StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Dave Weckl to headline Chesterfield Jazz Fest

This week, StLJN's video spotlight shines on drummer Dave Weckl, who will be back home to perform next Saturday, June 15 as the headlining act at the Chesterfield Wine & Jazz Festival.

A native of St. Charles, Weckl undoubtedly is one of the most successful working jazz musicians from this area, first gaining international attention working in the 1980s with keyboardist Chick Corea, and subsequently parlaying that exposure into a busy career as both a bandleader and a first-call collaborator and session player.

For his St. Louis show, his band will feature a couple of musical friends who also are St. Louis natives, bassist Tom Kennedy and keyboardist Jay Oliver, as well as saxophonist Gary Meek, another longtime musical associate, and guitarist Buzz Feiten, who's had a diverse career stretching back nearly 50 years with the Butterfield Blues Band, the Rascals, the Larson-Feiten Band with keyboardist Neil Larsen, and more.

Though there seems to be no video footage online featuring this particular lineup, there's certainly no shortage of clips featuring Weckl playing with various ensembles, and so for those looking for a idea of what he's been doing lately, here's a collection of a half-dozen recent performances for your listening and viewing enjoyment.

There's a very recent and complete show in the first video embed up above, recorded on April 4 of this year at New Morning in Paris, France and featuring Weckl as the nominal leader of a group with Kennedy, guitarist Mike Stern, and saxophonist Bob Franceschini.

After the jump, you can see some footage from earlier this year of Weckl and Kennedy jamming at Colos-Saal, a music club in Aschaffenburg, Germany. That's followed by a Weckl solo performance, recorded at the 2019 NAMM show in Los Angeles.

The remaining videos show recent performances by Weckl in three different musical settings: with keyboardist Steve Weingart and bassist Benjamin Shepherd performing Weingart's composition "Village" at the 2018 Hollywood Drum Show in Los Angeles, California; in the studio with keyboard player Oz Ezzeldin playing "'Dis Kinda Place," in a clip released in March 2019 as a promo for Weckl's online school; and with La Escuela de Música y Audio Fernando Sor performing "Nothing Personal" in October 2018 in Bogotá, Colombia.

For more about Dave Weckl and what he's been up to recently, read his 2018 interview with AustralianMusician.com, and watch him in an episode of "Yamaha Drummers Talk" from December 2018 and in a video interview on the topic of "Mindset For Success" from March 2019.

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

Jazz at Holmes series announces winter/spring 2018 concert schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series of concerts at Washington University has announced their schedule for the winter/spring semester of 2018.

Here's the entire lineup in chronological order:

Thursday, January 25: Richard Deja Quartet

Thursday, February 1: Freddie Washington/Tom Byrne Quartet
Thursday, February 8: Steve Davis Band
Thursday, February 15: Tony Viviano (pictured)
Thursday, February 22: Eileen G'Sell (poet) with Jay Oliver, William Lenihan & Steve Davis

Thursday, March 1: Kara Baldus-Mehrmann Trio
Thursday, March 8: "Women's Voices in Music" with Washington University student musicians & singers
Thursday, March 22: "52nd Street/To Be Or Not To Bop" with Randy Holmes Quintet & a pre-show lecture by Patrick Burke
Thursday, March 29: Washington University jazz studies students

Thursday, April 5: Brianna Black Band

All concerts are free and open to the public. Concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. and are presented in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall, which is located on Washington University’s campus at the west end of the Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives.

Jazz this week: Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge, Jay Oliver, Jazz St. Louis gala, and more

With a forecast for spring-like weather in the offing, it should be a good weekend to get out and hear some live music in St. Louis.

However, if you're headed down to the annual Mardi Gras parade on Saturday, don't expect to find much jazz or blues among the musical options.

With the notable exception of the Funky Butt Brass Band, who will make appearances at the Mayor's Ball on Friday night, at the parade tent in Soulard on Saturday afternoon, and at the Old Rock House on Saturday, the corporate-dominated event unfortunately continues to rely mostly on DJs and rock cover bands, ignoring the genres most associated with Mardi Gras in the popular imagination.

That said, if you want to find some live jazz around St. Louis this week, you're in the right place. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, February 22
Guitarists Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge (pictured, top left) will play a duo show at Off Broadway (relocated from the originally announced venue, the Old Rock House).

Known individually for their work in jazz (Lage) and bluegrass (Eldridge), the two joined forces a few years back for an album, and have continued the project with intermittent touring between their commitments to other bands.

Now, with a new record, Mount Royal, set for release on Friday, they're doing a series of live dates in support of the release. For more about that, and some video samples of them in action, see this post from last Saturday. 

Also on Wednesday, trumpeter Rob Endicott leads a quintet in the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Thursday, 
February 23
The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a performance by keyboardist and St. Louis native Jay Oliver (pictured, center left), accompanied by bassist/guitarist William Lenihan and drummer Steve Davis.

A childhood friend of Dave Weckl, Oliver was a member of Weckl's band in the 1990s, recording four albums with the drummer, but he's had his greatest commercial successes as a producer, programmer and songwriter for rock acts including Sheryl Crow, Jimmy Buffett and the Eagles.

More recently, Oliver's "world music" project Aomusic has released four albums of original compositions and also created theme music for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Given all the time he spends in the recording studio, this show should give Oliver a good opportunity to cut loose in a live situation, and given his hometown connection, there should be a good turnout. (Note that while most Jazz at Holmes shows are free, this show will have a $10 admission charge at the door.)

Also on Thursday, the Funky Butt Brass Band kicks off Mardi Gras weekend with an early evening show at Blues City Deli; saxophonist Jason Swagler will be giving his faculty recital at Dunham Hall on the SIUE campus in Edwardsville, and saxophonist Dave Stone's trio will play at Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, February 24
Jazz St. Louis holds their annual fundraising gala at the Sheldon Concert Hall, featuring a cocktail hour, dinner and auction; a concert from teenage piano phenom Joey Alexander's trio; and an after-party with music from singer Denise Thimes. Some tickets for Alexander's concert may still be available via Metrotix; for ticket availability for the gala, check with the Jazz St. Louis box office.

Also on Friday, percussionist Henry Claude will perform at the 560 Music Center, joined by the Vernacular String Trio, Perihelion Quartet, and trumpeter George Sams; singer Feyza Eren's quartet will play a free show at the St. Louis Art Museum; and vibraphonist Tom Rickard's trio returns to the Cigar Inn.

Saturday, February 25
Two veteran local musicians whose careers stretch back to the Gaslight Square era, pianist Dave Venn and singer Jeanne Trevor, will take the stage for one night only at Jazz at the Bistro; pianist Greg Mills will present new compositions for solo piano at  Jackson Pianos; and Miss Jubilee will perform at Jacoby Arts Center in Alton.

Sunday, February 26
The Folk School of KDHX presents a traditional jazz jam session; and the Ambassadors of Swing return for an early evening performance at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Monday, February 27
Dizzy Atmosphere plays swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck.

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: Danilo Pérez, Jay Oliver, Denise Thimes, a big band Sunday, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes a visit from a top touring jazz pianist, the return of a favorite local singer to the city's showcase club, and one day that may seem like a time warp back to the big band era.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, February 24
Singer Denise Thimes (pictured, top left) returns to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of three evenings, continuing through Friday.

Also tonight, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra plays at Riverbend Restaurant & Bar.

Thursday, February 25
Keyboardist and St. Louis native Jay Oliver is back in town for a visit and will team up with guitarist/bassist William Lenihan and drummer Steve Davis to play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Elsewhere on Thursday, singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black perform at Thurman Grill; and the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Open Improv Night" with live improvised music.

Friday, February 26
Singer Tim Schall does his cabaret show "1961" at The Stage at KDHX; singer Chuck Flowers performs at Tavern of Fine Arts; and The Sidemen play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom

Saturday,
February 27
Pianist Danilo Pérez (pictured, lower left) plays the Sheldon Concert Hall, featuring music from his 2014 recording Panama 500, a sort of world-fusion concept that posits the music of that nation as part of a continuum of styles stretching around the globe. For more about that, and to see and hear Pérez performing some of the music from the album, check out the video showcase post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Also on Saturday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to Thurman Grill, and singer Eve Seltzer will perform at Evangeline's.

Sunday, February 28
While the "big band era" is supposed to have ended officially more than 60 years ago, you wouldn't necessarily know that by looking at the calendar for Sunday, which features four different big band performances in St. Louis on the same day.

For starters, the students in the McKinley High School Goldbug Jazz Band will be celebrating their first recording as a group with a matinee concert & CD release party at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Meanwhile, just a few blocks to the south, The Big Little Big Band will present a free concert at the Scottish Rite Cathedral Auditorium on Lindell.

Then on Sunday evening, the Dave Dickey Big Band will present their monthly performance at Jazz at the Bistro, with the North County HS Jazz Ensemble playing at intermission, while the Jazz Edge Big Band
returns to the Kirkwood Station Brewing Company (where Dickey's band played until the opening of the expanded Ferring Jazz Bistro in 2014).

Monday, February 29
Saxophonists Christopher Braig and Paul DeMarinis will join forces for a concert at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium; Dizzy Atmosphere plays swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck; and pianist Ptah Williams continues his Monday night residency at Thurman Grill.

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 at Holmes series announces winter/spring 2016 concert schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series of concerts at Washington University has announced their schedule for the winter/spring semester of 2016.

The ten concerts will include three performances featuring visiting musicians, perhaps most notably drummer Thurman Barker, a longtime member of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and veteran of the 1960s free jazz scene, who will bring a trio to St. Louis to perform on Thursday, April 7.

A professor at Bard College in New York since 1993, Barker (pictured) spends most of his time these days teaching and composing, but his extensive resume includes past performances and recordings with many important free jazz musicians, including Joseph Jarman, Muhal Richard Abrams, Pheeroan akLaff, Anthony Braxton, Billy Bang, Henry Threadgill, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Sam Rivers, and others.

The Jazz at Holmes schedule also including return dates for bassist Gary Peacock and pianist Marc Copland, who did an off-campus concert sponsored by the series in 2013 at 560 Music Center; and for German-born, Zurich-based saxophonist Nicole Johänntgen, who played a Jazz at Holmes show back in 2010.

Here's the complete schedule for the semester:

Thursday, February 4: Ken Kehner, Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris
Thursday, February 11: STL Free Jazz Collective
Thursday, February 18: Paul DeMarinis Group
Thursday, February 25: Jay Oliver, William Lenihan, and Steve Davis

Thursday, March 3: Gary Peacock, Marc Copland, and Mark Ferber
Thursday, March 10: Mosaic Whispers & Java Jived
Thursday, March 24: Montez Coleman Quartet

Thursday, April 7: Thurman Barker Trio
Thursday, April 14: Nicole Johänntgen with William Lenihan, Jay Oliver & Steve Davis
Thursday, April 21: Kasimu Taylor Quartet

While most Jazz at Holmes concerts are free and open to the public, the Marc Copland/Gary Peacock and Thurman Barker performances will be ticketed events, priced at $25 and $10 respectively. Concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall, located on Washington University’s campus at the west end of the Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives.

Edited after posting.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The world of Weckl

This week, our video spotlight shines on drummer Dave Weckl, the St. Charles native who's made a name for himself in the jazz world over the past 20+ years both as a solo artist and bandleader and as a standout sideman to Chick Corea, Mike Stern, and others.

Weckl will be back home in St. Louis this coming Monday, October 13 to present a drum clinic sponsored by Fred Pierce Studio Drum Shop at the Airport Hilton. He's had a busy summer - playing dates with his new acoustic band (including fellow St. Louis native Tom Kennedy on bass); releasing a new album with keyboardist Jay Oliver (yet another St. Louis guy); and even putting out his own branded line of visual artwork. With all that, plus his visit here this week, it seems like an opportune time to look in on him.

Up top, you can see a "live in the studio" performance featuring Weckl, Jay Oliver and the rest of the band who helped them cut this version of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" for their new album Convergence, which was released back in June.

After the jump, you can see a brief preview video promoting the drummer's new acoustic band, which, in addition to Weckl and Tom Kennedy, also features saxophonist Gary Meek and pianist Makoto Ozone. The footage was recorded in January of this year at the Catalina Jazz Club.

Below that, there's an interview Weckl this year did for a Dutch video series called DrummersTalk 2014, followed by a couple of clips of Weckl solos - one from the 2012 Montreal Drumfest, and another in-studio effort done specifically that same year for Vic Firth (maker of drum sticks and accessories, and one of several companies with which Weckl has endorsement deals).

We wrap up with one more interview, recorded last year for the drum magazine The Black Page, and one more solo, from an appearance by Weckl a few years back at a drum festival in Australia.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Greg Osby did a brief Q&A for the website of the Pew Foundation, which made him one of their Pew Fellows in 2012.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake (pictured) has announced some major NYC gigs for this fall, including a show with his big band on Saturday, September 13 at Iridium and a week of performances leading various ensembles from October 21 through October 26 at The Stone.

* In other Lake-related news, here's a review of the reissue compilation Oliver Lake: The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint and Soul Note from Tim Niland of the blog Music & More.

* Pianist Jay Oliver has put online a video of "Incantation," a solo improvisation he recorded for Convergence, the new album from drummer Dave Weckl. The album, which also features fellow St. Louis native Tom Kennedy on bass, as well as Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, Gary Meek, Dean Brown, Brandon Fields and more, can be obtained via Weckl's website.

* Former St. Louisan Benjamin Cawthra, author of the book Blue Notes in Black and White, blogged some thoughts about the situation in Ferguson.

* Most of the remaining jazz-related artwork from the collection of the late Richard McDonnell, founder of the indie label MAXJAZZ, now are scheduled to be sold in an auction to be conducted by Link Auction Galleries on Saturday, September 13. You can see items from McDonnell's collection that will be in the sale (and place online bids) starting here.

* Lindy Hop St. Louis was featured in a short video produced by the Riverfront Times.

* Singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black were interviewed last week on KMOX (1120 AM) by "Route 66" host Ron "Johnny Rabbit" Elz.

* Bassist Mark Wallace is the latest subject of St. Louis magazine's recurring feature "Seven Questions With..."

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis' “Somethin’ Else,” host Calvin Wilson spotlights the music of pianist Cecil Taylor. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Meanwhile, over across the river in Edwardsville, WSIE (88.7 FM) has scheduled a new program called "St. Louis Jazz Talk" that will air at 11:00 a.m. Sundays beginning September 8. The show will be hosted by WSIE's Dick Ulett and musicians Mike Silverman, Robert Silverman, and Erika Johnson, and will feature interviews with and recordings by St. Louis musicians.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Dave Weckl and keyboardist Jay Oliver talk more about their new crowd-funded recording project in a new interview published on PledgeMusic.com.

* In the latest news from Clark Terry's blog, the trumpeter's autobiography published last year has won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' (ASCAP) Deems Taylor Award, and the and Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.

* John Pizzarelli, in town to play at Jazz at the Bistro through Saturday night, had a few words about the gig and his current with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson.

While he's here, the singer-guitarist also has been doing some school performances and educational events for Jazz St. Louis. He'll be playing with his quartet this afternoon for students at Fort Zumwalt High School, and did a workshop yesterday with Rick Haydon's guitar students at SIU-Edwardsville (pictured). Publicist Madeline Dames, who kindly provided the above photo of Pizzarelli's visit to SIUE, reports that he's doing record-breaking business at the Bistro, with "standing room only three deep upstairs" for Thursday night's first set.

* Trumpeter and singer Jeremy Davenport, who was back home last week to play at the Bistro, also dropped by local NPR affiliate KWMU for an interview, which has been archived online here.

* Vintage Vinyl co-owner Lew Prince was one of a dozen small business owners from across the nation who this week met with President Barack Obama to discuss economic and tax policy. Local coverage of the event included pieces from NBC affiliate KSDK and the U. City edition of Patch.com. Prince later went on MSNBC's The Ed Show to talk about his views and his visit with the President. Meanwhile, Prince and VV's other co-owner Tom Ray also recently were the subjects of a profile in the Journal at Webster University, where both are alumni.

* The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis will be presenting a Grant Writing Workshop at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 11 at RAC's HQ, 6128 Delmar Blvd. The workshop is free, but advance reservations are required; you can RSVP with an email to carol @ stlrac.org.

Dave Weckl using crowdfunding to finance new recording with Jay Oliver

Drummer Dave Weckl is teaming up again with his old friend, keyboardist and fellow St. Louis expat Jay Oliver, and using "crowd funding" to raise money for their new project. 

Friends since high school, Oliver and Weckl worked together on Weckl's early solo albums Master Plan, Heads Up, and Hard Wired and the Dave Weckl Band albums Rhythm of the Soul and Synergy, but it's been twelve years since the two last collaborated.

Though the drummer has recorded for Concord Music subsidiary Stretch Records since 1998, with his most recent CD Multiplicity coming out in 2005, this time he's turning to fans and friends to finance the project via the crowd-funding site Pledge Music.

Like the better-known KickStarter and other similar services, Pledge Music allows creators to set a financial goal for a prospective album, then promote it online directly to fans. Supporters can pledge at different levels to get various rewards, but the project proceeds and the money is collected only if the fundraising goal is met.

For their as-yet untitled project, Weckl and Oliver plan to assemble a package that will include not only an album of new music, but also a DVD, written charts, and "play along" mixes without drums, guitar, bass, or keyboards. The recording will feature additional guest musicians, yet to be announced, and will include a drum duet featuring Weckl and a collaborator TBA.

Possible levels of support range from $15, which gets you project updates and an MP3 download of the finished product, all the way up to $15,000, for which the lucky supporter will be rewarded with a "private jam in your home/venue." The campaign ends on December 10. For more information or to pledge your support, visit Weckl's page at Pledge Music.

Jazz this week: Alyssa Graham; a benefit for Anthony Wiggins; Paul DeMarinis; Chris Burchett plays Monk; and more

With better, almost springlike weather in the offing, it should be a good weekend to get out and hear some live music in St. Louis, and there are a number of events coming up of interest to fans of jazz and creative music.

You can get started tonight, when singer Alyssa Graham opens a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. This is Graham's debut performance in St. Louis, and her vocal style and blend of jazz, folk and pop influences would seem likely to appeal to fans of local favorite Erin Bode. You can find out more and see some videos of Graham in this post, and hear an interview with her here. Also, Jazz St. Louis has a two-for-one deal on tickets for Graham; for details on that, go here.

Also on Wednesday evening, pianist Jay Oliver is doing a free concert starting at 8:00 p.m. at 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave in University City. Oliver will be joined by guitarist William Lenihan, bassist Tom Kennedy and drummer Roger Guth. According to the Jazz at Holmes email list, compared to Saturday's concert by Oliver this one will feature "more straight-ahead jazz with the possibility of some more modern things."

Also tonight, the Black Rep's production of Yesterdays: An Evening With Billie Holiday, with Vanessa Rubin starring as Holiday, resumes its run. There are evening performances Wednesday through Saturday, plus matinees on Saturday and Sunday, through March 14.

On Thursday, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis will do a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. Then on Friday evening, trumpeter Randy Holmes will take the stage at Robbies House of Jazz to play the music Art Farmer and Jim Hall with Steve Schenkel (guitar), Eric Warren (bass), and Kevin Gianino (drums).

On Saturday afternoon, guitarist Chris Burchett will play his own compositions and the music of Thelonious Monk for the lastest installment of the Nu-Art Series' "Re-Arrangements and Nu-Compositions"

Sundaybrings a benefit show for trumpeter and jazz educator Anthony Wiggins starting at 4:00 p.m. at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups. Wiggins is recovering from a brain aneurysm suffered last month, and this event will raise money for him and his family. Scheduled performers include Par 3, Arvell Keithley, Good 4 the Soul, Mystic Voyage, and J-Rob. A minimum $10 donation will be requested at the door.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday morning, trumpeter Bob Ceccarini and pianist Pat Joyce will play a "Coffee Concert" at the Sheldon Concert Hall., with the same program repeating at the same time on Wednesday. Tuesday evening, the Jazz St. Louis CD Listening Club will have its monthly meeting at Borders in Brentwood, with JSL's Gene Dobbs Bradford and DJ and author Dennis Owsley leading a discussion of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme.

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 by becoming a "fan" of 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: Vanessa Rubin as Billie Holiday, Jay Oliver, the Bosman Twins, McElwee's "Modular Mazes" and more

From a dramatic portrayal of a legendary diva to some straight-ahead and soulful jazz to a multimedia event with video, animation and an improvised soundtrack, there's lots going on in St. Louis this weekend to interest fans of jazz and creative music. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, the Black Rep presents the first performance of its production of Yesterdays: An Evening with Billie Holiday starring Vanessa Rubin (pictured) as Holiday. The show runs Wednesdays through Sundays at the Grandel Theatre through March 14. For more on the production and Rubin, see this post and this post.

On Thursday, longtime local favorite Jeanne Trevor brings her swinging song stylings back to Brandt's .

On Friday evening, the Bosman Twins open a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. It's been a while since the reed-playing brothers have performed at the Bistro, and the latest word from JSL's Devin Rodino on Twitter indicates that tickets are moving briskly.

Also on Friday, band boosters in O'Fallon, IL are sponsoring the benefit event "O'That Jazz" at the Regency Conference Center to raise money for the high school's marching band program. Featured performers will include the St. Louis Jazz All-Stars, with Dawn Weber, Jason Swagler, Shaun Robinson, Zeb Briskovich, Miles Vandiver and Charlie Brown; Twilight Jazz Club; and the O’Fallon High School Band Jazz Combos, with and Ross Gentile as MC. (Dinner reservations are no longer available, but they will be selling tickets at the door for the concert portion of the evening.)

Also on Friday, the Presenters Dolan kick off a weekend of cabaret shows at the Kranzberg Arts Center, with Alice Kinsella on Friday, Christine Rios on Saturday and Monya Fisher on Sunday.

On Saturday afternoon, saxophonist Chad Evans will play his own compositions and the the music of legendary saxophonist and bebop originator Charlie Parker as part of the Nu-Art Series' jazz composers' concert series at the Metropolitan Gallery.

Meanwhile, Robbie's House of Jazz has a double-header on Saturday, with a matinee featuring swing and classic songs from vibraphonist and trumpeter Joe Bozzi and an evening performance spotlighting the funk and fusion of Good 4 The Soul.

Also on Saturday, pianist and St. Louis native Jay Oliver returns home for a performance at Holmes Lounge on the Washington University campus, and New Music Circle presents Van McElwee and Friends in a multimedia event called "Modular Mazes" at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium. The NMC event will include new video creations from McElwee, 3D animation (with glasses provided!) from Casper McElwee, and live audio from musicians including the Semi-Acoustic Noise Ensemble (SANE).

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 by becoming a "fan" of the StLJN Facebook page.

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Jay Oliver adds concert on Wednesday, March 3 at 560 Music Center

Already scheduled to perform this Saturday for Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series, pianist Jay Oliver (pictured) has added more events to his trip home this week.

According to an email sent out by the Jazz at Holmes series, Oliver, a St. Louis native now living in Los Angeles, also will give a clinic/masterclass Monday, March 1 on the Wash U. campus and perform in a concert at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 3 at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave in University City.

Oliver will work with a different combination of musicians at each concert. For the Jazz at Holmes show on Saturday, Oliver will be play a solo set, then a second set backed by William Lenihan (guitars and bass) and Miles Vandiver (drums). The concert begins at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, February 27 in Holmes Lounge on the Washington University campus. Unlike most Jazz at Holmes shows, Oliver's concert will have an admission charge: $10 for the general public, $5 for Washington University students and staff, and $5 for seniors.

For the show at the 560 Music Center, Oliver and Lenihan will be joined by bassist Tom Kennedy and drummer Roger Guth. There's no ticket information on this show available yet, but we'll have an update here when details are released.

For information on Oliver's clinic and master class, contact William Lenihan via email at wlenihan (at) wustl.edu.