Friday, May 27, 2016

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* This week's celebration of Miles Davis' 90th birthday in his birthplace of Alton, IL is the subject of a feature story by the Alton Telegraph's Kelsey Landis.

* Singer and pianist Freddy Cole was interviewed by Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Cole and saxophonist Harry Allen are performing through Saturday night at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Pianist Robert Glasper was interviewed about Everything's Beautiful, his new album remixing and paying tribute to Miles Davis, by Kenya Vaughn of the St. Louis American.

* A news feature on St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV spotlighted a music therapy program for children with neurofibromatosis developed by Jazz St. Louis in conjunction with the Washington University Neurofibromatosis Center.

* Drummer Emanuel Harrold and bassist Jahmal Nichols, the two St. Louis natives who are part of singer Gregory Porter's band, got some more time on national TV on Wednesday night as Porter performed on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live. You can see a video of their appearance here.

* Trumpeter and St. Louis native Lester Bowie (pictured) will be remembered with a performance of his music on Saturday, June 4 at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center in NYC. Tuba player Bob Stewart, who worked with Bowie on many occasions, will serve as music director for a brass ensemble featuring a number of alumni of Bowie's Brass Fantasy bands.

* The Pageant has teamed up with SoundGirls.org to offer a "Live Sound Camp for Girls" starting Monday, July 25 through Friday, July 29 at The Pageant. The week-long day camp is for girls ages 12-18 who are interested in learning about live music production. The curriculum includes hands-on sessions covering a variety of audio- and production-related topics, with campers producing and running a live show to end the week. For details, go to http://SoundGirls.org/stlouiscamp.

* The Riverfront Times has announced the lineup of performers for the annual RFT Music Showcase, which will be held Saturday, June 18 at various venues along Manchester Rd. in the Grove neighborhood.

Reflecting the paper's music coverage, the 80-act roster is heavy on alt-rock and hip-hop, but there also are some acts of potential interest to StLJN readers, including Animal Children, Tommy Halloran, Eric Hall, and the Vernacular String Trio. See the complete lineup of bands and venues at http://rftmusicshowcase.com/

* In other festival news, the just-announced lineup for the 2016 LouFest will include the Preservation Hall Jazz Band as a token jazz act, while the first-ever Murmuration Festival will feature a set from jazz- and electronica-influenced hip-hop producer Flying Lotus among its musical attractions.

The Murmuration fest, which will take place the weekend of September 23-25 on the Cortex Innovation Community campus in midtown, also will include "include new technologies and public art exhibitions, all-ages interactive exhibits, and local food trucks."

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