Music Education Monday: Master classes with pianists Chick Corea and Kenny Werner

This week for "Music Education Monday," you can check out video master classes from a couple of prominent keyboardists.

Chick Corea is one of the best-known pianists in jazz, having served his apprenticeship with Miles Davis and played free jazz with Circle before co-founding the seminal jazz-fusion band Return to Forever. His extensive catalog as a composer and bandleader includes recordings with various acoustic and electric groups and as a solo pianist, so his experience pretty much runs the gamut of modern jazz styles.

Kenny Werner may be less well-known to the general public than Corea, but he still gets substantial respect in the music community for his work as a pianist, bandleader, teacher, arranger/composer, and collaborator with the likes of the Mel Lewis Orchestra, saxophonist Joe Lovano, singer Roseanna Vitro, harmonica player Toots Thielemans, and many others.

Werner can be seen in the embedded video window up above presenting a master class in jazz piano back in 2012 at the Blue Note in NYC. The class "addresses a wide variety of issues that jazz players on all instruments face," including "issues of confidence and mental preparation, techniques for better improvisation and for improving your ability to collaborate, and how to overcome the mind games that every musician plays with themselves over 'what to play next?' and 'does this sound good?'"

After the jump, there are two more master classes with Werner - one titled "A Master Class in Jazz Performance and Creativity," recorded in 2005 at the very same Blue Note; and "An IAJE Clinic in Playing Free Jazz with Kenny Werner," a presentation sponsored by the now-defunct International Association for Jazz Education in which he "discusses the history of free music, what it is and what it means, and offers extended thoughts on what players can and should to do prepare themselves mentally, physically, and musically for the unique challenges that free music presents."

Last but certainly not least, today's fourth video is Corea's "Electric Workshop," an instructional video from 1989 in which he talks about how to create new sounds and combine them into textures, and then takes the viewer through the process of writing, developing and performing a new composition.

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

Miles on Monday: 33 1/3 does Bitches Brew, another Memorial Project update, and more

This week in Miles Davis-related news:

* The "33 1/3" series of books, each of which examines an important or historic music album via an extended essay from a single author, is taking on Miles Davis later this year with a volume about Davis' Bitches Brew. The book (pictured), written by George Grella Jr., comes out in October.

* The latest update from the Miles Davis Memorial Project features photos of tradespeople from Walker Masonry placing commemorative bricks and blocks at the statue site on 3rd Street in Alton. Check out the pix on Facebook here.

* As the July 17 release date approaches for the box set collecting Davis' performances at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport organizers announced that this year's fest on August 1 and 2 will include a series of four seminars about the trumpeter. The fourth and final session on Sunday, August 2 will feature trumpeters Jon Faddis and Randy Sandke and moderator Ashley Kahn celebrating "Miles, Clark Terry & St. Louis Trumpeters" with music and video.

* Impresario and pianist George Wein, who founded the Newport festival and ran it for many years, talked with writer Mike Ragogna of the Huffington Post about his experiences working with Davis.

* Last but not least on the Miles-at-Newport front, the Columbia/Legacy label has released another advance preview track from the upcoming box set, a performance of "Directions" recorded on October 22, 1971 at the festival's iteration in Switzerland. You can hear the track online here.

Sunday Session: June 28, 2015

Nina Simone

For your Sunday reading, here are some interesting music-related items that have hit StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* The iTunes Download Model Is Broken—Here’s How to Fix It (New York Observer)
* Musicians don't just hear in tune, they also see in tune (MedicalXpress.com)
* Gunther Schuller, Who Bridged Classical Music And Jazz, Dies At 89 (NPR)
* Review: Van Morrison Finds New Meaning in Extensive and Nostalgic Catalog (New York Times)
* Gibson Guitar Is a Remarkably Unpopular Company (Gawker)
* You won’t steal our music anymore: The fraction of a cent that saved the major labels (Salon)
* James Horner, Film Composer for 'Titanic' and 'Braveheart,' Dies in Plane Crash (Hollywood Reporter)
* King Sunny Adé and Special Guest Wunmi Forced to Cancel US and Canada tour (Jazz Corner)
* The Sounds of Science: Inside Berkeley's Meyer Sound Laboratories (KQED)
* Rock and Roll HOF Dumps 16 Nominating Members, Proving Its Irrelevance Yet Again (New York Observer)
* A Tribute to the Enduring Voice of Nina Simone (Wall Street Journal)
* Music Of The Future Cannot Ignore The Past (Standpoint)
* An Engineer Takes Us Through The History of Abbey Road, the World's Most Famous Studio (Vice.com)
* How CDs Keep Clinging On To Life (Alternative Press)
* Love for Sale: Billie Holiday’s Greatest Songs (Barnes & Noble Review)
* The Prince of the Player Piano (New York Review of Books)
* Unearthed In A Library, 'Voodoo' Opera Rises Again (NPR)
* Blue Note Jazz Club Plans Expansion to China (New York Times)
* Using Music to Underscore Three Words: I Can’t Breathe (Medium.com)
* Iyer Voted Jazz Artist of the Year in DownBeat Critics Poll (DownBeat)
* The most powerful man in classical music (The Spectator)
* Musicians and writers choose their favourite book about music (The Guardian UK)
* Live Through This: A Pioneering Rock Critic Looks Back with Love and Sorrow on the 1960s (Los Angeles Review of Books)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Summer 2015 jazz film festival

Longtime StLJN readers may recall that in summer when there's a temporary dearth of touring acts scheduled to hit St. Louis in a given week, this space occasionally has been diverted from previewing upcoming shows to present an online festival of jazz films suitable for whiling away a few idle hours. And so it is once again this year, as we offer a half-dozen music-related movies for your viewing and listening enjoyment.

First up is Celebrating a Masterpiece: Kind of Blue, a 55–minute documentary from 2008 that tells the story behind Miles Davis' historic album through interviews and vintage performance footage. Produced for the 50th anniversary box set reissue of the album, the film was directed by Chris Lenz, written by the noted record producer and critic Michael Cuscuna, and co-produced by author and journalist Ashley Kahn, who in 2000 wrote a well-regarded book on the same subject.

After the jump, you can see Free the Jazz, a 2014 film by director Czabán György that looks at contemporary improvised music from the perspective of practitioners such as Matthew Shipp, Peter Brötzmann, Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee, and others.

That's followed by Jazz Legends in Their Own Words, a documentary from the BBC compiling clips from their archives with performances and interviews from musicians including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Moving from the famous to the not-so-famous, Joe Albany...A Jazz Life is a 1980 documentary film, shot in 16mm, that recounts the often-troubled life of the bop pianist best known for his recordings with saxophonist Charlie Parker. More recently, Albany's daughter A.J. wrote a book about her dad, Low Down: Junk, Jazz, and Other Fairy Tales from Childhood that in 2013 was made into a feature film starring John Hawkes as Albany.

After that, you can see Maceo Parker - My First Name Is Maceo, a documentary about the life and music of the alto saxophonist known for his work with James Brown and George Clinton.

Last but not least, we keep it on the one with The Story of Funk - One Nation under a Groove, a BBC documentary that does a reasonably good job of recounting the rapid evolution of funk music from the prototypical sounds devised in the late 1960s by Brown and Sly Stone into one of the dominant musical styles of the 1970s.

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 news items of local interest:

* The Bosman Twins (pictured) are among the winners of 2016 Arts Awards from the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis.

The awards honor "individuals, organizations and businesses who achieve a legacy of artistic excellence and enrich St. Louis’ arts and cultural community" and will be presented at a ceremony and dinner on Monday, January 25, 2016 at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

* Singer, actor, stand-up comic and Belleville native Lea DeLaria has a new album out this week called House of David, offering her jazz interpretations of the music of David Bowie.

You can hear DeLaria's takes on "Fame" and "Modern Love" from the album here. She currently can be seen as part of the cast of the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black.

* And speaking of Belleville, the Wine Dine and Jazz Festival taking place downtown there this weekend was previewed in the Belleville News-Democrat and featured on local NBC affiliate KSDK.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake's most recent album To Roy, a duo with bassist William Parker paying tribute to to trumpeter Roy Campbell, was reviewed by Stefan Wood  of the Free Jazz blog.

* The results of the annual Riverfront Times music poll are are in, and singer-guitarist Tommy Halloran has won readers' approval in the "Best Jazz" category again this year, with the Funky Butt Brass Band once again triumphing in the "Best Soul/Funk" category. You can see the complete list of winners here.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, Calvin Wilson's program “Somethin’ Else” will feature new music from contemporary trumpeters Terence Blanchard, Dave Douglas and Jeremy Pelt.

After that on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will feature music from Grover Washington, Jr., Brother Strut, Chieli Minucci & Special EFX, Marc Antoine, Sonny Rollins, Amp Fiddler, Euge Groove, Sarah Jane & The Blue Notes, Feyza Eren, Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum, and mor.

Wilson's program can be heard 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 at Holmes concert series announces summer schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University has announced the schedule for their summer series of free concerts. The "Jazz in July" events will kick off on Thursday, July 9 with a performance from guitarist Vincent Varvel and his trio.

Drummer Maurice Carnes' quartet will follow on Thursday, July 16, with the Wire Pilots playing on Thursday, July 23. A quartet led by drummer Montez Coleman (pictured) will close out the summer series on Thursday, July 30.

The Jazz at Holmes concerts are free and open to the public. Concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall, located on Washington University’s campus at the west end of the Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives.

Jazz this week: Ronnie Burrage, a trio of local festivals, Fred Lonberg-Holm, and more

It's another busy weekend for live jazz and creative music in and around the St. Louis area, with homecoming visits from a couple of distinguished expats, local festivals taking place in three different parts of the metro area, a performance from a notable participant in Chicago's thriving improvised music scene, and more.  Let's go to the highlights...

Thursday, June 25 
The Gateway City Big Band plays a free outdoor concert at Chesterfield Amphitheater, and the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Experimental Arts Open Improv Night," this month featuring live improvised music performed with video art.

Also on Thursday, singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Tom Byrne perform at Thurman Grill; and yr. humble StLJN editor also has been meaning to mention that there's now an open jam session every other Thursday at The Night Owl, the bar upstairs above the vegetarian restaurant Tree House, 3177 S Grand Blvd.

Friday, June 26
Drummer and U. City native Ronnie Burrage, who's currently living in Pennsylvania, will be back home for a weekend of performances at Voce, 212 S. Tucker. Burrage (pictured, top left) will lead a small group with guitarist Eric Slaughter, bassist Nathan Pence and singer Kendra Mahr, plus trumpeter Danny Campbell on Friday, and Jeff Anderson on tenor sax on Saturday. For more about Burrage and some video samples of him performing, see this post from last Saturday.

Also on Friday, the annual Wine, Dine & Jazz Festival, held in the public square in downtown Belleville, kicks off its first night with sets from trumpeter Jim Manley, the Usual Suspects, and singer Anita Rosamond. Saturday's lineup will feature saxophonist Jim Stevens, trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber (pictured, center left), the Christian blues band Kingdom Brothers, and Soul Cafe.

Elsewhere around town, Tavern of Fine Arts will host "Soliloquy II," a program of solo and duo improvised performances featuring cellist Tracy Andreotti, percussionist Henry Claude, violinist Alex Cunningham, pianist Greg Mills, saxophonist Dave Stone, and flute player Fred Tompkins. 

A bit further south, pianist and singer Carol Schmidt, multi-instrumentalist and singer Michele Isam, and singers Debbie Schuster and Katie McGrath team up to perform as "Women Under the Influence" at Soulard Preservation Hall, 1921 South Ninth St.

And back in midtown at Grand Center, Jazz at the Bistro is trying something a bit different this weekend, on Friday pairing a group of local burlesque dancers billed as the Randy Dandies with live music from the Funky Butt Brass Band for "Babes in Brassland." A similarly themed program titled "Tassles 'n Tunes," with music from Tommy Halloran’s Guerrilla Swing, is set for Saturday night.

Saturday, June 27
The Miles Davis Jazz Festival celebrates its tenth year with performances from drummer Montez Coleman's trio, trumpeter Danny Campbell's quartet, and saxophonist Fred Walker at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton.

Also on Saturday, Chicago-based cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm will be in town to headline a show at the Schlafly Tap Room. Lonberg-Holm, who's collaborated with well-regarded improvisors such as Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee, and Peter Brötzmann, will perform in a duo with percussionist Ståle Liavik Solberg. The Vernacular String Trio and DJ Ghost Ice also are on the bill.

Saturday also is the day for this year's edition of the Chesterfield Jazz Festival, a free event at the Chesterfield Amphitheater that will feature a headlining performance from saxophonist and St. Louis native Eric Person, backed by pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Darrell Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes, plus sets from Bach to the Future, singer Feyza Eren, bassist Bob DeBoo, and singer Tony Viviano.

Elsewhere around town, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will return to the Venice Cafe; Miss Jubilee performs for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and singer Eve Seltzer and band will host a late-night jam session at Evangeline's.

Sunday, June 28
The summer edition of the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will take place at the American Czech Hall, 4690 Lansdowne (at Kingshighway).

Also on Sunday, Ronnie Burrage leads his RoBu Big Band in a matinee performance at Voce. The ensemble will feature Danny Campbell and Jeff Anderson from the drummer's small-group shows, along with saxophonists Chad Evans, Jerome "JDubz" Williams, Stanley Coleman, and Willie Akins; pianist Ptah Williams; bassist Darrell Mixon; percussionist Henry Claude; singer Charisse Swan, and other special guests.

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 offering discount tickets for Cabaret Festival performances

The Sheldon Concert Hall and the St. Louis Cabaret Festival are offering discounts on tickets to three festival performances next month.

With the discount, ticket buyers can get $10 off of the regular $45 orchestra level ticket price for the concerts at the Sheldon featuring Marilyn Maye on Wednesday, July 22; Jason Robert Brown on Thursday, July 23; and Christine Ebersole (pictured) on Friday, July 24. All three concerts start at 8:00 p.m.

To get the ticket discount, go to http://metrotix.com/, select the concert(s) of your choice, and when prompted, enter the promo code SHELDON.

Music Education Monday: Audio recording basics

This week for "Music Education Monday," we've got links to some guides available for free online to help musicians who want to learn the basics of audio recording.

(Note that this time, we're covering printed materials only; a future installment will attempt to recommend some of the many, many audio recording tutorials now available on YouTube.)

As you'd expect, a number of companies that make products used in the recording process publish instructional materials to help potential customers understand that process and how those products might be used in it.

The quality of these can vary widely, but three that seem at least worth a look are "Basics: Home Recording and Podcasting" from the microphone manufacturer Shure; "How to Capture Your Art - An Introduction To Multitrack Recording from TASCAM"; and "Basics of Modern Recording," from Roland, manufacturers of a variety of music and recording gear.

Universities are another good source for this sort of material, and the "Introduction to Sound Recording Technology" from Stanford University's well-respected Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics is a useful overview of its subject.

Lastly, for a more in-depth look, you can check out a 278-page PDF representing the complete course notes for "Music and Technology: Recording Techniques and Audio Production" at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  These are course notes, rather than an actual textbook, so you'll need to do some additional searching, reading and follow-up to get the maximum benefit, but at the very least, it's a cheap way to get a sense of just how much there is to learn about the topic.

Have you run across any other free online instructional materials or tutorials about recording that you found to be particularly useful? If so, please share in the comments...

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue to play Saturday, August 8 at Ballpark Village

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue are returning to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, August 8 at Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave downtown.

The New Orleans-based trombonist, trumpeter and singer (pictured) and his band last played here in St. Louis in August 2014 at LouFest in Forest Park. His most recent album, Say This To Say That, was released back in 2013 on Verve Records.

Having already crossed over to the rock/pop audience, Shorty (real name: Troy Andrews) now seems to be turning into something of a multimedia phenomenon. In April, he and illustrator Bryan Collins put out a children's book, Trombone Shorty, described as "an autobiography about how Shorty followed his dream of becoming a musician despite the odds." In addition, his remake of Neal Hefti's classic theme song was used this spring in CBS' reboot of the sitcom The Odd Couple.

Tickets for Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue at Ballpark Village are $11 for general admission, with a "VIP Upgrade" available for an additional $25, and are on sale now via ticketfly.com.

Miles on Monday: Miles Davis Jazz Festival set for Saturday, reissue news, and more

This week in Miles Davis-related news....

* The tenth annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival will take place this Saturday, June 27 at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton, IL.

The event begins at 6:00 p.m. and will feature performances from drummer Montez Coleman's trio, a quartet led by trumpeter Danny Campbell, and saxophonist Fred Walker.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the Alton Museum, the Greater Alton Convention and Visitors Bureau, or at the door.

* On July 24, the Japanese label HiHat Records will release a vinyl version of Miles Davis Fillmore West 15/10/70, a 2-LP set (pictured) of the KPFA radio broadcast of Davis' performance at the Fillmore West on October 15, 1970.

First issued on CD in March of this year, it's a different session from Black Beauty, which was recorded at the Fillmore West in April of 1970, and also not to be confused with Miles Davis At Fillmore, a 2-LP set recorded that same year, but at the Fillmore East in NYC.

The album features Davis, saxophonist Gary Bartz, bassist Michael Henderson, keyboardist Keith Jarrett, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and percussionists Airto Moreira and Juma Santos performing "Honky Tonk," "What I Say," "Sanctuary," "Yesternow," "Bitches Brew," and "Funky Tonk/The Theme."

* Guitar Player magazine columnist Jesse Gress considers what contemporary guitarists might learn from Miles Davis' phrasing and approach to music in an article titled "Under Investigation: Miles Davis for Guitar."

* It was 48 years ago this week that Davis and his quintet took part in the second of three sessions for the album Nefertiti, the trumpeter's last recording made using only acoustic instruments. Recorded on June 7, June 22–23 and July 19, 1967 at Columbia Records' 30th Street Studio, the album would be released in March of the following year, going as high as number eight on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.

You can listen to Nefertiti in its entirety, including some alternate takes that originally went unreleased, via the YouTube embed after the jump...

Sunday Session: June 21, 2015

Steve Coleman

For your Sunday reading, here are some interesting music-related items that have hit StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* Music is free now – and the industry only has itself to blame (New Statesman)
* Dude Builds Flamethrowing Organ: Blows Minds (Vice.com)
* What the Hell Is Happening at Gibson Guitar? (Gawker)
* Bill Evans’ “Complete Fantasy Recordings” to Be Reissued July 17 (Jazz Times)
* Jazz musician Erroll Garner's materials donated to Pitt library (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
* Have We Turned the Last Page in America’s Songbook? (Zocalo Public Square)
* Interview: NYC percussion legend Milford Graves (Red Bull Music Academy)
* Esperanza Spalding Turns Apprehension Into Admiration at D.C. Jazz Festival (Washington City Paper)
* An insider explains how songs get into TV shows and movies (AV Club)
* When Words Sold Music - The strange, conversational language of early Rolling Stone ads (The Atlantic)
* Chicago Blues Fest Pays Tribute to Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon (DownBeat)
* Book Review: The Sound Book (Pro Sound News)
* My Friend, Ornette Coleman (NPR)
* Steve Coleman's Analogies in Various Places (PopMatters)
* Photos: ASCAP Jazz Wall of Fame Ceremony in NYC (Jazz Times)
* John Luther Adams: Leaving Alaska (The New Yorker)
* Harold Battiste, New Orleans saxophonist, composer and educator, dies at 83 (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
* Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Dismisses At Least 16 Nominating Members (Billboard)
* Terry Riley’s Maximal Minimalist Music (The Daily Beast)
* Torrential, Gut-Bucket Jazz (New York Review of Books)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The return of Ronnie Burrage

This week, let's take a look at some video clips featuring University City native Ronnie Burrage, who's coming back home next weekend to perform on Friday, June 26; Saturday June 27; and Sunday, June 28 at Voce, 212 S. Tucker.

A percussionist, keyboardist and composer who currently teaches at Penn State University, Burrage has drummed with a long list of well-known jazz musicians, including McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Archie Shepp, and many others. He's also appeared on gigs and recordings with noteworthy St. Louis musicians such as Lester Bowie, Hamiet Bluiett, Kelvyn Bell, and Joseph Bowie's band Defunkt.

For his shows here next week, Burrage will be accompanied by three different lineups of players, leading a quintet for two sets per night on Friday and Saturday, and then fronting a big band for a Sunday matinee. These groups are being assembled specifically for the gigs, so there's really no video of them to share, but what we can do is show you some clips from various other things Burrage has done since the last time he performed here a couple of years ago.

The first clip, recorded in 2013 at the Penn State Jazz Festival, goes behind the drum kit with Burrage as he plays his original composition "Martinique" with saxophonist Rick Tate, bassist Nimrod Speaks, and guitarist Eric Slaughter, a St. Louisan who's been part of his touring group Band Burrage for the past several years.

After the jump, you can see three more excerpts from recent shows by Band Burrage, starting with an excerpt from a 2013 gig at the Philadelphia Free Library.

Then there's a version of Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help It," recorded at the Blue Note in NYC with Burrage, Speaks, Tate, singer Shenel Johns, and guitarist David Gilmore; and "Flight Endless," from a show at Shapeshifter Labs in Brooklyn.

That's followed by a sort of behind-the-scenes promo video that Burrage put together a couple of years ago before heading out on a summer tour that included a concert at the Aime Cesaire Cultural Festival in Fort-de-France, Martinique; and a complete performance of "World Harmony," a collaboration with poet Sonia Sanchez recorded in 2013 at Penn State.

Along with Burrage, Sanchez and Slaughter, the ensemble for "World Harmony" also includes bassist Bob DeBoo and a former St. Louisan, trumpeter Rasul Siddik, as well as saxophonists Rick Tate and Rene McLean, singers Eric Farmer and Melody Stringer, and dancers Kendra Vie Beheme Dennard and Kikora Franklin.

For more about Ronnie Burrage, read this interview with him published in the October 2014 issue of Jazz Times magazine.

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

Get free tickets to "Wild Women of Song"

The presenters of singer Pamela Rose's show "Wild Women of Song" are offering StLJN readers free tickets to see the performance at 7:00 p.m. this Sunday, June 21 at the Ferring Jazz Bistro.

"Wild Women of Song" is a multi-media show incorporating songs, projected images, and narration to help Rose (pictured) and her quartet tell the stories of Memphis Minnie, Alberta Hunter, Mary Lou Williams, Ann Ronnel, Dorothy Fields, Peggy Lee, and other female jazz and blues composers.

To get a pair of tickets for free, just leave a comment on this post before 5:00 p.m on Saturday, June 20 saying why you'd like to go to the show.

StLJN will send the names of the first 10 commenters along to the producers, and your tickets will be waiting for you before the show Sunday at the Bistro box office.
  
Updated after posting to correct the time of Sunday's performance. 

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Lew Prince, half of the partnership that has run the local indie record store Vintage Vinyl (pictured) for the last 35 years, has sold his stake in the business to co-proprietor Tom "Papa" Ray.

Prince told the Riverfront Times' Jaime Lees that after a break, he'll be looking for a new job or project. Ray will continue to operate VV as sole owner.

* Also in the RFT, contributor Bob McMahon looks at the current state of the recording studio business in St. Louis, and finds it to be "thriving."

* The application period is now open for the Regional Arts Commission's 2015 Artist Fellowships. RAC will award $20,000 each to ten St. Louis artists "in varied disciplines" to provide "funds to allow for more time and space to study, reflect, experiment, explore, practice, and create." Applications must be submitted by Friday, August 7; for more information or to apply, visit RAC's website.

* An essay at New England Public Radio suggests that the late Clark Terry's musical versatility qualified him as an unexpected postmodernist.

* Jim Dolan of The Presenters Dolan will be hosting a group trip in October to NYC's Cabaret Convention. The package includes opportunities to take in cabaret and Broadway shows, as well as special events and parties specifically for the tour group. To find out more, visit The Presenters Dolan website.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake has put together a short video introducing himself and his work that's now posted on Youtube.

* To promote his Whitaker Music Festival show this past Wednesday - unfortunately, postponed until next year due to wet conditions at Missouri Botanical Garden - singer Joe Mancuso did a brief interview with St. Louis magazine and appeared on KSDK's Show Me St. Louis.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band has posted to Facebook photo albums from saxophonist Ben Reece's farewell show last week at Broadway Oyster Bar, and new saxophonist Aaron Cebulske's official debut at a concert for the St. Louis Jazz Club.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, Calvin Wilson's program “Somethin’ Else” will greet the solstice with summer-themed music from Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Abbey Lincoln, and others. "Somethin' Else" airs at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Nevermore Jazz Ball 2015 lineup announced

Organizers of the Nevermore Jazz Ball have announced their lineup of bands and instructors for 2015. 

The annual weekend of swing music and dance is scheduled this year for Thursday, November 5 through Sunday, November 8 at various local venues.

Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders (pictured), who are based in Asheville, NC, will perform at the NJB's main parties on Saturday and Sunday at locations TBA, while St. Louis' own Miss Jubilee will play for the main event on Friday at the Franklin Room. 

The Ball also will include a kickoff party on Thursday night, with music TBA; and the Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl, a free Saturday afternoon event that will feature six to 10 local bands performing at a number of venues and businesses along Cherokee.

Dance instructors presenting classes during the weekend will include Sylvia Sykes and Nick Williams, Mia Halloran and Andy Reid, Michael Faltesek, and John Bedrosian.

Full weekend passes for the 2015 Nevermore Jazz Ball are limited to 200, and start at $120 for the first 50 registrants, $140 for the next 75, and $160 for the final 75. "Dance-only" passes, which include the parties but no classes, are $85 and $95. For more details or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.nevermorejazzball.com/.

Jazz this week: Marcus Miller, Jonah Parzen-Johnson, Pamela Rose's "Wild Women of Song," Jazz Edge Big Band, and more

There's lots going on in jazz and creative music this week in St. Louis, and so you don't miss out, here's a special early edition of our weekly highlights post...

Tuesday, June 16
Tonight, bassist Marcus Miller and his band return to St. Louis to begin a three-night stand continuing through Thursday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Miller, also known for his production work on behalf of musicians including Miles Davis and David Sanborn, is on tour promoting a new album, Afrodeezia. As the title suggests, the recording adds some African and "world music" flavors to Miller's usual stew of funk and jazz elements.

For more about that, plus videos of performances of music from Afrodeezia, see this post from a week ago Saturday. And for even more, Miller (pictured, top left) talked with Calvin Wilson of the Post-Dispatch for a brief preview story about the gig.

Also tonight, baritone saxophonist Jonah Parzen-Johnson will be in town to perform at Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave. You can find out more about him and see some examples of his electronically augmented solo performances in this post from last Saturday.

Wednesday, June 17
Singer Joe Mancuso will be this week's featured performer for the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden; Cabaret Project St. Louis presents their monthly "Open Mic Night" at Tavern of Fine Arts; and guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran plays at Nathalie's.

Update - 1:30 p.m. 5/16/15: Due to rain saturating the grounds of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Joe Mancuso's concert has been postponed until next year. Instead, Mancuso and band will play a free show starting at 7:30 p.m. at Thurman Grill.

Thursday, June 18
Guitarist Dave Black and friends, including featured vocalist Feyza Eren, will perform at Nathalie’s; and pianist Brad Ellebrecht and singer Diane Vaughn will play a duo show at Tavern of Fine Arts.

Friday, June 19
The trio of bassist Bob DeBoo, saxophonist Dave Stone, and drummer Montez Coleman will perform for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro; and the Jazz Edge Big Band presents "A Tribute to St. Louis Saxophonists" at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, with guest performances from Eric Person (pictured, center left) as well as the Bosman Twins, Willie Akins and Paul DeMarinis.

Also on Friday, the St. Louis Big Band will present "Tap + Jazz," featuring tap dancer Tommy Wasiuta performing with the band, at Casa Loma Ballroom; and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to the Backstreet Jazz & Blues Club in Westport.

Saturday, June 20 
The Old Rock House presents their second annual "Summer Gras," an all-day event with music from New Orleans' Dumpstaphunk, with Ivan Neville on keyboards, plus Austin, TX funk band Mingo Fishtrap, singer-songwriter Marc Broussard, the Funky Butt Brass Band, and more. 

Elsewhere around town, trumpeter Jim Manley and friends - singer Charlie B, keyboardist Arthur Toney, guitarist Randy Bahr and drummer Joe Weber - return to Nathalie's; guitarist Todd Mosby and cellist Traci Andreotti will greet the summer solstice with a duo performance at Seedz Café; and Gypsy jazz band Franglais hosts a late-night jam session at Evangeline's.

Sunday, June 21
San Francisco-based singer Pamela Rose (pictured, lower left) makes her St. Louis debut with a benefit performance of her show "Wild Women of Song” at the Ferring Jazz Bistro.

Monday, June 22
Rose presents a free performance of "The Life and Music of Etta James" at the  Emerson Performance Center on the campus of Harris Stowe State University; and singer Dean Christopher reprises his "Rat Pack & More" show at One 19 Tapas and Wine Bar.

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.)

Music Education Monday: A drum lesson and conversation with Ginger Baker

Ginger Baker established himself as a significant musical force while drumming with the 1960s power trio Cream, and over the ensuing decades has continued to impress rock, jazz and world music fans with his technique and imagination.

On a personal level, one understandably might have some qualms about getting too close to the infamously irascible percussionist - the 2012 film Beware of Mr. Baker offers ample documentary evidence of his difficult personality - but given the safe distance provided via video recording, he's got some interesting things to say about drumming and music in general.

And so for today's installment of "Music Education Monday," here's a drum lesson with Baker (pictured) in three parts totaling almost 80 minutes, plus, as lagniappe, a drummer-to-drummer conversation between Baker and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (who - spoiler alert - Baker does not attempt to punch, at least while the camera was rolling).

You can see the videos after the jump...

Miles on Monday: Newport box set, 2015 Miles Davis Jazz Festival previewed, and more

This week for "Miles on Monday," here's the latest in Miles Davis-related news:

* To promote the forthcoming box set of Davis' performances at the Newport Jazz Festival, Legacy Records put out a previously unreleased version of "Stella by Starlight" recorded by the trumpeter's quintet at the 1966 Newport fest. You can hear the track in the YouTube audio embed below.

* In a related development, the release of that 1966 track prompted the ReviveMusic website to compile some other classic Davis performances of “Stella By Starlight.”

* Closer to home, Ken Whiteside, who's involved with both the Miles Davis Jazz Festival and the Miles Davis Memorial Project in Alton, discussed recent developments and previewed this year's festival on an episode of WBGZ's "Let's Talk" program.

* The transitional state of Davis' music at the beginning of the 1960s was examined in the most recent episode of Indiana Public Media's "Night Lights" program, "Miles Between: Miles Davis 1961-1963."

* The effect of racism on Davis' romance with French actress Juliette Greco (pictured, with Davis) was the subject of a story on a recent episode of "Rhythm Planet" from Santa Monica BPR affiliate KCRW.

* In an interview with Los Angeles public TV station KCET, Herbie Hancock spoke briefly about his involvement in Miles Ahead, the upcoming feature film about Davis directed by and starring Don Cheadle.

After the jump, you can hear the Miles Davis Quintet performing "Stella By Starlight" at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival...

Sunday Session: June 14, 2015

Ornette Coleman

For your Sunday reading, here are some interesting music-related items that have hit StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* Why Can't Streaming Services Get Classical Music Right? (NPR)
* No Money, No Space, No Time: How London Has Forced out Musicians (Vice.com)
* ‘Yardbird’ sings but fails to fly at Opera Philadelphia (Washington Post)
* Review: ‘Charlie Parker’s Yardbird’ Uses Opera to Tell a Jazz Story (New York Times)
* Elemental Music to Reissue 25 Albums Originally on Xanadu Label (Jazz Times)
* Can Apple save the music industry from the destructive greed of record labels? (Pando Daily)
* These are the 10 most used artist names on Bandcamp (Fact magazine)
* The Man Before The Guitar: Remembering Les Paul At 100 (NPR)
* Musical Tastes Mirror Class Divides (Pacific Standard)
* Blanchard & Detroit Symphony Orchestra Celebrate Motown, The Big Easy (DownBeat)
* Frustrated Dodgers' organist signals last notes, until team's overture (Los Angeles Times)
* David Byrne’s Changing of the Color Guard (New York Times)
* Ornette Coleman, the alto saxophonist and jazz innovator, dies at 85 (New York Times)
* In Memoriam: Ornette Coleman (DownBeat)
* Seeing Ornette Coleman (The New Yorker)
* Tributes to Ornette Coleman Pour In - The Internet responds to the death of a jazz titan (Jazz Times)
* Wayne Shorter Remembers Ornette Coleman: 'One of My Favorite Astronauts' (Billboard)
* Musicians Pay Homage to Late Jazz Giant Ornette Coleman (Billboard)

After the jump, a bonus YouTube playlist collecting some favorite albums and other audio recordings by Ornette Coleman ...

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Introducing Jonah Parzen-Johnson

This week, let's get acquainted via video with saxophonist Jonah Parzen-Johnson, who will be in St. Louis to play at 8:00 p.m. this coming Tuesday, June 16 at Foam, 3359 Jefferson Ave. The $5 admission charge also includes sets from New Music Circle's Jeremy Kannapell and another opening act TBA.

A Chicago native now residing in NYC, Parzen-Johnson specializes in solo works performed on baritone sax, augmented with electronics, and which often have titles that would fit right into a playlist of emo-rock tunes. Though there's an improvisational flavor and a fairly frequent use of extended techniques, Parzen-Johnson's pieces tend to be structured and relatively short, rather than lengthy, free-form blowing exercises.

So far, he's put out three albums of what's been described as “lo-fi experimental folk music”: his debut Michiana in 2012, Look Like You're Not Looking in 2013, and his latest, Remember When Things Were Better Tomorrow, which was released just last week on Primary Records.

The first clip up top is a music video produced to promote that new album, featuring a composition called "I Wrote A Story About You, Without You."

After the jump, there are three clips of live performances from 2012. In the first, recorded at a gig for CapitalBop in Washington DC, Parzen-Johnson talks for a moment about his playing style and then performs "Never Meant To Keep In Touch." (Note that while the the performance footage is dark, the audio quality is still good.)

After that, there are compositions called "Stay There, I'll Come To You," recorded at WOBC radio in Oberlin, OH, and "What's Coming When They Stop Coming," from a gig at The Garage in Charlottesville, VA. The final two clips were recorded in 2013, at a venue called Hardware in Buffalo, NY, and at Spectrum in NYC.

For more about Jonah Parzen-Johnson, check out his interviews with the websites Animal New York and Avant Music News.

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 news items of local interest:

* Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli chatted with KMOX's Charlie Brennan about the concert next month paying tribute to and raising money for the family of the late St. Louis pianist Ray Kennedy.

* While in town to perform at Jazz at the Bistro, trumpeter Terence Blanchard on Thursday also visited bassist Jim Widner's jazz camp at UMSL to teach and perform for the students there.

* In Denmark, a 2-CD set issued last year featuring the late saxophonist and former St. Louisan Luther Thomas (pictured) performing with various Danish musicians, was reviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Jakob Baekgaard.

* Multi-instrumentalist and St. Louis expat J.D. Parran recently played on a new recording with Marshall Allen and Danny Thompson of the Sun Ra Arkestra, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sun Ra's Heliocentric Worlds, Volume 2 using same instrumentation, and even the exact same bass marimba, and recording at the same studio used at Ra's session a half-century ago.

* The Friends of Scott Joplin now have a YouTube channel, featuring clips of ragtime performances from a variety of pianists.

* The latest episode of HEC-TV's I Love Jazz features singer Feyza Eren and her quartet, plus a segment on host Don Wolff's recent "Jazz Hero" award from the Jazz Journalists Association, and more. Unfortunately, the newly redesigned HEC website makes it very difficult to find out when the show airs, so you'll have to consult your TV provider's program guide for airdates and times, or just watch online here.

* LaVerne Holliday, a former on-air personality for radio station WSIE in the 1990s and early 2000s, has died of complications from breast cancer. She was 60.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, Calvin Wilson's program “Somethin’ Else” features the jazz-influenced works of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, as interpreted by Linda Oh, Jason Moran, Paula West, and more.

Immediately following on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will spin tracks from George Benson, Junior Walker and the All Stars, Simply Red, Nathan East, Soul Ballet, John Coltrane, Common Time, the Bosman Twins, Jesse Gannon, Beth Bombara, and more.

"Somethin' Else" airs at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by "The Jazz Collective" at 9:00 p.m., on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Then on Sunday, Dennis Owsley's "Jazz Unlimited" program on St. Louis Public Radio will present the second part of a special devoted to the "cool school" of West Coast jazz. Tune in from 9:00 pm to midnight Sundays on KWMU (90.7 FM) or listen online at http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org.

Pamela Rose to perform June 21 at Ferring Jazz Bistro, June 22 at Harris Stowe

Pamela Rose, a San Francisco-based singer who mixes music with blues and jazz history, will make her St. Louis debut with two benefit performances later this month.

In her first appearance, Rose (pictured) will present her show "Wild Women of Song" at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, June 21 at the Ferring Jazz Bistro (the official post-renovation name of the space housing the Jazz at the Bistro series).

Described as “an exuberant celebration of the fascinating women who helped create the American Songbook,” the show incorporates songs, projected images, and narration as Rose and her quartet tell the stories of Memphis Minnie, Alberta Hunter, Mary Lou Williams, Ann Ronnel, Dorothy Fields, Peggy Lee, and other female jazz and blues composers.

Tickets are $40 per person, and can be purchased online or by phone at 314-571-6000. Admission includes a post-performance reception at which Rose will sign her CDs and copies of Wild Women of Song, the book she wrote as companion to the show.

The next evening, Rose will narrow her focus a bit, paying tribute to a single performer with "The Music and Life of Etta James," a free, public concert to be presented at 7:00 p.m. Monday, June 22 at the Emerson Performance Center on the campus of Harris Stowe State University.

Proceeds from both events will benefit the Don and Heide Wolff Jazz Institute at Harris-Stowe State University and The Laura X – Laura Rand Orthwein, Jr. Institute for the Legacy and Learning of Social Justice Movements.

(You can see a promo video for "Wild Women of Song" in the embedded video window below.)



Updated 6/16/15 to correct the phone number for ticket purchases.

Jazz this week: Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective, Funky Butt Brass Band, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music performances in and around St. Louis features the return of a famed trumpeter with a brand-new band and sound, plus a varied assortment of gigs from local favorites.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 10
Tonight, trumpeter Terence Blanchard (pictured, top left) opens a four-night engagement with his new band, the E-Collective, at Jazz at the Bistro.

The New Orleans native released a new album, Breathless, just a couple of weeks ago, featuring that new group, with an electrified. groove-oriented sound and a socially conscious message. You can find out more and see videos of live performances of some of the music from Breathless in this post from a couple of weeks ago.

Also tonight, the swinging Gypsy jazz quartet Franglais, fronted by singer Eve Seltzer, returns to Nathalie's.

Thursday, June 11
Singer Erin Bode will perform at Nathalie's, while trumpeter Jim Manley and keyboardist Chris "Luppy" Swan do their duo thing at Evangeline's.

Friday, June 12
Singer Wendy Gordon and pianist Carolbeth True return to Tavern of Fine Arts with saxophonist Kendrick Smith sitting in as a special guest; saxophonist Jay Hutson and Da Wolvez will offer R&B-flavored jams at Evangeline's; guitarists Tom Byrne and Adam Hansbrough will play duets at Thurman Grill; and Miss Jubilee will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, June 13
Trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber will play at Nathalie's; singer Erika Johnson and Tom Byrne perform at Jimmy's on the Park; and Jim Manley and guitarist Randy Bahr will duet at Thurman Grill.

Sunday, June 14
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents the Funky Butt Brass Band (pictured, lower left) in a matinee performance at the Doubletree Hotel, 1973 Craigshire Rd..

The show will be the FBBB's first performance with new saxophonist Austin Cebulske as an official member. Cebulske replaces founding member Ben Reece, who left the band to focus on other projects and spend more time with his family.

Also on Sunday, percussionist Joe Pastor and his band return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Monday, June 15
Trumpeter Keith Moyer's quartet plays at BB's.

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.)

Music Education Monday: Electric bass lessons from Jaco Pastorius and Bob Babbitt

Our previous two "Music Education Monday" installments about bass dealt mostly with the acoustic variety, so today, here's a post specifically for the plugged-in bassists out there, featuring video lessons from two electric bass players who helped shape modern music. 

Bassist Bob Babbitt, who died in 2012 at age 74, performed on many of Motown's greatest hits of its golden era - essentially, all the records that James Jamerson didn't play on - and in the first embedded video window below, you can see a master class that Babbitt presented in 2006 at a jazz festival in Syracuse, NY.

Jaco Pastorius, of course, is familiar to jazz fans as the bassist for the fusion band Weather Report who in the 1970s and 80s helped revolutionize how the instrument was played. If you're a fan, you also know Pastorius' career was cut short in 1987, when he died at age 35 after being beaten in a confrontation with a nightclub bouncer.

Fortunately for musicians who wish to emulate some of his innovations, in 1985 Pastorius made an instructional film, Modern Electric Bass, to give insight into some of his techniques and concepts. You can see that video in the second embedded window below.

Check out both videos after the jump...

Miles on Monday: Memorial Project gets $5,000 gift, Prestige vinyl box set reviewed, and more

For this week's "Miles on Monday," a roundup of recent news items about the legendary trumpeter:

* Miles Davis' use of electric instruments in his band during the late 1960s and early 70s helped spur their adoption by a lot of jazz musicians, and now one might say that electricity is returning the favor.

That's because the Miles Davis Memorial Project announced last week that they've received a $5,000 grant from Ameren Illinois to support their  construction of a plaza and sculpture honoring Miles Davis in downtown Alton. The statue of Davis by sculptor Preston Jackson will be unveiled on September 12.

*  Davis' visit to Scotland in 1990 was recalled by Jim Smith, former director of the Glasgow Jazz Festival.

* The vinyl reissue box set (pictured) of Davis' Prestige 10” LP Collection Volume Two was reviewed at SoundStage! Hi-Fi.

* New England Public Radio spotlighted an infrequently seen video of Davis performing a blues in 1963 on The Tonight Show with Steve Allen.

* A blogger takes another look at bassist/producer Bill Laswell's re-imagining of Davis' music on the remix album Panthalassa.

Sunday Session: June 7, 2015

Oscar Peterson

For your Sunday reading, here are some interesting music-related items that have hit StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* Music critics should be more tolerant of individual interpretations (The Strad)
* VIDEO: Building A Shipping Container Studio (Pro Sound News)
* Apple to announce $10-per-month on-demand music service, will retain Beats Music for now - report (Apple Insider)
* 10 of the best: redesigned pianos (The Guardian UK)
* Corea, Barron among jazz greats saluting Oscar Peterson on upcoming album (Montreal Gazette)
* Five musicians see how Austin’s economy is squeezing the creative class (Austin American-Statesman)
* Always a rotten apple': BB King, poison and the daughters of an infertile legend (The Guardian UK)
* Threadgill Releases New Zooid Album on Pi Recordings Label (DownBeat)
* Remembering the Revolutionary Life Of Gil Scott Heron (BlackThen.com)
* Jazz at Lincoln Center Changes Hiring Policy (NextBop.com)
* Steve Albini: Copyright Has Expired (Billboard)
* Colbert Picks Jon Batiste as ‘Late Show’ Bandleader (New York Times)
* Digital Underground - Who Will Make Sure The Internet's Vast Musical Archive Doesn't Disappear? (NPR)
* 12 Essential Archives For Internet-Era Music Historians (NPR)
* The hot Harlem club making 1940s jazz cool again (New York Post)
* ‘Charlie Parker’s Yardbird’ Ties Jazz and Opera Together in Philadelphia (New York Times)
* Philip Glass Never Stops Writing (The New Yorker)
* Miles is to Picasso as Who is to Whom (Brilliant Corners, A Boston Jazz Blog)
* Universal publishing chief addresses questions around direct licensing of digital (CompleteMusicUpdate.com)
* Are We All Mistuning Our Instruments, and Can We Blame the Nazis? (The Daily Beast)
* Exposing the employment ploy at concert promoter Live Nation (Los Angeles Times)