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.)