Sunday Session: September 20, 2020

Tomeka Reid

Here's this week's roundup of various music-related items of interest:

* Hawaii Passes the ‘Truth in Music Advertising Act’ to Prevent ‘Imposter Performers’ That Claim to Be Classic Bands (DigitalMusicNews.com)
* Book Review: Crime and Espionage — to the Sounds of Jazz (ArtsFuse.org)
* Discovering—and Preserving—the Earliest Known Stereo Recordings (Pro Sound News)
* Chick Corea bonus Q&A: What he learned playing with Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, Stan Getz and others (San Diego Union Tribune)
* New Billie Holiday Documentary to Open in November (VIDEO) (Jazz Times)
* Why the struggle of small venues will affect the entire music industry (MidiaResearch.com)
* LJ Talks to Ricky Riccardi, Author of "Heart Full of Rhythm: The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong" (Library Journal)
* 55 Years Ago: Otis Redding Sets a New Standard With ‘Otis Blue’ (UltimateClassicRock.com)
* Visa fees for foreign artists touring the US to increase by over 50% (NME.com)
* The Thrills and Frustrations of a Rediscovered Thelonious Monk Recording (The New Yorker)
* Remembering Bassist Gary Peacock, with a Recent Conversation on The Checkout (WBGO)
* Fridays at Five: A Look Behind the Scenes (SFJAZZ.org)
* Stanley Crouch, Towering Jazz Critic, Dead At 74 (NPR)
* Bootsy Collins Collaborates With George Benson, Branford Marsalis And More On ‘The Power Of The One’ (DownBeat)
* Is Richard Wagner Simultaneously the Most Controversial and Influential Composer Ever? (Pitchfork.com)
* How South Africa’s Blue Notes Helped Invent European Free Jazz (Bandcamp.com)
* Stanley Crouch 1945–2020 (Jazz Times)
* Musicians Are Surviving the Pandemic by Giving (and Receiving) Virtual Lessons (Pitchfork.com)
* Vinyl frontier: The story behind one of the rarest records in the universe (TheVinylFactory.com)
* I saw a different side of Stanley Crouch (TheUndefeated.com)
* Late Night TV Show Musicians Sign Open Letter to Networks Asking for "Economic Parity" (Hollywood Reporter)
* Jazz cellist Tomeka Reid to make debut as Mills professor with virtual show (San Francisco Chronicle)
* Toto, ELO, Queen ... why hits from happier times top Covid lockdown playlists (The Guardian)
* The Sheer Force Of Artemis (DownBeat)
* The Greenwich Village jazz scene is scrambling to stay alive (Time Out New York)
* Beyond High Concept, Beyond Algorithms: Classical Recording Artists Go “Off the Leash” (WQXR)
* Retired Victoria broadcaster finds long-lost tapes of Joni Mitchell recording session (Victoria Times Colonist)
* Meet the NEA Jazz Masters, Class of 2020 (NPR)

Sunday Session: September 13, 2020

Gary Peacock

Here's this week's roundup of various music-related items of interest:

* 'Masses of performers are still grounded': pianist Sophia Rahman on a UK music scene in crisis (TheArtsDesk.com)
* Sonny Rollins at 90: A Guided Tour of the Saxophone Colossus on Record, By Decade (WBGO)
* How a musician locks onto a rhythm, according to science (BigThink.com)
* Gary Peacock, A Jazz Bassist Always Ahead Of His Time, Dies At 85 (NPR)
* Rollins '57: Sonny Rollins Takes The Lead (WFIU)
* How Keith Richards is Spending His Quarantine (Rolling Stone)
* Paused Jazz Venues Hit a Low Note and Warn Music Could Soon Stop (TheCity.nyc)
* In Newport, A Quiet August And The Virus’ Financial Fallout (DownBeat)
* Gary Peacock 1935–2020 (Jazz Times)
* Former Baltimore house of jazz legend Cab Calloway demolished despite activists’ push (Baltimore Sun)
* How Jimmy Carter (Literally) Rocked the Presidency (Rolling Stone)
* Silver Apples synth pioneer Simeon Coxe dies aged 82 (The Guardian)
* Silver Apples' Simeon Coxe: visionary who saw music's electronic future (The Guardian)
* A Final Bow From Hal Willner, The Producer With The Golden Rolodex (NPR)
* Interview: Gregory Porter on the loss of his brother to Covid and his new album (The Scotsman)
* Understanding Bird (Tidal.com)
* Lifetime Achievement: Doug Hammond’s Kaleidoscopic Jazz, Funk, and Blues (Bandcamp.com)
* Remembering Lenny Breau, jazz’s most inventive guitarist (LiveMint.com)
* Charles Tolliver: Before & After (Jazz Times)
* Kool & the Gang Co-Founder Ronald ‘Khalis’ Bell Dead at 68 (Rolling Stone)
* A Former Spotify Exec Explains Why Artists Get Paid So Little on Streaming (DigitalMusicNews.com)
* A Deep Dive into John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme' by His Biographer Lewis Porter (Pt. 2) (WBGO)
* Sparks Of Wonder, Discovery Propel Rising Stars (DownBeat)
* In Newport, A Quiet August And The Virus’ Financial Fallout (DownBeat)
* Alice Coltrane: A Partial Primer (River Cities Reader)
* Ornette Coleman: An Outsider Cracks the Egg (AllAboutJazz.com)
* Black Women Jazz Artists Are Using Virtual Spaces To Speak On Race, Gender (DownBeat)
* My Conversation with Gary Peacock (AllAboutJazz.com)
* 1% of Artists Generate 90% of All Music Streams, Latest Data Shows (DigitalMusicNews.com)
* Nina Simone's childhood home is now permanently protected (CNN)

Jazz this week: James Carter Organ Trio, Gary Peacock, Spektral Quartet, and more

As March comes into St. Louis in mostly lamb-like fashion, the first week of the new month offers several intriguing jazz and creative music headliners on local stages, plus an assortment of performances from local musicians in a variety of styles, and a rare chance to see a film scored by Miles Davis on the big screen.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, March 2
Saxophonist James Carter returns with his organ trio for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Carter (pictured, top left) brings plenty of soul and swagger to go with his prodigious technique on tenor, soprano, and baritone saxes, and more, and the spare instrumentation of this band, with just organ and drums behind him, offers him plenty of room to stretch out. For some recent samples of Carter in action, see this video post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Also tonight, singer Tony Viviano and guitarist Dave Black will play for diners at Candicci's, and saxophonist Jerry Greene leads his Greene Jazz Project trio at Evangeline's.

Update - 5:00 p.m., 3/2/16:  Both Tony Viviano and Dave Black have posted messages on social media saying that their Wednesday gig has been moved to Patrick's Westport Grill.

Thursday, March 3
Bassist Gary Peacock's trio with pianist Marc Copland and drummer Mark Ferber will perform in a ticketed show for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Peacock may be best known these days as a member of pianist Keith Jarrett's "Standards Trio,"  but over the past half-century, he's played in styles from avant-garde to West Coast with notable musicians ranging from saxophonist Bud Shank to pianist Paul Bley and saxophonist Albert Ayler, and many more.

His own music, recorded since the 1970s mostly for the ECM label, has run the gamut from fairly conventional post-bop to the sort of spare, icy soundscapes frequently associated with that European imprint. Given Copland's piano style, which has been compared to both Jarrett and Bill Evans (another pianist that Peacock played with back in the day), the trio's set may lean more toward the former than the latter, but whatever they do should be worth hearing. . 

Also on Thursday, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival begins their spring series with singer Emily West presenting her show "In From Nashville" for the first of two nights at the Gaslight Theater.

Friday, March 4
The Schlafly Tap Room downtown will offer a multi-band lineup for their 2016 Stout & Oyster Festival that includes a headlining set from the Funky Butt Brass Band; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom; and drummer Marty Morrison leads a trio at Cigar Inn.

Saturday, March 5
The Schlafly Tap Room's stout-and-oyster-related festivities continue throughout the afternoon and evening, starting at noon with a set from The People's Key and including a headlining performance from New Orleans favorites Big Sam's Funky Nation.

Also on Saturday, the Spektral Quartet (pictured, center left) will make their St. Louis debut in a concert presented by New Music Circle at 560 Music Center.

The Chicago-based string quartet will be performing new music by composers Hans Thomalla and  Beat Furrer, and while they're here, they'll also be taking part in some free events: an "artists' talk" on Friday afternoon at Washington University, and an open rehearsal Saturday afternoon at Tavern of Fine Arts. For more about Spektral Quartet and some video samples of past performances, check out last week's Saturday video showcase.

That same evening, Cinema St. Louis' Classic French Film Festival will screen the 1958 Louis Malle film Elevator to the Gallows at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium. The movie features an original score by Miles Davis (pictured lower left, with the film's star Jeanne Moreau.)

Sunday, March 6
The St. Louis Record & CD Collector Show will present their first event of 2016 at the American Czech Hall, and Good 4 The Soul plays an early evening show at Troy's Jazz Gallery.

Monday, March 7
"Blind" Willie Dineen & the Broadway Collective return for their monthly gig at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, March 8
The Saxquest Nonet Jazz Orchestra returns to the Tavern of Fine Arts.

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.)

Sunday Session: September 13, 2015

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

For your Sunday reading, here are some interesting music-related items that have hit StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* Key Igor Stravinsky work found after 100 years (The Guardian UK)
* Bassist Gary Peacock Is At The Soloist's Service (NPR)
* Concert review: Saxophonist Phil Woods ends playing career on a high note (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
* Why Niche Is The Next Streaming Frontier (Music Industry Blog)
* Crossing The Bridge: The Return Of Sonny Rollins (WFIU)
* How Signing A Major Record Deal Nearly Destroyed My Music Career (DigitalMusicNews.com)
* Review: The 2015 Chicago Jazz Festival - AACM's 50th anniversary dominates the 37th edition (Jazz Times)
* How Steely Dan Created ‘Deacon Blues’ (Wall Street Journal)
* Sounds like a hit: the numbers game behind Spotify cover songs (TheVerge.com)
* Shack Up: A Loop History - Nate Patrin traces the path of this influential break (Red Bull Music Academy)
* In praise of cheap box sets (The Spectator UK)
* Celebrating Rahsaan Roland Kirk (NPR)
* Long-Delayed Nina Simone Biopic Sets December Release (Rolling Stone)
* The Hi-Fi DIY of Colombia's Bass Lords (Vice.com)
* Frank Zappa’s Long-Awaited ‘Roxy’ Movie Coming: Watch the Trailer — Video (Guitar World)
* New Book Illuminates Playboy Magazine’s Impact on Jazz History (DownBeat)

Jazz this week: Pat Martino; Lynne Fiddmont & Keith Fiddmont; Copland, Peacock & Baron; holiday jazz; and more

Whether you're looking for jazz explicitly flavored with a bit of holiday spirit, or not, there's plenty to choose from on this week's menu of jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, guitarist Pat Martino (pictured) returns to St. Louis for the first time since 2010 to begin a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. Though he's worked in other contexts, Martino generally favors the organ trio format, and for this visit, he'll be accompanied by organist Pat Bianchi and drummer Carmen Intorre.

For much more about Martino, and some videos of him in action, please see this post from a couple of weeks ago.

Also tonight, singer and St. Louis native Lynne Fiddmont and her saxophonist brother Keith Fiddmont are back in town for a homecoming performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall; trombonist/singer Doug Burns and pianist Pauline Stark will play for diners at the Feasting Fox, 4200 S Grand; and singer Brian Owens will present his holiday show  "Soul of the Season," with guest appearances from pianist Peter Martin and The 442s, at Centene Center for Arts and Education, 3547 Olive. (For an overview of all the holiday jazz shows this month in St. Louis, please see this post.)

Tomorrow night, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a free concert of performances from Wash U jazz students at Ridgley Hall on campus; Miss Jubilee plays at Thaxton Speakeasy downtown; and trumpeter Jim Manley continues his weekly gig at Joyia Tapas, 4501 Manchester Ave in the Grove neighborhood.(Update - 4:00 p.m. 12/5/13: Jim Manley has posted on Facebook that tonight's gig at Joyia is canceled due to the possibility of a winter storm hitting St. Louis this evening.)

On Friday, Jazz at Holmes will wrap up their fall semester schedule with a ticketed concert featuring pianist Marc Copland, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Joey Baron at 560 Music Center. Though not a regular working unit as such, all three players have a stellar list of individual credits, and the result should be a superior evening of music. For more on that, please see this post.

Also on Friday, "cinematic electro-jazz" band Koplant No plays at Robbie's House of Jazz; keyboardist Matt Villinger heads up a trio at Cigar Inn; the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and bassist John King (of Good 4 The Soul) will lead an ensemble of friends and special guests in a performance at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

On Saturday, Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center will begin their new "Quiet Music" series with a concert featuring compositions by Nathan Cook, Greg Farough and Mark Sarich.

Also on Saturday, Sarah Jane of Blue Notes fame will headline an "All Holiday Revue" at Robbie's House of Jazz; Oikos Ensemble will present their Christmas program "Follow That Star: A Jazz Nativity" at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Webster Groves; and guitarist and singer Elliott Ranney will perform at Picasso's Coffee House in St. Charles.

On Sunday, Dizzy Atmosphere will play swing and Gypsy jazz out in the country at Claverach Farm in Eureka.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Webster University Jazz Singers will present their semester-ending concert at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus, and Latin jazz band Clave Sol plays at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

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.)

Copland, Peacock & Baron to perform Friday, December 6 at 560 Music Center

The trio of pianist Marc Copland, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Joey Baron will perform at 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 6 at the 560 Music Center.

The performance will take place in the center's E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall and is presented by the Washington University Music Department.

Copland and Peacock (pictured, top left) played here in St. Louis with drummer Bill Stewart in February 2009 at the same venue. The pianist, inspired early in his career by the legacy of Bill Evans, has gone on to tour and record with a variety of top musicians including John Abercrombie, Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, Hank Crawford, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, Tom Harrell, Eddie Harris, Harold Land and Blue Mitchell, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, and Sonny Stitt.

Peacock originally was associated with the avant garde, thanks to his early work in the 1960s with saxophonist Albert Ayler and pianist Paul Bley, but he's also led his own groups and been part of pianist Keith Jarrett's long-running "standards" trio that also includes drummer Jack DeJohnette.

Baron (pictured, below left) is best known for his work with John Zorn and Bill Frisell, but also has played with Stan Getz, John Scofield, John Abercrombie, Jim Hall, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, David Bowie, Tony Bennett, Laurie Anderson, Al Jarreau, and others.

Tickets for the the Copland/Peacock/Baron trio are $25 general admission, $15 for seniors and Washington University faculty/staff, $5 for students, and are on sale now via the Edison Theater's box office.