So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Fox Theatre will reopen on a limited basis beginning later this month to host a concert series featuring local acts, including the Funky Butt Brass Band (pictured) on Friday, April 23.

* After canceling their 2020 event due to the COVID pandemic, the Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival this week announced plans for a return this fall on Saturday, September 18. The event will run from noon until 11:00 p.m. with a total of 12 bands (still TBA) on two stages.

* Last Saturday's webcast ceremony for this year's group of inductees to the Dan and Heide Wolff Institute's St. Louis Jazz Hall of Fame at Harris Stowe State University has been archived and now can be seen on YouTube.

* A streaming performance by singer/pianist Tony DeSare and singer Capathia Jenkins to benefit Cabaret Project of St. Louis was reviewed by KDHX's Judi Mann.

* The newly issued Julius Hemphill seven-CD box set The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony was reviewed by UK jazz writer Richard Williams at his blog The Blue Moment.

* Commemorating the 51st anniversary of the landmark album's release on March 30, 1970, the UK website Far Out goes "Revisiting the revolutionary brilliance of 'Bitches Brew' by Miles Davis."

* Bassist Darin Gray was interviewed about his new release The Reduction (music for dance) and more by the website Recital.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Pianist Peter Martin (pictured) and his company Open Studio Network were featured in a Sunday New York Times story about taking jazz piano lessons online.

* On a related note, Open Studio Network this week released their first saxophone course, "Fundamentals of Jazz Saxophone," featuring alto saxophonist Steve Wilson.

* Harris-Stowe State University has announced plans to renovate an historic building on campus that will serve as a home for the university's Don and Heide Wolff Jazz Institute and the National Black Radio Hall of Fame.

* Bassist and singer Janet Evra was the subject of a short feature by the Riverfront Times' Christian Schaeffer.

* Flute player and composer Fred Tompkins has self-released Four For St. Louis, an EP featuring four of his most recent jazz compositions, recorded with musicians including vocalist Johanna Nordhorn, pianists Greg Mills and Maryse Carlin, and drummers Steve Davis, Kyle Honeycutt, and Charlie Dent.

* The first-ever STL Drum Show will take place Saturday, October 20 at the Koken Art Factory. The free event will feature 40 vendors, drum clinics, personal appearances from drummers Glen Sobel and James Sexton, and more.

* The Miles Davis statue in Alton, IL is listed at #1 on the Chicago Tribune's "Bucket list: 20 things to see linked to influential Illinoisans."

* The Regional Arts Commission has released their report on "A Creative Vision For St. Louis," laying out "a series of priorities for the immediate future of the region’s arts scene." You can read the entire report here.

* Drummer and St. Louis expat Kimberly Thompson made news this week, in a tabloid sort of way, for a request for a restraining order she filed against her former employer, pop star Beyoncé, that contains some bizarre allegations. Read more about it in the Riverfront Times, Pitchfork, and/or TheBlast.com.

Jazz this week: David Sanborn, U City Jazz Festival, two Miles Davis tributes, and more

It's a week to celebrate St. Louis' hometown jazz heroes, as the calendar of upcoming jazz and creative music performances includes the return of the best-known living jazz musician who grew up here; a couple of tributes to the most famous St. Louis-area jazz musician of them all; plus plenty of other noteworthy gigs featuring local players. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 6
Saxophonist David Sanborn (pictured, top left) is back home with his new quintet for the first of four nights of performances at Jazz St. Louis.

You can see some videos of Sanborn's new band and find out more about what he's be up to recently in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Wednesday, multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris is the featured performer this week at Missouri Botanical Garden's Whitaker Music Festival.

Thursday, June 7
Eclectic instrumental quartet The 442s will play at Joe's Cafe & Art Gallery; saxophonist Vince Sala leads a trio at The Pat Connolly Tavern; and saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet continues their month-long residency at The Dark Room.

Friday, June 8
Trumpeter Randy Holmes will lead a quintet for the first night of the "3rd Annual Miles Davis Festival" at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, expanding the group to a sextet for Saturday's performance.

Elsewhere around town, the Brooklyn, NY-based jam band Ikebe Shakedown plays "cinematic instrumental soul" at the Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, and the Funky Butt Brass Band will perform at Beale on Broadway.

Over on the east side, saxophonist Freddie Washington leads a trio at Cigar Inn, and Eckert's in Belleville presents a free outdoor concert from "Trombonanza," featuring trombonists Mark Kellogg, Jim Martin, Aaron Eckert and Brendan Lanighan,

Saturday, June 9
The U City Jazz Festival runs from mid-afternoon through the evening at Heman Park, with a lineup that includes a tribute to Stanley Clarke from the Fusion Warriors, plus sets from Bach to the Future, Joe Mancuso, Soul Cafe, Mo Egeston (pictured, bottom left), Maurice Carnes and the Avant Gardians, and Morphelonious.

Also on Saturday, Alton's annual "Miles Davis Jazz Festival" will feature music from saxophonist Fred Walker, guitarist Tim Jarden, singer Saman Swanson, and Retro Boogie at the Jacoby Arts Center; and the Jazz Edge Orchestra and guest trombonists Steve Turre, Steve Davis and Andre Hayward will present a "Tribute to J.J. Johnson" at Harris-Stowe State University's Emerson Performance Center.

Sunday, June 10
The Arcadia Dance Orchestra will perform a matinee at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, and Miss Jubilee plays a free outdoor concert at Carondelet Park.

Monday, June 11
Dizzy Atmosphere plays swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck.

Tuesday, June 12
Pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True will be joined by singer Joe Mancuso for a "Notes From Home" concert at The Sheldon.

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: Jeremy Davenport comes home, Althea Rene & Elan Trotman's "Holiday Winds," and more

If you'd like some jazz and creative music to go with this year's Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings, here's what's happening on local stages over the next few days...

Wednesday, November 22
The weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" will feature guitarists Jake Weisman and Eric Slaughter at Squatters Cafe/The Stage at KDHX, along with the weekly jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor and band at The Dark Room.

Friday, November 24
Trumpeter and singer Jeremy Davenport, who grew up in U City and now resides in New Orleans, will be back in his hometown for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Davenport (pictured, top left) has a regular house gig at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New Orleans, and generally only makes it home once a year to do these shows, so they should be well-attended, with advance reservations a must. 

Also on Friday, Miss Jubilee will promote the release of a new CD, Throw Me In The Alley, with a show at  Focal Point; singer Chuck Flowers does the late show at The Dark Room; and Samba Bom will provide some Brazilian music to go with the Spanish cuisine at Barcelona Tapas Restaurant.

Saturday, November 25
Cornetist Bill Mason of the St. Louis Ragtimers will sit in with The Gaslight Squares for a matinee at Blues City Deli.

Saturday evening, flute player Althea Rene (pictured, bottom left) and saxophonist Elan Trotman will headline two performances of "Holiday Winds" at the Emerson Theater at Harris Stowe State University, with St. Louis'  Coleman Hughes Project as the opening act.

Sunday, November 26
The Webster Groves Concert Hall will host the musical equivalent of what used to be called a "day/night doubleheader" in baseball, with singer Wendy Gordon performing in the afternoon and drummer Chuck Kennedy and friends presenting "The Beatles Go Jazz" in the evening.

Also on Sunday, the Folk School of KDHX presents their monthly "Traditional Jazz Jam Session," and Wright's Project plays jazz-fusion and funk at Troy's Jazz Gallery.

Monday, November 27
Dizzy Atmosphere will play Gypsy jazz and swing for diners at The Shaved Duck, and trumpeter Jim Manley will does his weekly gig at Momo's Greek Restaurant.

Tuesday, November 28
Erin Bode, Arvell Keithley, Brian Owens and Alan Ox will sing music by Al Hammerman in a benefit for the organization "Kids Rock Cancer" at the Ferring Jazz Bistro.

Also on Tuesday, "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups downtown, while out in St. Charles County, saxophonist Larry Johnson, pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True will play The Rack House Kitchen Wine Whiskey.

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: Chucho Valdés & Joe Lovano, Jen Shyu, "Jazz Explosion," and more

Here's what's happening with live jazz and creative music over the next few days in St. Louis...

Wednesday, November 9
Keyboardist Adaron “Pops” Jackson takes a seat behind the Hammond organ as he and guitarist Eric Slaughter co-headline a two-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro themed "To B3 or Not To B3."  Saxophonist Jason Swagler and drummer Miles Vandiver will complete the ensemble.

Also on Wednesday, The 442s will perform in a public concert at St. Vincent Home for Children.

Thursday, November 10
Composer and multi-instrumentalist Jen Shyu (pictured, top left) will present a free, public artist's talk and workshop at the Lewis Center, the Washington University School of Art building located off-campus at 721 Kingsland Ave in U City. (For info on Shyu's New Music Circle concert, see Friday's listing.)

Also on Thursday, Native American flute player Mark Holland and his band will play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; singer Joe Mancuso performs at The Monocle; and fusion band Spaceship and the Liberation Organ Trio sill share a double bill at the Old Rock House.

Friday, November 11
Jen Shyu performs in a concert presented by New Music Circle at Kranzberg Arts Center. For more about Shyu and some video samples of her work, see this post from last Saturday. 

Also on Friday, trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber performs for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro; and the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with stride and ragtime pianist Judy Carmichael. Carmichael,  who's also an engaging storyteller thanks to her experience hosting radio programs for NPR and Sirius XM, will play for one night only at the Gaslight Theater.

Elsewhere around town, the Gateway City Big Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and trumpeter Jim Manley returns to Thurman's in Shaw

Saturday, November 12
Pianist Chucho Valdés and saxophonist Joe Lovano (pictured, bottom left), who are collaborating this year for a series of dates, will play the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Based on the reviews of the tour so far, this has the potential to be one of the top shows of the fall. Lovano, last seen here in 2014 at the Bistro with his band Us Five, is one of the top tenor players working today, while Valdés has helped shape Afro-Cuban music and Latin jazz for decades as a founding member of Irakere and a solo artist and bandleader.

And if you need more incentive, the Sheldon and Metrotix yesterday announced a "buy one, get one free" offer for online purchases of the remaining tickets for the show. To access the offer, go here and enter the promo code CHUCHO16.

Also on Saturday, trumpeter Randy Holmes and his quintet will present a "Tribute to Clifford Brown" at the Ozark Theatre.

Sunday, November 13
The St. Louis Jazz Club hosts a matinee performance by the Funky Butt Brass Band at the Moolah Temple.

Sunday evening, "Jazz Explosion" with Pieces of A Dream, saxophonist Marion Meadows, and keyboardist Mark Harris II, comes to the Emerson Theater at Harris Stowe State University.

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: Jazz St. Louis All-Stars & Sean Jones, Dan Thomas & Voyage, Miles Davis Jazz Festival, and more

While not every week here in St. Louis can be as packed with touring jazz and creative music talent as was the end of Jazz Appreciation Month last week, our local and regional musicians nevertheless are serving up plenty of noteworthy performances over the next few days. So, let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, the funky organ trio Downstereo will be doing their regular weekly performance at Atomic Cowboy; Miss Jubilee will sing at Thaxton Speakeasy, and saxophonist Jim Stevens is playing a solo-with-tracks gig at Stanley's Cigar Lounge, 1000 Washington Ave. downtown.

On Friday, saxophonist Dan Thomas (pictured), who comes originally from Canada by way of Kansas City, brings his quartet Voyage to St. Louis for the first of two evenings at Robbie's House of Jazz. Thomas co-chairs the jazz program at UMKC alongside former Jazz Messenger Bobby Watson, and released his first CD with Voyage last fall. It's an enjoyable, crisply executed collection of modern jazz grooves that range from straight-ahead swing to Latin, and you can access audio samples from it and Thomas' other recordings via his website.

That same evening, Jazz St. Louis will present the first of two evenings at Jazz at the Bistro featuring student musicians from the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars and JazzU programs, with trumpeter Sean Jones sitting in as a special guest star. The weekend giving the top high-school-age players from Jazz St. Louis' education programs the chance to show off what they've learned has become a spring tradition at the Bistro, enlivened in recent years by the presence of guest musicians such as Jones.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Delano Redmond leads a quartet with drummer Marty Morrison, pianist Matt Villinger and bassist LaRon Stover at Cigar Inn; and guitarist-singer Tommy Halloran and violinist Alyssa Avery play for diners at Big Sky Cafe.

On Saturday, trumpeter and vibraphonist Joe Bozzi will do a lunchtime matinee at Frontenac Grill, and later that day, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform for a Kentucky Derby Day themed event at Thurman Grill and Provisions.

Also getting started in the late afternoon Saturday is the Alton Museum of History and Art's annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival, held this year at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton. The lineup of performers includes saxophonist Fred Walker, the Marty Morrison Quartet, and guitarist Henry Taylor's revue featuring vocalist Saman Swanson.

Also on Saturday evening, the University of Missouri's Mizzou New Music Ensemble will be in town to perform a free concert at the World Chess Hall of Fame in the Central West End; and saxophonist Tim Cunningham and singer Angela Sutherlin will play for a spring fund-raiser at Harris Stowe State University. For more about that, see this story from KPLR's Christine Buck.

On Sunday, the spring edition of the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will take place at the American Czech Center on S. Kingshighway, with a roomful of dealers selling music in a variety of physical formats, plus related ephemera and collectables.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday guitarist Tom Byrne's trio will play at BB's Jazz Blues & Soups. Then on Tuesday morning, Cornet Chop Suey will play traditional jazz and swing for the first of two Coffee Concerts at the Sheldon Concert Hall, with the same program repeating on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday night, guitarist Dave Black brings his group to BB's for an early evening set.

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.)

Mardra Thomas to reprise Billie Holiday role on September 17 at Harris-Stowe

Singer Mardra Thomas once again will step into the role of Billie Holiday for "A Portrait of Lady Day," a dinner-and-concert event to be presented at 6:30 p.m. Friday, September 17 at Harris-Stowe State University's Emerson Theatre, 3026 Laclede.

Thomas (pictured) has portrayed Holiday a number of times on various St. Louis stages, most recently in June in another performance at Harris-Stowe. For the September 17 show, she will be backed by her husband, keyboardist Reggie Thomas, and a band including bassist Rodney Whitaker, drummer Marty Morrison and saxophonist Jason Swagler.

Tickets are $25 for dinner and the concert, or $15 for the concert only. For more information or reservations, call 314-340-5975 or 314-614-9880.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of links and short local news items of interest that you may have missed:

* Saxophonist David Sanborn's return to St. Louis this past week to play two nights at Jazz at the Bistro generated some press coverage both locally and nationally as well as lots of talk around town.

St. Louis scribe Terry Perkins reviewed Sanborn's performance for Jazz Times magazine, and you can find that review online here. Sanborn also was featured in a TV news report that ran on both KTVI (Channel 2) and KPLR (Channel 11). (The two station share ownership, news facilities and personnel.) Lastly, Jazz St. Louis has posted an album of photos from Sanborn's performances on the JSL Facebook page.

* Jazz broadcaster Don Wolff advises StLJN that the "Statesmen of Jazz" fundraiser for the Wolff Jazz Institute that had been set for next weekend at Harris-Stowe State University has been postponed. No word yet as to when it might be rescheduled, but watch this space for further developments.

* The Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center (pictured*) has gotten a "minor facelift" this summer, and Diana Benanti wrote about it for the Riverfront Times' A to Z blog here. Also this past week, the RFT's Josh Levi wrote about another alternative performance space in the city, Floating Laboratories.

* Last but not least, online voting is now open for the RFT's annual "Best of St. Louis" issue. Vote for your favorite people, places and things, including several music-related categories, here.

*Photo of the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center swiped from Tony Renner.

Edited 8/28/10 to fix a garbled sentence.

"Statesmen of Jazz" to return Saturday, August 28 at Harris-Stowe

Broadcaster and jazz advocate Don Wolff sends word that another concert by the "Statesmen of Jazz" has been scheduled for Saturday, August 28 at Harris-Stowe State University.

The first event held in August 2009 featured an all-star group of jazz performers raising funds for the Wolff Jazz Institute at Harris-Stowe. This year's event will feature a similarly stellar ensemble, once again including trombonist Wycliffe Gordon (pictured), who also was part of last year's show.

Other performers will include trumpeter Joe Wilder, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, clarinetist/saxophonist Bob Wilber, drummer Jackie Williams and bassist Frank Tate, along with return appearances from St. Louis' own Jim Widner on bass and singer Denise Thimes, plus young local pianist Stephanie Trick.

More details on the show, tickets prices, and so on will be available soon from the Wolff Jazz Institute at Harris-Stowe State University; when they're released, we'll have them for you here.

Jazz this week: "A Night of Jazz Greats" with Clark Terry; Eastern Blok; free outdoor concerts; and more

Vacation season is winding down, and there are a number of noteworthy jazz and creative music performances over the next few days in St. Louis, including several free concerts. Let's take a look at the shows in chronological order:

Tonight, saxophonist Willie Akins and his group will give a free concert as part of a city-sponsored series at O'Fallon Park.

On Friday evening, the Chicago-based ensemble Eastern Blok will perform in the Saint Louis Art Museum's Grigg Gallery in a free show that's part of the Museum’s "Art After 5" series. That same night, Jazz St. Louis is holding a fundraiser spotlighting the work of local artist Russell Kraus at Jazz at the Bistro.

The biggest event of the weekend is on Saturday, when "A Night of Jazz Greats" comes to Harris-Stowe State University. The concert, which benefits the Wolff Jazz Institute at Harris-Stowe, will feature trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry (pictured) along with an all-star band including trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, tenor saxophonist Houston Person, trumpeter Randy Sandke, drummer and vibes player Chuck Redd, pianist Rossano Sportiello, bassist and singer Nicki Parrott, and drummer Eddie Locke, as well as St. Louisans Jim Widner on bass and Denise Thimes on vocals. For more on the event, Clark Terry, and the other musicians who will be performing, see these two posts.

Also on Saturday, there's a triple bill of electronic and experimental music at Open Lot, 1310 South 18th Street, featuring two acts from southern California - the cello and electronics duo Pedestrian Deposit and solo ambient electronics performer Infinite Body (aka Kyle Parker) - plus St. Louis electronic musician Joe Raglani, who, after getting his equipment stolen on tour earlier this year, has assembled a new arsenal of machines.

Update - 8;30 p.m., 8/27/09: Just got an email from Open Lot saying that Infinite Body will not be performing, so Saturday night's bill now includes Pedestrian Deposit; "power drone" group Earn (aka Privy Seals); St. Louis' The Lonely Procession; and "if you're lucky, a collaboration between RAGLANI (St. Louis) and TREETOPS!"

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday the Missouri History Museum's Twilight Tuesdays series features a free outdoor concert from singer Denise Thimes.

For more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar. However, note that if you look more a couple weeks into the future, you'll see that last week's promised mega-update of the calendar has yet to happen. There are several reasons for for the delay which will become clear in the very near future, but in the meantime, please be patient and know that there is indeed work going on to bring you an improved and up-to-date calendar of St. Louis jazz events.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Previewing "A Night of Jazz Greats"

This week, let's look at video clips featuring some of the musicians who will be in St. Louis next Saturday, August 29 to perform in "A Night of Jazz Greats" at Harris-Stowe State University.

The concert, a benefit for the Wolff Jazz Institute at Harris-Stowe, will be headlined by St. Louis native Clark Terry and emceed by Don Wolff, for whom the Wolff Jazz Institute is named. Joining Terry on stage will be an all-star group of musicians from all around the country, plus St. Louis' own Jim Widner on bass and Denise Thimes on vocals.

Fittingly, given his stature as hometown hero and elder statesman of the group, Terry was featured solo in this space last week. Today's parade of clips will give you looks at all but one of the visitors who will be joining him on stage next Saturday. From the top, you can see:

* Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon soloing on the Ellington/Tizol standard "Caravan", in a performance at the "Trombone Summit" in 2007 at the Dakota in Minneapolis;

* Tenor saxophonist Houston Person, performing "Since I Fell For You' with the David Leonhardt Trio in a outdoor concert recorded in August, 2008;

* Trumpeter Randy Sandke, performing with the New York All Stars and showing his trad chops and authentic feel on "My Pretty Girl" at the 2008 Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival in Davenport, IA;

* Drummer and vibes player Chuck Redd, playing with his pianist brother Robert Redd and bassist Tommy Cecil at the Montpelier Arts Center in Vermont;

* Pianist Rossano Sportiello, with a hyper-caffeinated rendition of "After You've Gone" from the 2007 Jazz Ascona Festival;

* And bassist and singer Nicki Parrott performing "I Don't Know Enough About You" with drummer Chuck Braman's trio (featuring Art Hirahara on piano) at Sweet Rhythm in NYC.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any performance footage featuring drummer Eddie Locke, though you can see a short clip of him talking about some of the influences on his drumming here.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Clark Terry

This week's videos feature the great trumpeter and flugelhorn player Clark Terry, a St. Louis native who (health permitting) will be coming home at the end of the month to headline "A Night of Jazz Greats" on Saturday, August 29 at Harris-Stowe State University.

The concert, which benefits the Wolff Jazz Institute at Harris-Stowe, will feature Terry along with an all-star band including trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, tenor saxophonist Houston Person, trumpeter Randy Sandke, drummer and vibes player Chuck Redd, pianist Rossano Sportiello, bassist and singer Nicki Parrott, and drummer Eddie Locke, as well as St. Louisans Jim Widner on bass and Denise Thimes on vocals.

Today's clips showcase Terry in three different musical contexts. First up is a duo performance of the Duke Ellington standard "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" with bassist Red Mitchell - especially appropriate since Terry spent much of the 1950s with the Ellington big band.

After leaving Ellington, Terry went on to become the first African-American staff musician at NBC, spending another decade as a member of the Tonight Show orchestra. The second clip features a return appearance on the show circa 1980, for which Terry, encouraged as always by the jazz-loving Johnny Carson, played a couple of uptempo spotlight numbers with the band.

Last but not least is a rendition of one of Terry's signature songs, "Mumbles," taken from his 2007 appearance on PBS' Legends of Jazz. Even if you've heard him do it many times, it's still almost impossible not to crack a smile at Terry's mush-mouthed scat singing.

Though the 88-year-old Terry has suffered some well-publicized health problems, spending time in the hospital last year for heart surgery and again early in 2009 for an infected finger, the latest reports have him on the mend. Here's hoping his health is good enough to enable him to make the trip to St. Louis. Long may he mumble!

UPDATE - 3:00 p.m., 8/21/09: Got an email from Don Wolff, who relayed the good news that Clark Terry is well, has been cleared to travel to St. Louis, and has confirmed that he'll be at Harris Stowe State University to perform on August 29.

Harris-Stowe State University to present jazz concert on August 29

Harris-Stowe State University will present a jazz concert to benefit its Wolff Jazz Institute at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, August 29 in the Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Administration Building's Main Auditorium.

The concert will feature an ensemble fronted by trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, tenor saxophonist Houston Person, and trumpeter Randy Sandke, with a rhythm section of drummer and vibraphone player Chuck Redd, pianist Rossano Sportiello, bassist and singer Nicki Parrott and drummer Eddie Locke, as well as St. Louisans Jim Widner on bass and Denise Thimes on vocals.

Famed trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry also will be on the bill if his health permits, said Don Wolff, who hosts the long-running local radio program "I Love Jazz" on KFUO (99.1 FM) and for whom the Wolff Jazz Institute is named.

Tickets for the show are $30 for floor seats, $20 for balcony seats, and $10 for students, and go on sale this Wednesday via Metrotix.

Brunch and concert honoring Don and Heide Wollf to be held at Harris-Stowe this Sunday, October 5

Longtime St. Louis jazz radio host and advocate Don Wolff and his wife Heide will be honored at an event this Sunday, October 5 at Harris-Stowe State University.

"An Afternoon of Jazz" gets started with a brunch from 11:00 a.m. to noon, followed by tours of HSSU's Wolff Jazz Institute and a concert beginning at 1:00 p.m. with featured performers including singers Mae Wheeler, Gene Lynn, Anita Rosamond, Anita Jackson, Bill Tucker and Jeffrey Hardin and saxophonist Willie Akins. Tickets for the event are $10, and you can make reservations by calling 314-340-3386.

The Wolff Jazz Institute was established in April, 2002 when the Wolffs donated their personal collection to the University. It includes jazz recordings, books, periodicals, films and other materials that, according to HSSU, are valued at more than a million dollars.