So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* A story by St. Louis Public Radio's Eric Schmid reports that Miles Davis' childhood home (pictured), now restored and operated as a museum by the not-for-profit organization House of Miles East St. Louis, is the centerpiece of a new weekly tour focused on ESL history and culture.

* In related news, PBS has announced that the American Masters episode featuring the documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool will premiere on Tuesday, February 25. (Check local affiliate listings for the broadcast time in your area.)

* The new vinyl reissue box set of Davis' The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions released last week is the subject of a brief feature in DownBeat and a longer story from UDiscoverMusic.com.

* Guitarist Vincent Varvel and Gaslight Theater owner William Roth were interviewed on Monday's episode of the KTRS program "St. Louis In the Know with Ray Hartmann and Jay Kanzler."

* The holiday cabaret shows of singers Debby Lennon and Dean Christopher last week at Blue Strawberry were reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* And speaking of Debby Lennon, she'll star next month in Max and Louie Productions' staging of "Songs for Nobodies," a one-woman play by Joanna Murray-Smith that features the music of Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf, and Maria Callas in "a mosaic of stories told by the everyday women who had unexpected life-changing encounters with these musical icons." The production will run from Thursday, January 23 through Saturday, February 1 at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

* Singer, actor, and Belleville native Lea DeLaria was interviewed about her new streaming TV show Reprisal and plans for her next album by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

*  Oikos Ensemble has produced a video looking back on past editions of their annual "Jazz Noel" program and promoting this year's performances, which will take place tomorrow at Parkway United Church of Christ and Sunday at First Congregational Church of Webster Groves.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Guitarist Matt Sewell this week was announced as one of 12 semifinalists in the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz's International Guitar Competition, which will be held next month in Washington, DC.

Sewell (pictured), a graduate of Ladue High School and a former member of the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars student ensemble, received his degree from Berklee College of Music in May.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has released a video trailer for his new web video series "Sanborn Sessions," which draws inspiration from NBC's Night Music, the eclectic live music program hosted by Sanborn at the turn of the 90s. You can see the trailer here, and read more about it in this interview with Sanborn on AllAboutJazz.com and this short feature in Jazz Times. "Sanborn Sessions" launches on Tuesday, December 3.

* In additional Sanborn news, the saxophonist now is endorsing a new custom model from Drake Mouthpieces.

* The Sheldon Concert Hall has posted to Facebook an album of photos from last Saturday's performance by Mwenso and The Shakes.

* Singer and impressionist Dean Christopher's "Rat Pack and More" show this Sunday at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey was previewed in an article by the Alton Telegraph's Vicki Bennington.

* A new photo exhibit opening next Wednesday, November 20 at The Dark Room focuses on Jazz St. Louis instructors and students in the JazzU program. "Modulation – Establishing the New Key in the Culture of Jazz St. Louis" features work by St. Louis photographers Collin Elliott, Tyler Small, & Justin Mikhail Soloman and was curated and designed by multi-disciplinary artist Hayveyah McGowan.

* The recently released "lost" Miles Davis album Rubberband was reviewed by Nextbop.com's Rob Shepherd.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Nine Network has released a promotional video for "Such Sweet Thunder," the collaboration among Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Big Muddy Dance Company, and Jazz St. Louis that will be presented Thursday, October 3 through Saturday, October 5 outdoors at the Public Media Commons in Grand Center.

* Singer and impressionist Dean Christopher appeared Thursday on KMOV's Great Day St. Louis, promoting his performance on Saturday at the Belleville Oktoberfest. 

* There's more news this week about the newly released "lost" Miles Davis album Rubberband, including feature stories from DownBeat and Jazz Times, and a review from Jazz Journal.

* Meanwhile, Rhino Records, which released Rubberband, has posted online a "mini-documentary" video about the album.

* Elsewhere on the Miles Davis beat, Craft Recordings is releasing a deluxe 6-LP box set edition of Davis' The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions, which goes on sale on Friday, November 8.

* Last but not least, reviews of the new documentary film Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool are still appearing, including one from AllAboutJazz.com's Victor L. Schermer and one from the alt-weekly Georgia Straight.

Jazz this week: Harry Connick Jr, Take 6, "A Very Manley Christmas" and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features one last round of holiday music performances, including shows from two noteworthy touring headliners, plus some local favorites.

Let's go to the highlights...


Wednesday, December 19
The Jazz St. Louis Big Band will present the final two performances this year of Ellington's "Nutcracker" at Jazz St. Louis.

Also on Wednesday, Cabaret Project of St. Louis has their monthly "Singers Open Mic" at Sophie's Artist Lounge & Cocktail Club; and the weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features the Jazz Troubadors at The Stage at KDHX, the jam session hosted by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's quartet at The Dark Room.

Thursday, December 20
Pianist and singer Harry Connick Jr. (pictured, top left) celebrates this holidays New Orleans style at the Stifel Theatre; vocal group Take 6 teams up with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for the standing-room-only "A Gospel Christmas" at Powell Hall; and singer and impressionist Dean Christopher presents a "Rat Pack Christmas" at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Friday, 
December 21
Trumpeter Jim Manley (pictured, bottom left) and his Mad Brass and Rhythm band present "A Very Manley Christmas" for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis.

Also on Friday, singer Tony Viviano and band will perform seasonal favorites and more at  Table Three; keyboardist Owen Ragland's quintet plays at The Dark Room; and pianist Adam Maness' trio plus singer Malena Smith will be back at Sophie's Artist Lounge.

Saturday, December 22
Musicians including Webster Groves High School band director Kevin Cole, multi-instrumentalist Kevin Mitchell and friends will perform in a late-afternoon matinee benefit for the WGHS jazz band at Hwy 61 Roadhouse in Webster.

Saturday evening, piano and cello duo HämmerString plays at Evangeline's, and saxophonist Dave Stone and his trio will be at Thurman's in Shaw.

Sunday, December 23
Miss Jubilee performs for brunch at Evangeline's, while mandolinist Knez Jackovac and band are playing at The Dark Room.

Then on Sunday evening, there's one last chance for the year to hear some holiday-themed jazz, from singer Anita Jackson at The Dark Room.

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

* Singer and educator Jan Shapiro has taken retirement from the faculty of Berklee College of Music and is moving from Boston back home to St. Louis.

Once she's resettled, Shapiro (pictured), who chaired the vocal department at Berklee from 1997 to 2010, will be accepting students for private voice lessons. For details on that, see her website.

* Jazz St. Louis is one of nine local arts organizations to receive a grant this year from the PNC Foundation. The "PNC Arts Alive" program will provide a total of $250,000 to the nine recipients, with JSL using their portion to produce a web video series, “Jazz from the 314 Presented by PNC Arts Alive,” with pianist Peter Martin as host.

* Singer, actor and impressionist Dean Christopher was profiled in a story on the St. Louis County Arts blog.

* Singer (and physician) Ken Haller's most recent performance of "The TV Show" last month at The Stage at KDHX was reviewed for CabaretScenes.org by Chuck Lavazzi.

* The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's annual "GO! List" issue (in which readers and staff rate various St. Louis people, places and things) was released last week, and in what might be described as an upset victory, BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups was voted by readers as "Best place to hear jazz," while the staff pick in the same category was Joe's Cafe & Gallery.

* St. Louis based independent label Freedonia Music recently has made it onto Facebook, where they are posting "an endless stream of new and old CD releases from our catalog of Creative music, Free Jazz, Free Improv, Avant-garde Electronics and Spontaneous Combustion St. Louis Style." You can check out what they're sharing here.

Presenters Dolan set fall schedule of cabaret shows at Gaslight Theater

The Presenters Dolan have announced their fall schedule of cabaret shows, featuring 15 different acts performing over seven weekends in October and November at the Gaslight Theater, 358 Boyle Ave in the Central West End.

Though apparently without the "Gaslight Cabaret Festival" branding used recently, the series will welcome several new performers, including Wendee Glick, the New Hampshire-based jazz singer who gave the final performance in June 2014 at Robbie's House of Jazz; folk-influenced singer-songwriter Susan Werner; and Kat Edmondson (pictured), a one-time American Idol contestant who has sung with Lyle Lovett and toured as opening act for Jamie Cullum.

There also will be encores from several acts featured previously, including Lina Joutrakos and Rick Jensen, Storm Large, Jeffrey Wright, and Ken Haller, as well as cabaret debuts from the acappella group One Too Many, rock duo Sleepy Kitty, and more.

Here's the complete schedule in chronological order:

Thursday, October 8: Wendee Glick - "Moon Over The Mississippi"
Friday, October 9: Maxine Linehan - "An Immigrant’s Journey From Ireland To America"
Thursday, October 15: Shanara Gabrielle - "Rated SG"
Friday, October 16: One Too Many
Saturday, October 17: Chuck Flowers - "Popping In"
Thursday, October 22: Dean Christopher - "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime: A Tribute to Dean Martin"
Friday, October 23: Ken Haller - "Mama's Boy"
Saturday, October 24: Jeffrey M. Wright
Sunday, October 25: Lina Koutrakos and Rick Jensen - "Two For The Road"
Thursday, October 29 & Friday, October 30: Kat Edmonson - "The Big Picture"

Thursday, November 5: Sleepy Kitty (Paige Brubeck and Evan Sult)
Friday, November 6 & Saturday, November 7: Storm Large
Thursday, November 12: Sleepy Kitty (Paige Brubeck and Evan Sult)
Friday, November 13 & Saturday, November 14: Karen Oberlin - "His Aim Is True - The Songs of Elvis Costello"
Thursday, November 19: Brian Owens - "The Soul of Cash - Johnny Cash"
Friday, November 20 & Saturday, November 21: Susan Werner

All shows start at 8:00 p.m.. Prices for most performances range from $25 to $35, except for Storm Large, which is priced at $45 and $40. Tickets are on sale now via LicketyTix.com.

Jazz this week: SpokFrevo Orquestra, Jesse Gannon and Truth, Dave Dickey Big Band, a new film about Clark Terry, and more

The schedule of jazz and creative music for this Halloween weekend in St. Louis features everything from intimate cabaret shows to roaring big bands, plus the local debut of a new documentary film featuring a St. Louis-born jazz legend. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with Ken Haller presenting the first of two performances of his show "Mama's Boy" at the Gaslight Theater; and saxophonist Adam Schefkind will become the first Washington University student to headline a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series.

Also tonight, Sandy Weltman will lead a harmonica workshop at Mozingo Music's O'Fallon location; and the Tavern of Fine Arts will present their monthly "Experimental Arts Open Improv Night" with live improvised music.

Tomorrow, pianist and singer Jesse Gannon and his band Truth will perform for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, becoming the first St. Louis act to make their Bistro debut in the new, renovated version of the room.

Also tomorrow, singer Dean Christopher no doubt will be breaking out the celebrity impressions during the performance of his "Rat Pack and More" show at the Ozark Theatre; singer Erika Johnson and guitarist Tom Byrne will duet at Robust Wine Bar's downtown location; Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and bassist Darrell Mixon leads a trio at Cigar Inn.

And let's not forget that Friday also is the first evening that Keep On Keepin' On, the new documentary about trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry, will be showing at the Tivoli Theater. The bad news is that the film is only playing here locally for a week; the good news is that the producers are offering free tickets to selected showings this weekend. For more about all of that, see this post.

On Saturday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play swing, hot jazz and jump blues at Evangeline's; singer Ron Wilkinson will perform at the Ozark Theatre; and the Gaslight Cabaret Festival will present a "Webster Senior Showcase" featuring Webster University students Michael Williams, Eden Rain Eernissee, and Michael Dewar at the Gaslight Theater

Then on Sunday, the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will present their November event at the  American Czech Hall, 4690 Lansdowne at Kingshighway on the south side.

That evening, listeners can choose between two big band concerts, both happening in the Grand Center district. At Jazz at the Bistro, the Dave Dickey Big Band will be making their debut at the venue, having moved their monthly shows from their former location at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Meanwhile, just a couple of short blocks away, the Brazilian big band SpokFrevo Orquestra (pictured), which mixes jazz with styles associated with the Brazilan carnival, will be wrapping up their eight-city tour of the USA with a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

As shown in the video of a full concert included in part three of StLJN's fall 2014 jazz preview, this a musically accomplished and sonically explosive group, and it's too bad that their appearance here seems to be flying under the radar of much of the local media.

Fortunately for big band enthusiasts, the shows start two hours apart, meaning that it should theoretically be possible to catch the first set of the Dickey band at the Bistro, then hustle on over to Sheldon to hear SpokFrevo Orquestra. (The only downside to this plan is that it likely means missing the intermission set at the Bistro by the Lindbergh High School Jazz Ensemble.)

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the free jazz and improvising ensemble Numbers returns to Tavern of Fine Arts; and Webster University's student jazz combos will be performing at the University's Community Music School.

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.)

Jazz concert on Friday, August 26 to benefit family of police dispatcher

Trumpeter Jim Manley's Wild, Cool and Swingin' Orchestra (pictured) and singers Dean Christopher and Valerie Tichacek will perform in a benefit concert at 8:00 p.m., Friday, August 26 at the Parkway United Church of Christ, 2841 N. Ballas Rd.

Proceeds from the performance will benefit the children of Lisa O'Brien, a police dispatcher in Town and Country who died suddenly last month at age 31 of complications from a respiratory illness. O'Brien is survived by her husband, a five-year-old son and an eight-month-old daughter.

Tickets for the concert are $15 and will be available at the door.

Jazz this week: Glendale Jazz Festival, Kim Massie, Matthew Von Doran, and more

With Memorial Day weekend coming up, it's a relatively light few days in the offing for live jazz and creative music in St. Louis. Moreover, with StLJN HQ still in recovery mode after a computer crash Tuesday night, yr. humble editor has his hands full right now with software re-installs, restoring files from backup, and similar fun-inducing tasks. Still, there are a few noteworthy shows on tap this weekend, so here's a brief look:

The tenth annual Glendale Jazz Festival is this Friday night at the city hall complex in Glendale. This year's event will feature music from the St. Louis Stompers, singer Denise Thimes, and Terry Thompson's band Swing Alive with vocalist Dean Christopher, plus jazz radio personality Don Wolff as MC. It's free and open to the public.

On Friday and Saturday, singer Kim Massie is at Jazz at the Bistro, while the St. Louis Jazz Cafe this weekend will feature saxophonist Readus Miller on Thursday, the Sky West Trio on Friday, and 3 Central on Saturday.

Singer Erin Bode has a busy weekend planned, with a gig at Cyrano's in Webster Groves tonight, a free show on Saturday afternoon at the Crestwood Court mall, another show that same night at Peppertini's in Chesterfield, and a Sunday afternoon performance at the Blumenhof Winery in Dutzow.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday night, guitarist Matthew Von Doran (pictured) will do a free show at The Gramophone.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, 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.)

Glendale Jazz Festival to celebrate tenth year on Friday, May 22

Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2009, the Glendale Jazz Festival will take place this year from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22 on the lower parking lot of the Glendale City Hall complex, 424 N. Sappington Rd.

This year's event will feature music from traditional jazz band the St. Louis Stompers (pictured), singer Denise Thimes, and Terry Thompson's Swing Alive band featuring singer Dean Christopher. Jazz broadcaster Don Wolff will once again host the event, which the city of Glendale's newsletter (.pdf) says has grown in attendance from 200 people the first year to a crowd of 2,000 last year.

Admission to the Glendale Jazz Festival is free and open to the public, and food and beverages from local vendors will be available for purchase on site.

Jazz this week: Guitars and Saxes, Hamiet Bluiett, the music of the Crusaders, "Sworn To The Drum," and more

The major touring jazz attraction in St. Louis this week is the 2008 edition of Guitars and Saxes, which will be here on Sunday to play The Pageant as part of Rick Sanborn's "Smooth Summer Party" series. The featured performers for this year's version of Guitars and Saxes are guitarists Peter White and Jeff Golub, saxophonist Gerald Albright and keyboard player Jeff Lorber (pictured) .

Though the Guitars and Saxes headliners may have the marquee names, there's also plenty of good music this week from St. Louis' hometown talent, including several free concerts. The freebies start this evening, when Le Jazz Hot, featuring pianist Ptah Williams, saxophonist Chad Evans, drummer Bensid Thigpen and bassist Darrell Mixon, performs a free concert as part of the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden

On Thursday, there are two more free shows, as pianist Curt Landes plays for the summer Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and the Whitaker Urban Evenings series at St. Louis Place Park (located at Rauschenbach Ave and St. Louis Ave) kicks off with a concert by singer Kim Massie. Working his second job as a blues harmonica player, Jazz St. Louis executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford and the Blues Inquisition will open the show for Massie.

On Friday and Saturday, you can get in a jazz-funk groove with Adaron "Pops' Jackson, keyboard player for the group Good 4 The Soul, as he performs the music of the Crusaders during a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro, or soak up a retro-Vegas vibe from singer Dean Christopher, who brings his Rat Pack-themed show featuring the music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and more.for two nights at the Cabaret at Savor. Also this weekend, Cookie's Jazz and More will present two longtime St. Louis favorites, with Trio Tres Bien and singer Danita Mumphard taking the stage on Friday and singer/pianist Sherry Drake doing "A Tribute To Ella" on Saturday.

Sunday offers two more free performances, with the internationally known baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett and his Improvising Youth Orchestra playing outdoors at Ivory Perry Park, while Black Artists Group presents "Sworn To The Drum" featuring "Baba" Mike Nelson and friends indoors at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe. Also on Sunday, there's a blues benefit show for former Ike and Tina Turner saxophonist Jim Koerber at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups. Though you probably won't hear any jazz at this last performance, there will be a nice selection of St. Louis blues talent, including the Soulard Blues Band and the Mighty Big Band, performing for a good cause.

For more St. Louis jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, 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.)

(Edited 6/18/08 to correct the location of St. Louis Place Park.)

Cabaret at Savor showcasing St. Louis singers

The Cabaret at Savor, located at 4356 Lindell in the Central West End, is an intimate 65-seat room that usually presents touring performers, like the upcoming gig by singer Paula West with the George Mesterhazy Trio next Wednesday, May 14 through Saturday, May 17.

However, the club is also devoting a number of weekend evenings this spring to St. Louis vocalists. Next up is singer Renee Smith (pictured), who's appearing at the club this Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 under the auspices of what's being called the "Cabaret in Blue" series. A veteran performer on the blues and R&B circuit who's sung with St. Louis legends such as Oliver Sain and Johnnie Johnson, Smith will be singing a program of love songs drawn from a variety of genres, including blues, soul, jazz, pop and standards, backed by none other than yr. humble StLJN editor on piano.

After West's four-night run, the "Cabaret in Blue" series continues with singer Uvee Hayes, whose CDs have included guest appearances from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Luther Ingram and the Phoenix Horns, and have received airplay as far away as Japan and the UK. Hayes also will be doing a wide variety of material, ranging from blues to jazz to country, and, as fate would have it, also will be backed by yr. humble editor on piano, plus another musician or two yet to be announced.

(Regular readers know that, other than linking to an occasional story I've written for the Riverfront Times, I don't use this space much for self promotion. In this case, it's more than a little awkward for me to be plugging two shows that I'm playing in, but I expect that both Renee and Uvee will put on entertaining performances, and my musical participation notwithstanding, I figure that if you're reading this far, you're certainly capable of making your own judgment as to whether or not it seems like your sort of thing. More to the point, it would be even more awkward to write about what Savor is doing with St. Louis singers and not mention these two weekends. So, now that all the disclosures have been disclosed...)

Other St. Louis vocalists who will be featured in upcoming performances at the Cabaret at Savor include Kim Massie on Friday, May 30; Erin Bode on Thursday, June 5; Sherry Drake on Saturday, June 14; Dean Christopher on Friday, June 20 and Saturday June 21; and Debby Lennon on Saturday, June 28.

You can read more about all of the performers at the Cabaret at Savor's Web site; advance tickets are available online via LicketyTix.com.

Glendale Jazz Festival set for Friday, May 23

The 2008 Glendale Jazz Festival will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 23 on the lower parking lot of the Glendale City Hall complex, 424 N. Sappington Rd.

This year's event, hosted once again by jazz broadcaster Don Wolff, will have a decided New Orleans flavor, with sets from the traditional jazz band the St. Louis Stompers and the Louisiana-style funk and R&B group Gumbohead. Completing the musical lineup is Terry Thompson's Swing Alive band featuring singer Dean Christopher (pictured), who's known for his Rat Pack tribute show featuring musical impressions of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and others.

Admission is free, and food and beverages from Westwood Catering and Caitos Restaurant will be available for purchase. You can download a .pdf flyer for the event here.

Person, Jordan added to Finale fall schedule

Finale Music and Dining has announced its schedule for most of the remaining dates in 2007, and there are a number of shows of interest to jazz fans.

In addition to the previously announced return of singer and pianist Diane Schuur, the biggest news is that saxophonist and St. Louis native Eric Person and guitarist Stanley Jordan (pictured) both will be performing return engagements at the Clayton club this fall. Person and his band Meta-Four will play Finale on Saturday, October 13, with Jordan coming in the next week for a two-night stand on Thursday, October 18 and Friday, October 19.

Finale will also continue its practice of booking themed evenings of entertainment, with new entries including holiday shows featuring Debby Lennon (Saturday, December 15) and Anita Rosamond (Saturday, December 22) and a tribute to Chet Baker from the band Hard Bop Heritage (Thursday, December 27).

The club also announced return engagements for a number of other local and regional artists, including Rod Tate (Saturday, October 6); Tim Cunningham (Friday, October 12; Saturday, November 10; and Friday, December 7); the Tommy Money Orchestra (Saturday, October 20); Kim Massie (Saturday, October 27; Friday, November 30 and Saturday, December 29); Dean Christopher's Rat Pack and More (Thursday, November 1 and Friday, December 14); Erin Bode (Friday, November 16 and Saturday, November 17); and the Sinatra Songbook (Friday, November 23).