* Guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran was interviewed last week on an episode of "The Dale Wiley Show" podcast.
* In an effort to keep customers safe during the ongoing pandemic, musical instrumental retailer and repair shop Saxquest this year has reconfigured the fifth edition of their annual Musical Instrument Expo, which starts this Saturday, November 14 and continues through Thursday, December 24.
Instead of presenting a day-long event in meeting rooms at a local hotel, this year Saxquest is offering registered participants "isolated individual appointments" to try out instruments at their shop on Cherokee Street, with the added incentives of 5% to 20% discounts on "nearly all new instruments" and 0% financing options available for many instruments.
Appointments are free, and all participants are registered automatically for a door prize of $500 and other prizes. For more information, visit the Expo's Facebook page, or sign up online here.
* Multi-instrumentalist T.J. Müller (pictured) of traditional jazz band The Gaslight Squares is the host of a new program added to the schedule at community radio station KDHX. Müller's "The Riverboat Shuffle" features vintage jazz, blues, swing, and ragtime, and airs from 10:00 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays.
* Red Flag, a new music venue from the owners of rock club Fubar that will hold up to 1,000 concertgoers, has had a soft opening on Locust St. in Midtown, as reported by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. The Post also produced a short video showing the inside of the club.
* Citing lost revenue from shows canceled due to the pandemic, the Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, the main venue for the annual Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, has let go 14 full-time employees, including director John Cattanach. According to a story from St. Louis Public Radio's Chad Davis, the Touhill will keep three full-time staff members but now will be run by the university’s event services department.
* Saxophonist and East St. Louis native Amos Brewer has died. Brewer, who was 53 years old, passed away last Saturday, November 7; no cause of death has been disclosed. A bluesy stylist in the R&B-flavored tradition of Hank Crawford, Oliver Sain, and David Sanborn, he freelanced with various groups and musicians around town, and also was a member of the band at Friendly Temple Church, which has released a video in tribute to him.
Arrangements are through Layne Mortuary, and the funeral will take place Sunday, November 22 at Friendly Temple, with viewing at 3:00 p.m. and services at 4:00 p.m.
