, July 9 will be entered in a drawing to win a $200 iTunes gift card.

Jazz this week: Denise Thimes, Mike Dillon, Bach to the Future, and more

Although there seems to be only one touring musician of significance on the local jazz and creative music calendar for this final weekend of June, there also are at least a dozen noteworthy shows featuring St. Louis musicians happening over the next few days. Here's a quick look at what's coming up...

Tonight, percussionist Mike Dillon, of Garage a Trois and the Dead Kenny Gs, is scheduled to perform at 2720 Cherokee. Dillon, who lives in New Orleans, was just here last month with the DKGs, and there's been little advance word about exactly what he's got planned for this show, or who might be playing with him. Nevertheless, if you're a fan of his other projects, you'll probably want to check it out regardless.

Also tonight, singer Ralph Butler is at Robbie's House of Jazz; the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Avant Garde Arts Night," featuring live improvised music; and it's the start of the final weekend for Stages St. Louis' production of the Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin', which features an on-stage, seven-piece band of local jazz players led by pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson. The run will wrap up with performances on Thursday and Friday and two shows, a matinee and an evening performance, on both Saturday and Sunday.

Tomorrow night, singer Denise Thimes (pictured) opens a weekend of performances at Jazz at the Bistro. With Jeanne Trevor seemingly eased into semi-retirement, Thimes probably now is the leading local practitioner of the classic style of jazz singing made famous by Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, and no doubt will draw a good crowd at the Bistro.

Also on Friday, the Ambassadors of Swing will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; saxophonist Jim Stevens is at Robbie's; and saxophonist Tim Cunningham returns to Jazz on Broadway. That same evening, guitarist Tom Byrne's trio plays at the Cigar Inn, and the Dogtown All-Stars will play a free outdoor show for the Old Orchard Gazebo Series in Webster Groves.

On Saturday, there's a triple bill of St. Louis-based jazz-fusion groups at Focal Point, featuring Bach to the Future, Derek Lauer and Blue Fusion, and Randy Hetlage and Morphelonious; and bassist Willem von Hombracht and singer Hannah McDonald will play at Robbie's.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday Tom Byrne's Pat Metheny-inspired group, the musically accomplished but quixotically punctuated Have You Heard?, will be at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, 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.)

All That Tap XXI scheduled for Saturday, July 28 at the Touhill

The connections between jazz music and tap dancing will be on display once again during All That Tap XXI, the grand finale of the week-long St. Louis Tap Festival that will take place at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, July 28 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Pianist Carolbeth True's trio (pictured) will provide the music for a cast of dancers including Bob Scheerer, Claudia Rahardjanoto, Logan Miller, Denise Caston, Martin 'Tre' Dumas III, Dormeshia Sumbry Edwards, Robin Reed, Evan Ruggiero. and the festival's founder, Robert L. Reed.

(Jazz and tap have been associated throughout the history of both art forms, and tap dancing has been an interest of a number of notable jazz musicians, including drummers such as Buddy Rich (who started in show business as a child tap dancer), Max Roach and Louis Bellson. For more on the connection between jazz music and tap dancing, see here, here, here and here. )

The spontaneous nature of tap also will be highlighted at another of the festival's events, a "tap jam" to be held at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 25 at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel, 7730 Bonhomme Ave in Clayton. The free event is billed as "an evening of live music and tap improvisation" and will feature appearances from the Tap Festival's faculty.

Tickets for All That Tap XXI are $35 for general admission, and can be purchased by calling 314-516-4949 or online at http://www.touhill.org/.

(Edited 6/29/12 to fix a typo.)

StLJN Audio Archive: Hamiet Bluiett - Endangered Species

For this edition of the Audio Archive, we continue this weekend's focus on the great baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett by spotlighting Endangered Species, his recording debut as a leader.

Originally issued in 1976 by the now-defunct India Navigation label and out of print for many years, Endangered Species has been preserved online thanks to the efforts of music sharing blogs including Free The Music, where yr. humble StLJN editor found the file.

In addition to Bluiett on baritone sax and flute, the personnel on Endangered Species includes another St. Louis native, drummer Phillip Wilson, as well as Olu Dara (trumpet), Jumma Santos (balafon) and Junie Booth (bass). The album's tracks, all composed by Bluiett, are "Between the Raindrops," "Sobre Una Nube," "The Other Side of the World" and "Ayana Nneke."

Called "quite impressive" and "adventurous" by All Music Guide, Endangered Species was recorded after Bluiett left the employ of bassist Charles Mingus, right around the time he first joined forces with two other former St. Louisans, alto saxophonists Oliver Lake and Julius Hemphill, and tenor saxophonist David Murray to form the World Saxophone Quartet. It's an important document in the career of the man that critics and fans have called the best baritone saxophonist of his generation, and you can download a copy of it for free here.

(Update, 5:10 p.m., 6/25/12: We've been informed that the download link above does NOT work as a regular "hot" link for some readers. If it doesn't work for you, you can try copying and pasting it into your address bar, as that seems to have been successful for at least one person. Or, you can download a different rip of the LP, of slightly lesser audio quality, here or here. Apologies for the glitchiness...)

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 to encourage discussion, appreciation and knowledge of St. Louis jazz artists, and we urge you to support them (or their estates) by purchasing authorized recordings and merchandise and, whenever possible, attending live performances.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A Hamiet Bluiett sampler

This week, we focus our video spotlight on baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett, who will be performing a rare local date next Wednesday June 27 at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The free outdoor concert, part of the Garden's Whitaker Music Festival, will feature Bluiett fronting an all-star band including pianist D.D. Jackson, bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake.

Considered the preeminent baritone sax player of his generation, and one of the best in the entire history of jazz, Bluiett has played occasional gigs in St. Louis since moving back to his hometown of Brooklyn, IL in 2002. But this one should be particularly special, though, both for the quality of musicians accompanying him, and simply because it's a big, outdoor show featuring the sort of adventurous sounds often relegated to small and/or obscure venues.

StLJN has featured Bluiett a couple of times before in this space; for today's installment, we've got a whole new bunch of performance clips that serve to demonstrate his considerable skills as a soloist. We get started up top with an improvised Bluiett solo from a performance in November, 2009 in Mt. Ranier, MD. Down below, you can see a duo piece from the same show featuring the saxophonist and his frequent collaborator Kahil El'Zabar on drums.

Below that, there are three seldom-seen clips featuring Bluiett and the great drummer Ed Blackwell, a New Orleans native known for his work with Ornette Coleman, Old and New Dreams, and others. Taped on Valentine's Day 1987 at an NYC venue called Jazz Track, the clips are rough in terms of audio/video quality, but the quality of the music and the energy flowing from the two musicians makes them all worth watching. Although the performance clearly is improvised, you'll hear bits of familiar tunes, as in the start of the second clip, which features John Coltrane's composition "Cousin Mary." Also, dig Bluiett's entrance from the wings in the first clip, a nicely executed bit of showmanship and swagger.

The sixth video is from Bluiett's performance at the 2008 Vision Fest in NYC. The group was billed as "Bio-Electric," and features the late violinist Billy Bang (another frequent collaborator of Bluiett's), bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Hamid Drake (plus a trumpeter and pianist who were unidentified in the notes for the clip, but look awfully familiar). The song is the Billy Strayhorn composition "Take The 'A' Train," and while most of the band plays it straight, Bluiett just kind of explodes all over the track, splattering notes and upper-register shrieks in a way that suggests something a bit more exciting that a simple subway ride.

The seventh and final clip was recorded earlier this year at a concert at the Jefferson Center in Roanoake, VA paying tribute to the late pianist Don Pullen, who grew up in that area. Pullen and Bluiett worked together in Charles Mingus' band in the early 1970s, and remained friends and musical collaborators until the pianist's death in 1995. The clip shows Bluiett and an all-star band - saxophonist James Carter, pianist Jason Moran, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Nasheet Waits - performing a composition identified as Pullen's "1529 Gunn Street." Bluiett's solo starts at about the 4:45 mark.

For more about Hamiet Bluiett, check out this profile on him that ran in 2008 on the KETC program Living St. Louis, and this 2011 feature story about him, written by St. Louis magazine's Stef Russell.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Guitarist Charlie Hunter was interviewed by Calvin Wilson of the Post-Dispatch. Hunter plays tonight and tomorrow night at Jazz at the Bistro, and also is doing a master class Saturday afternoon at City Music.

* Keyboardist Michael Silverman (pictured) of Bach to the Future was featured in an article by the Post-Dispatch's Joe Holleman. The article focused on Silverman's role as a adoptive parent, and a song he wrote to promote international adoptions.

* StLJN is sorry to report that pianist and teacher Henry Burns, who mentored many East St. Louis musicians during his 27 years as band director at George Rogers Clark Junior High School, died on June 11 in Granite City. He was 72. You can read Burns' obit, including comments from former students like pianist Reggie Thomas, here.

* The KDHX website has just profiled All Soul, No Borders host Josh Weinstein.

* Dennis Owsley's latest blog entry for St. Louis magazine focuses on the consequences of the declining number of jazz DJs on broadcast radio.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band has posted online an album of photos from their concert last week at Carondelet Park.

* A track from pianist Jim Hegarty, bassist Willem von Hombracht and drummer Shane Robles was featured on Taran Singh's Free Jazz Hour podcast.

* Looks like the proposed Miles Davis feature film starring Don Cheadle finally has a director. It's Antoine Fuqua, whose previous films include the Denzel Washington vehicle Training Day and Brooklyn's Finest.

* And speaking of Davis, here's a report from the scene of last week's first day issue ceremony for the new stamp featuring the trumpeter, as well as local reaction stories from Fox 2 News and the Belleville News-Democrat.

* Finally, in one more bit of Davis-related news, Pride Incorporated - the Alton-based civic improvement group involved in trying to bring a statue of Davis to the town where he was born - has begun talking with artists about a potential design.

(Edited after posting to add the Dennis Owsley link and some tags. Edited again 9/9/12 to fix a broken link and a typo.)

POP UP project seeks musicians for experimental jam session this Friday

This just in: The POP UP project, co-curated by local artists Kate King and Sam Davis, is looking for musicians to participate in an "Experimental Music Jam" starting at 6:30 p.m. this Friday, June 22 at 7411 S. Broadway in the Carondelet neighborhood.

King tells StLJN that the POP UP project "was created to stimulate a cultural community in underserved areas through the use of emerging talent and unoccupied space." The jam session is one of a series of events the group is hosting on Fridays in June at the space on S. Broadway. "All noise makers and instruments are welcome," said King. "We are looking particularly for anyone with recording equipment and for anyone who plays a horn/wind instrument. Please tell your friends who play unusual instruments, or who play usual instruments in an unusual way. "

Admission is free, but those attending are encouraged to "please bring cash for donations or at the very least, bring cash for the bar." For more information, see the POP UP project's Facebook page, or call King at 636-248-3600.

Jazz this week: Charlie Hunter, Hamiet Bluiett, "Cool Like That: A Tribute to Miles Davis," and more

It's the first official week of summer, and there are plenty of jazz-related events coming up in and around St. Louis over the next seven days. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, the inaugural St Lou Fringe Festival opens with an evening of performances that will include the first of four stagings of Cool Like That: A Tribute to Miles Davis, an event that incorporates spoken word, music, and dance to pay tribute to the legendary trumpeter.

Also tonight, there's another jazz-meets-theater experience in the offing as Stages St. Louis' production of the Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin' continues through the weekend (and on until the end of the month). Other gigs tonight include saxophonist Jim Stevens playing an early set at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups; and singer Tony Viviano performing at Fortel's, 15483 Clayton Rd. in Ballwin.

On Friday, guitarist Charlie Hunter returns to St. Louis to open a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. Known for his distinctive technique that lets him play melody, chords and basslines all at once, Hunter will be performing in a duo with drummer Scott Amendola. For more about Hunter, and lots of video footage of him in action, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Friday, singer Erin Bode plays a free outdoor concert sponsored by Ferguson CityWalk at the Plaza at 501, 501 S. Florissant Rd; trumpeter Jim Manley brings a quartet to Robbie's House of Jazz; guitarist Dave Black will lead a trio at Cigar Inn; and singer Anita Jackson will perform at Jazz on Broadway.

On Saturday afternoon, Hunter will present a master class at City Music; see the link for enrollment details.

Then on Saturday night, there are a couple more free outdoor events on tap, as the Gateway City Big Band plays a free concert at Kirkwood Amphitheater; and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis will present a free screening of the 1967 Jacques Tati film Play Time with live musical accompaniment from guitarist Curt Brewer, bassist Ben Wheeler, and drummer Marty Morrison.

Also on Saturday, Robbie's will feature a tribute to Billie Holiday from singer Sarah Jane Ulrich and saxophonist Jerry Greene.

On Sunday, the Saint Louis Jazz Club presents the Funky Butt Brass Band in a matinee concert at the Doubletree Hotel at Westport. When that winds down, you should have enough time to get over to the Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, where the Dave Dickey Big Band will be playing their monthly show, joined this time by special guest trumpeter Roger Ingram.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday drummer Rob Silverman (of Bach to the Future) and his band will play a free concert at Heman Park in University City, and on Tuesday (see update below), the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Avant Garde Arts Night" featuring improvised live music. UPDATE, 11:30 p.m., 6/25/12: The Tavern of Fine Arts' "Avant Garde Arts Night" now has been moved from the fourth Tuesday to the the fourth Thursday of every month, starting this week.

Last, but by no means least, next Wednesday night the great baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett (pictured) will perform a free outdoor concert as part of the Whitaker Music Festival series at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Bluiett's local gigs are rare enough that any one of them can be considered an occasion, but this one should be particularly special, as he'll be leading an all-star band that is scheduled to include pianist D.D. Jackson, bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake.

Bluiett remains one of the most influential and important modern players on his chosen instrument, and with three such distinguished and experienced collaborators, the sparks really ought to be flying on Wednesday night. If you've heard Bluiett play before, you're likely already making plans to be there. If you haven't heard him, this is your chance to check out a truly world-class musician and St. Louis legend for free, and you definitely should take advantage of the opportunity.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

(Edited after posting.)

First-ever St Lou Fringe Festival to include tribute to Miles Davis

The first-ever St Lou Fringe Festival, taking place this weekend in four Midtown venues, will include a show honoring Miles Davis (pictured), the legendary jazz trumpeter who was born in Alton, IL and grew up in East St. Louis.

Cool Like That, A Tribute to Miles Davis, a production of Black Poet Ventures of Phoenix, AZ, will be staged at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, June 21; 10:00 p.m. Friday, June 22; 1:00 p.m. Saturday, June 23; and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, June 24 in the black box theater at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand.

Said to be adapted from Davis' autobiography (co-written with Quincy Troupe) and endorsed by Miles Davis Properties, the performance includes spoken word, music, vocals, and dance, and explores "the vibrant and robust life of musical genius Miles Davis amid the backdrop of the social and political climate of his time."

The St. Lou Fringe Festival is described as "a 5-day long immersion in cutting edge performing arts, connecting brave artists with bold audiences," and will include a variety of theatrical performances, from traditional to experimental theater, as well as "dance, movement, improv, music, voice, slam/spoken word, performance art, fashion, vaudeville, burlesque, mime, clowning, circus arts – all concentrated within several city blocks."

BlackPoet Ventures, founded in 2005, is "a multimedia performance arts and entertainment company dedicated to promoting, supporting and enhancing the oral tradition artistry of poetry and spoken work movements of the African Diaspora."

Festival goers who want to attend any of this weekend's events must buy a Festival button for $5, a one-time purchase that in turn lets you buy tickets to any of the individual shows. Tickets for Cool Like That: A Tribute To Miles Davis are $12, and can be purchased, along with Festival buttons, only at the performance space Fringeland, which is located around the corner from the Kranzberg at 3141 Locust and serves as the festival headquarters and box office.

Other performance venues are the rock music club Fubar, 3108 Locust, and the Nash Motor Company Building, 3000 Locust. The Festival also will include a number of street performances in the area around the four venues. For a complete schedule of events, see the St Lou Fringe Festival website.

Grandmothers of Invention to perform Saturday, August 4 at Old Rock House

Attention, St. Louis area Zappaphiles: The Grandmothers of Invention (pictured), featuring four key ex-members of Frank Zappa's Mothers, will perform at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, August 4 at the Old Rock House.

Three of the The ex-Mothers in question are singer and saxophonist Napoleon Murphy Brock, saxophonist Bunk Gardner, and keyboard player Don Preston. The ORH's announcement also mentions bassist and singer Roy Estrada, who has participated in previous Grandmothers tours, but given that earlier this year he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, it seems unlikely that he'll be at the ORH. The Grandmothers of Invention website, linked above, says that former Zappa bassist Tom Fowler is playing the band's European dates this year.

The Grandmothers name was first used by Preston, Gardner and the late Jimmy Carl Black back in 1980. This version of project has been going in various forms since 2002, with the most recent incarnation also including percussionist Christopher Garcia and guitarists Robbie "Seahag" Mangano and/or Miroslav Tadic.

Updated, 4:25 p.m., 6/28/12: The ORH's Erica Durbin was kind enough to respond to an email and clear up the confusion about the band's lineup for this tour; it will be Brock, Preston, Fowler, Garcia and Tadic.

Ticket for the the Grandmothers of Invention at the Old Rock House are $20 in advance, $23 day of show, and go on sale at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, June 19. The ORH also is offering a VIP ticket for $40, which includes "a meet & greet prior to the show with autographs, photos & a discount on merch."

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The return of Charlie Hunter

After a couple of Saturdays presenting historic videos, this week we're back on the straight-up "coming attractions" tip, and the featured artist is guitarist Charlie Hunter, who's returning to St. Louis next week to perform Friday, June 22 and Saturday, June 23 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Hunter's been a relatively frequent visitor here in recent years, appearing at the Bistro in January, 2009 and again in January, 2011. (You can see more video of Hunter in a couple of Saturday posts that preceded those gigs, here and here. Also, for a bit more of his back story, check out this piece about Hunter that I wrote last year for the Riverfront Times.)

This time around Hunter will be performing in a duo format, just him and a drummer. That's the configuration we're spotlighting today, starting up above with a tune called "Rendezvous Avec la Vérité" that appears to have been recorded a few years back, not long after Hunter's 1999 collaboration with drummer Leon Parker. Down below, you can see Hunter and drummer Adam Cruz playing the guitarist's “Ode To My Honda Odyssey" at the 2011 Long Beach New York Jazz Festival.

Following that, it's Hunter and Derrek Phillips performing “Tamp ‘Em Up Solid," from Hunter's Public Domain project, last June at a venue called Molly Malone's in Covington, KY. In the fourth spot, Hunter and drummer Geoff Clapp tackle “Swamba Redux,” a tune by Hunter and saxophonist John Ellie, in a clip recorded in April of this year.

We close out with a couple of solo pieces featuring Hunter, a version of the Stylistics' "People Make The World Go Round," taped this past February in Brooklyn, NY, followed by an undated performance of "Someday We'll All Be Free," which was composed by St. Louis native Donny Hathaway.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* This past Tuesday's first day of issue of stamps honoring Miles Davis and Edith Piaf by the postal services in the United States and France was covered locally by the Post-Dispatch and the Associated Press.

* As mentioned here earlier, the Sheldon Art Galleries' exhibit on the jazz photography of Ralston Crawford is about to go on display at the New Orleans Museum of Art. You can see the exhibit being installed in a photo set here, and read curator Olivia Lahs-Gonzales' essay about it here. (.pdf file)

* Speaking of photo albums, Saxquest has posted on their Facebook page two sets of pictures documenting saxophonist Kirk Whalum's demonstration and performance at the store last Sunday.

* Here's another review of Stages St. Louis' production of Ain't Misbehavin', from KMOX radio's Harry Hamm. The show runs through July 1.

* Pianist Peter Martin was featured last week in Town & Style magazine

* Drummer Andre Boyd, a St. Louis native who performs with the company of Cirque du Soleil's Quidam that's coming next week to the Chaifetz Arena, spoke briefly about the show with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson.

* Another native St. Louisan, saxophonist Greg Osby (pictured), has teamed up with keyboardist Shimrit Shoshan for a new project, and they talked about it to The Revivalist in a two-part video interview.

* Commenting on the recent pledge drive held by radio station WSIE (88.7 FM), general manager Greg Conroy told StLJN, "With the $4,000 our listeners sent in December and then this current amount we received earlier this month during our second phone-a-thon, we're very gratified with the generosity of our loyal listeners. They understand the investment it takes to keep modern American Jazz playing on the airwaves and on-line. Like I always say....we're fans too, and we love to play this music as much as the listeners love to hear it. Thanks to everyone who contributed." The station has added nearly 1,500 new music selections to its servers this year, Conroy said.

Jazz this week: Tim Cunningham, Funky Butt Brass Band, Erin Bode, and more

Though it's a slow week for touring musicians coming to St. Louis, there are plenty of jazz and creative music performances featuring local players happening over the next few days that are worthy of your attention. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, bassist Dave Troncoso leads a trio at the Wine Press; and trombonist/bassist Wayne Coniglio and trombonist Scott Whitfield will team up to co-front a band at Joe's Cafe, the gallery/house concert venue the Central West End.

Also tonight, Stages St. Louis will present a performance of the Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin', with another scheduled for Friday, two on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Tomorrow night, saxophonist Tim Cunningham (pictured) returns to Jazz at the Bistro to open a weekend engagement. Cunningham's most recent appearance at the Bistro was last year around this time, on a double bill with fellow saxophonist Jim Stevens. He's kept up a busy gigging schedule in the interim, recently settling into a regular Friday night spot at Jazz on Broadway in Alton (though of course he'll be absent there this week when he's playing the Bistro). Cunningham has plenty of fans for his R&B/funk influenced sound, which means if you're planning on catching him at the Bistro, advance reservations probably are a good idea.

Also on Friday, singer Anita Rosamond will give a free outdoor performance for the film-and-music series at the Old Orchard Gazebo in Webster Groves (followed by a screening of the movie O Brother Where Art Thou); guitarist Tom Byrne's trio with vocalist Tandra Alexander plays at Robbie's House of Jazz; singer Anita Jackson will be taking Cunningham's Friday night spot at Jazz on Broadway; and guitarist Mason Baran will lead a quartet with bassist Nick Jost, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb and drummer Joe Winstein-Hibbs at the Cigar Inn.

Then on Saturday, the Funky Butt Brass Band plays a free, early evening outdoor concert at Lafayette Park; Brazilian music group Samba Bom will be performing at Focal Point; and guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio is at Robbie's.

On Sunday, the Funky Butt Brass Band will be doing another free outdoor show, at Carondelet Park; and singer Erin Bode and her band will be joined by Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra violinist and concertmaster David Halen and other special guests for a concert at the Foundry Arts Centre in St. Charles.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday drummer Joe Pastor's trio will be at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups. On Tuesday, Ain't Misbehavin resumes its schedule of weekly performances (continuing through the end of the month), and Robbie's will present their weekly jam session.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, 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.)

Nevermore Jazz Ball & St. Louis Swing Dance Festival to be held November 1-4

Local terpsichoreans will have the opportunity to strut their stuff during the second annual Nevermore Jazz Ball & St. Louis Swing Dance Festival, which will take place starting Wednesday, November 1 through Saturday, November 4 at several venues around town.

Announced this week and billed as "the most unique jazz dance and music festival in the Midwest, a convergence of ideas and people in true St. Louis style," the festival will include live performances by the New Orleans group Meschiya Lake and Dem Little Big Horns (pictured) as well as several St. Louis swing bands to be announced.

Venues will include Casa Loma Ballroom, Atomic Cowboy and 2720 Cherokee, and the festival schedule also will feature events such as dance contests and classes, panel discussions, tours of local attractions, a pub crawl, and more.

Organizers already have created a Facebook event for the festival, and online registration begins on July 1 at www.nevermorejazzball.com. We'll have more details about the Nevermore Jazz Ball & St. Louis Swing Dance Festival here on StLJN as they are announced.

Dave Pietro to present free master class this Thursday, June 14 at Saxquest

Saxophonist Dave Pietro (pictured) will present a free master class at 7:00 p.m. this Thursday, June 14 at Saxquest, 2114 Cherokee St.

Pietro has released six albums of his own as a leader, and has received composing grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and from Chamber Music America's New Works Program. He's also the former lead alto saxophonist for the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, spending nearly a decade with that band and recording six CDs with them.

A resident of NYC since 1987, Pietro earned his bachelor's degree in music education from North Texas State University and then a master's jazz composition from New York University, where he currently serves as assistant professor of jazz studies.

The Dave Pietro master class is free and open to the public.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The joint is jumping with Fats Waller

This week, let's take a look at some clips of pianist, singer and songwriter Thomas "Fats" Waller, whose work inspired the hit musical Ain't Misbehavin', currently being revived by Stages St. Louis.

Waller made his first recordings in 1922 at the age of 18, and in just a few years became one of the most popular entertainers in the United States, performing in nightclubs and theaters, on the radio, and eventually in films. An excellent pianist, effective vocalist, and a charismatic presence with a talent for wisecracks and comic mugging, Waller also wrote dozens of hit songs, a good number of which are included in Ain't Misbehavin'. (Waller also had a St. Louis connection during the latter part of his career, as he often employed clarinetist and saxophonist Gene Sedric, who was born here in St. Louis.)

Waller's most famous film appearance was in the 1943 movie Stormy Weather, which became a commercial hit and still stands as a pivotal work in the history of African-American cinema. Sadly, it also would be his last appearance in a film, for while taking a cross-country train trip back to Hollywood to begin work on a follow-up movie, Waller contracted pneumonia and died while in route, near Kansas City, at the age of 39.

In the late 1970s, the success of Ain't Misbehavin' on Broadway (with a cast that included St. Louis native Ken Page) helped bring Waller's music to the attention of a new generation. More than 30 years later, the show continues to be revived regularly by professional, community and college theaters, ensuring that Waller and his music will be remembered fondly for a good while to come.

Today, we've got a half-dozen clips of Waller's own performances of songs included in Ain't Misbehavin', plus a little something extra. While these videos emphasize Waller as entertainer, rather than as virtuoso musician, they do include ample amounts of his playing and singing, and in addition to being historically important, they're just plain fun to see and hear.

Up top, we start with "The Joint Is Jumping," which serves as the first act closer of Ain't Misbehavin', and here is performed by Waller for a "Soundie" - a sort of early music video - depicting a house party. (Be sure you watch until the very end to see the cops who have come to bust the joint start dancing.)

Down below is Waller's performance of the song "Ain't Misbehavin'", taken from Stormy Weather. The lovely lady is none other than Lena Horne, and there also are glimpses of dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, drummer Zutty Singleton, bassist Slam Stewart and trumpeter Benny Carter.

The third clip depicts Waller performing "Honeysuckle Rose," one of his most famous compositions and one that has been covered by dozens of other singers and musicians. Next, it's "Your Feet's Too Big," a comedic number that demonstrates Waller's singular mix of erudition - note the use of the phrase "pedal extremities" - and earthiness. That's followed by another performance from Stormy Weather, a blues called "That Ain't Right" that features Waller and singer Ada Brown.

The last two clips show more visuals of dancers than of Waller, but still have both musical and historical interest. The first is a version of "I've Got My Fingers Crossed," which is used near the end of the second act of Ain't Misbehavin' as the show builds to a climax.

Finally, as a sort of lagniappe, there's one song that's not included in Ain't Misbehavin', a performance of "I'm Living In A Great Big Way" as sung in the 1935 film Hooray For Love by Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Waller. That's dancer Jeni Le Gon with Robinson at the beginning of the clip.

For more about Fats Waller, check out his page on RedHotJazz.com, and the online version of the exhibit "Fats Waller Forever" from Rutgers University.

Stages' production of Ain't Misbehavin' runs until July 1, and features a live band led by pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson and including Jason Swagler (alto sax, clarinet), Kendrick Smith (tenor sax, clarinet), Cody Henry (trombone), Matt Bittles (trumpet), Jahmal Nichols (bass), and Bernard Long, Jr. (drums). For ticket information and a schedule of performances, see the Stages St. Louis website.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Congratulations are due to the proprietors of the St. Louis based independent record label MAXJAZZ, which is celebrating its 13th anniversary today. Since its founding in 1999, the label, run by the father-and-son team of Richard McDonnell (pictured) and Clayton McDonnell, has issued a total of 70 different albums, comprising more than 750 individual tracks.

* Stages St. Louis' current revival of the Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin' was reviewed, and quite positively, by Post-Dispatch theater critic Judith Newmark and Chris Gibson of BroadwayWorld.com. The show runs through July 1, with multiple performances each week.

* The photo exhibit "Ralston Crawford and Jazz," originally displayed at the Sheldon Art Galleries here and curated by the Sheldon's Olivia Lahs-Gonzales, is opening next week at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

* Saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake, who's just wrapping up some tour dates in Australia, will be in residency for three nights later this month at Shapershifter Lab in Brooklyn, NY.

* Next Tuesday, June 12 will be the first day of issue for the USPS' new commemorative stamps honoring Miles Davis and Edith Piaf.

* And speaking of Davis, if you happen to hear someone mention "Jazz at Walter Circle" in East St. Louis, don't get too excited thinking there's a new venue for live jazz in ESL. According to this story in the Post-Dispatch, it's a new apartment complex for senior citizens, named in recognition of Davis and other musicians who have called the city home.

* Lastly, did you know that there's a St. Louis Jazz Notes page on YouTube? Well, until a few days ago, neither did I - but apparently YouTube now automatically creates pages collecting all the videos posted by blogs that are frequent embedders. If you're looking for a convenient way to browse all the video content offered here on StLJN, it's worth checking out.

Jazz this week: Byron Stripling's tribute to Louis Armstrong; Kirk Whalum plays Keilwerth; free outdoor jazz concerts; and more

Though the official start of summer still is a couple of weeks off, the summer season of free outdoor concerts around St. Louis already is well underway. This time of year also usually brings some visitors to StLJN who find the site by searching for "free jazz concerts in the park" or something similar, as well as a few emails from people asking where those free outdoor jazz concerts can be found.

Well, the short answer to that question is, all over the place. While there's no free outdoor summer concert series in the St. Louis area devoted specifically to jazz, local jazz musicians definitely will be turning up in various locations around town as part of different concert series over the next three months. All of those listings that I've been able to locate have been added to the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, and during the summer months, I'll also make an effort to spotlight at least of few of those free concerts every week in this space.

For example, tonight saxophonist Tim Cunningham is playing a free outdoor concert at Bluebird Park in Ellisville. Also on Thursday evening, pianist and electronic musician Jim Hegarty and bassist Willem von Hombracht will be improvising freely at the Tavern of Fine Arts; Good 4 The Soul will do an early evening set at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups; and Robbie's House of Jazz will present the Sidemen, featuring clarinetist and saxophonist Eric Sager, guitarist Jon Ferber, pianist Carl Pandolfi, bassist Richard Tralles and drummer John Marshall.

On Friday, singer Erin Bode and her group will return to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of two nights. Given Bode's popularity, there's usually a good turnout for her shows at the Bistro, so advance reservations are recommended.

Also on Friday, Cornet Chop Suey will play a free outdoor concert at Schroeder Park, 359 Old Meramec Station Rd. in Manchester; and singer Joe Mancuso and his quartet, with guest saxophonist Jerry Greene, are performing at the Italia-America Bocce Club, 2210 Marconi Ave. on the Hill.

On Saturday, singer Feyza Eren's trio will perform at mid-day at Rue Lafayette, 2026 Lafayette Ave., which now is featuring live music, mostly jazz, regularly during brunch/lunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

On Saturday evening, trumpeter and singer Byron Stripling (pictured) will be back in town to team up with with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra at Powell Hall for "Sounds of New Orleans: A Tribute to Louis Armstrong." For more about Stripling, who also played here earlier this year at Jazz at the Bistro after doing a week-long educational residency for Jazz St. Louis, see this post from back in February. And for some video samples of the tribute's subject, Louis Armstrong, in action, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday night, the Gateway City Big Bend will play at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 808 N. Mason Rd in Creve Coeur; and percussionist Henry Claude and cellist Tracy Andreotti, using the nom de guerre "The Steve and Jennifer Project," will perform "spontaneous acoustic and electro-acoustic music" at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

On Sunday afternoon, saxophonist Kirk Whalum will be at Saxquest for a free performance and promotional event called "A Taste of Keilwerth," demonstrating the manufacturer's latest models of saxophones.

Also on Sunday, the St. Charles Community Big Band plays a free outdoor concert at Frontier Park on the riverfront; guitarist Tom Byrne plays at the Schlafly St. Louis Brewery & Tap Room; and funky organ trio Downstereo will hold forth at the Delmar Lounge.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the University City High School Jazz Band will play a free outdoor concert at Heman Park in U. City, and the Sessions Big Band returns to BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups for their monthly gig.

On Tuesday, the St. Louis Big Band with vocalist Dave Gill Joe Mancuso will present a show called "The Soul of Sinatra" at the Sheldon Concert Hall; and Swing Deville will play a free outdoor concert at Fanetti Park, which is located at the intersection of Michigan and Schirmer on the south side.

Las tbut not least, on Wednesday, the Meramec Jazz Band will be back for an encore performance at the Black Cat Theatre in Maplewood.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

(Edited after posting. Edited again to update the name of the singer for the St. Louis Big Band show on Tuesday.)

Charlie Hunter to present master class on Saturday, June 23 at City Music

Guitarist Charlie Hunter, who's known for his ability to play leads, chords and basslines simultaneously on a custom-built seven-string guitar, will present a master class at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, June 23 at City Music and Education Center, 9299 Watson Rd. Hunter (pictured) will be in St. Louis that weekend to perform Friday and Saturday nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

The master class is open to vocalists and instrumentalists of all types, not just guitar players. Attendees are encouraged to bring their instruments, and Hunter will "address topics important to all musicians, including understanding and articulating rhythm and groove, use of counterpoint, and much more."

The cost of the Charlie Hunter master class is $25 per person. To register for the event, please call City Music director of education Brian Vaccaro at 314-961-8700 or email him at brian @ citymusicstl.com.

(Edited 6/6/12 to correct the address of City Music.)

Second annual U City Jazz Festival to be held Saturday, September 22

The second annual U City Jazz Festival will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 22 in Heman Park in University City. Festival organizer Michael Silverman announced the date in a Facebook post yesterday, and also revealed the list of musicians who will play the event this year.

The musical lineup for 2012 will include the STL Metrobones; trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber; a reunion concert featuring pianist Ptah Williams and his 1980s jazz-fusion group Tracer; Bach to the Future; a tribute to Miles Davis with drummer Maurice Carnes' Hipjaz Quintet; and Trio Tres Bien (pictured).

The event is free and open to the public.

(Edited 6/6/12 to fix a broken link and add tags.)

David Sanborn, Brian Culbertson to perform Thursday, August 23 at The Pageant

Saxophonist David Sanborn (pictured), who grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood, is returning home to perform at 8:00 p.m., Thursday August 23 at The Pageant.

Sanborn last was in St. Louis in August, 2011, when he played at the Touhill Performing Arts Center with bassist Marcus Miller and keyboardist George Duke. He's being joined this time here and on much of 2012's "The Dream" tour by keyboardist Brian Culbertson, whose appearance at The Pageant was tipped off back in April by Pollstar.

Tickets for David Sanborn and Brian Culbertson are priced from $35 to $75, and will go on sale at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, June 8 via Ticketmaster and the Pageant box office.

Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival set for Saturday, September 15

The Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival has announced the lineup for its 2012 event, which will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturday, September 15 in the Old Webster business district near the intersection of Lockwood and Gore avenues.

The festival's Gore Ave. Stage will feature music from the St. Louis Ragtimers, Boss Hall, David Dee and the Hot Tracks Band, the Webster University Jazz Ensemble, and Marsha Evans & the Coalition with Roland Johnson.

The Allen Ave. Stage will open with the winner of this year's “Webster's Got Talent” contest, followed by guitarist Dave Black (pictured) and his quartet, saxophonist Jim Stevens, the Webster Groves High School Jazz Band, and Rich McDonough & Rough Grooves with Anita Rosamond. PoJazz with Dwight Bitikofer and Raven Wolf also will perform at a time and location to be determined.

The preliminary round of the "Webster’s Got Talent" competition will be on Wednesday, August 22, with the final on Wednesday, August 29. The time, place and other details are TBA.

The Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival is free and open to the public.

(Edited after posting.)

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

It's been a while since our last shameless plug for StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds, and since that last bit of wanton shilling for pageviews, the site has gotten a new look with an easier-to-read layout and some new features.

One thing that hasn't changed, however, is that each day, there's a new online music video posted, drawing on genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, classic rock, prog rock and experimental.

Over the last month, featured performers have included Joe Henderson, James Brown, Louis Armstrong, John McLaughlin & 4th Dimension, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, B.B. King, Don Ellis, Colosseum, Ray Charles, Al Kooper & Friends, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner Trio with Chico Freeman, Mingus Big Band, Bill Withers, Bill Evans Trio, Was (Not Was), John Lee Hooker, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Gentle Giant, Steely Dan, Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins, Curved Air, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Elvin Jones Trio, Fela Kuti, Van Morrison, Jon Hendricks, Carla Bley Band, The Neville Brothers, Little Milton, and Woody Shaw.

You still can see all of those clips, plus hundreds more similarly scintillating snippets from the sagaciously selected archives, just by visiting http://heliocentricworlds.blogspot.com/.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The genius of Louis Armstrong

This week, in anticipation of Byron Stripling's gig next Saturday, June 9 at Powell Hall in which the trumpeter and singer will join forces with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra to deliver a tribute to Louis Armstrong, we're going back in time to check out some clips of Armstrong himself. (For more about Stripling, check out this Saturday video post from back in February, when he performed at Jazz at the Bistro.)

The headline of this post refers to several things: It was the title of a best-selling but now out-of-print double album reissuing some of Armstrong's key early recordings; the subtitle of a biography of Armstrong by the noted jazz critic Gary Giddins; and, ultimately, it's a simple statement of fact.

Armstrong was the first international jazz superstar, a virtuoso soloist who set the bar for every jazz musician who followed him, an innovative vocal stylist, and one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century. Though he may have lacked formal education, there's no question that Armstrong was a genius, and nearly 40 years after his death, his music remains both worthy of extended study for musicians and composers and genuinely entertaining to just about everyone.

Although the short glimpses of Armstrong seen on film and TV throughout his career could only capture a portion of that genius, it's a portion that's still worth revisiting and appreciating, and so today, we have a half-dozen clips of Armstrong in action.

The first video up above dates from 1934, and shows Armstrong and band performing "I Cover The Waterfront," "Dinah" and "Tiger Rag" in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Down below is a clip of "Stompin at the Savoy" from a 1959 performance in Stuttgart, Germany. Armstrong is backed by Trummy Young (trombone), Peanuts Hucko (clarinet), Billy Kyle (piano), Mort Herbert (bass) and Danny Barcelona (drums).

Below that, it's a rather relaxed version of "When The Saints Go Marching In," taped in March, 1963 in Sydney, Australia and featuring Armstrong, Young, Kyle, Barcelona, clarinetist Joe Darensbourg and bassist Arvell Shaw.

Next up, it's the classic "Basin Street Blues," recorded in February, 1964 for the US TV program The Bell Telephone Hour: The American Song. It's the same band as the 1963 clip, except with trombonist Russell "Big Chief" Moore in place of Young.

The fifth clip features Armstrong and country music great Johnny Cash performing "Blue Yodel No 9" in 1970 on Cash's TV show. Armstrong appeared as an unbilled guest star on the original version recorded in 1930 by Jimmie Rodgers.

And just to close out with a local reference, the final clip is a version of "St. Louis Blues" recorded in 1959 in Belgium by the same band seen in the "Stompin' at the Savoy" clip, plus vocalist Velma Middleton.

For more about Armstrong and his influence on jazz and popular music in general, start with the Louis Armstrong Museum official site. You also may enjoy the video of "The Artistry of 'Pops': Louis Armstrong at 100," a presentation of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University from 2000 that features trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and critic Stanley Crouch. Armstrong's page at RedHotJazz.com and the tribute site Satchmo.net also are worth a look.

Tickets for Byron Stripling and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's tribute to Armstrong are priced from $25 to $55, and are on sale online at www.stlsymphony.org or by phone at 314-534-1700.