Jazz this week: Peter Martin & Inner Circle, Jack Wright, Rick Haydon, Jazz St. Louis' annual gala, Delfeayo Marsalis, and more

There's lots going on this week with jazz and creative music in St. Louis, and due to impending deadlines, not much time to tell you about it. So, without further preamble, let's go to the highlights....

Tonight, the free improvising saxophonist Jack Wright returns to St. Louis for the first time in four years for a performance at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center. Always eager to collaborate with other improvisors, Wright will be aided and abetted by saxophonist Dave Stone and multi-instrumentalist Ajay Khanna, with epicycle (aka LNAC's Mark Sarich) and bassist Andrew Hefner opening.

On Friday, guitarist Rick Haydon will open a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. Haydon is well known for his work teaching in the SIUE jazz program, and seems to be a favorite of many other professional guitar players around town as well. Interestingly, though he's played the Bistro many times as a sideman, this will be his debut there as a leader, joined by a group including bassist Zeb Briskovich, drummer Miles Vandiver, pianist Kara Vandiver, clarinetist Scott Alberici and vocalist Kim Fuller.

The staff of Jazz St. Louis no doubt will be working feverishly that evening, as in addition to Haydon's performance, it's also the night of the organization's annual fundraising gala at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark. The event features cocktails, dinner, an auction, and music from the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars student ensemble, the Funky Butt Brass Band and this year's special guest, saxophonist and St. Louis native Greg Osby. Tickets start at $250 each; call the Jazz St. Louis offices at 314-534-3663 for info on last-minute availability.

Also on Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham is back at Jazz on Broadway; singer Joe Mancuso's trio with bassist Willem von Hombrecht and pianist Tim Garcia will play at the Cigar Inn; and, after performing at the Hilton, the Funky Butt Brass Band will hustle on over to 2720 Cherokee, where they'll be taking part in the "Funk n Horny Spring Revue" along with Hip Grease, Rhythm Section Road Show, Hazard to Ya Booty, and Lamar Harris.

On Saturday, pianist Peter Martin (pictured) returns to the Sheldon Concert Hall for the latest performance in his eponymous series there, now ongoing for more than two years. This one marks the debut of a new ensemble, Inner Circle, that's intended as a vehicle to interpret pop and R&B material in a jazz context, though Martin hasn't released much in advance about the specific repertoire. As has become usual for his Sheldon performances, Martin has recruited some first-rate musicians for Inner Circle, including bassist Robert Hurst, drummer Karriem Riggins and guest vocalist Vivian Sessoms.

Also on Saturday but a bit farther afield, trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis will be the featured artist at the Carol Moore Memorial Jazz Festival at Mineral Area College down in Park Hills, MO. Marsalis will be backed by the Mineral Area Kicks Band, with an opening set by the Mineral Area Jazz Ensemble.

On Sunday, von Hombracht and Mancuso will present the second installment of "Willem's Sunday Jazz Jam" at Johnny Gitto's bar and restaurant; and the Bistro at Grand Center will be the venue for "A Tribute to Whitney Houston" featuring singers Cheryl Brown, Anita Jackson and Latoya Brown and a band with keyboard player and singer Jeremiah Allen, bassist Jeff Taylor, drummer Gerald Warren, guitarist Eric Slaughter, and saxophonist Jim Stevens.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band will be back in action for their monthly gig at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

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 3/8/12 to fix a typo.)

Jack Wright to perform Thursday, March 8 at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center

Saxophonist Jack Wright (pictured) is returning to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, March 8 at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.

The free-improvising reedman (and occasional pianist) has played here a number of times since the mid-1990s, both at LNAC and at various venues under the auspices of New Music Circle, but this will be his first show in St. Louis in four years. Opening the concert will be epicycle, aka LNAC's head honcho Mark Sarich.

Tickets for Jack Wright and epicycle at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center are $5 at the door.

(Edited after posting.)

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.)