Friday, June 27, 2014

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* St. Louis police have made an arrest in the shooting incident last Friday that injured Funky Butt Brass Band trumpeter Adam Hucke while he was playing a gig on the patio at the Broadway Oyster Bar. Hucke, who was hit in the left shoulder by a stray bullet fired from outside on the street, was treated and released at a local hospital that night and anticipates a full recovery.

* The Jazz St. Louis All-Stars student ensemble is traveling this weekend to St. Paul, MN to perform on Saturday at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. The All-Stars, comprised of the top players from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program for middle school and high school students, also will take part in a private clinic with Peruvian guitarist Andres Prado and public clinics with both saxophonist Branford Marsalis and percussionist Baba Tundelea.

This is the 16th year for the TCJF, which is free and open to the public and is expected to attract more than 30,000 people to hear musicians including Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, and up-and-coming saxophonist Melissa Aldana.

* The IndieGoGo campaign to raise additional funds for Miles Ahead, actor Don Cheadle's film about Miles Davis, has pulled in $163,206 toward a goal of $325,000 with 14 days left.

Meanwhile, Cheadle also has posted another short promotional video for the campaign, showing him working on his trumpet chops, while Essence magazine this week ran an interview with Davis' family members in which they talk about why they thought Cheadle was the right man to star in and direct a movie about the trumpeter.

* In related news, results of the 2014 Down Beat Critics Poll are out this week, and Miles At The Fillmore - Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 was the winner in the Historical Album category. See the complete results of the poll here.

* Also, the new re-issue program celebrating the 65th anniversary of Prestige Records (now owned by the Concord Music group) will include Davis' recordings for the label.

* Enjoy The View, the new album featuring saxophonist and former St. Louisan David Sanborn along with mallet percussionist Bobby Hutcherson, organist Joey DeFrancesco and drummer Billy Hart, is out this week and available on iTunes and Amazon.

* Saxophonist Greg Osby started blogging earlier this year, and in a new entry he offers some timely thoughts on jazz festivals booking non-jazz acts.

* Saxquest has posted on Facebook an album of photos from last Saturday's clarinet event featuring Diana Haskell and Tim Zavadil.

* The People's Key and multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris (pictured) have posted to SoundCloud some audio from their collaborative project "The Shawn Carter Jazz Suite," which offers a jazz take on the music of rapper Jay-Z.

* Jazz radio update:  This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis, Calvin Wilson's program “Somethin’ Else” will throw back to the some of the more progressive sounds of the 1980s, with music from saxophonist Tim Berne, pianist Don Pullen, the World Saxophone Quartet, and more. The program airs at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen

Then on Sunday's edition of KWMU's "Jazz Unlimited," host Dennis Owsley will remember the late Horace Silver by spinning recordings of Silver's compositions by his own groups plus the Jazz Messengers, Tuck and Patti, Stan Getz, Art Pepper, Sessions Big Band, Phineas Newborn, Jr., Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Pat Metheny, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. "Jazz Unlimited" is broadcast on KWMU (90.7 FM) from 9:00 p.m. to midnight Sundays, and also can be heard online at http://www.stlpublicradio.org/listen.php.

(Edited after posting.)

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