So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Sheldon Art Galleries will present a major retrospective exhibition of the work of St. Louis-born artist Al Hirschfeld starting Friday, September 7 as part of The Sheldon’s 100th anniversary celebration. From the news release: "Al Hirschfeld’s Jazz and Broadway Scrapbook, the first major retrospective of the artist to be mounted in his hometown, will feature more than 100 original drawings, paintings, prints, collages, posters and ephemera from his long and important career, and reveals a heretofore unexplored, lifelong fascination with jazz."

"In addition to his artwork, the installation will feature his specially-made stereo system, his extensive jazz record collection, and African drums and Balinese shadow puppets from his home...A separate section of the exhibit focuses on his work in jazz and includes luminaries such as Jelly Roll Morton, Johnny Mercer, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, among many others."

* Jazz St. Louis has mailed out a lavish season brochure for 2012-13 that's really more like a magazine - it's 56 pages, with edge-to-edge color photos throughout. If you didn't get one from from the postman, you can view it online here.

* And speaking of Jazz St. Louis, their Young Friends organization is throwing a patio party outside Jazz at the Bistro from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 28. Latin jazz group Musica Slesa (pictured) will playing inside the Bistro, with an audio feed going out to the patio in nearby Strauss Park so partygoers can hear them while enjoying drinks, snacks and socializing. Entry to the patio is free, but donations to Jazz St. Louis's education programs are suggested.

* The Revivalist has some behind-the-scenes photos from the recent concert by the all-star Miles Davis tribute group, the Miles Electric Band, in Los Angeles.

* And since it's been an unusually slow news week, why not finish it by asking who looks more formidable in a lab coat - Amazing Spider-Man villain The Lizard, or avant-jazz trumpeter and St. Louis native Lester Bowie?