Trumpeter Clark Terry; pianist, singer and saxophonist Hugh 'Peanuts ' Whalum; and singer Kim Massie are the St. Louis performers scheduled to be honored, along with, for reasons that presently are obscure, saxophonist Kirk Whalum, a Memphis native and nephew of "Peanuts" Whalum. (No knock against Kirk Whalum, a fine player who has had a nice career, but apart from his uncle, he doesn't really have much to do with St. Louis.)
Here's StLJN's latest wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:
* Drummer Jimmy Cobb, the last surviving musician to have played on Miles Davis' historic album Kind of Blue, is ailing and need of financial assistance.
Cobb (pictured), who's now 91 years old, also played on Davis' Sketches of Spain as well as hundreds more sessions and thousands of live dates from the 1950s into the present day.
Cobb's daughter has put up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for his medical and living expenses. You can find out more and, if you wish, donate here.
* The Muny is looking for photos of Gaslight Square for use this summer in a production of Smokey Joe's Cafe, the "jukebox musical" built from the catalog of songwriter Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. The photos may be used for show promotion, a preshow element, and/or and could be featured in the production. Deadline to submit is Wednesday, April 1; for details, visit http://muny.org/smokeyjoescafe/photo-submission/
* Jimmy's on the Park, the long-running restaurant and bar in the DeMun neighborhood of Clayton, has closed. Trumpeter Jim Manley was the featured musical entertainment for the spot's Sunday jazz brunch for more than a decade.
* Blues historian, author, and illustrator Kevin Belford has a new post on his blog about providing research assistance for American Epic, an upcoming music documentary being produced by PBS and the BBC.
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."
Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short local news items of interest:
* Saxophonist David Sanborn celebrated a birthday this past week, turning 69 on Wednesday. (In tribute, we've dropped in a video of Sanborn playing "St. Louis Blues" at the end of this post.)
Sanborn (pictured) also has posted another supporters-only update to PledgeMusic.com with the latest on his upcoming crowd-funded album, which has reached 83% of its funding goal with just five days left to go.
* The long-defunct Gaslight Square entertainment district, site of many jazz performances in the late 1950s and early 60s, was the subject of a St. Louis Public Radio story this week featuring interviews with a dozen St. Louisans about their memories of the area.
* The Post-Dispatch's annual "Go! List" issue, which came out last Sunday, included a listing for "Best Place to Hear Jazz" among the arts and entertainment rankings. The P-D's Calvin Wilson gave the nod to New Music Circle as his Critic's Pick, while the Readers Pick went to Jazz at the Bistro.
* Drummer Kaleb Kirby took part in a brief Q&A session with writer Thomas Crone of St. Louis magazine.
* There's a new musical instrument retailer in South County. Music Go Round will sell both new and used gear in their store at 4442 S. Lindbergh (at Gravois) and online. You can check out their wares at their grand opening today and tomorrow, or via their website.
* Jazz radio update: This week on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis' “Somethin’ Else,” host Calvin Wilson will strike a blow against musical necrophilia by spinning tracks from "artists who are either set to perform in St. Louis, long overdue for a local gig, or rumored to be on the way," including pianist Kenny Barron (booked next February at Jazz at the Bistro), singer Gretchen Parlato (still awaiting her St. Louis debut) and guitarist Mary Halvorson (whose band Thumbscrew will open New Music Circle's season in September).
"Somethin' Else" 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 on Sunday night, "Jazz Unlimited" continues host Dennis Owsley's documentary look at the history of St. Louis jazz with part six of the ten-part series, covering the 1960s. "Jazz Unlimited" an be heard from 9:00 p.m. to midnight Sundays on KWMU (90.7 FM) and online at http://www.stlpublicradio.org/listen.php.
Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short local news items of interest:
* Next Saturday, April 19 is the annual National Record Store Day, and as always, St. Louis' local music retailers will be celebrating in style. For the fourth consecutive year, yr. humble StLJN editor will be spinning tunes at Vintage Vinyl for an hour, starting at 4:00 p.m.. See the poster for the event (pictured) for the store's complete schedule of DJs and live bands.
* Trumpeter Carl Fischer, in town tonight to back singer/pianist Billy Joel at the Scottrade Center, was profiled by St. Louis magazine's Kim Aubuchon.
* Here's another review of Reeds Ramble, saxophonist and Webster U alum Chris Cheek's new disc with fellow saxophonist Seamus Blake, written for AllAboutJazz.com by Bruce Lindsay.
* A brief reminder that Music for Lifelong Achievement is conducting a musical instrument drive this month to collect instruments for deserving but disadvantaged local music students. You can drop off a used or new musical instrument (or cash donation) at any performance this month at the Sheldon Concert Hall, or bring it to the hall during normal business hours from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
* Jazz radio update: And speaking of Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, Calvin Wilson will celebrate the 50th installment of his program "Somethin' Else" this Saturday with encore spins of favorite tracks from Robert Glasper, Diana Krall, Joshua Redman, and more.
Right after than on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will have music from Down To The Bone, Pieces of a Dream, Nathan East, John Coltrane, Excursion, Jack Furlong, Jim Manley, The Silverman Brothers, Common Time and Joe Mancuso.
Wilson's program airs at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by Church at 9:00 p.m., on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.
Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short local news items of interest:
* Bassist Raymond Eldridge, who's played with many different St. Louis jazz musicians and groups over the course of a five-decade career, reportedly has been in the intensive care unit at Barnes Hospital after suffering a stroke last Friday. His condition had been described as "grave," though a subsequent post on Facebook from a family member said Eldridge had improved greatly since first being admitted. More information on this as it becomes available...
* On a much happier note, StLJN sends best wishes to DJ, author and photographer Dennis Owsley, who celebrated his 70th birthday this week.
* New Music Circle's "Seeing Sound" film-and-music event on Friday, April 5 at Webster University is previewed by Stefene Russell of St. Louis magazine.
* A new episode of HEC-TV's I Love Jazz will begin airing on Thursday, April 4. It includes footage of a recent performance at Jazz at the Bistro by the group led by saxophonist Willie Akins and drummer Montez Coleman (pictured); a feature on the Sheldon's recent exhibit of jazz-influenced work by famed cartoonist and native St. Louisan Al Hirschfeld; and more. Check your TV provider's program guide for the channel and times, or watch online at www.hectv.org/.
* Jan Shapiro, singer and former St. Louisan who now heads the vocal program at Berklee College of Music, has a new CD called Piano Bar After Hours. The album (pictured) features a varied program of songs, from well-known tunes such as "If I Were A Bell" and Horace Silver's "Doodlin'" to more obscure numbers. Although the "official release" isn't until April 2013, both the CD and single tracks already can be purchased via CDbaby, iTunes, and Amazon.com.
Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short local news items of interest:
* In advance of their gig this Wednesday through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro, Joey Kibble of the vocal group Take 6 (pictured) did an interview with Calvin Wilson of the Post-Dispatch.
* Pianist Peter Martin, who will play a duo concert with pianist David Torkanowsky on Friday at the Sheldon, was the subject of a brief profile by the P-D's Deb Peterson.
* The new Miles Davis set of formerly bootleg live recordings from 1967 is reviewed by Terry Perkins for the St. Louis Beacon.
* Lastly, former P-D theater reviewer and restaurant critic Joe Pollack reports for St. Louis magazine on the London funeral of Fran Landesman, poet, writer and former co-owner of the Crystal Palace nightclub in St. Louis' Gaslight Square.
More often than not, this weekly feature is dedicated to previewing upcoming concerts of jazz and creative music in St. Louis. However, talking this past week with people about the late MaeWheeler and her long career got me thinking about both the history of jazz in St. Louis and the need to occasionally to remember and celebrate the musicians and singers who made it happen.
With that in mind, this week we're taking a look at St. Louis' Gaslight Square district and some of the people who played and sang there, where Wheeler launched her music career. Lets start at the beginning, as many younger readers and those not from St. Louis may have heard the name Gaslight Square, but may not know much about it.
Briefly, Gaslight Square was a small entertainment district, just a few blocks long really, that flourished in the city of St. Louis during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The area began to decline in the mid-1960s, as crime rose, the city's population dropped, and shady operators tried to cash in on its previous popularity. By the end of the 1960s, it was pretty much all over. Gaslight Square became a collection of mostly vacant buildings, and the area remained in ruins for more than 30 years.
The 2005 documentary Gaslight Square: The Legend Lives On, which you can watch in the embedded video window up above, tells the whole story, at a length of more than 2 hours. The film has lots of archival footage, still photos, and interviews, and remains the most extensive audio/visual presentation of Gaslight Square's history. The producers also created an accompanying website that has still photos and some other material.
At the time The Legend Lives On documentary was made, redevelopment plans for Gaslight Square were stalled for the umpteenth time and the area was still blighted. Since then, some small progress has been made, with a few new homes built and some older buildings rehabbed. That brings us to the video down below, which was produced in 2008 by the staff of KETC's Living St. Louis. Over 25 minutes, producer/host Margie Newman recounts the history of Gaslight Square and looks at the still-ongoing efforts to renew the neighborhood for the 21st century.
Of course, the buildings weren't really what made Gaslight Square memorable - it was the people. One performer from the era who remains active is singer Jeanne Trevor, who no longer gigs every week but still plays out with some regularity. In the second window below, you can see Trevor with pianist Curt Landes singing "God Bless The Child" during a show last year at the alternative performance space Joe's Cafe.
Another Gaslight Square veteran still working is pianist Jeter Thompson, who played back in the day with Quartette Tres Bien and now performs with his brothers Harold, a bassist, and Howard, a drummer, as Trio Tres Bien. They can be seen in the third window below backing Harold's daughter, singer Danita Mumphard, in a version of the Burt Bacharach song "A House Is Not A Home." (Jeter Thompson's piano solo starts about at 3 minutes, 50 seconds into the tune.)
In the window below that, you can hear Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum, yet another mainstay of the Gaslight Square district, playing "I Close My Eyes" at a 2006 gig in Santa Monica, CA. The band includes St. Louisan Jeff Anderson on bass and former St. Louis resident Rob Block on guitar, and that's Peanuts' nephew, the well-known contemporary jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum, sporting the fedora. Now 82 years old, Peanuts Whalum has not been seen playing out in a while, and, sadly, I've heard talk that he's had health problems, but no specific information has been made public.
For today's final video, there a Mae Wheeler clip that went unposted the other day, a feature story about a tribute to her filmed back in 2007 for KETC's Living St. Louis.
If you'd like to learn more about the history of Gaslight Square, there have been two books written on the subject in recent years. The first, Gaslight Square: An Oral History by Thomas Crone, came out in 2004 and chronicles "the rise and fall of Gaslight Square" in the words of people who worked, played and/or lived there.
Last but not least, for those who want to wear their nostalgia and/or local pride on their chests, stlstyle.com offers for sale a Gaslight Square t-shirt. (No commission for StLJN on this, just thought maybe you'd dig the shirt.)
Singer Mae Wheeler (pictured), known to generations of St. Louis music fans as "Lady Jazz," died this evening at her home in Maryland Heights after a long illness. She was 77.
Wheeler, known for her charity fundraising efforts as well as for a musical career that spanned six decades, had been battling colon cancer since 2006, and was diagnosed two years ago with leukemia. Her doctors had sent her home from the hospital last month, saying that further treatment would be ineffective. In recent weeks, Wheeler was surrounded by and cared for by family and friends, including a granddaughter who established a Facebook account for her so friends and fans could send their best wishes. During that time, she gave a final interview to Terry Perkins of the St. Louis Beacon, which you can read here.
Born on May 15, 1934 in Memphis, TN, Wheeler moved with her family to the St. Louis suburb of Richmond Heights when she was five. She graduated in 1951 from Douglass School in Webster Groves, and according to published reports, later attended Forest Park Community College for about a year, majoring in music and communications, before meeting her husband Jimmie Lee, who was in the landscaping business.
The couple had five children, but when Jimmy Lee died of kidney disease in 1964, Wheeler was left as the family's sole breadwinner. She worked as a restaurant cook, took in laundry, and cleaned houses to make ends meet, but never gave up on her desire to sing. Wheeler eventually broke in to the music business at the tail end of St. Louis' Gaslight Square era, crediting fellow singer Jeanne Trevor for helping her to get her first gigs at places such as Vanity Fair, the Black Horse, the Dark Side and the Red Carpet.
Wheeler often referred to herself not as a jazz singer, but as a "song stylist" who interpreted a wide variety of material, from jazz and blues to pop, rock, Broadway and more. In the 1970s and into the 1980s, Wheeler was a regular performer at Hannegan's on Laclede's Landing and also worked at other spots such the Moose Lounge in north St. Louis and an early incarnation of Kennedy's, also on the Landing. In later years, she performed frequently at the now-defunct Brandt's in University City, as well as at other restaurants, lounges and clubs around town.
Over the course of her career, Wheeler worked with hundreds of St. Louis musicians and singers, and also appeared with nationally known entertainers including Pearl Bailey, Count Basie, Sonny Stitt, Mitch Miller and Arthur Prysock. As best as can be determined, she released two recordings, Live in 2000, and Just Friends in 2002. Both seem currently to be out of print.
Wheeler also became known as an event producer and philanthropist, putting on the first version of what would come to be called "The Divas Show" in 1996 at Westport Playhouse. Subsequent editions of the concert would follow annually for the next dozen years, showcasing many St. Louis female vocalists and raising money for Wheeler's favorite charity, a scholarship fund for high school graduates with C averages who wanted to attend college. One of the best known recipients of one of Wheeler's $1,000 scholarships is drummer Kim Thompson, who put the money toward her education at Manhattan School of Music and has gone on to become a successful professional musician, performing with pop singer Beyonce and many others.
“Maybe now, she’ll reach back,” Wheeler said of Thompson in a 2010 interview with Kenya Vaughn of the St. Louis American. “In doing all of this I just want people to know that we need to help one another. Plus, I want these children to know to always reach for the sky and don’t ever stop trying to be a winner.”
Wheeler moved from her longtime home in Richmond Heights to Maryland Heights in 2007, as her old neighborhood was bought out for a redevelopment project. Her final production "Unforgettable Legends" took place on Halloween night 2010 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Mae Wheeler is survived by a brother, Darde Smith; three sisters, Delores Laster, Samella Miller and Ernestine Stith; two daughters, MarYam Aaten and Mary Wheeler, and three sons, Steve Wheeler, Kenneth Wheeler and Khamaron Wheeler, as well as 15 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. As of this writing, there's been no announcement made yet about funeral arrangements or a memorial service.
For more about Mae Wheeler's life and career, see the embedded video below, which is a segment aired on local PBS affiliate KETC's program Living St. Louis earlier this year when Wheeler won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis. You also may enjoy the video below that, which features an brief informal conversation between Wheeler and a fan at Brandt's back in 2006.
A personal note: Although I didn't know Mae Wheeler well, I had a chance to perform with her (and for her) a few times in recent years at various benefits and all-star shows, and to cover her as a journalist. I liked her as a person, and admired her philanthropic efforts and fighting spirit. The St. Louis community certainly is diminished by her passing, but our town also benefited greatly from the things she did while she was passing through. Rest in peace, Lady Jazz.
Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short local news items of interest:
* Post-Dispatch business reporter Tim Bryant writes today that the Music Center of Kirkwood (once known as Mel Bay Music) will relocate later this year from downtown Kirkwood to a former paint store on Watson Rd. in Crestwood. The new store, to be renamed City Music and Education Center, will be triple the size of the current Kirkwood location - and, interestingly, less than a mile from one of two Guitar Center stores in the St. Louis area.
* Back at the Post, Terry Perkins reviewed last Saturday's concert by Chris Botti with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. For a contrasting view, read this blog entry about the trumpeter's St. Louis show from blogger Amy Zopfi, a blogger from Las Vegas who's planning on following Botti across the country for an entire year's worth of concerts.
* The remodeling of Mangia Italiano is done, and the South Grand restaurant and bar reopened this week, with saxophonist Dave Stone's trio set to resume their long-running Friday night gig this evening.
* The St. Louis-based traditional jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey (pictured) is on the road this weekend, heading west to Seaside, OR, where they'll be one of 11 bands performing for the 28th annual Oregon Dixieland Jubilee. The festival starts today and continues through Sunday.
* Jay Landesman, former owner of the Crystal Palace nightclub in St. Louis' famed Gaslight Square entertainment district, died this week in London at age 91. You can read the Post-Dispatch obituary by Deb Peterson here, and a piece about Landesman from the Riverfront Times' Aimee Levitt here.
(Edited 2/28/11 to add the blogger's name to the item about Chris Botti.)
And speaking of free stuff available online, Gaslight Square: The Legend Lives On, a 2005 documentary about the famed St. Louis entertainment district of the late 1950s and early 1960s, can now be viewed for free via Google video.
There's been a short video teaser of the film available on YouTube for a couple of years, but now you can see the entire 2 hour and 12 minute movie, which was directed by St. Louisan Bruce Marren, either by activating the embedded video window below, or by visiting the Google video page here.
Today's column from St. Louis Post-Dispatch pop critic Kevin Johnson has the scoop on an event called "Remembering Gaslight Square: Another Place, Another Time," to be held from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. this Saturday at Central West End Bed & Breakfast, 4045 Washington.
The musical lineup for the free event includes Mae Wheeler, Gene Lynn, Jeanne Trevor, Anita Rosamond, Fred Walker, Bill Tucker, Babz Robnett, Mike Aguirre, Janice Battle, Ptah Williams, James Matthews, Paul Stark, Carol Eder and Tony Simmons, and you can read more about it in Johnson's column here.
