Jazz this week: Chris Botti, JazzU with Stefon Harris, Don Cunningham, U City Jazz Festival, Daniel Bennett, and more

This week's lineup of jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis encompasses musicians with a vast range of experience, from young teenage players getting their first chances onstage at a showcase club to an elder statesman who got his start more than a half-century ago in the fabled Gaslight Square entertainment district. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 3
Billed as the "New York Jazz Ensemble," bassist Tom Kennedy, saxophonists George Garzone and Steve Wirts, guitarist Joe Cohn and drummer Miles Vandiver will play an early evening show at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Also on Wednesday, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra will make their debut at Jazz at the Bistro.

Thursday, June 4
Singer Feyza Eren teams with guitarist Brian Vaccaro's trio to re-imagine songs from a variety of genres at the Tavern of Fine Arts; guitarist Dave Black and friends, featuring singer Joe Mancuso, return to Nathalie's; and saxophonist Jim Stevens and band will perform at Hammerstone's.

Friday, June 5
If there's a sentimental favorite among this week's jazz and creative music attractions, it would have to be singer, multi-instrumentalist and St. Louis native Don Cunningham.

Cunningham (pictured, top left), a veteran of the Gaslight Square era who now lives in Las Vegas, is returning to his hometown this weekend for his first performances since his wife and musical partner, singer and pianist Alicia Cunningham, passed away back in December.

He'll be joined by singer Jeanne Trevor and a local rhythm section for shows paying tribute to his wife and the late St. Louis singer Gene Lynn on Friday and Saturday nights, plus a Sunday matinee, at the Ozark Theatre.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Chris Botti (pictured, center left) returns to St. Louis for the first time since 2012 for a performance with the St. Louis Symphony at Powell Hall; and the students from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU and Jazz St. Louis All-Stars programs will begin their annual weekend showcase at Jazz at the Bistro, with a little help from special guest vibraphonist Stefon Harris (pictured, lower left).

Elsewhere around town, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform at Evangeline's; the Funky Butt Brass Band check in for their monthly gig at Broadway Oyster Bar; and the Original Knights of Swing play for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom.


Saturday, June 6
Starting mid-afternoon and continuing through the evening, the annual U City Jazz Festival in Heman Park will present free performances by drummer Demarius Hicks' quartet, the Silverman Brothers Band, trumpeter Anthony Wiggins with drummer Maurice Carnes, pianist Philip Gomez' trio, and the student band Nexus.

Also on Saturday, pianist Greg Mills and the Perihelion Ensemble return to the Tavern of Fine Arts; and The People's Key offer instrumental interpretations of the music of Michael Jackson at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Sunday, June 7
The Friends of Scott Joplin present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" matinee at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, this month welcoming performs who will have just played the annual Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia; and Good 4 The Soul plays their monthly show at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday June 9
Saxophonist Daniel Bennett, touring in support of his new album The Mystery at Clown Castle, will play a free concert with his trio in the auditorium at the downtown branch of the St. Louis Public Library.

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 news items of local interest:

* Keep On Keepin' On, the documentary about trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry, has won the Cinema Eye Honors' 2015 Audience Choice Award. The awards were presented this past Wednesday at a ceremony in Queens, NYC.

* Speaking of awards, singer Denise Thimes will be honored with an "Excellence in the Arts" award at the annual St. Louis Arts Awards dinner and ceremony, to be held Monday, January 19 at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

* St. Louis magazine's dining section has named the winners of their "Thumbnail Awards" for 2014, and the newly renovated Jazz at the Bistro was cited as the "Best Place to Brag About (on several levels)."

* Drummer and St. Charles native Dave Weckl (pictured) has posted on Facebook a video about "Circle of Rhythm," a piece of artwork from his new "rhythm-on-canvas" collection.

* What keeps you from going out to hear live music? St. Louis Public Radio's Public Insight Network is surveying local listeners, and you can respond here.

* StLJN offers our condolences to multi-instrumentalist and former St. Louisan Don Cunningham on the loss of his wife, singer and pianist Alicia Cunningham, who died December 23 in Las Vegas after a battle with cancer.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis' “Somethin’ Else,”  host , Calvin Wilson will feature the music of songwriter Hoagy Carmichael as interpreted by musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Jason Moran, Branford Marsalis, and more. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Then Sunday on KWMU's "Jazz Unlimited,"  host Dennis Owsley will present the second part of a four-part special on the music of George Gershwin, this week featuring "show, film and some classical music.” Listen in from 9:00 pm to midnight on 90.7 FM or online at http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org.

Jazz this week: John Pizzarelli, Esfoma, The Cunninghams, a tribute to Charles Mingus, Bad Luck, and more

Autumn is definitely in the air in St. Louis, and it's looking like a fine weekend to get out and hear some live jazz and creative music. Here's a look at some of the most noteworthy performances coming up over the next few days...

Tonight, singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli opens a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. The longtime St. Louis favorite has a new band for this visit, still featuring his brother Martin on bass, but also including two new members, pianist Konrad Paszkudzki and drummer Kevin Kanner. For some samples of Pizzarelli in action, check out this video post, made before his four-night run with his dad, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, last year at the Bistro, and this one from before his 2012 gig at the club. 

Also tonight, Esfoma, an improvising ensemble led by pianist Greg Mills, will perform at Tavern of Fine Arts. Mills played out and recorded frequently from the late 1970s through the 1990s as a solo pianist and with the duo Exiles, but has kept a low public profile of late. He'll be accompanied on this gig by percussionist Henry Claude, cellist Tracy Andreotti, poet Michael Castro, saxophonist Dave Stone, and fellow pianist David Parker.

Tomorrow night, bassist Bob DeBoo leads a group playing the music of Charles Mingus in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; singer Denise Thimes will perform in her tenth annual show raising funds for pancreatic cancer research at the Sheldon Concert Hall; and the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with Antonio Rodriguez performing his show "Memories, Mistakes and Moving On" at the Gaslight Theater

On Friday, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues with singer and pianist Steve Ross, who will present his show "An Evening with Steve Ross" at the Gaslight Theater. Once called "the suavest of all male cabaret performers" by the New York Times, Ross will repeat the show again on Saturday.

Also on Friday, Second Generation Swing plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; singer Joe Mancuso fronts a quartet at Nathalie's; and the The People's Key play the house concert venue KindaBlue, located at 6101 1/2 Idaho on the south side. Elsewhere around town, Miss Jubilee will be swinging at Prasino in St. Charles; guitarist Brian Vaccaro's trio will host a jam session at The Wolf in Ballwin; and Midwest Jazz-tette will play West Coast-style "cool" jazz at the Cigar Inn in Belleville.

On Saturday, the Seattle-based drum and saxophone duo Bad Luck will perform a late-afternoon show at the Tavern of Fine Arts. Regarded as one of the top experimental, improvising pairs in their hometown, drummer Chris Icasiano and saxophonist Neil Welch use live audio loops and digital effects to augment and enhance their sound.

Then on Saturday evening, vocal duo The Cunninghams will be in town from their home in Las Vegas to play at the Ozark Theater. Former St. Louisan Don Cunningham and his wife Alicia (pictured) have a long and fascinating history in the music business, some of which is detailed in this post from last Saturday and the accompanying linked material. But you don't need a lesson to enjoy their music, which features closely harmonized vocals, in the style of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross or the Manhattan Transfer, with accents of Latin jazz and exotica.

Also on Saturday, singer Erin Bode is at Nathalie's; singers Feyza Eren and Ayse Eren, aka the Eren Sisters, and guitarist Dave Black will be at The Wine Press; the Ann Dueren Trio returns to Il Bel Lago; and the Funky Butt Brass Band will be back at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

On Sunday morning, The Sidemen will be filling in providing music for the jazz brunch this week at Evangeline's, and later on that day, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play a matinee at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the jazz faculty of Webster University will present their annual TKT Scholarship Benefit Concert at Winifred Moore Auditorium on campus. The event raises money for music scholarships in the names of Terry Jackson, Kirk Cappello and Tony Saputo, three musicians and Webster alumni who were killed in a 1991 plane crash along with five other members of country singer Reba McEntire's road band. This year's theme is "Jazz Interpretations of the Music of Jule Styne," paying tribute to the composer of songs such as "I Fall In Love Too Easily," "The Party's Over" and "People."

Also on Monday, singer Dean Christopher bring his "Rat Pack and More" show with pianist Chris Swan and trumpeter Jim Manley to One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar; and "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective will return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Tuesday, pianist Jim Hegarty will lead a trio at Tavern of Fine Arts; and the weekly Tuesday jam sessions once held at Robbie's House of Jazz have been resurrected, like much of Robbie's other programming, at the Ozark Theatre.

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: The return of The Cunninghams

This week, our video spotlight shines on The Cunninghams, a duo comprised of singer, multi-instrumentalist, and former St. Louisan Don Cunningham and his wife Alicia, a singer and pianist. The Las Vegas-based couple are returning to St. Louis for a show next Saturday, October 25, at the Ozark Theatre.

Billing themselves as the "Super Jazz Vocal Pair," the Cunninghams' main calling card is their close harmony vocals, delivered in a style that may remind jazz fans of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral, or the Manhattan Transfer, and spiced with touches of Latin jazz, lounge and exotica. They've toured with the Count Basie Orchestra, enjoyed great success in Asia as well as in the US, and even were nominated for a Grammy Award back in 1989.

Don Cunningham began his professional career here in the 1960s, playing in Gaslight Square and leading the house band at the Playboy Club, which is what led me to write about him and Alicia for the first time back in 2007 for the Riverfront Times. Since that piece and one of today's videos recap much of their back story, we won't do that again today.

Instead, let's go straight to the videos, starting up above with a brief promo clip they put together a couple of years ago to help introduce their act to the uninitiated.

After the jump, you can see a segment from the April 2012 episode of HEC-TV's "I Love Jazz" that includes performance footage as well as an interview, conducted by the program's host Don Wolff. After that, there's an extended excerpt from another homecoming gig the Cunninghams did a few years back at Harris-Stowe State University, accompanied by pianist Jeter Thompson's trio.

Since that's all the footage of them that seems to be available online, we'll wrap up with some vintage audio, specifically "Tabu," the track from Don Cunningham's St. Louis days that 40 years later helped him become known by DJs and record collectors all over the world. From the 2007 RFT article:

"Cunningham also earned international attention a couple of years ago when the San Francisco label Luv N' Haight reissued Something for Everyone, an album he cut in 1965 while his group was the house band at the St. Louis Playboy Club. Inspired by Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Les Baxter and music he heard in Hawaii while touring with Mathis, Cunningham incorporated those exotic sounds into his own act, eventually cutting an LP and pressing up 500 copies to sell at the club.

More than 30 years later, one of those copies found its way to Luv N' Haight, which included a bootlegged version of the song "Tabu" on a multi-artist compilation aimed at DJs. "Tabu" caught on with record spinners in Brazil, Japan and elsewhere, prompting the label to locate Cunningham and arrange an authorized re-release of the entire album."

For more about The Cunninghams, check out this article that Dennis Owsley wrote in 2011 for St. Louis magazine; this story written by Roscoe Crenshaw in 2009 for the St. Louis American; and this 2005 interview with Las Vegas Talk Radio.

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

Jazz this week: Terence Blanchard, Snarky Puppy, U City Jazz Festival, and more

With the fall presenting season now in full swing, the next few days in St. Louis offer a pleasingly varied selection of gigs for the jazz and creative music fan. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, trumpeter Terence Blanchard (pictured) opens a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. Blanchard is a familiar figure to St. Louis audiences from several previous appearances here both at the Bistro and at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Having composed many film scores for director Spike Lee and others, the New Orleans native now also is writing an opera that will receive its world premiere next year at Opera Theatre St. Louis. For this gig at the Bistro, though, Blanchard will be leading a small group and and seems likely to showcase his customary post-bop sound, spiced with a bit of syncopated New Orleans flavor.

Also tonight, The Cabaret Project presents their monthly Cabaret Open Mic night at the Tavern of Fine Arts, with actor/singer Bob Mitchell as host and Carol Schmidt at the keyboard.

Tomorrow night, the Texas-based jazz/funk/world music outfit Snarky Puppy comes to town to perform at The Gramophone. Comprised mostly of former students from the well-known music program of the University of North Texas, Snarky Puppy on record is a sprawling collective that includes a couple dozen members. The live band, though smaller in numbers, emphasizes the same expansive grooves to underpin improvisations from a varied cast of soloists.

On Friday, pianist and singer Jesse Gannon brings a trio to Robbie's House of Jazz; vocalist Zena Bott-Goins leads a group at the Cigar Inn; and the Funky Butt Brass Band returns to the Broadway Oyster Bar

Saturday, it's the second-ever U City Jazz Festival, a free, all-day affair held outdoors in Heman Park, off of Olive St. Rd. This year's lineup features Trio Tres Bien with singer Danita Mumphard and special guest multi-instrumentalist Don Cunningham, plus the St, Louis Metrobones; pianist Ptah Williams leading a reunion of his fusion group Tracer; trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber; Bach to the Future; and a Miles Davis tribute.

Also on Saturday, guitarist Todd Mosby and Farshid Etniko will be among the performers at a benefit for Mitrata-Nepal Foundation for Children at Logan College of Chiropractic's Purser Center; experimental violinist Joey Molinaro will play at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center; and saxophonist Jerry Greene leads a quartet at Robbie's.

Then on Sunday, the Dave Dickey Big Band will play their monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company. This month's performance will feature the music of Count Basie, and the venue is clearing some floor space for swing dancers who wish to strut their stuff.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday guitarist Tom Byrne and his Pat Metheny-inspired ensemble Have You Heard? will play at Webster University's 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:

* A new episode of HEC-TV's I Love Jazz began airing September 1 on the local cable network. The episode features performances by guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and singer/pianist Tony DeSare from their concert earlier this year at the Sheldon, as well as stories about young musician Michael Ferrante of the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars and the East St. Louis High School Jazz Band's trip to New York City for the Essentially Ellington competition at Jazz at Lincoln Center. You can watch the whole episode online here.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band's new CD You Can Trust The Funky Butt Brass Band was reviewed by the RFT's Christian Schaefer.

* In his latest blog post for St. Louis magazine, Dennis Owsley writes about multi-instrumentalist and former St. Louisan Don Cunningham, who came back home last month for a show at the Sheldon.

* From an online publication called The Trades, here's a review of the recent concert by Return to Forever and Zappa Plays Zappa at St. Louis' Fox Theatre.

* Jazz St. Louis still needs volunteers to help staff an information booth this weekend at the 2011 Saint Louis Art Fair in Clayton. Specificaly, JSL needs help from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday and from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. If you're interested, email JSL's Devin Rodino at devin @ jazzstl.org or call him at 314-289-4144.

* Single tickets for the 2011-12 We Always Swing series in Columbia are on sale now via the organization's box office and Ticketmaster. Although this year's series includes a number of musicians who also will be playing St. Louis, there are several who, so far, do not have a stop scheduled here, including Nilson Matta's Brazilian Voyage with Anne Drummond and Vic Juris, singer Rene Marie, pianist Benny Green and guitarist Russell Malone.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Don Cunningham of The Cunninghams (pictured) talked about their show tonight at the Sheldon Concert Hall to Calvin Wilson of the Post-Dispatch, and you can read that article online here.

* Trumpet legend and St. Louis native Clark Terry shared some thoughts on mentoring younger musicians with JazzEd magazine.

* Last week's unveiling of the statue of Chuck Berry in University City was covered by Terry Perkins for the St. Louis Beacon.

* The Miles Davis estate and Sony records are looking for input from fans on the next re-release package of the trumpeter's music.

* STLtoday.com has started aggregating content from local blogs on several section-header pages, and StLJN now is included on the music page's list of blogs. (Scroll down the page to see the feeds.) Thanks to Bob Rose of STLtoday/the Post-Dispatch and whoever else was responsible for the add.

Jazz this week: DMS with George Duke, Marcus Miller & David Sanborn, The Cunninghams, Tony Suggs, and more

This weekend's most noteworthy jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis are united by an element of homecoming, as three locals who have made good in the wider world will be back in town to play for the home folks. Here's what's happening:

On Friday, the vocal duo The Cunninghams return to St. Louis to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall, presenting a mix of straight-ahead swinging jazz, Latin percussion, and a bit of exotica. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Don Cunningham is a former St. Louisan who was part of the Gaslight Square scene here during the 1960s before moving to Los Angeles, where he met, teamed up with professionally, and then married his wife Alicia, a singer and pianist. For more about the Cunninghams, check out this story I wrote about them for the Riverfront Times back in 2007.

Also on Friday, pianist Tony Suggs, the East St. Louis native who's held down the piano chair with the Count Basie Orchestra since 1999, will be back home in the St. Louis area, doing a trio performance at Robbie's House of Jazz. Suggs, who's also played electric jazz with trumpeters Russell Gunn and Roy Hargrove and recorded a couple of solo albums, will be joined by bassist Nick Jost and drummer Montez Coleman.

In other club performances this weekend, the Cigar Inn in Belleville will present MMR Jazz Syndicate on Friday; and on Saturday, Robbie's House of Jazz has the BCD Trio with pianist Brad Ellebrecht, bassist Chris Watrous and drummer Dave Mayo. Also on Saturday, guitarist Dave Black will do a couple of solo performances, in the afternoon at the Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood and in the evening at Mojo Tapas and Wine Bar on South Grand.

On Sunday. the funk-jazz supergroup DMS with keyboardist George Duke, bassist Marcus Miller, and saxophonist and St. Louis native David Sanborn (pictured) will play a concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis.

Sanborn talked with me about the DMS tour for an article on the Riverfront Times' music blog A to Z, which you can read here. There's also a "Critic's Pick" on the show in the print edition of the RFT, and you can read that online here. To see some videos of Sanborn and a recap of StLJN's coverage of him over the years, see this post, and for some clips of DMS performing during the first leg of their tour in May and June, see this post.

Also on Sunday, Bossanova Restaurant & Lounge in Alton will present their monthly jazz jam session, hosted by saxophonist Jason Swagler and guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio; and Good 4 The Soul will play an early evening show at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

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

The Sheldon adds jazz to summer schedule

The Sheldon has added three performances to its summer schedule that may be of interest to StLJN readers:

* Singer Sylvia McNair will present a cabaret performance in the Sheldon's upstairs ballroom at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14.

McNair is known primarily for her work in classical music, but in recent years also has performed selections from "the Great American Songbook" and Broadway in cabaret settings like this one. (In fact, she did a similar program at the Sheldon last year at this time.) Tickets are $45 and are available now via Metrotix.

* Multi-instrumentalist Wayne Coniglio will perform with his band and guest trombonist Scott Whitfield for a live CD recording session at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 15 in the Sheldon's concert hall.

Whitfield is based in NYC and has extensive experience with both small groups and big bands, including the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, for whom he was lead trombonist for a decade. Coniglio, who plays both trombone and bass, will concentrate on the 'bone for this outing, and the band also will include Ken Kehner (piano), Eric Warren (bass) and Kevin Gianino (drums). Tickets are $10 at the door.

* Vocal duo The Cunninghams (pictured) will be "coming home one mo' time" for a performance at 8:00 p.m. Friday, August 5 in the concert hall.

Multi-instrumentalist Don Cunningham, a veteran of the Gaslight Square era in St. Louis, and his wife, singer and pianist Alicia Cunningham, currently live in Las Vegas but have returned to St. Louis to perform and reunite with old friends several times in recent years.

(The picture accompanying this post was taken at one of those previous shows at the Sheldon, and borrowed from the Cunninghams' MySpace page. They are standing at left, and also out front are, from left to right, singer Mae Wheeler, saxophonist Chuck Tillman and percussionist Percy James.)

For more about Don Cunningham and his history in St. Louis, see this post. Tickets for The Cunninghams' August 5 concert at the Sheldon are $25 and are on sale now via Metrotix.

Ronnie Laws, The Cunninghams coming to The Sheldon this summer

The Sheldon Concert Hall has added a couple of jazz shows to its summer schedule:

* Saxophonist Ronnie Laws (pictured at left) and singer Dee Brown will perform at the Sheldon on Wednesday, June 17 in a concert commemorating the 25th anniversary of the National Black MBA Association - St. Louis Chapter. Laws, a native of Houston, TX and the brother of flute player Hubert Laws, is perhaps known for his hit song "Always There" and has been performing recently in the group 3BT with fellow tenor men Wilton Felder (formerly of the Crusaders) and Gary Davis. He's touring solo this summer in support of his new CD Voices in the Water.

Proceeds from the concert will benefit the STL-BMBAA's scholarship fund, which provides scholarships to high school, undergraduate and MBA students. VIP tickets, which are $125 and include a meet-and-greet with the artists, "deluxe hors' d'oeuvres" and a souvenir gift, can be purchased online at www.stlbmbaa.org or by calling 636-230-2404. Regular tickets are $65 and $50, and can be purchased through Metrotix.

* The husband-and-wife team The Cunninghams (pictured below) will be returning to St. Louis to perform on Sunday, July 12. Don Cunningham, a percussionist, saxophonist and singer, is a St. Louis native who started his music career here during the Gaslight Square era before going on the road with singer Johnny Mathis and subsequently relocating to the West Coast.

Nearly 40 years after its original release, Cunningham's locally produced album Something For Everyone, recorded live at the Playboy Club in St. Louis, became a favorite of acid-jazz DJs and crate-diggers around the world, eventually leading to its re-release on CD by Ubiquity Records. More recently, working as a duo with his wife Alicia, a classically trained singer and pianist, Cunningham has toured extensively throughout North America and Asia, headlining shows and appearing as special guests with the Count Basie Orchestra.

I had a chance to interview Don and Alicia Cunningham a couple of years ago before a previous show at The Sheldon, and they were most generous with their time and full of interesting stories about their travels, famous folks they've known, and, in Don's case, the Gaslight Square scene here in St. Louis. At that time, they said they planned to curtail their touring schedule somewhat, wanting to spend more time at their home in Las Vegas after a couple of decades of constant travel. It's good to see them making an exception to return to St. Louis. Tickets for The Cunninghams' "Coming Home One Mo' Time" show are $25 for general admission and are available via Metrotix.

(Edited 5/6/09 to fix a typo.)

The Cunninghams featured in this week's RFT

The jazz vocal duo of Don and Alicia Cunningham will be in St. Louis tomorrow night to perform a concert at the Sheldon, and I've got a brief story about them in this week's Riverfront Times, which you can read online here. (Scroll halfway down the page to see the start of the the article.)

Don & Alicia Cunningham to play at the Sheldon on Thursday, July 12

Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Don Cunningham, a former St. Louisan who now lives in Las Vegas and performs with his wife Alicia as The Cunninghams, is returning to his old home town to play the Sheldon Concert Hall on Thursday, July 12.

Working as a duo, the Cunninghams have performed with the Count Basie Orchestra, appeared with many other jazz luminaries in Las Vegas and on the West Coast, and toured as headliners in the U.S. and Japan. Their 1988 album Strings and Swing: I Remember Bird was nominated for a Grammy Award.

However, a whole different group of music fans, DJs, collectors and crate diggers also know Don Cunningham as the man who recorded Something For Everyone, a self-issued LP made in St. Louis way back in 1965 while Cunningham was performing at the Playboy Club. (The photo accompanying this post was taken during the session at the old Technisonic Studios. That's Cunningham playing percussion, with the late John Mixon on bass and Manny Quintero on drums.)

The album contained a track called "Tabu" that was reissued on a compilation, Hip City, released in 1995 by the West Coast label Luv "N Haight. It caught on with acid jazz DJs in Europe and Japan, leading to the 2003 reissue on CD of the entire album, which had an original vinyl pressing of just 500 copies.

The Cunninghams' current duo act showcases the vocal talents of both husband and wife, as well as Don's skills on percussion and saxophone. They interpret a variety of jazz favorites with their own arrangements of music from Basie, Duke Ellington, Nat "King" Cole, Horace Silver, Charlie Parker and others. (You can read a review of a 2002 concert of theirs here.)

For their St. Louis performance, they'll be joined by Quintero on drums; pianist Marion Miller, who also played on Something for Everyone, and saxophonist Chuck Tillman.

Mae Wheeler, an old friend of Don Cunningham's, is producing the show as part of the Sheldon's Notes From Home series, and a portion of the proceeds will go to her scholarship fund for St. Louis students. Tickets are $25 and $30 in advance, and are on sale now via Metrotix.

(Edited after posting.)