"Jazz Unlimited" to re-air documentary on St. Louis jazz history starting Sunday, July 6

Starting this coming Sunday, July 6, Dennis Owsley's "Jazz Unlimited" program will begin re-broadcasting Owsley's ten-part audio documentary on "The Jazz History of St. Louis."

"This ten-week documentary is the second longest music documentary in the history of radio and certainly the longest music documentary in St. Louis radio (I did the second longest in St. Louis in 1987)," wrote Owsley (pictured) in a recent email to StLJN.

Of course, since he literally wrote the book on St. Louis jazz history - Owsley's 2006 tome City of Gabriels: The Jazz History of St. Louis 1895-1974 remains the definitive volume on the subject - you'd expect something in depth.

And indeed, this series, as its creator enumerated in said email, does not disappoint on that count: "It contains 143 interview segments, 265 complete pieces of music (some very rare), 116 short biographies of musicians and radio people, with 564 musicians or institutions mentioned."

"Jazz Unlimited" is broadcast from 9:00 p.m. to midnight Sundays on KWMU/St. Louis Public Radio (90.7 FM), and also can be heard online at http://www.stlpublicradio.org/listen.php. "The Jazz History of St. Louis" documentary will continue weekly through Sunday, September 7.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Pieces of Silver

Today, StLJN temporarily suspends our usual locally oriented format to pay tribute to pianist Horace Silver, who died at age 85 a week ago Wednesday, June 18.

Known for more than 50 years as one of the leading composers and bandleaders in jazz, Silver performed and recorded with Stan Getz, Miles Davis and Art Blakey before launching his own group in the late 1950s. In the ensuing years, he become known as a prolific writer of tunes - many of which, like "Song For My Father," "The Preacher" and "Sister Sadie," have become jazz standards - and a bandleader with a real ear for up-and-coming talent.

Silver's ensembles provided some of the first high-profile exposure for a long list of musicians who went on to have significant careers, including saxophonists Hank Mobley, Junior Cook, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker, Bennie Maupin, and Bob Berg; trumpeters Blue Mitchell, Art Farmer, Woody Shaw, Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, and Dave Douglas; and drummers Louis Hayes and Billy Cobham.

For a more comprehensive account of Silver's life and career, you can read the obituaries published by the New York Times and the UK Guardian.

Before we get to the videos, it should be noted that StLJN normally doesn't cover the passing of prominent jazz musicians without a St. Louis connection, leaving that to publications catering to a more general audience. But Silver's music was personally significant for yr. humble editor, as finding it in my early teens was a crucial step in furthering my understanding and appreciation of jazz.

While a lot of jazz pianists seemed flowery and/or abstract to me at that age, Silver's hard-driving, gospel- and blues-influenced sound was a bit easier to grasp, and had a familial resemblance to the blues and boogie-woogie piano styles that I already had been trying to learn. Silver's music helped me see that all of those styles were in fact connected and also provided a lot of listening enjoyment along the way, and for those two things I will be forever thankful.

So, in tribute to Horace Silver, we present a collection of live performance clips spanning 30 years of his long and productive career.

Up top is a version of what is perhaps his most famous composition, "Song For My Father," seen here in a recording from 1968, with Bennie Maupin (tenor sax), Bill Hardman (trumpet), John Williams (bass), and Billy Cobham (drums).

After the jump, you'll find versions of "Senor Blues," and "Cool Eyes" from 1958, with Junior Cook (tenor sax), Blue Mitchell (trumpet), Gene Taylor (bass), and Louis Hayes (drums).

Then it's three numbers from 1964 - "Tokyo Blues," "Pretty Eyes," and "The Natives are Restless Tonight" - all featuring Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Carmell Jones (trumpet), Teddy Smith (bass), and Roger Humphries (drums), followed by "Nutville" from the same 1968 session as above.

After that, you can see Silver and singer Andy Bey perform "Old Mother Nature Calls," which first was recorded in early 1971 for Total Response, the second album in Silver's United States of Mind trilogy. This version is from a broadcast of the TV program Soul on January 26, 1972.

Next up are versions of Weldon Irvine's song "Liberated Brother" and Silver's own "Summer In Central Park," recorded in 1974 at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy with a band including Bob Berg (tenor sax), Tom Harrell (trumpet), Mike Richmond (bass) and Willian Goffigan (drums).

That's followed by a full set from the 1976 Umbria fest, again featuring Harrell and Berg plus Steve Beskrone (bass) and Eddie Gladden (drums).

Then in two parts, it's "The Gods Of Yoruba" recorded in 1985 with Brian Lynch on trumpet, Ralph Moore on tenor and Carl Burnett on drums.

Today's final video comes from the 1987 Jazzfestival Bern in Germany, and features a version of "Filthy McNasty" in which Silver is joined by Burnett, Dave Douglas (trumpet), Vincent Herring (alto sax), and Brian Bromberg (bass).

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

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.)

Jazz this week: Chesterfield Jazz Festival, Patrice Rushen, Andre Delano, Wine Dine & Jazz Festival, and more

It's jazz festival time across North America, with major events taking place in a number of cities including Montreal, Vancouver, Minneapolis -St. Paul, Washington DC, and more.

And though our town no longer has a large-scale, multi-day fest since the unfortunate demise of the St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival a few years back, local jazz fans can take some solace in two smaller festivals plus many other jazz-related events happening around town this weekend. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight is the final show at Robbie's House of Jazz in Webster Groves, as the club ends its five-year run with New Hampshire-based singer Wendee Glick fronting pianist Dave Venn's sextet. (Robbie's co-owner and GM Dorothy Edwards has said she's looking for a new location with greater visibility; StLJN will have more information on that as it becomes available.)

Also tonight, the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Experimental Arts Open Improv Night" with live improvised music; and Dizzy Atmosphere and Coco Rico offer a double dose of string band swing and Gypsy jazz at Thaxton Speakeasy.

Tomorrow, saxophonist and East St. Louis native Andre Delano is back home to perform a one-nighter at the Rustic Goat; and The People's Key, with special guests multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris and saxophonist Matt McKeever, will present "Never Can Say Goodbye: Jazz Memories of Michael," their tribute to the music of Michael Jackson, at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Also on Friday, singer Joe Mancuso's quartet will perform at Nathalie's; keyboardist Matt Villinger leads a trio at Cigar Inn; trumpeter Jim Manley plays at Thurman Grill; and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will be at C.J. Muggs in Webster Groves.

On Saturday, the second Chesterfield Wine and Jazz Festival will take place at Chesterfield Amphitheater. Unlike last year's ticketed show, this year's event is free and open to the public, and will feature a lineup topped by the electric jazz group Yellowjackets (pictured).

Also on the bill are Bach to the Future with special guest saxophonist Eric Marienthal; a group fronted by saxophonist Freddie Washington and drummer Maurice Carnes; pianist Ptah Williams' tribute to Chick Corea, and saxophonist Christopher Braig's band with singer Erika Johnson. For a closer look at a recent Yellowjackets show, check out this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Also on Saturday, the second day of the Wine, Dine & Jazz Festival in Belleville will feature keyboardist Pete Ruthenburg interpreting the music of Herbie Hancock, plus sets from singer Zena; Latin jazz band Son Montuno; and Soul Cafe.

Elsewhere around town, trumpeter Keith Moyer's quartet will play at Evangeline's; saxophonist Sam Hargadine's group with guitarist Tom Byrne and singer Feyza Eren will be at Bar Italia; and the Gateway City Big Band will play a free outdoor concert at Kirkwood Park Amphitheater.

On Sunday, the summer edition of the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will take place at the American Czech Hall on the south side.

Later that afternoon, keyboardist and singer Patrice Rushen, who lately has been doing more teaching and film scoring than performing, will be in town for a rare appearance at the Sheldon Concert Hall. For more about Rushen and some video samples from recent performances, see this post from last Saturday.

Also on Sunday, the Missouri Association for Jazz Education will present a jam session at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, and on Tuesday, Miss Jubilee will play a free outdoor concert at Fanetti Park.

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 to fix an incomplete sentence.  

Palladium added to national list of "Most Endangered Historic Places"

The Palladium building in Grand Center has been added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation 2014 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

Once home to Club Plantation, which hosted performances by many historically important jazz and blues musicians, the building (pictured) has been threatened both by neglect and by a potential expansion of the nearby VA Medical Center. The NTHP is a Washington-based not-for-profit group that works to save historic places in the United States.

The inclusion of the Palladium on their 2014 represents a potentially significant step in saving it, and a victory for local artist, author and activist Kevin Belford, who's been a vocal advocate for preserving and restoring the the building and created a Facebook group to publicize the effort.

On his blog Devil at the Confluence, Belford wrote:

"This is the only landmark in St. Louis ever recognized as an endangered national treasure. In its 27-year history, the NTHP's list has brought attention to more than 250 sites, only a handful of which have been lost, according to the Trust.

The new research and the support from everyone on the Facebook group made the difference and now the possibility of demolition by the VA Medical Center is lessened. The Missouri State Historic Preservation Office and the VA's own independent Cultural Resources survey confirms that the Palladium is significant for its association with culturally important events and social history.

In correspondence to the MSHP, the Veterans Administration said, "At this time, the VA considers it unlikely that the St. Louis Palladium property will be acquired." And in a recent reply to me, the VA's Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction said, "Presently the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has no plans to acquire the Palladium building." But the threat by the VA was not the only danger, because deterioration was evident in a recent visit inside of the building."

Opened in 1913 as a roller skating rink, the Palladium also served as a dance hall that featured some of St. Louis' first jazz performances. Club Plantation, which occupied the building during World War II and into the 1950s, had the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra as house band, and presented early performances by important St. Louis musicians including Chuck Berry and Miles Davis as well as nationally known touring acts like Nat "King" Cole, Benny Carter, the Mills Brothers, and Ella Fitzgerald. The building was used as a thrift store in the 1980s but has been vacant for a number of years.

“The Palladium is one of the last remaining links to St. Louis’ important role as a center for African-American music in the 20th century." said a statement from NTHP president Stephanie Meeks. "Rather than demolishing this vital piece of America’s historic fabric, it should be restored to once again serve as a cultural center for the people of St. Louis.”

For more about the history of the Palldium and Club Plantation, see these two entries from Belford's blog.

Photo from the Save the Palladium Building at Grand Center Facebook page. Edited 6/26/14 to fix a garbled sentence.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Patrice Rushen

This week, we turn our video spotlight on keyboardist, singer and composer Patrice Rushen, who will be in St. Louis to perform next Sunday, June 29 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

UPDATE - 12:30 p.m. 6/21/14: Less than an hour after this post went up, a reader got in touch to say she had tried to purchase tickets to the Patrice Rushen show yesterday, only to find it gone from both the Sheldon and Metrotix websites.

Sure enough, it seems that any mention of a Rushen performance has disappeared from the Sheldon site, and the Metrotix page for the show now says "This event is no longer available online," which makes things seem mighty dicey. Yr. humble StLJN editor has reached out to the Sheldon's marketing/PR person to try to find out what's going on, but their office are closed today so it may be Monday before anything can be confirmed. Stay tuned...

UPDATE #2 - 1:10 p.m., 6/21/14: I just spoke with a customer service rep at Metrotix, who, after checking with her supervisor, told me that the Patrice Rushen show is still on. She could not explain why tickets cannot be purchased online, but said they're available for purchase at the Sheldon, the Fox box office, or by phone at 314-534-1111. This post will be updated again once someone from the Sheldon responds.

UPDATE #3 - 11:20 a.m., 6/23/14: Just spoke with Chris Peimann, marketing and PR director for The Sheldon, who confirmed that the Rushen concert is happening, and that tickets can be purchase at the Sheldon, the Fox box office, and over the phone. Online sales were discontinued at the request of the third-party presenter who is producing the concert, Peimann said. .

Rushen, a Los Angeles native who will turn 60 this year, is best known to many music fans for her 1980s hits "Forget Me Nots" and "Haven't You Heard," but there's much more to her story.

After earning a music degree from USC, Rushen was signed to Elektra and originally was marketed as a funk/fusion keyboardist, recording a half-dozen albums before hitting the pop and R&B charts with "Forget Me Nots" in 1982.

Over the course of her career, she's accompanied, composed, arranged and/or produced for a variety of jazz, R&B and pop musicians, including Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Prince, Lionel Hampton, Carlos Santana, Boys II Men, George Benson, Jean Luc Ponty, Tom Jones, Nancy Wilson, Michael Jackson, Dianne Reeves, Sheena Easton, Stanley Turentine, Joshua Redman and numerous others.

Despite all that, some fans may have lost track of Rushen in recent years, as she hasn't released an album under her own name since 1997's Signature. But though she may not be quite as visible publicly as earlier in her career, Rushen has stayed busy as ever, writing music for film and TV; serving as music director for live events like the Grammy Awards show and for tours by singer Janet Jackson; and teaching at both USC and at Berklee College of Music.

With her children now grown, Rushen has said in recent interviews that she's amenable to touring a bit more again, and so perhaps a new album will be forthcoming at some point in the not-too-distant future.

In the meantime, Rushen has done some recording with others, like the 2007 trio album of standards she made with drummer Ndugu Chancler (who she's known since high school and worked with on many projects) and bassist Stanley Clarke, the nominal leader of the date.

Thanks to a reissue of the album this year that included a DVD from the sessions, you can see them playing one of the tracks, the Sonny Rollins bebop standard "Oleo," in the first video up above. If anyone was wondering if Rushen can play straight-ahead jazz as well as funk and fusion, this clip should squash any doubts about that once and for all.

After the jump, you can see Rushen and a band led by guitarist Lee Ritenour (and seemingly augmented by some pre-recorded backing tracks) perform "Forget Me Nots" at the 2009 North Sea Jazz Festival.

Below that, there's a version of "Haven't You Heard" recorded at a 2011 gig in London with a band that included saxophonist Eric Marienthal and drummer Ricky Lawson.

That's followed by a full set from a 2012 show in the UK, featuring Rushen with Chancler, guitarist Doc Powell, saxophonist Everette Harp, and bassist Freddie Washington.

The next clip goes way back to the 1988 Montreux Jazz Festival, when Rushen performed with an all-star band led by saxophonist Wayne Shorter and guitarist Carlos Santana; this excerpt features her demonstrating her chops via a solo on Shorter's "Elegant People."

Finally, the last clip is an outtake from the documentary film Down the Rhodes: The Fender Rhodes Story in which Rushen talks about her use of the sonically distinctive electric piano.

For more about Patrice Rushen, check out this 2012 conversation with SoulInterviews.com; and this 2012 interview with SoulandJazzandFunk.com, which is in two parts.

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Best wishes and healing thoughts to trumpeter Adam Hucke, who's back home and recovering today after being hit in the arm by a stray bullet early this morning at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

According to a report on KMOV, two cars were involved in a gun battle on Broadway near Gratiot around 2:00 a.m. when Hucke, who was working with blues guitarist and singer Mike Aguirre, was hit.

No other details about the incident are available, but Hucke, best known as a member of the Funky Butt Brass Band, was treated and released by a local hospital and expects to be OK.

* Miles Davis' Take Off: The Complete Blue Note Albums, the recent reissue of the trumpeter's early 1950s sessions for the label (pictured), was reviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Marc Davis.

* Meanwhile, in the latest news from Miles Ahead, actor Don Cheadle's forthcoming film about Davis, it seems that actress Zoe Saldana has dropped out of the project, but shooting still is scheduled to begin next month in Cincinnati.

* The Miles Davis Jazz Festival has posted on Facebook an album of photos from this year's fest.

* HEC-TV has posted online Don Wolff's video tribute to the late Mat Domber, founder of the jazz indie label Arbors Records.

* In related news, the audio version of Wolff's "I Love Jazz" program now can be heard on TuneIn.com.

* Bassist Jim Widner's big band camp for high school students was the subject of a feature story in the UMSL Current.

* The downtown bar and restaurant Lola, which occasionally presented jazz along with R&B, neo-soul and hop-hop, is closing. The story from the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson cites increased competition from other venues, as well as differences among the partners.

* The Big Little Band has posted on Facebook an album of photos from their performance last week at The Abbey in Belleville.

* Jazz radio update: On this Saturday's episode of Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis' “Somethin’ Else”, host Calvin Wilson will spotlight the music of Duke Ellington's collaborator Billy Strayhorn as interpreted by musicians including saxophonists Joe Henderson and Branford Marsalis and pianist Matthew Shipp.

After that on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will be spinning tunes by Brian Culbertson, Omar Hakim, Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra, Nathan East, The New Mastersounds, Chuck Mangione, Acoustic Alchemy, Wes Montgomery, Gato Barbieri, Jimmy Smith, Dave Panico, Jim Manley, and more.

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.

Jazz this week: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Marcello Benetti, Matt Kane, Dave Dickey Big Band, The 442s, and more

This week's lineup of jazz and creative music in St. Louis features visits from two different drummers leading quartets playing original music, plus the return of a well-known touring act with a revised lineup of players, several shows by local big bands, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra returns to Kirkwood Station Brewing Company; Cabaret Project St. Louis presents their monthly "Open Stage" at the Tavern of Fine Arts; and the Sidney Street Shakers begin a new monthly series of dance parties called "Cherokee Shake" at 2720 Cherokee.

Tomorrow night, drummer Marcello Benetti's Shuffled Quartet will play at Robbie's House of Jazz. Born in Italy and now residing in New Orleans, Benetti mixes sounds and styles from traditional to avant-garde, aided and abetted by trombonist Jeff Albert, saxophonist Rex Gregory, and cellist Helen Gillet.

Also on Thursday, guitarist Dave Black and singer Joe Mancuso perform at Nathalie’s.

On Friday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play swing and jump blues at the Highway 61 Roadhouse in Webster Groves, while multi-instrumentalists Jeff Anderson and Chad Evans will team up for a performance at Robbie's.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Jim Manley and pianist Arthur Toney will be back at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar; and the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

On Saturday afternoon, Saxquest will present a free performance and workshop by clarinetists Diana Haskell of the St. Louis Symphony and Tim Zavadil, the former Minnesota Orchestra clarinetist who recently joined SLSO.

A bit later on Saturday, saxophonist Jim Stevens and band will perform by the Mississippi River at The Loading Dock in Grafton.

Then on Saturday evening, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (pictured) will be back in town to perfrom at The Blind Tiger at Sutton Place, 7376 Manchester Rd in Maplewood. Opening acts will be Yojimbo, which includes several members of the Mike Dillon Band, and Bum and Possum Combination.

Now a trio with keyboardist Brian Haas, drummer Josh Raymer, and lap steel guitarist Chris Combs, JFJO's latest album is Millions: Live in Denver, which was released on Record Store Day 2014. For more of their back story and some performance videos (albeit featuring previous lineups), see these two Saturday video posts from their previous appearances here.

Also on Saturday evening, drummer Matt Kane will be promoting the re-issue of his CD Streamliner with a show at Robbie's House of Jazz. A native of Hannibal, MO and graduate of UMKC's conservatory, Kane is based now in NYC, and his previous release Suit Up was named as one of 2013's 50 best jazz albums by Jazz Times magazine.

Elsewhere around town on Saturday, singer Erin Bode performs at Nathalie's; and guitarist Tom Byrne and reedman Sam Hargadine will play duets at the Mahogany Grille (the former site of "Just Jazz" at the Omni Majestic Hotel downtown).

On Sunday, you can catch free outdoor music from Wack-A-Doo at Benton Park and Red Lehr's Powerhouse 5 at Carondelet Park. Also on Sunday evening, the Dave Dickey Big Band will play their monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday The 442s will give their last performance before a summer hiatus at the Sheldon Concert Hall; and the Sessions Big Band will be back at BB's Jazz, Blues & 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.)

Miles Davis Memorial Project announces two more fundraisers

The Miles Davis Memorial Project has announced two more events to help raise money to put a statue of the legendary trumpeter in Alton, IL, where Davis (pictured) was born in 1926.

On Saturday, August 9, “Dinner with Preston Jackson” will give patrons a chance to dine and converse with the artist chosen to create the sculpture of Davis.

The evening will include "appetizers, cocktails, an elegant dinner with live jazz music featuring Jim Manley on trumpet, Arthur Toney on piano and special musical moments with Preston Jackson playing jazz guitar." Those attending also will get a special limited edition gift signed by Jackson.

The event will take place on the rooftop of the Simmons Law Firm on W. Third St. in downtown Alton, with views overlooking the Mississippi River and the entire community. The cost is $250 per person, $500 per couple, and capacity is limited to 48 people.

Then on Saturday, September 12, the Project will present a "trivia night" at the Commons on the campus of Lewis & Clark Community College. Bill Clevlen of KTRS radio will host, and the $20 per person admission charge includes snacks, beer and soda.

In addition to these fundraisers, the Miles Davis Memorial Project will have a booth at various Alton community events throughout the summer and fall, including the Juneteenth celebration at Killion Park, the Big Gig Music Festival, Alton Marina Smash Party, Mississippi Earthtones Festival, Fall Festival Chili Cook-Off, and various dates at the local Farmer‘s Market.

Those who wish to show support for the Project also can purchase t-shirts, buttons, and inscribed memorial bricks or granite blocks, or make a cash donation.

For information or to make reservations for one of the fund-raising events, call Pride, Incorporated at 618-467-2375, or visit their website.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: An evening with Yellowjackets

This week, let's check in on the contemporary jazz group Yellowjackets, who will be back in St. Louis on Saturday, June 28 to headline the Chesterfield Wine and Jazz Festival at the Chesterfield Amphitheater.

Now featuring co-founder Russell Ferrante on keyboards, longtime members Bob Mintzer on saxophones and Will Kennedy on drums, plus the latest addition to the band, bassist Felix Pastorius, Yellowjackets have appeared at Jazz at the Bistro several times during the past decade, most recently in September 2013.

That was their first St. Louis gig with Pastorius, son of famed bassist Jaco Pastorius, who first subbed for founding member Jimmy Haslip on tour in 2012 and subsequently was named his permanent replacement. Their most recent album, A Rise In The Road, was released a year ago and was Pastorius' recorded debut with the band.

Given Yellowjackets' extensive performance history in St. Louis, we'll skip any further introductory material, and simply note that today's clips all were recorded at a gig in April of this year in Catania, Italy, with saxophonist Bob Franceschini subbing for Mintzer.

(While Mintzer is scheduled to be on the St. Louis gig, another of his occasional subs, saxophonist Erik Marienthal, also will be on hand for the event, making a guest appearance with organizers Mike and Rob Silverman's band Bach to the Future.)

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has posted an update about the PledgeMusic campaign to finance his next recording.

Fans can see the saxophonist next on national TV this coming Monday, June 16, sitting in with Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra on the Late Show with David Letterman.

* Jazz Times has coverage and more photos of last week's dedication of "Miles Davis Way" in NYC, and the official Davis site has video of the event via the Pace Report.

* In a related note, a new "Order Is Everything" column from Revive Music's Matthew Allen offers his take on the 10 essential Miles Davis albums.

* Keep On Keepin’ On, the new documentary film about the friendship between nonagenarian trumpeter Clark Terry and twenty-something pianist Justin Kauflin, was the subject of a feature on KPLU radio in Seattle.

* Saxophonist Eric Person has posted on Facebook a set of photos documenting his big band's performance last month at Dizzy's in NYC.

* While we're talking photo sets, Wack-A-Doo singer/accordionist Valerie Tichacek has posted on Facebook an album of pictures from last Saturday's sold-out "Midsummer Night's Jazz Festival" at the Deco Fortress.

* And completing today's photographic troika on Facebook is an album of pics from recent Route 66 Jazz Orchestra rehearsals.

* The Riverfront Times this week announced the winners of the 2014 RFT Music Awards, with guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran and Guerrilla Swing getting the most votes in the "Best Jazz" category. You can see a complete list of this year's winners here.

* Speaking of awards, the Jazz Journalists Association this week announced their 2014 Awards for Musical Achievement, and Miles Live in Europe 1969 was the winner for "Historical Record of the Year." Check out the full list of winners here.

* Pianist Stephanie Trick (pictured) has a new album of duos with Italian-born keyboardist Paolo Alderighi called Sentimental Journey. It features four-handed versions of ragtime, standards, and blues, plus a couple of originals, and is available now via CD Baby.

* Guitarist/singer Elliot Ranney was spotlighted in one of KDHX's "On Demand" podcasts.

* Popular longtime St. Louis radio personality Lou "Fatha" Thimes, father of singer Denise Thimes, has died after a long illness. StLJN joins St. Louis jazz, blues and soul fans in offering our condolences to the Thimes family.

* Denise Thimes also was interviewed this week about her memories of her frequent accompanist, the late Tony Simmons, for an article by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis, Calvin Wilson's “Somethin’ Else” will feature past winners of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, including singer Gretchen Parlato, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and pianist Kris Bowers.

Then on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will spin tunes from Brother Strut, Jeff Lorber with Chuck Loeb and Everette Harp, Incognito, Chris Standring, Stanley Turrentine, Grant Green, Hugh Masekela, Young-Holt Unlimited, the Jazz Crusaders, Rod Tate, Soul Cafe, Jim Stevens, and and Jesse Gannon.

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.   

Jazz St. Louis announces 2014-15 season

Jazz St. Louis has announced the 2014-15 season schedule for Jazz at the Bistro, and while the room will have a new look when it reopens in October, the musicians trodding the boards will be largely familiar ones.

As previously announced, the renovated and expanded Bistro will reopen in October with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who will front the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for two performances, one public and one invitation-only.

Another Marsalis, Wynton's brother Branford (pictured, top left), will make his debut at the venue this season with a one-nighter in February. Both men have played in St. Louis before on several occasions, but these will be their first official performances at the Bistro.

Also making their debuts at the Bistro next year will be pianist Arturo O'Farrill (pictured, center left), who will lead his Latin-jazz sextet; saxophonist Jeff Coffin and his band, the Mu'tet; and Kneebody, an eclectic young quintet whose music incorporates elements of funk, punk and fusion.

Singer Rene Marie, who was an early signing years ago to the St. Louis based MAXJAZZ label, will return to the Bistro for the first time in more than a decade, and saxophonist Joshua Redman also will be back after duetting with pianist Brad Mehldau a couple of seasons ago.

The rest of the schedule looks quite familiar, with returning acts including saxophonist and St. Louis native David Sanborn (pictured, lower left), guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli (as tipped in this space a few weeks ago); trumpeter Terence Blanchard (ditto); The Bad Plus, who will perform in January at the Bistro for the ninth consecutive season; keyboardist Joe Sample, making good on some cancelled dates from May of this year; organist Joey DeFrancesco; keyboardist Jeff Lorber; singer Kurt Elling; and violinist Regina Carter, who will play music from her new album Southern Comfort.

Other musicians coming back, but in slightly different configurations this time, are saxophonist Tia Fuller, trumpeter Sean Jones and vibraphonist Warren Wolf, who will be teamed for dates in November; trumpeter Terell Stafford and saxophonist Victor Goines, who will work together in January; pianist Kenny Barron and vibraphonist Stefon Harris; and organist Dr. Lonnie Smith and guitarist Lionel Loueke.

In addition, trumpeter Jeremy Davenport will return from New Orleans to play his usual Thanksgiving weekend shows, and Erin Bode once again will perform for Valentine's Day weekend.

Other local acts booked so far for 2014-15 include pianist and Jazz St. Louis education director Phil Dunlap's quintet; pianist and singer Jesse Gannon, who will make his Bistro debut on Halloween weekend; trumpeter Jim Manley, who will present a Christmas-themed show with his band Mad Brass and Rhythm; Good 4 The Soul; and the Funky Butt Brass Band, who will play the first weekend of 2015. The rest of the local acts filling out the 2014-15 schedule will be announced at a later date.

All in all, it's certainly a solid schedule in terms of musical quality, but with very few surprises, and only one act - Kneebody - that deviates even slightly from the Bistro's well-established formula.

In short, while the new room may have a different look, the sounds coming from the stage are going to be pretty much the same as at the old Bistro. Whether or not that's an unequivocally good thing, we leave for you, the reader, to judge.

It's also worth noting that there's no mention made in the season announcement of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, for which Jazz St. Louis has provided programming assistance in recent years. Although the GSLJF has not announced dates for 2015, the weekend of April 24 and 25 would line up with when the event has been held in years past. There's nothing yet for that weekend on the Jazz St. Louis schedule, so there may be further developments yet on that front.

Here's the 2014-15 Jazz at the Bistro schedule in chronological order:

Friday, October 3 & Saturday, October 4: Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Wednesday, October 8 - Saturday, October 11: David Sanborn
Friday, October 17 & Saturday, October 18: Phil Dunlap Quintet
Wednesday, October 22 - Saturday, October 25: John Pizzarelli
Friday, October 31 & Saturday, November 1: Jesse Gannon & Truth

Wednesday, November 5 - Saturday, November 8: Joshua Redman Trio
Friday, November 14 & Saturday, November 15: Tia Fuller, Sean Jones & Warren Wolf
Tuesday, November 18: SIUE Concert Jazz Band & SIUE Alumni Jazz Band
Wednesday, November 19 - Saturday, November 22: Jeff Coffin & the Mu’tet
Friday, November 28 & Saturday, November 29: Jeremy Davenport

Wednesday, December 3 - Saturday, December 6: Joey DeFrancesco Trio
Friday, December 12 & Saturday, December 13: Jim Manley’s Mad Brass & Rhythm
Wednesday, December 17 - Saturday, December 20: Joe Sample
Monday, December 22 & Tuesday, December 22: Jazz St. Louis Big Band plays Ellington’s “Nutcracker”
Friday, December 26 & Saturday, December 27: Good 4 The Soul

2015

Friday, January 2 & Saturday, January 3: Funky Butt Brass Band
Wednesday, January 7 - Saturday, January 10: The Bad Plus
Friday, January 16 & Saturday, January 17: Jazz at Lincoln Center Group with Terell Stafford, Victor Goines, Chris Crenshaw & Alvin Atkinson
Wednesday, January 21 - Saturday, January 24: Arturo O’Farrill Sextet

Wednesday, February 4 - Saturday, February 7: Kenny Barron & Stefon Harris
Monday, February 9: Branford Marsalis
Friday, February 13 & Saturday, February 14: Erin Bode
Wednesday, February 18 - Saturday, February 21:  Jeff Lorber Fusion with Eric Marienthal & Jimmy Haslip
Saturday, February 28: Byron Stripling

Wednesday, March 4 - Saturday, March 7: Rene Marie
Wednesday, March 18 - Saturday, March 21: Kneebody

Wednesday, April 1 - Saturday, April 4: Freddy Cole Quintet with Harry Allen
Wednesday, April 15 - Saturday, April 18: Kurt Elling
Wednesday, April 29 - Saturday, May 2: Benny Green Trio

Wednesday, May 13 - Saturday, May 16: Regina Carter’s Southern Comfort
Wednesday, May 27 - Saturday, May 30: Dr. Lonnie Smith with Lionel Loueke

Wednesday, June 10 - Saturday, June 13: Terence Blanchard

Subscription information and order forms are online now at the Jazz St. Louis website. Single tickets will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 3 via Metrotix and the Jazz St. Louis box office.

Jazz this week: Dave Scott & Jason Swagler, Denise Thimes, The Bosman Twins, St. Louis Big Band, and more

Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy jazz and creative music performances coming up over the next few days in and around St. Louis....

Tonight, California-based trumpeter Dave Scott, whose credits include gigs with Boz Scaggs, Toto, Michael Feinstein, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and numerous others, will be in town to join forces with saxophonist Jason Swagler for a performance at the Kranzberg Arts Center; and guitarist Todd Mosby plays at Seedz Cafe.

On Friday, vocalist Erika Johnson will take the stage at Voce, while the singing sisters Feyza Eren and Ayse Eren will be accompanied by guitarist Dave Black at The Wine Press.

Also on Friday, singer Joe Mancuso, trumpeter Jim Manley and pianist Arthur Toney will team up to perform at Robbie's House of Jazz; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes play at Nathalie's; the Funky Butt Brass Band returns to the Broadway Oyster Bar; and Second Generation Swing plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

On Saturday, the Bosman Twins (pictured), singer Denise Thimes, and percussionist Herman Semidey's Latin Fire Ensemble will be the headliners of Gitana Productions' “Karamu: Fiesta of Latin and African American Music” at Union Avenue Christian Church in the Central West End.

Also on Saturday, pianist Carolbeth True plays at the Mahogany Grille in the Omni Majestic Hotel downtown; the WirePilots will perform at the Tavern of Fine Arts; and guitarist Larry Brown, Jr. returns to Robbie's House of Jazz.

Then on Sunday, saxophonist Jim Stevens will play a matinee at Chandler Hill Winery in Defiance; guitarist Tom Byrne and saxophonist Sam Hargadine will be at the Schlafly Brewery and Tap Room downtown; and Miss Jubilee performs at Nathalie's.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday the Coleman Hughes Project with Adrienne Felton will play a "Juneteenth" show in the Great Hall of the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park; and the St. Louis Big Band will perform for the "Notes From Home" series at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

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.)

Jim Manley to release new album Chilled Brass on Monday, June 23

A little more than seven months after his last album Short Stories and Tall Tales, trumpeter Jim Manley is preparing to put out a new recording, Chilled Brass, on Monday, June 23.

The album (pictured) features ten of Manley's original compositions plus cover versions of "Wade in the Water" and "Walk on By."

Like its immediate predecessor, Chilled Brass is a solo album, and represents Manley's second venture into putting together backing tracks using samples, loops and synthesizers. "The one thing different this time is I added a lot of keyboard parts including some bass lines - and I can't really play piano - just enough to get me in trouble!" said Manley in an email to StLJN.

Another difference was that in addition to spending more time on mixing, "I did have some funding to get this release mastered by Greg Trampe from Music Masters," said Manley, "and that made a huge difference in the final product."

You can hear some audio excerpts from Chilled Brass in the embedded video window below. The album will be available for purchase in CD format at Manley's gigs and via his website, and a digital version will be sold on iTunes.

Tony Simmons 1963 - 2014

Keyboardist Anthony "Tony" Simmons, who played with many St. Louis jazz, R&B and gospel performers over the last three decades, has died. According to messages from friends on his Facebook page, Simmons passed away on Saturday, June 7 from a heart attack. He was 50 years old.

Tony Simmons (pictured) was born in Kansas City, MO and started playing the piano at the age of 5. Afflicted from birth with glaucoma, he lost his vision completely by the age of 7.

Nevertheless, at age 9 he began playing for the children's choir at Zion Grove Missionary Baptist Church, and he continued to be involved with gospel music after moving to St. Louis at age 13 to attend Missouri School for the Blind.

Simmons worked with a number of different congregations and denominations over the course of his career, including the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America, Church of The Nazarene, United Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist, African Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Baptist, the Light of Christ Ministry, and more.

In addition to his work in church, Simmons did solo and ensemble gigs of just about every description, accompanied St. Louis singers such as Theo Peoples, David Peaston, Denise Thimes, Kim Massie, Bill Tucker, and many others, and wrote and/or produced music for artists including Kirk Franklin, Joe McBride, and Alkesha Brown. He released a solo album, The Master Key, in 2006.

Simmons had experienced a number of health problems in recent years, and in 2004 was diagnosed with kidney failure, which required dialysis three times a week. Funeral arrangements are pending.

UPDATE - 9:20 a.m., 6/11/14: A visitation for friends and family of Tony Simmons will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday, June 15 at St Luke's Memorial Baptist Church, 3623 Finney in St Louis. The funeral will be at 10:00 a.m. Monday, June 16 at Galilee Baptist Church, 4300 Delmar.

Recently on Heliocentric Worlds

As spring turns into summer, there have been lots of choice music videos posted over at StLJN's sibling site Heliocentric Worlds, which presents a different clip every day, drawing on genres including jazz, blues, soul, funk, classic rock, prog rock and experimental.

For example, recent posts have featured video performances from Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, ICP Orchestra, Ry Cooder, Mose Allison, Betty Carter, Duke Ellington, Life Time Experience, Taj Mahal, Tom Waits, Zoot Sims, MC5, Cecil Taylor, Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Young Rascals, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Music Revelation Ensemble, If, Sons of Champlin, Supersax, Warren Zevon, Sun Ra Arkestra, Little Feat, Freddie Hubbard, Kris Davis, Ingrid Laubrock & Tom Rainey, Max Roach, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Gato Barbieri, Buddy Miles, and Albert King.

If you somehow have missed out on all that music video goodness, don't despair -  all the aforementioned videos are still waiting for you, along with thousands more carefully curated clip from the archives, over at http://heliocentricworlds.blogspot.com/.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Oliver Nelson in Berlin

Today, we take a break from previewing upcoming shows to pay a slightly belated birthday tribute to one of St. Louis' all-time jazz greats, the late saxophonist, arranger, and composer Oliver Nelson, who was born here on June 4, 1932.

Best known these days for the classic album The Blues and the Abstract Truth, which featured his now-standard tune "Stolen Moments," Nelson was one of the most prolific and in-demand jazz arranger/composers of the 1960s and early '70s, and, along with Quincy Jones, one of the first African-Americans to get significant work in Hollywood scoring TV and films.

He wrote music for hit TV shows including Ironside, Night Gallery, Columbo, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, reaching tens of millions of people every week. Nelson also wrote the score for the film Death of a Gunfighter and arranged Gato Barbieri's music for the movie Last Tango in Paris.

In addition to his work in TV and film, Nelson recorded numerous jazz albums as a leader, and also did arrangements for well-known musicians such as Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins, Johnny Hodges, Wes Montgomery, Buddy Rich, and Jimmy Smith, as well as for singers including Nancy Wilson, James Brown, the Temptations, and Diana Ross.

Tragically, Nelson died of a heart attack on October 28, 1975, when he was just 43 years old. While he left behind an extensive catalog of audio recordings, there seems to be very little video or film or him performing available online (or anywhere else, for that matter), but we are fortunate to be able to share parts of at least one Nelson performance with you here today.

The Berlin Dream Band was something of a pet project for Nelson during the last few years of his life, providing a vehicle to get his original jazz compositions before the listening public.

Drawing personnel from all over Europe as well as the USA and Canada, the band's members during the 1970 gig seen here trumpeters Milo Pavlovic (Yugoslavia), Ron Simmonds (Canada), Carmell Jones (USA), Manfred Stoppacher (Austria) and Harry Samp (Germany); trombonists Ake Persson (Sweden), Barry Ross (USA), Slide Hampton (USA), Jean Orieux (France), and Kurt Masnick (Germany); saxophonists Leo Wright (USA), Klaus Marmulla (Germany), Rolf Roemer (Germany), Adi Feurstein Germany), Freddy Lhost (Belgium), and Jan Konopasek (Czechoslovakia); and a rhythm section featuring three Germans, pianist Kai Rautenberg, bassist Hajo Lange, and drummer Heinz Niemeyer.

In the first video, they're seen playing Nelson's composition "Berlin Dialogues." After the jump, the second clip features a Nelson arrangement of the old spiritual "Down by the Riverside," followed by his original work "Self Help Is Needed."

Then, there's a hyper-speed take on Duke Ellington's "Rockin' In Rhythm," followed by "Black, Brown and Beautiful," another Nelson original that also features him as soloist.

The final Berlin Dream Band clip is a version of "Milestones" that would seem to confirm a certain fondness for fast tempos, while featuring solos by Leo Wright and Klaus Marmulla on altos and Rolf Roemer on tenor.

Rounding out the admittedly small collection of Oliver Nelson videos is a clip made in 1965 in which he basically makes only a cameo appearance. It features Dutch singer Rita Reyes performing "It Could Happen to You" for a TV broadcast in the Netherlands, accompanied by her husband/pianist Pim Jacobs' trio plus horns arranged by Nelson, who can be seen briefly at several points during the clip.

For more about Oliver Nelson, check out Doug Payne's invaluable discography of his work; Nelson's Wikipedia page; and this biographical essay at Jazz Profiles.

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Robbie's House of Jazz closing at end of June

After a run of nearly five years in suburban Webster Groves, Robbie's House of Jazz will close forever at the end of June.

The club's last public show on Thursday, June 26 will feature New Hampshire based singer Wendee Glick with pianist Dave Venn's band; the final Friday and Saturday of the month both are booked for private parties.

The space at 20 Allen Ave has been a jazz club for ten years now, operating under the management of Harold and Cookie Whitfield as Cookie's Jazz and More for five years before Robbie's GM Dorothy Edwards and her husband Robert Edwards took over in August 2009.

Now, with their five-year lease coming to an end, Dorothy Edwards told StLJN that she wants to continue presenting jazz, but plans to look for another space. "I like Webster. It's a very nice facility and everything," she said. However, as anyone who's been there can tell you, the Allen Ave location - off Lockwood Ave, the main drag of downtown Webster, on a corner at the end of a block hard by the railroad tracks - isn't what you'd call high-profile. "I just want to do something more visible," Edwards explained.

"So I'm going to be taking my time, looking and seeing what's out there," she said, "hopefully to be up and running by the fall," if all goes to plan. Edwards said she is concentrating her search on the central corridor, mentioning possibilities in several mid-county municipalities and the Central West End, but she also plans to view at least one potential space on Cherokee St. in south St. Louis as well.

She said any new version of Robbie's likely would continue the Tuesday night jam sessions, which have proved popular with local music students, and that she also wants to continue to feature up-and-coming touring musicians who otherwise might not find a place to play in St. Louis.

Until a new space is located, Edwards said she'll be booking duos on Saturday nights at the lounge at the Omni Majestic Hotel downtown, and possibly presenting events at other venues as well. The Robbie's website should be updated with all the final month's events within the next day or two, she said.

StLN will have more on this story as developments warrant...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Today, we salute the memory of guitar great Grant Green (pictured), who was born in St. Louis on this day in 1935.

For more about Green, and a previously unreleased album of his recorded here in his home town back in 1959, check out this article from NPR's Kevin Whitehead. You can see the only known video footage of Green, playing "Blue Mist" with fellow plectrists Kenny Burrell and Barney Kessell, here.

* Drummer Dave Weckl is headed next month to Europe, where he'll spend July teaching large group clinics and one-day intensive workshops with just 12 to a class. Weckl will be in Copenhagen, Denmark; Stockholm, Sweden; Oslo, Norway; Naples, Italy; Winterswijk, Norway; Treppendorf, Germany; Reykjavik, Iceland; and more.

For more about what Weckl's been up to lately, check out this new interview with the drum website The Black Page.

* Drummer Kimberly Thompson is featured in a new magazine ad for Gretsch drums.

* Saxophonist Eric Person has posted on Facebook an album of photos from his big band's gig last week at Dizzy's in NYC.

* Speaking of photo sets on Facebook, the Jazz Edge Big Band has posted an album of pictures from their show last Friday at the Touhill.

* And while he was in town last week to perform with Jazz Edge, trumpeter Keyon Harrold was the subject of a feature story on local NBC affiliate KSDK.

* Actor/director Don Cheadle this week talked with USA Today about Miles Ahead, his film about trumpeter Miles Davis that will shoot this summer in Cincinnati.

* In related news, Cheadle turned to crowdfunding via IndieGoGo to raise an additional $325,000 in funds for the film between now and July 6. As of Thursday night, the campaign had garnered $78,370 toward the total. For more, see the embedded video update from Cheadle below, or visit the campaign page on IndieGoGo.



* Jazz radio update: WSIE's spring fundraising drive begins today at 4:00 p.m. and continues, with some breaks, through 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon. As part of a procession of supporting appearances from people involved with the local jazz scene, yr. humble StLJN editor will be on the air to help stump for pledges for a few minutes around 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Meanwhile on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis, this Saturday's episode of Calvin Wilson's “Somethin’ Else” will highlight musicians who have performed at NYC's forward-looking Vision Festival, including pianists Myra Melford and Matthew Shipp and saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell.

Following that on "The Jazz Collective,"  host Jason Church will spin music from Mindi Abair, Harvey Mason, The Ault Sisters, The Rippingtons, Cookin' on 3 Burners, Oscar Peterson, Bob James, John Klemmer, Ramsey Lewis, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Clave Sol, The LP Outsiders, Jim Manley and Erin Bode.

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. 

Patrice Rushen to perform Sunday, June 29 at Sheldon Concert Hall

Keyboardist Patrice Rushen is coming to St. Louis to perform at 5:00 p.m., Sunday, June 29 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Rushen, who turns 60 in September, may be best known among the record-buying public for her 1982 solo hit “Forget Me Nots,” but over the years she also has worked alongside many top jazz and pop musicians, including Prince, Lionel Hampton, Carlos Santana, Boys II Men, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Jean Luc Ponty, Tom Jones, Nancy Wilson, Michael Jackson, Dianne Reeves, Sheena Easton, Stanley Turentine, and Joshua Redman.

Although she hasn't released an album of all-new material since 1997's Signature, Rushen (pictured) has stayed active in this century writing scores for film and television, teaching at USC and Berklee, and serving as musical director for live events including the Grammy Awards telecasts from 2004 to 2006.

Tickets for Patrice Rushen at the Sheldon are $30 for the orchestra section, $25 for the balcony, and will go on sale at 10 a.m. today, Wednesday, June 4 via Metrotix.

Jazz this week: Peter Brötzmann Trio, Peter Martin & Vivian Sessoms, Kurt Elling, New Mastersounds, Jamie Cullum, and more

It's the first week of a new month, and a very busy one for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with several noteworthy headliners in town. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, the all-star free jazz trio of saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, drummer Hamid Drake and bassist William Parker (pictured) performs at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.

If you have any interest at all in free jazz, this concert is an absolute must-see, as all three of the players are adventurous, uncompromising improvisors with international reputations, and this is their first tour together in more than a decade. You can find out more and hear all three musicians, together and apart, via this recent Saturday video showcase post.

Also tonight, Chicago's Lowdown Brass Band will be at the Broadway Oyster Bar with the Funky Butt Brass Band as opening act; and pianist Peter Martin leads a quartet plus special guest singer Vivian Sessoms to kick off this year's Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

For more about that show and what else Martin has coming up in the near future, check out this article by Terry Perkins for St. Louis Public Radio.

On Thursday, Sessoms and Martin's trio will team up for another performance, this time spotlighting Sessoms in the intimate confines of the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Also on Thursday, the New Orleans Suspects, featuring musicians associated with the Neville Brothers, the Radiators, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and James Brown, will be back in town to play at the Broadway Oyster Bar; and Good 4 The Soul returns for their monthly gig at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

On Friday, singer Kurt Elling, who's become a local favorite thanks to numerous appearances over the years at Jazz at the Bistro, will make his debut at the Sheldon Concert Hall, performing in a benefit for the Sheldon Art Galleries. Some concert-only tickets may still be available; call the Sheldon directly at 314-533-9900 for details.

Also on Friday, the British funk/jazz quartet The New Mastersounds will play at the Old Rock House, with Dopapod as opening act. For more about them, plus some performance videos, see this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Elsewhere around town on Friday, percussionist Craig Russo's Latin Jazz Project, based up the road in the Champaign/Urbana area, will be back in St. Louis to play at Robbie's House of Jazz; and guitarist Brian Vaccaro's trio will serve as the nucleus for the first in a prospective series of jam sessions at The Wolf in West County.

On Saturday, Carolbeth True and Two Times True are at Robbie's House of Jazz, and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club will present pianist Pat Joyce and his "All-Stars" at the DoubleTree Hotel at Westport. Joyce will be aided and abetted by Jerry Epperson (reeds), Bob Ceccarini (trumpet), Jay Hungerford (bass), Joe Berger (drums) and Cody Henry (trombone).

Sunday evening, singer and pianist Jamie Cullum will be back in St. Louis for the first time in four years to perform at The Pageant. For more about Cullum and his latest album Momentum, plus recent performance videos and interviews, see this post from last Saturday.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday Dean Christopher brings his "Rat Pack & More" show back to One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar, and percussionist Joe Pastor returns to BB's Jazz, Blues & 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.)

WSIE fund drive set for Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8

WSIE (88.7 FM) will conduct their first on-air fundraising drive of 2014 starting at 4:00 p.m. this Friday, June 6 and continuing (with some breaks) until 4:00 p.m. Sunday, June 8.

Donors who contribute to "The Jazz Station" can get premium items including various items of WSIE-branded swag and merch, such as beverage tumblers and desk clocks, as well as CDs from the St. Louis based independent label MAXJAZZ.

Proceeds will benefit the station’s equipment and operating funds; the current needs include a new transmitter, audio system component upgrades, and enhancements to the music library.

With Dick Ulett, WSIE GM Greg Conroy, and others behind the mics for the drive, scheduled guests will include MAXJAZZ executive Clayton McDonnell, talking about his father, the late Richard McDonnell; local musicians including SIUE's own Rick Haydon and Jason Swagler, Michael and Robert Silverman, and others; poet Patricia Merritt with a mini-tribute to the late poet Maya Angelou; and more.

Meanwhile, singer Dean Christopher is scheduled to stop by this week's edition of "Saturday Night at The Chase Park-Plaza" starting at 7:00 p.m. Saturday to visit with hosts Evan Johnson and Kelly Hoffman.

In addition to the broadcast signal at 88.7 FM, WSIE also can be heard online.