So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer and St. Louis native Alicia Olatuja (pictured) has signed a contract with Resilience Records, which will release her next album Intuition - Songs from the Minds of Women on February 1, 2019.

* Trumpeter Chris Botti, who performs with the St. Louis Symphony tonight at Powell Hall, was interviewed by Kevin Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

* "1968: Let The Sunshine In," the new cabaret show by St. Louis native John McDaniel and Barb Jungr, is the subject of a brief feature on BroadwayWorld.com. The show plays this Saturday (October 27) at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

* The concert by pianist and singer Jon Batiste last Saturday at The Sheldon was reviewed by Daniel Durchholz for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

* Also for the Post-Dispatch, Durchholz interviewed singer, songwriter and pianist Jimmy Webb, who's performing in sold-out shows on Sunday and Monday for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival.  

* The Baylor Project, led by drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and his wife, singer Jean Baylor, was the subject of a brief feature in the Pittsburgh Current.

* Electronic musician Eric Hall has posted to Bandcamp an album of live recordings made during various tour dates this fall in Chicago, Louisville, Indianapolis, and elsewhere.

* Singer and pianist Billy Stritch will headline a fund-raising event for The Cabaret Project of St. Louis on Friday, December 7 at the St. Louis Club in Clayton.

* The results of this year's DownBeat Readers Poll are out, and there's a winner with a St. Louis connection, as Miles Davis & John Coltrane, The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 got the most votes in the "Historical Album" category.

* Saxquest will present their 2018 Woodwind Musical Instrument Expo from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 17 at the Donald D Shook Fine Arts Building on the campus of St. Charles Community College.

Participating manufacturers will include Buffet-Crampon, Selmer, Yamaha, Yanagisawa, Keilwerth, P. Mauriat, Eastman, Haynes, Powell, Muramatsu, Fox, Loree, BG, D'Addario and Vandoren, and attendees at the free event can pre-register to get access to a private sound room and more.

* The 2018 St. Louis International Film Festival, which will take place Thursday, November 1 through Sunday, November 11 at various venues around town, will include a couple of documentaries that may be of particular interest to StLJN readers.

The Jazz Ambassadors, which premiered earlier this year on PBS, will be shown at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, November 4 at Brown Hall on the Washington University campus. It tells the story of how American jazz musicians including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie toured the world during the Cold War on behalf of the US Government, examining the contradictions they faced in promoting the ideal of equality abroad while enduring segregation at home.

Also of interest, Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes will be screened at 6:00 p.m. Sunday, November 11 at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster University campus, followed immediately by a performance by pianist Adam Maness' trio. The film "explores the vision behind the iconic American jazz label...through current recording sessions, rare archival footage, and conversations with iconic Blue Note artists."

Jazz this week: Chris Botti; Eddie Henderson; Rogers, Owens & Ellis; Faith Prince and more

This week's jam-packed calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features performances from two top trumpeters, a cavalcade of cabaret, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, October 24
Singer Darius de Haas will present the first of two nights of performances of his cabaret show "A Bernstein Thing" at Jazz St. Louis.

Also on Wednesday, the "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features pianist Jim Hegarty's trio at The Stage at KDHX, along with the jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor and band at The Dark Room.

Thursday, October 25
Singer Denise Thimes will be back from her new home in Chicago to headline the "Mildred Thimes Foundation 14th Annual Benefit Concert" at the Sheldon Concert Hall. This year's show will feature Thimes and friends interpreting material associated with singers Luther Vandross and Chaka Khan. .

Also on Thursday, Italian drummer Lecrezio de Seta will be joined by bassist/guitarist William Lenihan and keyboardist Jay Oliver for a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room; and trumpeter Jim Manley and guitarist Randy Bahr will head to O'Fallon, MO for a gig at the Rendezvous Cafe & Wine Bar.

Friday, October 26
Trumpeter Chris Botti (pictured, top left) returns to St. Louis for the first time since 2015 to perform once again with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at Powell Hall.

Also on Friday, the revived Nu-Art Series gets underway with a concert featuring trumpeter Eddie Henderson (pictured, bottom left) with poet Lyah LeFlore, pianist Ptah Williams, and fellow trumpeter and Nu-Art impresario George Sams at Xavier Hall on the St. Louis University campus.

For more about Henderson, who turns 78 the day of his St. Louis show, plus some videos of recent performances, check out the post from last Saturday.

Elsewhere around town, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. and saxophonist John Ellis, joined by St. Louis' own Peter Martin on piano, will wrap up a week-long educational residency for Jazz St. Louis with the first of two nights of performances at the Bistro; and the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with Tony Award winning actress and singer Faith Prince performing for the first of two evenings at the Gaslight Theater/

Saturday, October 27
Singer Barb Jungr and singer, pianist and St. Louis native John McDaniel return with a one-night-only performance of their latest cabaret show, "1968 - Let The Sunshine In," at the Kranzberg Arts Center; and pianist Mo Egeston is back at The Dark Room.

Sunday, October 28
Though singer/songwriter Jimmy Webb's two performances for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival are sold out, Sunday offers several other noteworthy musical options, as pianist David Thomas Roberts will perform at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe, and the eight-piece, Seattle-based Afrobeat band Polyrhythmics will play at the Old Rock House

Also on Sunday, trumpeter Randy Holmes has his Hard Bop Heritage band back in action at the Ozark Theatre; and the Bosman Twins with guest vocalist Marsha Evans will provide the music for the "Royal Vagabonds Foundation Scholarship Benefit" at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Monday, October 29
The Usual Suspects play at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, and drummer Nick Savage leads a quartet in a concert at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster University campus.

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.)

Miles on Monday: The latest on the Miles Davis memorial statue, and more

This week in Miles Davis news:

* In anticipation of the unveiling of the Miles Davis memorial statue in downtown Alton, IL - now less than two weeks away - the statue's sculptor Preston Jackson was the subject of a feature story in the Alton Telegraph.

* Meanwhile, Alton's Miles Davis Jazz Festival has posted to Facebook some new photos from the memorial statue site on Third Street.

* After a recent gig with singer D'Angelo at the FYF Festival in Los Angeles, St. Louis-born trumpeter Keyon Harrold got a chance to hang out with actor/director Don Cheadle and Miles Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn Jr (pictured). Harrold performs on the soundtrack of Cheadle's upcoming film Miles Ahead, for which Wilburn is a co-producer.

* In an interview recorded earlier this month at the Newport Jazz Festival, popular trumpeter Chris Botti talks about Miles Davis and his influence on subsequent generations of musicians.

* The recently unearthed "unofficial release" Miles Davis Live in Tokyo 1975 was reviewed by Tim Niland at his blog Music and More.

* Does Miles Davis belong in the St. Louis Classic Rock Hall of Fame? If you think so, you can cast your ballot for Davis (and various other St. Louis musicians of note) here. Voting ends on September 15.

Jazz this week: Chris Botti, JazzU with Stefon Harris, Don Cunningham, U City Jazz Festival, Daniel Bennett, and more

This week's lineup of jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis encompasses musicians with a vast range of experience, from young teenage players getting their first chances onstage at a showcase club to an elder statesman who got his start more than a half-century ago in the fabled Gaslight Square entertainment district. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 3
Billed as the "New York Jazz Ensemble," bassist Tom Kennedy, saxophonists George Garzone and Steve Wirts, guitarist Joe Cohn and drummer Miles Vandiver will play an early evening show at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Also on Wednesday, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra will make their debut at Jazz at the Bistro.

Thursday, June 4
Singer Feyza Eren teams with guitarist Brian Vaccaro's trio to re-imagine songs from a variety of genres at the Tavern of Fine Arts; guitarist Dave Black and friends, featuring singer Joe Mancuso, return to Nathalie's; and saxophonist Jim Stevens and band will perform at Hammerstone's.

Friday, June 5
If there's a sentimental favorite among this week's jazz and creative music attractions, it would have to be singer, multi-instrumentalist and St. Louis native Don Cunningham.

Cunningham (pictured, top left), a veteran of the Gaslight Square era who now lives in Las Vegas, is returning to his hometown this weekend for his first performances since his wife and musical partner, singer and pianist Alicia Cunningham, passed away back in December.

He'll be joined by singer Jeanne Trevor and a local rhythm section for shows paying tribute to his wife and the late St. Louis singer Gene Lynn on Friday and Saturday nights, plus a Sunday matinee, at the Ozark Theatre.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Chris Botti (pictured, center left) returns to St. Louis for the first time since 2012 for a performance with the St. Louis Symphony at Powell Hall; and the students from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU and Jazz St. Louis All-Stars programs will begin their annual weekend showcase at Jazz at the Bistro, with a little help from special guest vibraphonist Stefon Harris (pictured, lower left).

Elsewhere around town, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform at Evangeline's; the Funky Butt Brass Band check in for their monthly gig at Broadway Oyster Bar; and the Original Knights of Swing play for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom.


Saturday, June 6
Starting mid-afternoon and continuing through the evening, the annual U City Jazz Festival in Heman Park will present free performances by drummer Demarius Hicks' quartet, the Silverman Brothers Band, trumpeter Anthony Wiggins with drummer Maurice Carnes, pianist Philip Gomez' trio, and the student band Nexus.

Also on Saturday, pianist Greg Mills and the Perihelion Ensemble return to the Tavern of Fine Arts; and The People's Key offer instrumental interpretations of the music of Michael Jackson at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Sunday, June 7
The Friends of Scott Joplin present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" matinee at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, this month welcoming performs who will have just played the annual Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia; and Good 4 The Soul plays their monthly show at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday June 9
Saxophonist Daniel Bennett, touring in support of his new album The Mystery at Clown Castle, will play a free concert with his trio in the auditorium at the downtown branch of the St. Louis Public Library.

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.)

Chris Botti returning next June to Powell Hall

Trumpeter Chris Botti is coming back to St. Louis next year to perform with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra on Friday, June 5 at Powell Symphony Hall.

The show is part of the SLSO's just-announced "Live at Powell Hall" series of pops concerts for next season. The series also includes at least one more performance that may be of interest to jazz fans, as singer Cary Hoffman will present his show "My Sinatra" with the SLSO on Sunday, June 21.

Other "Live at Powell Hall" programs will include tributes to the music of rock bands including the Beatles, U2, Eagles, and Journey and to folk-rockers Simon & Garfunkel; an evening of music from the video game "Final Fantasy"; and "Lost in Space," featuring theme music from a number of science fiction and fantasy films and TV series.

Botti (pictured) was in St. Louis last in February, 2012 to play at the Peabody Opera House, and he previously performed with the SLSO in February 2011 as part of what then was called "SLSO Presents". This time around, he'll be playing mostly selections from his 2012 album Impressions, for which he received the 2013 Grammy Award for "Best Pop Instrumental Album."

Single tickets for Chris Botti and the rest of the "Live at Powell Hall series are priced from $25 to $99, and will go on sale Monday, August 11 by phone at 314-534-1700, online at http://stlsymphony.org/, and at the Powell Hall box office.

Jazz this week: Jim Pugh, Jeremy Haynes, Amina Figarova, Jazz St. Louis gala, Jeff Coffin, Chris Botti, Dan Thomas, and more

There's jazz and creative music happening early and often throughout this week in St. Louis, and so to help make sure that you don't miss anything, here's a special early edition of the weekly highlights post:

Tonight, trombonist Jim Pugh is in town for a free concert at at Maryville University presented by the St. Louis Low Brass Collective. Pugh is best known for his work with Woody Herman and Chick Corea, but also has been a top studio trombonist recording for film soundtracks, pop music sessions, and much more. The concert will feature Pugh backed by ten local jazz trombonists, a rhythm section, and the entire trombone section of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Meanwhile, back downtown, drummer Jeremy Haynes and the Rhythm Is Life band will play at Lola. Haynes, a St. Louis native who's been part of five Grammy winning gospel recordings, is performing in support of the release of his first instrumental album Prodigal Son 2K.

Also tonight, Three Central gives a free concert at the St. Louis Public Library main branch downtown; and the Tommy Halloran Quintet plays for Lindy Hop St. Louis' weekly swing dance at Grandel Theatre.

Tomorrow night, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra brings their big band sound to West County at the Sky Music Lounge in Ballwin; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes perform at the Feasting Fox; and the Ann Dueren Trio is at Frontenac Grill.

On Thursday, pianist Amina Figarova (pictured) and her group will perform in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. Figarova's skills at writing for small ensembles prompted Jazz Times to call her "among the most important composers to come into jazz in the new millennium." For more about her, and some vidfeo samples of her group in action, see this post from Saturday.

Also on Thursday, singer Erin Bode is at Crave coffee house.

Update, 4:50 p.m. 2/21/13: Both the Amina Figarova concert for the Jazz at Holmes series and Erin Bode's performance at Crave have been postponed due to bad weather. Bode's gig will take place next Thursday at the same time; JAH organizers hope to reschedule Figarova some time next month.

Update, 5:10 p.m. 2/21/13:Tonight's shows featuring Miss Jubilee at Thaxton Speakeasy and Downstereo at Atomic Cowboy have been cancelled due to bad weather. Both are recurring weekly gigs, so both bands should be back at work at the same venues next Thursday.

On Friday, Jazz St. Louis will present their annual fundraising gala at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, featuring music from David Sanborn and "surprise musical guests." The event is effectively sold out, but if you've got the price of admission - tickets start at $400 per person and go up from there - you can see if any spaces have opened up by calling JSL's director of development Kate Francis at 314-289-4037 or emailing her at katef @ jazzstl.org.

For those on a more modest budget on Friday, saxophonist Jeff Coffin will be back in town to present a free early-evening performance and workshop at Saxquest; Kansas City saxophonist Dan Thomas plays for the first of two nights at Robbie's House of Jazz; and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor leads a quartet at Cigar Inn.

Update: 1:30 p.m., 2/21/13: The previously announced dates for Dan Thomas have been removed without explanation from the Robbie's House of Jazz website. The site now lists saxophonist Jerry Greene's trio playing on Friday, and drummer Gerald Warren's group on Saturday.

On Saturday, trumpeter Chris Botti and his band will perform with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at Powell Hall. (Given Botti's popularity, this one also is probably close to a sellout by now, so if you're interested in going, don't count on being able to get tickets at the door - call the box office first.)

Also on Saturday, saxophonist Willie Akins, drummer Montez Coleman and band will promote the release of their new album The St. Louis Connection with two sets at Jazz at the Bistro; and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom. 

Then on Sunday, the Dave Dickey Big Band plays their monthly show at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, this month featuring an intermission set from the St. Louis Metrobones.

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 after posting to fix a garbled sentence and correct some formatting.)

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: Chris Botti, Byron Stripling, Bill Watrous, UNT One O'Clock Lab Band, St. Louis Rivermen, and more

If there's a keyword for this weekend's schedule of jazz and creative music in St. Louis, it's "brass." The next few days will see three stellar touring brass players - two trumpeters and a trombonist - playing here as soloists or bandleaders, plus a somewhat larger-than-usual number of big band performances, and some other noteworthy shows, too. Let's go the highlights:

On Thursday evening, the University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band will be in town for a concert at Webster Groves High School, 100 Selma Ave. The One O'Clock band, which gets its name from the time of day the ensemble meets for class, is the top big band at one of the most storied and long lived collegiate jazz programs in the country; WGHS's jazz groups will open the show.

Also on Thursday, pianist Ptah Williams will play the music of Herbie Hancock in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; and singer Erika Johnson and guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio will perform at Robbie's House of Jazz.

Friday night is when local music fans have a choice among among those three stellar brassmen. The popular trumpeter Chris Botti will be in town that evening for what has become an annual visit, playing this time at the Peabody Opera House. No doubt he'll draw a good crowd, but given that Botti's next local appearance has already been booked, for next year at Powell Hall with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, anyone on the fence about going might want to consider skipping it in favor of one of the other shows happening the same night.

That same evening, trumpeter Byron Stripling will open a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. He's been in town all week doing an educational residency for Jazz St. Louis, and as is the custom, will cap it off with some public performances, fronting a quartet. Though not nearly as well known as Botti, Stripling is a versatile and highly accomplished player and a polished entertainer who can hit the high notes, solo with feeling, and even sing the blues. For more about him and some video clips showing off various aspects of his talents, check out this post from last Saturday.

And as if that weren't enough for one night, Friday also is when the virtusoso trombonist Bill Watrous will be here for a concert at the Scottish Rite Cathedral Auditorium, accompanied by trumpeter Scott Vignassi and the Big Little Big Band. A veteran of the big bands of Quincy Jones, Maynard Ferguson, Johnny Richards and Woody Herman, Watrous is capable of some truly astounding stuff, so if you're specifically a trombone aficionado - as opposed to a brass fan in general - this one's got to be your pick for the weekend, especially since Stripling is playing at the Bistro for two nights.

Update - 3:00 p.m, 2/24/12: Just got an email from trumpet player/educator Adam Hucke, who teaches at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, saying that Bill Watrous also will be playing at SWIC on Saturday night. The concert starts at 7:00 p.m. in the main auditorium on campus (directions at the link above) and will feature Watrous performing with both the SWIC Big Band and The Big Little Big Band. Best of all, it's free and open to the public.

On the other hand, if you'd rather dance to a big band than listen to one in concert, the relatively new group that calls themselves the St. Louis Big Band, made up primarily of younger musicians in their 20s and 30s, has worked their way into the rotation at the Casa Loma Ballroom and will be playing there on Friday. And if brass isn't your thing, or you're just not in the mood (sorry!) that evening, you can hear guitarist Dave Black's trio at the Cigar Inn in Belleville or saxophonist Tim Cunningham at Jazz on Broadway on Alton.

On Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Rivermen will play traditional jazz and ragtime in a concert presented by the St. Louis Jazz Club at the Doubletree Hotel at Westport. Not long after that event wraps up, trombonist Dave Dickey's big band will return to Kirkwood Station Brewing Company for the first time after securing a monthly slot at the venue with their initial appearance there in January. The Webster Groves HS big band will play at intermission.

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.)

SLSO's 2012-13 season to feature concerts with Wynton Marsalis and JaLCO, Chris Botti

The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra tonight announced its season schedule for 2012-13, and the lineup of concerts includes a few performances that could be of potential interest to local jazz fans.

As part of its "Live at Powell Hall" series, the SLSO will present a program called "The Music of Ray Charles" on Friday, September 21. Charles' vast catalog certainly provides plenty of material to work with, and with the right songs and vocal soloists, it could be a solid program - as long as no one at the SLSO makes the mistake of thinking they can sound credible trying to play Charles' early rhythm and blues material.

Much more problematic, however, is the booking of Kenny G to perform with the orchestra the following evening, Saturday, September 22. Given the near-universal critical revulsion of the saxophonist, the rather insubstantial nature of his material, and the bland mediocrity of his playing, it's hard to see this show as anything but a blatant, pandering money grab, unless you choose to view it as a carefully studied insult to the tastes of both local jazz enthusiasts and the SLSO's own patrons. Either way, it seems a terrible lapse in artistic judgment that one can only hope won't ever be repeated.

(And yes, yr. humble editor remembers writing back in 2010 that all the critical vitriol expended on the G-Man was basically a waste of everyone's time. However, it's one thing for him to play his own show somewhere, and another thing entirely for him to be endorsed by an ostensibly serious musical organization like the SLSO.)

On a more harmonious note, the SLSO has booked trumpeter Wynton Marsalis (pictured) and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as the musical main attraction for the organization's annual fundraising gala, which will be held on Saturday, October 20 at Powell Hall. The concert will feature the St. Louis premiere of Marsalis’ Swing Symphony, which received its world premiere in 2010 in Berlin and later was broadcast as a PBS special.

The SLSO also has set a return appearance for trumpeter Chris Botti, who will perform with the orchestra on February 23 at Powell Hall. Botti appeared with the SLSO last February, and will be here in a couple of weeks on Friday, February 24 to play the Peabody Opera House.

The 2012-13 season also will include performances of contemporary orchestral works by Thomas Adès, Cindy McTee, John Adams and Christopher Rouse, as well as a continuation of the SLSO-sponsored concerts at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, which also have featured music by living composers. To see the entire season schedule and purchase tickets, visit the SLSO's website.

Chris Botti to perform Friday, February 24 at Peabody Opera House

Trumpeter Chris Botti (pictured) is coming back to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m., Friday, February 24 at the recently renovated Peabody Opera House downtown.

Botti has been a relatively frequent visitor here in recent years; his last appearance was in February 2011, playing with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra at Powell Symphony Hall. Another previous performance was at the Fox Theatre, with which the Peabody now would seem to be competing in earnest for bookings of touring concerts, Broadway shows, dance recitals and similar events. The trumpeter's most recent CD here in the USA is 2009's Chris Botti in Boston.

Tickets for Chris Botti at the Peaboy Opera House are priced from at $47, $42 and $37, and go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, December 3 at the box office of the Scottrade Center (adjacent to the Peabody) and via Ticketmaster.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Post-Dispatch business reporter Tim Bryant writes today that the Music Center of Kirkwood (once known as Mel Bay Music) will relocate later this year from downtown Kirkwood to a former paint store on Watson Rd. in Crestwood. The new store, to be renamed City Music and Education Center, will be triple the size of the current Kirkwood location - and, interestingly, less than a mile from one of two Guitar Center stores in the St. Louis area.

* St. Louis magazine's Stefene Russell has an article from the mag's March issue now online about Jazz St. Louis' 15th anniversary and upcoming benefit gala.

* Back at the Post, Terry Perkins reviewed last Saturday's concert by Chris Botti with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. For a contrasting view, read this blog entry about the trumpeter's St. Louis show from blogger Amy Zopfi, a blogger from Las Vegas who's planning on following Botti across the country for an entire year's worth of concerts.

* The remodeling of Mangia Italiano is done, and the South Grand restaurant and bar reopened this week, with saxophonist Dave Stone's trio set to resume their long-running Friday night gig this evening.

* The St. Louis-based traditional jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey (pictured) is on the road this weekend, heading west to Seaside, OR, where they'll be one of 11 bands performing for the 28th annual Oregon Dixieland Jubilee. The festival starts today and continues through Sunday.

* Jay Landesman, former owner of the Crystal Palace nightclub in St. Louis' famed Gaslight Square entertainment district, died this week in London at age 91. You can read the Post-Dispatch obituary by Deb Peterson here, and a piece about Landesman from the Riverfront Times' Aimee Levitt here.

(Edited 2/28/11 to add the blogger's name to the item about Chris Botti.)

Notes from the Net: "First times" with Miles; Oliver Lake's new CD; Boney James on the mend; plus news, reviews, interviews and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* Starting off, as is our custom, with a Miles Davis item, NPR's A Blog Supreme recently asked readers "What Was Your First Miles Davis Album"? and got "nearly 1,000 replies on NPR's Facebook page; 103 replies here on A Blog Supreme (an astronomical amount for us) and hundreds of tweets and re-tweets." The number one intro-to-Miles album was, unsurprisingly, Kind of Blue, which remains the best selling jazz album of all time; the runner-up was Bitches Brew, which is getting a 40th anniversary re-release this year.

* In news of other St. Louis natives, saxophonist Greg Osby will headline a live webcast for NPR's "Live at the Village Vanguard" program on Tuesday, August 3. (Episodes are archived online for later listening, too.)

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake (pictured) has a new CD called Plan featuring his Organ Trio with keyboardist Jared Gold, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix and drummer Jonathan Blake. Here's a review from Music and More blogger Tim Niland, who calls it "a very exciting and constantly compelling album."

* Turning to news of recent visitors, guitarist Jeff Beck, who played St. Louis' Fox Theatre in April, this week led a tribute to guitarist and inventor Les Paul at the intimate NYC club Iridium, where Paul had a steady Monday night gig for many years right up until his death in 2009. Here's another review, written by Bill Milkowski for Jazz Times.

* Meanwhile, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, last seen here in March at the Sheldon Concert Hall, have headed across the Atlantic for a tour that includes four concerts in Berlin, three in London, and five in other UK cities.

* Singer and pianist Jamie Cullum, who also was in St. Louis in March to play the Roberts Orpheum Theatre, will be one of the headliners at the Carefusion Newport Jazz Festival in August.

* Saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and percussionist Hamid Drake have a new eponymous duo CD, reviewed here by "Stef" of the blog Free Jazz. Their recent duo tour, the first in more than a decade, included a stop in April at St. Louis' Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.

* As if he wasn't busy enough already, bassist Christian McBride is producing and playing on vibraphonist Warren Wolf's debut CD for Mack Avenue Records. McBride revealed on his Twitter feed that recent sessions in NYC also included drummer Greg Hutchinson, saxophonist Tim Green and, on piano, St. Louis' own Peter Martin, all of whom also have been associated with McBride's Inside Straight band. Last seen here in November at Jazz at the Bistro, McBride will play a duo concert with Martin in September at the Sheldon, and will return again next year in March for a Ray Brown tribute at the Bistro.

* Speaking of return engagements, trumpeter Chris Botti, who will return to St. Louis in February 2011 for a concert at Powell Hall with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, will perform next week at NYC's Carnegie Hall for the CareFusion Jazz Festival New York. Botti also will play the CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival in August.

* Singer, pianist and songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway, who's coming back to the Gateway City next March to play at the Bistro, recently did a duo show with her sister, Broadway and cabaret performer Liz Callaway, at Town Hall in NYC. The program featured their interpretations of pop hits from the 1960s and 1970s; here's the review from the New York Times' Stephen Holden.

* Saxophonist Gerald Albright has a new CD, Pushing The Envelope, on sale next week. The funk-flavored release features special guest appearances by Fred Wesley on trombone, Earl Klugh on acoustic guitar and George Duke on acoustic piano, along with keyboardists Tracy Carter and Luther "Mano" Hanes, guitarist Ricky Watford and drummer Ricky Lawson. Albright is out on the road this summer with the Guitars and Saxes tour, which hits The Pageant in St. Louis on Friday, August 13.

* Singer Tierney Sutton was one of the headliners at last week's Isthmus Jazz Festival in Madison, WI, resulting in this interview with the local magazine that sponsored the event. Sutton will be back in St. Louis in October to play the Sheldon.

* Saxophonist Chris Potter has put online some free live music from his band Underground, via the website ArtistShare. Potter and Underground will play Jazz at the Bistro next March.

* Lastly, smooth jazz saxophonist Boney James is on the mend from being rear-ended in a recent car accident, in which he suffered a gash in his chin that resulted in 14 stitches, a fractured maxilla bone, and two broken front teeth. James is taking off several weeks for orthodontic repairs and recovery, but anticipates being able to play again the first week of July, which would be in time for him to make his show scheduled for Thursday, July 8 at the Bottleneck Blues Bar in St. Charles.

Some of James' canceled shows have been rescheduled, but for his date this Saturday in Sacramento, trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Richard Elliot will fill in and co-headline what's being billed as a "Get Well Soon Tribute" as part of their ongoing "RnR" tour, which comes to the Pageant on July 30.

(Edited after posting to clean up some typos.)

SLSO to perform with Chris Botti, Ozomatli

The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2010-2011 schedule, and the slate of upcoming concerts includes some events of interest to fans of jazz and creative music.

For starters, the Orchestra has added some dates to its "SLSO Presents" series this spring, among them the Ozomatli concert on Friday, May 14 that was first mentioned here on StLJN earlier this week. The big additional news is that Ozomatli won't just be playing their regular show - they'll actually be performing with the SLSO, and it should be very interesting to hear what sort of orchestral arrangements are deployed for the occasion.

Additionally, next season's "SLSO Presents" series will include a concert featuring popular trumpeter Chris Botti playing with the Orchestra on February 19, 2011. Given that Botti has a strong following in St. Louis, ticket sales for this concert should be quite brisk.

The SLSO's 2010-2011 season also will feature an ongoing year-long festival of Russian composers; a special commemoration of the 100th birthday of Gustav Mahler; performances of works by Copland, Ives, and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for the citywide American Arts Experience-St. Louis; and a number of contemporary works by Ligeti, Pärt, Steven Mackey, Christopher Rouse, and others. You can get all the details on the entire schedule plus ticket information at the SLSO's website.

Jazz this week: Sonny Rollins, Chris Botti, Trio 3, Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival, St. Louis Rivermen, and more

There's lots going on in St. Louis over the next few days, as it's the busiest weekend of the fall so far for jazz and creative music. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, local funk/hip-hop band Fresh Heir does a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

On Friday, trumpeter Chris Botti returns to town to perform at the Fox Theatre, making good on a date that was postponed from last year. (You can read a brief preview of Botti's show that I wrote for the Riverfront Times here.)

Also on Friday, drummer Stan Hale's new group debuts at Robbie's House of Jazz, featuring Hale, bassist David Certain, saxophonist Ben Reece, singer Renee Smith, and yr. humble StLJN editor on keyboards. We'll be playing a mix of straight-ahead and soul/jazz with occasional Latin touches.

Saturday features three major events worthy of your time and attention, starting with the long-anticipated performance by saxophone legend Sonny Rollins (pictured) in a concert sponsored by Jazz St. Louis at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. For more about Rollins, check out StLJN's previous coverage here, and also this short preview piece from this week's Riverfront Times.

Also on Saturday, the Nu-Art Series presents Trio 3 with Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille at Luna Bar in the Central West End. For more about Trio 3, see these two posts, as well as this recent interview done with Lake before a solo gig in Sacramento, CA.

As if choosing between those two shows wasn't enough of a dilemma, Saturday is also the day of this year's Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival, a free, all-day event held in the business district near Lockwood and Gore in Webster Groves.

Jazz acts in this year's lineup include Two Times True, with pianist Carolbeth True; Standard Time, with guitarist Rick Haydon, singer Mardra Thomas and pianist Reggie Thomas; the Matthew Von Doran Trio; Webster University Faculty Jazz Band; Webster Groves High School Jazz Band; Wild, Cool & Swingin'; and the Funky Butt Brass Band. There's also the St. Louis Jazz & Blues Revue, a group assembled for the festival that includes Anita Rosamond (vocals, keyboard), Rich McDonough (guitar), Jesse Gannon (keyboard, vocals), Phil Burton (bass, vocals), Joe Meyer (drums), Lew Winer III (saxophones, vocals) and Rob Endicott (trumpet, flugelhorn). The Revue will pay tribute to St. Louis musical legends including Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, Fontella Bass, Ike & Tina Turner, Jimmy Forrest and Albert King.

Also note that just down the street from the festival's Allen Avenue stage, the Robert Edwards Big Band will hold forth Saturday evening at Robbie's House of Jazz. For more about the new club and Edwards' big band, see this piece I did for the Riverfront Times "A to Z" music blog.

On Sunday, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents the St. Louis Rivermen in a concert of traditional New Orleans style jazz at at the Panorama Banquet Room of Bel-Air Bowl in Belleville.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday guitarist Todd Mosby will give a free concert and clinic at the Music Center of Kirkwood. (See this post for details.)

For more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar or by clicking here.

(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 9/18/09 to fix a typo and add tags.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Three views of Chris Botti

This week, we've got three videos featuring trumpeter Chris Botti, who's returning to St. Louis to perform on Friday, September 18 at the Fox Theatre.

First up is an undated clip of "Streets Ahead," the sort of pop/funk tune that was a mainstay for Botti early in his career. More recently, the trumpeter has turned to jazz standards and the Great American Songbook, resulting in performances like the version of "Someone To Watch Over Me" found in the second embedded window, in which Botti shows off his pleasing tone and ability to interpret a melody.

As Botti has enjoyed more commercial success, he's become involved in bigger-budget projects like his recent PBS special "Chris Botti In Boston," which features a number of guest stars from pop and classical music and premiered in February of this year. The third clip is from that special, and shows Botti and violinist Lucia Micarelli performing a tune called "Emmanuel," which, though it may sound semi- classical, was written in 1970 by the French composer Michel Colombier for his symphonic rock/pop album Wings.

Notes from the Net: Jimmy Wilkins profiled; Rollins, Elling and Botti on the road; plus news, reviews, interviews, and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* Starting with some Miles Davis-related items, it seems that the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Davis' Kind of Blue continues without pause, as KoB drummer Jimmy Cobb's all-star So What band played at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY this past weekend as part of an extensive touring schedule.

Also, here's a review of the new reissue of Davis' Sketches of Spain, written for PopMatters.com by Sean Murphy. For more Miles-related news and links, as always we exhort you to visit Jeffrey Hyatt's fine site Miles Davis Online, which recently has spotlighted some rarely-seen photos of the trumpeter alongside interviews with the photographers who shot the pics.

* The late trumpeter and St. Louis native Lester Bowie's 1981 album The Great Pretender was the subject of a recent "Listening Party" post on NPR's A Blog Supreme.

* Here's a recent feature story from the Las Vegas Sun about St. Louis native, trombonist and bandleader Jimmy Wilkins (pictured), a veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra who now lives in Vegas.

* And here's a rediscovered vintage 1999 audio interview of saxophonist, composer and one-time Webster University student John Zorn by Chris Comer.

* Former St. Louisan Bob Koester was profiled last week in the New York Times on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of his Delmark Records label. Koester also owns Chicago's Jazz Record Mart.

* Turning to news of recent visitors to St. Louis, it took Jazz St. Louis three tries to get trumpeter Terence Blanchard here to St. Louis this past season - Blanchard's twice-rescheduled week at Jazz at the Bistro finally happened in May - but the trumpeter isn't always quite so hard to get. Thanks to a gap in their tour schedule, he and his band were able to travel to Canada to play a last minute gig at the Ottawa Jazz Festival on just two days' notice after promoters secured a last-minute grant from the Canadian government.

* Singer Tony Bennett is helping to open a new location for the Frank Sinatra School fo the Arts in his hometown of Astoria, Queens. Bennett was in St. Louis in May to play the Fox Theatre.

* Banjo player Bela Fleck took his Africa Project to Caramoor International Music Festival in Connecticut this past week. The tour was in St. Louis in April at the Sheldon Concert Hall

* Turning to news of coming attractions, saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins is playing this week at the Vancouver Jazz Festival. Rollins will be in St. Louis in September to play a Jazz St. Louis-sponsored show at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

* Meanwhile, trumpeter Chris Botti is playing at LA's Greek Theatre this weekend. Botti also will be here in September, at the Fox.

* Singer Kurt Elling also is north of the border this week, performing at the Edmonton International Jazz Festival. For a limited time AOL Music is streaming Elling's new CD Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman for free. Released June 23 on Concord Jazz, it features saxophonist Ernie Watts, The Laurence Hobgood Trio and the string quartet ETHEL accompanying Elling. You can stream the album here. Elling will perform the Hartman/Coltrane material here in December at Jazz at the Bistro, with St. Louis' own Willie Akins taking Watts' part.

* Finally, from the "general interest" files, no doubt there's been plenty of gloomy news in the jazz world recently, from the cancellation of festivals this year in New York, St. Louis, and lots of other places to Jazz Times magazine's recent suspension of publication. However, veteran critic Josef Woodard, writing in the Santa Barbara Independent, remains optimistic about the resiliency of the music and the people who play and listen to it: "Jazz retains its status as America’s greatest indigenous art form and the 20th century’s great musical invention, but the music and its facilitating institutions are facing ominous forces...(snip)...The bright side of this sobering downturn is that jazz is a survivor...Jazz will out, but those of us who need it may have to go some extra miles to satisfy our needs. It won’t be the first time."

* And, in a demonstration of Woodard's point about jazz representing the very best of the United States of America, Jazz at Lincoln Center is now accepting band applications for the 2009-2010 Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program. American music groups specializing in jazz, urban/hip hop and other American roots music including bluegrass, blues, Cajun, country, gospel and zydeco are invited to apply. Over the past four years, 108 musicians from 28 ensembles have toured with the program, visiting 97 countries on five continents. The program, now in its fifth year, is a collaboration with The U.S. Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Applications are due by Aug. 10.

Notes from the Net: Grant Green reissued, Russell Ferrante interviewed, plus news, reviews, and more

Here's this week's compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* For our obligatory weekly Miles Davis-related links, there's a story in the San Jose Mercury News with more on this weekend's tribute to Davis at Stanford University. Also, for the latest news on the proposed film biography of the trumpeter, check out the blog The Miles Davis Movie, which this week noted that although the Internet Movie Database still lists the Davis biopic starring Don Cheadle as a "go" for the year 2011, Cheadle's schedule looks awfully jam-packed with other flicks between now and then.

* Here's a review of Street of Dreams, a recently reissued-on-CD session cut for Blue Note back in 1964 by guitarist and St. Louis native Grant Green (pictured).

* The widely respected new music critic Kyle Gann (The New Yorker, Village Voice) has an interesting blog post in which he uses the new biography of John Zorn as a jumping-off point to wonder if the saxophonist, composer and former student at our town's Webster University is truly a post-modernist, or simply "a modernist by any other name"

* Opening the "coming attractions" file, here's an interview with Yellowjackets keyboard player Russell Ferrante, done before a gig this past week at the Daytona Beach International Festival. The Yellowjackets (with guitarist Mike Stern also on hand) will play at Jazz at the Bistro April 29 - May 2.

* And speaking of the Daytona Beach festival, here's a review of Chris Botti's performance at the same event. Botti will back in St. Louis in September to play the Fox Theatre.

* Next, let's catch up with a few recent visitors to St. Louis. Keeping in mind The Bad Plus 's penchant for unexpected cover versions, the Madison, WI weekly the Decider interviewed pianist Ethan Iverson before a show there this past week, and asked him "to analyze how they could potentially wash away the shame from a handful of so-called "guilty pleasure" songs," yielding some interesting answers. TBP were the opening act of 2009 at the Bistro.

* Here's a very detailed review of the recent Bela Fleck/Africa Project at Duke University, courtesy of the blog Re:Harmonized and its proprietor, Robert Zimmerman. Fleck and the Africa Project played the Sheldon Concert Hall earlier this month.

* The New York Times' Nate Chinen reviews last week's show by the Blue Note 7 at NYC's Birdland: "upholds an extremely clear agenda with crisp results...Beginning and ending strong, with just a momentary lull in between, the Blue Note 7 fulfilled its mandate with precision and more than a whiff of style." The BN7 played the Sheldon back in February.

* Here's a review of trumpeter Sean Jones' new CD The Search Within. Jones just wrapped up a four-night stand this weekend at the Bistro.

* Finally, to close out this week's parade o' links, here are a couple of different viewpoints on the subject of music education, starting with an essay for AllAboutJazz.com by Mickey Bass, in which the veteran hard-bop bassist laments the passing of the old-school method of on-the-bandstand instruction: "Throughout the '50s, '60s and '70s, apprenticeship programs were readily available in this country; in order to learn, a musician could come up through the ranks with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver, JJ Johnson, The Jazztet or Miles Davis. This type of incubator was the tradition, the road to learning and developing your own sound and voice."

Meanwhile, in another blog post, Kyle Gann recognizes a related problem, and poses a partial solution: "As opportunities have diminished for musicians, the role of college becomes more crucial. We have to compensate for the wider performance world in which composers could have once gained more experience."

Notes from the Net: Kind of Blue as business case study, Osby on tour, Brubeck recovering, plus news, reviews, interviews, and more

Delayed for a day because StLJN HQ was temporarily buried under an avalanche of chocolate eggs apparently left by a giant anthropomorphic bunny rabbit, here's the latest weekly compilation of news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* Starting, as we often do, with some Miles Davis-related links, the Wall Street Journal this past week had an interesting essay by John Edward Hasse, curator of American Music at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and the author of Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington, re-evaluating Kind of Blue on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

KoB now also has become a case study for Harvard Business School, in which the authors, HBS professor Robert D. Austin and Carl Størmer, praise Davis' "radical simplicity" as a means of reinvention that could work as well for business as it did in music. Lastly, here's a recent video interview with hip-hop producer Easy Mo Bee, in which he discusses, among many other subjects, his work producing Davis (pictured) on some of the trumpeter's final recording sessions.

* Saxophonist and St. Louis native Greg Osby, who was back home this past weekend to play at Jazz at the Bistro, is headed out on tour later this month with jam-band guitarist Jimmy Herring in support of Herring's new CD Lifeboat. Herring's tour band also includes drummer Jeff Sipe, keyboardist Scott Kinsey and bassist Oteil Burbridge.

* From the "coming attractions" file, here's the Associated Press' review of trumpeter Chris Botti's new CD/DVD, Chris Botti in Boston. Botti was here last month to do a benefit performance for St. Louis Children's Hospital, and will return in September to play the Fox Theatre. The trumpeter also was featured in a video for Newsweek magazine's Friday arts video series, "7 Things You Didn't Know About Chris Botti," which can be seen here.

* From the "recent visitors" file, there's some good news about pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, who's back home recovering after a two-week hospitalization for a viral infection. Brubeck's illness forced him to miss the premiere in California last week of a new orchestral work inspired by Ansel Adams. (His son Darius Brubeck performed in his place.) Before the concert, NPR recorded an interview with Brubeck about the new work, which you'll find here. Brubeck was in St. Louis most recently last fall to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

* NPR also had a feature about drummer Matt Wilson's band Arts & Crafts and their new CD, The Scenic Route. Wilson was in St. Louis with his Quartet last week for a concert at the Black Cat Theatre.

* Here 's a review of bassist Victor Wooten's new book, The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth through Music. Wooten's most recent St. Louis gig was last month at The Pageant.

* If you're a fan of Return to Forever, you may be interested in this post over at Howard Mandel's blog Jazz Beyond Jazz about RTF's Al Di Meola, in which the guitarist "let it be known that he agrees that some of Return to Forever's music is bombastic -- and over-long! He describes 2008 RTF juggernaut as a nostalgia trip, fun for a while, but eventually not so much," and adds that "Chick Corea, despite his vaunted interest in communication, didn't pay attention to di Meola's opinion that audiences didn't want 20 minute unaccompanied solos and two-song second halves of concerts." RTF's reunion tour included a stop at St. Louis' Fox Theatre.

* Finally, a couple of items of more general interest, starting with a new issue of the fine jazz and creative music 'zine Point of Departure, which is now available online here.

* And, for those mulling the future of the music business in the digital era, Dave Allen, formerly of the rock band Gang of Four, recently wrote a blog post that provides a thought-provoking examination of "the end of the music album as an organizing principle" here.