Sunday Session: April 5, 2020

Wallace Roney

Here's this week's roundup of various music-related items of interest:

* Out of the Blues: Reflections on the 1960s Revival (Acoustic Guitar)
* What Bob Dylan Is Doing in “Murder Most Foul” (The New Yorker)
* The making of King Crimson's Starless And Bible Black (LouderSound.com)
* Mahler versus Slowthai! - what happened when our pop and classical critics traded jobs? (The Guardian)
* What happens to musicians when all the gigs stop? (The Undefeated.com)
* Robert Glasper On Nu Deco Collab, Crossing Over, Blue Note NYC, Surprise Sets With Dave Chappelle & More [Interview] (LiveForLiveMusic.com)
* Stefon Harris — Vibraphonist, Educator, Thinker — Teaches Empathy From The Bandstand (NPR)
* Van Morrison in lockdown: ‘I am trying to get back into writing songs’ (The Independent)
* Why Astrud Gilberto Is So Much More Than ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ (UDiscoverMusic.com)
* Wallace Roney, Intrepid Jazz Trumpeter, Dies From COVID-19 Complications At 59 (NPR)
* The blistering cosmic music of The Black Unity Trio (The Wire)
* Reinventing the Sound of Protest (The Nation)
* Jazz and the Vinyl Renaissance (Jazz Times)
* Here’s Every Painstaking Step That Goes Into Making a Steinway & Sons Grand Piano (RobbReport.com)
* More Jazz Added to National Recording Registry (Jazz Times)
* In Memoriam: Ellis Marsalis (1934–2020) (DownBeat)
* Ellis Marsalis, New Orleans Jazz Patriarch, Dies at 85 (Billboard)
* Pianist and Educator Ellis Marsalis Dies at 85 (Keyboard)
* Branford Marsalis Pays Tribute to His Late Father, Ellis Marsalis Jr. (Billboard)
* Legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli dies at 94 (NJArts.net)
* Bucky Pizzarelli, Jazz Guitarist And Prolific Session Musician, Dead At 94 (NPR)
* Remembering Bucky Pizzarelli (DownBeat)
* From Big Pink to Whitney’s Dream House: Here’s What It’s Like to Live in a Pop Star’s Former Home (Rolling Stone)
* Lakecia Benjamin Pursues a Spiritual Quest (DownBeat)
* Downsizing Is Good at Winter NAMM 2020 (Jazz Times)
* The Revolutionary Free Jazz of Irreversible Entanglements (Bandcamp.com)
* ‘Lean On Me,’ ‘Lovely Day’ singer Bill Withers dies at 81 (Associated Press)
* A Moment to Rethink How We Support Music (The New Yorker)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* HEC-TV has posted online a "lost episode" of the program I Love Jazz, featuring an interview with and performances by guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and his son, guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli.

The episode was filmed in 2014, before the death of host Don Wolff in November 2015, but just now has been released for the first time.

* The Sheldon Art Galleries will present a free gallery talk by Dr. Aurelia Hartenberger on the history of stringed instruments at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 12.

The talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibit "The World of Spectacular Strings," which features more than 100 unique stringed instruments from around the world and continues until April 21, 2017. Admission is free, but you must reserve a seat in advance by calling Paula Lincoln at 314-533-9900 x 37 or emailing plincoln@TheSheldon.org.

* Speaking of The Sheldon, they've posted on Facebook an album of photos from last Saturday's concert by Cécile McLorin Salvant.

* Singer Chuck Flowers (pictured) appeared on KTVI-FOX 2's Wednesday morning newscast to promote his appearance tonight at The Dark Room.

* The online radio station Radio63119 has posted an interview featuring poet and percussionist David A.N. Jackson talking with bassist Darrell Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes about their careers in music and more.

* Another new episode of E.B. Stephenson's podcast "The Jazz Mixer" is online, featuring recordings from St. Louis musicians including the Sessions Big Band, Brett Stamps, Farshid Etniko, and more.

Sunday Session: June 26, 2016

Bernie Worrell

Some interesting music-related items that have landed in StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* The Defeat of New Music (New Music Box)
* How a Shamir Soundalike Ended Up in Apple's New Commercial (Pitchfork.com)
* The Digital Music Business and the Rashomon Effect (Medium.com)
* Don’t Look Back: The Return of Napster Highlights a Company Running Out of Options (JonMaples.com)
* Seven Of Henry Threadgill’s Favorite Recordings (MusicAficionado.com)
* The History of Electronic Music, 1800-2015: Free Web Project Catalogues the Theremin, Fairlight & Other Instruments That Revolutionized Music (OpenCulture.com)
* Grappling with the issues facing the industry (Gramophone UK)
* Women Composers Reign At Subdued 70th Ojai Festival (ClassicalVoiceAmerica.org)
* Original Voices Spice up International Anthem Showcase (DownBeat)
* Sir Charles Thompson, jazz pianist who bridged swing and bebop, dies at 98 (Washington Post)
* Photo Coverage: Bucky Pizzarelli Returns To Birdland (BroadwayWorld.com)
* Almost Famous, Almost Broke: How Does a Jazz Musician Make It in New York Now? (Village Voice)
* One Man’s Mission to Keep Musicians’ Legacies Alive (New York Times)
* Portland's Allegro Sought Inventory On The Verge Of Liquidation (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
* The Zen of Sonny Rollins (Jazz Times)
* Salvant, Redman Bring Jazz Flair to Pop-Heavy Playboy Fest (DownBeat)
* Midtown Meltdown: MSR Studios is Shutting Down (SonicScoop.com)
* Wayne Jackson, half of Memphis Horns duo, dies at age 74 (Memphis Commercial Appeal)
* Cult heroes: the 5th Dimension – elegant pop crooners who wowed the mainstream (The Guardian UK)
* Why Record Stores Mattered (The New Yorker)
* All The Way Live Or Else: The Perfection Of Van Morrison's 'It's Too Late' (NPR)
* Converse Puts a Pedal in Your Sole (Pro Sound News)
* The Zappas go to war (Los Angeles Times)
* The surprising history of the "song of the summer" (Vox.com)
* Inside Vijay Iyer's Year-Long Met Residency (Jazz Times)
* Bernie Worrell, 'Wizard Of Woo,' Dies At 72 (NPR)

(Edited 7/1/16 to fix a formatting problem.)

Sunday Session: November 29, 2015

Mary Halvorson

For your Sunday reading, some interesting music-related items that have turned up recently in StlJN's inbox:

* The Langston Hughes Project, Barbican, review: Ice-T reinvents himself (The Telegraph UK)
* Why rap should share a stage with poetry and jazz (TheConversation.com)
* The Inside Story of David Bowie's Stunning New Album, 'Blackstar' (Rolling Stone)
* What do you get the collector who has everything? How about Ringo Starr’s ‘White Album’ No.0000001? (Dangerous Minds)
* Guitar Trailblazer Mary Halvorson Turns Jazz on Its Head (Rolling Stone)
* Maceo Parker: 98% Funky Stuff (SFJazz.org)
* INTERVIEW: David Amram (CD Box Set David Amram’s Classic American Film Scores 1956-2016 and UK appearances Nov 29 to Dec 3) (LondonJazzNews.com)
* How a Kid Running an Obscure Music Forum Became the Target Of the UK's Biggest Ever Piracy Case (Vice.com)
* What I Learned About The Record Industry By Carsharing With A Millenial (MusicThinkTank.com)
* Watch as Allen Toussaint gets the jazz funeral treatment he richly deserved (AV Club)
* Jazz Guitar Great Bucky Pizzarelli Recovering From Stroke (Jazz Times)
* Moran, Threadgill Lead Tribute to Cecil Taylor in Harlem (DownBeat)
* Interstellar Overdrive: A Heavy Music Fan’s Guide to Forgotten Synth Icons (Vice.com)
* How Kickstarter Helped a 60s Legend Preserve a Piece of Rock History (Vanity Fair)
* Manfred Eicher: the man who made ECM on working with Keith Jarrett, Steve Reich and Arvo Part (Irish Times)
* Train Songs, Freedom, The Blues and Country Music (UDiscoverMusic.com)

Jazz this week: A tribute to Ray Kennedy, "Music at the Intersection," Marquis Hill, Mike Dillon Band, and more

If you're trying to shake the mid-summer doldrums after some punishing heat and humidity over the past few days in St. Louis, getting out to hear some live jazz and creative music could be just the thing.

This weekend's musical menu features a benefit for the family of a well-known local musician, a visit from a fast-rising trumpet talent, a free evening of music at multiple venues in Grand Center, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, July 15
Warming up for next week's St. Louis Cabaret Conference, Cabaret Project St. Louis presents their monthly "Open Mic Night" at Tavern of Fine Arts.

Thursday, July 16
Drummer Maurice Carnes leads a quintet in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; guitarist Dave Black and friends, with singer Feyza Eren, perform at Nathalie’s, and singer Joe Mancuso and pianist Nick Schlueter will boldly go where no jazz musician has gone before with a happy-hour show at the dueling-piano bar Jive and Wail in Westport Plaza.

Friday, July 17
"A Celebration of the Life & Music of Ray Kennedy," featuring singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli's trio along with his dad, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, at the Sheldon Concert Hall will pay tribute to the late St. Louis pianist (pictured, top left, with the Pizzarellis) and raise money for his widow and two young daughters.

Also on Friday, Grand Center presents the first evening of its new "Music at The Intersection" series, this month featuring free sets by local jazz and blues acts at eight different venues throughout the district. 

That same evening, the St. Louis Big Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and the trio of pianist Jim Hegarty, bassist Paul Steinbeck, and drummer Gary Sykes will play the music of Miles Davis, Oliver Nelson, and more at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton.

Saturday, July 18
St. Louis Community College-Meramec and Saxquest present a day-long "Saxfest" on the Meramec campus with workshops and performances from saxophonists Paul DeMarinis, Christopher Braig, Jason Swagler, Arthur White, Jeffrey Collins, and more. Following the events at Meramac, Braig also will lead a quartet for an evening after-party at Tavern of Fine Arts.

Also on Saturday evening, singer Anita Jackson will perform at Jazz at the Bistro; Gypsy jazz quartet Franglais plays at Evangeline's; pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True return to the Ozark Theatre; and pianist Matt Villinger, who's moving to Kansas City shortly, will present a "going-away" show at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Sunday, July 19
Chicago-based trumpeter Marquis Hill (pictured, lower left), winner of the 2014 Thelonious Monk International Trumpet Competition, will be in town to raise funds for Community Women Against Hardship with a performance at the Ferring Jazz Bistro.

Billed as "A Tribute to Freddie Hubbard," the benefit will feature Hill fronting a group of St. Louisans including Villinger, Jerome "Scrooge" Harris (drums), Jeff Anderson (bass), and Chad Evans (alto sax).

Also on Sunday, percussionist Mike Dillon and band will headline an all-ages matinee also featuring The Feed and Richie Kihlken Band at 2720 Cherokee.

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: Remembering Ray Kennedy

Next Friday, July 17 at the Sheldon Concert Hall, musical colleagues of the late pianist Ray Kennedy will present a concert paying tribute to the St. Louis native, who died in May after a long bout with multiple sclerosis.

With proceeds benefiting Kennedy's widow and two young daughters, the show will be headlined by singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli, who featured Kennedy as the pianist in his working group for more than a decade, and Pizzarelli's dad Bucky, the veteran jazz guitarist with whom Kennedy also performed and recorded. Also on hand will be Martin Pizzarelli, son of Bucky, brother of John, and longtime bassist in his trio; and Konrad Paszkudzki, the current pianist in John Pizzarelli's group.

Although Ray Kennedy came of musical age during the height of fusion, his playing for the most part eschewed the usual influences on his generation (Hancock, Corea, Tyner, et al) for that of older pianists such as Erroll Garner and Teddy Wilson. Kennedy left behind a fairly extensive discography, recording numerous times with John Pizzarelli and also leading a number of small-group dates, often with his brother, bassist Tom Kennedy. Videos featuring Kennedy are a bit harder to find online, but here are a few clips, drawn from his work with the Pizzarelli clan, that demonstrate his considerable pianistic prowess, albeit in relatively small doses.

Up above, you can see and hear Kennedy's solo on "Oscar Night," an original piece of his that John Pizzarelli incorporated into his performances as a showcase for the pianist. This version was recorded in 2000 at Jazzwoche Burghausen in Germany.

After the jump, you can check out Kennedy's solo on a version of "Just You Just Me" from an appearance by the Pizzarelli trio in 2003 on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and there's another tasty solo on their version of the Beatles' "I've Just Seen a Face" recorded at the Montreal Jazz Festival, probably around the time Pizzarelli released his album Meets the Beatles in 1998.

Rounding out today's offerings are two more John Pizzarelli performances featuring solos from Kennedy, "After You've Gone" and "O, My Heart Beats For You," and a short clip showing Ray Kennedy and Bucky Pizzarelli in the studio recording Harold Arlen's "Let's Fall In Love," made to promote the 2008 album Bucky Pizzarelli & The Kennedy Brothers Play Harold Arlen.

If you'd like to help Ray Kennedy's family but can't attend next Friday's performance, you still can make a contribution via this YouCaring.com page.

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

Ray Kennedy tribute concert set for Friday, July 17 at The Sheldon

Singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli (pictured) and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli will headline a concert paying tribute to the late pianist Ray Kennedy and raising money for Kennedy's family at 8:00 p.m., Friday, July 17 at The Sheldon.

John Pizzarelli employed Kennedy as his piano player on recordings and tours for more than a decade. For "A Celebration of the Life & Music of Ray Kennedy," in addition to his dad, he's bringing along his brother, bassist Martin Pizzarelli, and current pianist Konrad Paszkudzki.

Unfortunately, Ray Kennedy's brother and frequent collaborator, bassist Tom Kennedy, will be unable to attend, as he'll be on tour in Europe with guitarist Mike Stern and violinist Didier Lockwood.

Ray Kennedy died of complications from multiple sclerosis on May 28 after an extended illness, and is survived by his wife Eve Langner and two young daughters, Lauren and Brielle. Before his death, friends had established a page at YouCaring.com to help raise money for his medical care, and that page remains active for anyone who'd like to donate to help the family with funeral and ongoing expenses.

Tickets for "A Celebration of the Life & Music of Ray Kennedy" are $125 and $75 for preferred seating, which includes admission to a post-concert dessert reception, or $50 for orchestra seats, $40 for balcony seats for the concert only.

Tickets will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. Monday, June 8 via MetroTix outlets and The Sheldon box office.

(Updated after posting to correct the start time of the concert & some typos.)

Jazz this week: Fuller, Jones & Wolf; "Swing Xing" with Bucky Pizzarelli; Jazz in Pink; and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis features two different all-star groups of visiting musicians, a return visit from one of the more prominent all-female ensembles in jazz, and a number of noteworthy shows from local bands and players. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, saxophonist Tia Fuller (pictured), who's in town for a Jazz St. Louis educational residency and weekend gig at Jazz at the Bistro, will present a free workshop and performance at Saxquest; and the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with singer/actress Sheri Sanders and her show "Rock It" at the Gaslight Theater.

Also tonight, Good 4 The Soul returns for their monthly gig at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups; and guitarists Tom Byrne and William Lenihan will play as a duo at Remy's Kitchen & Wine Bar.

Tomorrow night, Fuller, trumpeter Sean Jones and vibraphonist Warren Wolf will play for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, supported by a St. Louis rhythm section of Peter Martin (piano), Jahmal Nichols (bass), and Montez Coleman (drums).

Jones and Wolf, like Fuller, are here this week doing educational residencies for Jazz St. Louis, and so since this is an ad hoc assembly rather than a regular working band, it's hard to say precisely what their repertoire will be. It seems likely that they'll draw on recent albums by the visitors - all three have recorded for the Mack Avenue label, with Wolf and Jones both releasing new CDs this year - but given the talent level, they should sound just fine no matter what they're playing.

Also on Friday, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival presents singer Carole J. Bufford in the first of two nights of her show "Body & Soul" at the Gaslight Theater. Bufford, who will be making her St. Louis debut with this show, was called “most likely to succeed” among the younger generation of New York cabaret performers by the New York Times' Stephen Holden.

Elsewhere around town, singer Erin Bode will perform at Nathalie's; singer Feyza Eren will be at the The Wine Press; and trumpeter Jim Manley returns to One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar.

On Saturday, guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo will present their touring production "Swing Xing! Three Generations of Swing Guitar" at the Sheldon Concert Hall. For a preview of that performance and video footage of all three guitarists in action, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play swing, jump blues and more at Nathalie's; and guitarist Tom Byrne's trio will perform at Thurman Grill.

On Sunday, Jazz St. Louis will begin their new weekly Sunday jazz brunch at the Bistro, with musical accompaniment from guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran's Guerrilla Swing.

Then that afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club will present the Funky Butt Brass Band at the DoubleTree  Hilton at Westport, where perhaps concertgoers will get a live preview of some of the material from the FBBB's forthcoming album Sugar Sugar Whomp Whomp.

Right around the time that show wraps up, Jazz in Pink will be getting underway at the Sheldon Concert Hall, as the all-female band returns to St. Louis to play another benefit performance for Community Women Against Hardship.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Webster University Jazz Collective, featuring members of Webster's jazz faculty, will perform at Winifred Moore Auditorium on campus; and guitarist Dave Black and singer Joe Mancuso will return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Tuesday, the SIUE Concert Jazz Band, directed by guitarist Rick Haydon, and the recently formed SIUE Alumni Jazz Band will share the stage for a performance at Jazz at the Bistro, playing "your favorite charts from Basie, Ellington, and beyond."

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: A trip to "Swing Xing" with Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo

If you enjoy jazz guitar played in a traditional style, today's post might be right up your alley, as we feature not one, not two, but three guitarists - Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo - who will be performing together in a show called "Swing Xing: Three Generations of Jazz Guitar" next Saturday, November 15 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Pizzarelli, who will turn 89 in January, is of course one of the elder statesmen on his instrument, with credits including untold numbers of recordings, television and radio appearances, and live gigs stretching back nearly seven decades. He's also the father of singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli, and it was with his son that he performed most recently in St. Louis last December at Jazz at the Bistro.

Vignola also has headlined at the Bistro with his own band and with Raniolo, performing most recently at the club in May 2012. The three have worked together informally on various occasions and joined forces officially to tour with the "Swing Xing" show last year.

Unfortunately, there seem to be only a few videos online of all three guitarists playing together in the format they'll be using at the Sheldon, and we've already shared one of the best ones here as part of StLJN's fall 2014 jazz preview. So instead, here's a selection of clips featuring them in other combinations.

The first four videos, starting up above and continuing after the jump, all were recorded at Pizzarelli's 88th birthday celebration in January of this year at the Cutting Room in NYC, and feature him jamming on a series of standards with Vignola and fellow guitarists Ed Laub and Gene Bertoncini.

Below that, there are a couple of clips of Vignola and Raniolo performing as a duo. The first is a medley of "Summertime," "I Found A New Baby" and "Gypsymania" recorded last year in Wuppertal, while the second is described as "a classical medley with a twist," and was recorded last year in Ireland during Cloughtoberfest, an annual festival of gypsy jazz and swing.

For more of Bucky Pizzarelli, check out this Saturday video showcase that ran before his last appearance here, and for more of Vignola and Raniolo, see this one.

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Fall 2014 jazz preview, part 4

Today, it's part four of StLJN's video preview of jazz and creative music performers who will be coming to St. Louis this fall. (In case you missed them, here's part 1, part 2, and part 3.)

For this installment, we resume with more of what's coming up in November, starting with a video featuring keyboardist Marco Benevento, who will be back to play Sunday, November 9 at 2720 Cherokee.

Benevento is touring this fall in support of his recent album Swift, which features him singing lead vocals for the first time. As someone who's generally enjoyed his instrumental music, I've not found what I've heard so far of his singing to be particularly compelling, so rather than showcasing one of his new songs here, we've got a live version of the Benevento concert staple "RISD", recorded in June of this year at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ. (For samples of Benevento new vocal material, check out these live performances of "At The Show" and "Eye to Eye.")

Later that week, saxophonist Tia Fuller, trumpeter Sean Jones and vibraphonist Warren Wolf will team up to perform on Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 16 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Although all three have recorded for the Mack Avenue label, and Fuller and Jones have worked together on occasion, this specific lineup is a custom one-off for Jazz St. Louis, so there's actually no footage online of all three of them playing together.So instead, we've got clips of them performing individually.

First up is Fuller, seen in a recording made in March of this year at Smoke in NYC that excerpts her solo on a tune that's not positively identified but may very well be "Impressions." The interesting thing about this is that it demonstrates that while some may think of Fuller as a slick R&B saxophonist, based on her tenure with pop singer Beyonce and other commercial gigs, she's also comfortable going outside in a post-Coltrane style.

And speaking of Coltrane, the next clip features Sean Jones' trumpet solo on a big band version of "Giant Steps" recorded with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, for whom he has spent nearly a decade as lead trumpeter. Below that, you can see Wolf in a duo performance of Chick Corea's "Senor Mouse" with pianist Alex Brown, recorded at a performance by Wolf's band in March of this year in Boston at Berklee College of Music's 939 Cafe.

After that, you can see singer Carole J. Bufford doing "Cry Me A River" in a recording made last year in NYC. She'll perform her show "Body and Soul" on Friday, November 13 and Saturday, November 14 for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival.

Next, it's guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, who will bring their show "Swing Xing! Three Generations of Swing Guitar" to the Sheldon Concert Hall on Saturday, November 15. They're seen here performing "Three Little Words" in a recording made in May 2014 at the Cutting Room in NYC.

The very next evening, the all-female ensemble Jazz in Pink will take the Sheldon stage in a benefit performance for Community Women Against Hardship. In this clip from 2013, they're playing "Soulchestral Groove."

A few days later, saxophonist Jeff Coffin and his band, the Mutet, will make make their debut at Jazz at the Bistro with a four-night run starting Friday, November 19 and continuing through Saturday, November 22. This recording of "The Mad Hatter Rides Again" was made by an audience member at Coffin's show last October in Athens, GA.

That same weekend, clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen will be back in town to serve as special guest for pianist Peter Martin's concert on Saturday, November 21 at the Sheldon. Cohen, who led her own group for a week at the Bistro a couple of years ago and this year toured with Martin as part of the Newport Jazz Festival 60th anniversary band, is seen here last December at the Umbria Jazz Festival dueting with guitarist Howard Alden on "Espinha de Bacalhau."

Last but certainly not least, today's final video features trumpeter, singer and U City native Jeremy Davenport, who will return from his adopted home in New Orleans for his annual post-Thanksgiving performance on Friday, November 28 and Saturday, November 29 at Jazz at the Bistro. This is a full set of Davenport and his band, apparently recorded within the last year at some sort of private or corporate gig, but otherwise not labeled with a date or place.

You'll find the fifth and final part of the fall 2014 jazz preview in this space next week, and you can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Sheldon Concert Hall announces 2014-15 season schedule

The Sheldon Concert Hall today announced the schedules for their various 2014-15 subscription series and special concerts, and as usual, there's some programming that will be of interest to StLJN readers.

With regard to the Sheldon's main jazz series, as tipped here on StLJN back in December 2013, it will get underway this fall with concerts featuring pianist Chick Corea (Saturday, October 11) and guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo (Saturday, November 15).

Also on tap for the jazz series is the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Cuban Experience (Saturday, March 21, 2015), which is led by the late, legendary trumpeter's former bassist John Lee. The current iteration of the group also includes Mario "Machito Jr." Grillo, son of the famed percussionist, as well as trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, who's played in the Gillespie memorial big band and worked with former St. Louisan Oliver Lake, among others; plus saxophonist Sharel Cassity, guitarist Yotam Silberstein, and drummer Robby Ameen.

Perhaps the most intriguing jazz series offering is the final one, as the much-talked-about singer Cécile McLorin Salvant (pictured) will make her St. Louis debut at the Sheldon on Saturday, May 2, 2015.

Winner of the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Vocals Competition, the 24-year-old Salvant was raised in Miami but went to Paris to study music. After winning the Monk competition, her career gained momentum in the States thanks to her work with pianist Jacky Terrasson and with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and took off in earnest with the release last year of her American debut album WomanChild.

As for the rest of the Sheldon's 2014-15 schedule, pianist Peter Martin will continue his eponymous series with concerts on Friday, November 21 and Friday, February 27, with the specifics of both programs TBA.

Also returning will be the new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound*, whose first performance of their third St. Louis season will be as part of "250 Years of St. Louis Music: American Music at its Best!" a special event on Friday, October 17 that also will include jazz, blues, ragtime and more from Denise Thimes, Peter Martin, Kim Massie, Billy Peek, and other St. Louis favorites.

On their own, AWS will perform in concert on Saturday, December 11 - tentatively scheduled to be the North American premiere of Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy's extended work The Hunger - and on Friday, January 23 and Thursday, May 28, 2015.

The Coffee Concerts series will include performances from Cornet Chop Suey (Tuesday, October 7 and Wednesday, October 8) and Swing Set (Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22, 2015), and the St. Louis Stompers will play a non-subscription Coffee Concert on Tuesday, February 10, 2015. Miss Jubilee also will put in an appearance, playing an 11 a.m. Saturday matinee on March 7, 2015.

Lastly, a couple of the "special concerts" may be of interest as well. South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela will perform with singer Vusi Mahlasela in a program called "20 Years of Freedom" on Saturday, October 4, and though the evening ostensibly will focus on "South Africa’s Freedom Songs," I'll bet you a nickel that Masekela finds a way to work in a bit of "Grazin' In The Grass" before the night is over.

Also, fans of big band, Latin jazz and/or Brazilian music may want to check out SpokFrevo Orquestra on Sunday, November 2. Led by Brazilian saxophonist Inaldo Cavalcante de Albuquerque, aka Spok, the 18-piece big band mixes jazz with frevo, a carnival rhythm and musical genre popular in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco.

Subscription tickets for the jazz series are $150 orchestra, $135 balcony. Subscriptions also are available for the Coffee Concerts and Peter Martin series. New subscriptions will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. Monday, May 12 and continue through the first concert in each series.

Single tickets for the jazz series range from $35 to $50, and will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. Saturday,August 9 via MetroTix. You can find all the details on subscriptions, single ticket prices, and all the various series at the Sheldon on their website. 

* As mentioned here several times before, yr. humble StLJN editor is employed by a local public relations firm to, among other things, assist Alarm Will Sound with publicity in St. Louis and Columbia, MO. However, given the scope of StLJN's coverage, I'd be mentioning them even if I wasn't working for them. Now that you know this information, I trust that you, the reader, are capable of making your own judgments about any AWS-related hype and/or potential conflicts of interest.

Pollstar: Sheldon's 2014-15 season to include Chick Corea, guitarists Pizzarelli, Vignola & Raniolo

While it's not quite a glimpse into Christmas Future, there's a bit of news for St. Louis jazz fans this holiday week, as the online touring information service Pollstar has added listings for two jazz performances next fall at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Pollstar says pianist Chick Corea will perform at the Sheldon on Saturday, October 11, while "Swing Xing: Three Generations of Swing Guitar," with Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola, and Vinny Raniolo, will be the featured attraction on Saturday, November 15.

Corea (pictured) appeared in St. Louis most recently in March of this year, playing a duo concert with Bela Fleck at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Pizzarelli was here just last week, performing duets with his son John Pizzarelli at Jazz at the Bistro, while Vignola and Raniolo did a duo show here in May of last year at the Bistro.

As always, listings on Pollstar should be considered unconfirmed until officially announced by the presenter or venue. The Sheldon usually announces the schedule for their various season series in April.

Jazz this week: Bucky Pizzarelli & John Pizzarelli, Tatsuya Nakatani, Bhob Rainey, Dave Dickey Big Band, and more

This weekend's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes a few final chances to hear some holiday jazz, as well as music from a famed father-and-son team of guitarists and two evenings featuring touring free improvisors. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and John Pizzarelli open a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro, continuing through Saturday.  While John Pizzarelli is a St. Louis favorite who has appeared here many times at the Bistro and elsewhere, this will be the first time in recent years that he's played here with his dad. (For more about the Pizzarellis, and some video clips of them playing together, please check out this post from a couple of weeks ago.)

As you might expect, demand for tickets has been brisk, and as of this writing, Jazz St. Louis reports that the early shows for all four nights are essentially sold out, with just a few tickets remaining for the late shows.

Also tonight, singer Feyza Eren performs at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups; the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra performs big band versions of some holiday favorites at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company; and Cabaret Project St. Louis will hold their monthly open mic at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Tomorrow night, downtown will reverberate with danceable swing and jump blues as played by Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups and/or Miss Jubilee at Thaxton Speakeasy.

On Friday, fans of adventurous improv will want to check out percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani (pictured) and his Gong Orchestra at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center; while those still seeking additional Christmas spirit will find it in plentiful supply at the first of two nights of the Funky Butt Brass Band's annual Holiday Brasstravaganza at Off Broadway.

That same evening, pianist and St. Louis native John McDaniel has sold out two performances of his show "Home For The Holidays" at Kranzberg Arts Center, so if you don't have tickets, your only option at this point is to hope for a last-minute cancellation.

Elsewhere around town on Friday, singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black are back at Chaser's Lounge in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel; singer Ann Dueren and her trio will be at Il Bel Lago; and guitarist
Tom Byrne leads a trio at Thurman Grill.  Also on Friday, singer Nicholas Brooks, who's originally from East St. Louis and has played Vegas and toured nationally as Sammy Davis Jr. in a "Rat Pack" themed show, will present the first of two Christmas-themed performances this weekend Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday, crooner Gene Lynn will help inaugurate the upstairs performance space at Nathalie's, a new restaurant occupying the space at 4356 Lindell in the Central West End that formerly was home to Salt and before that, Savor and the Cabaret at Savor. Also on Saturday, keyboardist Jesse Prather and his band Jus4U with singer Adrianne Felton will present a "Smooth Jazz Christmas Concert" at Jazz on Broadway.

On Sunday, you've got a couple of final chances to get a holiday music fix, as percussionist Joe Pastor plays what's being billed as a "Christmas Jazz Show" at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, and the Dave Dickey Big Band promises some seasonal sounds during their last monthly gig of the year at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company. As a bonus, the Webster Groves High School jazz ensemble will perform Duke Ellington's "Nutcracker Suite" during the Dickey band's intermission.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday Dizzy Atmosphere will play at The Shaved Duck, and the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center will present another concert in their new "Quiet Music" Series, incorporating the annual Christmas week visit from improvising saxophonist Bhob Rainey into a show that also will feature music from Greg Farough and Mark Sarich.

Due to the holidays, the next "jazz this week" post her won't appear until Thursday, December 26. Until then, 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: Generations of guitar with Bucky Pizzarelli & John Pizzarelli

Today, our video spotlight shines on father-and-son guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and John Pizzarelli, who will be in St. Louis to perform together Wednesday, December 18 through Saturday, December 21 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Both men have headlined individually at the venue before - Bucky was there most recently in 2007, while John has been a regular visitor to St. Louis, last playing at the Bistro in November 2012 and also appearing in recent years at the Sheldon Concert Hall and at the Touhill Performing Arts Center for the the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival.

While the Pizzarellis don't work together primarily or even regularly, making this engagement a bit more of a special occasion, of course they've joined forces before many times for specific live performances, radio and TV appearances, and recording sessions. Today, let's take a look at some online videos capturing just a few of those live collaborations over the years, working in reverse chronological order.

The first two clips are from 2008. Up above, you can see the Pizzarellis playing the Billy Strayhorn/Duke Ellington standard "Satin Doll" at Birdland in NYC. Down below, in a video recorded at the Tilles Center on Long Island, Bucky does a solo version of "Stars In Your Eyes" and then the two of them play "Nuages."

The third clip, from 2002, shows them performing "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Route 66" at the 2002 Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) Awards. Below that, in a couple of undated but clearly much older clips recorded in informal settings, are "Sweet Georgia Brown" and then a rather frenetic version of "Pick Yourself Up."

To round out today's program, there's "The Seventh String: The Life and Tales of Bucky Pizzarelli," a short documentary about the elder Pizzarelli, and in clip number seven, a seasonal lagniappe of sorts, with John and his band playing "Sleigh Ride" in 2011 on Conan O'Brien's TV show.

For more about Bucky Pizzarelli and John Pizzarelli, check out the feature story that ran on NPR's "Weekend Edition" for Father's Day this year, which includes an interview with the two of them and three more songs.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Fall 2013 jazz preview, part 4

Today, it's part 4 of StLJN's Fall 2013 jazz preview, in which we offer video samples of the various jazz and creative musicians coming to our town before the end of the year. (Here's part one, part two, and part three.)

Our preview resumes at the beginning of November with guitarist Peter Bernstein, who will be appearing with pianist Peter Martin on Saturday, November 2 at the Sheldon Concert Hall as part of Martin's eponymous concert series there. Bernstein, whose notable credits include stints with Diana Krall, Lou Donaldson, the all-star Blue Note 7, and many others, is seen in the first clip up above playing "Penthouse Serenade" in June 2012 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music.

Down below, the next clip offers a look at trumpeter and pianist Ben Polcer, who will be leading the band providing music for this year's Nevermore Jazz Ball Saturday night dance, also on November 2. Polcer, who lives in New Orleans, will assemble a group specifically for the St. Louis gig; he's seen here with the band known as His Swingin' Six, including vocalist Mischa Lake, performing "24 Robbers."

The following week, singer and pianist Ann Hampton Callaway returns to St. Louis to perform Wednesday, November 6 through Saturday, November 9 at Jazz at the Bistro. Callaway, who last played the Bistro in 2011, is seen here in the studios of KPLU radio in Seattle, improvising song lyrics based on words and phrases suggested by the audience, which on this occasion included "sunshine in Seattle," "home for wayward girls," "basketball" and "snuffleupagus."

A couple of days later, Trombone Shorty and his band Orleans Avenue return to St. Louis to play Monday, November 11 at the Old Rock House. Shorty, aka Troy Andrews, last played here for the Bluesweek festival in May; in this clip, you can see him performing "Big 12."

Next up, it's violinist Regina Carter, who's returning to play Wednesday, November 20 throguh Saturday November 23 at Jazz at the Bistro. When she was here to play the Bistro a couple of years ago, Carter performed with the the band from her album Reverse Thread, with whom she can be seen here playing “Zerapiky,” a folk song from Madagascar. The quartet for this fall tour includes the drummer from that band, Alvester Garnett, as well as pianist Xavier Davis and bassist Jesse Murphy, which, absent Reverse Thread's accordion and kora, suggests at least a partial return to a more straight-ahead sound.

The week after Carter is town, trumpeter, singer and U City native Jeremy Davenport will return home from new Orleans to play his annual post-Thanksgiving dates here on Friday November 29 and Saturday, November 30 at Jazz at the Bistro. In today's sixth clip, shot by an audience member at the French Quarter Festival in April of this year, Davenport offers his version of the standard "Bourbon Street Parade."

The following week, guitarist Pat Martino will play Wednesday, December 4 through Saturday, December 7 at the Bistro. Martino, who's been to St. Louis many times and last played the Bistro in 2010, is seen in the sixth clip performing Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" earlier this year at a jazz festival in Salerno, Italy.

The next show on the calendar is a bit harder to preview, as pianist Marc Copland, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Joey Baron aren't really a regular working unit and thus there's no video online of them all playing together. So, to give you at least taste of what to expect when they join forces to play Friday, December 6 at 560 Music Center, we've got two clips. The first features Copland and guitarist John Abercrombie dueting on "Speak to Me" at a concert last year in Vienna; the second is a profile of Baron, produced for German television.

Today's final video features two more musicians who should be quite familiar to local audiences, singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli, who's done more gigs here in the last decade than just about any other touring jazz musician, and his dad, the legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. For this visit to our town, the Pizzarellis will team up for performances on Wednesday, December 18 through Saturday, December 21 at Jazz at the Bistro. The video is a short feature story about them, with musical excerpts, produced by a New Jersey public TV station and filmed at the Shanghai Jazz Club in Madison, NJ.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* New Music Circle has posted on Facebook an album of photos from last Saturday's concert by the Kris Davis Quintet at 560 Music Center.

* And speaking of photo albums, the Sheldon Concert Hall added a photo album to their Facebook page featuring pix of last Friday's performance by Denise Thimes and Bucky Pizzarelli.

* Trumpeter Terence Blanchard has been in St. Louis all this week, taking part in various activities related to Opera Theatre of St. Louis' production this summer of his opera Champion.

Tonight at 5:30 p.m., Blanchard, baritone Aubrey Allicock, and pianist Peter Martin will be at Hamburger Mary’s Attic Rooftop Lounge, 3037 Olive, for “Meet the Composer: A Young Professionals Happy Hour.” The event sponsored by the Young Friends of OTSL and Jazz St. Louis will include drinks, appetizers and a sampling of the opera’s music. During his stay in St. Louis, the trumpeter also was interviewed on KWMU's Cityscape program.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake was interviewed by the Houston Press before a Trio 3 gig there last week, and spent some time discussing his work with the Black Artist Group in St. Louis as well as his current projects.

* Singer Kurt Elling's concert last week at Kansas City's Gem Theater was reviewed for the Kansas City Star by Bill Brownlee (who also blogs about KC jazz at Plastic Sax). Elling (pictured) will be in St. Louis next week to perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Electronic musician Joe Raglani's latest release was reviewed by PopMatters.com.

* The list of recent podcasts posted at the Mel Bay website includes one featuring guitarist Lionel Loueke, who's coming to St. Louis in May to play at the Bistro.

* Guitarist Bill Frisell, who will be here in April to play at the Old Rock House, was was featured this past week on NPR's "Jazz Set."

Jazz this week: Sachal Vasandani, Galactic, Kris Davis Quintet, Jan Shapiro, Bucky Pizzarelli & Denise Thimes, and more

It's a jam-packed week of jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with local debuts from two noteworthy touring musicians, the return of some familiar favorites, homecoming gigs for three local expats, and lots more. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, singer Sachal Vasandani will make his St. Louis debut, beginning a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. Along with Gregory Porter, whom the Bistro presented for the first time in January, Vasandani is one of the most talked-about male jazz singers to emerge in recent years, with an intimate, ballad-friendly style and a repertoire with enough romantic songs to make him a suitable choice for Valentine's week. Yet the Chicago native certainly can swing, too, as demonstrated in some of the video samples included in this post from last Saturday.

Also tonight, trumpeter Jim Manley plays at Sasha's Wine Bar, and singer Joe Mancuso performs with a trio  at Frontenac Grill.

Tomorrow night, the New Orleans-based funk/jazz/hip-hop group Galactic returns for what's become an annual gig at The Pageant, this time bringing along as special guests singer Corey Glover of Living Color and Latryx, featuring Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truthspeaker.

For those looking specifically for something Valentine's-themed on Thursday, singer Jan Shapiro, a former St. Louisan who now heads the vocal jazz program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, will be in town to do a free concert with pianist Nathan Jatcko for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; and singer Erin Bode will perform at Cyrano's in Webster Groves.

The romantic theme continues on Friday, as veteran guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli (father of St. Louis favorite John Pizzarelli) comes to town to serve as special guest for singer Denise Thimes' Valentine's Day show at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Now 87, Pizzarelli understandably doesn't work as much these days as he once did, but he remains a masterful practitioner of a classic style of jazz guitar playing, and definitely is worth hearing for any fan of the sub-genre.

Also on Friday, multi-instrumentalist Wayne Coniglio will lead a big band plus multiple vocalists in "The Swing of Hearts" at 560 Music Center. The show will feature guest stars including singers Cecil Cope and Ginger Berglund, trombonist Scott Whitfield, and saxophonist/clarinetist/vocalist Elsie Parker.

Elsewhere on Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham plays at the new downtown event space the Paragon Theater; vibraphonist Peter Schlamb performs at Robbie's House of Jazz; and saxophonist Willie Akins will lead a quartet at the Cigar Inn.

On Saturday afternoon, singer Wendy Gordon performs for brunch at Frontenac Grill. Later that day, poet, author, St. Louis native, and Miles Davis biographer Quincy Troupe will be back in his hometown once again to present another performance of his "SoundArt" ensemble at the Metropolitan Gallery downtown. The concert, a production of the Nu-Art Series, also will feature saxophonist Stan Coleman and bassist Darrell Mixon.

Then on Saturday evening, pianist Kris Davis (pictured) and her quintet will play a concert presented by New Music Circle at 560 Music Center. Born in Canada and now based in NYC, Davis blends free improvisation with compositions reflecting influences from jazz and contemporary classical, and has just released a new album, Capricorn Climber. Her St. Louis debut gig will feature most of the band from that record, including saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, drummer Tom Rainey and violist Matt Maneri, along with bassist Eivind Opsvik. For more about Davis and some video clips of her in action, check out this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Saturday night also offers several choices of shows featuring female vocalists, with Feyza Eren at the Wine Press, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes at the Venice Cafe, and Zena Star at the Rustic Goat.

On Sunday, Miss Jubilee begins a series of regular matinee performances at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups,  and looking beyond the weekend, on Monday trumpeter Keith Moyer's quartet will play at BB's.

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.)

(Edited 2/15/13 to correct an error in Monday's listing.) 

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Winter/spring 2013 jazz preview, part 2

This week, we continue with part 2 of our look at some of the touring jazz and creative musicians who will be coming to St. Louis during the first few months of 2013. (You can see part 1 of the preview here.)

Today's first clip features Sachal Vasandani singing "Take The B Train" in a show this past April at Joe's Pub in NYC. Vasandani, acclaimed as one of the top young male vocalists in jazz, will come to St. Louis for his first performances as a headliner starting Wednesday, February 13 through Saturday, February 16 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Down below, you can see The Seventh String: The Life and Tales of Bucky Pizzarelli, a short documentary about the veteran guitarist, who will be in St. Louis on Friday, February 15 to perform with singer Denise Thimes at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Next, you can see a clip that combines musical excerpts and a short interview with pianist Kris Davis/ The video was made in October 2012 in conjunction with a solo piano gig Davis played for the Hot Clube de Portugal. She'll be in St. Louis with her quartet to play a concert presented by New Music Circle on Saturday, February 16 at 560 Music Center.

The fourth video features trumpeter Chris Botti, who's become a familiar face to St. Louis audiences thanks to numerous appearances here in recent years. In this clip, recorded on December 1 at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, Botti and pianist Geoffrey Keezer offer a rather abstracted take on "My Funny Valentine," with a bit of "The Christmas Song" added at the end. Botti will return to St. Louis to perform on Saturday, February 23 with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra at Powell Symphony Hall.

Next up is another familiar face, singer Kurt Elling, who's also done several headlining gigs here over the last decade, most recently in November of last year at Jazz at the Bistro. Elling's latest album 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project features his interpretations of pop and rock songs from the 1960s written at that storied NYC address. Here, he's seen performing his version of the Drifters' "On Broadway" in May at the Maison des Cultures du Monde in Paris. Elling will be back to perform Wednesday, February 27 through Saturday, March 2 at the Bistro.

The sixth clip features singer, songwriter, guitarist and sometimes drummer Dan Hicks, as usual bringing a touch of humor to this 2011 performance of "I Don't Want Love" on Conan O'Brien's show. Hicks and the current edition of His Hot Licks will play here on Wednesday, March 13 at Old Rock House.

Today's last video features the Danish improvising saxophonist Lotte Anker, seen here with trumpeter Eivind Lønning and drummer Kresten Osgood in an excerpt from a performance last February in Copehnhagen. Anker will lead a trio in a show presented by New Music Circle on Thursday, March 14 at 560 Music Center.

Look for part 3 of StLJN's winter/spring 2013 jazz preview next week...

Jazz this week: Bill Charlap Trio, Tony DeSare & Bucky Pizzarelli, and more

It's been a week of waterlogged weather here in St. Louis, but the soggy circumstances can't put a damper on all the jazz and creative music coming up in town over the next few days. Let's go the highlights...

Tonight, the fine pianist Bill Charlap and his trio open a four-night run continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. While Charlap has played in St. Louis before, this is the first time his trio has performed at the Bistro. You can find out more about Charlap and see some video clips by checking out this post from last Saturday.

Also tonight, the Meramec Jazz Lab Band, directed by Bob Boedges and now featuring singer Valerie Tichacek, will perform a concert at the Black Cat Theatre.

On Thursday, singers Alice Kinsella and Deborah Sharn will perform a cabaret show at the Kranzberg Arts Center under the auspices of the Presenters Dolan, with another performance on Friday night.

Also on Friday, Latin jazz group Ritmo Caliente performs at Robbie's House of Jazz, and keyboardist Nick Schlueter's trio with bassist Jessica Sacks and drummer Josh Costello will play the Cigar Inn in Belleville.

On Saturday, pianist/singer Tony DeSare and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli will team up for a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall on Saturday. Given that DeSare is influenced greatly by the swing, bop and Great American Songbook classics that have been Pizzarelli's bread and butter throughout his long career, this seems like a pretty good pairing. What's more, The Sheldon is offering a discount on tickets to the concert; see this post for details.

Also Saturday, saxophonist and instrument designer Peter Ponzol will present a free sax clinic at Saxquest; singer Mae Wheeler performs at Seasons American Cuisine in Chesterfield; saxophonist Stan Coleman's University Youth Jazz Big Band will be at Robbie's, and electronic musician and former St. Louisan Tom Hamilton will do a concert for New Music Circle at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

On Sunday, it's time once again for the monthly jam session at Bossanova Restuarant and Lounge in Alton featuring saxophonist Jason Swagler and guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio. Also on Sunday, those who still enjoy their recorded jazz in physical media formats may want to check out the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show at the American Czech Center on the south side.

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.)

(Edited to correct the dates of the Presenters Dolan shows.)