Jazz this week: Shawn Maxwell's New Tomorrow, The People's Key, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features a couple of multi-artist performances of experimental music, an up-and-coming new contemporary jazz quintet from Chicago, plus some local favorites. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, August 2
This week's "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" has trumpeter T.J Müller at KDHX's Magnolia Cafe; the jam session with bassist Bob Deboo and friends at Kranzberg Arts Center; and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Also on Wednesday, The Luminary has a quadruple bill of experimental music, with the sampler/turntable duo Colin Andrew Sheffield & James Eck Rippie; Alex Keller & Sean O’Neill, who combine modified field recordings with vintage electronics; and St. Louis' own electronic musicians Raglani and NNN Cook.

Thursday, August 3
Drummer Marty Morrison leads a trio at The Dark Room, and there's another interesting experimental music bill, this time at the combination live music venue/recording studio Gaslight, featuring the Andrew Weathers Ensemble, Tree branch Twig, Eric Hall, and NNN Cook.

Friday, August 4
The "sleeper" show of the week involves Chicago-based saxophonist, flutist and composer Shawn Maxwell's quintet New Tomorrow (pictured, top left), who will be in town Friday to perform at the Webster Groves Concert Hall.

In a review last year, the Chicago Tribune's Howard Reich praised Maxwell's "intricately detailed scores bristling with surprises" and called him "a composer not content to settle into predictable musical patterns," and based on a sampling of the group's performances on YouTube, they're definitely worth checking out.

Elsewhere around town, The People's Key (pictured, bottom left) will bring their contemporary spin on the jazz organ combo sound to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of two nights; and the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra pays tribute to the big band era with a program called "Swing, Swing, Swing" at Queeny Park.

Saturday, August 5
If you're looking for some live jazz during the day on Saturday, the Liberation Organ Trio is playing for brunch at Evangeline's.

Then on Saturday evening, keyboardist Marvin Cockrell is promoting a new music video release called St. Louis Bounce with a show at the Grandel Theatre; singer Danita Mumphard will interpret songs associated with the late Whitney Houston at the Jacoby Arts Center; and singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will head to West County to perform at Benedetto's On Main.

Sunday, August 6
Jazz brunch opportunities proliferate on Sunday, as the Jazz Troubadours play at The Dark Room, Miss Jubilee performs at Evangeline's, and trumpeter Jim Manley and pianist Dave Venn return to Scarlett's Wine Bar.

Later that afternoon, the Friends of Scott Joplin will present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe.

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: Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez, Tim Rushlow, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features a couple of noteworthy duo performances, a country singer turned big-band crooner, a new location for one of Grand Center's jazz spots, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, February 1
Pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and percussionist/vocalist Pedrito Martinez will perform for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

The two Cuban natives will be joining forces as a duo for the first time at their gigs here and then next week at NYC's Jazz Standard, likely drawing from both their respective personal songbooks and perhaps touching on traditional Cuban music as well. For more about Rodriguez and Martinez (pictured) and some video samples of recent performances, check out this post from last Saturday.

Thursday, February 2
Trumpeter Randy Holmes and pianist Carolbeth True will perform as a duo in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Elsewhere around town, pianist Adam Maness starts a new weekly Thursday night gig with his trio at Thurman's in Shaw; and pianist Ptah Williams and guitarist Eric Slaughter will help inaugurate the new incarnation of The Dark Room, which this week moves into the Grandel Theatre from its previous spot on Grand. 

Friday, February 3 
Singer Tim Rushlow (pictured, bottom left), best known for his work in country and contemporary Christian music, is mixing up his genres a bit these days, touring with a big band and presenting what's being billed as "a 1960s-style Las Vegas supper club experience" at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Saturday, February 4 
Trumpeter Jim Manley will play for brunch at Evangeline's, singer Danita Mumphard will perform in concert at the Jacoby Arts Center, and Miss Jubilee will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Sunday, February 5
The Friends of Scott Joplin present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe.

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: Dr. Lonnie Smith's Evolution, Pat Metheny Quartet, and more

With the official start of fall this week, the local presenting season is kicking into gear with two major jazz headliners bringing new ensembles to town this week to perform, plus a variety of shows from St. Louis' own musicians. Let's go to the highlights....

Wednesday, September 21
Dr. Lonnie Smith's Evolution, an augmented version of the organist's usual trio, opens a four-night engagement to begin the fall season at Jazz at the Bistro.

Smith, the current eminence grise of jazz organ, reliably delivers the funky goods, and although the touring version of Evolution doesn't include the intriguing two-drummer configuration featured on several tracks on Smith's album of the same name, it does feature saxophonist John Ellis, plus a trumpeter whose identity still had not been revealed at press time, to help realize the album's arrangements in a live setting.

Also on Wednesday, Cabaret Project St. Louis has revived their open mic night, formerly presented at the now-closed Tavern of Fine Arts, as a weekly event at The Emerald Room at The Monocle; and the Big Little Big Band will play a free concert at Alton Senior HS Performing Arts Center.

Thursday, September 22
The Jazz at Holmes series presents three free events in a row, starting with guitarist and bassist William Lenihan and pianist Jay Oliver's quartet performing a late-afternoon concert at the Missouri History Museum.

That's followed by a presentation on "History of the Piano Trio and St. Louis Pianists" by educator and drummer Henry Ettman at Goldberg Formal Lounge in the Danforth University Center on campus, and a performance by pianist Dave Venn's trio at Holmes Lounge.

Friday, September 23
Singer Jonathan Karrant performs at the Kranzberg Arts Center; singer Joe Mancuso and his quartet return to Nathalie's; and dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom will be swinging to a double bill featuring St. Louis' own Miss Jubilee plus Chicago's Bailey Dee and the Late Night Bait.

Saturday, September 24
Singer Danita Mumphard will offer "A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald" at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton; trumpeter/vibraphonist Joe Bozzi and band return to Evangeline's; and trumpeter Jim Manley and keyboardist Arthur Toney will play at Thurman's in Shaw.

Sunday, 
September 25
Guitarist Pat Metheny will perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall as part of his fall tour with a new quartet, featuring drummer Antonio Sanchez, bassist Linda Oh, and British pianist Gwilym Symcock.

Though they've not yet recorded, reviews of early shows are promising, with the group playing music ranging from Metheny's "earliest days all the way up through the 2014 Unity Group album."

Also on Sunday, the student musicians from the Webster Groves High School Jazz I and Jazz II Bands will show their stuff in a fundraising concert at Jazz at the Bistro.

Monday, September 26
Guitarist Dave Black, violinist Asako Kuboki, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis and bassist Ben Wheeler will play original compositions in a concert at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium.

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: Stefon Harris, Miles Davis Jazz Festival, Jeremy Davenport, and more

The unofficial start of summer in St. Louis this week brings with it several jazz and creative music events that local audiences have come to expect around this time of year, including the annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival in Alton; the start of the Whitaker Music Festival; benefit performances raising money for the Sheldon Concert Hall and for music scholarships awarded by Jazz St. Louis; and a gathering of ragtime musicians from all around the country. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 1
Tonight, singer Feyza Eren will perform in a free concert kicking off the summer-long Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Thursday, June 2
Minnesota-based jump-blues and swing band Davina and the Vagabonds will play at the Broadway Oyster Bar

Friday, June 3
The fried-dough enthusiasts comprising the staff of Jazz St. Louis will celebrate "National Donut Day" on Friday morning with a free, public event at the Ferring Jazz Bistro, featuring free coffee, milk and donuts from 15 local shops and bakeries, plus live music from students in JSL's education programs, kids' activities, and more.

That evening, vibraphonist Stefon Harris (pictured, top left) will join students from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program for their annual weekend of performances as Jazz at the Bistro, with two sets on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Also on Friday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to Thurman Grill; the Original Knights of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and saxophonist Austin Cebulski leads a quartet at Cigar Inn.

Saturday, June 4
On Saturday afternoon, Stefon Harris will lead a free workshop for musicians at Jazz at the Bistro, talking about the "Harmony Cloud" ear training system he's created with trombonist and software developer Clif Swiggett.

Saturday evening, the 11th annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival will take place at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton, featuring pianist Phil Dunlap leading a nonet playing music from Davis' Birth of the Cool, plus sets from saxophonist Fred Walker, the Dilbert Caldwell Band, and the duo Me and Bob.

Elsewhere around town, South Korean saxophonist Lukas Insung Lee will play at Evangeline's; guitarist Dave Black will present a concert of his original music at Focal Point; and trumpeter Jim Manley and guitarist Randy Bahr's All-Star Band returns to Nathalie's.

Sunday, June 5
Sunday afternoon offers several noteworthy shows, starting with trumpeter, singer and U City native Jeremy Davenport (pictured, bottom left) who will be back home to headline the annual spring benefit for the Sheldon Concert Hall.

At about the same time, the Friends of Scott Joplin will present their "Ragtime Afterglow Party" at Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, featuring informal performances from various musicians involved in this weekend's Scott Joplin Festival in Sedalia, MO.

Meanwhile, Jazz St. Louis will be presenting the third annual Richard McDonnell Scholarship Concert at Jazz at the Bistro. The event, which raises money for music scholarships awarded in the name of the late founder of MAXJAZZ Records, runs from mid-afternoon through the evening, with performers including Jazz St. Louis' student All-Stars, alumni of JSL's JazzU program, pianist Carolbeth True's trio, Funky Butt Brass Band, Good 4 the Soul with singer Anita Jackson, a closing set featuring trumpeter Sean Jones and pianist Peter Martin, and more.

Monday, June 6
Trombonists Wayne Coniglio and Scott Whitfield will team up to lead a quintet at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

Jazz this week: Melissa Aldana, Keri Johnsrud, Peter and Will Anderson, and more

Although this week's schedule of jazz and creative music is considerably less jam-packed than last week's, listeners still will have a chance to check out several intriguing young performers visiting St. Louis, plus an assortment of shows from various hometown favorites.

Let's go to this highlights...


Wednesday, April 27
Saxophonist Melissa Aldana (pictured, top left) makes her St. Louis debut with the first of four evenings of performances continuing though Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro

Aldana, a 27-year-old native of Chile who studied at Berklee College of Music, draws significant inspiration from saxophonists a couple of generations her elder - most notably Sonny Rollins, but also Joe Henderson, Cannonball Adderly, and even older players as Don Byas and Lucky Thompson, whom she learned about as a young girl from her father, also a professional sax player.

She first made a big splash here in the US in 2013 when she became the first female instrumentalist ever to win the annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. For more about Aldana, and some video samples of her performances - including her award-winning set at the Monk competition - see this post from last Saturday.

Also on Wednesday, The 442s will perform for the monthly music series at the World Chess Hall of Fame.

Thursday, April 28
Saxophonist Jim Stevens leads a quartet at Hammerstone's; pianist Brad Ellebrecht and singer Wendy Gordon will perform at Evangeline's; the Tavern of Fine Arts hosts their monthly open mic featuring live improvised music; and singer Ken Haller reprises the cabaret show "Song by Song by Sondheim" at The Monocle.

Friday, April 29
Chicago-based singer Keri Johnsrud, who made her St. Louis debut a few weeks ago with a concert at The Chapel in Clayton, will be back in our town for a more informal show at Evangeline's.

Johnsrud (pictured, center left) is a third-generation singer who's originally from Iowa. She's played top Chicago venues including the Green Mill and the Jazz Showcase, and has released two albums, the most recent of which, 2015's This Side of Morning, featured all original material.

Also on Friday, the saxophone-playing brothers Peter and Will Anderson will perform at the Tavern of Fine Arts. Hailing from Washington DC, the brothers both studied at the Juilliard School and then took up residence there in NYC after graduation. Since then, in addition to fronting their own group on tour and as leaders on a couple of recordings, they've also appeared with the Jimmy Heath Big Band, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

Elsewhere that evening, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play for a swing dance sponsored by Lindy Hop St. Louis at the Casa Loma Ballroom, and the Funky Butt Brass Band plays their monthly gig at Broadway Oyster Bar.

Saturday, April 30
Guitarist Todd Mosby (pictured, bottom left) will play music from his new album On Eagle Mountain at the Focal Point in Maplewood; singer Feyza Eren will perform at Alton's Jacoby Arts Center; and guitarist Vincent Varvel leads a trio at The Dark Room.

Sunday, May 1
The Spring edition of the St. Louis Record & CD Collector Show will take place Sunday morning and afternoon at the American Czech Hall, and that evening, the St. Louis Low Brass Collective will present their annual "Showcase Concert" at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, 1201 S Warson Rd, 63124

Monday, May 2
Trumpeter Jim Manley continues his regular Monday night residency at Momo's Greek Restaurant in U City.

Tuesday, May 3
Pianist Greg Mills and friends will present "Soliloquy IV," a night of solo improvised performances, at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Congratulations to the proprietors and staff of Vintage Vinyl, which this week was named one of USA Today's 10 Best Record Stores in America. 

* Trumpeter Byron Stripling was interviewed about his upcoming show with the St. Louis Symphony by the St. Louis American's Chris King.

* The 442s sold-out album release event tonight was previewed in a story written by Terry Perkins for St. Louis Public Radio.

* Singer Erin Bode and guitarist Dave Black are among the St. Louis musicians who are profiled in the newest issue of the glossy local lifestyle mag Studio 3.

* Bassist Darin Gray will tour this summer with singer/guitarist Jeff Tweedy's new solo project. Gray's not the first musician with lots of free improv experience hired by Tweedy, who also employs guitarist Nels Cline in his main band Wilco.

* The new Miles Davis at the Fillmore box set was reviewed for AllAboutJazz.com by both Ian Patterson and Doug Collette.

* And speaking of Davis and AAJ, the new book Miles Davis: The Collected Artwork was reviewed for the site by Nenad Georgievski.

* Saxophonist and St. Louis native Eric Person's big band will make their Jazz at Lincoln Center debut with a performance next Wednesday, May 28 at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola.

* The jury was unable to reach a verdict in the trial of the accused killers of Patrice Thimes, sister of singer Denise Thimes. The circuit attorney's office expressed sympathy for the Thimes family and said they will "evaluate as we move forward on our next steps." Patrice Thimes was killed by a stray bullet on St. Patrick's Day 2011 as she unknowingly drove into the middle of a gunfight on a city street. The trial of a third suspect is set to begin in June.

* Alton's Jacoby Arts Center, site of last week's Miles Davis Jazz Festival and other musical performances throughout the year, has launched a fundraising effort via Kickstarter. The solicitation says that "we may have to shut our doors after eight years. But with your help, we’ll be able to Save Jacoby." With nine days to go, the campaign has raised $2,840 in pledges toward a $10,000 goal.

* Saxophonist Peter Brötzmann was interviewed by the music website Something Else. Brötzmann, bassist William Parker and percussionist Hamid Drake will perform in St. Louis on Wednesday, June 4 at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.

* So, here's a thing that happened: StLJN now is ranked by one leading online authority as the #6 jazz blog IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!1!!

Seriously, though, while StLJN has been been listed for some time in Blogmetrics.com's "Top 25 Jazz Blogs," usually ranking somewhere in the mid-teens, apparently they've rejiggered their algorithms or something, and as a result, the site has moved up the list. While yr. humble editor tries not to put much stock in this sort of thing, as the ratings have a tendency to fluctuate up and down, it did seem worth a mention, so...consider it mentioned. 

* Jazz radio update:  On this Saturday's episode of Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis' “Somethin’ Else,” host Calvin Wilson will feature recordings by jazz musicians who have been recipients of MacArthur "genius" grants,   including violinist Regina Carter, drummer Dafnis Prieto and saxophonist Ken Vandermark

After that on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will re-play segments from an interview with trumpeter and St. Louis native Keyon Harrold and spin some of his music, as well as sounds from Pieces of a Dream, Native Vibe, Chris Standring, Steve Oliver, Horace Silver, Lou Donaldson, Dave Brubeck, 3rd Force, The Rippingtons, Marcus Miller, and more.

Wilson's program airs at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by Church at 9:00 p.m., on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Russell Gunn to headline Miles Davis Jazz Festival on Saturday, May 17

Trumpeter Russell Gunn will be coming back home to headline the 2014 Miles Davis Jazz Festival, which will take place starting at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, May 17 at the Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway in Alton.

The opening acts will be saxophonist Fred Walker, a veteran of several past MDJFs, and Riverbend-area prog/alt-rock band Locrian Manor.

Gunn, who grew up in East St. Louis and now lives in Atlanta, will be accompanied by bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Montez Coleman, who, like Gunn, is an alumnus of ESL Lincoln High School's award-winning jazz band, directed by Ronald Carter.

The trumpeter (pictured) also has an affinity for Davis' music that goes beyond their shared hometown, as in 2007 he recorded an entire album of Davis' music, Russell Gunn Plays Miles. His most recent appearance in the St. Louis area was just this past Sunday with singer Dionne Ferris at the Casino Queen's Club Sevens.

Tickets for the 2014 Miles Davis Jazz Festival featuring Russell Gunn are $25 each, and will be on sale starting Sunday, March 23 at the Alton Museum of History and Art and Jacoby Arts Center. Proceeds from the event will benefit the not-for-profit Alton Museum.