So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Dave Weckl is the subject of the cover story of the May 2021 issue of Modern Drummer magazine (pictured).

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold talks about his new job as creative advisor to Jazz St. Louis in an interview with the St. Louis American's Danielle Brown.

* Keyboardist Dave Grelle was interviewed in advance of his gig tonight at City Foundry by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The Post/STLtoday also has published an "IParty" photo gallery from last Saturday's show by singer Janet Evra and pianist Prah Williams at Blue Strawberry.

* Trumpeter Jim Manley was the featured guest on the latest episode of "The Trumpet Gurus" podcast.

* Generations, the forthcoming album from drummer Marcus Baylor's Baylor Project that's set for release on Friday, June 18, was previewed in a brief post on the blog Soul and Jazz and Funk.

* Marking the 95th anniversary of the trumpeter's birth, an article in the UK's Far Out Magazine attempts to answer the question "Why Do So Many Rock Stars Love Miles Davis?"

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Jim Widner may have retired last year as director of jazz studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, but the veteran bassist and educator is continuing his long-running business of running summer jazz camps, setting up this year at St. Charles Community College. Widner's summer 2021 camp will run June 13-17 and is open to high school, middle school and college students as well as adults who "want to hone their skills in the art of jazz."

Instructors will include trumpeter Bijon Watson (Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra), trombonist Scott Whitfield (Bill Holman and Bob Florence Big Bands), and saxophonists Chip McNeill (Doc Severinsen, Maynard Ferguson) and Mary Fettig (Stan Kenton Orchestra), plus local musician/educators such as Rick Haydon, Kevin Gianino, Brett Stamps, Jim Martin, and Ken Kehner. For more information, visit www.stchas.edu/yatp.

* Drummer Dave Weckl's new album Live In St Louis at the Chesterfield Jazz Festival was featured on the April 13 episode of the "Bitches Brew" podcast.

* Dozens of St. Louis musicians have teamed up to release a new compilation album (pictured) paying tribute to poet, promoter and former KDHX DJ Brett Underwood for his work promoting adventurous music in St. Louis as a collaborator, on his radio program "The No Show," and as a presenter of live performances, most recently at the Schlafly Tap Room downtown.

Produced by electronic musician Eric Hall, Horsey Can’t Swim - A Love Letter To Brett Underwood includes 43 tracks encompassing free improv, alt-rock, noise, experimental music, and more. Contributors to the the project include Jaap Blonk & Damon Smith, Syna So Pro, Ghost Ice, Raglani, Michael Williams, NNN Cook, Alex Cunningham, caveofswords, Tory Starbuck, and a number of others.

All the proceeds from the recording's pay-what-you-want sales on Bandcamp will go to Underwood, whose hours as a bartender and show booker at the Tap Room were cut back drastically when the COVID pandemic began.

* And speaking of the COVID pandemic, the efforts of the group "Keep Live Alive Saint Louis" to support local workers in the entertainment industry over the past year were spotlighted in a feature by Andrea Smith of Ladue News

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Violinist Alex Cunningham will be featured alongside U.S. Maple guitarist Mark Shippy on a new duo recording called Ghost Note. The album (pictured), which features a series of improvised duets, will be released by the Personal Archives label as a vinyl LP and to digital music services on Friday, June 4.

* Drummer Dave Weckl's new album Live in St. Louis at the Chesterfield Jazz Festival was reviewed by Modern Drummer magazine. The album also is featured this month in a Jazziz magazine article, "Crate Digging: 10 Albums You Need to Know for April 2021."

* An essay by bassist and Wash U faculty member Paul Steinbeck about composer George Lewis has been republished on the website of the CTM Festival in Berlin

* Bassist Tom Kennedy's forthcoming album Stories was previewed in an article on BroadwayWorld.com.

* Across the state in Sedalia, MO, the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival has announced that while there will be no festival in 2021 due to COVID concerns, the annual event will return on June 1-4, 2022.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Kendrick Smith was interviewed by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson, talking about this Saturday's jazz fundraiser show at the Grandel Theatre's "Open Air" tent. There's also a short video accompanying the article.

* Also from Kevin Johnson in the Post, pianist and singer John McDaniel talks up his return engagement tomorrow night at Blue Strawberry.

* Stories, the forthcoming album from bassist Tom Kennedy (pictured), is previewed in an article in Bass magazine. The album is set for release by Autumn Hill Records on Friday, May 21.

* The Sheldon Art Galleries will open a new exhibit of musical instruments created by local students on Friday, April 30 in the AT&T Children's Gallery.

* An interview with drummer Dave Weckl by Daniel Durchholz in the Post-Dispatch discusses Weckl's new live album, his recent move back to the St. Louis area, and more.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Rev. Cliff Aerie, saxophonist with the Oikos Ensemble, was profiled in an article in the Webster-Kirkwood Times.

* The Boyé Multi-National Crusade For Harmony, the new 7-CD box set of previously unheard tracks from saxophonist Julius Hemphill, was reviewed by Mark Corroto for AllAboutJazz.com.

* Pianist Peter Martin's company Open Studio this week launched another podcast, titled "Upright Citizens" and hosted by bassists Reuben Rogers and Bob DeBoo. You can check out the first episode here.

* The new Dave Weckl Band album Live In St. Louis at the Chesterfield Jazz Festival was reviewed by Jim Worsley of AllAboutJazz.com and by Jim Hynes of online magazine Glide. The album (pictured) is out today on the Autumn Hill label and can be streamed via the major digital music services.

* An article at HotCars.com offers "A Detailed Look At Miles Davis' Lamborghini Miura."

* In more Miles Davis news, a new album, Champions, featuring tracks culled from the expanded box set The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions in 2003, is set for release on Saturday, July 17 as part of this year's Record Store Day "RSD Drops."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor (pictured) and his wife, singer Jean Baylor, are among the musicians featured last week in an NPR story, "Alone Together: Jazz Couples (Stuck) at Home"

* Actor Ruth Negga will star as St. Louis native Josephine Baker in an upcoming limited series for television being produced by ABC Signature that will offer "a raw and unflinching look at the force of nature that was Josephine Baker, the biggest Black female artist of her time."

* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts will present "Anatomy of a Contract," another in their ongoing series of business seminars for artists, at 6:30 p.m. next Monday, February 22. The online event will feature attorney David Kim of Stinson LLP and will "provide negotiation tips and cover contract basics." Get more info or sign up at STLVLAA's website.

* Jazz Times is showcasing on their website a track from drummer Dave Weckl's forthcoming album. "Big B, Little B" was recorded as part of the Weckl band's reunion gig in June 2019 at the Chesterfield Amphitheater, and the album, titled Live In St. Louis, will be released on Friday, April 9 by the Autumn Hill label.

* Students at Webster University affiliated with the Audio Engineering Society will present the university's annual Central Region Audio Student Summit from Friday, March 19 through Sunday, March 21. The online event will include guest speakers, panels, and demonstrations covering topics such as recording, mixing, and mastering; audio for film and visual; live sound; and more. It's open to industry professionals, high school and college students and teachers, and "others interested in the subject of Sound."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer Chuck Flowers (pictured) was interviewed on the webcast "Jazz in the AM."

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has released a clip from his most recent "Online Sessions" video, a version of "Georgia On My Mind" recorded with organist Joey DeFrancesco and drummer Billy Kilson.

* In a new video for Rhythm magazine, drummer Dave Weckl reveals the details of his home studio setup for playing and teaching online.

* Also on the Weckl beat, he and fellow drummer Rob Silverman were the guests on last week's Modern Drummer podcast, discussing their most recent recordings and the drumming contest being sponsored by the magazine and their label Autumn Hill Records.

* The Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson this week reported that Atomic Cowboy, the long-running bar, restaurant and music venue in The Grove neighborhood, has closed permanently and put all its equipment and fixtures up for auction.

* Also from Kevin Johnson in the Post, a look at how cabaret venue Blue Strawberry has adapted to present different types of live music during the pandemic.

* An article at UDiscoverMusic.com takes a retrospective look at Miles Davis' classic 1950s album Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet.

* In more Miles Davis-related news, tattoo artist Kat Von D is being sued by a Los Angeles photographer who alleges that a tattooed image of Davis rendered by Von D for one of her customers infringes on his copyrighted photo of the trumpeter.

* And finally, a short feature in Far Out magazine recounts the story of the time in 1969 when Davis was asked by guitarist Jimi Hendrix to form a "supergroup" that also would have included drummer Tony Williams and Beatles bassist Paul McCartney.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A Dave Weckl sampler

This week, StLJN salutes drummer and St. Charles native Dave Weckl, who celebrated his 61st birthday earlier this month on Friday, January 8. First gaining wide recognition in the mid-1980s as a sideman with Chick Corea, Weckl over the course of his career has become a very popular and oft-imitated drummer and bandleader, with fans all over the world.

So today - slightly delayed, as this post was bumped last week to make room for a tribute to the late David "Red" Lehr - let's check out a sampling of just some of the music he's made, starting up above with "Big B Little B," recorded at the Dave Weckl Band reunion show in the summer of 2019 at the Chesterfield Amphitheater. The reunion featured most of Weckl's band from the 1990s, including Buzz Feiten on guitar and fellow St. Louisans Tom Kennedy on bass and Jay Oliver on keyboards, with saxophonist Gary Meek completing the lineup.

After the jump, you can see Weckl performing in an acoustic trio with Chick Corea, the man who gave him his big break back in 1985, and bassist John Patitucci, in a concert recorded in 2018 at the San Sebastian Jazz Festival (sometimes known as Jazzaldia) in Spain.

Next up, you can see a video that Weckl and Jay Oliver released back in 2014 to promote their album "Convergence." The in-studio performance of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" was arranged by Oliver and sung by vocalist Chrissi Poland, with a band including Dean Brown (guitar), Jimmy Johnson (bass), Brandon Fields (saxophone), Eric Jorgensen (trombone), and Michael McGuffey (trumpet), plus backing vocalists Nita Whittaker, Raffia Ford, and Abdul Hamid Royal,

THat's followed by a full set from Chick Corea's Elektric Band, recorded in 2003 at the Estival Jazz Switzerland. In addition to Corea and Weckl, that's Eric Marienthal on saxophones, Frank Gambale on guitar, and Michael Pope on bass.

The fifth video, recorded all the way back in August 1998 at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, features what some consider to be the "classic" lineup of Weckl's band, with Oliver, Kennedy, Feiten and saxophonist Brandon Fields.

The final clip, which was recorded in 1996 at Festival Hamburg in Germany, features a trio of Weckl, guitarist Mike Stern, and bassist Jeff Andrews, and highlights what the title calls "The Legendary Big Drum Solo" from that show.

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer and St. Charles native Dave Weckl announced this week on social media that he will present a free live online drum lesson at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time tomorrow, Saturday, November 7.

Weckl (pictured) will "review hand technique, take your questions, and do some giveaways" via a livestream on his YouTube channel and Facebook page.

* Trumpeter Jim Manley was the guest on last Friday's episode of KTRS radio's "In The Know with Ray Hartmann."

* Bryan Dematteis, director of the documentary The Black Artists Group of St. Louis: Creation Equals Movement that is screening online this month as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival was interviewed by St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin.

* In related news, Dematteis also recorded a brief video interview about his film with the Post-Dispatch's Ben Simon.

* Singer (and physician) Ken Haller's return performance last week at Blue Strawberry was reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Red and Black Brass Band (pictured) was featured Wednesday night on a segment of the PBS NewsHour, produced by the local PBS affiliate Nine Network.

* Drummer Emmanuel Harrold was the guest on this past Tuesday's episode of the Mike Dolbear drum podcast.

* "The Enduring Cultural Legacy of Miles Davis" was the subject of an online discussion that took place this past Monday with participants including multi-instrumentalist and producer Marcus Miller, Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn Jr. and his son Erin Davis, and producers of the recent documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool. You can see the entire program archived on YouTube.

* Also on the Miles Davis beat, the trumpeter's historic performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Music Festival is the subject of an article in the UK magazine Jazzwise.

* Drummer Dave Weckl will teach another master class online via Zoom on Saturday, September 12. Get more information and sign up to reserve one of the 15 spots in the class at http://thegroovemasters.com/.

* As music venues in St. Louis (and everywhere) try to figure out how and when to reopen, stories this past week from St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin and KMOV's Alexis Zotos examined some of the issues involved and potential solutions.

* Meanwhile, in a related story, a number of local venues on Tuesday night lit up their exteriors with red lights, hoping to draw attention to the Restart Act, a bill being considered by Congress that would provide financial help to the music and performing arts industries. The campaign to pass the bill has been branded on social media with the hashtag "#SaveOurStages," and you can read more about it and the Restart Act here.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Members of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), including The Sheldon, Off Broadway, Old Rock House and more than a dozen others in St. Louis, are asking music fans to contact their Representatives and Senators in Washington DC to express support for including music venues in the next coronavirus relief bill. Their email appeal reads, in part:

"Small venues and performing arts centers were the first to close and will be the last to re-open. They arguably represent the industry hardest hit by the pandemic. They are completely shuttered small businesses in need of support in order to survive until it is safe to reopen.

The RESTART and Save Our Stages Acts will provide targeted relief to an industry largely left out of previous legislation, by providing Small Business Administration grants for independent venues and producers affected by COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, helping to keep them afloat financially and preserving the live performance ecosystem until the shows can return."

NIVA has set up a website specifically to promote the "Save Our Stages" effort. It includes a contact form that will automatically fill in the names of your Senators and Representative based on the zip code you enter, and can be found at https://www.saveourstages.com/.

* Saxophonist Eric Person (pictured) was interviewed on the "All That's Jazz" podcast.

* Person also was a guest on last week's episode of the "Just Jazz Cafe" web video series.

* Drummer Lenny White talked about his time with Miles Davis and making Davis' landmark album Bitches Brew as part of an episode of Jazziz magazine's "Last Call" podcast.

* Singer Denise Thimes was the featured guest on a recent episode of the "Chicago Music Revealed" podcast.

* Drummer Dave Weckl wrote a short article for Modern Drummer magazine about his work on a new five-song EP for his wife, singer Clivia Tanisi.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Bassist Jahmal Nichols (pictured) was interviewed by NoTreble.com.

* Drummer Dave Weckl and his wife, vocalist Clivia Tanisi, were featured on the latest episode of Jazziz magazine's "Last Call" web series.

* Guitarist Brian Vaccaro was the guest on the most recent episode of Shock City School of Music's "Coffee Conversations" podcast.

* Saxophonist Greg Osby shared his perspective on critics and readers polls and the ranking of  musicians in a recent blog post.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has released the sixth and final season one episode of his web series "Sanborn Sessions," with pianist Bob James as the featured guest star.

* Bassist and singer Janet Evra was interviewed on the latest episode of St. Louis magazine's "SLM Live" webcast.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trombonist, bandleader and St. Louis native Joseph Bowie (pictured) was interviewed at length by PopMatters.com.

* Dave Weckl was one of six well-known drummers who participated this week in a free online master class in brush technique presented by drumstick and accessories maker Vic Firth.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was the subject of a feature on the website of Thomas Mason, a UK-based maker of fabrics for men's clothing.

* Harrold also was interviewed on this Wednesday's episode of the podcast "The John Roa Show: Leading from Home."

* Washington University School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic and the ACLU of Missouri have filed a lawsuit against University City arguing that the city has routinely and unconstitutionally suppressed the public performance of music in the Loop.

Guitarist Raymond Douglas and saxophonist "Raven Wolf" C. Felton Jennings II, who both have had issues with police while busking in the Loop area, are the plaintiffs in the suit, which was filed Tuesday, April 28 in the US District Court Eastern District, Eastern Division.

* Eight deluxe multi-CD box sets known as "The Miles Davis Series" now are available again in limited quantities from the official Miles Davis Store. Originally released on Columbia/Legacy between 1996 and 2007, the volumes explore various phases of Davis' music from 1955 to 1975, ranging from from his Columbia recordings with saxophonist John Coltrane to the complete sessions for On The Corner.

* Singer Joe Mancuso was the featured guest on this week's episode of Shock City School of Music's "Coffee Conversations" podcast.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Dave Weckl has added a full-length video of his band's reunion performance at last year's Chesterfield Jazz Festival to the offerings at his online school. He's also posted to YouTube some short sample excerpts from the show, including "Synergy," "Tower of Inspiration" and "Mud Sauce."

* The Red and Black Brass Band's recent visit to the Old North neighborhood was documented by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch/STLtoday in a collection of photos and a video.

* Pianist and St. Louis native Tom McDermott (pictured) is featured on actor Harry Shearer's new "Piano New Orleans" YouTube channel, performing in three mini-recitals (so far) which you can see here, here and here.

* HEC-TV has posted online A Celebration of the Life & Music of Ray Kennedy, a tribute to the late St. Louis pianist featuring Kennedy's former employer, guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli, along with pianist Konrad Paszkudski, bassist Martin Pizzarelli, and John and Martin's dad, the late guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli.

* Guitarist Vincent Varvel recorded a solo version of "Here Comes the Sun" for a series of "Musical Postcards" from music faculty members at Washington University.

* Miss Jubilee and the Yas-Yas Boys have a new album, Cool It If You Can, recorded in January as live-in-the-studio performances at Bigtone Records in Bristol, VA. It's now available in digital form via their Bandcamp page, with a physical release to follow at a date TBD.

* The DVD of the documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool was reviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Doug Collette.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has released the fourth episode of his web series "Sanborn Sessions," with saxophonist and keyboard player Terrace Martin as the featured guest.

You can see Sanborn and Martin (pictured) in this latest episode via the embed at the bottom of this post, or visit the "Sanborn Sessions" YouTube page to catch the entire series to date.

* Pianist Peter Martin and multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina Saputo were among the performers interviewed for a St. Louis Public Radio story about how local musicians are coping with the COVID-19 shutdown.

* And speaking of Peter Martin, the pianist took questions from fans, friends, music students, and miscellaneous onlookers in a Reddit-style "Ask Me Anything" video recorded this past Tuesday.

* Drummer Dave Weckl now is offering private drum lessons for a limited number of students online via Zoom.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Dave Weckl will be doing a live interview and taking listener calls for an hour on the "Around The Kit" podcast starting at 8:00 p.m. EDT this coming Sunday, April 5.

* The late baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett (pictured) is the subject of a remembrance and tribute in the April issue of the New York City Jazz Record (.pdf link).

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was interviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Aaron Paschal.

* An article by Dan Hardie in Syncopated Times makes the case for St. Louis-born pianist Gus Haenschen as the "missing link" between the ragtime of Scott Joplin and early jazz.

* Multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina Saputo and the Mosaic Jazz Sextet were among the musicians seen - some very briefly - in a news story on local NBC affiliate KSDK about the effects of COVID-19 on the St. Louis music scene.

* In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the release of Miles Davis' landmark album Bitches Brew, Jazz Times asked 10 contemporary musicians for their thoughts on the recording's significance. 

* The Middle East English-language news site The National uses the recent documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool as a jumping-off point for an article about "9 Ways Miles Davis Changed the Music Scene Forever."

* In related news, the Davis documentary, which now is streaming on Netflix, was reviewed by TheArtsDesk.com's Tim Cumming.

* Last but not least, the latest episode of the Rhino Records podcast features an interview with Davis’ son Erin and nephew Vince Wilburn Jr. about life on the road with the trumpeter and the production of the recently released "lost album" Rubberband.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* In conjunction with the release earlier this year of the Miles Davis set The Complete Birth Of The Cool, UDiscoverMusic.com gathered a panel in Los Angeles for a discussion of the album's impact, legacy and lasting influence; working with the master tapes to produce the new reissue; and Davis' fight for African-American rights. You can hear highlights from the discussion here.

* Drummer Dave Weckl (pictured), who was back home here last month to play at rthe Chesterfield Jazz & Wine Festival, has added a new 2.5 hour drum recording course to his online school at daveweckl.teachable.com.

* Radio station WSIE and its general manager Jason Church were the subjects of a feature story in the Alton-area news site Riverbender.com

* Saxophonist Carlos Brown Jr. was interviewed about his gig this weekend at Jazz St. Louis by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. (Link is paywalled.)

 * As reported by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn, multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina Saputo is one of three local musicians featured in Nature of Sound, a new short film produced and directed by St. Louisan Jon Alexander.

* Nearly a decade after ending their first attempt at podcasting, Jazz St. Louis is trying again with a podcast called "Jazz Happens," with production outsourced to Konfluenz Studios, a St. Louis based company that produces several other podcasts, none music-related.

Unfortunately, while the format is on point - interviews with touring musicians who are in town to play gigs at the Bistro - and the production values are solid enough, the podcast's hosts* seem to know very little about jazz, or even the basics of how to conduct an interview. Even worse, they seem to have done very little to no research about their subjects.

The results, as sampled in brief snippets of various episodes by yr. humble editor, range from insipid to awkward to downright cringeworthy, as in the interview with Anat Cohen, which begins with one of hosts asking her if she still lives in Tel Aviv (her hometown).

Cohen, clearly not amused, replied that, no, she's lived in the USA for more than 20 years - a fact both essential to her current career, since it was her move here in 1996 to study at Berklee that set up her subsequent accomplishments, and easily gleaned from the bio on her website, most of the interviews and feature stories published about her, or her Wikipedia page.

To sum up, while StLJN's journalistic mission compels us to inform you of this podcast's existence, it is not recommended that you listen to it. If you must, the eight episodes produced to date are archived on the Jazz St. Louis website.

Jazz this week: The Bosman Twins, Nick Colionne, Chesterfield Jazz Festival, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis puts local talent in the spotlight, with homegrown performers and returning expats headlining a diverse schedule of shows at a variety of venues. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 12
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina Saputo performs in a free concert for the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Update, 3:30 p.m., 6/12/19: The concert by Tonina Saputo at Missouri Botanical Garden has been postponed due to the possibility of bad weather, and has been rescheduled for Wednesday, August 9.

Also on Wednesday, Next to Normal: The Thelonious Monk Story, a play with music starring pianist Philip Graves in the title role, is presented with free admission for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis.

Thursday, June 13
Guitarist Mark Tonelli, an assistant professor of music at Millikin University in Decatur, IL, visits to lead his trio in a show at The Dark Room.

Also on Thursday, Miss Jubilee performs at Joe's Cafe; singer Cheri Evans and CEEJazzSoul return to the Chase Club; and guitarist Dave Black and friends play at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, June 14
Multi-instrumentalists The Bosman Twins (pictured, top left) perform for the first of three nights, continuing through Sunday at Jazz St. Louis.

Also on Friday, the Gateway City Big Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; singer Erin Bode interprets material from the Great American Songbook in a concert at the Wildey Theatre
in Edwardsville; and singer Anita Jackson performs the late show at The Dark Room.

Saturday, June 15
The Chesterfield Wine & Jazz Festival runs from mid-afternoon through the evening at Chesterfield Amphitheater, featuring music from drummer Dave Weckl and his band, featuring St. Louisans TOm Kennedy on bass and Jay Oliver on keyboards, plus Bach to the Future with saxophonist Eric Marienthal and guitarist Dave Black, singer Kim Fuller, the Steve Davis Band with singer Feyza Eren, and Tracer.

You can see some recent videos featuring headliner and St. Charles native Dave Weckl (pictured, bottom left) in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, guitarist Nick Colionne with special guest, singer and St. Louis native Lynne Fiddmont, performs in the "Eta Boule Foundation Salute to Fathers & Mentors" at the Sheldon Concert Hall; and trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard's latest opera, Fire Shut Up In My Bones, has its world premiere at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, with five more performances scheduled this month.

Sunday, June 16
Possibilities for jazz brunch this Father's Day include pianist Adam Maness playing solo at Thurman's in Shaw, and singer/guitarist Tommy Halloran and band at The Dark Room.

Then on Sunday evening, singer Feyza Eren and her quartet perform at the house-concert venue Judson House.

Monday, June 17
Keyboardist Ryan Marquez brings his trio to The Dark Room.

Tuesday, June 18
Pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True plus guest vocalist Kim Fuller perform at the Gaslight Theater.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Dave Weckl to headline Chesterfield Jazz Fest

This week, StLJN's video spotlight shines on drummer Dave Weckl, who will be back home to perform next Saturday, June 15 as the headlining act at the Chesterfield Wine & Jazz Festival.

A native of St. Charles, Weckl undoubtedly is one of the most successful working jazz musicians from this area, first gaining international attention working in the 1980s with keyboardist Chick Corea, and subsequently parlaying that exposure into a busy career as both a bandleader and a first-call collaborator and session player.

For his St. Louis show, his band will feature a couple of musical friends who also are St. Louis natives, bassist Tom Kennedy and keyboardist Jay Oliver, as well as saxophonist Gary Meek, another longtime musical associate, and guitarist Buzz Feiten, who's had a diverse career stretching back nearly 50 years with the Butterfield Blues Band, the Rascals, the Larson-Feiten Band with keyboardist Neil Larsen, and more.

Though there seems to be no video footage online featuring this particular lineup, there's certainly no shortage of clips featuring Weckl playing with various ensembles, and so for those looking for a idea of what he's been doing lately, here's a collection of a half-dozen recent performances for your listening and viewing enjoyment.

There's a very recent and complete show in the first video embed up above, recorded on April 4 of this year at New Morning in Paris, France and featuring Weckl as the nominal leader of a group with Kennedy, guitarist Mike Stern, and saxophonist Bob Franceschini.

After the jump, you can see some footage from earlier this year of Weckl and Kennedy jamming at Colos-Saal, a music club in Aschaffenburg, Germany. That's followed by a Weckl solo performance, recorded at the 2019 NAMM show in Los Angeles.

The remaining videos show recent performances by Weckl in three different musical settings: with keyboardist Steve Weingart and bassist Benjamin Shepherd performing Weingart's composition "Village" at the 2018 Hollywood Drum Show in Los Angeles, California; in the studio with keyboard player Oz Ezzeldin playing "'Dis Kinda Place," in a clip released in March 2019 as a promo for Weckl's online school; and with La Escuela de Música y Audio Fernando Sor performing "Nothing Personal" in October 2018 in Bogotá, Colombia.

For more about Dave Weckl and what he's been up to recently, read his 2018 interview with AustralianMusician.com, and watch him in an episode of "Yamaha Drummers Talk" from December 2018 and in a video interview on the topic of "Mindset For Success" from March 2019.

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Shirley Bradley LeFlore, St. Louis poet laureate and member of the Black Artists Group who performed throughout her career with the city's jazz and creative musicians, died this past Sunday, May 12. She was 79 years old.

Formerly married to the late trumpeter Floyd LeFlore, she performed and/or recorded at various times with musicians including her ex-husband, saxophonists Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett, J.D. Parran and Don Byron, pianist Ptah Williams, trumpeter George Sams, and more. Ms. Bradley LeFlore's funeral will take place today (Friday, May 17), with a visitation at 11:00 a.m. followed by services at noon at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust St. downtown.

* Drummer Dave Weckl (pictured) was interviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Jim Worsley.

* Singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina Saputo is releasing a new album, St. Lost, that comes out today, and was interviewed Monday about the recording and her career by KSDK's Art Holliday.

* The new documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool was the subject of a review/reminiscence by FYIMusicNews' Bill King.

* Speaking of Miles Davis, a 1979 interview with pianist Bill Evans unheard for 40 years has re-surfaced online, in which Evans discusses his work with Davis and the recording sessions for the trumpeter's landmark album Kind of Blue.

* And speaking of Birth of the Cool, an article in DownBeat has more details on the new LP box set Complete Birth of the Cool Sessions, which will be released on Friday, June 7.

* Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris' shows this weekend at Jazz St. Louis are previewed in an article by Kevin Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and in an interview with Harris published on the Jazz St. Louis website.