Showing posts with label George Sams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label George Sams. Show all posts
Saturday, May 30, 2020
StLJN Saturday Video Showcase:
The BAG legacy, part 5
After a week off to commemorate the birthday of Miles Davis, this week we resume our look at music made by former members of St. Louis' Black Artists Group, the multi-disciplinary arts organization that operated here in the late 60s and early 70s and helped launch the careers of a number of successful creative musicians.
You can see part one of this series of posts, which includes some links to background information about BAG, here; part two here; part three here; and part four here.
This week's installment features sounds from two BAG-affiliated musicians who also were classmates at St. Louis' Sumner High School, trumpeter George Sams and drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw.
While a number of the musicians involved with BAG went to Paris and/or New York after the group dissolved, Sams headed to the West Coast, settling in the San Francisco area.
That's where he formed Middle Passage, the group seen in the first video up above, which was recorded in 1984 at a performance in the Bay Area. Along with Sams, the ensemble included violinist India Cooke, cellist Kash Killion, and drummer Anthony Brown, and in this clip, they're playing one of Sams' compositions called "Back Home Again."
After the jump, you can see a performance by United Front, another group that Sams was involved with while living out west. In that clip, recorded in 1985 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, they're doing a piece based on Langston Hughes' poem "Ballet of the Landlord," which is declaimed by saxophonist Lewis Jordan as Sams provides trumpet commentary and pianist Rudi Mwongozi, bassist Mark Izu, and drummer Anthony Brown set the rhythmic pace.
Sams eventually moved back to St. Louis, where he has served as a consultant to the Missouri Arts Council and various other arts groups: presented live music and poetry under the banner of The Nu-Art Series; and, for a time, ran the now-closed Metropolitan Gallery downtown, which served as a venue for many Nu-Art productions.
Recently, he's been co-presenting some concerts with St. Louis University's department of music, and has begun playing more gigs again, mostly improvised music dates like the one shown in today's third video, which was recorded in March 2018 at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. As part of the School of Music's "Outside the Box Festival of New Music," Sams performed a set of free improv with flute player Fred Tompkins, pianist Greg Mills, bassist Claude Montgomery, and clarinetist Eric Mandat.
Sadly, his Sumner classmate Charles "Bobo" Shaw is no longer active, having passed away in January 2017. Shaw (who can be seen drumming with BAG in the very first clips in part one of this series) had his greatest impact in the 70s and 80s. He performed frequently in New York and in Europe, and recorded for a number of different labels as a leader and a sideman with Oliver Lake, Lester Bowie, saxophonist Frank Lowe, violinist Billy Bang, and others.
Shaw also eventually moved back to St. Louis, and though health and personal issues ultimately limited his live performances, he did play out around town in a number of different contexts in the last years of his life.
You can see excerpts from three of those gigs below, starting with a duo performance by Shaw and pianist David Parker, playing Parker's "Scott Joplin Blues" in 2014 at the late-lamented Tavern of Fine Arts.
Next, there's an excerpt from "Drum Line II," presented by Sams in 2011 at the Metroplitan Gallery, and featuring four St. Louis drummers - Shaw, Jerome "Scrooge' Harris, Gary Sykes, and Johnny Johnson - trading grooves and licks while paying tribute to the city's tradition of drum and bugle corps.
The final video shows Shaw in May 2010 at the old studios of radio station KDHX on Magnolia Ave in south St. Louis, performing with a group called Melodies of the Kabbalah. In contrast to the free-wheeling improvisations in the other clips, "Latin Moderato 75" has Shaw in an accompanying role, supporting the ensemble of keyboardist Michael Loveman, bassist Josh Weinstein (of KDHX's "All Soul, No Borders"), violinist Brien Seyle, and fellow drummer Brian Sullivan
StLJN's look at the legacy of the Black Artists Group will wrap up next week with some interviews and, perhaps, some other BAG-related ephemera. 'Til then, you can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...
Thursday, January 23, 2020
J.D. Parran and K. Curtis Lyle to perform Saturday, February 8 at SLU's Xavier Hall
The concert is part of the "Jazz 'n Tongues" music-and-poetry series sponsored by SLU and the Nu-Art Series. Nu-Art's impresario George Sams will be part of the ensemble on trumpet and flugelhorn, along with bassist Darrell Mixon, violinist Alyssa Avery, and cellist Tracy Andreotti.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Jazz this week: TAUK, Clayton, Coffin & Wilson, River City Sound Clinic & Gerald Nicosia, Blue Strawberry opens, and more
It's another busy week for live jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with sounds from funk and fusion to free improv and straight-ahead swing, plus the opening of a new local venue for cabaret performances, and more. Let's go to the highlights...Wednesday, October 30
Funk/jam quartet TAUK returns to perform at the Old Rock House, having recently released the third volume in their "Real Tauk" series of live recordings; and The 442s will debut some new music from bandleader Adam Maness and composers Christopher Stark and Stefan Freund in a concert at The Sheldon.
Elsewhere around town, this week's "Wednesday Night Jazz Crawl" features Miss Jubilee at The Stage at KDHX, the weekly jam session at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and The People's Key doing a 1980s-themed show for Halloween at The Dark Room.
October 31
The new Central West End cabaret venue Blue Strawberry opens with St. Louisan Ken Haller's latest show, "When I'm 65." The club will feature cabaret and other singers on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, plus additional live music on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and food and drinks throughout the week. To find out more, read this post from last week.
Also on Thursday, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a free concert by Italian vibraphonist Marco Pacassoni (pictured, center left) with guitarist William Lenihan, bassist Joseph Lepore and drummer Steve Davis; and singer Denise Thimes is back home from Chicago to present the "Mildred Thimes Foundation 15th Annual Benefit Concert" at The Sheldon, with saxophonist Tim Cunningham providing the entertainment for the pre-show VIP event.
Friday, November 1
Bassist John Clayton, saxophonist Jeff Coffin and drummer Matt Wilson (pictured, top left), all in town for week-long educational residencies at Jazz St. Louis, will team up to conclude their stays with the first of two nights of performances at the Bistro.
As often happens with these ad hoc combinations, given the diversity of their respective experiences and usual modes of musical expression, it's hard to predict what they'll sound like together. All three do have their own catalogs of compositions from which to draw, and there definitely should be a high level of musicianship happening, even if there's some stylistic tension along the way.
Also on Friday, Dizzy Atmosphere plays vintage swing and Gypsy jazz in a concert at The Focal Point; the Sentimental Journey Dance Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom, and Blue Strawberry's opening weekend continues with a performance from St. Louisans Rosemary Watts and Joe Dreyer.
Trumpeter George Sams' Nu-Art Series returns with "Jazz n' Tongues: Musical Improvisation to the poetry of Gerald Nicosia" featuring Sams and an ensemble of St. Louis musicians christened the River City Sound Clinic with Nicosia (pictured, with Sams, at bottom left) on stage at the Kranzberg Arts Center.
Also on Saturday, former St. Louisan Mark Deutsch presents another performance on his invented instrument, the Bazantar, at the Focal Point; nine different up-and-coming St. Louis bands and performers will be featured in "Labor of Love - A Kranzberg Arts Foundation Music Resident Benefit Concert" at .ZACK in Grand Center, and the opening weekend at Blue Strawberry concludes with Amy Friedl Stoner singing "A Little Bit of Everything."
Sunday, November 3
The St. Louis Record Show will present their last event of the year at the American Czech Center, and the St. Louis Jazz Club presents the Funky Butt Brass Band in a concert at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis - Westport.
Then on Sunday evening, pianist Ptah Williams' trio performs at The Judson House, and the student musicians of the JazzU Big Band will perform at Jazz St. Louis.
Monday, November 4
Students in Webster University's Student Jazz Combos will show off what they've learned this semester in a performance at Webster's Community Music School.
Tuesday, November 5
Trumpeter Garrett Schmidt leads a quintet in a concert at the Gaslight Theater.
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.)
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Nu-Art Series returning with poet Gerald Nicosia, River City Sound Clinic on Saturday, November 2 at Kranzberg Arts Center
The event, which is presented in conjunction with the St. Louis University music department, is free and open to the public. It will feature Sams and Nicosia (pictured) plus an ensemble of St. Louis improvising musicians dubbed the River City Sound Clinic, including cellist Tracy Andreotti, violinist Alyssa Avery, percussionist Henry Claude, clarinetist Eric Mandat, pianist Greg Mills, bassist Darrell Mixon, and saxophonist Aaron Parker.
Gerald Nicosia, who lives in Marin County, CA, is a poet, critic, and writer best known as the author of Memory Babe: A Critical Biography of Jack Kerouac; a historian of the Beats, the Sixties, and the Vietnam War; and the author of the 2001 book Home to War, about the experiences of Vietnam veterans returning to the US. His fourth and most recent collection of poetry, Night Train to Shanghai, was published in 2014 by Grizzly Peak Press.
As for the Nu-Art Series, Sams tells StLJN that he's got more events planned for the 2019-20 presenting season, most notably a residency and concert by trumpeter Eddie Henderson in the spring. Watch this space for more details as they become available...
Wednesday, May 08, 2019
Jazz this week: Jazzmeia Horn, a master class with Nate Smith, "A Retrospective on Langston Hughes," Denise Thimes, and more
Let's go to the highlights...
Wednesday, May 8
Singer Jazzmeia Horn (pictured, top left) performs for the first of five nights at Jazz St. Louis.
One of the most talked-about and critically acclaimed jazz vocalists to emerge in recent years, Horn will be making her St. Louis debut with these shows. You can find out more about her and see some videos of recent performances in this post from last Saturday.
Also on Wednesday, drummer Nate Smith, who's worked with bassist Dave Holland and saxophonist Chris Potter, will present a master class and solo performance at Gaslight Studios.
Thursday, May 9
Guitarist Vincent Varvel's trio will perform at The Dark Room; saxophonist Tim Cunningham plays at Jazzy 159 Lounge & Bar in Fairview Heights; and percussionist Joe Pastor will lead his St. Louis Legacy Ensemble in hosting a jam session at Evangeline's.
Friday, May 10
The Nu-Art Series wraps up its Spring 2019 poetry-and-jazz series with "A Retrospective on Langston Hughes," featuring poets Roscoe Crenshaw, Cheeraz Gormon, Shirley LeFlore, Eugene Redmond, Abdul Waahid Jones, and Claude Montgomery along with trumpeter George Sams and saxophonist Kendrick Smith at Xavier Hall on the St. Louis University campus.
Also on Friday, new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound plays their final concert of the season at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and singer Anita Jackson performs for the late show at The Dark Room.
Saturday, May 11
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents their monthly jam session, hosted by keyboardist Bob Row and drummer John Gillick at J P's Corner.
Also on Saturday afternoon, the electronic jazz-fusion ensemble Koplant No will play a free show at Saxquest, and the annual Art Fair at Laumeier Sculpture Park will feature sets from musicians including guitarist Dave Black and the Funky Butt Brass Band.
Saturday evening, Chicago-based jazz-rock band Marbin returns to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.
Sunday, May 12
If you're headed out for brunch, musical options to accompany your meal include Miss Jubilee at Evangeline's and singer and bassist Janet Evra at The Dark Room.
Later on Sunday afternoon, Denise Thimes will present her annual Mother's Day concert raising money to fight pancreatic cancer at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, with some help from friends including vocalist Jermaine Smith and keyboardist Matthew Whitaker.
Monday, May 13
Dizzy Atmosphere plays vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck.
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.)
Wednesday, April 03, 2019
Jazz this week: Branford Marsalis Quartet; Wilson, Miles & Strickland; Toby Foyeh & Orchestra Africa; and more
Let's go to the highlights...
Wednesday, April 3
Saxophonist Branford Marsalis' quartet continues their run at Jazz St. Louis, with the 7:30 shows pretty much sold out, but with tickets available (as of this writing) for the 9:30 sets both tonight and Thursday.
Marsalis and company are touring in support of their new album The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, which was released last month. For more about that, and some videos featuring live performances of some of their new material, see this post from last Saturday.
Also on Wednesday, singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black perform at SqWires Restaurant & Annex, and trumpeter Jim Manley will be doing his regular weekly gig at Sasha's Wine Bar.
Thursday, April 4
The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a free concert of improvised music featuring trumpeter George Sams, violinist India Cooke, pianist Greg Mills, clarinetist Eric Mandat and cellist Tracy Andreotti.
Update, 8:00 p.m. 4/3/19: George Sams has informed StLJN of a couple of late-breaking personnel changes on the gig, as violinist Alyssa Avery will perform in place of India Cooke, and bassist Darrell Mixon will be there instead of Tracy Andreotti.
Also on Thursday, guitarist Todd Mosby and his New Horizons Ensemble promote the release of a Mosby's new CD Open Water with a performance at Sky Music Lounge.
Elsewhere around town, fusion trio Tracer, with pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Darrell Mizon and drummer Gary Sykes, will be back at The Dark Room; singer Cherilyn Evans and CEEJazzSoul return to the Chase Club in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel; and saxophonist Vince Sala leads a trio at The Pat Connolly Tavern.
Friday, April 5
In town this week for educational residencies with Jazz St. Louis. drummer Matt Wilson, trumpeter Ron Miles, and saxophonist Marcus Strickland (who's stepping in for the previously announced Jeff Coffin) will wrap up their stay by joining forces for the first of two nights of performances at the Bistro.
Of the three (pictured, top left), Wilson is the most familiar to St. Louis audiences, having played here numerous times before with various bands of his own and as a sideman. However, both Miles, who's worked with Bill Frisell and Joshua Redman among others, and Strickland, whose credits include Roy Haynes, Christian McBride's New Jawn, and Dave Douglas, are formidable players and bandleaders in their own right.
Also on Friday, The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League, a six-piece vintage swing band from Minneapolis, will be in town for a one-nighter at Evangeline's; Miss Jubilee performs for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and keyboardist and singer Jesse Gannon is back at The Dark Room.
Guitarist Dan Rubright of the Wire Pilots plays a late-morning matinee featuring his original compositions at the Sheldon Concert Hall.
Saturday evening, guitarist Toby Foyeh (pictured, bottom left) and Orchestra Africa will bring their lively mix of Afrobeat, jazz, rock, and more to the Touhill Performing Arts Center.
Sunday, April 7
Pianist Adam Maness plays solo for Sunday brunch in a new weekly gig at Thurman's in Shaw, while Anita Jackson returns to The Dark Room.
Later that afternoon, the Ozark Theatre re-opens for the season with a performance from singer Wendy Gordon celebrating the birthday of Billie Holiday, followed by an open jam session; and the Genesis Jazz Project returns to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.
Then on Sunday evening, guitarist Tom Byrne will lead a quartet in a concert spotlighting some of his original music at Focal Point.
Monday, April 8
The faculty members who make up the Webster University Jazz Collective will present their final performance of the semester at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.
Tuesday, April 9
The Gaslight Squares play the first of two morning "coffee concerts" at the Sheldon Concert Hall.
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.)
Saturday, March 16, 2019
StLJN Saturday Video Showcase:
The eclectic artistry of Oliver Lake
This week, StLJN's video spotlight shines on musician, painter, poet, and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake, who's coming to town to perform in a concert sponsored by the Nu-Art Series and St. Louis University next Friday, March 22 at Xavier Hall on the SLU campus.
Lake will joined for the performance by pianist Greg Mills, trumpeter and Nu-Art Series impresario George Sams, and dancers Antonio Douthis-Boyd and Kirven Douthis-Boyd, and, in keeping with the "Jazz 'N Tongues" theme of Nu-Art's current slate of shows, he'll read some of his poetry as well as playing saxophone.
Though born in Arkansas, Lake grew up and spent his formative musical years here in St. Louis, helping co-found the famed Black Artists Group in the late 1960s before moving away to pursue his career. With fellow former BAG members Hamiet Bluiett and Julius Hemphill (plus tenor saxophonist David Murray), he then went on to found the critically acclaimed and influential World Saxophone Quartet, which brought new ideas about arrangements and rhythm sections (or the lack of same) from the avant-garde towards - if not fully into - the mainstream.
In the 1990s, Lake co-founded another significant ensemble, Trio 3, with bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille, and they've continued to reunite periodically for new projects to this day. But it is as a solo artist that Lake has been most prolific, releasing more than 40 albums as a leader with various ensembles, many on his own Passin' Thru label.
For many years a resident of Montclair, NJ, Lake also spends a good deal of time these days on his visual art, as described in the first video up above, a feature story about him produced last year for a local PBS affiliate.
After the jump, you can see a couple of videos from 2018 featuring Lake and his big band, recorded during the Vision Festival at Roulette in Brooklyn, NY and at the DC Jazz Festival in Washington.
Next are recently posted clips of Lake with two different trios - the Crash Band Trio, with drummers Bill McClellan and Reggie Nicholson, recorded during the Bang on a Can Marathon in May, 2017 at the Brooklyn Museum; and a set of music from October, 2014 with guitarist Vernon Reid and drummer Marlon Browden, recorded at John Zorn's venue The Stone in NYC.
Those are followed by two samples of Lake reading his poetry, a work called "Do you remember the time?" recorded in 2010 in Pittsburgh, and "Poem for Amiri Baraka" from the 2014 Vision Festival.
Finally, you can see a short video that Lake made last year for Jazz at Lincoln Center's education department, in which he discusses his process for composing and gives some advice to students.
For more about Oliver Lake, read his 2017 interview with Bandcamp Daily, and the interviews published in 2015 on Revive Music and on pianist Ethan Iverson's blog Do The Math.
You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Jazz this week: Grace Kelly, J.D. Parran & K. Curtis Lyle, Eighth Blackbird, and more
Let's go to the highlights...
Wednesday, February 13
Saxophonist and singer Grace Kelly (pictured, top left) begins a five-night engagement at Jazz St. Louis, continuing through Sunday. Kelly's most recent album Go Time: Brooklyn 2, which came out last October, expands her musical palette a bit, with more pronounced influences from pop, electronic music, and more. For more about that, plus some videos of recent performances by Kelly, check out the video showcase post from last Saturday.
Also on Wednesday, JSL's "Whitaker Jazz Speaks" series continues with "Miles and Me: An Evening with Quincy Troupe," a free event at the St. Louis County Library's main branch on South Lindbergh. The poet, author, professor, St. Louis native, and Miles Davis biographer will speak about his work, his relationship with Davis, and more. For a preview, see Troupe's interview with Dan Durchholz for the Post-Dispatch.
Thursday, February 14
The evening of Valentine's Day offers more than dozen options for live jazz, so you'll probably want to visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes calendar to see the full range of options.
If you're on a budget, the pick show might be the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University's presentation of "My Funny Valentine - Music of Miles Davis," a free concert featuring trumpeter Randy Holmes, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis, bassist/guitarist William Lenihan, pianist Ken Kehner, and drummer Steve Davis. As a bonus, author and scholar Enrico Merlin will give a talk about Davis before the concert, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Also of note, singer Jan Shapiro and pianist Dave Venn, both of whom gig less frequently than many local listeners might like, will be performing along with bassist Ben Wheeler at Bar Italia.
Meanwhile, singer Erin Bode will meet the demand from her fan base with the first of two nights at Cyrano's, and saxophonist Tim Cunningham will be on a similar schedule playing Thursday and Friday at Gauge Cigar Club (the latest re-branding of what originally was Troy's Jazz Gallery.)
Friday, February 15
Chicago-based new music ensemble Eighth Blackbird returns for a concert at 560 Music Center.
Also on Friday, singer Chuck Flowers performs at 50/Fifty Kitchen; the Joe Bozzi Band returns to Evangeline's; and Cornet Chop Suey plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.
Multi-instrumentalist and St. Louis native J.D. Parran (pictured, bottom left) will team up up with poet K. Curtis Lyle and trumpeter George Sams for a performance at Xavier Hall on the SLU campus.
Sunday, February 17
Miss Jubilee will perform for brunch at Evangeline's, while guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran is at The Dark Room.
Monday, February 18
The Webster University Jazz Collective, featuring faculty members from Webster's music department, performs at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.
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.)
Thursday, February 07, 2019
Nu-Art Series to present concerts by J.D. Parran, Oliver Lake at St. Louis University
The series resumes with multi-instrumentalist and St. Louis native J.D. Parran, who will perform with poet K. Curtis Lyle and trumpeter and Nu-Art Series head George Sams on Saturday, February 16.
Next up, saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake (pictured) will play with Sams, pianist Greg Mills, and dancers Antonio Douthis-Boyd and Kirven Douthis-Boyd on Friday, March 22.
Sams then will complete the spring series by leading a date of his own on Friday, April 5.
All three concerts will start at 8:00 p.m. in the University Theatre in Xavier Hall on the SLU campus. General admission is $10 per person, free for students with a valid student ID, and tickets for all three shows are on sale now via Metrotix.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Jazz this week: Stefon Harris, Nevermore Jazz Ball, Quincy Troupe, Regina Carter, and more
Let's go to the highlights...
Wednesday, October 31
Vibraphonist Stefon Harris and his band Blackout return for the first of five nights of performances at Jazz St. Louis.
Winner of this year's DownBeat Critic's Poll as "best vibraphonist," Harris (pictured, top left) is touring in support of his new album Sonic Creed, which his first release as a leader since 2009. For more about that, plus some videos of Harris performing, check out this post from last Saturday.
Thursday, November 1
The eighth annual Nevermore Jazz Ball, a weekend of swing dance events that attracts enthusiasts from all over the country, gets underway with a performance by the Arcadia Dance Orchestra at 2720 Cherokee. Though all-event passes for the weekend are sold out in advance, tickets for the individual events will be sold at the door pending availability.
Also on Thursday, guitarist Vincent Varvel, multi-instrumentalist William Lenihan, drummer Steve Davis and bassist Ric Vice will present a "Tribute to John Abercrombie" in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.
Elsewhere around town, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with singer Bob Gerchen's show "Joe Cocker: Never Forget" at the Gaslight Theater, and trumpeter Keith Moyer and his quartet return to The Dark Room.
The Nevermore Jazz Ball continues with Miss Jubilee performing at the Casa Loma Ballroom, followed by an after-hours event with music from Austin, TX-based clarinetist Jon Doyle's sextet at the South Broadway Athletic Club.
Also on Friday, poet, author and Miles Davis biographer Quincy Troupe (pictured, center left) will give a spoken-word performance with music from trumpeter George Sams' quartet at St. Louis University's Xavier Hall.
Elsewhere around town, singer and actress Carrie St. Louis performs for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival in the first of two nights at the Gaslight Theater; and keyboardist Jay Oliver's trio and Bach To The Future will share a double-bill at 50/Fifty Kitchen.
Saturday, November 3
Nevermore Jazz Ball continues with three events on Saturday, starting at noon with the "Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl," featuring free live music from more than a dozen bands and solo acts at various locations along Cherokee St. between Jefferson Ave and Nebraska Ave.
The NJB's Saturday evening dance then will feature music from Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders at Casa Loma Ballroom, followed by an after-hours event with the Emily Asher Band at the South Broadway Athletic Club.
Also on Saturday, jazz-fusion band Dreaming In Colour plays a late-afternoon show at BB's Jazz Blues & Soups
November 4
The St. Louis Record Collector & CD Show presents their fall event at the American Czech Educational Center, while the Friends of Scott Joplin's monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" takes place at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.
Also on Sunday afternoon, violinist Regina Carter (pictured, bottom left), another DownBeat poll winner, headlines a benefit concert for Community Women Against Hardship at the Sheldon Concert Hall.
Elsewhere around town, the Nevermore Jazz Ball wraps up for 2018 with one final performance from Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders at the Boo Cat Club.
Monday, November 5
The Student Jazz Combos from Webster University perform at Webster's Community Music School.
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.)
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Nu-Art Series to present performances by Eddie Henderson, Quincy Troupe, and more
Poet Lyah LeFlore, the daughter of trumpeter and original Black Arts Group member Floyd LeFlore, also will perform, and Sams will be sitting in for a tune or two as well.
The Nu-Art Series previously presented concerts from 2010 to 2012 at the now-closed Metropolitan Gallery downtown, and in 2014 at the Scott Joplin State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe.
The October concert with Henderson and Williams is the first event of "Jazz-N-Tongues: The Art of Music and Poetry," a series of co-productions with St. Louis University.
The series will continue the following week when poet Quincy Troupe headlines an event also featuring Sams and his quartet at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 2 at Xavier Hall.
Sams tells StLJN that he's working on two more concerts for early 2019, one to feature multi-instrumentalist and St. Louis native J.D. Parran, the other presenting poet, playwright and author Ntozake Shange, with details to come.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Jazz this week: Dweezil Zappa, Lettuce, Marilyn Maye, Project/Object, and more
Let's go to the highlights...
Wednesday, October 12
Promoting their latest recording, Within You, The People's Key begin a two-night stand that marks their debut at Jazz at the Bistro.
For the details, check out their appearance Monday on KTVI-Fox 2's morning newscast, and the brief Q&A between keyboardist Ryan Marquez and the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.
Thursday, October 13
Guitarist Dweezil Zappa (pictured, top left) brings his "50 Years of Frank: Dweezil Zappa Plays Whatever the F@%k He Wants—The Cease and Desist Tour" to The Ready Room.
Although he's still more-than-capably performing music from his father Frank Zappa's vast catalog of compositions, and using the same musicians formerly known as Zappa Plays Zappa, Dweezil can no longer use his dad's name or likeness, due to what's become a rather ugly legal battle with his mother and two of his siblings. As the name suggests, this year's tour offers a broad retrospective of FZ music going back to his first album Freak Out, which was released 50 years ago.
Also on Thursday, funk/jazz band Lettuce returns to The Pageant, with electronic music duo The Geek x Vrv as opening act.
The aforementioned grande dame of cabaret, Marilyn Maye, returns for the first of two nights at the Gaslight Theater, kicking off the fall series for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival.
With a career stretching back more than 60 years, Maye (pictured, bottom left) remains a compelling performer, even at 88 years old. Although she was here this summer for the St. Louis Cabaret Conference, both shows are likely to sell out, if they haven't already, so advance reservations are suggested.
Also on Friday, pianists Adaron “Pops” Jackson and Phil Dunlap will team up on two grand pianos for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, supported by bassist Nick Jost and drummer Kaleb Kirby.
Elsewhere around town, singer Feyza Eren will present an evening of Brazilian music at The Chapel, and The BonBon Plot, a new trio that describes their sound as "bossa nova and modern French jazz with an indie twist" will play for the first of two nights at the Ozark Theatre.
Saturday, October 15
Bassist Kent Miller is in from Washington, DC with his quartet for a show of straight-ahead jazz at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and Wack-A-Doo plays swing and Americana at Evangeline's.
Also on Saturday, trumpeter Jim Manley and guitarist Randy Bahr's All-Star Band returns to Nathalie's; and the Funky Butt Brass Band's monthly gig at the Broadway Oyster Bar will feature a second-set tribute to the music of Huey Lewis and the News. (Don't say we didn't warn you!)
Sunday, October 16
The area gets a second helping of Zappa music for the week as the long-running FZ tribute act Project/Object plays at 2720 Cherokee, joined by two of Zappa's former sidemen, singer, guitarist and St. Louis native Ike Willis and keyboardist Don Preston.
Although Dweezil Zappa has been, until recently anyway, the most "official" and best-known keeper of his dad's musical legacy, Project/Object are worthy and experienced interpreters, too. Yr. StLJN editor saw them play a few years back at Cicero's here in St. Louis, with Willis and former FZ saxophonist Napoleon Murphy Brock as guest performers, and they performed Zappa's music with skill and enthusiasm to spare.
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.)
Thursday, June 30, 2016
"New Music/Free Improv" CD release event reset for Tuesday, July 12 at Jackson Pianos
(The event originally was scheduled to take place at the album's titular Tavern of Fine Arts, but had to be moved after that venue closed on Saturday, June 25.)
Produced by flute player/composer Fred Tompkins and pianist Greg Mills, the album (pictured) contains ten tracks recorded at a half-dozen different events held between March 2014 and March 2016 at the now-shuttered tavern. Performers include Tompkins, Mills, cellist Tracy Andreotti, poet Michael Castro, percussionist Henry Claude, violinist Alex Cunningham, keyboardist James Hegarty, clarinetist Eric Mandat, trombonist Jeremy Melsha, guitarist Lee Scott Price, trumpeter George Sams, saxophonist Dave Stone, bassist Josh Weinstein, and percussionist Thomas Zirkle.
Pressed in a limited edition of 100 CDs, the album will be available to buy for $10 at the CD release event, and also is now on sale at local retailers Euclid Records and Vintage Vinyl.
The CD release event is free and open to the public, and will feature performances from most of the musicians who appear on the album, plus "free drinks and snacks."
Thursday, June 16, 2016
New CD release showcases
St. Louis free improvisors
New Music/Free Improv Live at the Tavern of Fine Arts contains ten tracks recorded at a half-dozen different events held between March 2014 and March 2016 at the Central West End restaurant and bar referenced in the album's title.
With production overseen by flute player/composer Fred Tompkins and pianist Greg Mills (both of whom also perform on some of the tracks), the album compiles music from monthly jam sessions at the ToFA; last fall's "3 Nights In September" festival; and more, all recorded live to two-track by Tompkins.
In addition to the two producers/project managers, performers include cellist Tracy Andreotti, poet Michael Castro, percussionist Henry Claude, violinist Alex Cunningham, keyboardist James Hegarty, clarinetist Eric Mandat, trombonist Jeremy Melsha, guitarist Lee Scott Price, trumpeter George Sams, saxophonist Dave Stone, bassist Josh Weinstein, and percussionist Thomas Zirkle.
Update, 12:00 a.m., 6/17/16: The proprietors of the Tavern of Fine Arts announced late yesterday that they'll be closely permanently on Saturday, June 25, meaning that the CD release event on Wednesday, July 13 is canceled. If it is rescheduled at another venue, depending on the timing there will be either another update or a new post here on StLJN.
Pressed in a limited edition of 100 CDs, the album will be available to buy for $10 at the event on July 13, and also will be available for purchase from the participating musicians and soon, at local retailers Euclid Records and Vintage Vinyl. Plans for a digital release are pending, said Tompkins.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
StLJN Saturday Video Showcase:
"3 Nights in September"
This week, let's take a look at some of the musicians who will be involved in "3 Nights in September," a mid-week festival of improvised and experimental music organized by cellist Tracy Andreotti that will take place this coming Tuesday, September 22; Wednesday, September 23; and Thursday, September 24 at the Tavern of Fine Arts.
Tuesday's program is scheduled to include performances from Brain Transplant, NNN Cook, Michael Williams, and the Hess/Cunningham Duo, while Wednesday's concert will feature Ghost Ice & Mister Ben; Dave Stone with Henry Claude, Glenn "Papa" Wright & Joe Hess; and the Perhelion Ensemble.
The final performance on Thursday will include sets from the Experimental Arts Ensemble STL; Andreotti's own Vernacular String Trio; the STL Free Jazz Collective; and the duo of trumpeter George Sams and drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw.
Attempting to "preview" shows of improvised music is always fraught with uncertainty, because by definition, every performance is different. But even so, and even though some of the today's featured clips are a bit rough, quality wise, perusing them should give you at least some idea of what to expect next week.
The first clip up above features the Hess/Cunningham Duo, captured in August of this year at the Acid Kat Fest in St. Louis.
After the jump, you can see videos of NNN Cook, also from this year's Acid Kat Fest; Brain Transplant, recorded in October 2014 during the last in-store performance at the now-shuttered Apop Records; and Ghost Ice, from a show in January of this year at the Schlafly Tap Room.
Then, it's saxophonist Dave Stone's trio, recorded in 2010 at Stone's regular Friday night performance at Mangia Italiano (which tends to be as much of a "tunes" gig as free improv); and a promotional trailer produced by the STL Free Jazz Collective.
Finally, there's a recording of Sams and Shaw performing at a tribute to the late trumpeter Floyd LeFlore last October at the Tavern of Fine Arts, with some help from saxophonists Jerome 'Jay Dubz' Williams and Lawrence 'Rahtu' Johnson and pianist David Parker.
Admission to "Three Nights in September" is $5 per night, payable in cash only, at the door. See the event's Facebook page for the latest details.
You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...
Monday, September 29, 2014
Tribute to Floyd LeFlore set for Monday, October 6 at Tavern of Fine Arts
LeFlore, a co-founder of St. Louis' Black Artists Group and a former board member of New Music Circle, died on September 6 at age 74.
The tribute will feature the improvising ensemble Numbers, whose pianist David Parker and drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw both performed and recorded with LeFlore - Parker during the 1980s and 1990s, and Shaw at various times going all the way back to the founding of BAG in the 1960s. Numbers trumpeter George Sams also has history with LeFlore, from occasional gigs to presenting him in concert as part of the Nu-Art Series to serving together on the New Music Circle board.
Also performing will be poet Shirley Bradley LeFlore, percussionist Henry Claude, cellist Tracy Andreotti, and pianist Greg Mills.
Admission to the Floyd LeFlore tribute is free, but donations will be accepted for the performers (who also get a portion of the Tavern's food & drink sales during the show.)
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Jazz this week: River City Mess Around, a new weekly jam session debuts, and more
Tonight, drummer Bernard Long Jr. and his Jazztet inaugurate a new weekly jam session at Troy's Jazz Gallery. Musicians of all skill levels, from professional to semi-pro to student, are invited to stop by and sit in.
Tomorrow night, Good 4 The Soul are back for their monthly gig at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, guitarist Dave Black and his band plus guest singer Feyza Eren play at Nathalie's; guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran's Guerrilla Swing will perform at Robust Wine Bar; and trumpeter Jim Manley will be at Joyia Tapas.
On Friday, the River City Mess Around, a weekend of swing dance events sponsored by Lindy Hop St. Louis, officially gets underway with Miss Jubilee (pictured) performing at the Mahler Ballroom.
Also on Friday, singer Joe Mancuso will return to Chaser's Lounge in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel; saxophonist Jim Stevens and band will be riverside at The Loading Dock in Grafton; and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will be back to play at the Venice Cafe
On Saturday, the River City Mess-Around continues with the "Mess-Around All Stars" playing for dancers at 2720 Cherokee. Elsewhere around town, keyboardist Matt Villinger leads a trio at Thurman Grill; Wack-A-Doo will perform at Evangeline's, and pianist Jesse Gannon will play solo at the Dark Room.
Then on Sunday afternoon, the Mess Around concludes will a performance from Michael Gamble's Gamblers at the Lemp Mansion Gazebo, 3322 DeMenil Pl; the Friends of Scott Joplin will present their "Ragtime Rendezvous" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site; and saxophonist Willie Akins leads a quartet plus guest vocalist in what's being billed as another new recurring weekly gig at Troy's Jazz Gallery.
Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday guitarist Tom Byrne and band return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups; and pianist David Parker, drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw, and trumpeter George Sams will play at 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.)
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Jazz this week: Marissa Mulder, Jazz St. Louis benefit gala, Hamiet Bluiett & George Sams, Roger Ingram, and more
For the Funky Butt Brass Band, St. Louis' best known exponents of the New Orleans brass band sound, the next few days are the equivalent of the week before Christmas for Santa Claus' various helpers and stand-ins. The FBBB will kick off the weekend this evening at Blues City Deli's King Cake Party, then team up with NOLA R&B/zydeco tribute band Gumbohead for gigs on Saturday at the Old Rock House and Tuesday at the Broadway Oyster Bar.
Elsewhere around town tonight, singer Marissa Mulder (pictured) makes her St. Louis debut as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, performing her show "The Songs of Tom Waits" at the Gaslight Theater. Mulder will do the show twice more, on Friday and Saturday, while the Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues weekends through April 26. .
Also tonight, singer Denise Thimes performs at the Ethical Society of St. Louis; pianist Ptah Williams' trio will play a free concert featuring the music of Chick Corea for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; and the Tavern of Fine Arts will present their monthly "Experimental Arts Open Improv Night" with live improvised music from keyboardist Jim Hegarty, flute player Fred Tompkins, and others.
Tomorrow night, Jazz St. Louis will hold their annual benefit gala at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Clayton, featuring the legendary funk saxophonist Maceo Parker as the headline entertainment, plus dinner, drinks, a silent auction, and more. As of this writing, there still are some tickets available, starting at $400 per person; call 314-289-4034 for details.
Also on Friday, pianist Pete Ruthenberg will play "The Music of Herbie Hancock" at the Kranzberg Arts Center; trombonists Doug Bert and Rodney Lancaster join forces for a gig at Robbie's House of Jazz; singer/pianist Jesse Gannon and his band Truth return to The Engine Room; and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.
On Saturday afternoon, trumpeter George Sams will re-start his Nu-Art Series by playing a duo concert with baritone sax great Hamiet Bluiett at a new location, the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site downtown.
Then on Saturday evening, Roger Ingram, known as lead trumpeter for Harry Connick Jr.'s big band and as as jazz educator much in demand, will be the featured guest performer at this year's Mineral Area College Jazz Festival down in Park Hills.
Also on Saturday evening and a bit closer to home, pianist Dave Venn and saxophonist Willie Akins will team up for a one-night-only performance at Jazz at the Bistro; the Coleman-Hughes Project with singer Adrienne Felton will play at Troy's Jazz Gallery; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will return to The Wine Press, and pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with saxophonist Larry Johnson will take the stage at Robbie's House of Jazz.
On Sunday, the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will hold their first event of the year - January's show was canceled due to bad weather - at the usual location, the American Czech Hall at 4690 Lansdowne in south St. Louis.
Also on Sunday, trumpeter Russell Gunn will be back home, performing on a bill with singer Dionne Ferris of Arrested Development at the Casino Queen's Club Sevens.While the first show is sold out, a second show at 8:30 p.m. has been added.
Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday guitarist Tom Byrne is at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups; and on Tuesday, the St. Louis Community College at Meramec Jazz Combos will present a free performance at Meramec Theatre on campus.
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.)
(Updated after posting with info on the Russell Gunn show.)
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Nu-Art Series returning with
three concerts this spring
After more than a year of dormancy following the closing of its primary venue, the Metropolitan Gallery, the Nu-Art Series will return to presenting music starting next month with a series of concerts at the Scott Joplin House Historic Site, 2658 Delmar.As frequently was the case in the series' past, the first set of performances in 2014 will present musicians wth a connection to the Black Artists Group and St. Louis' avant-jazz scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, the series' organizer, trumpeter George Sams, is taking a slightly different approach this time around, participating directly as a performer in all three concerts as well as producing them.
On Saturday, March 1, Sams will team with baritone saxophonist and clarinetist Hamiet Bluiett (pictured) for a duo performance. Then on Saturday, March 15, drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw and pianist David Parker will be featured along with Sams.
The spring series wraps up on Saturday, April 12 with another duo concert featuring multi-instrumentalist J.D. Parran and Sams.
All concerts start at 3:00 p.m., and admission is $10 at the door. For more information, call 314-340-5790.
Friday, January 03, 2014
So What: Local News, Notes & Links
* Trumpeter, consultant and impresario George Sams plans to re-start The Nu-Art Series this year with four to six performances at a location or locations yet to be determined, according to an article by Terry Perkins published this week by the St. Louis Beacon/St. Louis Public Radio.
* Singer Sarah Ulrich of Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes (pictured) is profiled in the latest issue of the local lifestyle magazine Uptown.
* The St. Louis Business Journal reports that Jazz St. Louis had a fiscally successful year in 2013.
* StLJN's annual roundup of "Best Jazz of 2013" lists this year included a couple of local entries, from Josh Weinstein, host of KDHX's "All Soul, No Borders," and Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis. You can see the entire list roundup, which has more than 120 "best of" lists from around and still is being updated, here.
* Jazz radio update: On this Saturday's episode of “Somethin’ Else” on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis, host Calvin Wilson will focus on the music of Herbie Hancock, including his collaborations with trumpeter Miles Davis and saxophonist Michael Brecker. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2 and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.
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