Sunday Session: August 8, 2021

Stevie Wonder

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

* Snug Harbor canceling performances due to rising Covid cases (Offbeat)
* Don Marquis, esteemed jazz author and New Orleans Jazz Museum founder, has died at 88 (NOLA.com)
* At Lollapalooza 2021, there's one question hanging over everything (AVClub.com)
* Musical artist Suzanne Ciani feeds deepfake program below Morrison Hall (DailyCal.org)
* Anatomy Of A Bad Gig: Recalling A Show 40 Years Ago Where Virtually Nothing Went Right (ProSoundWeb.com)
* Labels are going to become more like VCs than they probably want to be (Music Industry Blog)
* Study: Consumption of music streaming declined significantly during COVID-19 lockdowns worldwide (EurekAlert.org)
* Alan Rubin: Mr. Fabulous in Every Way (AllAboutJazz.com)
* End of an era: Trumpets owners reminisce after developers buy legendary jazz club (NorthJersey.com)
* NC jazz musician releases album via legendary record label (Durham Herald Sun)
* Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts Drops Out of U.S. Tour After Medical Procedure (Rolling Stone)
* Steve Vai reflects on working with Frank Zappa: "If you didn’t have the goods, you didn’t last. Frank expected everybody to rise to the occasion" (Guitar World)
* Interns Turned Engineers Take the Reins at SF’s Historic Different Fur Studios (KQED)
* Eddie Palmieri On Pioneering Latin Jazz & His Blue Note Residency: "We're Talking About The Greatest Jazz Room In The World" (Grammy.com)
* Blues Great Buddy Guy on His ‘American Masters’ Documentary, Hitting the Road Again at 85, and Why the Blues Is Like Golf (Variety)
* As Delta Variant Spreads, Artists and Venues Scramble to Keep Concerts Safe (Yahoo News)
* When Stevie Wonder Blended Funk, Soul And Social Commentary On ‘Innervisions’ (Yahoo News)
* George Harrison’s Son Dhani on the “Pandora’s Box” Process of Remastering All Things Must Pass at 50 (Consequence.net)

Sunday Session: December 1, 2019

Azar Lawrence

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

* 63 years after jazz great Louis Armstrong played at Muhlenberg, long lost concert set for release (The Morning Call)
* Sun Ra and Me | “It’s After the End of the World, Don’t You Know That Yet?” (The Metropolitan)
* Meet the man who restores old music to its original glory (Popular Science)
* Samara McLendon Wins the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition (WBGO)
* Paper Trail: Where You Can Find the Historical Documents of Jazz (Jazz Times)
* Cyrille Aimée Is Moving On (Jazz Times)
* Spotify Faces $1 Billion Lawsuit Over Intentional Copyright Infringement, Deceptive Trade Practices (DigitalMusicNews.com)
* Are your favorite Instagram guitarists faking their incredible technique? (Guitar World)
* Dave Holland: “You can improvise in open-form style for as long as you like, but you’ll never improvise ‘Giant Steps’” (Jazzwise)
* The Pristine Empire of ECM Records (The New Yorker)
* The Loneliness of a Highbrow Teenage Songwriting Robot (Bloomberg.com)
* Sun Ra Arkestra’s June Tyson Was the Queen of Afrofuturism (Bandcamp.com)
* The Who by Fire (Rolling Stone)
* A Half-Century Not Out: Art Ensemble Of Chicago Live (TheQuietus.com)
* Jazz Legend Charlie Parker Honored With Global Bird 100 Centennial Celebration (BroadwayWorld.com)
* 12 Erroll Garner Albums Reissued in Octave Remastered Series (DownBeat)
* Hank Mobley, The Master of Contrasts (DownBeat)
* Sheila Jordan, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Veronica Swift: Three Generations of Vocal Jazz (Jazz Times)
* Why New Orleans jazz legend Buddy Bolden's house should be saved (New Orleans Advocate)
* The unlikely tale of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?': An 'OK song that became something much better than it actually was' (Yahoo News)
* “Music Affects Us In A Healing Way”: Azar Lawrence Is On A Mission (UDiscoverMusic.com)
* Anne Midgette - Classical Chronicler Supreme (Perfect Sound Forever)

Sunday Session: October 21, 2018

Maria Schneider

Here's a roundup of various music-related items of interest that have shown up in one of StLJN's various inboxes or feeds over the past week:

* Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell and John Scofield, guitar greats all, discuss their mutual admiration society (San Diego Union-Tribune)
* Review: Dave Holland and Chris Potter (Jazz Journal)
* Paul Simon: Fathers, Sons, Troubled Water (New York Review of Books)
* Jaimie Branch on “Brass Chillers” (Jazz Times)
* Zorn to Secrecy (ArtAndMusicMagazine.com)
* Experts aim to finally solve plane war mystery of famed big band leader Glenn Miller (South China Morning Post)
* Maria Schneider: The star of the show (Irish Examiner)
* Alan Broadbent: Intimate Reflections on a Passion for Jazz (AllAboutJazz.com)
* Jazznojazz Fest Celebrates 20 Years (DownBeat)
* A Mingus discovery (TheBlueMoment.com)
* New Music by Five Composers Behind the Drums, From Tyshawn Sorey to Allison Miller (WBGO)
* Four Electronic Artists Reflect on the Influence of Composer Laurie Spiegel (Bandcamp.com)
* Ben Wendel Takes ‘The Seasons’ from Video Project to Album (DownBeat)
* Loss of small music venues is handing control of culture to robots, MPs told (ArtsProfessional.co.uk)
* Big Bands Reign Supreme at Angrajazz (DownBeat)
* Esperanza Spalding announces ’12 Little Spells’ tour, shares 10th track (Brooklyn Vegan)
* Copyright and the Jazz Musician (Jazz Times)
* New Stax Box Set Details a Fraught 1968 (DownBeat)
* To Hat and To Hold (ArtForum.com)
* The Horace Silver Quintet drummer Roger Humphries reflects on his storied life in jazz (WaxPoetics.com)
* Rubén Blades Swings Big Band Jazz And Rumba On New Album (NPR)
* Naxos Joins eMusic Exodus Over Non-Payment (Hypebot.com)
* Joshua Abrams Discusses Solo Bass and the Spirit of Music (DownBeat)
* What Small, Diverse Music Venues Mean to New York City (CityLab.com)
* Ambassadors for Motown sound seek more of it in hometown (Associated Press)
* Tiny Desk Concert: Alfredo Rodríguez (NPR)
* Is the Cover Making a Recovery? (Slate.com)
* The New American Songbook (Slate.com)
* Lou Reed's Archive Holds Six Hundred Hours Of Mostly Unreleased Audio, And Other Revelations From His Archivist (PleaseKillMe.com)
* Q&A with Ingrid Jensen: Leading from Within (Jazziz)

Sunday Session: May 6, 2018

Dave Holland

Here's a roundup of various music-related items of interest that have shown up in one of StLJN's various inboxes or feeds over the past week:

* No, Streaming Services Are Not 'Saving The Music Industry' (TheQuietus.com)
* Electricity: Conversations With Captain Beefheart (KCRW)
* Photos: Fats Domino's legacy enshrined with jazz funeral, totem unveiling at 2018 Jazz Fest (New Orleans Advocate)
* 50 years ago, a piano was dropped from a helicopter near Seattle: Here's what happened (KIRO)
* John Zorn’s Done With His Masada Project. So, What’s Next? (The Forward)
* Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica (Pitchfork.com)
* Has Kansas City given the American Jazz Museum a fair shot at success? (Kansas City Star)
* On Music and Activism (Atavist.com)
* Jazz improv and your brain: The key to creativity? (CNN)
* Chick Corea On World Cafe (NPR)
* Tropicália: 5 Essential Albums That Defined Tropicalismo (Discogs.com)
* School Days: Jazz All-Stars Remember CAPA (Jazz Times)
* More music is played on YouTube than on Spotify, Apple Music and every other audio streaming platform combined (MusicBusinessWorldwide.com)
* Gibson Guitar Maker Files for Bankruptcy Protection (Billboard)
* Delmark Records founder sells label to Chicago musicians Julia A. Miller and Elbio Barilari (Chicago Tribune)
* A Map To The Line, And How Not To Cross It: A Code Of Conduct For The Performing Arts (NPR)
* Photos: 2018 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (Jazz Times)
* Before & After with Bill Laswell (Jazz Times)
* James Brown Drummer John 'Jabo' Starks Dead at 79 (Rolling Stone)
* When Critics Could Kill (Slate)
* In Russia, International Jazz Day Reaches Across Borders (DownBeat)
* Dave Holland: A Seasoned Explorer Sails into Uncharted Territories (NationalSawdust.org)
* A Word with Award-Winning Jazz Bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma (WRTI)
* When America's hottest jazz stars were sent to cool cold-war tensions (The Guardian)
* Folkways - 70 Years, 70 Stories 1948-2018 (Smithsonian Institution)
* New Orleans Jazz Fest 2018: The 7 Best Things We Saw (Rolling Stone)
* All 214 Artists in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ranked From Best to Worst (Vulture.com)
* The secret life of a music director (Washington Post)
* Thomas Morgan: The Universal Answer (Jazz Times)
* We asked musicians why guitar companies like Gibson are struggling and how to revive them (MarketWatch.com)
* Orchestral musicians 'living on breadline' (BBC)

Sunday Session: April 9, 2017

Dave Holland

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

* Amy Helm pays tribute to her father and the Band with The Last Waltz Remembered (Calgary Herald)
* N.E.A. to Honor Jazz Masters Under a Cloud of Uncertainty (New York Times)
* Scott LaFaro, The Short Life of a Master Bassist (NEPR)
* The 30 Top Instruments and Innovations of Roland’s Ikutaro Kakehashi (1930-2017) (Electronic Musician)
* Revisiting Sonny Rollins’s Score for “Alfie,” a Musical Masterwork That Transcended the Film (The New Yorker)
* Keith Richards on His Hero Chuck Berry: 'The Granddaddy of Us All' (Rolling Stone)
* Interview: How ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ shaped the music of ‘Legion’ (DailyDot.com)
* How Significant Is the Music Industry's Rebound? (The Atlantic)
* Lawrence English, Philosopher Of Sound, Kindly Requests You Lay Down (NPR)
* John McLaughlin: The Last Long Haul (Jazz Times)
* The NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert Transcends Its Fraught Political Moment (NPR)
* Second volume of rare Sun Ra singles to be released as 10×7″ box set (TheVinylFactory.net)
* Impeach The President: A Loop History (RedBullMusicAcademy.com)
* Trumpeting women in jazz (Harvard.edu)
* All for One, One for All: Dave Holland in Conversation (Vortex)
* NEA Jazz Masters Concert Perpetuates ‘Sanctity of the Arts’ (DownBeat)
* With Fewer Venues, Jazz Musicians Take Array Of Gigs, And Lean On New Skills (WBUR)
* Harry Shearer: Why My 'Spinal Tap' Lawsuit Affects All Creators (Rolling Stone)
* A Quest to Rename the Williamsburg Bridge for Sonny Rollins (The New Yorker)
* Why Nature Sounds Help You Relax, According to Science (Health.com)
* Q&A with Adam Rudolph: Musical Modularity (DownBeat)
* Buddy Bolden's blues: The birth of a mad genius -- and of jazz (New Orleans Times-Picayune/NOLA.com)
* Nile Rodgers Talks Rock Hall Induction: 'Everything Is Rock & Roll' (Rolling Stone)
* L.A. Jazz Is Having a Moment. So Why Are So Many of the City's Jazz Clubs Closing? (LA Weekly)

Jazz St. Louis announces changes to 2015-16 Jazz at the Bistro schedule

The vagaries of scheduling and musicians' lives being what they are, Jazz St. Louis has made some alterations to the previously announced 2015-16 season schedule for Jazz at the Bistro.

In the most significant change, the shows from Wednesday, October 21 through Saturday, October 24 originally scheduled for bassist Dave Holland's PRISM with guitarist Kevin Eubanks (pictured) and drummer Eric Harland now will be filled by Eubanks' own trio, sans Holland and Harland. Subscription tickets already purchased for PRISM will be valid for the Eubanks trio.

Also, the tribute to Clark Terry with trumpeter and singer Byron Stripling and the Jazz St. Louis Big Band originally set for Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17 has been moved to Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26 of next year. Subscribers who bought tickets already have had them exchanged for the new dates, based on the original day and set time. The October dates left open will be filled by the Coleman Hughes Project featuring Adrianne Felton.

Lastly, bassist Jahmal Nichols' performance on Saturday, September 12 has been cancelled, due to Nichols being on tour with singer Gregory Porter. No replacement show will be booked for that date, and there's no indication as to when Nichols might be rescheduled.

Suubscribers who have questions about any of this can contact the Jazz St. Louis box office at 314-571-6000.

Miles on Monday: Live in Paris, 1969

For the final "Miles on Monday" of 2014, we take a trip back in time to November 3, 1969.

That's the date that Davis, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Chick Corea, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Jack DeJohnette performed two shows at La Salle Playel in Paris, France, showcasing material that would appear on Davis' forthcoming double LP Bitches Brew.

The album, released in April of the following year, proved to be one of Davis' most popular and influential recordings. While there are some compositions repeated between the two shows, seen in the two embedded video windows below, there are enough differences in the performances that staunch Davis fans definitely will want to watch both of them.

Jazz this week: Dave Holland Quintet, Jeremy Davenport, "Funky Dog Gumbo Ball," Bosman Twins, and more

This week's picks in live jazz and creative music around St. Louis include a multi-night gig featuring one of the top small groups in modern jazz, the return of a local "favorite son" to headline at one of our town's most prestigious concert venues, and much more. Let's go to the highlights....

Tonight, bassist Dave Holland (pictured) and his quintet open a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Generally acknowledged as one of the best working bands in jazz today, as well as one of the longest lived, Holland's group this week will feature three regular members - trombonist Robin Eubanks, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and drummer Nate Smith - plus saxophonist Mark Turner subbing for Chris Potter, who's on tour with the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Stars.

While Potter no doubt will be missed by his many fans here, Turner is an excellent musician, too, and historically, Holland's judgment in picking great players as collaborators seems beyond reproach. It'll be interesting to hear what sort of changes in the group dynamic and sound result from Turner's presence in Potter's stead. For more about Dave Holland, including videos of some of what he's been up to since his last visit here, plus links to reviews of the Quintet's last two appearances in St. Louis, check out this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Tomorrow night, you can choose between two gigs with an emphasis on free improv. The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present "At Once: Improvisation Ensemble and the Art of Improvisation" a free concert featuring William Lenihan (guitar and keyboards), Steve Davis (drums) and Vince Varvel (guitar), while the Tavern of Fine Arts will have its monthly "Avant Garde Arts Night" featuring live improvised music from an ad hoc ensemble that often includes musicians such as keyboardist Jim Hegarty, flute player Fred Tompkins, and others associated with New Music Circle.

Also tomorrow night, swing revivalists Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are in town to play at the Lumiere Place Casino Theatre; and saxophonist Jim Stevens will have a couple of guest msucians from Nashville - singer/guitarist Andy Westcott and singer Leslie Craig - performing with his band at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups. (A former St. Louisan, Craig was known as Leslie White when she lived here and sang with local groups including trumpeter Jim Manley's dance band Fantasy and the rock cover band Trixie Delight.)

On Friday,  the Funky Butt Brass Band, the Dogtown All-Stars and Gumbohead will team up for a pre-Mardi Gras fete dubbed the "Funky Dog Gumbo Ball" at the Sheldon Concert Hall's upstairs ballroom, and Lindy Hop St. Louis will present their monthly "West End Stomp" swing dance with live music by The Sidemen at the Mahler Ballroom.

Also on Friday, pianist Brad Ellebrecht leads a group at Robbie's House of Jazz; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes play at Highway 61 Roadhouse; and guitarist Mason Baran's trio performs at the Cigar Inn.

Then on Saturday night, trumpeter, singer and St. Louis native Jeremy Davenport returns to St. Louis from his current home in New Orleans to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Of course, since moving away Davenport has come back numerous times to play just a couple of blocks away at Jazz at the Bistro, and he was a guest artist on one of pianist Peter Martin's shows at the Sheldon a couple of years ago. But surprisingly, this will be the first time he's headlined with his own band at the venerable concert hall, which should prove to be a good match for his straight-ahead, acoustic jazz sound.

Also on Saturday, singer Miss Jubilee and her band will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Randy Bahr will duet at Mojo Tapas.  

On Sunday afternoon, those saxophone-playing siblings the Bosman Twins will present a free concert at Second Presbyterian Church, 4501 Westminster Place (at Taylor) in the Central West End.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday guitarists Eric Slaughter and Tom Byrne will co-lead a quartet offering a tribute to Wes Montgomery at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium.

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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter and singer Jeremy Davenport (pictured) is the subject of a profile by the Ladue News' Laura Graesser. Davenport will be back in St. Louis next Saturday, February 2 to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts is offering more "Business Edge" workshops designed for artists, musicians and other creative types starting next month. Topics include "Artist As Bookkeeper" (Monday, February 11); "Art + Business" (Monday, February 25); "Perspectives on Publishing" (Monday, March 18); "Copyright Clinic" (Monday, April 8); and "Anatomy Of A Contract" (Monday, April 15). All workshops will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. Tuition is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Call 314-863-6930 for more information, or download the enrollment form here

* Speaking of workshops, music marketing consultant Bob Baker will be presenting a "Guerrilla Music Marketing Online Masterclass" at 1:00 p.m. this Saturday, January 26 at Folk School, 3155 Sutton Blvd in Maplewood. The cost is $20 per person. For more information or to sign up, go here.

* Bassist Dave Holland, whose quintet will be in town next week to play Jazz at the Bistro, had a few words with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson. 

* The book Terry Tunes, which compiles sheet music for the original compositions of Clark Terry as well as technical tips for fellow trumpeters, is back in print and available from JazzCorner.com.

* In this week's Miles Davis news, with Columbia/Legacy set to put out some previously unavailable European bootleg recordings of Davis' "Lost Quintet" of the late 1960s, the label has released on Facebook a video interview with Chick Corea in which the keyboardist discusses his time with Davis. There's also a short performance video excerpt from the accompanying DVD posted online. And while you're watching, perhaps you'd like to snack on chili prepared according to Davis' personal recipe.

* Some websites you may like: Lindy Hop St. Louis' Christian Frommelt is posting videos related to St. Louis jazz and blues on his YouTube channel; information on upcoming noise and experimental music shows in St. Louis is compiled at WrongDivision.com; and singer Joe Mancuso has started a Facebook group dedicated to St. Louis Live Jazz Performances.

* Cabaret Project of St. Louis has planned another "Town Hall" meeting for performers, presenters and fans at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 23 at the Regional Arts Commission. For more information, send an email to info@thecabaretproject.org.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A Dave Holland sampler

This week, let's look at some videos featuring bassist Dave Holland, who will be back in St. Louis with his long-running quintet to perform Wednesday, January 30 through Saturday, February 2 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Generally acknowledged as one of the top jazz bassists of the past 50 years, Holland came to the USA from his native England to join Miles Davis' band in the late 1960s. Detailing his busy career since then is beyond the scope of this post, but suffice it to say that in addition to playing collaboratively and as a sideman with many of the greatest musicians of his time, Holland also has earned a place as one of the top bandleaders in jazz.

He's performed in St. Louis several times in recent years, including in 2009 with his quintet at the Sheldon Concert Hall; in 2007 with the quintet at the Bistro; and in 2003 with his big band at the now-defunct St. Louis Jazz Festival. (You can read StLJN's review of the 2007 show here, and the 2009 performance here.)

Although the quintet has been Holland's primary working unit for much the past 20 years, in 2012 he spent much of the year making music with other groups, including the newly formed quartet Prism (with drummer Eric Harland, guitarist Kevin Eubanks, and pianist Craig Taborn) and the Overtone Quartet (with Harland, saxophonist Chris Potter and pianist Jason Moran); doing some one-of collaborations; and teaching at the New England Conservatory of Music.

Holland's gig at the Bistro will include three of the quintet's regular members - trombonist Robin Eubanks, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and drummer Nate Smith - plus saxophonist Mark Turner, who will be filling in for Chris Potter. Potter, who led a trio for a week in December at the Bistro, has been a mainstay of Holland's group for more than a decade, but currently is involved the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Stars tour. That tour began last week and will continue into the spring, eventually stopping in St. Louis on Friday, April 18 as part of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

So, given that there's no really no video documentation online of the quintet lineup that St. Louis fans will see, instead today we've got sort of a sampler or "tasting menu" of some of the things Holland's been doing since he last visited St. Louis.

Up top, you can see the regular quintet performing one of their staples, "Lucky Seven," from a gig in 2010. Down below, they're playing "Veil of Tears" at the 2009 Liege Jazz Festival in Belgium.

Below that, there's an excerpt from Prism's performance at the 2012 Gărîna Jazz Festival. The next clip features Holland's Overtone Quartet, playing "Walking the Walk" at the 2010 Bridgestone Music Festival in São Paulo, Brazil.

The fifth video features an example of one of Holland's frequent collaborations with other high-profile jazzmen - specifically, a duo set with piano legend McCoy Tyner recorded in 2010 at the Jazz Baltica festival.

Finally, there's a rather unusual clip of the quintet minus drummer Nate Smith, performing "Conference of the Birds," which was the title song of Holland's first album as a leader. While the album and the song have come to be thought of as moderns classics by many jazz fans and critics, "Conference of the Birds" isn't relayy part of the quintet's regular songbook, which make this performance particularly interesting.

For more about what Holland's been up to recently, check out this interview from AnnArbor.com, which touches on several Holland ensembles; this one from the Ottawa Citizen, in which he talks about the debut Canadian performance of Prism last summer; and this article from AllAboutJazz.com, which covers several aspects of the bassist's recent history.











(Edited after posting to add a link for Mark Turner.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Winter/spring 2013 jazz preview

As we head into the final weeks of 2012, let's take a look at some of the touring jazz and creative musicians who will be coming to St. Louis during the first part of 2013. Though there will be more extensive previews here of many of these performances as we go along, this post and its sequels over the next couple of weeks should help give you a quick overview of what's coming up next.

We start up above with singer Gregory Porter, performing his tune "1960 What?" earlier this year at a show in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Porter will make his St. Louis debut with a series of shows Thursday, January 3 through Sunday, January 6 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Down below, you can see and hear The Bad Plus performing "Sing for a Silver Dollar" from their latest album Made Possible in a performance this year at Anthology San Diego. Although this year they've ceded the first-gig-of-the-year slot at the Bistro to Porter, TBP will be back in St. Louis for their annual engagement a couple of weeks later, from Wednesday, January 16 through Saturday, January 19.

The third clip features the improvising electronic music duo Caboladies, aka Chris Bush and Eric Lanham, in an excerpt from a performance in July 2010 in Baltimore. They'll be coming to town for a concert presented by New Music Circle on Friday, January 18 at White Flag Projects, 4568 Manchester Ave.

Below that, it's the Dave Holland Quintet with "Ebb And Flow", recorded at the 2011 Barletta Jazz Festival in Italy. Holland has spent much of this year gigging with various other ensembles, but he'll reconvene what's been his primary working group for the last decade, with Chris Potter (saxophones), Robin Eubanks (trombone), Steve Nelson (vibes & marimba), and Nate Smith (drums), to play Wednesday, January 30 through Saturday, February 2 at Jazz at the Bistro.

The next musician likely needs no introduction to most St. Louis jazz fans, but just in case you don't already know trumpeter, singer, and University City native Jeremy Davenport, the clip of him performing "Do you Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" should serve as a representative example of his work. Davenport, who now lives in New Orleans, was back here over Thanksgiving weekend for his annual gig at the Bistro, and he'll be returning on Saturday, February 2 to play at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Another St. Louis native, bassist Dan Loomis, is featured in the next clip, along with his bandmates in The Wee Trio, vibraphonist James Westfall and drummer Jared Schonig. Here, they're playing a tune called "White Out" from their CD Capitol Diner Vol. 2, but they'll be recording for a new live album during their gigs on Friday, February 8 and Saturday, February 9 at Jazz at the Bistro.

We wrap up today's post with a clip of the New Orleans funk/jazz band Galactic, recorded during a show in April of this year at Cannery Ballroom in Nashville. They'll be returning to St. Louis on Thursday, February 14 to perform at The Pageant. Look for part 2 of the winter/spring 2013 jazz preview next week...

Notes from the Net: Sanborn on tour; new CDs from Reid, Pizzarelli, Holland; 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:

* From the Miles Davis files, the blog Miles Davis Online hears rumors that the museum exhibit about the trumpeter that just closed in Paris may be headed to San Francisco. Also, most Davis fans know that he also played organ and synthesizers on some of his later electric recordings, but have you ever seen or heard of Miles playing tenor sax? Marc Myers' JazzWax blog has the story behind a rare photo showing Davis with a tenor sax.

* Saxophonist and former St. Louisan David Sanborn currently is on the road promoting his new release Only Everything. Here's an interview Sanborn did with Spinner's Tad Hendrickson; a preview story on a Sanborn show in Boston; and another review of the new disc, written by Joel Roberts for AllAboutJazz.com.

* After 10 years as drummer for the group Yellowjackets, Marcus Baylor has left the band to pursue other musical ventures. Writing on his MySpace page, Baylor said, "I’m really looking forward to recording my solo debut album, producing, playing, and collaborating with many more talented musicians and artists." In a statement on their website, the members of Yellowjackets wrote, "We want to wish Marcus Baylor all the very best as he embarks on a new musical path after 10 years as a member of Yellowjackets. We are deeply grateful to him for his profound musical contributions to the band, including the recordings Mint Jam, Peace Round, Time Squared, Altered State, 25, Life Cycle, plus the latest Paris Live DVD." Former Yellowjackets drummer Will Kennedy is rejoining the band as Baylor's replacement.

* Moving on to coming attractions, here are two more reviews of Pat Metheny's new album Orchestrion, from Nenad Georgievski for AllAboutJazz.com and Tim Niland's blog Music and More. Metheney's Orchestrion Tour comes to the Touhill Performing Arts Center on May 8.

* In March, bassist Rufus Reid (pictured) will release a new CD called Out Front on the Motéma Music label. The trio date features Reid with pianist Steve Allee and drummer Duduka Da Fonseca. Reid will be in St. Louis in May to perform for the Jazz Education Network conference at UMSL.

* Just in time for Valentine’s Day, singer Michael Buble has released Special Delivery, a EP of six classic love songs previously available only on limited edition and special packages. It's available at iTunes and other digital retailers. Buble begins a U.S. tour next month to support his latest full-length CD Crazy Love, and will be in St. Louis on June 25 at the Scottrade Center.

* Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli will celebrate the music of Duke Ellington and the release of of his new CD Rockin' In Rhythm with concerts on Saturday, February 27 in Cranston, RI and Sunday, February 28 in Boston. Pizzarelli will be in St. Louis April 14 - 17 to play at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Opening the "recent visitors" file, Dave King, drummer for The Bad Plus, has a new solo album called Indelicate. TBP were in St. Louis in January to play at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Bassist Dave Holland, who played here last year at the Sheldon Concert Hall, is releasing a new album, Pathways, on March 23. The disc was recorded live at NYC's Birdland and features an octet drawn from Holland's quintet - Holland, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Steve Nelson on vibes, Nate Smith on drums and Chris Potter on saxophones - plus Holland Big Band veterans Antonio Hart on alto sax, Alex Sipiagin on trumpet and Gary Smulyan on baritone sax. You can hear three songs from Pathways (nearly 40 minutes of music) by clicking on the embedded widget below.

* Last but not least, the latest issue of Bill Shoemaker's jazz netzine Point of Departure is now online.

(Edited after posting to add the Marcus Baylor item. Edited again to fix punctuation.)

Review: Dave Holland Quintet at the Sheldon Concert Hall

Jazz critic Whitney Balliett famously called jazz "the sound of surprise," and while the Dave Holland Quintet certainly had plenty of surprises up their sleeves during Saturday night's performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall, the show also served to demonstrate the virtues of familiarity within the context of a working band.

Holland has been developing variations on this small-group concept for more than a decade, and the current lineup has been in place for several years. This continuity means that the musicians know each other and the material very well, and are able to delve deeply into the nuances of each composition. In particular, the band's frequent use of odd meters, as in "Lucky Seven" and the 11/8 "Full Circle," seems completely natural, with each musician having fully assimilated the underlying pulses so that the music grooves effortlessly.

The pairing of trombonist Robin Eubanks and saxophonist Chris Potter offers a different set of timbral possibilities than the more typical front line of trumpet and saxophone, and the two are able to maintain distinct sounds even when working in the same register. Given their extensive experience playing together, they're also able to improvise simultaneously without getting in each other's way, as they did to good effect on the opening "Step To It". Eubanks and Potter also demonstrated several times the ability to slip seamlessly from improvised material into written lines and back out again, adding an elusive quality to the thematic statements.

Steve Nelson's vibes and marimba provided a chordal backdrop more transparent than a piano or guitar, but also were engaged in a ongoing dialogue of cross-rhythms with drummer Nate Smith. Nelson's solo on "Full Circle" was especially good, building tension with a series of eight-note licks before doubling up on the tempo and really letting fly. He's perhaps the least demonstrative of the quintet, but in many ways, Nelson is the glue that holds the whole thing together, and his composition "Go Fly A Kite," also served as a fitting encore, sprightly and concise.

Holland's bass took the spotlight on the intro to a new tune called "Veil of Tears" and he soloed effectively throughout the evening, but, ever the team player, he also handled much of the time-keeping function, freeing up Smith to explore various cross-rhythmic strategies. Smith is especially good at exploiting all the tonal resources of his kit, using sticks, mallets and hands on the cymbals, heads, rims and sides of the drums to produce a wide variety of effects, some very subtle. His control of dynamics and the level of fine detail in his playing were impressive, and his duet with Holland on "The Whirling Dervish" was both musically substantive and a crowd pleaser.

Chris Potter is considered one of the rising stars in jazz, and on this evening he did not disappoint, delivering twisting, extended tenor solos on the opener and on his own composition "Vicissitudes." While some of his lines on the latter recalled the late Michael Brecker, reportedly an important influence, Potter's playing overall was remarkably free of cliche, and his energy level never flagged. On a new tune called "Easy Did It"* that was dedicated to the people of New Orleans, Potter switched to soprano sax, and he and Eubanks together briefly evoked memories of Roswell Rudd and Steve Lacy's modernist takes on traditional jazz before veering off on their own paths.

Holland's group doesn't offer many easy points of entry for the casual fan; their music relies on odd meters, elliptical forms, and advanced harmonic concepts, and thus may prove difficult for those accustomed only to traditional song forms and 4/4 swing beats. Their music demands active listening, and even then the information flow is so dense that it can be daunting. Still, while a few concertgoers at the Sheldon left after intermission, the vast majority of the mostly-full house stuck around until the end, rewarding the band with a well-deserved standing ovation. On this evening, the Dave Holland Quintet fully lived up to their reputation as one of the top small groups in jazz.

(The Riverfront Times' Ryan Wasoba also reviewed Holland's concert, and you can read his reactions online here.)

*Thanks to bassist/blogger Bill Harrison of Jazz Underneath for his comment supplying the correct name of the tune dedicated to New Orleans. You can read Bill's review of the Dave Holland Quintet's concert Sunday night in Chicago here.

Jazz this week: Dave Holland, Charlie Hunter, Reginald Robinson, the return of Jazz at Holmes, and more

This is the sort of week when it's good to be a jazz fan in St. Louis, with a nice variety of musical activity that includes both touring and local artists. Here, in chronological order, are a dozen noteworthy performances taking place at 11 different venues around town over the next seven days:

Let's start with guitarist Charlie Hunter, who opens this evening and performs through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Hunter's music definitely is technically impressive, given his virtuoso ability to play melody, chords and basslines all at once, but it's not all about technique; he also knows how to bring the funk and communicate with an audience. For some video samples of Hunter, see this post.

Also tonight, the 15-member Stone-Zelenka-Ota Free Improv Orchestra plays a one-time-only gig at the Way Out Club. For details and a complete list of all the players, see this previous post, and for a quick quote from show co-organizer Jay Zelenka, see this entry over on the Riverfront Times' music blog "A to Z."

On Thursday evening, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University begins its winter/spring set of shows with a free concert of jazz, pop and French cabaret music from the Poor People of Paris, who also opened the summer series in 2008. (No details are available yet on the rest of the Jazz at Holmes schedule for the semester, but as soon as yr. humble editor gets the info, it will be posted here on StLJN.)

Friday evening offers a proverbial plethora of musical options, including the massively talented ragtime/stride pianist Reginald Robinson, who's visiting from Chicago to do a free early-evening concert at the St. Louis Art Museum; multi-instrumentalist Sandy Weltman and Hot Club Caravan, who will be playing string-band Gypsy jazz and more at Brandt's; the Gateway City's own Funky Butt Brass Band, laying down a New Orleans-influenced groove at The Gramophone; and the Ambassadors of Swing, playing the big-band sound for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Then on Saturday, the Dave Holland Quintet performs at The Sheldon. Holland (pictured) has been one of the top bassists in jazz for four decades now, and in recent years his various small groups and big band have been among the most musically accomplished and critically acclaimed ensembles on the scene. His current quintet featuring saxophonist Chris Potter is especially tasty, and though it's only January, I fully expect this concert to be one of the highlights of 2009. For some some video of Holland in action, see this post. Also, note that the Sheldon is offering online buyers a $10 discount on tickets.

Moving on to Sunday, this week Bud Shultz and the You Can't Beat Experience Jazz Band will be doing their monthly session of traditional jazz at the Alton VFW Hall, as described here. And looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band is at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups; and on Tuesday, pianist Carolbeth True plays solo at Peppertini's, while the Andrew Miramonti Trio is next week's featured attraction in the ongoing Tuesday night jazz series at The Gramophone.

So, as promised, there you have it: 12 different groups/musicians with 12 different styles, 11 venues, seven days. That's certainly a lot of music for one week, but if your audio appetites remain unsated, you can always find more jazz-related activity in St. Louis this weekend and beyond by consulting the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

Get a $10 discount on tickets for Dave Holland at the Sheldon

The Sheldon Concert Hall is offering online buyers a $10 discount on tickets for the concert by the Dave Holland Quintet next Saturday, January 24.

Regular ticket prices for the show are $45 and $40, but you can get $10 off by purchasing tickets online. To get the discount, go to www.metrotix.com/promotions and use the promotional code DAVE10.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Three from Dave Holland

This week, we've got three videos featuring bassist Dave Holland, who will be performing at the Sheldon Concert Hall on Saturday, January 24. Holland first gained wide public notice as a member of Miles Davis' electric band in the late 1960s, and has gone on to have a prolific and diverse career collaborating with many major jazz musicians and leading his own critically acclaimed groups, ranging from a big band to various small ensembles.

The first clip up above features Holland's quintet performing "Free for All" at the Newport Jazz Festival, with Chris Potter on saxophone, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Steve Nelson on vibes and Billy Kilson on drums. Down below, there's a more recent version of the quintet, with drummer Nate Smith replacing Kilson, playing Potter's composition "Vicissitudes." The third clip is Holland playing a solo version of Charles Mingus' elegy for Lester Young, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat."

Personnel changes notwithstanding, Holland's small groups have been consistently among the most interesting in jazz over the past decade, and it should be a real treat to hear the latest edition of the band in the relatively intimate setting of the Sheldon.

Sheldon offering "Choose Your Own" subscriptions

The Sheldon Concert Hall is offering ticket buyers a "Choose Your Own" subscription plan for the 2008-09 season. Concert goers who purchase tickets for three or more concerts from the Sheldon's jazz, folk or classical series will get a 5% discount off single ticket prices plus "Preferred Seating and Great Subscriber Benefits!"

The Sheldon's jazz series for 2008-09 will include concerts by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Paula West, the Dave Holland Quintet, the John Jorgenson Quintet, and Rachael Price.

The "Choose Your Own" subscriptions will go on sale by phone at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, June 24; call 314-533-9900 to order. Online sales begin Wednesday, June 25 at www.thesheldon.org.

Sheldon Concert Hall announces 2008-09 season

The Sheldon Concert Hall has announced its season schedule for 2008-09. The hall's five-concert jazz series will include performances by legendary pianist and composer Dave Brubeck (pictured) and his Quartet (October 4) and acclaimed bassist Dave Holland's Quintet (January 24) as well as guitarist John Jorgenson and band doing a tribute to Django Reinhardt (April 18) and shows featuring singers Paula West (November 22) and Rachael Price (March 14).

Local jazz performers are featured prominently in the Sheldon's series of 10 a.m. "Coffee Concerts." Jean Kittrell and Red Lehr with the Old St. Louis Levee Band will kick off that series on October 27 and 28, followed by Swing Set on December 9 and 10, Mardra and Reggie Thomas doing a Mardi Gras-themed program on February 23 and 24, and traditional jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey on April 29 and 30. And of course, other St. Louis jazz performers can be expected to show up in the "Notes From Home" schedule as those concerts are announced throughout the year.

So, what's the takeaway on this lineup? Well, word of the Holland and Jorgenson shows had already leaked via the online tour information service Pollstar, and Brubeck is making a return visit to the Sheldon after appearing in the jazz series a few years back and again at the hall's 2007 benefit gala. Although all three have played St. Louis in recent years, all would seem to be good bets to deliver satisfying performances. I'm especially glad to see Holland on the schedule, as his group continues to be one of the very best small ensembles in jazz, and Brubeck, a genuine innovator who at age 87 can't have too many more years of touring left, is always welcome. Jorgenson, though not a big name, is a first-rate picker who's made Reinhardt's music an ongoing project, and if you dig that style of playing, he delivers the goods.

West also has performed in St. Louis recently, appearing at the Cabaret at Savor earlier this year. I've gotten divergent reports from a couple of people I trust who heard her then - one favorable and one not so favorable - but West certainly has gotten many good reviews for performances elsewhere. The sole local debut performance in the jazz series will be from Price, a 22-year-old who's just now getting out of the New England Conservatory of Music but has attracted some good notices in the press based on a handful of relatively high-profile festival appearances and work with drummer T.S. Monk's band.

I'm all in favor of the presentation and promotion of new talent, and maybe this is just a manifestation of my deep skepticism of most of the current glut of female singers, but what I've seen and heard about Price so far seems suspiciously like press-agent hype of the sort associated in recent years with the pleasant but ultimately forgettable Jane Monheit. In any event, two singers in a five-concert series is one too many; I would much rather have seen one of those slots devoted to another, more challenging instrumental performer or band that we haven't heard before in St. Louis.

If recent seasons are any guide, it's likely that the Sheldon will add another jazz concert or two to next year's lineup along the way, slotted into the schedule as a non-subscription show. However, unless they're able to snag a really major performer - someone on the order of Sonny Rollins or Ornette Coleman, who hasn't played St. Louis either for a long while, or at all - it won't be quite enough to offset the shortcomings of a schedule that seems less ambitious than it ought to be.

While the need to sell tickets is both understandable and indisputable, a major not-for-profit presenter gets held to a high standard. Unlike commercial, for-profit concert promoters, they have a certain obligation to educate, challenge and lead their audiences, not pander to them. The Sheldon remains a very fine place to hear a concert, with excellent acoustics and sightlines and a very capable, professional production staff led by veteran operations director and all-around-good-guy Dale Benz. I don't want to be too harsh here, because overall the Sheldon obviously is a major asset to the St. Louis music community. But for the sake of St. Louis' jazz fans, I wish their booking policy showed just a bit more vision and, dare I say it, guts.

Pollstar: Dave Holland to play the Sheldon in January 2009

From the "Coming Attractions" file: The online tour information service Pollstar has added a listing showing bassist Dave Holland performing at the Sheldon Concert Hall on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

As always, we caution readers that Pollstar's information, though often reliable, should be considered unconfirmed until the date is officially announced by the venue. Assuming his booking at the Sheldon comes through, this will be Holland's third appearance in St. Louis in recent years. He performed with his Big Band at the 2003 St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, and with his Quintet in March 2007 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Notes from the Net: Harrold featured, Lake at work, Carter nostalgic, and more

It's a new week, and so here's another compilation of news concerning jazz artists from St. Louis, recent visitors, coming attractions, and other items of interest:

* Trumpeter and St. Louis native Keyon Harrold is a featured guest soloist on Open Reel Deck, the just released CD from saxophonist Marcus Strickland. The set was recorded live at NYC's Jazz Standard this past April.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake (pictured) will be performing this weekend an NYC's Iridium, as part of the ensemble Trio 3 with bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille, plus their special guest, pianist Geri Allen.

* Ron Carter waxed nostalgic about former employer Miles Davis in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times prompted by the bassist's new CD, Dear Miles.

* Tony Bennett, who's coming to the Fox Theatre in October, will debut his new album Tony Bennett Sings The Ultimate American Songbook, Volume 1 this weekend on, of all places, the QVC home shopping channel. Bennett will go on QVC at 11 p.m. Saturday, September 1 to hawk a specially packaged CD that's being put on sale 24 days before the "official" release date.

* Performers at the upcoming Rosslyn Jazz Festival, held September 8 in Arlington, VA, will include violinist Regina Carter, singer Kevin Mahogany, and mallet percussionist Bobby Hutcherson, all of whom performed in St. Louis over the last year. The event will be broadcast live in the Washington DC area by jazz station WPFW 89.3 FM, and you can listen online here.

* Bassist Dave Holland, another ex-Miles Davis sideman who played the Bistro earlier this year with his quintet, recently brought a sextet to NYC's Blue Note. Read the New York Times review here.

* Speaking of NYC, avant garde and experimental musicians there recently rallied to call for more support and performance venues for creative musicians in the city.

* And continuing on the subject of musicians rallying, the AP reported that this weekend, as the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approached, "musicians, instruments strapped to their backs and signs in hand, marched to the French Quarter on Sunday, demanding better wages and asking tourists, music lovers and political leaders not to take them for granted." The article continued:

"It ain't easy to be in the Big Easy," Deacon John Moore, the president of the local musicians union, told onlookers after the low-key march through the rain from Louis Armstrong Park. "Our musicians are suffering. We hate to come out here and beg, but we have no alternative at this point."...

Before Katrina, he said, there were more than 3,000 professional musicians, including music teachers, in New Orleans; this spring, there were less than 1,800, he said. Moore estimated a quarter of those commute into the city, where music has long been part of the colorful culture...

"The local music economy has forced local musicians to live in survival mode, 'a little something is better than nothing,'" the guitarist-band leader-singer said. "That's how you live when your back's against the wall.""

Read the whole thing here. Also worth a look is this appreciation of New Orleans and plea for reconstruction from travel writer Janis Turk.