Jazz this week: Michael Franks, Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis is considerably less crowded than last week's, but there are still several notable events happening around the metro area. Let's go to the highlights:

The best-known touring performer in town this week is singer/songwriter Michael Franks, who will play on Thursday at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar. For more about Franks and some video clips of him performing, see this post.

Also on Thursday, the Jazz at Holmes series of free concerts at Washington University continues with pianist Reggie Thomas doing a performance devoted to the music of Thelonious Monk.

On Friday night, singer Mardra Thomas once again steps into the role of Billie Holiday for a dinner-and-concert event at Harris Stowe State University, and guitarist Matthew Von Doran and his trio will play at Broadway Bean Coffee on the south side.

UPDATE - 12:00 p.m., 9/17/10: Von Doren's performance at Broadway Bean has been canceled, due to an illness in a band member's family. Von Doren says the date will be rescheduled for next month.

On Saturday, the Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary with a lineup featuring homegrown talent, including a group drawn from the Webster University jazz faculty, who will perform a program of lesser-known Duke Ellington songs; the Webster Groves High School jazz band; and the Robert Edwards Ensemble, the resident band at Robbie's House of Jazz, which is located adjacent to the festival site. Keyboardist Curt Landes, guitarist Teddy Presberg, and the Funky Butt Brass Band round out the festival's jazz offerings.

Yr. humble editor remains somewhat less sanguine about the event's blues menu. But rather than rehash the whole mishegas here once more, let's just say that singer/guitarist Marquise Knox and the New Orleans R&B/funk/zydeco cover band Gumbohead are reliably entertaining performers, and the rest depends on your perspective. Given its resources and circumstances, the Old Webster fest probably shouldn't be held to the same standard as a big-budget, name-brand festival, but if you think of it as a free, neighborhood event with a hipper-than-usual musical lineup, it's a different story.

Speaking of Robbie's House of Jazz, the club has singer Jeanne Trevor set to appear on Friday night; a jazz brunch with Sound Unlimited at mid-day on Saturday; and keyboardist Tony Simmons performing on Saturday night.

(And in case you were wondering, Jazz at the Bistro is dark this weekend, as this was the week when the Jazz Crusaders had been scheduled to play at the Touhill Performing Arts Center under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis. That concert was postponed due to health problems affecting Jazz Crusaders saxophonist Wilton Felder, and no other act was booked at the TouPAC or the Bistro to fill the otherwise-open weekend. The Bistro's fall schedule resumes next Wednesday with a four-night stand from pianists Kenny Barron and Mulgrew Miller.)

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday night saxophonist Paul DeMarinis leads his band in a concert at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium, and the Sessions Big Band performs downtown at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, 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.)

(Updated 9/15/10 to add Friday's events.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: "Down In Brazil" with Michael Franks

This week, we've got some video clips of singer Michael Franks, who's coming to St. Louis on Thursday, September 16 to perform at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

Known for his gentle crooning, lyrical wordplay, and fondness for Latin and Brazilian rhythms, Franks started as a folk singer before turning to jazz in the early 1970s. He made one self-titled record before beginning a 20-year association with the Warner Brothers label, where he had a series of pop crossover hits with songs including "Popsicle Toes," "The Lady Wants To Know," "Monkey See, Monkey Do" and "Your Secret's Safe With Me". Franks has recorded with with jazz musicians such as David Sanborn, Larry Carlton, and Joe Sample and Wilton Felder of The Crusaders, and his songs have been performed by The Manhattan Transfer, Patti Labelle, Carmen McRae, Diana Krall, Shirley Bassey, and many others. In recent years, Franks has made albums for Windham Hill, Rhino, and Koch, which issued his most recent CD Rendezvous in Rio back in 2006.

Our first clip today is a 1991 performance of "Down in Brazil," a song that seems to exemplify Franks' affinity for the music of that country. Next, we fast-forward to 2007, when Franks hooked up with saxophonist Eric Marienthal and guitarist Chuck Loeb to perform at the San Javier Jazz Festival in Spain. Both the second video, "Your Secret's Safe With Me," and today's third clip, "The Lady Wants To Know" are from that gig.

Finally, we catch up with Franks in Paris in July of this year for a performance of "Monkey See, Monkey Do" with a band including heavy hitters Mark Egan on bass and David Mann on saxophones, plus Charles Blenzig (keyboards), Willard Dyson (drums) and Veronica Nunn (vocals). (You can see some still photos from that Paris concert here.)

For more about Michael Franks, check out these interviews from JazzMonthly.com and SmoothViews.com.

Michael Franks to perform September 16 at Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar

Singer Michael Franks (pictured) is coming to the St. Louis area to perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 16 at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

Franks began his career in the 1970s, and has recorded 20 albums of his original jazz-pop songs, which often incorporate Latin and Brazilian rhythms. He has recorded with artists including Patti Austin, Brenda Russell, Art Garfunkel, David Sanborn, Larry Carlton, and Joe Sample and Wilton Felder of The Crusaders, and his songs have been cut by The Manhattan Transfer, Patti Labelle, Carmen McRae, Diana Krall, Shirley Bassey, and more.

Tickets for the Michael Franks concert at the Bottleneck Blues Bar are priced at $40 and $45 and are on sale now online at Ameristar.com and Tickets.com; by phone at 877-444-2637; and at the Ameristar Casino Gift Shop. (Note: Tickets.com will add service charges and handling fees. )

Jazz this week: Boney James, Linda Presgrave, Good 4 the Soul, Mardra & Reggie Thomas, and more

It's summer, a time when not only is the livin' purported to be "easy," but also a time when smooth jazz musicians take to the road and free concert series in local parks and elsewhere are in full swing. Here's what's going on this weekend with jazz and creative music in St. Louis:

Tonight, the Mardra and Reggie Thomas Quartet open this summer's series of free concerts at O'Fallon Park on the North Side.

On Thursday, saxophonist Boney James (pictured) continues his "comeback tour" at Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar. For more about James (who's recovering from a serious auto accident that happened in May) plus some video samples of him in action, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Thursday, pianist, composer and St. Louis expat Linda Presgrave returns to her hometown to lead a quintet and kick off the summer Jazz at Holmes series of free concerts at Washington University; and the Funky Butt Brass Band will do a free concert at St. Louis Place Park for the Whitaker Urban Evenings series.

On Friday, the jazz/funk/R&B ensemble Good 4 The Soul returns to Jazz at the Bistro to begin a two-night stand, while the Terry Green Quartet plays at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday afternoon, trumpeter and vibes player Joe Bozzi will lead his quintet in the latest in a series of twice-monthly matinees at The Sands, a neighborhood spot in Shrewsbury just outside the city limits; and the Nu-Art Series will present the second in a summer series of concerts spotlighting vocal jazz, with singer Felicia Ezell doing the music of Ella Fitzgerald in a matinee at the Metropolitan Gallery, 2936 Locust St. downtown.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, 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: The return of Boney James

This week, we've got some clips of smooth jazz saxophonist Boney James, who will be back in the St. Louis area next Thursday, July 8 to perform at the Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar.

James is no stranger to St. Louis - he's played both at the Bottleneck and The Pageant in recent years - but this show marks more than just a return to the Gateway City. It also will be just the second performance for James as he recovers from a serious auto accident earlier this year that did some major damage to the saxman's teeth and thus, his embouchure.

James was rear-ended on a California freeway while driving home from a gig in May, and had to put down his horn for several weeks while recovering from subsequent dental surgery. He talked about the accident and his rehab process with Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson for an article published yesterday in the paper and online.

Here's hoping James' recovery is quick and complete, and his return to the stage successful. In the meantime, you can check out four video clips of his past live performances, starting up above with a version of "Grazin' in the Grass" recorded on board a cruise ship in 2007. That's Brian Culbertson on trombone alongside James, and they look to be having a pretty good time with the tune originally made popular in the 1960s by Hugh Masekela (instrumentally) and the Friends of Distinction (vocally).

Down below, you can see James performing "Stone Groove," from that same cruise ship show; "After The Rain," from the 2009 Smooth Jazz Fest at Chene Park in Detroit; and "Seduction," which seem fairly representative of the sort of quiet-storm tunes that James uses as contrast to more upbeat, funky numbers.

Boney James performing Thursday, July 8 at Bottleneck Blues Bar

Smooth jazz saxophonist Boney James (pictured) is returning to the St. Louis area this summer to perform at 8:00 p.m., Thursday, July 8 at the Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar.

James last played here in March 2009, also at the Bottleneck Blues Bar. His most recent recording is 2009's Send One Your Love.

Tickets for Boney James at the Bottleneck Blues Bar are $45 and $50, and will go on sale at 10:00 a.m., Monday, April 5 at the Ameristar Casino or online at www.tickets.com.

Jazz this week: Sax for Stax with Gerald Albright & Kirk Whalum, All That Tap XVIII, Dr. John, and more

As we head toward August and what's usually the slow time of the year for live jazz in St. Louis, there are still some noteworthy performances happening, including a couple of touring acts that are passing through town in the next few days.

On Thursday, saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum (pictured) bring their "Sax for Stax" tour to the Ameristar Casino St Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar. Named after Albright's recent CD that paid tribute to the hitmaking Memphis R&B label of the 1960s and 1970s, the tour also features some material from each man's back catalog, setting up the potential for some friendly jousting between the two old friends.

As an aside, it's my understanding that a number of the tour dates have also featured Kirk Whalum's sax-playing nephew, Kenneth Whalum. If Kirk's uncle - our town's Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum, a fine pianist, singer and saxophonist - should happen make it out to St. Charles that night to sit in, there could be three generations of musical Whalums on one stage, which would be pretty cool. (Not to mention the possibly of a four-way tenor "battle"...) You can see some video excerpts from an earlier show in the Sax for Stax tour in this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Then on Saturday night, the 18th annual All That Tap concert will take place at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, culminating the week-long St. Louis Tap Festival that began on Monday. The concert will feature the festival's founder and director, tap guru Robert L. Reed, and a stellar roster of dancers with credits from film, TV and Broadway performing with live musical accompaniment from pianist Carolbeth True and her trio. (For a bit of history and insight about the connection between tap dance and jazz music, go here and here.)

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday the New Orleans pianist and singer Dr. John and his band, the Lower 911, will perform at The Pageant. In keeping with our town's general affinity for the sounds of the Crescent City, Dr. John is always a popular attraction in St. Louis, but good tickets still may be available since this show was a relatively late addition to the calendar.

For more listings of jazz-related events in St. Louis 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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: "Sax for Stax" with Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum

This week, let's take a look at some video clips of performance excepts from the "Sax For Stax" tour featuring saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum. The tour, named after Albright's recent CD of songs made famous by the legendary Memphis R&B label, comes to the St. Louis area for a show on Thursday, July 30 at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

Both men have been frequent visitors to St. Louis in recent years as part of smooth jazz package shows such as Jazz Attack and Guitars & Saxes, and Whalum also has been known to sit in on local gigs featuring his uncle, St. Louis-based singer, pianist and saxophonist Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum. These four clips were recorded early in the tour, on March 27 at the Nokia Theater in NYC.

Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum to play Ameristar's Bottleneck Blues Bar on July 30

Saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum (pictured) will bring their "Sax for Stax" tour to the St. Louis area for a show on Thursday, July 30 at Ameristar Casino St. Charles’ Bottleneck Blues Bar.

The tour is named after Albright's 2008 CD in which the Memphis native paid tribute to his hometown with instrumental versions of tunes associated with Stax Records, the Memphis-based label that was home to Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, Johnnie Taylor, the Staple Singers, and other soul hitmakers of the 1960s and '70s.

Whalum also is from Memphis, and guested on the Sax for Stax CD. His uncle, pianist/singer and saxophonist Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum, has been a mainstay on the St. Louis music scene since the late 1950s.

Tickets for the "Sax for Stax" show at the Bottleneck Blues Bar will be $45 and $50, and go on sale Monday, May 25.

Jazz Attack tickets now on sale

The Pollstar item cited here last month can now be considered officially confirmed, as tickets are now on sale for the Jazz Attack show scheduled for Thursday, April 9 at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

Tickets for the show, which will feature trumpeter Rick Braun, saxophonist Richard Elliot and singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, are priced at $45 and $50 and are available at the casino box office, online at Ameristar.com or Tickets.com or via phone by calling 1-877-444-2637.

Pollstar: Jazz Attack to hit Ameristar's Bottleneck Blues Bar on Thursday, April 9

The online tour information Pollstar has added a listing indicating that the "Jazz Attack" smooth jazz package tour, headlined this year by saxophonist Richard Elliot, trumpeter Rick Braun, and singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler (pictured), will come to the St. Louis metro area for a concert on Thursday, April 9 at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

Braun and Elliot were in St. Louis last summer on their "R&R" tour to perform at The Pageant, which also has hosted previous editions of the Jazz Attack show. This would be the first jazz show of 2009 for the Bottleneck Blues Bar, which brought in saxophonist Boney James last year.

There's no mention of the concert yet on the casino's Web site, so, as with all Pollstar listings, this should be considered tentative until it is officially confirmed by the venue. However, the show is showing up on the itinerary pages of both Braun and Elliot's individual sites, along with a gig the next night at Ameristar's Kansas City casino, so it seems likely to happen.

Boney James to perform Thursday, July 10 at Ameristar's Bottleneck Blues Bar

Smooth jazz fans in the St. Louis area have another show to look forward to this summer, as saxophonist Boney James has been booked to play on Thursday, July 10 at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

Known for an R&B-influenced sound on tenor sax that has been compared to the late Grover Washington, James has recorded numerous CDs that have been best-sellers on the contemporary jazz charts, and he's also earned two Grammy nominations.

Tickets for the performance are $45 and $50 and are on sale now via the Ameristar box office; online at Ameristar.com or tickets.com; or by calling 877-444-2637.

(Edited after posting to add a link.)