So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Rev. Cliff Aerie, saxophonist with the Oikos Ensemble, was profiled in an article in the Webster-Kirkwood Times.

* The Boyé Multi-National Crusade For Harmony, the new 7-CD box set of previously unheard tracks from saxophonist Julius Hemphill, was reviewed by Mark Corroto for AllAboutJazz.com.

* Pianist Peter Martin's company Open Studio this week launched another podcast, titled "Upright Citizens" and hosted by bassists Reuben Rogers and Bob DeBoo. You can check out the first episode here.

* The new Dave Weckl Band album Live In St. Louis at the Chesterfield Jazz Festival was reviewed by Jim Worsley of AllAboutJazz.com and by Jim Hynes of online magazine Glide. The album (pictured) is out today on the Autumn Hill label and can be streamed via the major digital music services.

* An article at HotCars.com offers "A Detailed Look At Miles Davis' Lamborghini Miura."

* In more Miles Davis news, a new album, Champions, featuring tracks culled from the expanded box set The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions in 2003, is set for release on Saturday, July 17 as part of this year's Record Store Day "RSD Drops."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Pianist Peter Martin is doing an "Ask Me Anything" Q&A session at 2:00 p.m. Central time today (Friday, April 19) via the Facebook page of his company Open Studio.

* Singer Denise Thimes (pictured) has been chosen for the cast of The Black Rep's upcoming production of Nina Simone: Four Women, a play-with-music by Catherine Ham that will run Wednesday, May 15 through Sunday, June 2 at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus.

* Drummer and educator Bernard Long Jr. has received the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association Certificate of Merit Award for his work as band director at Normandy High School.

* Saxophonist Dave Stone's upcoming move to Oregon is detailed in a feature story by the Riverfront Times' G.M.H. Thompson. Stone's trio will play their final gig at their longtime home Mangia Italiano tonight.

* Bassist Bob DeBoo's recent serendipitous find of a sitar, seemingly in working condition, in an alley near his south St. Louis home is recounted in a brief St. Louis magazine feature by Thomas Crone.

* Pianist and St. Louis native Tom McDermott, who's made his home for many years in New Orleans, has a new album, Tom McDermott Meets Scott Joplin, out this month on the Arbors label.

* Last weekend's Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival was the subject of a story on the University of Missouri-St. Louis' official blog UMSL Daily.

* This year's local celebration of Record Store Day was spotlighted in a feature story by HEC-TV's George Sells.

* On The Corner Live! The Music of Miles Davis, the new release featuring an all-star band gathered by saxophonist and former Davis sideman Dave Liebman, was reviewed in Jazz Journal and Jazz Times.

* If you've been wondering what's happening with seemingly-defunct music festival LouFest's legal battle with their former sound and lighting contractors Logic Systems, there's an update via a story in the trade publication Projection Lighting and Staging News by St. Louis writer and musician Kevin Mitchell.

* The deadline for local student musicians in grades 6-12 to apply for Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program for the 2019-20 school year is next Friday April 26. Audition and application details are online at https://jazzstl.org/education/jazz-u/2019-20-jazzu-auditions/.

* And in a related story, current JazzU student Joanna Serenko, a singer, guitarist and senior at Kirkwood High School, last week was announced as the winner of this year's St. Louis Teen Talent Competition sponsored by the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation.

Jazz this week: Christian McBride's New Jawn, Lonnie Holley, holiday jazz, and more

The calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis is packed this week, with several touring artists performing around town, plus the start of a a very busy season of concerts with a holiday theme.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, November 28
Bassist Christian McBride brings his latest group New Jawn (pictured, top left) to Jazz St. Louis for the first of five nights continuing through Sunday.

The quartet is notable not just for the quality of the musicianship, but for the absence of piano, guitar, or any other chordal instrument, leaving additional space for tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland and trumpeter Josh Evans while McBride and drummer Nasheet Waits provide the foundation. Find out more and see some videos of them playing live in this post from last Saturday.

Thursday, November 29
It'll be a three-bass hit when Bob DeBoo is joined by fellow bassists Bernard Terry and Ben Wheeler in a free concert of music composed by famous jazz bassists for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Also on Thursday, singer Feyza Eren and her quartet perform at Joe's Cafe; trumpeter Jim Manley plays at The Pat Connolly Tavern; and saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room.

Friday, November 30
Saxophonist Kenny G brings his "Miracles Holiday and Hits Tour" to the Touhill Performing Arts Center. (For an overview of all the various holiday jazz shows this year in St. Louis, see this post from Monday.)

Also on Friday, Midwest Jazz-tette plays West Coast cool jazz at Evangeline's; singer Chuck Flowers will perform at 50/Fifty Kitchen; and pianist Adam Maness' trio continues in their new weekly gig at Sophie's Artist Lounge and Cocktail Club.

Saturday, December 1
New Music Circle presents singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and artist Lonnie Holley (pictured, bottom left) at Off Broadway

Holley transcended dire childhood poverty in the deep South to become an acclaimed visual artist, making collages and sculptures from found objects and winning international attention.

He added music to his portfolio of self-expressions in the early 2000s, writing his own distinctive material and sometimes improvising entire songs on the spot, and since has performed at major venues and festivals around the world. You can find out more about him and see some of Holley's performances on video in this post from two Saturdays ago.

Elsewhere around town, saxophonist Marion Meadows and keyboardists Alex Bugnon and Mark Harris II will play "Holiday Jazz" at the Sun Theatre; and guitarist Joe Park 's trio will celebrate the release of their debut album Out of Nowhere with a performance at Focal Point.

Sunday, December 2
The Friends of Scott Joplin present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, and the St. Louis Jazz Club will celebrate the holidays with wine, cheese and music from the Funky Butt Brass Band at the Moolah Shrine Center.

Also on Sunday, singer and St. Louis native Lynne Fiddmont returns home for a holiday-themed performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Monday, December 3
The Webster University Jazz Singers, directed by Debby Lennon, will present their annual holiday concert at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.

Tuesday, December 4
The Route 66 Jazz Orchestra will perform in their third annual "Half A Holiday Concert" at The Sheldon.

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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Introducing Alex Mercado

Today, let's take a look at some videos featuring pianist Alex Mercado, who will make his St. Louis debut in a concert next Friday, September 28 at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

The date is part of a brief tour of the Midwest, for which Mercado will be accompanied by Rodrigo Villanueva on drums and St. Louis' own Bob DeBoo on bass. While he's here, Mercado also will present a free, public master class at 1:00 p.m. on Friday in Room 103 of Washington University's Music Classroom Building, 6500 Forsyth Blvd.

A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Mercado is considered to be one of Mexico's top jazz musicians. He's released four albums as a leader, including 2014's Symbiosis, which was selected as one of DownBeat magazine's Editors’ Picks for 2014, and his most recent recording Paisajes, which came out at the end of 2017.

You can see a performance of the title track from Paisajes in the first video up above, which features Mercado with bassist Israel Cupich and drummer Gabriel Puentes and was released online in January 2018

After the jump, you can see the same three musicians playing "Búsqueda," also included on Paisajes, and "What Lays Beyond," the latter recorded live at this year's North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

That's followed by a full set, recorded in 2015, and a solo piece called "Prisma," recorded live in 2016. Last but not least, there's another trio performance, of the title track from the Symbiosis album as recorded in 2015 at the Festival de Jazz Nuevo León in Mexico.

For more about Alex Mercado, read the Q&As with him published by JazzCorner.com and AllAboutJazz.com.

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

Kranzberg Arts Foundation begins "Music Artist in Residence" program

The Kranzberg Arts Foundation (KAF) has announced a new "Music Artist in Residence" program intended to identify "band leaders with original projects and provide them with the performance, rehearsal and recording opportunities that assist them with advancing and building their careers."

The first group of residents consists of nine performers who already are involved with the foundation through performances at the Kranzberg Arts Center and/or The Dark Room, including bassist Bob DeBoo, keyboardists Mo Egeston, Jesse Gannon, Owen Ragland and Ptah Williams, singer Anita Jackson, saxophonist Ben Reece, bassist and singer Tonina Saputo, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor (pictured).

As artists in residence, they'll continue regular performances at those venues and in conjunction with other programs within the Grand Center Arts District. What makes the residency program new are the additional forms of support being deployed on their behalf, including marketing help, free rehearsal and office space, and more.

Residents will have access to cooperative office space and conference rooms at .ZACK, with rehearsal spaces provided at Kranzberg Arts Center and other KAF venues, said Chris Hansen, executive director of the foundation, in an email to StLJN. The foundation also will provide funding for "paid radio and print, social media, digital activation, as well as helping them (with) graphic design, photography and other essential tools," he said.

In addition to the in-house support from the foundation, Clayton Studios will donate studio time towards production of a compilation album featuring the artists in residence. The album, release date TBD, will be available through digital outlets, along with a "small number" of CDs, Hansen said.

Also, Listen Live Entertainment, producers of the annual LouFest Music Festival, will "provide the artists with main stage opportunities at the festival and other satellite events, plus other exciting opportunities to be announced later."

In total, Hansen said the foundation will spend more than $100,000 annually on the residency program. That's over and above the fees paid to the musicians for performances, and encompasses all the marketing and support services, as well as recent upgrades to The Dark Room including a new piano, sound system, and an in-house sound technician.

While this first group of residents was selected from among performers who had existing relationships with the foundation, that could change in the future. "We will be creating a formal submission process for the next round of residents," said Hansen. "Currently we have not set a definitive time on the residencies. It has been an organic process and we want to serve the current residents until we feel like their and our goals are met."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness have teamed up for a new podcast for aspiring musicians called "You'll Hear It," offering "a combo of actionable advice and occasional humor in just 10 minutes a day" via Martin's Open Studio Productions.

* Bassist Jim Widner, who heads the jazz studies program at the University of Missouri St. Louis and directs the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, has been named the Missouri Association for Jazz Education’s Outstanding Jazz Educator for 2018.  Widner, who previously won the award back in 1990, has announced that he plans to retire from UMSL next year.

* Metro Theater Company's production of "Bud, Not Buddy," the "concert play" with a score by trumpeter Terence Bradford, was spotlighted on the HEC-TV arts program Scope.

* Bassist Bob DeBoo and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor (pictured) promoted the weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" in a segment on KMOV's Great Day St. Louis.

* The bossa nova and jazz trio The Bonbon Plot was featured in a story in the Alton RiverBender.

* St. Louis native Josephine Baker's trip back to her hometown in 1953 after decades living overseas was the subject of an archival St. Louis Post-Dispatch article posted this week on STLToday.com.

* Singer and Webster University alumna Alyssa Hegwood was featured in Webster U's campus paper The Journal.

* 80-year-old saxophonist Lee Trapp, who frequently practices outdoors on the Lindenwood University campus ala Sonny Rollins on the Williamsburg Bridge, was profiled in Lindenwood's online student publication The LindenLink.

* Keyboardist Jim Hegarty has posted to Bandcamp as a "name your price" download another of his "Secret Sessions" recordings, featuring percussionist Henry Claude, pianist Greg Mills, cornetist George Sams, guitarist Steven Thomas, and flute player Fred Tompkins, plus Hegarty on Moog Voyager.

He's also posted to Bandcamp a live album called Sky Water Smokestack, recorded just last week at St. Louis Community College - Forest Park. The performance was improvised to non-narrative films of scenes of the Mississippi River by an ensemble including Hegarty on piano and synthesizer, cellist Tracy Andreotti, clarinetist Eric Paul Mandat, and mallet percussionist Thomas Zirkle.

* CarolBrass representative Jim Bohm will be in St. Louis from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. next Tuesday, February 13 at UMSL, showing off the company's line of Bb, C, and piccolo trumpets, flugelhorns, and cornets and offering demonstration models for brass players to try.

* The weekly jazz performances at Thurman's in Shaw are briefly mentioned in a Riverfront Times food blog post about the bar's new menu.  

Jazz this week: John Pizzarelli, Esfoma, The Cunninghams, a tribute to Charles Mingus, Bad Luck, and more

Autumn is definitely in the air in St. Louis, and it's looking like a fine weekend to get out and hear some live jazz and creative music. Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy performances coming up over the next few days...

Tonight, singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli opens a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. The longtime St. Louis favorite has a new band for this visit, still featuring his brother Martin on bass, but also including two new members, pianist Konrad Paszkudzki and drummer Kevin Kanner. For some samples of Pizzarelli in action, check out this video post, made before his four-night run with his dad, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, last year at the Bistro, and this one from before his 2012 gig at the club. 

Also tonight, Esfoma, an improvising ensemble led by pianist Greg Mills, will perform at Tavern of Fine Arts. Mills played out and recorded frequently from the late 1970s through the 1990s as a solo pianist and with the duo Exiles, but has kept a low public profile of late. He'll be accompanied on this gig by percussionist Henry Claude, cellist Tracy Andreotti, poet Michael Castro, saxophonist Dave Stone, and fellow pianist David Parker.

Tomorrow night, bassist Bob DeBoo leads a group playing the music of Charles Mingus in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; singer Denise Thimes will perform in her tenth annual show raising funds for pancreatic cancer research at the Sheldon Concert Hall; and the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with Antonio Rodriguez performing his show "Memories, Mistakes and Moving On" at the Gaslight Theater

On Friday, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues with singer and pianist Steve Ross, who will present his show "An Evening with Steve Ross" at the Gaslight Theater. Once called "the suavest of all male cabaret performers" by the New York Times, Ross will repeat the show again on Saturday.

Also on Friday, Second Generation Swing plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; singer Joe Mancuso fronts a quartet at Nathalie's; and the The People's Key play the house concert venue KindaBlue, located at 6101 1/2 Idaho on the south side. Elsewhere around town, Miss Jubilee will be swinging at Prasino in St. Charles; guitarist Brian Vaccaro's trio will host a jam session at The Wolf in Ballwin; and Midwest Jazz-tette will play West Coast-style "cool" jazz at the Cigar Inn in Belleville.

On Saturday, the Seattle-based drum and saxophone duo Bad Luck will perform a late-afternoon show at the Tavern of Fine Arts. Regarded as one of the top experimental, improvising pairs in their hometown, drummer Chris Icasiano and saxophonist Neil Welch use live audio loops and digital effects to augment and enhance their sound.

Then on Saturday evening, vocal duo The Cunninghams will be in town from their home in Las Vegas to play at the Ozark Theater. Former St. Louisan Don Cunningham and his wife Alicia (pictured) have a long and fascinating history in the music business, some of which is detailed in this post from last Saturday and the accompanying linked material. But you don't need a lesson to enjoy their music, which features closely harmonized vocals, in the style of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross or the Manhattan Transfer, with accents of Latin jazz and exotica.

Also on Saturday, singer Erin Bode is at Nathalie's; singers Feyza Eren and Ayse Eren, aka the Eren Sisters, and guitarist Dave Black will be at The Wine Press; the Ann Dueren Trio returns to Il Bel Lago; and the Funky Butt Brass Band will be back at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

On Sunday morning, The Sidemen will be filling in providing music for the jazz brunch this week at Evangeline's, and later on that day, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play a matinee at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the jazz faculty of Webster University will present their annual TKT Scholarship Benefit Concert at Winifred Moore Auditorium on campus. The event raises money for music scholarships in the names of Terry Jackson, Kirk Cappello and Tony Saputo, three musicians and Webster alumni who were killed in a 1991 plane crash along with five other members of country singer Reba McEntire's road band. This year's theme is "Jazz Interpretations of the Music of Jule Styne," paying tribute to the composer of songs such as "I Fall In Love Too Easily," "The Party's Over" and "People."

Also on Monday, singer Dean Christopher bring his "Rat Pack and More" show with pianist Chris Swan and trumpeter Jim Manley to One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar; and "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective will return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Tuesday, pianist Jim Hegarty will lead a trio at Tavern of Fine Arts; and the weekly Tuesday jam sessions once held at Robbie's House of Jazz have been resurrected, like much of Robbie's other programming, at the Ozark Theatre.

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.)

Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival set for Saturday, September 20

The Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival has announced their musical lineup for the 2014 fest, which will take place from noon to 10:00 p.m., Saturday, September 20 in the Old Webster business district, near the intersection of Lockwood and Gore.

This will be the 14th year for the event, and as in the past, it will feature live music on two stages and is free and open to the public.

The Webster University stage on Gore Ave will be the site for sets from the Funky Butt Brass Band, Big Brother Thunder and the Master Blasters, Gene Dobbs Bradford Blues Experience, Webster University Jazz Ensemble, and Marquise Knox with Big George Brock.

Music on the Allen Ave stage begins with the winner of this year's "Webster's Got Talent" contest, followed by The 442s with Erin Bode; a made-to-order jazz ensemble featuring Ptah Williams (piano), Bob DeBoo (bass), Montez Coleman (drums), Danny Campbell (trumpet), Freddie Washington (saxophones), and Joe Mancuso (vocals); the Webster Groves High School Jazz Band; and Jim Manley (pictured) and Wild, Cool and Swingin'.

Russell Gunn to headline Miles Davis Jazz Festival on Saturday, May 17

Trumpeter Russell Gunn will be coming back home to headline the 2014 Miles Davis Jazz Festival, which will take place starting at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, May 17 at the Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway in Alton.

The opening acts will be saxophonist Fred Walker, a veteran of several past MDJFs, and Riverbend-area prog/alt-rock band Locrian Manor.

Gunn, who grew up in East St. Louis and now lives in Atlanta, will be accompanied by bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Montez Coleman, who, like Gunn, is an alumnus of ESL Lincoln High School's award-winning jazz band, directed by Ronald Carter.

The trumpeter (pictured) also has an affinity for Davis' music that goes beyond their shared hometown, as in 2007 he recorded an entire album of Davis' music, Russell Gunn Plays Miles. His most recent appearance in the St. Louis area was just this past Sunday with singer Dionne Ferris at the Casino Queen's Club Sevens.

Tickets for the 2014 Miles Davis Jazz Festival featuring Russell Gunn are $25 each, and will be on sale starting Sunday, March 23 at the Alton Museum of History and Art and Jacoby Arts Center. Proceeds from the event will benefit the not-for-profit Alton Museum.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Two musical conventions are coming to St. Louis this month, starting with the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica (SPAH), which will hold its 50th anniversary confab from Tuesday, August 13 to Saturday, August 17 at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel.

There's an interesting article that touches on SPAH and the convention, but mostly focuses on how members modify stock harmonicas for their own purposes, in Collector's Weekly here.

* Later in the month, the International Steel Guitar Convention, held the weekend of August 29-31 at the Millennium Hotel, will give local listeners a free opportunity to hear jazz music played on steel guitar.

From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 31, the convention's "Maurice Anderson Jazz Room" will featuring seven steel players performing jazz and standards backed by a local rhythm section. The featured guitarists will include Mike Sweeney, Russ Wever, Doug Jernigan, Sid Hudson, Jim Cohen, and Dave Easley. Though there's a fee to attend most of the convention events, the jazz room is open to the public and is free of charge.

* Saxophonist Jeff Coffin, currently with the Dave Matthews Band and formerly of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, lives in Nashville, but he's such a fan of St. Louis' Saxquest that he recently brought several fellow saxophonists from his hometown all the way up here to check it out.

* Down Beat magazine's 78th annual Readers Poll continues, and if you haven't voted yet, you can cast your ballot for your favorite musicians, bands and recordings here. The poll ends next Friday, August 16.

* Best wishes to bassist Bob DeBoo, who's on the mend from hand surgery after being injured in an accident while on vacation last week in Pennsylvania. According to a post on his Facebook page, DeBoo was sitting on a tree swing with his wife and daughter when a limb gave way, and his right hand was injured in the fall. Fortunately, doctors were able to repair the damage upon his return to St. Louis, and DeBoo says he expects a complete recovery.

* Jazz St. Louis is looking for a "teaching artist" to join the faculty of their JazzU program. It's an independent contractor job that involves weekly sessions teaching improvisation to middle and high school students in a small group setting. For more information on the job requirements and how to apply, see http://www.jazzstl.org/uncategorized/open-position-teaching-artist/

* In other Jazz St. Louis news, the organization's board of directors elected a new president at their final meeting of fiscal 2013: Marian Nunn, chief financial and operating officer of THF Realty. A graduate of St. Louis University, where she also is an adjunct professor in the entrepreneurship program, Nunn also has been on the boards of several other local not-for-profits, including a stint as president of Cultural Festivals, producers of the St. Louis Art Fair (and the defunct St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival.) She succeeds philanthropist Pam Trapp, who served as JSL board president for the past four years.

* To raise money for their upcoming season and beyond, New Music Circle is sponsoring a Trivia Night on Saturday, August 24 at the Kerr Foundation on Laclede's Landing.

* Single tickets on sale go at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, August 10 for shows in the Sheldon Concert Hall's 2013-14 season, and at 10:00 a.m. next Tuesday, August 13 for Jazz St. Louis' upcoming season of performances at Jazz at the Bistro. The ticket agency for both presenters is Metrotix.

* Applications are now being accepted for the first round of the Regional Arts Commission's new Artists Fellowships, through which RAC will award a total of ten $20,000 grants to St. Louis artists from various disciplines. Applications are due by Tuesday, August 27; for details on how to apply, and an online form, go to http://www.artistscount.com/.

There's also a "How to Apply" workshop at 5:30 p.m. this coming Monday, August 12 at the RAC offices, 6128 Delmar. If you want to attend, RSVP by email to roseann @ stlrac dot org or call 314-863-5811 ext 48.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday's episode of Calvin Wilson's "Somethin' Else" looks at one of jazz's most revered and royal figures, spotlighting the compositions of Duke Ellington (pictured) through recordings by pianist Allen Toussaint, singer Rebecca Martin, and Ellington himself. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2 and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Then on Sunday, the next edition of Dennis Owsley's "Jazz Unlimited" features great jazz soloists from throughout the music's history, from “King” Oliver, Fats Waller and Bix Beiderbecke to David Murray, Ornette Coleman and Wayne Shorter. You can listen in from 9:00 p.m. to midnight every Sunday on KWMU (90.7 FM) or online at http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org/.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Tim Halpin, guitarist for the Funky Butt Brass Band (pictured), was interviewed twice this week about the FBBB's "Holiday Brasstravaganza" on Saturday at Off Broadway, by both the RFT's Christian Schaeffer and the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson.

* Former St. Louisan Benjamin Cawthra’s new book Blue Notes in Black and White: Photography and Jazz was reviewed by Ben Ratliff for the New York Times. Cawthra also has a short essay excerpted from the book now online at the Montreal Review.

* Dennis Owsley's most recent blog post for St. Louis magazine is an appreciation of singer Kurt Elling, who was in St. Louis last month to perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Jazz on Broadway has posted on Facebook an album of photos from last weekend's gig at the Alton club by bassist Bob DeBoo's quartet.

* The RFT's Kholood Eid has a look inside Native Sound, a new recording studio on Cherokee St.

* St. Louis based Jazz Cruises LLC has changed its name to Entertainment Cruise Productions, reflecting the company's expansion into cruises featuring other musical genres, including "Malt Shop Memories" and the new "Soul Train" cruise, featuring soul, funk and R&B stars from the 1970s and 1980s.

Young Friends groups to present "Jazz Under the Stars" on Thursday, January 26 at the Planetarium

The Young Friends of Jazz St. Louis and Young Friends of the Saint Louis Science Center will join forces to present the second annual "Jazz Under the Stars" event at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, January 26 at the Science Center's James S. McDonnell Planetarium in Forest Park.

The event will feature live music from drummer Marty Morrison & Friends, featuring Jason Swagler (saxophone), Adam Maness (keyboards) and Bob DeBoo (bass) with special guest vocalist Erin Bode (pictured). There also will be appetizers and beverages provided by Barefoot Wine, Square One Brewery and Distillery, and Augusta Brewing Company. Claire Kellett, co-anchor of the morning news broadcast on local CBS affiliate KMOV, will serve as host.

Admission includes three drink tickets and appetizers, and is priced at $25 before January 1, $30 after. Tickets are on sale now online and by phone at 314-289-4491.

Spruill's becomes Lavish, ending long run of Saturday jazz matinees

One of St. Louis' longest running weekly jazz gigs, the Saturday afternoon sessions by saxophonist Willie Akins at Spruill's, has come to a final ending with the closing of the club.

In a story published yesterday, the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson wrote that the space at 1101 Jefferson formerly occupied by Spruill's is being refitted as a new nightclub, Lavish, by the owners of several other trendy local nightspots.

Akins' Saturday afternoon shows were a staple at Spruill's for many years, often attracting touring musicians passing through town as well as student players hoping for a chance to sit in.

He continues to play around town despite recent health problems that led friends and colleagues to stage a fundraiser for his medical expenses over Labor Day weekend. In addition to leading his own group, Akins (pictured) can be heard performing with bassist Bob DeBoo and others.