So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Veteran drummer Gary Sykes (pictured), who plays with pianist Ptah Williams' trio, the STL Free Jazz Collective and others, is ailing with heart- and blood-related issues, and has missed some recent gigs and spent time in the hospital as a result.

While he's on the mend, pianist Jim Hegarty, his bandmate in the Collective, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Sykes'  living expenses during his recovery. Find out more and, if you can, donate at https://www.gofundme.com/support-gary-sykes.

* Miles Davis' ex-wife Frances Davis talks about her life before, during and after her marriage to the famed trumpeter in a new 50-minute video documentary.

* Meanwhile, They Say I'm Different, a new documentary film about another of Miles' exes, singer Betty Davis, was covered recently in stories from both The New Yorker and the New York Times.

* A celebration of the legacy of Scott Joplin, held in Queens, NY near where the pianist and composer is buried, was described in a feature story last week in the New York Times.

* Videographer James Ross, known for his YouTube channel featuring up-close recordings of jazz and R&B performances in St. Louis, was the subject of a profile by KSDK's Art Holliday.

* The Kranzberg Arts Foundation has acquired an option to purchase 24 properties in the south St. Louis neighborhood Gravois Park as part of a plan to develop affordable housing and studio space for artists.

* And in a bit of coincidence involving participants in the previous two items, Art Holliday this week also did a story about the Kranzberg Arts Foundation's new artists-in-residence program. 

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* HEC-TV has posted online a "lost episode" of the program I Love Jazz, featuring an interview with and performances by guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and his son, guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli.

The episode was filmed in 2014, before the death of host Don Wolff in November 2015, but just now has been released for the first time.

* The Sheldon Art Galleries will present a free gallery talk by Dr. Aurelia Hartenberger on the history of stringed instruments at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 12.

The talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibit "The World of Spectacular Strings," which features more than 100 unique stringed instruments from around the world and continues until April 21, 2017. Admission is free, but you must reserve a seat in advance by calling Paula Lincoln at 314-533-9900 x 37 or emailing plincoln@TheSheldon.org.

* Speaking of The Sheldon, they've posted on Facebook an album of photos from last Saturday's concert by Cécile McLorin Salvant.

* Singer Chuck Flowers (pictured) appeared on KTVI-FOX 2's Wednesday morning newscast to promote his appearance tonight at The Dark Room.

* The online radio station Radio63119 has posted an interview featuring poet and percussionist David A.N. Jackson talking with bassist Darrell Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes about their careers in music and more.

* Another new episode of E.B. Stephenson's podcast "The Jazz Mixer" is online, featuring recordings from St. Louis musicians including the Sessions Big Band, Brett Stamps, Farshid Etniko, and more.

STL Free Jazz Collective's new digital album is Live at the Ozark Theatre

The STL Free Jazz Collective has released a new digital album, Live at the Ozark Theatre, which is available now as a name-your-price download from Bandcamp.com.

As the title suggests, the recording was made at a live performance last December at the Ozark Theatre in Webster Groves.

Along with improvised music from the group's five instrumentalists, the album (pictured) includes three tracks featuring spoken word performances from St. Louis poet laureate Michael Castro, titled "We Need to Talk," "America Loves Its Guns More Than Its Children," and "St. Louis Blues Revisited."

The topical focus is no coincidence, said the group's keyboardist Jim Hegarty via email. "The message is yet again really relevant in the light of recent events," Hegarty said. "We're really into the idea of unity and we're using our music to share a vision of peace and freedom for everyone."

In addition to Hegarty and Castro, the STL Free Jazz Collective includes "Baba" Mike Nelson (trumpet, shells, percussion and vocals), Paul Steinbeck (bass), Gary Sykes (drums), and Jerome "Jay Dubz" Williams (alto sax).

Fred Tompkins releases new CD Another Place

Flute player and composer Fred Tompkins has released a new CD, Another Place, featuring eight original compositions performed by a cast of St. Louis musicians and singers.

In addition to Tompkins' work on flutes, piano, and sampler, the self-produced release (pictured) features performances from guitarists Dave Black and Lee Scott Price, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis, drummers Gary Sykes, Kevin Cheli and Charlie Dent, keyboardists Jim Hegarty, Greg Mills and Henry Palkes, and singer Debby Lennon.

While most of the album was recorded in Tompkins' studio, several tracks also incorporate live improvisations from performances at the now-closed Tavern of Fine Arts.

Another Place is available as a CD from Vintage Vinyl, Euclid Records, CD Baby and Tompkins' website, and also can be purchased in digital form at iTunes, Amazon, and other online retailers.

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, Jeff Beck, STL Free Jazz Collective, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis is book-ended by two performers - perhaps the most famous living jazz violinist, and a legendary rock guitarist - who both have successfully stretched the boundaries of their respective musical genres.

In between, there are a number of noteworthy shows from local musicians in styles ranging from traditional jazz to free improv. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 13
Violinist Regina Carter returns to Jazz at the Bistro, opening a four-night engagement that continues through Saturday.

During this visit to St. Louis, Carter (pictured, top left) will be showcasing music from her 2014 album Southern Comfort, which presents her personal interpretations of folk, blues, country and roots music from the rural South. You can find out more about the project, and see videos of Carter performing several songs from the album, in this post from last Saturday.

Also tonight, singer Eve Seltzer fronts a trio at Nathalie's; and keyboardist Bob Werner and singer Ellen Martinez host a new "open mic" night at Shakers, which recently moved into the space formerly occupied by  Jazz on Broadway at 554 W. Broadway, in downtown Alton.

Thursday, May 14
Singer Tony Viviano pays tribute to the legacy of Bobby Darin at Patrick's Westport Grill; bassist Willem von Hombracht will team up with singer Arvell Keithley for a duo show at Thurman Grill; and trumpeter Jim Manley and guitarist Randy Bahr are now doing their duo gig at Momo's Greek Restaurant in U. City on Thursdays as well as Mondays.

Friday, May 15
The recently formed STL, A Free Jazz Collective will take the stage for their second-ever show at Tavern of Fine Arts.

Explicitly attempting to carry on the improvised music banner once raised by the historic Black Artists Group, the band (pictured, center left) features an intriguing assortment of musical personalities, including Jim Hegarty (piano, electronics), "Baba" Mike Nelson (trumpet, shells, miscellaneous instruments), Jerome "J. Dubs" Williams (alto sax), Paul Steinbeck (bass), and Gary Sykes (drums, percussion), topped off by the spoken word contributions of St. Louis poet laureate Michael Castro.

Elsewhere on Friday, veteran trumpeter Gary Dammer plays a rare public gig at Jacoby Arts Center; saxophonist Jay Hutson brings his R&B sound to Evangeline's; saxophonist Tim Cunningham will return to Troy's Jazz Gallery; the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and guitarist Vincent Varvel will perform in the intimate confines of the house concert venue KindaBlue.

Saturday, May 16
Guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran's Guerrilla Swing will play a kid-friendly "Musical Merry-Go-Round" matinee, sponsored by KDHX, at the Tick Tock Tavern, 3549 Magnolia.

Then on Saturday evening, trumpeter Kasimu Taylor leads a quintet in a Miles Davis birthday tribute show at the Kranzberg Arts Center; and Wack-A-Doo plays swing, hot jazz and Americana at Evangeline's

Sunday, May 17
St. Louis Jazz Club presents a matinee performance by the Union Dixie Jazz Band at Concord Farmers' Club.

Monday, May 18
 "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective are doing their regular gig at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups a week earlier that usual this month, as BB's will be closed for Memorial Day..

Tuesday, May 19
It's been 50 years since Jeff Beck (pictured, lower left) first came to public attention as the guitarist tapped to replace Eric Clapton in the British blues-rock band the Yardbirds, and 40 years since the all-instrumental album Blow by Blow showed the world that he was much more than just a stereotypical raving rocker.

Although there have been some periods of relative inactivity in the ensuing years, Beck's command of tone, touch and time remains distinctive and nearly unequaled, and so his show at the Fox Theatre should be a highlight of the year for fans of crafty electric guitar playing. As of this writing, there still are some tickets available, so if you've ever wanted to see Jeff Beck, now would seem to be the time

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.)

Harry Miller to play Saturday, November 17 at Robbie's House of Jazz

Pianist and St. Louis expat Harry Miller, who grew up in University City and now lives in NYC, is coming back home this month to perform at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, November 17 at Robbie's House of Jazz.

Miller's credits include a couple of years of road work with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's last touring group, Big Bop Nouveau, with whom the pianist played his last St. Louis gig about a decade ago. In addition to leading his own bands and doing freelance gigs in a variety of genres, Miller (pictured) also has worked with notables including Greg Osby, Ralph Moore, Jean Toussaint, Mike Stern, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Jerome Harris, Slide Hampton, Ted Curson, Paul Motian, Phoebe Snow, Michael Urbaniak, Cindy Blackman, DK Dyson, Allan Zavod, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ashford & Simpson, Quincy Jones, and Bebe Winans.

Miller also has self-released four recordings as a leader, the most recent of which, Jazz Beauty Supply, featured a supporting cast that included saxophonist Steve Slagle and singer Kate McGarry. He'll be joined for his gig at Robbie's by bassist Darrel Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes. Admission at the door is $10, $5 for students with ID.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Inside the Nu-Art Series video vault

This week, we're taking a break from previewing upcoming concerts to take a brief trip into the video vault of the Nu-Art Series, the long-running, St. Louis-based jazz presenting organization run by trumpeter, arts administrator and consultant George Sams.

Headquartered in recent years at the Metropolitan Gallery, 2936 Locust St. downtown, the Nu-Art Series has a shoestring budget compared to Jazz St. Louis or the Sheldon, but over the years has presented a number of worthy performers while helping to preserve St. Louis' jazz legacy.

One of the musicians the series has championed is the great baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett, who can been seen in today's first clip, sitting in on the reunion of Sams' own group, the Sound Clinic, last year for a version of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman." Along with Bluiett and Sams, that's Chicago's Yosef Ben-Israel on bass, San Francisco's Lewis Jordan on alto sax, and St. Louis' own Gary Sykes on drums.

Although many of Nu-Art's productions feature musicians playing in free, avant- garde or post-Coltrane styles, they also have presented a number of concerts exploring the repertoire of more mainstream jazz musicians. Today's second clip is from one of those shows, a tribute to guitarist Grant Green staged in May 2011 by former St. Louisan Marvin Horne. Horne is seen here playing a blues in Green's style, accompanied by Sykes on drums, bassist Nick Jost, and pianist Brock Walker.

Below that are a couple of clips from 2008's "BAG and Beyond," which examined the legacy of St. Louis' Black Artists Group through concerts and panel discussions. That's trumpeter Rasul Siddik in the first of the two clips, leading a band featuring Bluiett, pianist Katherine Roberts, bassist Raymond Eldridge and drummer Tayammun Falah. The second clip features a duet between Falah and saxophonist Oliver Lake, whose visual art is currently is being exhibited at the Metropolitan Gallery.

In the fifth slot, we've got a much older clip, dating from the late 1990s when Sams still was presenting shows at variety of locations around town. It shows flutist James Newton in a 1997 solo concert at the Washington University Gallery of Art.

To wrap up, there's an excerpt from last October's "Drum Line II" concert, featuring the combined talents of percussionists Charles "Bobo" Shaw, Jerome "Scrooge" Harris, Johnny Johnson, and Gary Sykes. (Be warned that there's a rather abrupt splice between two segments at around 8:50.)

The Nu-Art Series' next concert will take place next Saturday, April 7, and will feature Erika Johnson singing songs associated with the legendary jazz vocalist Betty Carter. To see more video from the Nu-Art Series vault, check out their YouTube channel.











(Edited 7/6/12)

Nu-Art Series to present "Drum Line II" this Saturday, November 19 at Metropolitan Gallery

Veteran jazz and creative music percussionists Jerome "Scrooge" Harris, Charles "Bobo" Shaw and Gary Sykes once again will join forces for "Drum Line II" a performance to be presented by the Nu-Art Series from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. this Saturday, November 19 at Metropolitan Gallery, 2936 Locust St downtown.

This is the second annual "Drum Line" performance at the Metropolitan Gallery, with this year's edition also featuring percussionists Johnnie Johnson (who, as far as we know, is no relation to the late blues/rock pianist) and Eddie Brown.

Harris, Shaw and Sykes are all St. Louis natives who gained early experience in local African-American drum & bugle corps, which since their founding in the 1930s also have included well-known musicians such as Clark Terry, Philip Wilson and Oliver Lake. Tickets for "Drum Line II" are $10 for general admission; doors open at 2:00 p.m..

Nu-Art Series to present "The Drum Line" on Saturday, November 20

The Nu-Art Series will present "The Drum Line," a performance by St. Louis percussionists Jerome "Scrooge" Harris, Charles "Bobo" Shaw (pictured) and Gary Sykes, at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, November 20, at the Metropolitan Gallery, 2936 Locust St downtown.

All three percussionists are St. Louis natives who got their start within local drum & bugle corps. Specifically, Nu-Art's news release mentions two marching units, the Tom Powell Post and American Woodsman, affiliated with VFW Post #77, which served African-American veterans. Other well-known alumni include Clark Terry, Phillip Wilson and Oliver Lake.

Shaw is perhaps best known as a member of the Black Artists Group and co-leader of the Human Arts Ensemble, and has collaborated with many well-known improvising musicians around the world, while Harris and Sykes are both longtime mainstays of the local scene, playing with a wide range of local, regional and touring jazz artists.

Admission to "The Drum Line" is $10.00 at the door. For more information, call the gallery at 314-535-6500.

BAG to present "From Ragtime to No Time" this Sunday, February 24

This just in: BAG has announced a performance coming up at 7 p.m. this Sunday, February 24 at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

The BAG Trio, which includes Gary Sykes on drums, Zimbabwe Nkenya on bass and Mike "Baba" Nelson on trumpet and percussion, will present "From Ragtime to No Time," a concert that "will take listeners through a musical excursion in rhythm from the Ragtime sounds that make the Scott Joplin State Historic Site famous, to the innovations of the musicians of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who changed the way we hear and think of the creative music today."

Admission to the event is free. For more information, you can call the Scott
Joplin House at 314-340-5790.

BAG to present "One For King" on Sunday, January 20

Via email, BAG has announced that they'll present a program called "One For King" this Sunday, January 20 at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe. The event is, as the name suggests, dedicated to the memory and message of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and will feature a lineup of poets, musicians and artists including Michael Castro and the BAG Trio ("Baba" Mike Nelson on trumpet and percussion, Zimbabwe Nkenya on bass and mbira, and the great Gary Sykes on drums and percussion).

The program will include several group improvisations as well as individual performances. Sykes will be featured on a solo drum composition "in remembrance of the struggle" and Nkenya will offer a piece based on "Dr. King, The Peaceful Warrior," a Cal Massey composition featured on the Archie Shepp album Things Have Got to Change. Nelson and Castro also will perform original solo pieces honoring the Rev. Dr. King.

"One For King" takes place from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and admission is free. For more information, call the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site at 314-340-5790 or send email to bag_blackartistgroup@yahoo.com.

Jazz this week: Bob Dorough, Brian Owens, BAG Trio, St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, and more

Due to various deadlines and some Blogger balkiness, this will be a rather terse chronological summary of this weekend's most noteworthy jazz-related events:

Tonight, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by Jim Widner, will do their monthly gig at Jazz at the Bistro, and pianist Kim Portnoy does a free concert at Washington University's Holmes Lounge as part of the Jazz at Holmes series

On Friday and Saturday, soul/jazz singer Brian Owens (pictured) performs at the Bistro. For a brief sample of Owens' singing style, see the video window at the bottom of this post.

On Sunday, the BAG Trio featuring Zimbabwe Nkenya, Gary Sykes and Mike Nelson will be featured in a free concert at the Scott Joplin State Historic Site.

Also on Sunday, singer and pianist Bob Dorough returns to St. Louis for the first time in 47 years - no, that's not a typo; he last performed here in 1960 - to do a one-nighter at the Bistro. For a bit more about Dorough, whose long career has included everything from guesting on two Miles Davis albums to writing many of the songs for the educational cartoon series Schoolhouse Rock, see the story about him that I wrote for this week's Riverfront Times. (Note also that the phone number appended to the RFT story is incorrect. The correct phone number for advance tickets for Dorough's show is 314-961-1898.)

For more local jazz events this weekend and beyond, please consult the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)



(Edited after posting to add more tags.)

BAG Trio to perform this Sunday, December 9

BAG II has announced another free event, set for 7 p.m. this Sunday, December 9. From the news release:

The BAG Trio, with Zimbabwe Nkenya on bass and African Mbira, Mike Nelson on shells, trumpet and percussion, and Gary Sykes on drums, are just back from Chicago, where they were featured with Douglas Ewart at the Velvet Lounge. This Sunday, December 9th, they will offer a free evening of creative music at Scott Joplin House State Historic Site from 7 – 9 PM.

The Trio plays everything from Cuban & European to African Jazz. They incorporate the sacred Bata Drums with the sacred African Mbira as well as traditional trio work on trumpet, bass and drums.

For more information call 314-340-5790 or email bag_blackartistgroup@yahoo.com.

BAG taps Gary Sykes for tribute to St. Louis drummers

As mentioned briefly in an earlier post, BAG will present drummer Gary Sykes in a free concert paying tribute to St. Louis drummers Phillip Wilson, Joe Charles and Sonny Hamp at 7 p.m. this Sunday, October 21 in the Rosebud Café at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, 2658 Delmar Blvd.

Wilson, who died in 1992 at age 50, is known for his work with Lester Bowie, Julius Hemphill, and many others. He was the original drummer with the Art Ensemble of
Chicago and also was a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, with whom he performed at the famous Woodstock music festival. Though less known than Wilson beyond St. Louis, both Charles and Hamp were important and influential figures on the local scene - Hamp as a straightahead player and mainstay of Gaslight Square, and Charles as a musician and teacher who could play effectively both inside and outside, with time and without.

Sykes seems a fitting choice to pay tribute to their percussive prowess. He's an excellent and highly inventive drummer who's not heard around town nearly often enough these days to suit me. Sykes has played with a number of notable musicians, including Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill, James Moody, Eddie Harris, Pharoah Sanders, Lester Bowie, John Hicks, and Andrew Hill; as well as Dakota Staton, Duke Jordan, James Moody, and bluesman Albert King. From the news release emailed by BAG, it sounds as if he'll be performing solo. Not every drummer can pull off that sort of thing, but Sykes has the both the necessary chops and the ideas in ample supply.

For more information, you can call the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site at 314-340-5790 or email BAG at bag_blackartistgroup@yahoo.com.

BAG to present improv evening, tribute to St. Louis drummers

Via an email from BAG, news that the group has scheduled two upcoming events, including one tomorrow:

BAG Presents:

An informal evening of improvisation featuring Zimbabwe Nkenya on Sunday, October 7, from 7 – 9 PM at Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, 2658 Delmar Blvd.

Musicians are invited to participate in a structured, free improvisation in the tradition of projects led by AACM in Chicago as well as the rich tradition of ‘new’ music in St. Louis. Zimbabwe will give a lecture-demonstration on the advancements of creative musicians such as Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler and Sun Ra...

This event will also serve as a precursor to BAG’s feature event on October 21, a tribute to St. Louis drummers Phillip Wilson, Joe Charles, and Sunny Hamp featuring Gary Sykes.

I trust that more info on that October 21 event will be coming soon, and promise to pass it along when it arrives at StLJN HQ.

(Edited after posting to add links and revise the headline.)