Jazz this week: David Sanborn Trio, Guitars and Saxes, Miles Davis Jazz Festival, and more

The weather in St. Louis is brutally hot this week, but if you can brave the scorching conditions enough to leave the house, there are several shows of interest to jazz fans happening during the next few days.

Most notably, saxophonist and former St. Louisan David Sanborn (pictured) and his current trio featuring organist Joey DeFrancesco will be in town on Monday and Tuesday to play at Jazz at the Bistro.

The gigs are benefit performances intended to raise money for Jazz St. Louis education programs. Regular tickets are priced at $50 and are being sold through Metrotix, and there also also are some VIP packages; call Jazz St. Louis at 314-289-4030 for information on those. To see some video clips of Sanborn and DeFrancesco in action earlier this year, check out this post.

On Friday, the 2010 edition of the smooth jazz package tour Guitars and Saxes comes to the The Pageant. This year's tour features saxophonists Kirk Whalum and Gerald Albright and guitarists Jeff Golub and Peter White. For some video clips of Golub and White, see this post, and you also can see Whalum and Albight in some excerpts from their 2009 "Sax for Stax" tour here.

On Saturday, the fifth annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival takes place at the Commons at Lewis & Clark Community College, 5800 Godfrey Road in Godfrey, IL. This year's featured performers are saxophonist Michael Anthony Fitzgerald, guitarist Brian White, the Howard Neal Band, Chicago-based saxophonist Michael Salter's 5-piece band Freakjar and Kansas City saxophonist Dave Panico, with KMOV's Vickie Newton serving as MC. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Alton Museum of History & Art and at Bossa Nova Lounge in Alton, or by calling 618-462-2763.

Elsewhere around town, Robbie's House of Jazz tonight will feature the Mark Pedigo Trio, with Pedigo on piano, bassist Nick Shea and drummer Matt Milunski. On Friday, the club has drummer Joe Winstein-Hibbs and the Webster Jazz Collective Quartet, and on Saturday, it's trumpeter Anthony Wiggins' quartet.

And it's also the weekend for the annual St. Louis Cabaret Conference, a summer conclave of performers, directors and teachers that also features several live public performances. Tonight, singers Liz Callaway and Jason Graae will perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall; on Friday, Rick Jensen performs at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and on Saturday, Tim Schall takes the stage at Kranzberg. The weekend wraps up with a showcase for conference participants on Sunday night at the Bistro at Grand Center.

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.)

The Pageant announces three summer smooth jazz concerts

The Pageant today announced a series of three smooth jazz shows this summer, including the Guitars and Saxes show first mentioned here on StLJN last month and now officially scheduled for Friday, August 13.

The 2010 Guitars and Saxes tour features Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright, Peter White and Jeff Golub. The Pageant's summer smooth jazz series also will present trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Richard Elliot reprising their "R&R" collaboration on Friday, July 30; and a double bill of saxophonists Euge Groove and former East St. Louisan Andre Delano (pictured) on Friday, August 20. All three concerts will be hosted by radio personality Rick Sanborn.

Ticket prices are $35 - $50 for each show, with three- and two-show packages available. Tickets will go on sale at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, May 14 via Ticketmaster and the Pageant box office.

Guitars and Saxes returning to The Pageant on Friday, August 13

According to an article published today on smoothjazznetwork.com, the long-running Guitars and Saxes package tour is taking to the road again in the summer of 2010, and the itinerary includes a stop on Friday, August 13 at The Pageant in St. Louis.

The 16th annual Guitars and Saxes tour will feature guitarists Peter White and Jeff Golub and saxophonists Kirk Whalum (pictured) and Gerald Albright, all of whom are veterans of previous editions of the tour. The 2010 tour begins May 15 in Sacramento, CA and continues through September.

There's been no official announcement of the show yet from The Pageant, but when there's news of ticket prices and the on-sale date, we'll have it for you here.

Gerald Albright interviewed in Post-Dispatch

Saxophonist Gerald Albright talked to Terry Perkins for a Post-Dispatch feature prompted by the Guitars and Saxes tour, which stops at The Pageant on Sunday night. You can read the article online here.

Jazz this week: Guitars and Saxes, Hamiet Bluiett, the music of the Crusaders, "Sworn To The Drum," and more

The major touring jazz attraction in St. Louis this week is the 2008 edition of Guitars and Saxes, which will be here on Sunday to play The Pageant as part of Rick Sanborn's "Smooth Summer Party" series. The featured performers for this year's version of Guitars and Saxes are guitarists Peter White and Jeff Golub, saxophonist Gerald Albright and keyboard player Jeff Lorber (pictured) .

Though the Guitars and Saxes headliners may have the marquee names, there's also plenty of good music this week from St. Louis' hometown talent, including several free concerts. The freebies start this evening, when Le Jazz Hot, featuring pianist Ptah Williams, saxophonist Chad Evans, drummer Bensid Thigpen and bassist Darrell Mixon, performs a free concert as part of the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden

On Thursday, there are two more free shows, as pianist Curt Landes plays for the summer Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and the Whitaker Urban Evenings series at St. Louis Place Park (located at Rauschenbach Ave and St. Louis Ave) kicks off with a concert by singer Kim Massie. Working his second job as a blues harmonica player, Jazz St. Louis executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford and the Blues Inquisition will open the show for Massie.

On Friday and Saturday, you can get in a jazz-funk groove with Adaron "Pops' Jackson, keyboard player for the group Good 4 The Soul, as he performs the music of the Crusaders during a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro, or soak up a retro-Vegas vibe from singer Dean Christopher, who brings his Rat Pack-themed show featuring the music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and more.for two nights at the Cabaret at Savor. Also this weekend, Cookie's Jazz and More will present two longtime St. Louis favorites, with Trio Tres Bien and singer Danita Mumphard taking the stage on Friday and singer/pianist Sherry Drake doing "A Tribute To Ella" on Saturday.

Sunday offers two more free performances, with the internationally known baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett and his Improvising Youth Orchestra playing outdoors at Ivory Perry Park, while Black Artists Group presents "Sworn To The Drum" featuring "Baba" Mike Nelson and friends indoors at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe. Also on Sunday, there's a blues benefit show for former Ike and Tina Turner saxophonist Jim Koerber at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups. Though you probably won't hear any jazz at this last performance, there will be a nice selection of St. Louis blues talent, including the Soulard Blues Band and the Mighty Big Band, performing for a good cause.

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 6/18/08 to correct the location of St. Louis Place Park.)

Smooth jazz returning to the Pageant this summer

The Pageant has announced the scheduling of three smooth jazz concerts for summer 2008. Presented under the auspices of radio personality Rick Sanborn's "Smooth Summer Party," the concerts will feature the 2008 edition of Guitars and Saxes, with guitarists Peter White and Jeff Golub, saxophonist Gerald Albright (pictured) and keyboard player Jeff Lorber, on Sunday, June 22; R&R, with saxophonist Richard Eliot and trumpeter Rick Braun, on Friday, July 25; and saxophonist Dave Koz on Friday, August 8.

Tickets for each show are $35 and $40, with a $5 per ticket discount if you buy seats for all three concerts. Tix will go on sale at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, May 2, via Ticketmaster and the Pageant box office.

Jazz this week: Guitars and Saxes, Hamiet Bluiett, Euge Groove, Willie Akins, Second Movement, Steve Oliver, Dave Black and more

As spring officially yields to summer, it's an especially busy week for smooth jazz in St. Louis, with three shows of interest to fans of that particular style. However, there are also performances of note featuring the sounds of mainstream, avant garde and big band jazz, making for some potentially tough decisions for a lot of listeners with love for multiple jazz genres. Let's go to the highlights, presented in chronological order:

Tonight at the Missouri Botanical Garden, the fine St. Louis guitarist Dave Black appears in a free concert as part of the Whitaker Music Festival. Black plays a lot of solo gigs around town, but I'd imagine he'll have a band for this show. And even without knowing which other musicians may be involved, I can recommend the concert without reservation, as Black is interesting to hear in just about any musical context.

Also tonight, smooth jazz saxophonist Euge Groove returns to Finale Music and Dining. This time, the tenor player (once known as Steve Grove when he was a member of Tower of Power) has a new CD out, and presumably will be showcasing some of the material from that recording.

On Thursday, Southern Illinois trumpeter Tommy Money brings his Orchestra to Finale for a tribute to Count Basie. I confess to not having heard this band yet, but as a Basie fan, I felt this show was worth a mention. Perhaps because Basie used many different arrangers, his work doesn't get re-examined these days quite as much as Duke Ellington's, but it is of similar significance to the history and development of big band jazz and American music in general. Just as important, it's simply a lot of fun to hear those great charts being played live.

On Friday, St. Louis saxophonist Willie Akins brings his Quartet to Jazz at the Bistro for the first night of a two-evening stand. Although Akins continues to play weekly at Spruill's, the chance to hear him performing in the swankier and more spacious Bistro is certainly worth some serious consideration.

Also on Friday, the NYC based funk/jazz band Second Movement is in town, playing at Pop's Blue Moon. For more about that, see this post.

On Saturday, guitarist and singer Steve Oliver is at Finale. Oliver's had some smooth jazz airplay, but has also done songs that seem to come from more of a singer/songwriter perspective, so look for some of both at this show.

On Sunday, Hamiet Bluiett will give a free concert at Ivory Perry Park. For this performance, the man some call "the world's greatest living baritone saxophonist" will be joined by Reggie Thomas on organ, Montez Williams on drums, vocalist Lady Cantrese of Harlem and and poet Eugene Redman of East St. Louis. According to an email I received, he'll also be introducing three young musicians, namely Joshua Williams (age 17) on trumpet, Jo’el Williams (age 15) on alto sax, and Zach Morrow (age 15) on drums, though it's not clear if the students will be performing on their own or with their elders. In any case, bring a lawn chair or blanket, and plan to get there early, because if the weather's nice, this concert could draw a significant crowd. (If it rains, the concert will be held indoors at New City School, 5209 Waterman Blvd betweenn Union and Kingshighway.)

Also on Sunday, the latest edition of the Guitars and Saxes smooth jazz show comes to the Pageant. Kirk Whalum and Gerald Albright seem like fine choices for the "Saxes" portion of the bill - see this post for some video from both men - and while I'm less familiar with guitarists Jeff Golub and Tim Bowman, both seem to be held in some esteem by those who follow the genre.

All this makes for a week that's certainly jam-packed with musical choices for a variety of tastes and budgets; for a 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.)

StLJN Saturday at the Movies: The Casino Lights All-Stars' "Always There" plus Gerald Albright's "Georgia On My Mind"

This week's video spotlight offers sights and sounds from some of the musicians who will be performing in St. Louis this summer as part of DJ/impresario Rick Sanborn's two smooth jazz shows at the Pageant.

The first clip is from the "Casino Lights" DVD (recorded live in 1999 at the Montreux Jazz Festival), and presents a star-studded ensemble getting down on the familiar groove of Ronnie Laws' tune "Always There".

The front line includes tenor saxophonist Kirk Whalum, who's part of the "Guitars and Saxes" tour that hits town on Sunday, June 24, along with trumpeter Rick Braun, who's in the "Jazz Attack" show on Friday, July 20. As for the rest of the band in the clip, tenor man Boney James gets the first solo, followed by Kenny Garrett on alto sax and then Whalum, blowing over a rhythm section that includes George Duke on keyboards, Larry Carlton on guitar, Billy Kilson on drums and Mike Manson on bass.

The second video showcases Gerald Albright, who's the other sax in the "Guitars and Saxes" show, performing the standard "Georgia On My Mind". No indication as to where or when this was recorded, and there seem to be some sync problems between the audio and video, but Albright's extended solo is worth hearing even with these slight distractions.

Guitars and Saxes, Jazz Attack set for summer dates at the Pageant

The Pageant has just announced return dates this summer for two smooth jazz package shows.

On Sunday, June 24, the popular "Guitars and Saxes" show comes back to the venue with a lineup featuring saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum (pictured), guitarist Jeff Golub and guitarist/vocalist Tim Bowman. Then on Friday, July 20, it's another "Jazz Attack," with trumpeter Rick Braun, singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, saxophonist Richard Elliot and guitarist Peter White.

Both concerts are being presented by smooth jazz radio personality and impresario Rick Sanborn under the "Smooth Summer Party" banner, and as with past events he's promoted, there are special prices for ticket buyers who want to attend both shows: $80 for reserved VIP seating, or $60 for reserved main floor/balcony seats.

Single tickets for either show individually will be $35 each for reserved main floor/balcony seating and $45 each for reserved VIP seating. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. this Friday, April 6 via The Pageant box office and at all Ticketmaster outlets.

(Edited after posting to add a tag.)