So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer and bassist Janet Evra will provide the musical entertainment for “Wine and Jazz Under the Stars,” a benefit for Classic 107.3 (Radio Arts Foundation) to be held starting at 5:00 p.m. Sunday, September 12 at The Public School House in St. Charles.

The ticket price of $95 per person also includes appetizers by Russo’s Catering, wines from A. Bommarito Wines, free on-site parking, and the chance to participate in a silent auction of items including Cardinals baseball tickets, a wine-tasting package, gift certificates, and more. For details or to reserve a spot, go to https://classic1073.org/wine-and-jazz/.

* In an effort to "ensure the future of the music economy is sustainable, profitable, and inclusive," the Regional Arts Commission is conducting a survey of the St. Louis music scene, inviting participation from musicians, venues, festivals and fans. If you're in one of those categories, you're encouraged to complete the online survey form before October 10 at https://racstl.org/music-strategy/.

* More St. Louis venues are setting admission policies regarding COVID vaccinations and testing, as the new Chesterfield concert club The Factory and the Hollywood Casino Amphtheatre (aka Riverport) this week announced that patrons will be required to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test to be admitted.

* Saxophonist Lisella Martin (pictured) was profiled in a feature story on Bloomington, IL's WGLT radio.

* Trumpeter and Webster Groves native Ally Hany Albrecht will transfer from the Air Force to the U.S. Navy and relocate from California to Washington DC to join the United States Navy Band Commodores, the premier jazz band of the Navy.

Albrecht, a graduate of North Texas State University and the Manhattan School of Music, has spent the past four years with the USAF Band of the Golden West at Travis Air Force Base, California.

* DownBeat magazine is conducting their annual readers poll, with voting continuing through Tuesday, September 14. If you're a subscriber to the print magazine, digital edition, or free email newsletter, you can cast a vote at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DownBeatReadersPoll.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Gateway Studio and Production Services, a new multi-million dollar music and video facility to be built in Chesterfield, is the subject of a feature story from St. Louis Public Radio's Kendall Crawford..

* Bassist and singer Janet Evra (pictured) announced this week in a Facebook post that she's been invited to join the Recording Academy, the organization that oversees the annual Grammy Awards. Evra is one of 2,710 invitees this year, including 48 percent female, 32 percent Black or African American+, 13 percent Hispanic or Latino/a/x+, and four percent Asian or Pacific Islander+, as the Academy works toward diversifying its membership.

* Guitarist Steve Schenkel has been appointed music director at First Unity Church of St. Louis in South County. Schenkel, who teaches music at Webster University and works as a player and contractor with the Fox Theatre and Muny orchestras, plans to invite various musician friends to perform at the church, starting this Sunday, July 4 with pianist and fellow Webster University faculty member Carolbeth True. (See the church's website for info on future guest performances.)

* Bassist Darin Gray once again has delved into his archives and come up with more previously unreleased music from On Fillmore, his duo project with drummer Glenn Kotche. The album is called Chicago 2002, and it's now available on Bandcamp.

* As reported by CBS News, Miya Ponsetto, the woman seen earlier this year in a viral video attacking trumpeter Keyon Harrold's teenage son, has been indicted by a Manhattan court on hate crime and other charges, including unlawful imprisonment, aggravated harassment, and endangering a child. Ponsetto's next court date related to the charges is October 20.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Janet Evra & Will Buchanan's "St. Louis Music Box"

This week, let's take a look at "St. Louis Music Box," a video project created and produced over the past year by hassist/singer Janet Evra and guitarist Will Buchanan.

When the pandemic hit last spring and all gigs were canceled, Evra and Buchanan, who are married as well as musical partners, like a lot of musicians found themselves with some time on their hands. One of the projects they devised to fill the void was the "St. Louis Music Box" series, in which they and various musical friends team up to collaborate remotely on new arrangements of familiar popular tunes from the 70s and 80s.

Singer Anita Jackson has been a mainstay on the project, doing lead vocals on five of the six videos released so far, while Evra concentrated on bass and co-production duties. While most of tghe musicians are from St. Louis, the remote-collaboration nature of the project has made it possible to enlist some famous guest stars, most notably veteran trumpeter Randy Brecker and piano phenom Taylor Eigsti.

The "St. Louis Music Box" series kicked off last year in July with a video cover of the Kool and the Gang disco-era hit "Ladies' Night," performed by Evra, Buchanan, Jackson, keyboard player Andrew Stephen, and drummer Tim Moore.

After the jump, you can check out their version of "Ain't Nobody," a song written by Prince that in 1984 was one of singer Chaka Khan's last hits as a member of the band Rufus. The recording features Randy Brecker and the same band as "Ladies' night," except with drummer Dhoruba Hill in for Moore.

The next song, a cover of Natalie Cole's "This Will Be," uses mostly the same musicians, but with tenor saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown instead of Brecker and Tim Moore back behind the drum kit.

That's followed by another disco-era song, Leo Sayer's "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing," with both Jackson and Evra on vocals and Paul Brackens playing the bass, and then by a cover of the Beatles' "Octopus's Garden" with Evra as vocal soloist accompanied by Brackens, Moore, and keyboard player Ryan Marquez.

The final video and most recent in the series is "Some Kind of Wonderful," made famous in 1974 by Grand Funk Railroad, and here featuring Taylor Eigsti on piano along with Evra, Buchanan, Jackson, and Noore. No word yet as to when and if another installment might be forthcoming, but you can keep an eye out for one by checking in on Evra's YouTube channel,

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Dave Weckl is the subject of the cover story of the May 2021 issue of Modern Drummer magazine (pictured).

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold talks about his new job as creative advisor to Jazz St. Louis in an interview with the St. Louis American's Danielle Brown.

* Keyboardist Dave Grelle was interviewed in advance of his gig tonight at City Foundry by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The Post/STLtoday also has published an "IParty" photo gallery from last Saturday's show by singer Janet Evra and pianist Prah Williams at Blue Strawberry.

* Trumpeter Jim Manley was the featured guest on the latest episode of "The Trumpet Gurus" podcast.

* Generations, the forthcoming album from drummer Marcus Baylor's Baylor Project that's set for release on Friday, June 18, was previewed in a brief post on the blog Soul and Jazz and Funk.

* Marking the 95th anniversary of the trumpeter's birth, an article in the UK's Far Out Magazine attempts to answer the question "Why Do So Many Rock Stars Love Miles Davis?"

New recordings from Ryan Marquez, Jim Manley, Erika Johnson, and Janet Evra & Ptah Williams

Whether it's the coming of spring, the appearance of some light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, or something else entirely, St. Louis musicians have been busy, with several new releases of potential interest to StLJN readers announced or already out:

* Keyboardist Ryan Marquez of The People's Key and Fresh Heir is set to drop Saint Unity, a solo album featuring guest appearances from 20 St. Louis musicians and vocalists, including singers Anita Jackson, Erin Bode, Lola Kristine, Janet Evra, Paige Alyssa, and Chrissy Renick.

The material is a mix of Marquez's originals and covers, including songs by The Beatles, Foo Fighters, and No Doubt. A single, "Serenity," featuring Jackson and trumpeter Dawn Weber, already has been released, with the full album set to come out in June. For more, check out Marquez's interview with Kim Hudson of FOX 2 News and the feature story on the album from the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. 

* Meanwhile, the ever-prolific trumpeter Jim Manley has released his second recording since the start of quarantine last year. Still Kickin' Brass includes 15 tracks of original music created in Manley's home studio, and is available now directly from his website as both a download and physical CD.

* Vocalist Erika Johnson will celebrate the release of her latest recording, Raising Standards, with a show next Tuesday, June 1 at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups. The album (pictured), which includes both Johnson originals and covers including "Strange Fruit," was produced by keyboardist Antonio Foster and saxophonist Carlos "Scooter" Brown, and already is available on the major streaming services.

* Last but not least, singer/bassist Janet Evra has teamed with pianist Ptah Williams on a new album titled New Friends, Old Favorites. Recorded live at the Sheldon Concert Hall with a band including saxophonist Kendrick Smith, drummer Demarius Hicks, and Evra's husband, guitarist Will Buchanan, the album features Evra and Williams' arrangements of ten familiar tunes, including songs associated with Ray Charles, Nina Simone, The Shirelles, and more. You can see their rendition of "My Baby Just Cares For Me" on Facebook Video, and find the album streaming online.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Bassist Jahmal Nichols (pictured) was interviewed by NoTreble.com.

* Drummer Dave Weckl and his wife, vocalist Clivia Tanisi, were featured on the latest episode of Jazziz magazine's "Last Call" web series.

* Guitarist Brian Vaccaro was the guest on the most recent episode of Shock City School of Music's "Coffee Conversations" podcast.

* Saxophonist Greg Osby shared his perspective on critics and readers polls and the ranking of  musicians in a recent blog post.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has released the sixth and final season one episode of his web series "Sanborn Sessions," with pianist Bob James as the featured guest star.

* Bassist and singer Janet Evra was interviewed on the latest episode of St. Louis magazine's "SLM Live" webcast.

Jazz this week: Mardra & Reggie Thomas, Jahmal Nichols, Todd Mosby + Bach to the Future, Lamar Harris, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis puts the spotlight on hometown performers, with the return of a local favorite couple who have moved away, a show teaming up two bands with distinctive approaches to jazz fusion, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, January 15
Bassist Jahmal Nichols, who's spent most of his time in recent years on the road with singer Gregory Porter, is back home for a visit and will lead his own band for the first of two nights performing at Jazz St. Louis.

Also on Wednesday, drummer Steve Davis leads a trio at Evangeline's, Miss Jubilee performs at Schlafly Bottleworks, and trumpeter Jim Manley continues his weekly gig at Sasha's Wine Bar.

Thursday, 
January 16
Guitarist Todd Mosby (pictured, center left) and his New Horizons Ensemble team up with Bach to the Future for a double-bill of jazz-fusion at Sky Music Lounge, and singer Anna Blair performs her cabaret show "Always..." at Blue Strawberry.

Also on Thursday, singer Cheri Evans and CEEJazzSoul perform at the Chase Club; keyboardist Ryan Marquez and his trio return to The Dark Room; and keyboardist Adam Maness' trio continues their weekly gig at Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, January 17
Spouses and former St. Louisans Mardra and Reggie Thomas (pictured, top left), on vocals and keyboards respectively, will be back in town to headline "An Evening Of Jazz" at Chaminade College Preparatory School.

Also on Friday, multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris will perform for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis.

Elsewhere around town, electro-jazz trio Vehachi plays at the house-concert venue the Judson House, and The Way Out Club hosts "Descension 1" the first installment in a new experimental music series produced by Josh Levi, this time featuring Jack Callahan aka die Reihe, Brain Transplant, and Martin Carriel and Joann McNeil.

Saturday, January 18
Multi-instrumentalist Joe Bozzi and his band return to Evangeline's, and The Dark Room features pianist Jesse Gannon at the dinner hour and drummer Kaleb Kirby's quintet for the late show.

Sunday, January 19
Singer and bassist Janet Evra (pictured, bottom left) performs for brunch at Evangeline's, while singer and guitarist Tommy Halloran is on stage at The Dark Room.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents a matinee performance of vintage jazz by The Gaslight Squares in the Oasis Room of the Moolah Shrine Center.

Also on Sunday afternoon, Oikos Ensemble presents "Dreams and Visions - A Jazz Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King" at St. John United Church of Christ in Collinsville.

Monday, January 20
The Folk School of KDHX hosts their weekly Traditional Jazz Jam Session.

Tuesday, January 21
Cabaret Project of St. Louis presents their monthly "Singers Open Mic" at Sophie's Artist Lounge.

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

* Free tickets are available now for "Such Sweet Thunder," a collaboration among Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Big Muddy Dance Company, and Jazz St. Louis that will be presented Thursday, October 3 through Saturday, October 5 outdoors at the Public Media Commons in Grand Center.

* Bassist and singer Janet Evra has released a music video of "Baila," an original tune from her debut album Ask Her to Dance. The video is the first of three being produced as part of Evra's year-long residency with the Kranzberg Arts Foundation.

* Last Saturday's Alton Jazz and Wine Festival was covered in a feature story by the Alton Telegraph's David Blanchette.

* “Black Indian Rain Dance,” a track from Pyramids, the new album (pictured) from trumpeter Russell Gunn's Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, was featured on NextBop.com.

* A new menu at The Dark Room is the subject of a feature by Feast magazine's Mabel Suen.

* A couple of weeks ago at the Landmark Theatre in Los Angeles, Stanley Nelson, director of the new documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, took part in a discussion of the film with musicians Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter; actor Carl Lumbly; Miles Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn Jr.; and Davis' son Erin Davis, and a video of the talk has been posted to YouTube.

* Nelson, Wilburn, Erin Davis, and Miles' daughter Cheryl Davis were in St. Louis last weekend for the film's premiere here, and their visit also included a trip to the trumpeter's restored childhood home in East St. Louis, as documented in stories by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn and St. Louis Public Radio's Chad Davis.

* As seen on social media, Wilburn also made time during his St. Louis visit for a trip to Vintage Vinyl.

* Lastly, now that the Davis documentary has opened in theaters around the country, more reviews are coming in rapidly, including appraisals from RogerEbert.com, San Francisco Chronicle, WeAreMovieGeeks.com, Austin Chronicle, and DenOfGeek.com.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Bassist, composer, former St. Louisan, and SIU Edwardsville alumnus Dan Loomis (pictured) has launched a crowd-funding campaign to pay for a recording of his jazz song cycle "Job's Trials." You can read more about the project and, if you like, pledge your support here.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was interviewed about his guest spot on the new Nas album and more by HipHopDX.com

* The STL Free Jazz Collective has posted on YouTube a video of their performance on April 27 at the Link Auditorium, their first show without founding member and former St. Louis poet laureate, the late Michael Castro.

* Also new on YouTube, bassist and singer Janet Evra performing "Tenderly" for the web series Lo-Fi Cherokee 2019.

* Singer, actor and St. Louis native Craig Pomranz wrote a personal essay for CabaretScenes.org about how the late Doris Day taught him to sing.

* Pianist and St. Louis native Dred Scott was the subject of a feature story on the web site Berkeleyside.
 
* The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's collaboration with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on a recording of the trumpeter's "Swing Symphony" made Jazziz magazine's list of "10 Albums You Need To Know For July 2019."

* Voting in the 2019 DownBeat Readers Poll is open, and you can cast your ballot here.

* Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris is looking for young musicians in high school or their first year of college to participate in "From The Lab," a free educational program that will teach recording techniques, music business skills, and more. Applications for the first session starting in Fall 2019 are being accepted now on Harris' website.

* Pianist Kim Portnoy will have an original composition premiered by Chamber Project St. Louis during their upcoming 2019-20 season. Portnoy's "From an Imaginary Musical" will be on the program for the group's concert in April 2020 at the Missouri History Museum.

Kranzberg Arts Foundation announces music artists-in-residence for 2019-20

The Kranzberg Arts Foundation has announced their new group of music artists-in-residence for 2019-20.

This year's roster includes (pictured, from left) pianist Andrew Stephen, bassist Ben Wheeler, keyboardist/vocalist Ryan Marquez, bassist and singer Janet Evra, singer and pianist Brianna "Be Be" Brown, drummer Kaleb Kirby, saxophonist Carlos Brown Jr., trumpeter Brady Lewis, pianist and singer Katarra Parson, and keyboardist Mark Harris II.

The artists-in-residence program, launched in March 2018, provides participants with performance opportunities at Kranzberg Arts Foundation venues, such as the Dark Room and the Grandel Theatre, plus co-working spaces at the foundation's .ZACK building, marketing support, networking opportunities, studio time at Clayton Studios and Gaslight Studios, and pro bono accounting and legal services.

Participants in 2018-19 also were featured on The Sound of St. Louis - Jazz Compilation Volume 1, a sampler album including one original track from each.

Janet Evra celebrating album release on Sunday, November 18 at .ZACK

Bassist and singer Janet Evra will celebrate the release of her debut album Ask Her To Dance with a performance at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, November 18 at .ZACK, 3224 Locust St. in Grand Center.

Evra (pictured) will be accompanied by the musicians who played on the recording, including her husband, guitarist Will Buchanan, along with Adam Maness (piano), Montez Coleman (drums), Khamali Cuffie-Moore (trumpet), and Kwanae Johnson (tenor sax), plus additional special guests such as singer Chrissy Renick, keyboardist Jim Hegarty, and more.

The album, recorded by Jason McEntire at Sawhorse Studios in St. Louis and mastered by Brad Sarno at Blue Jade Audio, includes nine original songs, some evoking the bossa nova sound that influenced Evra and Buchanan in their "cover" project, The Bonbon Plot.

Tickets are $10, which includes general admission plus a CD of the album, and are on sale now via Metrotix.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Ben Reece, keyboardist Mo Egeston, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor were interviewed on a recent episode of Rock Paper Podcast. 

* Bassist and singer Janet Evra appeared Tuesday on KTVI/Fox 2's morning newscast.

* In advance of his debut later this month at SFJAZZ in San Francisco, trumpeter Keyon Harrold's past collaborations are the subject of an article on SFJAZZ.org's website. 

* Cabaret singer and pianist Rick Jensen's performance last Saturday at the Kranzberg Arts Center was reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* The family of the late Hamiet Bluiett (pictured) is trying to raise money via crowd-funding for burial and memorial expenses, as the baritone sax great died last week without life insurance. If you'd like to contribute, go to https://www.gofundme.com/683jk7k. (You also can help by sharing the GoFundMe page URL on social media and elsewhere.)

A funeral service for Bluiett will be held at 10:00 a.m. today (Friday, October 12) at Lovejoy Temple Church of God, 511 Canal Street in Brooklyn, IL, followed by burial at 12:30 p.m. at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis.

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.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer Denise Thimes was interviewed about Aretha Franklin by St. Louis Public Radio. 

* Trombonist and St. Louis native Jimmy Wilkins (pictured) has died at age 97 in Las Vegas. Wilkins, the brother of saxophonist Ernie Wilkins, performed with Count Basie, Clark Terry, Motown studio band The Funk Brothers, and more. He spent much of his adult life in Detroit, and had lived in Las Vegas since 1994.

* Pianist Ptah Williams and other jazz acts playing at this year's Loufest are the subjects of a brief St. Louis magazine feature penned by Thomas Crone.

* Also in St. Louis magazine, writer Jeannette Cooperman previews tomorrow night's "Labor of Love" show featuring the Kranzberg Arts Foundation's resident artists at the Grandel Theatre. 

* Bassist and singer Janet Evra of The Bonbon Plot has released a music video for "You or Me," a song from her forthcoming debut album Ask Her to Dance. The video, directed by Bill Streeter of Hydraulic Pictures, features Evra and the musicians who performed on the track, including guitarist Will Buchanan, drummer Montez Coleman, pianist Adam Maness, and trumpeter Khamali Cuffie-Moore.

* The House of Miles East St. Louis is hosting a "Kind of Blue and You Fundraiser!" on Tuesday, September 25 at the Casino Queen.

* St. Louis multi-instrumentalist and freelance writer Kevin Mitchell has teamed up with Webster University Community Music School violin teacher and ensemble director Joanne Keefe to write  Jazz Songs for the Student Violinist, which is available now from Sher Music.

* There still are some spaces open in the "Drum Fantasy Camp" tour group traveling with drummer Dave Weckl in January to Havana, Cuba.

* The Sheldon Art Galleries have announced a new exhibit showcasing more instruments from the Hartenberger World Music Collection. "St. Louis, A Musical Gateway: The Balkans, India and Mexico" will open with a reception at 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 5 and continue through Saturday, April 13, 2019. The exhibit will feature more than 150 "unique and rare" instruments from India, Mexico and the Balkan region.

Curator Dr. Aurelia Hartenberger will present a gallery talk about the instruments at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 4. The talk is free, but space is limited, so to reserve a spot, send an email to plincoln@thesheldon.org or call The Sheldon at 314-533-9900 x37.