St. Louis Jazz Club sets 2009 schedule

The St. Louis Jazz Club has announced its schedule of events for 2009, with a lineup of Sunday matinee concerts featuring local and regional talent, including multiple performances by some of St. Louis' favorite traditional jazz and swing ensembles.

The SLJC will kick off 2009 with a show next Sunday, January 18 by Cornet Chop Suey (pictured) at the Moolah Shrine Center, 12545 Fee Fee Rd in Maryland Heights. The Farmington High School Jazz Band will open the show at 1:00 p.m., followed by the headliners at 2:00 p.m. On Sunday, February 8, it's pianist Pat Joyce and his All-Stars at the Moolah. Then on Sunday, March 8, the St. Louis Stompers will perform at the same venue, with Irish tenor Jeffrey Gonder doing an opening set at 1:15 p.m.

Next up, it's the Dixie Daredevils from central Illinois, who will play on Sunday, April 19 in the Panorama Banquet Room of Bel-Air Bowl, 200 South Belt West in Belleville, IL. Then on Sunday, May 31, it's an encore performance for Cornet Chop Suey back at the Moolah, followed by Michael Lacey's New Orleans Swing on Sunday, June 14 at Bel Air Bowl.

On Sunday, July 12, the SLJC has tentatively scheduled what's being billed as a "piano battle of the best ragtime players in the country" featuring the St. Louis Ragtimers with special guest Dr. Dave Majchrzak performing at the Moolah. Cornet Chop Suey will be back at the the Moolah on Sunday, August 9, and then on Sunday, September 6 the Club will have its annual picnic at the Concord Farmers Club, with musical entertainment TBA.

On Sunday, September 20, the St. Louis Rivermen will perform at Bel-Air Bowl, and on Sunday, October 11, it's Bud Shultz and the You Can't Beat Experience Jazz Band at the Moolah, with an opening set from the Lewis & Clark College Jazz Band at 1:00 p.m. The year wraps up with the St. Louis Stompers on Sunday, November 8 at the Moolah and the club's annual Christmas Party on December 13, also at the Moolah and featuring music from Cornet Chop Suey.

The doors for all events open at 1:15 p.m., with music from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. except as noted otherwise. Tickets for all St. Louis Jazz Club events are $10 for members and $15 for non-members, and students get in free. For more information, see the Club's Web site or call 636-305-0285 or 618-235-0478.

In the embedded video window below, you can see and hear Dave Majchrzak playing "St Louis Rag" at the 2008 Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, MO.



(Edited 2/8/09 to fix an incorrect date for the August concert.)

Jazz this week: Godfathers of Groove, Eastern Blok, Dixie Daredevils, Paul DeMarinis, and more

This week brings another eclectic mix of jazz and creative music performances to St. Louis. Here's a look at some of the highlights happening over the next few days:

Tonight, the all-star soul-jazz ensemble Godfathers of Groove begin a four- night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. Comprised of veteran organist Reuben Wilson (pictured), drum legend Bernard Purdie and guitarist Grant Green Jr., the Godfathers emphasize the bluesy, funky side of jazz, offering a 21st century take on the jazz organ group sound popularized in the 1950s and 1960s. For some video of the Godfathers of Groove in action, see this post.

If your mood this evening is more free jazz than funky, saxophonist Jay Zelenka's Squid Choir Orkestra is performing at the South Side alt-rock haven the Way Out Club, 2525 S. Jefferson, with electronic musician Eric Hall's new group as opening act.

Tomorrow night, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis and singer Debby Lennon team up to do a free concert for Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and multi-instrumentalist Sandy Weltman and Hot Club Caravan bring their gypsy jazz sound to Brandt's.

On Saturday, the Chicago-based group Eastern Blok featuring guitarist Goran Ivanovic returns to St. Louis, bringing their "Balkan Jazz" to The Gramophone. Also on Saturday, singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli will be in town to play a benefit for the Susan G. Komen Foundation at the Ritz Carlton; however, with tickets priced at $250 per person, only the well-heeled and/or truly fanatical would seem inclined to attend.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents a traditional jazz concert from Peoria, IL's Dixie Daredevils at the Moolah Shrine Center.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday night Paul DeMarinis has another concert, performing with his sextet at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium, while the Sessions Big Band takes the stage at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

And next Tuesday brings three events of note, with the Gerry Mulligan/Bob Brookmeyer-inspired quartet Utter Chaos playing at The Gramophone; radio and television personality Don Wolff doing a live cablecast of his I Love Jazz TV show from the Kemper Museum; and the first meeting of Jazz St. Louis' new CD Listening Club at Borders Books and Music in Brentwood.

As usual, these are just some of the week's highlights, so to see listings of more jazz-related events in and around 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.

St. Louis Jazz Club sets fall 2008 schedule

The St. Louis Jazz Club has set its concert schedule for fall 2008, beginning (as described in the previous post) with this Sunday's annual picnic at Concord Farmer's Hall. The Club's season continues on Sunday, September 21 with a performance by the St. Louis-based jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey (pictured) at Bel-Air Bowl, 200 South Belt West in Belleville.

Then on Sunday, October 12, the SLJC will present the traditional jazz sounds of Peoria, Illinois' Dixie Daredevils at the Moolah Shrine Center, 12545 Fee Fee Rd. in Maryland Heights, followed on Sunday, November 16 by Connecticut-based Ivory and Gold, featuring pianist Jeff Barnhart and flutist Anne Barnhart, also at the Moolah. The fall season wraps up with a show on Sunday, December 7 by the St. Louis Rivermen at the Moolah Shrine Center.

Doors open for all concerts at 1:15, with music from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Admission to each concert is $10 for St. Louis Jazz Club members, $15 for non-members, and students get in free.