Jazz this week: Catherine Russell & John Pizzarelli, Natural Information Society, Glendale Jazz Festival, two tributes to Miles Davis, and more

The calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis for this week leading up to Memorial Day features two shows celebrating the birthday of the most influential jazz musician ever to come from this area, plus a tribute to two of the most enduring vocalists in American music; the end of an important anniversary season for a local presenter; and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 22
Singer Catherine Russell teams up with guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli (pictured, top left) and his trio to present their show "Billie & Blue Eyes" for the first of five nights at Jazz St. Louis.

The show spotlights Russell and Pizzarelli's contemporary interpretations of songs associated with Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. You can find out more and see some video from previous performances, plus songs from both of their latest recordings, in this post from last Saturday.

Thursday, May 23
Saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room, and pianist Adam Maness' trio plays at Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, May 24
The Glendale Jazzfest celebrates its 20th year with Miss Jubilee, the Funky Butt Brass Band, and Dean Christopher providing the music for the free, public outdoor event at Glendale City Hall.

Saturday, May 25
New Music Circle wraps up their 60th season with a concert featuring Natural Information Society, augmented by keyboardist Cooper Crain of Bitchin' Bajas, at Off Broadway.

Also on Saturday, trumpeter Jim Manley brings his band to Evangeline's, and pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with saxophonist Larry Johnson return to Parkside Grille.

Sunday, May 26
Sunday marks 93 years since the birth of the late, legendary trumpeter Miles Davis, and two current St. Louis trumpeters are presenting tributes to him, as Randy Holmes headlines a "Double Tribute to Miles Davis & Kind of Blue" at the Ozark Theatre while Kasimu Taylor leads a "Tribute to Miles Davis" at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Tuesday May 28
Guitarist Steve Schenkel's trio plus guest vocalist Kim Fuller will perform 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.)

Jazz this week: Poncho Sanchez; Cooper-Moore, Abrams & Drake; Glendale Jazz Festival; Willie Akins Jazz Festival; and more

The busy Memorial Day weekend schedule of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes the return of a leading light of Latin jazz; an all-star assembly of creative improvisors; a benefit raising funds for scholarships in the name of the late St. Louis saxophonist Willie Akins, and more.

Let's go the highlights....

Wednesday, May 23
Percussionist Poncho Sanchez (pictured, top left) and his band, who are pretty much the gold standard these days for small combo Latin jazz, perform for the first of four nights at Jazz St. Louis. 

For some samples of what you might expect to hear, check out Sanchez and company in action via video in this post from 2014.

Also on Wednesday, this week's "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features the St. Louis Steady Grinders at The Stage at KDHX, the jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's quartet at The Dark Room.

Elsewhere around town, the Ambassadors of Swing return for another "Shake and Shout Wednesday" at Tin Roof St. Louis; and The 442s and Erin Bode will perform for the monthly concert series at the World Chess Hall of Fame.

Thursday, May 24
Percussionist Joe Pastor's trio returns to The Dark Room; pianist Adam Maness' trio is back at Thurman's in Shaw; and bassist Willem von Hombracht duets with violinist Abbie Steiling at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, May 25
The Glendale Jazzfest, now in its 19th year, has moved from City Hall to Glendale Lutheran Church, but still is free and open to the public. This year's fest will feature trumpeter Randy Holmes and his Hard Bop 7 playing music by Horace Silver, plus Chicago saxophonist Shawn Maxwell and singers Anita Rosamond and Coco Soul.

Elsewhere around town, the Funky Butt Brass Band performs for the the St. Louis Zoo's free "Jungle Boogie" event; and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, May 26
New Music Circle closes out their 2017-18 presenting season with a show featuring a collaboration among multi-instrumentalists Cooper-Moore, Joshua Abrams, and Hamid Drake (pictured, bottom left) at Off Broadway.

All three are veterans of the international creative music scene, performing together for the first time here in St. Louis. You can find out more about them and see videos of all three in action (albeit individually) in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, singers Jeanne Trevor and Joe Mancuso will be backed by guitarist Dave Black and bassist Willem von Hombracht for a show at Focal Point; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to the Venice Cafe; and singer Tony Viviano performs at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar.

Sunday, May 27
The second annual Willie Akins Jazz Festival will take place at the Grandel Theatre, with a post-concert jam session at The Dark Room. 

The event, which is raising money for scholarships in Akins' name at Webster University, will feature music from Ben Reece's Unity Quartet; trumpeter Danny Campbell's quartet; a specially assembled band fronted by saxophonists Freddie Washington, Paul DeMarinis, and Kendrick Smith; singers Erika Johnson and Joe Mancuso; and more.

Monday, May 28
Dizzy Atmosphere plays Swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck, and singer and guitarist Tommy Halloran is back at Yaquis on Cherokee.

Tuesday, May 29
"Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, and pianist Pat Joyce will play at Evangeline's.

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.)

Jazz this week: Christian McBride, The Soul Rebels, Greg Tardy, Grand Marquis, and more

The calendar of live jazz and creative music coming up in St. Louis features several noteworthy visitors for the Memorial Day weekend, including a renowned.bassist and bandleader; a veteran saxophonist who's played with some very well-known jazz names; one of New Orleans' busiest brass bands; and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 24
Bassist Christian McBride opens a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Having played the club in 2014 with his trio and in 2009 with the quintet Inside Straight, this time McBride is showcasing his latest group, New Jawn, a quartet featuring trumpeter Josh Evans, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, and drummer Nasheet Waits. (For those curious about the band's name, "jawn" is an "all-purpose noun," perhaps derived from "joint," used specifically by Philadelphia natives.)

With no piano, guitar or vibes to supply chords, New Jawn's instrumentation give McBride plenty of harmonic freedom while interacting with Evans and Strickland. It's a setup that's proven adaptable to a variety of jazz styles dating back to at least the 1950s, when Ornette Coleman's original quartet and the Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker "cool jazz" ensemble both eschewed chordal instruments with memorable, yet very different, results.

You can get an idea of what McBride, Evans, Strickland and Waits are doing with that flexibility in this video of Thelonious Monk's "Raise Four", recorded last September at SFJAZZ in San Francisco, and this clip of Monk's "Mysterioso," from a show this March in Russia.

Also on Wednesday, singer Marsha Evans will perform for the "Chapel Concerts" series at St. Vincent Home for Children, and trumpeter Jim Manley will be back for his weekly gig at Sasha's Wine Bar.

Thursday, May 25
The Soul Rebels (pictured, top left) will perform at the Old Rock House.

Putting a contemporary spin on the New Orleans brass band tradition, the Soul Rebels are known for re-imagining hit songs from a variety of genres, and for their frequent collaborations with an equally diverse range of bands, singers, and MCs.

You can find out more and see some videos of them in action in this post from Saturday before last.

Also on Thursday, The 442s will return to Cyrano's, and saxophonist Greg Tardy (pictured, center left) will be in town for a free, early evening performance at Saxquest.

Tardy, who heads the jazz studies departments at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, has released more than a dozen albums as a leader, enjoying a relationship of more than a decade with the indie label Steeplechase Records. He's also worked with a number of well-known jazz musicians, most notably Elvin Jones, Dave Douglas, Avishai Cohen, Brad Mehldau, and Joshua Redman.

Friday, May 26
Saxophonist Harvey Lockhart and the Collective will be back at The Dark Room; guitarist Tom Byrne and singer Erika Johnson will make their debut at the Parkside Grille in West County; and the Second Generation Swing Band will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Also on Friday, the annual Glendale Jazz Festival will take place on an outdoor stage at Glendale City Hall. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature music from the Funky Butt Brass Band, blues/R&B singer Coco Soul, the St. Louis Big Band with singer Anita Rosamond, and Randy Holmes and the Satchmo 7.

Saturday, May 27
The Kansas City-based jump blues and swing band Grand Marquis (pictured, bottom left) returns for a performance at the Casa Loma Ballroom; the Midwest Jazz-tette returns to Evangeline's, and the Kevin Lucas Marimba Band will play a concert at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton.

Sunday, May 28
The Folk School of KDHX will host their monthly Traditional Jazz Jam Session on Sunday afternoon.

Later in the afternoon and just a short distance away in Grand Center, more than thirty St. Louis musicians and singers will join forces for the "Willie Akins Jazz Festival," an event paying tribute to the late saxophonist at the Grandel Theatre.

Organized by singer Joe Mancuso, the concert also is intended to raise money for music scholarships in Akins' name, and so while the event is free and open to the public, donations will be accepted at the door, and there's also a GoFundMe page for online contributions.

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.)

Edited after posting to add info on the Glendale Jazz Festival. 

Jazz this week: Rich McDonnell Memorial Concert, Glendale Jazz Festival, Bluesweek, Adam Larson, and more

Memorial Day is traditionally a time of remembrance, so it seems fitting somehow that this weekend in St. Louis marks the final shows at the current version of Jazz at the Bistro, including a tribute to the late Richard "Rich" McDonnell.

Before that, though, there's lots of other jazz and creative music on tap all weekend around town, so let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, guitarist Tom Byrne plays solo at Evangeline's, and trumpeter Jim Manley returns for his weekly gig at Joyia Tapas in the Grove neighborhood.

On Friday, while The 442s' album release event mentioned here last week is sold out, there's plenty more on the musical menu to kick off the weekend, starting with two annual events that are free and open to the public. The Glendale Jazz Festival, held on the grounds of Glendale City Hall, will feature music from the Bosman Twins, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes, and rockbilly/swing trio Hudson and the Hoodoo Cats .

Meanwhile, over on the east side, the Eugene B. Redmond Writer's Club will present  “Da-Dum-Dun,” their yearly tribute to noted East St. Louisans Miles Davis, Henry Dumas and Katherine Dunham, featuring spoken word performance, jazz, drumming and dance, drama, mixed media exhibits, and more. The event takes place in the Multipurpose Room of Building D at the East St. Louis/SIUE Higher Education Center, 601 J.R. Thompson Dr.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Terell Stafford will be back in town, serving as the special guest with students from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program as they present the first of two nights of season-ending performances at Jazz at the Bistro. 

Read more here: http://events.bnd.com/east_st_louis_il/events/show/370456715-da-dum-dun#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://events.bnd.com/east_st_louis_il/events/show/370456715-da-dum-dun#storylink=cpy

Elsewhere around town,  the Midwest Jazz-tette bring the sounds of West Coast cool jazz to Cigar Inn; singer Mary Dyson and the Brock Walker Trio return to Voce; singer Joe Mancuso performs at Nathalie's; and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

On Saturday afternoon, the annual Bluesweek festival kicks off the first of two days at its new home, the Chesterfield Amphitheater. Saturday's schedule features the fest's only real jazz-oriented set - from Good 4 The Soul, with guests Denise Thimes and Jim Stevens - plus a variety of local blues talent and headlining turns from Ronnie Baker Brooks and Royal Southern Brotherhood. Sunday offers more local and regional blues acts, plus singer Otis Clay topping the bill. 

On Saturday night, saxophonist Adam Larson will lead a quartet at Robbie's House of Jazz; saxophonist Rod Tate plays at DeLeo's Cafe & Deli; and singer Feyza Eren and guitarist Randy Bahr will duet in the lounge at the Omni Majestic Hotel downtown.

Then on Sunday, Jazz St. Louis will present a day-long concert paying tribute to Richard McDonnell, the late founder of the MAXJAZZ record label, at Jazz at the Bistro.

Performers will include (in announced order) Dave Venn, Two Times True, Dave Dickey, Brilliant Corners, Tom Byrne Trio, Good 4 the Soul, Cheryl Brown, Gene Dobbs Bradford Blues Experience, Phil Dunlap Quintet, Second Line with the Funky Butt Brass Band, Jesse Gannon with Bob DeBoo and DeMarius Hicks, and a jam featuring Willie Akins, the Bosman Twins, Eric Slaughter, Nathan Pence, Hicks, Bob Bennett and more.

The concert will close with a set featuring musicians who have recorded for MAXJAZZ, including Terell Stafford, saxophonist Tim Warfield, singer Carla Cook (pictured) and pianist Bruce Barth. 

Also on Sunday, the Dave Dickey Big Band plays their monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, this month featuring trumpeter Jeff Helgesen as special guest, plus an intermission performance from the St. Joseph School Jazz Ensemble. 

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.)

15th annual Glendale Jazz Festival set for Friday, May 23

The city of Glendale and the Glendale Women’s Club will present the 15th annual Glendale Jazz Festival from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday, May 23 on the lower parking lot of the Glendale City Hall complex, 424 N. Sappington Rd.

Performers at this year's event will include the Bosman Twins (pictured), Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes, and rockabilly/swing trio Hudson and the Hoodoo Cats, with Don Wolff of HEC-TV's I Love Jazz serving as MC. The festival is free and open to the public.

Jazz this week: Freddy Cole & Harry Allen, Soul Rebels, Bluesweek, Dave Dickey Big Band, and more

There's a wide variety of jazz and creative music performances coming up this Memorial Day weekend in St. Louis, from straight-ahead jazz to New Orleans brass to big band to fusion and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, singer-pianist Freddy Cole and tenor saxophonist Harry Allen team up for the first of four evenings continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Cole, the brother of famed singer and pianist Nat "King" Cole, has played the Bistro to appreciative crowds several times in recent years, but this is the first time he'll be teamed with Allen, who draws inspiration from swing era tenor players like Lester Young, Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins. For some videos of Allen performing, and a link to an earlier video post about Cole, see this post from a couple of weeks ago.

Also tonight, Sound Unlimited plays at Frontenac Grill; Dizzy Atmosphere will be at the Shaved Duck; and trumpeter Jim Manley will perform at Sasha's Wine Bar.

Tomorrow night, New Orleans' Soul Rebels will be in town to perform at the Old Rock House. The group offers their own hip-hop influenced twist on the traditional brass band sound, mixing in plenty of solo and group vocals and raps along with trumpets, trombone, sax, tuba and drums. You can see some video samples of the Soul Rebels in action in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Thursday, drummer Montez Coleman leads a tribute to Art Blakey at Robbie's House of Jazz  (which will be closed for the rest of the Memorial Day weekend); Miss Jubilee plays at the Thaxton Speakeasy; pianist and singer Jesse Gannon leads a trio at Oceano Bistro; and the "Kids Rock Cancer" benefit at the Sheldon Concert Hall will include performances by Erin Bode and Peter Martin.

Friday is the start of the annual Bluesweek festival, which will be held again at the Soldiers Memorial downtown, but with just one stage this year. The free event features plenty of blues, obviously, but also some acts that may be of interest to jazz listeners, including the New Orleans funk of Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (pictured) on Friday night; a jazz guitar set with Tom Byrne, Dave Black and Eric Slaughter on Saturday afternoon: and a Fontella Bass tribute featuring singer Marsha Evans and the Coalition on Sunday. A complete schedule of Bluesweek events is here. 

Also on Friday, trombonist John Covelli's Jazz Co-Laboratory plays the music of Wayne Shorter at Cigar Inn, saxophonist Kristian Baarsvik leads a trio at Tavern of Fine Arts; and singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will duet at Chaser's Lounge in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

On Saturday, Tom Byrne, leading his own band this time, will play at Thurman Grill, and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will bring their jump blues and swing sound to the Wine Press.

Then on Sunday, the Dave Dickey Big Band plays their monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company. Their special guest performers at intermission this month will be the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars, the student ensemble featuring some of the top high-school players from Jazz St. Louis' education programs.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday the jazz/rock/fusion band Steizuello returns to the Sheldon Concert Hall for a "Notes From Home" concert.

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.)

Jazz this week: Stanley Clarke Trio, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Dead Kenny Gs, Glendale Jazz Festival, and more

Memorial Day weekend is always a busy time, and there's lots to do in St. Louis over the next several days, including the annual Bluesweek Festival, which this year has moved from fall to spring. Fortunately, that packed calendar of events also includes a number of jazz and creative music performances worth checking out. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, virtuoso bassist Stanley Clarke (pictured) opens a four-night stand continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Clarke was at the Bistro last year in a duo with pianist Hiromi Uehara; this time, he's playing in a trio format with pianist Ruslan Sirota and drummer Ronald Bruner Jr. They'll likely draw on some of the material from Clarke's recent trio albums - one featuring Hiromi and drummer Lenny White, the other with White and pianist Chick Corea - as well as a few of his best-known compositions rearranged for an acoustic trio. (To whet your appetite, you might want to check out this post from last year featuring some videos of Clarke.)

Also tonight, pianist Thollem McDonas is back in town for two performances, the first at 6:00 p.m. at Laumeier Sculpture Park with multi-instrumentalist Arrington de Dionyso and electronic musician Eric Hall, the second at 9:00 p.m. at Floating Laboratories on a bill with Hall, de Dionsyo, Raglani, Kevin Harris and Ghost Ice.

Tomorrow, the New Orleans Suspects, which features members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Radiators and the Neville Brothers' backing group, make their St. Louis debut at the Old Rock House. The Suspects include DDBB saxophonist Kevin Harris, a founding member of that group, and its current guitarist Jake Eckert; bassist Reggie Scanlan, formerly with the Radiators; drummer Willie Green, who's been touring and recording with the Neville Brothers since the mid-1980s; and keyboard player and vocalist CR Gruver.

And speaking of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, they'll be in town and performing at the Old Rock House on Friday night. For an update on what's been happening with the DDBB, see this interview with founding member Roger Lewis just published in Kansas City's Pitch Weekly.

Also on Friday, the 13th annual Glendale Jazz Festival (.pdf file) takes place at Glendale City Hall, 424 N. Sappington Rd. Performers at the free event include Cornet Chop Suey, the Terry Thompson Swing Alive Band, and blues/rock guitarist and singer Billy Peek. Don Wolff will serve as MC.

And as if that weren't enough for one evening, Friday also is the date for "Da-Dum-Dun," a mini-festival honoring the legacies of Miles Davis, write Henry Dumas and choreographer Katherine Dunham. The free event will feature a variety of performances, including music from the Bosman Twins, and takes place at the SIUE-ESL Higher Education Campus, 601 J.R. Thompson Dr. in East St. Louis.

On Saturday, the "punk jazz" trio the Dead Kenny Gs come to town to perform at 2720 Cherokee. While the DKG's crazy quilt mix of musical styles driven by punk-rock-style aggression isn't everyone's cup of tea, some find it quite entertaining. And there's no doubt that percussionist/vocalist Mike Dillon, saxophonist/keyboardist Skerik, and bassist and saxophonist Brad Houser display some interesting chops in the process. You can see them perform on video and make your own judgment in this video post from last Saturday.

Then on Sunday, trombonist Dave Dickey brings his big band back to Kirkwood Station Brewing Company for their monthly gig.

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.)

(Edited after posting to the link to the Stanley Clarke video post.)

Glendale Jazz Festival set for Friday, May 25

The city of Glendale and the Glendale Women’s Club will present the 13th annual Glendale Jazz Festival (.pdf file) from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday, May 25 on the lower parking lot of the Glendale City Hall complex, 424 N. Sappington Rd.

Performers at this year's event will include Cornet Chop Suey (pictured), the Terry Thompson Swing Alive Band, and blues/rock guitarist and singer Billy Peek, with Don Wolff once again serving as MC. The festival is free and open to the public.

Jazz this week: Sean Jones, Glendale Jazz Festival, a Miles Davis birthday celebration, and more

Want to listen to some live jazz this Memorial Day weekend in St. Louis? Here's what's on tap for for the next few days:

The best-known musician visiting town this week is trumpeter Sean Jones (pictured), who will perform tonight through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. A technically accomplished and versatile player, Jones probably is best known for his five years as lead trumpeter for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, a position he left last year to devote more time to his solo career and other musical ventures.

This is shaping up to be an eventful week for the trumpeter, as No Need for Words, his latest CD on Mack Avenue Records, was released officially yesterday, and he'll celebrate his 33rd birthday on Sunday. For more about Jones and some videos of him in action, check out this post from last Saturday. Also, you can read my Riverfront Times Critic's Pick about Jones here.

Elsewhere around town, jazz bookings are a bit scarce as many other not-for-profit presenters have ended their seasons, and even some commercial establishments, such as Robbie's House of Jazz and Casa Loma Ballroom are taking the holiday weekend off. Still, in addition to the usual weekly gigs (which you can find listed on the StLJN calendar), there are a few other noteworthy jazz-related events happening around town.

At noon on Thursday, the city of East of St. Louis will hold birthday celebration for Miles Davis, the city's most famous native son, at City Hall. The event will feature several live performances, including music from Reggie Thomas.

On Friday evening, the city of Glendale presents the 12th annual Glendale Jazz Festival at Glendale City Hall, 424 N. Sappington Rd. The free event will feature music from the St. Louis Stompers, Terry Thompson's Swing Alive Band, and blues/rock guitarist Billy Peek, with Don Wolff as MC.

Also on Friday, guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio with drummer Marty Morrison and bassist Nick Jost will play the Cigar Inn in Belleville.

This also is the weekend for the annual African Arts Festival at the World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park. The event features a variety of musical offerings, including blues, reggae, African drumming, and jazz from the Bosman Twins on Sunday and the group Le Jazz Hot, with pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Daryl Mixon, drummer Ben Thigpen and saxophonist Chad Evans, on Monday.

Also on Sunday, BB's Jazz Blues & Soups will present "A Night of Jazz" from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., though there's no indication on their site as to who the players are. (Alas, calls to BB's attempting to ascertain the musicians' identities were not returned by publication time.)

On Tuesday, the Poor People of Paris will bring their jazz-inflected French cabaret sound to the Sheldon Concert Hall as part of the Sheldon's Notes From Home series.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, 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.)

Jazz this week: Marlena Shaw, Will Matthews, Glendale Jazz Festival, and more

If you'd like to hear some jazz as part of your Memorial Day weekend, there are a number of noteworthy shows coming up over the next few days in and around St. Louis. Let's go to the highlights:

The week's best-known headliner is singer Marlena Shaw (pictured), who's in town to perform tonight through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Shaw's music encompasses jazz, soul, R&B, gospel, pop and many other influences; for more on her, and some performance videos, see this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

(Jazz St. Louis is offering a two-for-one special on tickets for Shaw's sets tonight and Thursday, which have a non-discounted price of $30 each. To get the two-for-one discount, call the Jazz St. Louis office at 314-289-4030 and use the coupon code "FC0526.")

On Friday, guitarist Will Matthews, who currently tours with the Count Basie Orchestra, will play at Robbie's House of Jazz, accompanied by Reggie Thomas on organ and Marty Morrison on drums. Matthews has played on numerous recordings with the Basie band, including two Grammy Award winners, and also has performed with many other jazz artists, including Joe Williams, Frank Foster, Benny Carter, Milt Jackson, George Benson, Kenny Burrell, Nancy Wilson, Patti Austin, Tony Bennett, Dianne Reeves, Jimmy Cobb, Hank Jones and Nnenna Freelon.

Also on Friday, the NYC-based blues and boogie-woogie pianist Arthur Migliazza performs at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles; and the city of Glendale will present the eleventh annual Glendale Jazz Festival at the Glendale City Hall complex, 424 N. Sappington Rd. Performers at the free event include the St. Louis Stompers and Terry Thompson's Swing Alive Band, with Don Wolff serving as MC.

On Saturday, the Bosman Twins will headline "An Evening of Jazz and Poetry" in the Des Lee Auditorium at the Missouri History Museum, and the Robert Edwards Ensemble celebrates their trombonist/leader's birthday at Robbie's House of Jazz.

Also on Saturday, saxophonist Greg Lewis and Press Play will perform at an outdoor concert dubbed "Jazz On The Lake" at the Grand Marais Lighthouse in Frank Holton State Park, 4500 Pocket Rd. in East St. Louis. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 for students; call 618-581-6337 for more info.

On Sunday afternoon, singer Denise Thimes will perform and author Ruth-Miriam Garnett will speak as part of "St. Louis as Matrix: Dubois, Garvey and early 20th Century Racial Theory," a free event at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site. Then on Sunday evening, The Nu-Element, which includes trumpeter Keith Moyer, pianist Dave Becherer, bassist Rich Mendoza, and drummer Joe Pastor, plays at Riddle's.

Looking beyond the weekend, Denise Thimes also will be the featured performer at the first Whitaker Music Festival concert of the year next Wednesday at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, 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.)

Glendale Jazz Festival scheduled for Friday, May 28

The city of Glendale will present the eleventh annual Glendale Jazz Festival from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 28 on the lower parking lot of the Glendale City Hall complex, 424 N. Sappington Rd.

Performers will include the St. Louis Stompers (pictured) and Terry Thompson's Swing Alive Band, with jazz broadcaster Don Wolff serving as MC. Admission is free, and local vendors will be selling food and beverages on site.

For more information, contact Glendale City Hall at 314-965-3600.

Jazz this week: Glendale Jazz Festival, Kim Massie, Matthew Von Doran, and more

With Memorial Day weekend coming up, it's a relatively light few days in the offing for live jazz and creative music in St. Louis. Moreover, with StLJN HQ still in recovery mode after a computer crash Tuesday night, yr. humble editor has his hands full right now with software re-installs, restoring files from backup, and similar fun-inducing tasks. Still, there are a few noteworthy shows on tap this weekend, so here's a brief look:

The tenth annual Glendale Jazz Festival is this Friday night at the city hall complex in Glendale. This year's event will feature music from the St. Louis Stompers, singer Denise Thimes, and Terry Thompson's band Swing Alive with vocalist Dean Christopher, plus jazz radio personality Don Wolff as MC. It's free and open to the public.

On Friday and Saturday, singer Kim Massie is at Jazz at the Bistro, while the St. Louis Jazz Cafe this weekend will feature saxophonist Readus Miller on Thursday, the Sky West Trio on Friday, and 3 Central on Saturday.

Singer Erin Bode has a busy weekend planned, with a gig at Cyrano's in Webster Groves tonight, a free show on Saturday afternoon at the Crestwood Court mall, another show that same night at Peppertini's in Chesterfield, and a Sunday afternoon performance at the Blumenhof Winery in Dutzow.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday night, guitarist Matthew Von Doran (pictured) will do a free show at The Gramophone.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, please visit 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.)

Glendale Jazz Festival to celebrate tenth year on Friday, May 22

Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2009, the Glendale Jazz Festival will take place this year from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22 on the lower parking lot of the Glendale City Hall complex, 424 N. Sappington Rd.

This year's event will feature music from traditional jazz band the St. Louis Stompers (pictured), singer Denise Thimes, and Terry Thompson's Swing Alive band featuring singer Dean Christopher. Jazz broadcaster Don Wolff will once again host the event, which the city of Glendale's newsletter (.pdf) says has grown in attendance from 200 people the first year to a crowd of 2,000 last year.

Admission to the Glendale Jazz Festival is free and open to the public, and food and beverages from local vendors will be available for purchase on site.

Jazz this week: The Yellowjackets, Glendale Jazz Festival, Cara Dineen and the Todd Mosby Group, and more

It looks like we've finally got some nice weather here in St. Louis just in time for the Memorial Day weekend, and though lots of folks will be enjoying barbecues, pool openings and other outdoor activities, there also will be plenty of music to check out over the next few days.

The big names in town this week are the Yellowjackets (pictured), who are performing at Jazz at the Bistro tonight through Saturday. These shows actually will feature a variant lineup of the 'Jackets, with saxophonist Eric Marienthal sitting in for Bob Mintzer alongside regular band members Marcus Baylor (drums), Russell Ferrante (keyboards) and Jimmy Haslip (bass).

As my esteemed colleague Terry Perkins noted in a Post-Dispatch blurb on the band last week, many listeners may associate Marienthal with smooth jazz. However, based on what I heard from him at a mid-1990s appearance at Mississippi Nights with the Weckl/Pattitucci/Gambale edition of the Chick Corea Elektrik Band, he certainly seems capable of holding his own, and then some, in a harder-edged musical situation. Marienthal also has subbed for Mintzer on previous Yellowjackets gigs, so the combination isn't as incongruous as it might appear at first. At any rate, the Yellowjackets are always a draw at the Bistro, and with Baylor, a St. Louis native, behind the drum kit, I'd expect another good turnout, even without Mintzer.

Tonight also is the opening night for The Cotton Club Revue, a musical production from Unity Theatre Ensemble that includes singer Denise Thimes in the cast. The show only runs at the Ivory Theatre in south St. Louis through Sunday, so if you're interested in attending, I'd suggest that you get your tickets right away.

On Thursday, singer Cara Dineen and guitarist Todd Mosby's group will play at Lucas School House. Dineen is currently a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, studying jazz vocals with former St. Louisan Jan Shapiro, while Mosby, who has a new CD coming out soon, continues to blend jazz, folk, Latin and Indian influences in a distinctive and ear-pleasing way.

On Friday, it's the Glendale Jazz Festival, featuring traditional jazz from the St. Louis Stompers, New Orleans-style funk from Gumbohead and Terry Thompson's Swing Alive band with singer Dean Christopher. The event, which is held at Glendale City Hall, 424 N. Sappington Rd., will be emceed by Don Wolff and is free and open to the public. Also on Friday, violinist Nikki Glenn and keyboardist Eddie Randle will be appearing at Cookie's Jazz and More.

On Saturday afternoon, singer Erin Bode and band will be performing a free concert as part of the Affton Festival of Arts at Affton High School, and then that evening will play at The Gramophone. And looking beyond the weekend, on Monday evening the free improvising saxophonist Jack Wright and his son, bassist Ben Wright, will perform at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center. Also on the bill are Mark Sarich, Jack Callahan, Andrew Heffner and Dave Stone, though from the notice I got, it wasn't exactly clear if they'd be opening for the Wrights, or performing with them. That said, given Jack Wright's penchant for improvising with just about anyone who'd like to play with him, both options seem possible.

For more St. Louis jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit 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 5/22/08 to add the Erin Bode performance at the Gramophone.)

Glendale Jazz Festival set for Friday, May 23

The 2008 Glendale Jazz Festival will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 23 on the lower parking lot of the Glendale City Hall complex, 424 N. Sappington Rd.

This year's event, hosted once again by jazz broadcaster Don Wolff, will have a decided New Orleans flavor, with sets from the traditional jazz band the St. Louis Stompers and the Louisiana-style funk and R&B group Gumbohead. Completing the musical lineup is Terry Thompson's Swing Alive band featuring singer Dean Christopher (pictured), who's known for his Rat Pack tribute show featuring musical impressions of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and others.

Admission is free, and food and beverages from Westwood Catering and Caitos Restaurant will be available for purchase. You can download a .pdf flyer for the event here.

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, Brian Auger, Glendale Jazz Festival, BAG II, a tribute to Miles Davis, and more

The Memorial Day holiday marks a sort of unofficial kickoff to the summer season, and while swimming pools and bar-b-q grills will certainly figure into many folks' plans for the weekend, there's also plenty of good music to be heard both indoors and out around the St. Louis area over the next few days.

On Wednesday, violinist Regina Carter (pictured) and her band return to the Gateway City for a four-night run at Jazz at the Bistro. Winner of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" last year, the Detroit native is regarded as one of the top players on her instrument working in jazz today.

On Thursday, jazz-fusion organist Brian Auger returns to St. Louis for a one-nighter at Finale Music and Dining. Auger's band is a stripped-down affair these days, with just a bass player, his son Karma on drums and daughter Savannah on vocals. But if his St. Louis show that I caught at Generations a couple of years back was typical, he's still playing very well indeed, and will deliver a fan-friendly performance chock full of his best-known tunes.

On Friday night, the annual Glendale Jazz Festival will take place outside the Glendale city hall, 424 N. Sappington. It's a free event, open to everyone, and will feature music from the St. Louis Stompers, the Bosman Twins, Jennifer David and Terry Thompson's Swing Alive. KMOX's Don Wolff also will be there as host and MC.

On Saturday, the Black Arts Guild aka BAG II presents another free program at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, this time featuring saxophonist Ariel Kenyatta as well as BAG II's house band "The Group," with Zimbabwe Nkenya (bass and mbira), Glenn "Papa" Wright (drums and percussion) and Jerome "J-Dubz" Williams (saxophones).

Also on Saturday, trumpeter Randy Holmes and his Hard Bop Heritage quintet will take the stage at Finale Music and Dining to perform a tribute to Miles Davis in honor of the late trumpeter's birthday.

As usual, these highlights are but a few of the musical offerings on tap for the week; to see more, please visit 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. No attachments, please.)

Know your St. Louis jazz festivals

StLJN has been getting quite a few search requests over the last few days on assorted variations of the phrase "St. Louis jazz festival", so it once again seems like a good idea to compile the available information on five upcoming local events fitting that general description into one handy post for future reference. And so, in chronological order, here they are:

Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival
When: Wednesday, April 18 - Saturday, April 21
Where: Touhill Performing Arts Center and Jazz at the Bistro
Featured performers: Bobby Watson, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band (pictured), Mike Metheny, Steve Wiest, UMSL jazz faculty and student big band directed by Jim Widner.
Admission: $10-$15 for Wednesday night; $10-$35 for Friday and Saturday
For more information: www.jazzstl.org, www.touhill.org

Saint Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival
When: Noon to 10 p.m., Saturday, June 2
Where: Shaw Park, Clayton
Featured performers: George Benson, Ramsey Lewis and Poncho Sanchez, plus local acts including Jeanne Trevor, Kim Massie, SL Son, Lamar Harris and the SIU-E Jazz Band.
Admission: $20 (Tickets available online for $15 before April 30.)
For more information: www.saintlouisjazzfest.com

Glendale Jazz Festival
When: 6:30 p.m., Friday, May 25
Where: Glendale City Hall, 424 N. Sappington
Featured performers: St. Louis Stompers, Bosman Twins, Jennifer David, Terry Thompson and Swing Alive
Admission: Free
For more information: www.glendalemo.org

Whitaker Music Festival (formerly known as the Whitaker Jazz Festival)
When: Wednesday nights beginning the first week in June
Where: Missouri Botanical Garden
Featured performers: 2007 lineup has not yet been announced. Jazz performers are featured during the month of June, with subsequent weeks given over to other musical styles. Featured jazz perfomers in 2006 included Peter Martin, St. Louis Stompers, Tom Byrne and Mardra and Reggie Thomas.
Admission: Free
For more information: www.mobot.org

Old Webster Jazz Festival
When: Noon to 10 p.m., Saturday, September 15
Where: Old Webster Groves business district, near the intersection of Lockwood and Gore
Featured performers: 2007 lineup has not yet been announced. Featured performers in 2006 included Billy Peek, Gumbohead, Uncle Albert, Erin Bode, Anita Rosamond, the USAF Big Band of Mid-America, Swing Cat Swing, the Webster University Jazz Band and the Webster Groves High School Jazz Band.
Admission: Free
For more information: www.oldwebsterjazzfestival.com

Know of any events that should be listed here, but are not?
If so, please email information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Glendale Jazz Festival to be held May 25

The St. Louis County municipality of Glendale will host its 8th annual Glendale Jazz Festival on Friday, May 25.

The free event begins at 6:30 p.m. on the lower parking lot of Glendale City Hall, 424 N. Sappington, and will feature music from the St. Louis Stompers (pictured), pianist and singer Jennifer David, the Bosman Twins, and festival producer Terry Thompson's Swing Alive band. KMOX's Don Wolff will serve as host and MC.