StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: More "Rising Stars" in concert

This week, let's take a look at some more performances of video by musicians who topped the "Rising Star" categories in this year's DownBeat Critics Poll. As with any article or feature based on poll results, readers are encouraged not to view those results too seriously in terms of who's the "best" on a given instrument, but rather to use them as a starting point for conversation and exploration of artists you may not have heard before.

The first video up above is is from singer and mukti-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, who's become a sensation on YouTube on the way to winning "Rising Star" award for both keyboard and male vocalist. He's seen here doing a solo show in March 2020 on the campus of USC in Los Angeles.

After the jump, you can see a set from Nir Felder, who was named "Rising Star - Guitar" in this year's poll. Felder, who may be familiar to St. Louis fans for his work in recent years with trumpeter Keyon Harrold, is fronting a trio with bassist Matt Penman and drummer Jimmy Macbride for a set recorded in January 2021 at Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) in New York.

Next up, it's Samuel Blaser, this year's "Rising Star - Trombone" leading a trio for a show in June 2018 at Bop Shop Records in Rochester, NY.

That's followed by a set from Alex Harding, the "Rising Star - Baritone Sax" for 2021, who earlier in his career did time in large ensembles led by former St. Louisans Hamiet Bluiett and Julius Hemphill. Here, Harding is fronting his band Organ Nation for a set recorded in June of this year at The Block in Muskegon, MI.

Today's penultimate video features Cory Henry, this year's winner for "Rising Star - Organ" who's known for his work with Snarky Puppy before launching his solo career. In this video, Henry, guitarist Isaiah Sharkey, and drummer TaRon Lockett are playing a full set recorded on July 3 of this year at Dillon Ampitheater in Dillon, CO.

The final video showcases Tomoko Omura, this year's winner in the "Rising Star - Violin" category, seen here in a solo show recorded in November 2020 in New York City for the WereSoCool Concerts series.

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer and bassist Janet Evra will provide the musical entertainment for “Wine and Jazz Under the Stars,” a benefit for Classic 107.3 (Radio Arts Foundation) to be held starting at 5:00 p.m. Sunday, September 12 at The Public School House in St. Charles.

The ticket price of $95 per person also includes appetizers by Russo’s Catering, wines from A. Bommarito Wines, free on-site parking, and the chance to participate in a silent auction of items including Cardinals baseball tickets, a wine-tasting package, gift certificates, and more. For details or to reserve a spot, go to https://classic1073.org/wine-and-jazz/.

* In an effort to "ensure the future of the music economy is sustainable, profitable, and inclusive," the Regional Arts Commission is conducting a survey of the St. Louis music scene, inviting participation from musicians, venues, festivals and fans. If you're in one of those categories, you're encouraged to complete the online survey form before October 10 at https://racstl.org/music-strategy/.

* More St. Louis venues are setting admission policies regarding COVID vaccinations and testing, as the new Chesterfield concert club The Factory and the Hollywood Casino Amphtheatre (aka Riverport) this week announced that patrons will be required to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test to be admitted.

* Saxophonist Lisella Martin (pictured) was profiled in a feature story on Bloomington, IL's WGLT radio.

* Trumpeter and Webster Groves native Ally Hany Albrecht will transfer from the Air Force to the U.S. Navy and relocate from California to Washington DC to join the United States Navy Band Commodores, the premier jazz band of the Navy.

Albrecht, a graduate of North Texas State University and the Manhattan School of Music, has spent the past four years with the USAF Band of the Golden West at Travis Air Force Base, California.

* DownBeat magazine is conducting their annual readers poll, with voting continuing through Tuesday, September 14. If you're a subscriber to the print magazine, digital edition, or free email newsletter, you can cast a vote at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DownBeatReadersPoll.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: "Rising Stars" in concert

This week, let's take a look at some live performances from some of the musicians who won awards in the "Rising Star" categories in this year's DownBeat Critic's Poll. As with any poll, the results may make for interesting conversation and provide a snapshot of who's in the news at a given time, but they shouldn't be taken to heart or regarded as definitive.

First up is pianist Gerald Clayton, who was the winner in two categories, "Rising Star - Jazz Artist" and (with his trio) "Rising Star - Jazz Group." He's seen here doing a duet performance with guitarist Peter Bernstein, recorded earlier this past Sunday night at Mezzrow in New York City.

After the jump, it's the UK's Nubya Garcia. this year's winner in the "Rising Star - Tenor Sax" category, performing a song called "Source" during the 6 Music Festival earlier this year at the BBC Radio Theatre.
.
That's followed by a video of Adam O'Farrill, named the top "Rising Star - Trumpet" in this year's poll. He's seen here doing a duo gig with his dad, the fine pianist and bandleader Arturo O'Farrill, last August at the The Greene Space in Brooklyn, NY.

The poll's "Rising Star - Piano" this year is Nik Bärtsch, who's featured in the next video with his band RONIN at a gig in October 2019 at the Opera Concert Club in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Next is "Rising Star - Clarinet" winner Angel Bat Dawid, doing a solo show in January 2020 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Finally, the sixth video features Immanuel Wilkins, a repeat winner of rhe "Rising Star - Alto Sax" category. Wulkins is shown in a set he recorded in Feburary 2021 for NPR's "Tiny Desk (Home) Concert" series with Micah Thomas (piano), Daryl Johns (bass), and Kweku Sumbry (drums).

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Critics Poll winners in concert, part 2

This week, let's continue with a look at live performances from some of the winners in this year's DownBeat Critics Poll. (You can see music from some of the other top vote-getters in part one, posted a coupld of weeks ago.)

The first video features the late Chick Corea, who was the poll winner in three different categories this year, "Piano," "Keyboard" and "Jazz Artist." Remarkably prolific and busy with a variety of projects until shortly before he passed away in February of this year, Corea is seen here with two of his closest musical associates, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl, performing in 2018 at the Heineken Jazzaldia festival in San Sebastian, Spain.

After the jump, you can see a set from Dr. Lonnie Smith, this year's winner as best organist. He's seen here in a trio set from April 2018 at Ronnie Scott's in London, with Jonathan Kreisberg on guitar and Xavier Breaker on drums.

Next up, it's Mary Halvorson, selected by the critics as this year's winning guitarist. She's seen here in a trio date, nominally led by drummer Tom Rainey and featuring Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, recorded in January 2020 at Galerie Maerz in Linz, Austria.

That's followed by a set from this year's top percussionist, tabla player Zakir Hussain, that was recorded in April 2021 right here in St. Louis at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Hussein's "Masters of Percussion" tour also featured Marcus Gilmore on drum kit, Pezhham Akhavass on the tombak, and Anantha Krishnan on mridangam

The fifth video features Joel Ross, the winner in the "Vibraphone" category. in a show from June of this year at the Ars Center at Duck Creek in East Hampton, New York. In addition to the leader, Ross' octet includes Immanuel Wilkins (alto sax), Maria Grand (tenor sax), Marquis Hill (trumpet), Kalia Vandever(trombone), Sean Mason (piano_, Rick Rosato (bass), and Craig Weinrib (drums).

Today's sixth and final video showcases this year's winner in the "Miscellaneous Instrument" category, cellist Tomeka Reid. Reid is seen here performing a concert of six original works in May 2021 at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in Los Angeles. She's accompanied by bassist Jason Roebke, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, and Mary Halvorson on guitar.

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:

* The new documentary The Black Artists’ Group of St. Louis: Creation Equals Movement is the subject of an article by Terry Perkins for DownBeat magazine.

* As the centennial of Clark Terry’s birth approaches - the trumpeter was born here in St. Louis on December 14, 1920 - IMDb's online video channel is streaming Keep On Keepin’ On, the 2014 documentary about Terry and his protege Justin Kauflin. The film can be seen for free (with registration) on IMDb's website and via the IMDB channel on Amazon Prime video.

* The Bosman Twins (pictured) were guests this week on Thursday's episode of the online talk show "OwnYourNow." (Their segment begins 34 minutes into the program and runs for about 15 minutes.)

* A recently completed mural honoring the late trumpeter Lester Bowie in his birthplace of Frederick, MD, was the subject of a feature story in the local paper, the Frederick News Post. (Bowie was born in Frederick, but grew up and began his music career in St. Louis)

* The St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes the death a couple of weeks ago of pianist Herb Drury at age 92 with an unbylined obituary.

* Also from the Post, Dead Wax Records has moved to a new, larger location on the south side and is spinning off a sibling store called Weirdo Records, as reported by Kevin Johnson.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: "Rising Stars" in concert, part two

Today, let's continue our look at some of the musicians recognized in the "Rising Star" categories of the 2020 DownBeat Critics Poll. (You can see part one, featuring live sets from a half-dozen more of this year's "Rising Star" winners, here.)

First up is "Rising Star" winning trombonist Nick Finzer, who's seen in the first video up above performing with his band Hear & Now in June 2018 at Blue Whale in Los Angeles.

After the jump, you can check out a set from Lage Lund, winner in the "Guitar" category, and his trio that was recorded during the Ballard Jazz Festival on May 31, 2019 at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, WA.

Next, it's soprano saxophonist Yuval Cohen, performing with his sextet in December 2019 at Dizzy's Club in NYC's Jazz at Lincoln Center.

That's followed by a set from "Rising Star" winning organist Akiko Tsuruga, performing with her quartet in June of this year via a livestream from Smalls in New York City.

The penultimate video features "Rising Star" male vocalist: Leslie Odom Jr., who's known for starring in the musical Hamilton on Broadway but also recently released an album of R&B, jazz and pop-flavored sounds. Odom's video was recorded in November 2019 streaming live from Paste Studio in New York.

The sixth and final video showcases a solo concert by Aaron Diehl, the 2020 "Rising Star" on piano. Diehl's performance was streamed in May 2020 by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, and features him playing rags by Scott Joplin and Eubie Blake, stride piano in the style of James P. Johnson, Thomas “Fats” Waller and Willie “the Lion” Smith, and more.

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: "Rising Stars" in concert

With the touring portion of the music business remaining at a standstill, this week let's continue our look at some of the musicians recognized in the 2020 DownBeat Critics Poll, specifically some of the winners in the poll's "Rising Star" category. Also formerly known for a time as "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition," the "Rising Star" section of the poll showcases musicians who, for a variety of reasons, may not show up yet in the main critics poll but are deemed worthy of attention.

The first video features UK saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, winner in the "Rising Star - Jazz Artist" category for 2020, and his band The Ancestors, who topped the balloting in the "Jazz Group" category, playing a full set in April 2017 at the Jazz Cafe in London.

After the jump, it's Jaimie Branch, winner in the "Trumpet" category, playing a set with bassist Luke Stewart and drummer Mike Pride in September 2019 at First St. Green Art Park in New York City.

Next up, it's Lakecia Benjamin, who won "Rising Star - Alto Sax" this year, performing in 2018 at Dizzy's Club in Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Benjamin is joined in her tribute to the music of John Coltrane by Yeisson Villamar (keyboards), Lonnie Plaxico (bass), Darrell Green (drums), and Charenee Wade (vocals).

That's followed by an appearance by "Female Vocalist" winner Veronica Swift on the June 2020 episode of pianist Emmet Cohen's web series "Live at Emmet's Place."

"Tenor Sax" winner James Brandon Lewis, recorded in June 2019 during the annual Vision Festival at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, NY. Lewis' band for the occasion included Jaimie Branch on trumpet and Luke Stewart on bass, plus drummer Warren G. Crudup III and guitarist Anthony Pirog.

The last video features Makaya McCraven, who was a double winner this year, polling first in both the "Drums" and "Producer" categories. Recorded in July 2019 at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, it's a full set of music from McCraven and his band, which includes saxophonist Irvin Pierce, harpist Brandee Younger, guitarist Matt Gold, keyboardist Greg Spero - bassist Junius Paul and vibraphonist Joel Ross.

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Critics Poll winners in concert, part two

This week, let's take a look at concert performances from some more of the winners in this year's Critics Poll from DownBeat magazine, which announced the results earlier this month. (You can see part one, featuring six more 2020 poll winners, here.)

First up this week is Kenny Barron, who tied for the win in the "Piano" category this year. Barron can be seen in a quartet performance with saxophonist Erena Terakubo, bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake that was recorded in April 2019 at Dizzy's at Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC.

After the jump, it's the other winner in the "Piano" category, Kris Davis, playing a set with drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts and bassist William Parker at the 2019 Vision Festival at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, NY.

Next, it's Brian Blade, winner in the "Drums" category, performing with his Life Cycles project, which is inspired by the late vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, in September 2019 at the studios of radio station KEXP in Seattle, WA.

The fourth video features "Clarinet" category winner Anat Cohen, playing a duo gig of Brazilian music and originals with guitarist Marçello Goncalves in 2019 at the Jazz Port Townsend festival in Washington state.

That's followed by Stefon Harris, the 2020 winner in the "Vibes" category, who's seen in the penultimate video with his band Blackout doing a set in September of last year at the Jazz and Heritage Center in New Orleans.

Today's final video showcases "Female Vocalist" winner Cécile McLorin Salvant, performing with pianist Sullivan Fortner, bassist Paul Sikivie, and drummer Kyle Poole in July 2018 at the Heineken Jazzaldia festival in San Sebastian, Spain.

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Critics Poll winners in concert

DownBeat magazine this week announced the list of winners for 2020 in their annual Critics Poll, and since there still are no upcoming jazz or creative music shows here in St. Louis to be previewed, this seems like as good a time as any to check out some live performances from a few of the 2020 poll winners.

The first video up above features the year's big winner, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, who with her band Social Science topped the DB poll in the "Jazz Artist," "Jazz Album," and "Jazz Group" categories.

The clip is from when Carrington and Social Science performed for NPR's "Tiny Desk Concerts" in March of this year, and in addition to the leader, the featured performers are Kassa Overall (vocals, percussion), Debo Ray (vocals), Malcolm Jamal Warner (vocals), Kokayi (vocals, percussion, effects), Aaron Parks (piano), Matthew Stevens (guitar), and Morgan Guerin (bass, saxophone).

After the jump, you can see Herbie Hancock, this year's poll winner in the "Keyboard" category, performing in September 2019 in Prague, Czech Republic, with James Genus on bass, Lionel Loueke on guitar, Justin Tyson on drums and Elena Pinderhughes on flute.

Next up is Charles Lloyd, this year's winning tenor saxophonist, performing in July of last year at New Morning in Paris with a band that included guitarist Julian Lage, bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Eric Harland (drums).

After that, you can see this year's poll-winning alto saxophonist, Rudresh Mahanthappam performing with his group Bird Calls USA in 2017 at the Jazz Festival Cape Town in South Africa.

The fifth clip features Mary Halvorson, 2020 winner in the poll's "Guitar" category, performing with her band Code Girl in May 2018 at the Vision Festival in New York City. Along with Halvorson, the group includes her frequent collaborators Michael Formanek on bass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums, plus trumpeter Adam O'Farrill
and vocalist Amirtha Kidambi.

Last but not least, today's final video features this year's winner in the "Male Vocalist" category, Gregory Porter, performing at the 2018 Rheingau Musik Festival in Germany with St. Louis' own Jahmal Nichols on bass and Emanuel Harrold on drums, plus tenor saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, pianist Albert "Chip" Crawford, and organist Ondrej Pivec.

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:

* Trumpeter Russell Gunn (pictured) has launched a crowd-funding campaign to pay for the next recording by his Royal Krunk Jazz Orchestra.

* Reid Anderson, bassist for The Bad Plus, was interviewed about the group's return to Jazz St. Louis next week by the Post-Dispatch's Daniel Durchholz.

* A new article in DownBeat recalls how the late trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry "fostered generations of performers."

* The closing last weekend of the south side venue Foam was the subject of stories by St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy D. Goodwin and St. Louis magazine's John J. Goddard.

* Singer Katie McGrath's show last Saturday at Blue Strawberry was reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* Funeral arrangements for the late pianist, singer and saxophonist Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum have been announced. A wake and memorial jam session is scheduled from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. today at Archway Memorial Chapel, 111 Taylor Road in Hazelwood. A funeral Mass will take place at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, January 4, at St. Elizabeth Mother of John church, 4330 Shreve Ave in St. Louis, with a repast immediately following. Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. Monday, January 6 at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

Whalum's obituary as published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch can be seen here, and his passing also was noted in a story by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

* Radio host, author and photographer Dennis Owsley bade farewell to listeners of his "Jazz Unlimited" radio show with a message on Facebook (also published in abbreviated form on the St. Louis Public Radio website). In that message, he revealed that the program's Sunday night time slot will be filled, at least for the time being, by music from the nationally syndicated "Jazzworks" service (also heard on one of StLPR's digital sub-channels).

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Bassist, composer, former St. Louisan, and SIU Edwardsville alumnus Dan Loomis (pictured) has launched a crowd-funding campaign to pay for a recording of his jazz song cycle "Job's Trials." You can read more about the project and, if you like, pledge your support here.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was interviewed about his guest spot on the new Nas album and more by HipHopDX.com

* The STL Free Jazz Collective has posted on YouTube a video of their performance on April 27 at the Link Auditorium, their first show without founding member and former St. Louis poet laureate, the late Michael Castro.

* Also new on YouTube, bassist and singer Janet Evra performing "Tenderly" for the web series Lo-Fi Cherokee 2019.

* Singer, actor and St. Louis native Craig Pomranz wrote a personal essay for CabaretScenes.org about how the late Doris Day taught him to sing.

* Pianist and St. Louis native Dred Scott was the subject of a feature story on the web site Berkeleyside.
 
* The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's collaboration with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on a recording of the trumpeter's "Swing Symphony" made Jazziz magazine's list of "10 Albums You Need To Know For July 2019."

* Voting in the 2019 DownBeat Readers Poll is open, and you can cast your ballot here.

* Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris is looking for young musicians in high school or their first year of college to participate in "From The Lab," a free educational program that will teach recording techniques, music business skills, and more. Applications for the first session starting in Fall 2019 are being accepted now on Harris' website.

* Pianist Kim Portnoy will have an original composition premiered by Chamber Project St. Louis during their upcoming 2019-20 season. Portnoy's "From an Imaginary Musical" will be on the program for the group's concert in April 2020 at the Missouri History Museum.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Jazz at Lincoln Center has announced four new inductees into its Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame, including a former St. Louisan.

That would be saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer (pictured) who, while born in Carbondale, IL, grew up in St. Louis and did his first professional work as a musician here. He's joined in the class of 2019 by saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, singer Dinah Washington, and drummer Chick Webb.

* The 2019 edition of Fair U City, the community carnival held during the first weekend in June in Heman Park alongside the U City Jazz Festival, has been cancelled due to a dispute over financial and other matters between city government and the University City Community Foundation, the not-for-profit group that organizes the fair.

Responding to the cancellation announcement in a Facebook post, U City Jazz Fest organizer Michael Silverman said he's now looking for an alternate location to stage the event on Saturday, June 8. Watch this space for more as this story develops...

* Jazz St. Louis will team up this fall with three other local arts organizations for a production of "Such Sweet Thunder," an "avant-garde ballet" created by French choreographer Maurice Béjart in 1960 using the music from Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's 1957 suite of the same name.

JSL will supply the sounds, Big Muddy Dance Company will create the choreography, and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis will "weave the pieces together with Shakespearean scenes and sonnets." The fourth partner, Nine Network, will host three free performances of the work on October 3, 4 and 5 at its Public Media Commons.

* Singer Alicia Olatuja was interviewed about her new album Intiution on the podcast Doing Jazz with Lorens Chuno.

* St. Louis writer (and Jazz Journalists Association 2019 "Jazz Hero") Terry Perkins got a byline in the May issue of DownBeat with a feature story about singer Cyrille Aimée.

* House of Miles East St. Louis, the organization that has restored Miles Davis' childhood home as a museum and educational facility, was profiled for the website TheSTL.com by writer Daniel Durchholz.

* The final performance of the 2019 Vision Festival, set for June 9-16 at Roulette in Brooklyn, NY, will be a tribute to the late saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett, led by his friend and collaborator, pianist D.D. Jackson, and featuring U City native and drummer Ronnie Burrage, saxophonists James Carter and Darius Jones, bassist William Parker, and percussionist Juma Sultan.

* The story of the legal battle between seemingly-defunct music festival LouFest and their former sound and lighting contractors Logic Systems has been updated by St. Louis writer and musician Kevin Mitchell in a post on Medium.com.

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 in the latest DownBeat reveals more about saxophonist David Sanborn's proposed online video series Sanborn Sessions, comparing it to the much-loved Night Music, which Sanborn hosted from 1988 to 1990 on NBC.

With a 14-minute "sampler" episode already recorded, Sanborn (pictured) now has launched a crowd-funding campaign to help finance production of full episodes.

* An article by the Riverfront Times' Daniel Hill noted multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina Saputo's presence on NPR's "Slingshot" list of 40 emerging musicians to watch this year. You can cast a vote in NPR's "Best New Artist of 2018" contest here.

* Also in the RFT, writer Thomas Crone talked with guitarist Joe Park for an article about Park's upcoming album release show, set for Saturday, December 1 at Focal Point.

* Keyboardist David Garfield will be a guest on this weekend's episode of saxophonist Dave Koz's nationally syndicated radio program.

* Singer Dee Dee Bridgewater's concert tomorrow night at The Sheldon was previewed by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Also in the Post, Johnson has written a brief profile of The Sheldon's new executive director Peter Palermo.

* NPR jazz critic Kevin Whitehead was interviewed Tuesday by St. Louis Public Radio's Don Marsh. Whitehead was in town to give a talk for Jazz St. Louis' "Whitaker Jazz Speaks" series on Wednesday night at St. Louis County Public Library's Grant's View branch.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Following last week's launch of "Dianne Reeves: Define Your Voice," a new online video course from singer Dianne Reeves, pianist Peter Martin's Open Studio Network has announced another new course coming soon, "Fundamentals of Jazz Saxophone," as taught by alto saxophonist Steve Wilson.

(Thanks to OSN manager Dan Martin, StLJN readers can get a 10% discount on these two courses or any of OSN's other offerings by using the promo code STLJAZZ.)

The company this week also announced that Peter Martin will present a free online masterclass/webinar for beginning jazz pianists at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, July 12. For more information or to sign up, go here.

* Keyboardist David Garfield, who grew up on the east side and currently serves as touring keyboardist and music director for George Benson, will release his latest album Jammin’ Outside the Box on Friday, July 20 on his own Creatchy Records label.

The album (pictured) features Garfield's arrangements of songs by Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Adele, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Toto, Isley Brothers, Rufus, Minnie Riperton, Bobby Caldwell and Joe Sample, performed by an all-star cast that includes Benson, David Sanborn, Smokey Robinson, Michael McDonald, Ray Parker Jr., Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun, Marcus Miller, Paul Jackson Jr., Eric Marienthal, Tom Scott, Vinnie Colaiuta, Greg Phillinganes, Steve Jordan, and more, plus members of the Zac Brown Band, Steely Dan, Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Chicago, Toto and Tower of Power.

* The results of DownBeat magazine's annual Critics Poll are out, and among the winners this year is Miles Davis & John Coltrane, The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 in the "Historical Album" category. You can see all the poll results here.

* On a related note, the 83rd edition of DownBeat's Readers Poll is open now for online voting, and you can cast your ballot here.

* Singer and bassist/guitarist Tonina Saputo was profiled by KDHX's Allison Woodworth.

* A story from St. Louis Public Radio highlights four branches of St. Louis County Library that now are offering musical instruments for checkout by library patrons. Currently, there are more than 20 instruments available, including ukuleles, acoustic guitars, banjos and bongos, with plans to add more.

* Also from St. Louis Public Radio, teenage keyboardist Owen Ragland is the guest on the latest episode of the station's "Cut & Paste" podcast.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* New Music Circle will raise money for their upcoming 59th season with "an evening of drinks and DJs" from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 22 at Tick Tock Tavern, 3459 Magnolia Ave in the Tower Grove East neighborhood.

The free event will include raffles for prizes including CDs, LPs, and tickets to upcoming NMC concerts; and a preview of the upcoming season schedule.  Proceeds from drinks purchased during the event will go to support NMC.

* Speaking of season previews, Jazz St. Louis will (re)introduce their upcoming season with a free "preview party" event at 6:00 p.m. next Tuesday, August 8 at Jazz at the Bistro.

JSL's Gene Dobbs Bradford and Bob Bennett will offer their insights into the artist selection and planning process for the year, and complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. Space is limited, so they're asking those who want to attend to RSVP by emailing boxoffice@jazzstl.org or calling 314-571-6000 by tomorrow (Friday, August 4).

* Also from Jazz St. Louis, their monthly book club will resume for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday, September 12 with a discussion of Dorothy Baker's novel Young Man with a Horn.

The group, which is facilitated by Washington University professor Gerald Early, meets on the second Tuesday of each month in the first floor lounge at Jazz St. Louis headquarters, 3536 Washington Ave. There's no charge for membership, and meetings are free to attend. For more details, including the list of books that will be discussed this season, go here.

* In advance of his concert next Thursday, August 10 at Powell Hall, keyboardist Herbie Hancock (pictured) answered some questions from the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Keyboardist/bandleader and writer Kevin Mitchell was profiled by the St. Louis County Arts blog

* Also new from the St. Louis County Arts blog: a brief feature story on the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra.

* Music Record Shop in Grand Center was the subject of a feature story on KSDK-TV's local newscast.

* There's still time to vote in DownBeat magazine's 82nd annual readers poll by casting your online ballot here.  Results of the poll will be published in the mag's December issue.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Regional Arts Commission is holding a workshop on how to apply for one of their Artist Fellowships at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 1 at RAC headquarters, 6128 Delmar Blvd.

Awarded annually, the fellowships recognize ten individuals with grants of $25,000 each, and are open to visual and performing artists from all disciplines.The workshop is free and open to the public; the application period for next year's fellowships ends on Thursday, August 10. For details or to RSVP, go here.

* The latest issue of the St. Louis Blues Society's Bluesletter includes writer Michael Kuelker's remembrances of Mark O'Shaughnessey, the late co-founder/owner of BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

* Pianist and composer Samora Pinderhughes is the subject of a brief interview/feature written by musician Lamar Harris for St. Louis magazine.

Pinderhughes (pictured) will perform (with trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah as his special guest) next Thursday, July 20 at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

* DownBeat magazine has opened the voting in their 82nd annual Readers Poll. You can cast a vote for your favorites online here.

* Saxquest is posting to their YouTube channel more videos from their free monthly Saturday afternoon performance series, including the shows by Ben Reece's Unity Quartet in April and Hugh Jones in May.

* Pianist Jim Hegarty has posted another new free improv recording to his "Secret Sessions" BandCamp page, this time featuring clarinetist Eric Paul Mandat, pianist Greg Mills, trumpeter George Sams, and flute player Fred Tompkins.

* A couple of off-the-beaten-path items about Miles Davis showed up this past week in the media, as a story in Autoweek recounted the trumpeter's opinion on Ferraris, while OpenCulture.com compiled some of the insults hurled by Davis over the years at fellow musicians.

Sunday Session: October 30, 2016

Willie Bobo

Some interesting music-related items that have landed in StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* A Robot Is Collecting Sound Samples and Turning Them into Collages (Vice.com)
* Questlove Recounts The Blackest White House Party Ever With President Obama (OkayPlayer.com)
* Villafranca Elegantly Links Cultures & Grooves in Mother Africa Suite (DownBeat)
* Lyrical send-off for jazz master Bobby Hutcherson (SFGate)
* Schneider & Washington Among DownBeat Readers Poll Winners (DownBeat)
* A Classic Jazz Documentary That Honors and Insults the Art Form (The New Yorker)
* Celebrating Bill Graham’s legacy on death’s anniversary (San Francisco Chronicle)
* How Cypress Hill's Eric Bobo Discovered Lost Tapes by His Legendary Dad, Percussionist Willie Bobo (KCET)
* Jimmy Heath Celebrates 90 Years with ‘Legendary’ Concert in NYC (DownBeat)
* Five of the best young female jazz musicians (The Guardian UK)
* Why Streaming Is Taking Over the Music Industry In One Handy Chart (Fortune)
* Earliest The Doors Live Recording To Be Officially Released (JamBase.com)
* The lost albums loved by the stars – from ecstatic gospel to Italian prog (The Guardian UK)
* Hutcherson Tribute Celebrates Vibraphonist’s Brilliance, Warmth (DownBeat)
* Pick N’ Pull: 18 Best Record Stores In America (HiConsumption.com)
* The 20 CDs Curated by Steve Jobs and Placed on Prototype iPods (2001) (OpenCulture.com)
* World exclusive: Bob Dylan - I'll be at the Nobel Prize ceremony... if I can (The Telegraph UK)
* Another View: Monterey ’16 (OpenSkyJazz.com)

Miles on Monday: Betty Davis' lost sessions released, reissue news, and more

With no post here last Monday due to the Independence Day holiday, here's an extra-large serving of Miles Davis news from the last two weeks:

* Perhaps the biggest story of the fortnight involving the trumpeter was the news that a set of previously unreleased recording sessions he produced for his ex-wife, singer Betty Davis, has been issued as Betty Davis: The Columbia Years 1968-1969 by the label Light In The Attic Records.

Co-produced by Davis and his longtime collaborator Teo Macero, the album (pictured) features much of the band that would appear a couple of years later on Davis' album Bitches Brew, including guitarist John McLaughlin, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, bassist Harvey Brooks, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and organist Larry Young, plus two of Jimi Hendrix' musical associates, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox.

Press coverage of the release has been extensive, with stories and reviews appearing everywhere from NPR to the alt-rock magazine Pitchfork to AllAboutJazz.com.

* Meanwhile, a box set of Davis' own music, Miles Davis At Newport 1955–1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, was named the winner in the Historical Album category of the 2016 DownBeat Critics Poll.

* The recent reissue of Davis' album Agharta on LP by the label Music on Vinyl was reviewed by London Jazz News.

* Also in London, theater artist Robert Lepage's performance piece Needles and Opium, a surreal meditation from 1991 about Miles Davis, Jean Cocteau and various types of addiction, was revived for a production at the Barbican that featured actor Wellesley Robertson III as Davis.

* Also revived is Elevator to the Gallows, the 1958 Louis Malle film that features a soundtrack by Davis, as a newly restored version will be shown next month at Film Forum in New York City in advance of a potential wider release.

* In other Davis-on-film news, Elmore magazine reviewed Everything's Beautiful, keyboardist Robert Glasper's tribute to Davis that serves as a companion piece to his work on the score for Don Cheadle's movie Miles Ahead; and the Massillon, OH Independent ran a feature story about the experiences of an local Davis fan who worked as an extra on the film, which was shot in Cincinnati. Miles Ahead comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray on Tuesday, July 19.

* Last but not least, "Miles in May," an episode of All Music Television's program The Jazz Creative recorded earlier this year in Los Angeles and featuring Glasper and multi-instrumentalist Terrace Martin, has been posted online, and can been seen in the embedded video window below.

Sunday Session: June 19, 2016

Henry Grimes

Some interesting music-related items that have landed in StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* Sound in the City (Le Centre national de la recherche scientifique)
* Stax Records and the Making of Blaxploitation Soundtracks (Ebony)
* Music distributor lays off 'dozens' of employees, keeps CDs from labels (Portland Oregonian)
* Publishers: can we work together? (KateRomano.co.uk)
* The Devil's Horn asks: is the saxophone cursed? (Georgia Straight)
* Grimes Celebrates Lifetime of Achievement at Vision Festival 21 (DownBeat)
* Digital Music Era Ushers In New Rights for Veteran Studio Musicians (BusinessWire.com)
* From YouTube to the blockchain: how music and tech are colliding in 2016 (The Guardian UK)
* The Last Word: Donald Fagen on Right-Wing Paranoia, Steely Dan's Future (Rolling Stone)
* Music titan ‘Chips’ Moman is dead at 79 (Memphis Commercial Appeal)
* Musician ‘kicked off’ United Airlines flight for attempting to stow her violin safely (TheStrad.com)
* 2017 NEA Jazz Masters Announced (Jazz Times)
* Music in the age of the algorithm (FT.com)
* Thirty years later, Green Mill owner Dave Jemilo thrives at his jazz club (Chicago Tribune)
* How to remake a Blue Note jazz album – in pictures (The Guardian UK)
* Behind the Scenes Photos of NYC's Steinway Piano Factory (AtlasObscura.com)
* Boomer Rock Icons Are Back, and Their Albums Aren’t Bad (Vulture.com)
* The Soulful Crossover of Kamasi Washington (Jazz Times)
* Recording Academy Embraces Streaming with Changes to Grammy Rules (Billboard)
* Apple's Brain Trust -- Iovine, Reznor, Cue and Kondrk -- on Streaming's New World Order and Why 'We All Should Be' Worried (Billboard)
* Why it matters that AFI's Lifetime Achievement Award is going to 'Star Wars' composer John Williams (Los Angeles Times)
* Morris 'Moe' Jennings, studio drummer at Chess Records, dies at 77 (Chicago Tribune)
* Jazz Icon Charles Lloyd on Memphis, The Elixirs Of Gotham, and Bob Dylan (WBGO)
* Bernie Worrell’s Wife Shares Update On Legendary Keyboardist’s Health (JamBase.com)
* Kamasi Washington's Father Helped Mold Him into a Jazz Master (Vice.com)
* Two unreleased Frank Zappa albums will emerge from the vaults this July (ConsequenceOfSound.net)
* Jazz Drummer Matt Wilson's 'Big Happy Family' Is Heartfelt And Harmonious (NPR)
* You Don’t Know the Real Beatles Until You’ve Heard Sgt. Pepper’s in Mono (New York Observer)
* Catching Up With Ken Vandermark (Jazz Times)
* Upgrading a Traditional Javanese Instrument to Run on an Algorithm (Hyperallergic.com)
* The Secret Life of Foley (Vimeo.com)
* Appreciative Hart Spotlighted at Healdsburg Jazz Festival (DownBeat)
* A Twist in the Zappa vs. Zappa Spat (New York Times)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Greg Osby was interviewed for a feature story on the website Jazz in Europe.

* Singer Denise Thimes' Mothers Day show last Sunday at the Touhill is the subject of a photo gallery on STLtoday.com.

* A new article by professor Gerald Early in Washington University's Common Reader looks at "Horns On Film - Five notable dramatic films about jazz trumpeters, with 15 grace notes."

* DownBeat magazine reviewed the CD reissue of Esoteric, an album (pictured) by the late drummer and St. Louis native Phillip Wilson with trumpeter Olu Dara that originally was released in 1979 on the hatHut label.

* Also in DownBeat, a review of Revive Music's recent 10th anniversary celebration in NYC, which included a performance by trumpeter Keyon Harrold.

* KDHX has posted to Flickr an album of photos from Tortoise's show Monday night at the Ready Room.

* The St. Louis Stompers are headed to Fox Lake, WI this weekend to play in the 44th annual Bunny Berigan Jazz Jubilee.

* Musical instrument distributor St. Louis Music set a quarterly record for sales in the first three months of 2016. The company distributes more than 10,000 music-related products, and owns instrument brands including Alvarez, Austin and Sigma guitars, Knilling stringed instruments, E.K. Blessing brass, and Zonda reeds and woodwinds.

* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accounts for the Arts will present their Accidental Arts Administrator and Strategic Planning Fundamentals workshops next Monday, May 16 and Tuesday, May 17 at the offices of the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar.