So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Dave Weckl and keyboardist Jay Oliver talk more about their new crowd-funded recording project in a new interview published on PledgeMusic.com.

* In the latest news from Clark Terry's blog, the trumpeter's autobiography published last year has won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' (ASCAP) Deems Taylor Award, and the and Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.

* John Pizzarelli, in town to play at Jazz at the Bistro through Saturday night, had a few words about the gig and his current with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson.

While he's here, the singer-guitarist also has been doing some school performances and educational events for Jazz St. Louis. He'll be playing with his quartet this afternoon for students at Fort Zumwalt High School, and did a workshop yesterday with Rick Haydon's guitar students at SIU-Edwardsville (pictured). Publicist Madeline Dames, who kindly provided the above photo of Pizzarelli's visit to SIUE, reports that he's doing record-breaking business at the Bistro, with "standing room only three deep upstairs" for Thursday night's first set.

* Trumpeter and singer Jeremy Davenport, who was back home last week to play at the Bistro, also dropped by local NPR affiliate KWMU for an interview, which has been archived online here.

* Vintage Vinyl co-owner Lew Prince was one of a dozen small business owners from across the nation who this week met with President Barack Obama to discuss economic and tax policy. Local coverage of the event included pieces from NBC affiliate KSDK and the U. City edition of Patch.com. Prince later went on MSNBC's The Ed Show to talk about his views and his visit with the President. Meanwhile, Prince and VV's other co-owner Tom Ray also recently were the subjects of a profile in the Journal at Webster University, where both are alumni.

* The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis will be presenting a Grant Writing Workshop at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 11 at RAC's HQ, 6128 Delmar Blvd. The workshop is free, but advance reservations are required; you can RSVP with an email to carol @ stlrac.org.

Jazz this week: John Pizzarelli, Kirk Whalum, Marcus Roberts, Four In One, and more

It's a busy weekend for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, and time is short, so let's skip the introduction and go straight to the highlights...

Tonight, guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli opens a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. A longtime local favorite thanks to numerous previous appearances in St. Louis, Pizzarelli currently is on tour promoting both a book (the "musical memoir" World On A String) and a new album, Double Exposure.

The album features Pizzarelli doing what essentially are live mash-ups - pop songs from writers such as Lennon and McCartney, Neil Young, James Taylor, Leiber and Stoller, Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell, re-conceived using grooves, harmonies and arrangement ideas borrowed from Wes Montgomery, Billy Strayhorn, Thad Jones, John Coltrane and others. For more about Double Exposure, and some video samples of recent Pizzarelli performances, see this post from a couple of weeks ago. 

Also tonight, multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris is playing a free show at the Missouri History Museum, featuring music from hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest reworked in what's being described as an experimental jazz style.

Tomorrow night, singer Kim Fuller will be be the featured performer in "Songs of Love and Other Difficulties: Work and Protest Songs," a free concert presented by the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. Also on Thursday, eclectic singer Jessica Fichot, whose work ranges from computer music to children's songs, does an early-evening show at Rue Lafayette; and guitarists Tom Byrne and Eric Slaughter will play at the new Central West End venue Troy's Jazz Gallery. UPDATE - 10:00 p.m., 11/28/12: The Byrne/Slaughter gig has been "postponed" for one week to next Thursday, December 6.

On Friday, Rue Lafayette has another early evening show featuring Victor & Penny, a Kansas City duo playing music inspired by pre-WWII pop and jazz. Later that evening, trumpeter Randy Holmes and singer Tom Heitman will play the music of Frank Sinatra at Robbie's House of Jazz; saxophonist Kendrick Smith leads a quartet at the Cigar Inn in Belleville; and the Funky Butt Brass Band takes the stage at Broadway Oyster Bar.

Saturday offers several interesting choices, too, starting with pianist Marcus Roberts and his trio performing  at the Sheldon Concert Hall. A longtime associate of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, Roberts impresses both with his technical skills and his ability to incorporate ideas derived from classic pianists like Fats Waller and James P. Johnson into a modern context. For more about Roberts and some video samples of him in action, see this post. Also, The Sheldon is offering a "buy one, get one free" discount on tickets for the show; for details on that, go here.

Also on Saturday, saxophonist Kirk Whalum brings his "Gospel According to Jazz Christmas" show to the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church. The concert also will feature pianist Keiko Matsui and singer Amber Bullock, the St. Louisan who recently won BET's Sunday Best Gospel reality show competition, as well as singers John Stoddart and Kevin Whalum and the FTMBC's own choir.

And as if that weren't enough for one evening, Saturday also marks the debut of the new band Four In One (pictured) at Robbie's House of Jazz. The group features four well-known musicians, all associated with Webster University - guitarist Steve Schenkel, bassist Ric Vice, drummer Alan Schilling, and saxophonist Paul DeMarinis - offering new interpretations of the music of Thelonious Monk using electric instruments.

On Sunday, the University of Missouri-St. Louis music department presents their annual "UMSL's Jazz for the Holidays" show at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. The free concert will include music from the UMSL Jazz Ensemble, Vocal Point and University Orchestra. Also on Sunday, singer Erin Bode and her group will perform in a "Christmas dessert" concert at Third Baptist Church, 620 N. Grand Blvd (across the street from Jazz at the Bistro).

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.)

The Sheldon, Metrotix offering "buy one, get one free" discount on tickets for Marcus Roberts concert this Saturday

If you've been holding off on getting tickets to see pianist Marcus Roberts and his trio (pictured) this Saturday at the Sheldon Concert Hall for budgetary reasons, you may be in luck (even if you don't win Wednesday's big Powerball drawing).

That's because The Sheldon and Metrotix today announced a "buy one, get one free" offer on tickets to see Roberts, who's making his first St. Louis appearance in many years. (For more about Marcus Roberts, see this post from a couple of weeks ago.)

Tickets are priced regularly at $40 orchestra, $35 balcony, but with the promotional offer, you'll get two for the price of one. (Student tickets, which are priced at $15, are not included in the promotion.) To access the offer, go online to Metrotix.com and enter the promo code "MARCUS12" (without the quote marks) in the designated field. The offer also is available by phone at 314-534-1111 or 800-293-5949 and in person at the Fox Theatre box office.

(Edited 11/28/12 to correct info about student tickets.)

New jazz venue opening in Central West End

A new venue for live jazz in St. Louis is opening in the Central West End.

Located at 4519 Olive - a bit east of Kingshighway, and not far from what once was Gaslight Square - Troy's Jazz Gallery is the latest venture from Troy Williams, who from 1999 to the early 2000s operated a live music spot near Lafayette Square called Troy's on the Park. After that, Williams ran the bar Filter, located in the CWE where the Tavern of Fine Arts is now, and later, a cafe called Breakfast Tools in the Lindenwood neighborhood.

This new spot apparently has been in the works for a while; the business name was registered with the state a year ago, and the website says "Coming Spring 2012." Whenever the official opening date, the location may present a challenge for the proprietor, since it's on a block that currently has few other bars, restaurants or retail stores to draw foot traffic to the area. The closest similar business looks to be the Wine Press, which is to the east at 4436 Olive and features live music several nights a week, so perhaps the two rooms will benefit from proximity to one another.

Though neither the website for Troy's Jazz Gallery nor its Facebook page have a whole lot of information yet, we can tell you that guitarists Eric Slaughter and Tom Byrne (pictured) are promoting a gig there from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. this Thursday, November 29. The notice posted on Facebook says they'll be joined by bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Marty Morrison, and there's a $5 cover. UPDATE - 10:00 p.m., 11/28/12: The Byrne/Slaughter gig has been "postponed" for one week to next Thursday, December 6.

Also, the club has been running paid ads on Facebook, promoting regular Saturday night performances by the "Jazz Session Quintet," with sets at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and a "$5-10 cover (reservation required)." Other than a phone number - 314-932-1120 - there are no further details.

StLJN's call to that number today was not answered, and that band name is unfamiliar to yr. humble editor, so there's not much more to tell you right now. (In case you were wondering, an online search for "jazz session quintet" yields only a half-dozen results in total, none related to St. Louis.) I'll be trying over the next several days to track down more details, and will either update this post or add a new one as more information becomes available.

Jazz St. Louis announces winter/spring bookings for Jazz at the Bistro

Jazz St. Louis has announced additional bookings for this winter and spring at Jazz at the Bistro.

Singer-songwriter Javier Mendoza’s Latin Jazz Experiment will be the first local/regional act to play the Bistro in 2013, returning on Friday, January 11 and Saturday, January 12.

Two weeks later, multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris and singer/trumpeter Dawn Weber will team up for performances on Friday, January 25 and Saturday, January 26.

Next up, The Wee Trio, formed in NYC but featuring former St. Louisan Dan Loomis on bass, will return to the Bistro to record a live CD on Friday, February 8 and Saturday, February 9.

And speaking of recordings, the Willie Akins/Montez Coleman Group will have a CD release party for their upcoming album The St. Louis Connection on Saturday, February 23.

Also returning to the Bistro will be the Funky Butt Brass Band, with a one-nighter announced for Friday, March 22.

Lastly, as in years past, the Bistro will be the site of the opening show for the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, with clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen (pictured) and drummer Matt Wilson paired for a performance on Thursday, April 18. (The GSLJF previously had announced concerts at the Touhill Performing Arts Center featuring the Monterey Jazz Festival 55th anniversary tour on Friday, April 19 and the Doc Severinsen Big Band on Saturday, April 20.)

The announcement from Jazz St. Louis did not include prices, but tickets for all of the performances at the Bistro will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, December 1 via Metrotix. To purchase tickets for the GSLJF shows at the Touhill, call their ticket office at 314-516-4949 or visit the Touhill website.

Touhill offering pre-sale of tickets for 2013 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival

The Touhill Performing Arts Center this week is offering a special pre-sale of tickets for the 2013 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, which go on sale to the general public next Monday, December 3.

The GSLJF's featured performers will be the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour 55th Anniversary tribute show on Friday, April 19, and trumpeter Doc Severinsen and his big band on Saturday, April 20.

The Monterey Jazz Festival tribute will feature an all-star band (pictured) including bassist and musical director Christian McBride, singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, saxophonist Chris Potter, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, pianist Benny Green and drummer Lewis Nash, while Severinsen, of course, is famous for his long tenure as bandleader for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

Tickets for both shows are $35, and can be purchased now by in person at the Touhill Ticket or by calling 314-516-4949 and mentioning the promo code "FESTIVAL." To buyonline, go here, and look for the promo code box at the top right of the page. Type in FESTIVAL, then click the arrow to submit, and you should be able to access the order form.

Galactic returning to perform Thursday, February 14 at The Pageant

The New Orleans funk/jazz band Galactic (pictured) is returning to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, February 14 at The Pageant. Special guests for the show will be singer Corey Glover of Living Colour, and Latyrx, featuring Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truthspeaker.

Galactic last appeared in St. Louis in March of this year at the Pageant, touring in support of their then-new release Carnival Electricos.

General admission tickets for the February 14 show at the Pageant are $22.50 in advance, $25 day of show, and will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Friday, November 30 via Ticketmaster. The Pageant also is conducting a Facebook-only presale from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. this Thursday, for which you must enable Ticketmaster's Facebook app; for details on that, go here.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: 50 years with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

This week, let's take a look at some videos featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, who will be in St. Louis to perform their "Creole Christmas" show on Sunday, December 9 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

This is the seventh year PHJB has done "Creole Christmas," though the first couple of years were in New Orleans only. This is the show's St. Louis debut, and as you'd expect from the title, it features PHJB's takes on familiar holiday favorites such as “Winter Wonderland,” “White Christmas,” “O Christmas Tree,” "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and others.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and you can see their history recounted in a short documentary in the embedded video window up above. Down below, you can see a very early interview with business manager and tuba player Allan Jaffe, recorded back in 1961 for NBC's Huntley-Brinkley Report.

Below that, we've got four performance clips featuring different lineups of the PHJB, starting with a vintage 1973 version of "Just A Closer Walk With Thee," featuring Percy Humphrey (trumpet), Jim Robinson (trombone), Willie Humphrey (clarinet), Sing Miller (piano), Allan Jaffe (tuba), and Cie Frazier (drums).

Next, it's "Hindustan," taken from the band's set at the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival and featuring John Brunious Jr (trumpet), Ernest "Doc" Watson (saxophone), Lucien Barbarin (trombone), Carl LeBlanc (banjo), Rickie Monie (piano), Walter Payton (bass), and Joe Lastie Jr. (drums).

The fifth clip is an excerpt from a PHJB performance of "St. Louis Blues," featuring vocals from trombonist Freddie Lonzo, that was recorded in 2008 at B.B. King's in NYC.

The final video, made in February of this year at the Louisiana Music Factory in New Orleans, shows the present-day lineup of the band playing "Bourbon Street Parade," "Trouble in Mind." and a gospel-flavored arrangement of "When The Saints Go Marching In." Along with Lastie, Monie, Barbarin, and tuba player Ben Jaffe, son of Allan, this version of the band also features Mark Braud on vocals and trumpet and Charlie Gilbert on saxophone and clarinet.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Organizers of the annual Record Store Day celebration, held in April at indie record stores across the nation, now have enlisted many of the same retailers in a promotion for "Black Friday."  It's a smaller-scale event, mostly about selling limited edition releases which this year include vinyl reissues of Miles Davis' Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain. You can see the complete list of today's specials here, and find a list of the closest participating stores here.

* And speaking of Black Friday, if you've got musicians or music students on your holiday gift list, know that Mel Bay, the famed St. Louis based purveyor of fine music instructional materials, today is offering 30% off your entire purchase and free shipping to online customers who use the promo code "pie" when ordering.

* Jazz St. Louis announced this week that due to "circumstances beyond our control," Hip Grease will not be appearing as originally scheduled the weekend of December 7 and 8 at Jazz at the Bistro. Stepping in will be Andy Coco's Rhythm Section Road Show, a soul-jazz ensemble led by the KDHX DJ & bassist for Hip Grease, Gumbohead and others. Tickets originally purchased for Hip Grease can be used for the same evening/set of the Rhythm Section Road Show, or returned to the original point of purchase for a refund at face value.

* In other Jazz St. Louis news, they've posted to Facebook a photo set from organist Joey DeFrancesco's appearance last week before students at Crossroads College Prep.

* Also on Facebook, organizers of the Nevermore Jazz Ball, held earlier this month at several venues in the city, have posted a recap of the event's four days of live music and swing dancing.

* Want to win a free copy of World On A String, the new book from John Pizzarelli? JazzTimes magazine is doing a online giveaway of the "musical memoir" from the singer/guitarist, who will be in St. Louis to play Jazz at the Bistro next Wednesday through Saturday. You can enter to win the book here.

* The London Jazz blog has a review of the new book Miles Davis: The Complete Illustrated History and a review of pianist Marcus Roberts' performance last week in London. Roberts (pictured) will be in St. Louis next Saturday to play at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

* The performance venue/gallery Blank Space, now occupying the Cherokee St. building once home to retailer & DIY music venue Cranky Yellow, is the subject of a feature story from the Riverfront Times' Brian Heffernan.

Marcus Baylor to perform Thursday, December 27 at the Bistro at Grand Center

Drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor is coming home for the holidays to perform on Thursday, December 27 at the Bistro at Grand Center, 3536 Washington Ave.

St. Louis jazz fans will recognize the address as the home of Jazz at the Bistro, of course, and Baylor (pictured) knows the room well, having played there several times during his decade as drummer for the jazz-fusion band Yellowjackets. He left that gig a couple of years ago to concentrate on developing a solo career and collaborating with his wife, singer Jean Baylor, though he subsequently has done some work with Kenny Garrett, Cassandra Wilson, and others, too.

"The Sons of St. Louis Reunion," as it is being billed, also will feature Jean Baylor on vocals and keyboardist Shedrick Mitchell, whose credits include work with bassist Christian McBride, trumpeter Russell Gunn, harmonica player Gregoire Maret, R&B singer Maxwell, and the late Whitney Houston.

Though the show is not a presentation of Jazz St. Louis, Baylor is sticking with the Bistro's usual set times of 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and are on sale now via Metrotix.

Jazz this week: Jeremy Davenport, Dave Dickey Big Band, Tim Cunningham, and more

Though the holiday weekend means minimal activity from touring musicians over the next few days, St. Louis' local players will be serving up plenty of home-cooked jazz and creative music, both before and after the traditional turkey dinners and football games. Let's go to the highlights...

The weekend's headline attraction is trumpet player, singer and University City native Jeremy Davenport (pictured), who's coming back from his current home in New Orleans for what's become an annual Thanksgiving weekend gig on Friday and Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Except for a brief post-Katrina interregnum that saw him back in St. Louis for a year, Davenport has held the house band gig at the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans for over a decade now. Singing in the same Sinatra-inspired vein as his former employer Harry Connick Jr., and playing swinging trumpet in a straight-ahead style, Davenport is so popular there that a few years ago, the hotel renamed the room where he plays "The Davenport Lounge" in tribute. For much more on Davenport and some video samples, see StLJN's previous coverage here and here.

Elsewhere around town, tonight singer Joe Mancuso is at Frontenac Grill, and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play at the Feasting Fox.

On Friday, the Willie Akins-Eric Slaughter Group with singer Erika Johnson will perform at Cigar Inn, and singer/guitarist Tommy Halloran and flute player Dre Concepcion will duet for diners at Big Sky Cafe.

Then on Saturday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham and special guest Theo Peoples - singer, keyboardist and former member of both the Temptations and Four Tops - will play at the Signature Room.

That same evening, singer Feyza Eren leads a quartet at the Wine Press; and the cabaret show "Love Grows Here -- In St. Louis! The music of Lina Koutrakos," starring singers Shauna Sconce, Robert Breig, Dionna Raedeke, and Katie McGrath, will be performed at the Kranzberg Arts Center

On Sunday, the Dave Dickey Big Band will play their monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, with the Webster Groves High School Jazz Band performing during intermission.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli will be in town a day before his opening at Jazz at the Bistro to do a book signing and interview with KMOX radio's Charlie Brennan at Nerinx Hall High School in Webster Groves. Pizzarelli's just-released book World on a String is described as "a musical memoir." The event is free, but you must call 314-444-1827 in advance to reserve a spot.

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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Deep in the shed with Marcus Roberts

More so than many jazz pianists of his generation, Marcus Roberts shows the distinct influence of pre-WWII piano players such as Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller and others who helped shape the music's first few decades. St. Louis jazz fans will get a chance to experience Roberts' historically informed pianism in a couple of weeks when he and his trio perform on Saturday, December 1 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Blind since childhood, Roberts attended attended the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida, also the alma mater of Ray Charles, and studied classical music at Florida State University. His affinity for the jazz tradition made him something of a natural collaborator for trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who in 1985 plucked Roberts from relative obscurity and installed him as the pianist in his small group and in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Roberts began recording as a leader soon after joining Marsalis, releasing albums prolifically through the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s that often explored the music of past jazz greats while also incorporating techniques derived from his classical background. Though like many jazz artists, Roberts has put out relatively fewer recordings as the music business began to come apart over the last decade, 2011 saw him release two new albums, New Orleans Meets Harlem and the holiday themed Celebrating Christmas.

This year, he and his longtime collaborators, drummer Jason Marsalis and bassist Rodney Jordan, teamed up with banjo player Béla Fleck to release Across the Imaginary Divide and tour in support of the album. In addition, Roberts this month has just released a new, re-recorded version of Deep In The Shed, his 1990 solo album recorded while still with Wynton Marsalis that, though considered one of his strongest early efforts, had gone out of print.

Today, we've got a half-dozen video clips that should serve as a handy short-form introduction to Roberts, his trio, and their approach to music. The first clip seen up above, is a performance of the title track from Deep In The Shed, recorded in 2008 at a retrospective concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Down below, there are solo versions of Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" and Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'", both of which seem to date from around the turn of the century.

Below that, you can see Roberts and the trio playing the Gershwin standard "I Got Rhythm" in 2003 with Seiji Ozawa and the Berlin Philharmonic in 2003. The fifth clip is a version of the Thelonious Monk tune "Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-Are" (aka "Bolivar Blues") that appears to have been recorded in the studios of PBS' Tavis Smiley Show, perhaps in conjunction with Roberts' October 2009 appearance on that program.

To wrap up, there's a video interview with Roberts, recorded last year not long after the release of New Orleans Meets Harlem, that also features some musical excerpts.

For more about Roberts and the re-imagined Deep In The Shed, you can check out the news release about the album and this piece from Larry Bluemnfeld's blog at ARTinfo, and give a listen to the new version of "The Governor" from the album.











(Edited 11/27/12 to fix a couple of garbled sentences.)

Dan Hicks to perform Wednesday, March 13 at the Wildey Theatre

Singer-guitarist Dan Hicks (pictured) and His Hot Licks will be returning to the St. Louis area next year for a performance at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 13 at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville.

Hicks, who's been combining jazz, Western swing, folk, Gypsy music, blues and rock with wry humor since the late 1960s, played here most recently in July at the Old Rock House. Tickets are $35 and are on sale online now.

John King to record live DVD on Friday, December 21 at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups

Bassist John King (pictured), known for his work with Good 4 The Soul, saxophonist Jim Stevens, and numerous other St. Louis musicians and groups, will launch his new solo project with the recording for DVD of a live performance at 7:00 p.m. Friday, December 21 at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

The gig, billed as "John King - The Story of My Life," will showcase King's new band, featuring drummer Kevin Kelley, keyboardist Kyle Kelley and guitarist Steve Johnson, as well as guest performers including Stevens; singers Denise Thimes, Kim Massie, Cheryl Brown, and Anita Jackson; and others. Admission for the show is $20.

Dave Weckl using crowdfunding to finance new recording with Jay Oliver

Drummer Dave Weckl is teaming up again with his old friend, keyboardist and fellow St. Louis expat Jay Oliver, and using "crowd funding" to raise money for their new project. 

Friends since high school, Oliver and Weckl worked together on Weckl's early solo albums Master Plan, Heads Up, and Hard Wired and the Dave Weckl Band albums Rhythm of the Soul and Synergy, but it's been twelve years since the two last collaborated.

Though the drummer has recorded for Concord Music subsidiary Stretch Records since 1998, with his most recent CD Multiplicity coming out in 2005, this time he's turning to fans and friends to finance the project via the crowd-funding site Pledge Music.

Like the better-known KickStarter and other similar services, Pledge Music allows creators to set a financial goal for a prospective album, then promote it online directly to fans. Supporters can pledge at different levels to get various rewards, but the project proceeds and the money is collected only if the fundraising goal is met.

For their as-yet untitled project, Weckl and Oliver plan to assemble a package that will include not only an album of new music, but also a DVD, written charts, and "play along" mixes without drums, guitar, bass, or keyboards. The recording will feature additional guest musicians, yet to be announced, and will include a drum duet featuring Weckl and a collaborator TBA.

Possible levels of support range from $15, which gets you project updates and an MP3 download of the finished product, all the way up to $15,000, for which the lucky supporter will be rewarded with a "private jam in your home/venue." The campaign ends on December 10. For more information or to pledge your support, visit Weckl's page at Pledge Music.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Music for Lifelong Achievement's recently concluded musical instrument drive was the subject of a feature story this week on local Fox affiliate KTVI.

* The new cabaret ensemble Women Under the Influence is profiled by the St. Louis Beacon's Terry Perkins. The group will make their performing debut Saturday night in a sold-out gig at Joe Buck's restaurant downtown.

* And speaking of cabaret, Post-Dispatch theater critic Judith Newmark reports that producer/director Tim Schall is convening a town hall meeting of "stakeholders" in the local cabaret scene at 2:00 p.m. this Saturday, November 17 at the Regional Arts Commission building, 6128 Delmar Boulevard.

* Jazz on Broadway has posted to their Facebook page photo albums of recent performance by funk/fusion band Soul Cafe and singer Joe Mancuso.

* Jazz Times has put online an excerpt from the new autobiography by saxophonist Dave Liebman, in which Liebman talks about his experiences joining Miles Davis' band in the early 1970s.

* Also at Jazz Times, they've collected online several videos of saxophonist David Sanborn (pictured) talking about how he selected the tunes and assembled his new retrospective CD set Then Again.

* The blog Destination: Out this week featured a vintage downloadable track from St. Louis' Human Arts Ensemble.

Jazz this week: Joey DeFrancesco, Dan Thomas, Harry Miller, Montez Coleman, Genesis Jazz Project, and more

This week's lineup of jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis is headed by organist Joey DeFrancesco (pictured), who this evening will open a four-night gig continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. DeFrancesco, considered by many to be the reigning champ of the blues-drenched jazz organ style pioneered by the late Jimmy Smith, has played in St. Louis numerous times in recent years, and thus likely needs no further introduction to most local jazz fans.

That said, if you're interested in finding out more about Joey D., and seeing some recent video samples demonstrating his always-impressive skills on the B-3, check out this video showcase post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Tomorrow night, Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series had been scheduled to present a program called "Freedom Jazz Dance" with dancer and choreographer Ashley Tate and the St. Louis Creative Artists Jazz Ensemble. According to an email sent out on Tuesday, that event has been canceled, but there will be a free concert at the usual time featuring a "surprise" artist TBA.

On Friday, saxophonist Dan Thomas, who co-leads the jazz program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, will present a free concert and clinic at Saxquest. Also on Friday, guitarist Tom Byrne will lead a trio with bassist Chris Watrous and drummer Fred Spencer at Cigar Inn; and singer Brad Carlson will front a quartet at Robbie's House of Jazz

On Saturday evening, pianist Harry Miller, who grew up in University City but now lives in New York, will be returning home for his first-ever headlining gig here at Robbie's. Among his many other credits, Miller spent a couple of years on the road with Maynard Ferguson as keyboardist for the trumpeter's band Big Bop Nouveau. For this date, he'll be backed by the highly capable local rhythm team of bassist Darrell Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes.

Also Saturday, guitarist Dave Black will play an early evening solo set at the Schlafly St. Louis Brewery and Tap Room downtown. Later that night, a new cabaret performance called "Women Under the Influence," produced by singer Robert Breig’s Mariposa Artists, will be presented in the showroom at Joe Buck’s Restaurant, 10th and Clark downtown. The ensemble show offers a cabaret-style take on songs from the girl-group era of the 1960s up to the present day, and reunites pianist and singer Carol Schmidt and singer/multi-instrumentalist Michele Isam - who had a long, successful run working together in the pop/folk/jazz duo Jasmine - along with singers Katie McGrath and Debbie Schuster.

On Sunday, drummer Montez Coleman's group will play a free concert for the St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers series at Second Baptist Church. Also on Sunday, singer Erika Johnson has taken on an organizing role in the weekly jam session at Blank Space, the new name for the performance space/gallery that to be known as Cranky Yellow, at 2847 Cherokee. Johnson is touting the event as a combination of "Hit Session-Cutting Contest-Networking," and cautions that it's NOT a jam for those seeking "to get your feet wet."

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday drummer Joe Pastor's trio will play at BB's Jazz Blues & Soups. Then on Tuesday, the Genesis Jazz Project will perform at Midwest Music Conservatory, 15977 Clayton Rd in Ballwin. Admission to the concert is free when you bring one canned good for Circle of Concern.

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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Old and new standards from John Pizzarelli

Once again, this week we're taking a look at some fresh video footage of a musician very familiar to St. Louis fans. That's guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli, who's coming back at the end of the month to perform Wednesday, November 28 through Saturday, December 1 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Pizzarelli, the son of jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, has played St. Louis numerous times in recent years, appearing previously at the Sheldon Concert Hall and at the Touhill Performing Arts Center for the the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival in addition to several previous turns at the Bistro. During those appearances, he's demonstrated his continuing affinity for jazz standards, drawing on the Great American Songbook and the music of other great jazz composers, notably Duke Ellington.

In the first clip above, you can see and hear Pizzarelli doing a solo version of one of those standards, Gershwin's "I've Got Rhythm," in a clip recorded in July for Fretboard Journal magazine in Seattle.

Down below, the second clip shows Pizzarelli and guitarist Graham Dechter dueting on Ellington's "Satin Doll" in a performance at Jazzwoche Berghausen 2011. The third clip offers more Gershwin with "Lady Be Good," recorded by Pizzarelli with his combo last year at the Tbilisi Jazz Festival in Georgia.

Below that is another clip from the Jazzwoche Berghausen gig, which features Pizzarelli and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra doing a hybrid of two Ellington songs, adding the lyric and melody of "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" to the orchestral arrangement for "East St. Louis Toodle-oo."

That same of idea of combining two disparate songs into one arrangement is the notion behind Pizzarelli's most recent album Double Exposure, in which the work of pop songwriters such as Lennon and McCartney, Neil Young, James Taylor, Leiber and Stoller, Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell is re-conceived using grooves, harmonies and arrangement ideas borrowed from the likes of Wes Montgomery, Billy Strayhorn, Thad Jones and John Coltrane.

The concept is clarified in the fifth clip, a promotional video for Double Exposure that includes a good chunk of Pizzarelli's blending of the Beatles' song "I Feel Fine" with Lee Morgan's classic Blue Note groove "The Sidewinder." There's more in the final clip, taken from his appearance in September on the Brazilian talk/variety program Todo Seu ("It's All Yours"), in which Pizzarelli does solo versions of "I Feel Fine" and the Lieber/Stoller tune "Ruby Baby."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The organizers of last weekend's Nevermore Jazz Ball have posted a YouTube playlist compiling video highlights from the four-day event. Also, the Post-Dispatch/STLtoday has posted online a set of pictures from the NJB's Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl.

* Saxquest has posted on Facebook photos from last Saturday's appearance at the shop by trumpeter Terell Stafford and Sunday's performance and workshop featuring the Oasis Saxophone Quartet.

* Guitarist William Lenihan was profiled by Terry Perkins for the St. Louis Beacon.

* The annual musical instrument drive conducted by the not-for-profit organization Music for Lifelong Achievement wrapped up this week, and this year's efforts yielded a record number of donated instruments. More than 100 used instruments were collected, which will be repaired and refurbished as needed and donated to local schools and music programs. Although the drive only happens once a year, MFLA accepts donations of instruments and cash any time. For more information or to make a donation, call The Sheldon at 314-533-9900 or visit the website.

* The UK newspaper the Guardian this week has republished a lengthy 1985 interview with Miles Davis (pictured).

Jazz this week: Jim Manley, Christopher McBride CD release tour, "ArtSounds" with Sylvia McNair, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features the debut of a St. Louis trumpeter's new band; a mini-tour through the area from a Chicago saxophonist; tributes to the music of Nancy Wilson, Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix; and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, singer Denise Thimes will take the stage at the Sheldon Concert Hall with the aforementioned "Tribute to Nancy Wilson" (meaning the Nancy Wilson who recorded jazz for Capitol and Blue Note, and not the lead singer of rock band Heart). Proceeds from the event benefit the Mildred Thimes Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Also tonight, saxophonist Christopher McBride will showcase music from the new CD by his band Quatuor de Force in a gig at Robbie's House of Jazz. McBride, who studied under Ronald Carter at Northern Illinois University and now lives in the Chicago area, also will be playing at the Cigar Inn in Belleville on Friday and at Bugsy's in Union on Saturday.

And if that's not enough for one evening, guitarist William Lenihan on Thursday night will front a event billed as "Turning Point: Electric Miles and Hendrix Confluence" for a free concert presented by the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

On Friday, trumpeter Jim Manley will play the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, presenting the debut performance of his new group Mad Brass & Rhythm. In addition to Manley, the lineup of musicians includes Larry Johnson on saxophones, Jim Owens on trombone, Chris Miller on trumpet and flugelhorn, and a rhythm section of Arthur Toney (piano), Jeremy Pffefer (bass), and Joe Weber (drums). Manley hasn't released a lot of details on what they'll be playing, though he's said the band has all-new arrangements, and the Bistro is touting the gig as "straight-ahead jazz."

Update - 11/9/12, 10:30 a.m.: Manley checked in via email with details on the songlist, which will include new takes on familiar standards including "Take The 'A' Train," "In a Mellow Tone," "Angel Eyes," "Tin Tin Deo," "Softly as a Morning Sunrise," and "Caravan" as well as some blues.

Also Friday, the Sheldon presents its annual ArtSounds benefit, raising money for its educational programs with a cabaret-style performance from singer Sylvia McNair; and guitarist Tom Byrne and singer John Robinson will be at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday, Sandy Weltman and Hot Club Caravan will play Gypsy jazz and swing at Robbie's, and funk/fusion band Soul Cafe is at Jazz on Broadway in Alton.

Then on Sunday evening, saxophonist Tim Cunningham will perform at the Signature Room; and guitarist John Farrar will be playing solo at the Schlafly St. Louis Brewery & Tap Room.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band will be back for their monthly gig at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups; and the Webster University student jazz combos will perform at Webster's Community Music School.

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.)

Kirk Whalum performing "Gospel According to Jazz Christmas" on Saturday, December 1 at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church

Saxophonist Kirk Whalum (pictured) will perform a "Gospel According to Jazz Christmas" concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 1 at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 5515 Doctor Martin Luther King Dr.

Whalum, a popular smooth jazz and R&B performer and the nephew of St. Louis pianist, saxophonist and singer Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum, first launched the "Gospel According to Jazz" concept in 2002 with an album of the same name. His 2010 release The Gospel According to Jazz Chapter III included the Grammy Award winning song "It's What I Do," written with pianist Jerry Peters and sung on the album by Lalah Hathaway (daughter of pianist, singer and former St. Louisan Donny Hathaway). 

For the "Gospel According to Jazz Christmas" concert, Whalum will be joined here by pianist Keiko Matsui and singer Amber Bullock, the St. Louisan who recently won BET's Sunday Best Gospel reality show competition, as well as singers John Stoddart and Kevin Whalum and the FTMBC's own choir.

The show's St. Louis date is part of a weekend mini-tour that includes a performance in Whalum's hometown of Memphis on Friday, and one in Nashville on Sunday. General admission tickets for Kirk Whalum's "Gospel According to Jazz Christmas" concert are $22 and are on sale now at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church; by phone at 314-267-9700; or online at http://www.kirkwhalum.com/.

Harry Miller to play Saturday, November 17 at Robbie's House of Jazz

Pianist and St. Louis expat Harry Miller, who grew up in University City and now lives in NYC, is coming back home this month to perform at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, November 17 at Robbie's House of Jazz.

Miller's credits include a couple of years of road work with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's last touring group, Big Bop Nouveau, with whom the pianist played his last St. Louis gig about a decade ago. In addition to leading his own bands and doing freelance gigs in a variety of genres, Miller (pictured) also has worked with notables including Greg Osby, Ralph Moore, Jean Toussaint, Mike Stern, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Jerome Harris, Slide Hampton, Ted Curson, Paul Motian, Phoebe Snow, Michael Urbaniak, Cindy Blackman, DK Dyson, Allan Zavod, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ashford & Simpson, Quincy Jones, and Bebe Winans.

Miller also has self-released four recordings as a leader, the most recent of which, Jazz Beauty Supply, featured a supporting cast that included saxophonist Steve Slagle and singer Kate McGarry. He'll be joined for his gig at Robbie's by bassist Darrel Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes. Admission at the door is $10, $5 for students with ID.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Six from Joey DeFrancesco

Today, we're checking in once again with organist Joey DeFrancesco, who will be back in St. Louis to perform Wednesday, November 14 through Saturday, November 17 at Jazz at the Bistro.

At this point, most St. Louis jazz fans likely are familiar with DeFrancesco, who's played here numerous times over the years, most recently in August 2011 as part of an extended tour backing David Sanborn. His more recent local gig as a leader was back in March 2010, when he played the Bistro with his trio.

The son and grandson of professional musicians, DeFrancesco, 41, grew up near Philadelphia and got his his first big break - a chance to perform and record with Miles Davis - when he was just 17. He's gone on to play with Sanborn, guitarists John McLaughlin and Pat Martino, and numerous others as well as touring and recording frequently with his own group.

DeFrancesco was featured in this space a couple of years ago before his last gig at the Bistro, so for this post we'll concentrate on showing some performances recorded since that visit. The first clip up above features DeFrancesco, drummer Jeremy Thomas and guitarist Steve Cotter playing Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman" in August of this year at Dazzle nightclub in Denver.

Down below, in a clip recorded just a few days later at the Oakville Jazz Festival in Canada, you can hear DeFrancesco play the head and solo on an excerpt of "Wonderful, Wonderful," which is the title track of his most recent album, released earlier this year.

Next, Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" gets re-imagined with a swing rhythm in a clip recorded in 2011 at Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia. Below that, you can see DeFrancesco in a more informal setting, playing an uptempo blues to demonstrate some new gear at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in 2011.

In the fifth clip, recorded in March of this year at the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival, DeFrancesco pulls out his other instrument, the trumpet - something he does at regular intervals, though not necessarily every single night - for a rendition of "Old Folks."

The sixth and final clip takes DeFrancesco out of his usual trio setting for a gig with Miles Smiles, a Miles Davis tribute project that performed some dates this past summer in Europe. This version of Davis' "All Blues" was recorded in July 2012 at the San Sebastián jazz festival in Donosti, Spain. In addition to DeFrancesco, it features Wallace Roney (trumpet), Rick Margitza (tenor sax), Robben Ford (guitar), Darryl Jones (bass), and Omar Hakim (drums). DeFrancesco's solo starts at around 7:20.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Cornetist and composer Taylor Ho Bynum had a few words with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson for a concert preview story now published online. Bynum also answered a few questions about his music during another interview that's now posted on New Music Circle's website. NMC will present Bynum and his sextet in a performance tomorrow night at the Luminary Center for the Arts.

* Nevermore Jazz Ball has added another public event to this weekend's menu of happenings: a happy hour meet-and-greet with some of the festival's dance instructors, dancers, and musicians, held today at Rue Lafayette.

* Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra's recent visit to St. Louis included some time mentoring and performing with students from the East St. Louis High School jazz band in a concert at Washington University's 560 Music Center. Wash U's news service has a short article about the visit, along with a YouTube video, here.

* Electronic musician and composer Eric Hall has posted online his set from last weekend's Noisefest at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.

* When he comes to town at the end of this month to play at Jazz at the Bistro, guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli (pictured) also will plug his new book World on a String: A Musical Memoir on the airwaves of KMOX radio. Pizzarelli's tome is the November selection for the KMOX/Fontbonne University Book of the Month Club, and he'll visit in person with the station's Charlie Brennan and listeners at an event at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 27 at the Heagney Theatre on the campus of Nerinx Hall, 530 East Lockwood in Webster Groves. There's no charge to attend, but reservations are required, and can be made by calling 314-444-1827. The interview also will be taped for airing on Brennan's program in December.

* The Metropolitan Artists Lofts in Grand Center will have a grand opening ceremony next Thursday, November 8. The building, just a short walk from Jazz at the Bistro, the Sheldon Concert Hall, Powell Symphony Hall and other venues in the district, has 72 units specifically designed as affordable housing for artists and musicians.

* Down Beat magazine has published their list of 2012 Reader's Poll winners, and as it turns out, a substantial number of them have played in St. Louis during the last couple of years. However, the only local actually to win an award this year was the late Miles Davis, who copped the "Historical Album" trophy for Miles Davis Quintet, Live In Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 (Columbia/Legacy). See the complete results of the poll here.