StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A taste of Joe Sample

This week, we check in on pianist Joe Sample, who's coming to St. Louis to perform with his trio starting Wednesday, March 27 through Saturday, March 30 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Now 74, the Houston native first gained fame in the early 1960s, blending jazz with soul, R&B and pop influences as a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders. Sample began developing his solo career beginning in the late 1970s, enjoying considerable commercial success with albums such as Rainbow Seeker and Carmel. He's continued to work as a solo act through the various subsequent reformations and breakups of the Crusaders, sometimes recording with vocalists such as Randi Crawford, who sang on the Crusaders' "Street Life," and Lalah Hathaway, daughter of R&B great and former St. Louisan Donny Hathaway.

Sample's most recent CD is a live album released in 2012, recorded with Crawford, his son Nick Sample on bass, and Steve Gadd on drums. He was in St. Louis most recently when the reunited Crusaders (minus original drummer Stix Hooper) performed in June 2011 at the Touhill.

Today's clips include several of Sample's most popular compositions, starting up above with a trio version of "Freedom Sound" - the title track to the Jazz Crusaders' 1961 debut album - recorded in 2009 at Anthology in San Diego.

Down below, you can hear Sample improvise an intro going into "Melodies of Love," recorded in 1985 in Japan, followed by a version of the title track from his 1989 album Spellbound, recorded shortly after the album's release for the David Sanborn-hosted NBC program Night Music.

Below that, there's a version of "Ashes to Ashes," recorded in 2000 with bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Larry Aberman, and two tracks from a late-1990s gig with drummer Buddy Williams, percussionist Lenny Castro, and bassist Mike Manson: the Latin-flavored "Hippies On A Corner" and the concert staple  "Carmel."

For more about Joe Sample, check out this 2010 conversation with UrbanMusicScene.com; and this audio interview from 2012.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Jazz Crusaders concert presented by Jazz St. Louis last Saturday at the Touhill Performing Arts Center was reviewed by Calvin Wilson for the Post-Dispatch.

* And speaking of Jazz St. Louis, they're looking for a Membership and Special Events Manager. If you're interested in applying for the job, click the link or email director of development Melissa Jones at melissa @ jazzstl.org.

* Terry Perkins is doing another series for the St. Louis Beacon of weekly profiles of bands playing various local outdoor concert series this summer; this week's article is about the Funky Butt Brass Band.

* Music for Lifelong Achievement (MFLA) has wrapped up an instrument drive for Horns to Havana, during which they collected seventeen instruments, including a trumpet, saxophone, keyboard, three guitars, three trombones, four flutes and four clarinets. MFLA was the first organization in the US to partner on this project with Horns to Havana, a non-profit organization based at The Center For Cuban Studies in New York City. The current goal is provide a full set of jazz band instruments to each of four Cuban schools.

* Filmmakers Alan Hicks and Adam Hart are using Kickstarter to raise money for Keep On Keepin' On, a proposed documentary that "follows the lives of 3 up-and-coming musicians, linked by their close association with one of the last living Jazz Legends, the great Clark Terry."

The film is already well along, with lots of footage shot of all four subjects, and now the makers are trying to come up with $35,000 by Monday, August 8. As of this writing on Friday, June 17, they have 94 "Backers" and $18,636 pledged toward their $35,000 goal, with 51 days to go. (If you're unfamiliar with the Kickstarter concept, see this.)

Jazz this week: The Jazz Crusaders, Wine Dine & Jazz Festival, Sylvia McNair, Coco Soul, and more

Mid-summer heat has arrived in St. Louis several weeks ahead of schedule, but if you can brave the unseasonable temperatures, there are a number of jazz and creative music events worth checking out over the next few days.

Today at lunchtime, the band Swing Set will play a free concert from noon to 1 p.m. at the Old Library Plaza at 8th and Locust as part of the St. Louis Public Library's "Not So Quiet" concert series.

Tomorrow, there are several options for the discerning listener, including the first night of the Wine Dine and Jazz Festival in downtown Belleville. Friday's performers at the free event include the Usual Suspects with Gypsy Brown, the Dawn Weber Group and the Jim Stevens Group, while Saturday's lineup includes the USAF Starlifter Jazz Band, Tony D and the Groove, the Santana tribute band Stantana, and blues from guitarist and singer Vince Martin. (Full disclosure: Yr. humble StLJN editor will be playing keyboards with Martin. Consider yourself warned.)

Also on Friday, singer Coco Soul opens a two-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. Soul (nee Rochelle Walker) is known mostly as an R&B singer, former host of the open mic event Cafe Soul, and occasional performer in musical theater at venues including the Black Rep, Stages and Westport Playhouse. The promo blurb for her Bistro debut suggests that "her jazz influences, coupled with a strong R&B and soul background will surely delight listeners," but to these ears, the songs on her MySpace page sound more like straight R&B, albeit with the occasional brass background and/or trumpet obbligato.

Elsewhere on Friday, singer and pianist Bruce Hornsby and his band the Noisemakers are playing at The Pageant - you can read my Riverfront Times Critic's Pick on that show here - and singer Cheri Evans is at Robbie's House of Jazz

The most significant jazz show of the week, however, happens on Saturday, when the Jazz Crusaders (pictured) play at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. With original members Joe Sample, Wilton Felder and Wayne Henderson reuniting for the first time since Henderson left the band in the mid-1970s, this tour definitely counts as a special occasion. And with Jazz St. Louis offering tickets at half price, the least expensive seat is only $17.50, which is quite affordable. For more about the Jazz Crusaders, including videos of performances of six of their best-known songs, see this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, pianist and singer Curt Landes teams with singer Mary Dyson for a gig at Robbie's House of Jazz; and on Sunday, BB's Jazz Blues & Soups has Latin jazz in the early evening from Clave Sol.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band will be back at BB's, and on Tuesday, singer Sylvia McNair will give a special cabaret performance in the Sheldon Concert Hall's upstairs ballroom,

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 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 St. Louis offering half-price tickets for the Jazz Crusaders concert this Saturday

Jazz St. Louis has just announced an offer of half-price tickets to hear the Jazz Crusaders (pictured) this Saturday, June 11 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

The offer applies to the tickets regularly priced at $50 and $35, but not to the "Gold Circle" tickets selling for $100.

Half-price tickets can be purchased by calling the Touhill ticket office at 314-516-4949 and using the promo code "STREETLIFE," or in person at the Touhill by using the promo code.

To purchase tickets online, go to www.touhill.org and click the calendar link at the top of the page. Enter the promo code "STREETLIFE" in the promo code box at upper right, and click the black arrow next to the box to submit the promo. A listing for the Jazz Crusaders should be the only performance you see. Complete the order form and then click "purchase." The discount is good only until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 10.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Six favorites from the Jazz Crusaders

Today, let's check out some clips of the Jazz Crusaders, who will be in St. Louis next Saturday, June 11 to play a concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis.

The four original Crusaders - pianist Joe Sample, saxophonist Wilton Felder, trombonist Wayne Henderson and drummer Nesbert "Stix" Hooper - first met in the late 1950s playing in various bands in their home town of Houston. Moving to Los Angeles in 1960, they adopted the name Jazz Crusaders, and gained national attention for a series of releases on the Pacific Jazz label.

The first two videos show that original lineup, augmented by a bassist (possibly Jimmy Bond, who played on the record), performing two of their best-known tunes from those early Pacific Jazz recordings. The versions of "Freedom Sound" up above and "The Young Rabbits" down below both were recorded in 1962 in LA for a local television program called Frankly Jazz, and both are fine examples of the Crusaders' early hard bop sound. Both clips also include some footage of the show's host Frank Evans, a well-known jazz DJ on the West Coast, as well as a bit of the Crusaders playing what seems to be the program's theme song, a swinging straight-ahead blues.

In the 1970s, the band dropped the word "jazz" from their name and made a series of very successful recordings using electric bass and guitar (often played by Larry Carlton, who was an official member of the band for several years), funk backbeats and more electric keyboards. Henderson departed the band in 1975 to pursue a solo career, but the other three continued on, as you can see in the third clip, a version of Henderson's tune "Keep That Same Old Feeling" recorded in 1984 by a lineup featuring Sample, Felder and Hooper with bassist Eddie Watkins, guitarist Barry Finnerty and percussionist Paulinho Da Costa.

The last three clips - "Put It Where You Want It," "Street Life," and "Way Back Home" - all come from the 2003 Montreux Jazz Festival, for which the lineup consisted of Sample, Felder and guitarist Ray Parker Jr., along with trombonist Stephen Baxter, drummer Kendrick Scott, bassist Freddie Washington, and, on "Street Life," singer Randi Crawford. All three of these tunes were popular upon first release, and given their enduring appeal, certainly could get played at next week's concert at the Touhill.

The current touring lineup, officially billed as the Original Jazz Crusaders, reunites Henderson with Sample and Felder, and also include Sample's son Nick on bass as well as drummer Doug Belote. According to this review of their performance in April at the Berks Jazz Festival in Pennsylvania, the set list includes "a tasty gumbo of their classics, a jazz standard or two and some tunes that could make a dead man tap his toes." You can see some nice photos of that gig here, and for more on the Jazz Crusaders' somewhat convoluted history, see their Wikipedia page.

Jazz Crusaders reschedule St. Louis concert for Saturday, June 11 at the Touhill

Jazz St. Louis has announced that the Jazz Crusaders (pictured) have rescheduled their St. Louis concert for 8:00 p.m., Saturday June 11 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

The concert, which will feature original Crusaders members Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson and Wilton Felder, originally was scheduled for September 2010 at the Touhill, but was postponed to due to a medical issue affecting one of the musicians, reportedly Felder.

Tickets for the Jazz Crusaders at the Touhill will be priced at $100 for Gold Circle seating, which includes a post-concert reception with the musicians, $50 and $35. Jazz at the Bistro subscribers will receive an email offering them the first opportunity to purchase seats. Tickets then will go on sale to the general public at 10:00 a.m. next Tuesday, January 18, and can be purchased by phoning the Touhill box office at 314-516-4949 or online at www.touhill.org.

Notes from the Net: Miles' box set of box sets; John Hicks honored in NYC; plus news, reviews, interviews and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* The big Miles Davis news this time out is the release on September 14 of The Genius of Miles Davis , a new collection bringing together eight deluxe multi-CD box sets, including 43 CDs of music, which were originally released on Columbia/Legacy between 1996 and 2007.

Presented in a replica of Miles' own trumpet case (pictured), the collection contains Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings (6 CDs); Miles Davis Quintet 1965-1968 (6 CDs); The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (4 CDs); Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings, 1955-1961 (6 CDs); The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions (3 CDs); The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions (5 CDs); Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings Of Miles Davis, 1963-1964 (7 CDs); and The Complete On The Corner Sessions (6 CDs).

Extras include a replica of the 'Gustat' Heim 2 model mouthpiece used by Davis; a "previously unseen and unavailable fine art lithograph" by the trumpeter himself; and a "boutique-worthy" T-shirt with an image of Davis playing his horn.

In other Miles-related news, the 40th anniversary of the release of Davis' influential Bitches Brew has prompted "Miles Davis: Forty Years of Freedom - The legacy of Bitches Brew," an article by Geoffrey Himes in the September issue of Jazz Times. Also, the 40th anniversary reissue edition of the album is reviewed here for AllAboutJazz.com by Doug Collette, and the music from the sessions also was celebrated earlier this month at a concert in Los Angeles. Last but certainly not least, here's audio of a recently rediscovered interview from 1970 with Teo Macero, in which Macero, who produced Davis' Columbia recordings, discusses the making of albums like Bitches Brew and Live Evil.

* Speaking of recently unearthed recordings, trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry's episode of the NPR program "Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz" recently was posted online. Terry also is one of several jazz legends interviewed for the Visionary Project, an archive of African American oral history. You can check out Terry's interview here.

* Updating the world via his Twitter feed, saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake writes that he recently went to Belgium with the World Saxophone Quartet and percussion group M'boom to play the Middelheim Jazz Festival; did a week at NYC's Birdland with Trio 3 and pianist Geri Allen; and is set to play the Jazz Standard this week with his Organ Quartet, featuring Jared Gold.

* Another Oliver - the late composer, alto saxophonist and St. Louisan Oliver Nelson - recently was the subject of a post on Doug Ramsey's blog Rifftides.

* Remember that Greg Osby live NPR broadcast from the Village Vanguard we told you about here? The saxophonist, composer and St. Louis native's gig also was reviewed by the New York Times' Nate Chinen here, and has been archived for online streaming and downloading here.

* A section of West 139th St at Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem has been renamed "John Hicks Way" in honor of the late jazz pianist and former St. Louisan. WBGO’s Josh Jackson reports on the renaming here, and there's a photo of the new street sign bearing Hicks' name here.

* Saxophonist Chris Cheek has a new CD, Jugendstil II, recorded for ESP Disk in collaboration with the venerable sax master Lee Konitz and bassist Stephane Furic Leibovici. Here's a review of the album written for AllAboutJazz.com by Raul d'Gama Rose.

* Turning to news of coming attractions, pianist Vijay Iyer has a new CD, Solo, that's attracting lots of interest after the success of his previous release Historicity. AllAboutJazz.com already has up three reviews of the disc: one here written by Bruce Lindsay, here by Lyn Horton, and here by Chris May. Meanwhile, About.com's Jacob Teichrow has a review of the new Iyer disc here, and the pianist is interviewed for a feature about the release by the Los Angeles Times' Chris Barton here. Iyer will return to St. Louis to play with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet in November at the 560 Music Center under the auspices of New Music Circle.

* Dave Brubeck celebrated his 90th birthday a bit early this month at the Newport Jazz Festival. Brubeck is scheduled to come back here in October to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall as part of the American Arts Experience -St. Louis festival.

* In other Newport-related news, pianist Hiromi's performance is documented here by NPR's "Jazz Set," and the network's recording of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's concert at the parallel Folk Festival can be heard here. Hiromi will play with bassist Stanley Clarke in February at Jazz at the Bistro, while the PHJB's tour with the Del McCoury Band comes here in October to the Family Arena in St. Charles.

* After his recent hospitalization in France, singer Al Jarreau resumed his European tour. Jarreau said on his website he expects to complete the rest of the European tour and fulfill other concert commitments in the United States, Japan and elsewhere after doctors in Marseille successfully treated him for arrhythmia, or heart palpitations. Jarreau is scheduled to perform in February at the Touhill Performing Arts Center under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis.

* Apparently, tenor saxophonist Wilton Felder is the Jazz Crusader having health challenges that have forced the postponement of the group's St. Louis appearance, originally scheduled for next month at the Touhill. Interestingly, Felder was replaced on the band's date in Long Beach by Euge Groove, who was just here last weekend at the Pageant.

* Speaking of Groove, he's just released Groove On This, a new "interactive album" on data DVD. The recording is designed to be listened to and played with on something called the Beamz Player Interactive Music System, which allows listeners to remix songs in real time, among other things.

* In more news of recent visitors, saxophonist Boney James, who played the Bottleneck Blues Bar last month, is still glad to be back on stage touring after a serious auto accident and dental surgery sidelined him for several weeks earlier this year.

* Signer and pianist Harry Connick Jr, who played here in June at the Fox Theatre, recently brought his big band to the Hollywood Bowl.

* In other miscellaneous news from around the jazz internet, The Bad Plus' pianist Ethan Iverson recently "rebooted" his widely read blog Do The Math; Argentine pianist Esteban Sehinkman has posted online a free "real book" of compositions by Argentine jazz musicians; and photographer William Gottlieb's jazz photos in the Library of Congress have just entered the public domain.

* Finally, condolences to the family, friends and fans of Kansas City saxophonist and jazz-scene elder statesman Ahmad Alaadeen, who recently died after a battle with cancer. Plastic Sax's Bill Brownlee penned a nice tribute to Alaadeen for the Kansas City Star, which you can read online here.

Jazz Crusaders postpone St. Louis concert

Some bad news today from Jazz St. Louis, as it looks like the Jazz Crusaders (pictured) won't be coming to town next month after all. Here's the statement StLJN just received via email from JSL's Devin Rodino:

"Due to health issues with one of the founding members of The Jazz Crusaders, Jazz St. Louis has postponed their performance at the Touhill originally scheduled for Saturday, September 18, 2010.

We are working to reschedule the performance and look forward to presenting this legendary group in St. Louis in the near future."

There are no reports online yet of any other canceled dates for the Jazz Crusaders, nor any information about which band member might be ailing. StLJN will continue to follow the story, and will bring you the latest developments as they occur.

Notes from the Net: John Zorn's Montreal controversy, Kevin Eubanks unbound, plus news, reviews, interviews and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* In the latest Miles Davis-related news, Michael Bourne reviewed the "We Want Miles" exhibit in Montreal for DownBeat magazine. Coincidentally enough, there's a new live DVD just out of a 1985 Davis concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

Elsewhere in North America, Austin, Texas trumpeter Jeff Lofton's Electric Thang recently mounted a tribute to Davis' album Bitches Brew; and bassist Michael Henderson, who anchored Davis' funk-oriented early 1970s bands, is suing rapper Snoop Dogg over music samples.

* Speaking of Montreal, saxophonist (and one-time Webster University student) John Zorn recently led a retrospective of his various Masada ensembles at the Montreal Jazz Festival, then found himself at the center of a controversy after audience members walked out of his subsequent festival concert with Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson. One local journalist even compared the audience response to the premiere of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, a famously contentious event back in 1913.

Coming up for Zorn in August: A three-night stand at Yoshi's in Oakland, featuring a duo concert with Terry Riley, a performance of the improv game "Cobra" with Bay Area improvisors, and more.

* Turning to news of coming attractions, guitarist Kevin Eubanks recently talked with NPR's "Tell Me More" about life after The Tonight Show, while a recent Eubanks gig at LA's Baked Potato is reviewed here by Tony Gieske of the International Review of Music. Eubanks will play at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis on Thursday. July 29.

* Bassist Stanley Clarke's latest CD, featuring the single-named keyboardist Hiromi as part of the band, is reviewed here by AllAboutJazz.com's Jeff Winbush, while AAJ's Ernest Barteldes has a review of a double bill last month at NYC's Carefusion Jazz Fest featuring Clarke's band and the McCoy Tyner Quartet. Clarke and Hiromi will be in St. Louis in February to perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Meanwhile, the reunited Jazz Crusaders and Al Jarreau, both set to perform next season at the Touhill under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis, are among the headliners of this year's Long Beach Jazz Festival

* Guitarist John McLaughlin is the subject of Jazz Times' cover story for the July/August issue. You can read an excerpt of the article by Geoffrey Himes here. McLaughlin will be in St. Louis in November to play at Sheldon Concert Hall.

* The Bad Plus' upcoming album Never Stop is set for release on September 14, and will be their first disc to feature all original material (and their eighth release overall). TBP will be the first touring act to play the Bistro in 2011, which will be the fifth consecutive year they've opened at the club.

* Lastly, let's wrap up this installment with links to two pairs of articles of more general interest to jazz fans. First up, PopMatters.com's Will Layman has yet another take on the long-forecast "death" of jazz, while Fred Kaplan, writing for Stereophile magazine, asks "Is Jazz a Young Person's Music After All?" And in another pair of synchronicitous items, the website The Root looks at the economics of being a working jazz musician, while the New York Times' Nate Chinen blogs about jazz and music publishing rights.

Notes from the Net: More Miles Davis reissues; Regina Carter's new CD; plus news, reviews, interviews and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* With Miles Davis’ 84th birthday coming up tomorrow (Wednesday, May 26), there's plenty of news this week about the legendary trumpeter, including word of the release of yet another box set, The Genius of Miles Davis, which incorporates eight previously issued box sets in a special package that resembles a trumpet case.

Then in August, Columbia/Legacy will release two new editions of Bitches Brew, which was first released 40 years ago. The Legacy Edition is a three-disc set, with two CDs containing the original 94 minutes of music in their original studio mixes, plus bonus cuts and a DVD of a previously unissued concert performance by Davis' Quintet filmed in November 1969 in Copenhagen.

The 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition features the same three discs as the Legacy Edition, plus a third CD of a previously unissued performance from August 1970 by the new septet lineup at Tanglewood in the Berkshires, a 54-page color booklet, and a 180-gram vinyl double-LP gatefold replication of the original album.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the price spectrum, online retailer Amie Street is offering downloads of ten albums from Davis' catalog for $5 each.

Also, the revamped JazzOnline website has begun a series of Miles Davis podcasts, which so far has featured interviews about the trumpeter with Sonny Rollins, former Davis producer and sideman Marcus Miller, contemporary trumpeters Christian Scott and Chris Botti, and Miles' ex-wife Frances Davis.

* Turning to news of recent visitors, guitarist Pat Metheny's Orchestrion tour has continued on since his St. Louis gig earlier this month at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, in the process both puzzling and impressing the critics. Here are a review of Metheny's Denver show, written for AllAboutJazz.com by Geoff Anderson; a review of his NYC performance by the New York Times' Ben Ratliff; a piece on his Boston show by jazz journalist & blogger Ken Franckling; a review of Metheny's Philadelphia concert by the Inquirer's Karl Stark; and an analysis and interview with the guitarist, done for AAJ by Tom Greenland.

* Joey DeFrancesco recently took part in a jazz organ summit with fellow keyboardists Trudy Pitts, John Medeski and Dr. Lonnie Smith at the Kimmel Center in Philadephia, and the show was reviewed for AllAboutJazz.com by Victor L. Schirmer. DeFrancesco was here in April to headline a week at Jazz at the Bistro, and will return to St. Louis in August to back saxophonist David Sanborn for two nights at the club.

* Delving further into the "coming attractions" file, some observers suspected singer Michael Buble of using Auto-Tune during a recent live performance in London, sparking some controversy as described here by the blog LondonJazz. Buble will be in St. Louis on June 25 to perform at the Scottrade Center.

* Saxophonist Boney James, who's scheduled to be in the St. Louis area in July to perform at the Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar, recently was hit by a drunk driver while driving home from a performance in Newport Beach, CA. James was stopped in traffic on the freeway when a drunk driver rear-ended him at 70 miles per hour, "causing a gash in his chin that resulted in 14 stitches, a fractured jaw and two broken teeth." No word yet on any possible long-term effects on James' embouchure.

* Violinist Regina Carter and her new band Reverse Thread were featured recently on NPR's All Things Considered. Carter and Reverse Thread will perform in St. Louis in November at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Pianist Kenny Barron was one of several jazz musicians recently honored by the Berkelee College of Music in Boston, receiving a honorary doctorate from the prestigious music school. Barron returns to St. Louis in September for a week of duets with fellow pianist Mulgrew Miller at the Bistro.

* The Jazz Crusaders kicked off their reunion tour last week in Oakland, with original members Joe Sample (piano), Wilton Felder (tenor sax) and Wayne Henderson (trombone) performing together for the first time since 1974. Bassist Nicklas Sample (Joe's son) and drummer Terrail Moody round out the current incarnation of the Crusaders, who will come to St. Louis in September to play at the Touhill under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis.

* Last but not least, here's a review from the LondonJazz blog of a recent London performance by guitarist John McLaughlin and 4th Dimension. McLaughlin and 4D will be in St. Louis in November to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall.