Friday, May 09, 2014

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Euclid Records is pitching in this weekend to the campaign to help pianist and St. Louis native Ray Kennedy (pictured), who's been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, can no longer play and requires full-time care.

Fans and friends have put up a page on the site You Caring to raise funds for Kennedy's medical expenses and for his family, which includes two daughters. To support the effort, Euclid owner Joe Schwab is offering to donate to the Kennedy fund an amount equivalent to 10% of all purchases made in the store this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

* A block party will be held in NYC on Monday, May 26 to celebrate the renaming of West 77th Street between Riverside Drive and West End Ave as “Miles Davis Way.”  Davis' daughter Cheryl Davis, his son Erin Davis, and nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr. will be on hand to represent Miles Davis Properties, LLC.

* In related news, Rock Paper Photo and the Davis estate on May 20 will release an exclusive line of artwork featuring Davis, including rare limited-edition photos, fine art reproductions of the trumpeter's own paintings and drawings, and graphic designs inspired by the artwork on his albums.

* Saxophonist and St. Louis native Greg Osby continues his skein of shows in Australia, where he was interviewed by the The West Australian newspaper in Perth and reviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald.

* Doug Ramsey of Rifftides blogged this week about the musical importance of St. Louis native Clark Terry and the 93-year-old trumpeter's continuing health challenges.

* Trumpeter/singer and St. Louis expat Jeremy Davenport was interviewed this week on WGNO radio in his adopted hometown of New Orleans.

* Speaking of heading south, the Funky Butt Brass Band announced this week that they'll make the trip down to Helena, AR this fall for the 29th annual King Biscuit Blues Festival, where they'll appear on Friday, October 8.

* Ken Whiteside of the Miles Davis Jazz Festival organizing committee was interviewed about the upcoming 2014 festival this past Wednesday on Alton's WBGZ (1570 AM). You can listen to an audio stream of the conversation here (scroll down to "Let's Talk-5-7-Ken Whiteside-Miles Davis Jazz Festival") or download an .mp3 of it here.

* Lindy Hop St. Louis co-founders Christian Frommelt and Jenny Shirar spoke to KWMU's Camille Phillips about Prohibition-era dance styles for a story about “American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition,” an exhibit that opened last month at the Missouri History Museum.

* Sound Unlimited has posted to their Facebook page an album of photos from recent gigs at Vito's In The Valley.

* Jazz St. Louis will be the beneficiary of St. Louis magazine's "Food Wine Design" event on Wednesday, June 4 at the Lumen Private Event Space, 2201 Locust. Tickets are $85 per person or $800 per table of 10, and include a four-course meal prepared by Vince Bommarito Jr. of Tony’s and Adam Gnau of Acero; wine and beer pairings; cocktails; music from the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars; valet parking; and a souvenir wine glass and gift bag.

* Jazz radio update: WSIE general manager Greg Conroy tells StLJN that the station will conduct a fundraising drive the first weekend of June; watch this space for more details.

Meanwhile, this Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis, Calvin Wilson's "Somethin' Else"  program features music from jazz trios that don't employ the usual piano-bass-drums formulation, including groups led by Stanley Clarke, Dave Douglas and Charlie Hunter.

After that, Jason Church's "The Jazz Collective" will include tracks from Dan Kusz, Cindy Bradley, Jamie Liddell, Pieces of a Dream, The Manhattan Transfer, Jamie Cullum, Miles Davis, Ben Webster with Maynard Ferguson, and Chick Corea, as well as locals Carolbeth True, Tommy Halloran, Joe Mancuso and Anthony Hines.

Wilson's program airs at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by Church at 9:00 p.m., on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.  

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