Jazz this week: Cory Henry, The Bosman Twins, Doc Severinsen, Fred Wesley, Linda Presgrave, and more

It's a busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with several headliners of interest passing through the metro area for performances that, alas, may be a bit off the beaten track - unless you know just where to look.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, 
March 9
The Lindenwood University Jazz Band performs at Jazz at the Bistro, and multi-intrumentalist Chris Smentkowski and friends play at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Thursday, March 10
Keyboardist Cory Henry of the fast-rising jazz/funk band Snarky Puppy will lead his own group, Revival, in a show at the Old Rock House, while local favorites The Bosman Twins (pictured, top left) return to Jazz at the Bistro for the first evening of a three-night stand continuing through Saturday.

Also on Thursday, trumpeter Sean Jones will be back in eastern Missouri, albeit a bit south of St. Louis proper, to perform with  his band (pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Luques Curtis, and drummer Mark Whitfield Jr.) at the Jefferson College Spring Jazz Showcase.

That same evening, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a free concert spotlighting the talents of the university's oldest acapella group, Mosaic Whispers, along with the jazz vocal ensemble Java Jived.

Friday, March 11
The Gaslight Cabaret Festival's spring series continues with singers KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar presenting the first of two performances of their show "Another Hundred People: A Sondheim Montage" at the Gaslight Theater.

Also on Friday, singer Wendy L. Gordon and and pianist Carolbeth True team up to play at the Tavern of Fine Arts, and the St. Louis Big Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, March 12
Local trumpet fans can head south again, this time to St. Francois County, to catch former Tonight Show bandleader Doc Severinsen (pictured, center left), still going strong at age 88.

Severinsen will be performing with the Mineral Area College Kicks Band for the Mineral Area College Jazz Festival at the Centene Center in Farmington.

Also on Saturday, California-based pianist Carl Sonny Leyland will be in town to play boogie-woogie, stride, ragtime, and more in a solo show at Yaqui's; singer Eve Seltzer celebrates the release of her first CD with a performance at Tavern of Fine Arts; and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom.

Sunday, March 13
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents the St. Louis Stompers playing traditional jazz and swing in a matinee performance at the Moolah Temple in West County, while the Jim Widner Big Band will play music associated with several famous big bands in a matinee concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Also on Sunday afternoon, trombonist Fred Wesley, famed as a progenitor of funk for his work with James Brown and George Clinton, will present a master class sponsored by the St. Louis Low Brass Collective. The class will be followed that evening by a concert featuring Wesley (pictured, bottom left) and the StLLBC, with both events taking place at Kirkwood High School's Keating Center.

Monday, March 14
Speaking of master classes, pianist and former St. Louisan Linda Presgrave will be back in town on Monday to lead a jazz master class at the Community Music School of Webster University in the afternoon. Presgrave and her band then will headline the university's annual "Suzy Shepard and Donald O. Davis Scholarships Concert" that evening at Winifred 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.)

Fred Wesley to perform Sunday, March 13 with St. Louis Low Brass Collective

Trombonist Fred Wesley, known as a master of funk and jazz for his work with James Brown, George Clinton's groups Parliament and Funkadelic, the Count Basie Orchestra, and many more, is coming to St. Louis to perform with the St. Louis Low Brass Collective.

The concert will take place at 7:00 p.m. Sunday, March 13 at the Keating Center on the campus of Kirkwood High School, 801 West Essex.

Wesley (pictured) also will present a master class at 4:00 p.m. that day at the same location. Both events are free and open to the public, though StLLBC says that a suggested donation of $10 will be "gratefully accepted."

Edison Theatre announces 2009-10 season

Washington University's Edison Theatre has announced its 2009-10 season, and among the venue's offerings of theater, dance and music next year will be three performances that may be of interest to St. Louis fans of jazz and creative music:

On Saturday, January 23, 2010, the "action percussion" ensemble ScrapArtsMusic will take the Edison stage, using "kinetic, one-of-a-kind instruments built from recycled and salvaged materials such as sewage pipe and artillery shells."

Then on Saturday, February 27, the Edison will feature Abraham Inc., described as "an all-star ensemble fusing funk, jazz, hip-hop and klezmer...led by virtuoso clarinetist David Krakauer, trombonist Fred Wesley (pictured) and "beat architect" Josh Dolgin, aka SOCALLED."

The Edison's season concludes on Friday, March 26 with Tiempo Libre, a Grammy-nominated group that performs timba, a Cuban version of salsa that's "an irresistible mix of high-voltage Latin jazz and seductive rhythms."

Single tickets are are priced at $32, $28 for seniors and Washington University faculty and staff, and $20 for students and children. Subscriptions are available at two levels: three, four or five events at $28 per ticket, and six or more events at $24 per ticket.

The Edison Theatre is located in the Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd, on the Washington University campus. For more information or to order tickets, call the box office at 314-935-6543 or email edison@wustl.edu.