Jazz this week: Rickey Woodard, Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project, Trio Trés Bien, Chamber Project St. Louis, and more

It's shaping up to be a fine weekend in St. Louis to get out and hear some live sounds, and fortunately, our local presenters of jazz and creative music would seem to have a variety of potentially worthy attractions in the offing. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight through Saturday, Cabaret St. Louis continues its season at the Kranzberg Arts Center with "A Salute to the Rat Pack" from the group Three Men and A Baby...Grand, aka singers Brian Lane Green, Lee Lessack and John Boswell.

On Friday, percussionist Craig Russo's Latin Jazz Project returns to Jazz at the Bistro to begin a two-night stand. Hailing from just up the road in the Champaign/Urbana area, the group includes several members of the jazz faculty at the University of Illinois, including saxophonist Chip McNeill, who spent time on the road with trumpeters Maynard Ferguson and Arturo Sandoval.

Also on Friday, guitarist Matthew Von Doran and his trio will play at Broadway Bean Coffee on the south side; and Robbie's House of Jazz will present pianist Heather Bosshardt's trio with bassist Nick Jost and drummer Marty Morrison.

On Saturday, saxophonist Rickey Woodard (pictured) will take the stage at Robbie's, backed by pianist Reggie Thomas, Jost and Morrison. Woodard, a Nashville native, has worked with Ray Charles, the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra and drummer Frank Capp's Juggernaut, and also is a veteran studio musician with session credits ranging from Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to the Temptations and the O'Jays. Woodard also has recorded nine CDs as a leader, the most recent being 2009's Pineapple Delight.

Also on Saturday, New Music Circle begins their 2010-11 season with a concert by Chamber Project St. Louis at Christ Church Cathedral. The group will celebrate contemporary American female composers with a program including works by Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdon and Grammy Award winner Libby Larsen. For this performance, CPStL members Adrianne Honnold (saxophone), Jennifer Gartley (flute), Dana Hotle (clarinet) and Laura Reycraft (viola) will be joined by pianist Amanda Kirkpatrick and cellist Valentina Takova.

On Sunday, Trio Trés Bien opens the 2010-11 St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers series with a free concert at Second Baptist Church, 9030 Clayton Rd. (at McKnight).

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday night the Sessions Big Band returns to BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups; and on Tuesday morning, the Sheldon Concert Hall begins its 2010-11 series of Coffee Concerts with an 11:00 a.m. performance by Cornet Chop Suey, which will be repeated at the same time on Wednesday morning

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.)

Jazz St. Louis confirms additional Bistro bookings for fall 2010

Jazz St. Louis has confirmed the schedule of local and regional talent that will perform this fall at Jazz at the Bistro, filling the alternate weeks still open after the Bistro's 2010-11 schedule of touring artists was announced back in May.

Guitarist Eric Slaughter will make his Bistro debut as a leader on Friday, September 10 and Saturday, September 11, with the Funky Butt Brass Band set to return on October 1 and 2.

Two weeks later, percussionist Craig Russo (pictured) and his Latin Jazz Project venture down the road from their home in Champaign/Urbana to perform on October 15 and 16 at the Bistro. Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris will play on October 29 and 30, with Trio Trés Bien scheduled for November 12 and 13, and Good 4 The Soul wrapping things up on December 10 and 11.

Single tickets for all of these performance go on sale at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, August 17 via Metrotix and the Jazz St. Louis box office.

Jazz this week: "Peanuts" Whalum's 80th birthday party, Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project, St. Louis Art Fair, St. Louis Jazz Club picnic, and more

Now that the fall presenting season is officially getting underway, there's more and more jazz and creative music to be heard on St. Louis' concert and club stages. This week's highlights start with singer/pianist/saxophonist Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum's 80th birthday party, which begins at 7:00 p.m. Sunday at Brandt's Cafe and Red Carpet Lounge. Of course, Whalum (pictured), a much-loved and respected part of the St. Louis music scene for more than 50 years, will perform, backed by his trio featuring Jeff Anderson on bass, Eric Slaughter on guitar and Marty Morrison on drums.

Edie Bee of LouRadio will serve as MC, and, yes, there will be birthday cake, served at 9:00 p.m.. Special guests expected to appear include "Peanuts" Whalum's nephew, smooth jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum, as well as many of his St. Louis musical colleagues including singers Jeanne Trevor and Gene Lynn, guitarist Dave Black, and more. Given "Peanuts" Whalum's long history in the community and the fact that he's as fine a gentleman as he is a musician - which is very fine indeed - there's likely to be a packed house of friends, fans and well-wishers, so get there early.

Also on Sunday, the St. Louis Jazz Club kicks off their fall 2008 schedule with their annual picnic, which runs from noon to 6:00 p.m. at Concord Farmer's Hall, 10140 Concord School Rd. In keeping with the Club's emphasis on pre-WWII styles from ragtime to swing, the music will be provided by the St. Louis Banjo Club, Norm Menne and his Dixie Dudes, and Michael Lacey and his New Orleans Swing.

Of course, there's music to be heard all weekend, as the Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project opens the fall 2008 season at Jazz at the Bistro with performances on Friday and Saturday night. A drummer and percussionist, Russo is a transplant to central Illinois from Syracuse, NY who has made multiple trips to Cuba and other spots in the Caribbean to study percussion. He formed the band eight years ago, and although central Illinois may not intuitively seem like a hotbed of Latin jazz, the presence of the music school at the University of Illinois - Champaign/Urbana brings some significant talent to the area. Two members of the U of I faculty in Russo's band, saxophonist Chip McNeill and pianist Chip Stevens, have particular credibility in Latin jazz thanks to their experience performing and recording with Cuban ex-pat trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. Rounding out the ensemble are trumpeter Jeff Helgesen, once part of Ray Charles' road band, bassist Josh Walden and drummer/percussionist Jeff Magby.

Elsewhere in town, Brandt's has singer Jeanne Trevor on Friday night, and flute player and singer Margaret Bianchetta with the Dave Black Trio on Saturday. Also on Saturday, the Chicago Afrobeat Project brings their mix of funk, world music and jazz to Lucas School House.

The annual St. Louis Art Fair also is happening this weekend, and in keeping with tradition, the staff of Cultural Festivals - which also produces the St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival - has once again booked some musicians of interest to jazz listeners, including the Jazz St. Louis All Stars student ensemble, singers Anita Rosamond and Kim Massie, world/jazz/folk chamber group Autumns Child, and Afro-Cuban/jazz group Rolando Matias & Intrin-x-ico on Saturday, plus vibist Jonathan Whiting and his trio and the eclectic guitarist Stuart Johnson on Sunday. See the Art Fair's Web site for details on who's playing when on which stage at the free event.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday trombonists Brett Stamps and Jim Owens will have a CD release party for their new album Bad to the Bone at the Sheldon Concert Hall, while "Peanuts" Whalum is back at Brandt's. And on Wednesday, get your skronk on with Squid Choir Orkestra, saxophonist Jay Zelenka's free jazz/electronics group, when they open for experimental rock band Skarekrau Radio at the Way Out Club, 2525 S. Jefferson, or if you're in the mood for something more mainstream, saxophonist Ed Doney once again is visiting from Lake of the Ozarks to sit in with Park Avenue Jazz for their weekly Wednesday night session at Hammerstone's.

Alas, there's still much updating to do to the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, as yr. humble editor's non-jazz-blogging work schedule and an unfortunate series of computer freezes and crashes have delayed the the update process. Fear not, though, as the work of updating said calendar will continue at the best possible speed until completed, so feel free to look there for a rapidly expanding list of more St. Louis jazz-related events this weekend and beyond.

(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.

Craig Russo CD reviewed by Latin Jazz Corner

In the Middle, the most recent CD from the Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project, just got a favorable review from the Web site Latin Jazz Corner, which you can read right here. Russo, a percussionist and composer, is based just up the road in the Champaign/Urbana, IL area, and he and the LJP will perform in St. Louis on September 5 and 6 at Jazz at the Bistro.

AAJ Daily Download features Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project

The Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project were the featured artists yesterday on AllAboutJazz.com's Daily Download. You can still get their song "Arrival," from their latest CD In The Middle, for free by going here.

Percussionist and bandleader Russo is from Springfield, IL, while several other members of the group reside a little further up the road in Champaign/Urbana. They've performed in St. Louis at Finale Music and Dining and at the 2006 St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival; their next appearance in the area will on June 7 at the "Wine, Dine and Jazz" festival in Belleville, IL.

Jazz this week: Mulgrew Miller, Jeff Coffin's Mu'tet, Denise Thimes with Clark Terry, Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project, BAG II and more

The jazz-related events happening in St. Louis this week represent a variety of stylistic options for for local music fans.

If you've got a taste for some straightahead, mainstream jazz, give a listen to the powerful pianist Mulgrew Miller, who's at Jazz at the Bistro with his trio tonight through Saturday. Miller, who records for the St. Louis-based MAXJAZZ label, has been a sought-after sideman for years and is now getting more and more attention for his work as a leader. He's rooted in blues and gospel and almost always swings hard, but Miller also has a refined touch and technique that can evoke the fleet-fingered inventions of Tatum, Peterson et al, when he chooses to deploy it.

And speaking of straightahead jazz legends, St. Louis native Clark Terry will be back in his hometown on Sunday as the special guest at this year's edition of singer Denise Thimes' annual Mothers Day show at the Sheldon Concert Hall. While I've been hearing some buzz about a sellout, as of this writing it looks like Metrotix still has some seats left.

But let's say you're in the mood for something a bit more electrified and contemporary; if so, go check out Bela Fleck and the Flecktones' saxman Jeff Coffin (pictured) and his Mu'tet tonight at the Lucas Schoolhouse. The group is one of several ensembles currently blurring the boundaries of jazz and jam bands, but they're a bit quirkier and more versatile than some similar groups that rely almost exclusively on funk-based grooves. And of course, Coffin's two-saxes-at-once routine certainly is entertaining to see.

Latin jazz fans can head out to see the Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project at Finale Music and Dining on Saturday night. A percussionist who hails from just up the road in Champaign/Urbana, Russo is making his third St. Louis appearance in less than a year, so presumably he's developing something a fan base here.

Also on Saturday, aficionados of the avant garde can hear BAG II's "The Group" (Zimbabwe Nkenya, Glenn "Papa" Wright and Jerome "J-Dubz" Williams) performing with poet Michael Castro in a free show at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

Some other noteworthy performances this weekend include singer Jeanne Trevor at Brandt's and Visions Jazz at Cookie's Jazz and More on Thursday night; the Randy Holmes Quintet at Cookie's and smooth jazz saxophonist Tim Cunningham at Finale on Friday; Trio Tres Bien with singer Danita Mumphard at Brandt's on Saturday; and guitarist Todd Mosby playing outside on the patio at Terrene on Sunday.

For more of this weekend's musical menu, please consult the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

On a sadder note, the memorial service for guitarist Bob Borgstede will be held at 7 p.m. this evening in the gymnasium at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, where Borgstede taught music and served as band director. A musical remembrance of Borgstede will follow the service.

For those who'd like to do something in addition to paying their respects, Borgstede's solo CD Narrative Threads is available for purchase as a download from the iTunes store and Napster, and as a physical CD from CD Baby. Since the recording was self released, after the sales outlets take their cut, the rest of the revenue goes directly to Borgstede's family.

(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. No attachments, please)