So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake (pictured) talked about his new book of poetry and visual art with Chris King for an article in the St. Louis American. Lake also briefly mentioned his upcoming big band album, but for some reason, didn't plug the crowd-sourced fundraising campaign for it on the website IndieGoGo. Currently, the campaign has raised $1,235 of Lake's $6,000 goal, with 60 days left.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has recorded a short promotional video on the importance of jazz to help Jazz St. Louis hype their upcoming annual fundraising gala. The gala takes place Friday, March 9 at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, and will feature music from the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars student ensemble, the Funky Butt Brass Band and special guest Greg Osby.

* Gutiarist Larry Brown Jr's CD There Can Only Be One was reviewed for AllAboutJazz.com by Edward Blanco.

* Trombonist Dave Dickey has an album of photos on his Big Band's Facebook page from the group's debut gig two weeks ago at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company. Dickey says the band will be playing at the same venue from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. every fourth Sunday, starting February 26.

* The February edition of HEC-TV's I Love Jazz is playing now on the local cable network - check your program guide for listings - and also can be viewed online. This month's show focuses on jazz at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and includes an interview with and performance from guitarist Rick Haydon, who heads the Jazz Studies program. Also on tap are an education segment with Jazz St. Louis' Phil Dunlap; an archival performance from guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli; and the second part of an interview with bassist Stanley Clarke.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The St. Louis American's Chris King has written an article previewing next Saturday's performance featuring poet Quincy Troupe, guitarist Kelvyn Bell (pictured) and (now added to the bill) saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett, to be presented by the Nu-Art Series at the Metropolitan Gallery downtown. Get the story online here.

* If by chance you're heading down to Columbia, MO for Sunday's concert by pianist Ellis Marsalis, know that the pre-show discussion featuring Marsalis and Washington University's Gerald Early has a new time, date and location. The talk, with Q&A session to follow, has been moved to 2:00 p.m. Sunday in the Piccadilly Room of the Holiday Inn Select. It's free, but space still is limited, so make advance reservations by calling 573-449-3001. Marsalis will perform in the hotel's ballroom that evening at 8:00 p.m.; for tickets, contact the We Always Swing jazz concert series.

* Lisette Dennis of the Regional Arts Commission sends word that the music department of Howard University will be holding scholarship auditions for St. Louis area high school seniors starting at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, March 3 in the band room at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, 3125 S. Kingshighway. Additional auditions will be held as needed on Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5. For more information, or to schedule an audition, email Cherri at cherri_t2002 @ yahoo.com.

* Musician and author Peter Buffett is coming to the St. Louis area next week to perform in a benefit for the Virtual Learning Center of Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis, which helps to integrate technology into area classrooms. Buffett, the son of investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett, will present his "Concert & Conversation" at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 16 at the St. Charles Convention Center. The show is billed as the live companion to Buffett's New York Times best-selling book Life is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment, and features live piano, vocals and cello along with video clips of his film and TV work. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door, $25 for college students with valid student ID, and can be purchased online here.

* When bassist Stanley Clarke was in town last week to perform with pianist Hiromi at Jazz at the Bistro, the staff at Jazz St. Louis got him in front of a video camera for a few minutes to talk about our city's jazz legacy. You can see the clip online here, and check out some photos of Clarke and Hiromi's performance on the JSL Facebook page here.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Veteran freelance scribe Terry Perkins talked with singer/songwriter/guitarist Javier Mendoza for a St. Louis Beacon story previewing Mendoza's shows this weekend at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Meanwhile, St. Louis American editor Chris King interviewed bassist Stanley Clarke about his gig next weekend at the Bistro.

* Radio host, author and photographer Dennis Owsley has a new post this week on St. Louis magazine's Look/Listen blog looking at big bands in the St. Louis area.

* Gutiarist Charlie Hunter, who was in town last week to play the Bistro, also stopped by the studios of KPLR (Channel 11) for a brief interview and performance segment, which has been archived online here.

* Washington University's Gerald Early will serve as moderator and host for a discussion with Ellis Marsalis (pictured) when the veteran New Orleans pianist (and father of Wynton, Branford, Jason and Delfeayo Marsalis) appears next month in Columbia, MO to perform for the We Always Swing concert series.

The discussion, with Q&A session and reception afterward, will take place at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, February 12 in the Monsanto Auditorium of the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center on the Mizzou campus. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited; call 573-449-3001 to reserve a spot. Marsalis and his trio, including son Jason on drums, will perform at 8:00 p.m. the next evening, Sunday, February 13, at the Windsor Ballroom of the Holiday Inn Select in Columbia. Tickets are $20-$35, and can be bought through Ticketmaster or by calling the We Always Swing offices.

* The jazz bands from Webster Groves Middle and High Schools have rescheduled their "Cool Nights, Hot Jazz" concert at The Pageant for Thursday, February 3. The performance, which is a fundraiser for the jazz program in Webster Groves schools, originally was scheduled for last week but was postponed due to snow.

Update on pending sale of KFUO

There are a couple of items in the news this week related to the pending sale of radio station KFUO (99.1 FM).

First, as reported by the Post-Dispatch's Sarah Bryan Miller in a post on the Culture Club blog, it looks as if the originally announced March 1 target date for closing the sale likely will pass without KFUO changing hands. Miller has more about the significance of this in her post here.

Second, via Chris King's blog Confluence City, word comes that on Wednesday U.S. Representatives John Shimkus (D -Illinois 19) and William “Lacy” Clay, Jr. (D - Missouri 1) spoke out against the proposed sale of KFUO on the floor of the House of Representatives.

“As a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, this is not a position that I take lightly, but I truly believe that the sale of our area’s lone classical music station does the church and the community wrong,” said Shimkus, who last year signed a petition to the Synod's board of directors opposing the sale. You can see a video of Congressman Shimkus' comments on the KFUO situation here

St. Louis American's Chris King reporting from Montreal Jazz Festival

Via email, St. Louis American editor Chris King has alerted StLJN to the fact that he was in Montreal for that city's just-concluded jazz festival, and filed a series of online dispatches for the paper, including an account of Ornette Coleman's concert and the saxophonist's acceptance of the fest's Miles Davis Award.

You can read King's other online missives here and here, with more coverage to come in this week's print edition, which will be out Thursday.