Jazz this week: Roy Haynes, two tributes to John Coltrane, twin tenors do battle, and more

It's a busy week for jazz in St. Louis, with one of the music's legendary drummers in town for an extended engagement, two tributes to the late John Coltrane, and lots more. Let's go to the highlights...

The drummer in question is Roy Haynes (pictured), who over the course of six decades in the music business has played with a host of legends, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis and yes, even Coltrane. Since making the late-career transition to leading his own bands, the octogenarian works mostly with musicians young enough to be his children and/or grandchildren, remaining remarkably active, proficient and hip for someone whose career began in the mid-1940s. Haynes will perform at Jazz at the Bistro through Saturday, and then will stay in town to do one of Jazz St. Louis' "Jazz Perspectives" discussions on Sunday afternoon.

And speaking of Coltrane, the weekend offers two tributes to the hugely influential saxophonist on the occasion of what would have been his 80th birthday. On Friday night, Hard Bop Heritage will perform at Finale Music and Dining with a six-piece lineup, drawing primarily on Coltrane's historic Blue Train album but also adding some of Trane's later compositions from his quartet period in the 1960s.

Then on Sunday, BAG II kicks off its fall season at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe with a free concert celebrating Coltrane and featuring poets K. Curtis Lyle, Shirley LeFlore and Michael Castro, trumpeter and percussionist Mike Nelson, drummer Gary Sykes and bassist Zimbabwe Nkenya.

Other noteworthy shows this week: Tonight, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University continues with a free concert featuring pianist Carolbeth True and trumpeter Randy Holmes, while over at Finale, the David Fatek Organ Quartet will present what's being billed as "an old-fashioned tenor battle" featuring Fatek and guest saxophonist Tim Stamps.

On Friday, True and her trio will play Cookie's Jazz and More; Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum will be at Brandt's; and Wild Cool and Swingin' take the stage at Finale. On Saturday, pianist Ptah Williams returns to Cookie's, and on Sunday, Jean Kittrell and the St. Louis Rivermen bring their traditional jazz sound to the Sheldon for a matinee concert.

For more local jazz-related events, please visit 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.)

Finale to present shows by Acoustic Alchemy, Diane Schuur

It's been a while since we've checked out the coming attractions at Finale Music and Dining, and since one of the club's notable shows with a touring headliner is happening next week, now seems like an opportune time to mention that Finale will present smooth jazz/world music group Acoustic Alchemy next Thursday, August 2. Also, although it's not yet on Finale's Web site, thanks to Pollstar, it has been revealed that the club also has booked a return appearance for singer and pianist Diane Schuur on Thursday, October 4 and Friday, October 5.

In between, Finale has scheduled appearances by a number of local and regional musicians of interest to jazz listeners, including return gigs by singer Debby Lennon (doing a Cole Porter tribute show on Saturday, August 4); saxophonist Tim Cunningham (Friday, August 10 and Friday, September 7); singer/impressionist Dean Christopher (Saturday, August 11); singer Anita Rosamond (Saturday, August 18); and Wild, Cool and Swingin' (Friday, September 21).

Also coming up at Finale: a tribute to Charlie Parker by trumpeter Randy Holmes and Hard Bop Heritage (Thursday, August 30); drummer Jerome "Scrooge" Harris with singer Anita Jackson (Friday, August 31); singer/pianist Al Oxenhandler (Saturday, September 1); Downtown Trio's "Bach To The Future" show (Friday, September 14); and a "tenor battle" from saxophonist David Fatek and his organ quartet (Thursday, September 20). And let's not forget the John Coltrane tribute from Holmes and Hard Bop Heritage (Saturday, September 22) and a two-night stand for the "Sinatra Songbook" show (Thursday, September 27 and Friday, September 28).

Finally, to add a little visual interest to this post, there's a bit of YouTubery above and below the text. The video up top shows Acoustic Alchemy performing "Playing for Time", while the one below features Schuur and her quartet doing "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)". Schuur's band in this clip include Rod Fleeman, an excellent guitarist with Kansas City roots who some may also recall as a member of the 1970s fusion group Dry Jack.

Jazz this week: Trio Tres Bien at the Garden, a Jimmy Smith tribute, Scott Alberici with Herb Drury, "Neo-Jazz" and more

Alas, Blogger is being extremely uncooperative today, so before my computer is reduced to a smoking ruin, or something even worse happens, let's get right to this week's jazz highlights in St. Louis:

Tonight, longtime St. Louis favorites Trio Trés Bien (pictured) will perform in a free concert for the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden. No official word if frequent guest vocalist Danita Mumphard, who's the daughter of TTB bassist Harold Thompson, also will be performing, but if so, it's the icing on the cake.

On Thursday, saxophonist David Fatek brings his quartet to Finale Music and Dining for "Back At The Chicken Shack: A Tribute to Jimmy Smith and Stanley Turrentine," which will also feature organist Tony DiPasquale. Though I'm not familiar with Fatek's work, I like the concept and I'm glad Finale booked this show, because St. Louis doesn't have much in the way of indigenous jazz organ groups these days.

On Friday, the Mildred E. Bastian Performing Arts Center at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park will host the "Budweiser Neo-Jazz Fest," a smooth jazz package show featuring vocalists Eric Roberson and Maysa, keyboard player Bob Baldwin and saxophonist Marion Meadows. Tickets are available via Metrotix.

On Friday and Saturday, Jazz at the Bistro continues its summer season with a two-night stand by the Scott Alberici Quartet. The clarinetist's group for this gig will include veteran pianist Herb Drury, a onetime mainstay of the local scene who doesn't perform in public much anymore, so that alone makes it something of a special occasion.

There's more, but I think we've tempted fate and Blogger enough for one day, so please go to the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar for a more extensive listing of local jazz-related events.

(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.)

Finale sets dates for Smith/Turrentine tribute, guitarist Steve Oliver, and more

Finale Music and Dining has announced a number of additional shows of interest to jazz listeners.

The biggest name is guitarist/vocalist Steve Oliver (pictured), who will play the club on Saturday, June 23. Oliver's music gets categorized as smooth jazz, and he's had radio airplay and sales success in that genre, but he also claims influences from rock to world music. You can hear some sound clips from his CD "Radiant" and an interview with Oliver on a podcast available free from iTunes here. You cal also see Oliver's promotional video in the window embedded at the bottom of this post.

Also, fans of jazz organ may want to check out "Back At The Chicken Shack: A Tribute to Jimmy Smith and Stanley Turrentine," with the David Fatek Quartet on Thursday, June 14. Fatek is a saxophonist who teaches music at McKendree College in Lebanon, IL, and has performed with Grover Washington, Jr, Maynard Ferguson, Roger Humphries, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, and the USAF Band of Mid-America's Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble.

More to the point of this particular tribute concept, Fatek earned his music degrees in Philadelphia, where they traditionally know their soul-jazz almost as well as their cheese steaks. And, at the risk of perpetuating another positive stereotype - in this case, that of persons of Italian-American ancestry being good at jazz organ - it should be noted that Fatek's organ player is Tony DiPasquale, band director for the Belleville School District who's also played with Reeves and the Vandellas and Shades of Blue, as well as the Shirelles, Marvin Stamm, Jamey Abersold, the Ink Spots and the Four Aces.

Other St. Louis area musicians newly added to Finale's spring/summer schedule include trombonist Brett Stamps (Thursday, May 31); singer Jeanne Trevor (Saturday, June 16); retro big band Tommy Money Orchestra (Thursday, June 21); the Vegas-style jazz of Wild Cool & Swingin' (Friday, June 22); and singers Erin Bode (Fridau, July 6 and Saturday, July 7) and Anita Rosamond (Saturday, July 14).