Jazz this week: Paula West, a celebration of Miles Davis, Kim Massie, BAG II, and more

Although some of St. Louis' not-for-profit jazz presenters, such as the universities, the Sheldon Concert Hall and the Touhill Performing Arts Center, have wrapped up their seasons, this next week still offers a decently varied menu of music of interest to jazz listeners. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, singer Paula West (pictured) opens a four-night run at the Cabaret at Savor. West will be one of the featured performers in the Sheldon's jazz series next fall, but if you don't feel like waiting until then to check her out, the intimate 65-seat space at Savor will provide an opportunity to see and hear her close up.

Also tonight, the James Davis Quintet from Chicago stops in St. Louis to perform at the Underground @ Red Sea. Though I haven't heard them live, I enjoyed their CD Angles of Refraction very much; see last week's post for details.

On Friday and Saturday, singer Kim Massie returns to Jazz at the Bistro, backed by a band including Lew Winer III on saxophones, Gus Thornton on bass, Gerald Warren on drums and yr. humble editor on piano. Without revealing any highly classified information, I can tell you that Kim has planned an eclectic program of blues, soul and jazz, featuring some fan favorites and a few less-familiar tunes as well, and I anticipate that it will an entertaining show.

Friday also brings the opening reception for the new jazz photo exhibit at the Sheldon Art Galleries, Herb Snitzer: Photographs from the Last Days of Metronome, as well as trombonist Lamar Harris performing at Erato Wine Bar, and singer/songwriter Alyse Black, winner in the jazz category of the 2007 Billboard Song Contest, opening up a multi-artist bill at The Gramophone.

On Saturday, the Carolbeth True Trio will be at Cookie's Jazz and More, while the Sidney Street Trio, featuring James Warfield Jr. on alto sax, Daryl Mixon on bass and Joe Pastor on percussion, plays at Brandt's.

On Sunday, it's the Miles Davis Jazz Celebration with saxophonist Willie Akins and drummer Arlin Strader at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, IL. See this previous post for more details. Also on Sunday, BAG II presents a free event at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe featuring poet K. Curtis Lyle, performance artist and percussionist David A.N. Jackson, and bassist/mbira player Zimbabwe Nkenya. Looking beyond the weekend, singer Jeanne Trevor will be at Brandt's on Tuesday night.

For more St. Louis jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar

(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 Jazz Celebration on May 18 to feature Willie Akins, Arlin Strader

Among its many other charms, the riverside town of Alton, IL is known as the birthplace of Miles Davis, and in recent years the community has staged various events to honor the jazz trumpet great around the time of his birthday, which is May 26.

This year, St. Louis saxophonist Willie Akins (pictured) and drummer Arlin Strader of Myrtle Beach, SC will headline the Alton area's third annual Miles Davis Jazz Celebration, scheduled from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 18 in Trimpe Hall on the campus of Lewis and Clark Community College, 5800 Godfrey Rd in nearby Godfrey, IL.

Strader is a jazz and show drummer, educator and clinician who works steadily in the Carolinas and has toured the U.S. and Canada with the Tommy Dorsey band, while Akins is well-known to St. Louis area jazz fans as a mainstay of our local scene for more than 40 years. The concert also will feature a group from Lewis and Clark Community College co-led by drummer Howard Neal and multi-instrumentalist Tim Jarden, and including tenor saxophonist Herb Hutchinson, guitarist/trombonist Kenny King and trumpeter Kerry Walter. In addition, there will be a tribute to the late R&B vocalist and songwriter Luther Ingram, a native of Madison County, IL who was known for hits such as "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want To Be Right)." Ingram passed away in 2007 after a long illness.

General admission tickets for the Miles Davis Jazz Celebration are $20 in advance, $25 at the door and can be purchased at the Alton Museum of History and Art and at Bossanova Martini Lounge, 112 W. Third St. in Alton.