So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Jazz St. Louis has extended the application period for their 2020-21 JazzU program, and the new deadline for middle school and high school students to apply is Friday, May 29. Auditions that had been scheduled for early June now will be held July 20-23. For more information, visit the Jazz St. Louis website.

* The Sheldon this week debuted a new look for their website, and to commemorate the occasion, they got pianist Peter Martin (pictured) to do a special solo performance on video.

* Jazz St. Louis and The Sheldon are among the local arts institutions taking part in "Arts United STL" a virtual benefit for local working artists that will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 31.

* Music venue The Ready Room has permanently closed their space in the Grove neighborhood, but according to the report from the Riverfront Times' Daniel Hill, the club's owners are seeking a new location to reopen once live shows can resume.

* Singer and pianist Kandace Springs was the featured guest last week on an episode of the KTRS program "In the Know with Ray Hartmann."

* The Kranzberg Arts Foundation, which operates The Dark Room, Kranzberg Arts Center, Grandel Theater and other local venues, has surveyed the public asking what respondents would need to feel safe returning to the Foundation's spaces following the COVID-19 pandemic. Top replies include "A vaccine," "Limited venue capacity," "being able to avoid lines," "outdoor performance opportunities" and "availability of hand sanitizer."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Dark Room has announced new hours of operation, with the biggest change being that the venue will be closed on Mondays.

New hours for the rest of the week are 4:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tuesdays; 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sundays.

* Last Friday's New Music Circle concert by Merche Blasco (pictured) and Sarah Hennies at the Contemporary Art Museum was reviewed by Julio Prato of the blog St. Louis Music Report.

* The weeknight jazz series at the Gaslight Theater is featured in an article by the Jewish Light's Ellen Futterman about current businesses in the old Gaslight Square district.

* St. Louis County Library this month has reopened to new submissions their "Listen Up" program, which makes recordings from local musicians available as part of the library's streaming audio service. Musicians can submit their works now through the end of March at https://www.slcl.org/content/listen-up-stl.

* The recent documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (available free online for a limited time via streaming from PBS) was reviewed in the UK magazine Jazz Journal.

* The 2020 Carol Moore Memorial Jazz Festival, coming up next weekend at Mineral Area College with trombonist Michael Dease as featured guest, was previewed in a news release published by the Park Hills Daily Journal.

* Audition dates are set for student musicians from St. Louis area middle schools and high schools who would like to take part in Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program next year. The auditions for the 2020-21 school year will take place Monday, June 8 through Thursday, June 11 at JSL's HQ in Grand Center. For details and/or to sign up, go to https://jazzstl.org/education/jazz-u/2020-21-jazzu-auditions/.

Jazz this week: JazzU with Antonio Hart, St. Louis Piano Festival, Wendy Gordon & Friends "Honoring Our Own," and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes a showcase for some of the city's top student musicians, a gathering of pianists representing a variety of musical styles, a tribute to three of our town's esteemed veteran performers, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 29
The "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" seems to have stopped announcing in advance who's playing at The Stage at KDHX each week, but the event continues to include various duos or trios performing there, as well as the jam session hosted by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Elsewhere around town, Miss Jubilee performs at Schlafly Bottleworks, and trumpeter Jim Manley plays his weekly duo gig in at Sasha's Wine Bar.

Thursday, May 30
It's a night for jazz guitarists, as Josiah Joyce leads a group at The Dark Room, and Carol Eder and Joe Park play duets at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, May 31
This year's top students from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program will perform for the first of two nights at the Bistro, joined by special guest saxophonist Antonio Hart (pictured, top left).

Also on Friday, the Funky Butt Brass Band plays a free show for the "Jungle Boogie" series at St. Louis Zoo's Schnucks Family Plaza; drummer Demarius Hicks' quartet with singer Anita Jackson plays two shows at .ZACK; the Second Generation Swing Band performs at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and drummer Kyle Honeycutt leads a trio for the late night/early morning gig at Mangia Italiano

Saturday, June 1
Saxophonist Matt McKeever leads a quartet in a free matinee performance at Saxquest; percussionist Herman Semidey and Son Montuno play salsa, Latin jazz and more at the Ozark Theatre; and keyboardist Mo Egeston and friends play a late show at The Dark Room.

Sunday, June 2
Pianist Adam Maness performs for brunch at Thurman's in Shaw and the Jazz Troubadours play their monthly first-Sunday gig at Evangeline's.

Monday, June 3
Pianist Ethan Leinwand has gathered eight other pianists from around the country, including St. Louis' own Ptah Williams and former St. Louisan Tom McDermott (pictured, bottom left), for the fourth annual St. Louis Piano Festival at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Tuesday, June 4
Singer Wendy Gordon and a stellar lineup of St. Louis singers and musicians will pay tribute to local performers Jeanne Trevor, Fred Walker and Linda Kennedy with a show called "Honoring Our Own" at the Sheldon Concert Hall

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:

* Pianist Peter Martin is doing an "Ask Me Anything" Q&A session at 2:00 p.m. Central time today (Friday, April 19) via the Facebook page of his company Open Studio.

* Singer Denise Thimes (pictured) has been chosen for the cast of The Black Rep's upcoming production of Nina Simone: Four Women, a play-with-music by Catherine Ham that will run Wednesday, May 15 through Sunday, June 2 at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus.

* Drummer and educator Bernard Long Jr. has received the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association Certificate of Merit Award for his work as band director at Normandy High School.

* Saxophonist Dave Stone's upcoming move to Oregon is detailed in a feature story by the Riverfront Times' G.M.H. Thompson. Stone's trio will play their final gig at their longtime home Mangia Italiano tonight.

* Bassist Bob DeBoo's recent serendipitous find of a sitar, seemingly in working condition, in an alley near his south St. Louis home is recounted in a brief St. Louis magazine feature by Thomas Crone.

* Pianist and St. Louis native Tom McDermott, who's made his home for many years in New Orleans, has a new album, Tom McDermott Meets Scott Joplin, out this month on the Arbors label.

* Last weekend's Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival was the subject of a story on the University of Missouri-St. Louis' official blog UMSL Daily.

* This year's local celebration of Record Store Day was spotlighted in a feature story by HEC-TV's George Sells.

* On The Corner Live! The Music of Miles Davis, the new release featuring an all-star band gathered by saxophonist and former Davis sideman Dave Liebman, was reviewed in Jazz Journal and Jazz Times.

* If you've been wondering what's happening with seemingly-defunct music festival LouFest's legal battle with their former sound and lighting contractors Logic Systems, there's an update via a story in the trade publication Projection Lighting and Staging News by St. Louis writer and musician Kevin Mitchell.

* The deadline for local student musicians in grades 6-12 to apply for Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program for the 2019-20 school year is next Friday April 26. Audition and application details are online at https://jazzstl.org/education/jazz-u/2019-20-jazzu-auditions/.

* And in a related story, current JazzU student Joanna Serenko, a singer, guitarist and senior at Kirkwood High School, last week was announced as the winner of this year's St. Louis Teen Talent Competition sponsored by the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Fred Walker, a longtime veteran of the local music scene, is facing some serious health issues, having spent time earlier this year in the hospital for a collapsed lung.

Since doctors have told Walker that he no longer can perform on the saxophone, friends have set up a page on GoFundMe to help raise money for his medical and living expenses. There also will be a benefit concert for Walker featuring local blues and jazz performers from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 17 at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

* Steve Pick of KDHX and Euclid Records has teamed up with fellow St. Louis writer Amanda Doyle to author St. Louis Sound, a newly released "illustrated timeline" of local music history.

Publishers Reedy Press are promoting the book (pictured) with a series of five shows this month featuring local musicians grouped by genre at different venues. It gets underway Saturday, March 23 with a jazz concert at the Grandel Theatre featuring the Adam Maness Trio, trumpeter Danny Campbell, singer Anita Jackson, and singer/multi-instrumentalist Tonina, with subsequent evenings focused on rock, blues, hip-hop, and Americana.

* Speaking of Tonina, she recently was the subject of a feature story in Alive! magazine.

* Clarinetist and former St. Louisan Chloe Feoranzo was the subject of a Riverfront Times feature by Thomas Crone. Feoranzo, who's now based in New Orleans, will be back in St. Louis for a concert next Wednesday, March 13 at Focal Point.

* Saxophonist and educator Harvey Lockhart got a nice mention in the South Florida Times for bringing the Point of View Ensemble, made up of his students from Riverview Gardens High School, to the 22nd annual Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival in Miami, FL.

* Jazz St. Louis is now accepting applications from middle- and high school student musicians for the 2019-20 year of their JazzU program. The deadline to apply is Saturday, April 26.

* 50/Fifty Kitchen, the south side restaurant that also served up live jazz weekly from singer Joe Mancuso and others, has closed.

* In a week marking 60 years since Miles Davis started recording his most famous album, an article in The Independent takes a look at "Kind of Blue: The jazz album by Miles Davis that transformed music," while author and critic Ted Gioia has recorded a video asking, "How Important Really Is Miles Davis’s "Kind Of Blue"?"

* Also on the Miles Davis beat: A remastered 180-gram vinyl LP reisssue of his 1957 album 'Round About Midnight is included among the just-announced list of special releases for this year's Record Store Day on Saturday, April 20; the trumpeter's mid-1950s recordings for the Blue Note label are the subject of an article just published on UDiscoverMusic.com; and representatives of the Davis estate will be at the SXSW conference in Austin, TX later this month, promoting various projects via the Miles Davis House.

Jazz this week: Jazz St. Louis students with Antonio Hart, "Miles Fest 2018," and more

Post-Memorial Day, St. Louis' not-for-profit presenters mostly have wound down their season schedules and are transitioning to summer, but there still are some noteworthy jazz and creative music shows coming up in the next week.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 30
This week's "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features saxophonist Jacob Alspach at The Stage at KDHX along with the jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's band at The Dark Room.


Thursday, May 31
The Arcadia Dance Orchestra will perform jazz from the 1920s and '30s in a free out door concert at the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site; Ben Reece’s Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room, where they'll be doing Thursday nights for the next month; and guitarists Carol Eder and Chip Katz play at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, June 1
Saxophonist Antonio Hart (pictured, top left) will be the special guest star as students from JazzU and the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars present the first of two nights of their annual performances at Jazz St. Louis.

Also on Friday, The Gaslight Squares will play outdoors at the Public Media Commons in Grand Center; the Midwest Jazz-tette brings their West Coast jazz sound to The Chapel, the Funky Butt Brass Band performs at the Chase Club; and the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, June 2
House of Miles East St. Louis, the not-for-profit organization that has restored Miles Davis' childhood home, will present "Miles Fest 2018," featuring live music, an art show, and more.

Sunday, June 3
Following up on the annual festival celebrating the music of Scott Joplin this weekend in Sedalia, MO, the Friends of Scott Joplin will present some of the performers from the fest during their "Sedalia Afterglow Party" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe. 

Also on Sunday, the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra will team up with the JazzU student big band and guest saxophonist Antonio Hart for a performance at Jazz St. Louis; and the Jazz Troubadours return to Evangeline's.

Monday, June 4
Trumpeter Jim Manley is back at Momo's Greek Restaurant, and pianist Ethan Leinwand hosts the third annual "St. Louis Piano Festival" featuring seven different pianists performing blues, barrelhouse, and ragtime at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, June 5
Drummer Montez Coleman and guitarist Eric Slaughter host "The Tuesday Night Hit" jam session at The Dark Room.

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 St. Louis adds more shows, including David Sanborn, for spring and early summer

Jazz St. Louis today announced five additional bookings for late spring and early summer at Jazz at the Bistro.

The slate of shows features a return visit from saxophonist David Sanborn (pictured), who will come back to his hometown to perform with a quintet (personnel TBA) from Wednesday, June 6 through Saturday, June 9 at the Bistro.

Also added to the schedule are performances from singer Erin Bode on Wednesday, May 2 and Thursday, May 3; pianist Peter Martin and Inner Circle on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5; the student ensembles JazzU and the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars with special guest saxophonist Antonio Hart on Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2; and the JazzU Big Band and the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra with Antonio Hart on Sunday, June 3.

Tickets for all these shows will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Friday, March 16 via the Jazz St. Louis website or by phone at 314-571-6000.

Edited after posting to correct the end date of David Sanborn's engagement.

Jazz St. Louis adds shows to Bistro schedule

Jazz St. Louis has announced nine more events for the 2017-18 season at Jazz at the Bistro, filling in some gaps in the previously-announced schedule for the fall and adding one more headliner in the spring.

Three of the shows are co-productions with Cabaret Project of St. Louis, as the two organizations will team up to present singer and actor Kyle Dean Massey on Wednesday, September 27 and Thursday, September 28; actor, singer and Bellevile native Lea DeLaria (pictured), who will make her debut at the Bistro with shows on Wednesday, December 27 and Thursday, December 28; and Marilyn Maye, the 89-year-old known as the "grand dame of cabaret," on Wednesday, March 7 and Thursday, March 8.

Three other newly-scheduled events will pay tribute to jazz greats.

Drummer Montez Coleman will helm "The Art of Blakey," a celebration of the iconic drummer and his Jazz Messengers, on Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10, joined by saxophonist Ben Reece, trumpeter Danny Campbell, bassist Bob DeBoo, and pianist Adam Maness.

Coleman, DeBoo and Maness then will return the following month for a "Thelonious Monk Centennial" tribute on Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26.

Then on Wednesday, November 5, a free event titled "Duke Ellington and Film" will examine Ellington's music for film and his onscreen appearances via a talk by John Edward Hasse, curator of American music at the Smithsonian Institute, and a performance from the Jazz St. Louis Big Band.

Also added to the fall schedule are a performance by the JazzU Big Band student ensemble on Sunday, October 29, and return dates for the 1970s jazz-fusion tribute Weather Forever on Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11, and trumpeter Jim Manley's holiday show "A Very Manley Christmas" on Friday, December 22 and Saturday, December 23 .

Tickets for all these shows are available now via the Jazz St. Louis website.

Jazz this week: Antonio Hart, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Norah Jones, St. Louis Piano Festival, and more

With spring winding down and summer just ahead, this week's calendar of jazz and creative music is a bit back-loaded, with several of the more noteworthy musicians visiting our town scheduled to perform early next week rather than over the weekend.

Fortunately, St. Louis' local musicians and singers also have a few things planned between now and then. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 31
With Jazz at the Bistro now on its weekends-only summer schedule, there's no live music there this Wednesday, but the weekly Grand Center Jazz Crawl will include music from Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes at KDHX's Magnolia Cafe, pianist Phil Dunlap at the Curtain Call Lounge, the jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Elsewhere around town, trumpeter Jim Manley will be playing his weekly gig at Sasha's Wine Bar, and guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran will entertain diners at The Shaved Duck.

Thursday, June 1
Pianist Adam Maness' trio returns to Thurman's in Shaw, and pianist Ptah Williams and guitarist Eric Slaughter will hold forth at at The Dark Room.

Friday, June 2
On Friday morning, Jazz St. Louis will celebrate the annual observance of "National Donut Day" with an event featuring free donuts, live music from students in the JazzU program, and more, at Jazz at the Bistro.

That evening, the JazzU students will be back on stage for the first evening of their annual weekend of performances at the Bistro, with alto saxophonist Antonio Hart (pictured, top left) as guest soloist. Hart, who first gained notice as a collaborator with trumpeter Roy Hargrove, bassist Dave Holland, and others, has recorded nine albums as a leader and also teaches jazz studies at Queens College City University of New York.

Saturday, June 3
The Funky Butt Brass Band will be playing at two different faux-New Orleans events in one day, providing the music for "Crawfish Fest 2017" in late afternoon at Ballpark Village, then heading a few blocks over to the Old Rock House to wrap up their "Summer Gras," an afternoon-into-evening affair also featuring music from Al Holliday and the The East Side Rhythm Band, The Grooveliner, The Provels, and Big Mike Aguirre and The Blu City All Stars.

Also on Saturday, pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with saxophonist Larry Johnson will perform at the Parkside Grille.

Sunday, June 4
Following up on the weekend's Scott Joplin Festival, an annual event held in Joplin's birthplace of Sedalia, MO, the Friends of Scott Joplin will present an "Afterglow Party" featuring festival performers and St. Louis players at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's New Rosebud Cafe.

Monday, June 5
Also capitalizing on the aftermath of the Joplin festival, the second year of pianist Ethan Leinwand's St. Louis Piano Festival will pay tribute to a famed St. Louis ragtime pianist and historian with the "Trebor Tichenor Ragtime Concert," featuring Tichenor's daughter Virginia Tichenor, Marty Eggers, Terry Parrish and John Reed-Torres, at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Tuesday, June 6
Singer/songwriter, pianist and guitarist Norah Jones will perform at the Peabody Opera House. 

Jones (pictured, bottom left) is touring in support of her most recent album Day Breaks, which was released in October of last year on the Blue Note label and offered something of return to the jazz-influenced sound featured on her first album 15 years ago.

Day Breaks features guest performances from well-known jazz musicians including drummer Brian Blade, bassist John Patitucci, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, and includes Jones' interpretations of Horace Silver's "Peace" and Duke Ellington's "African Flower," both of which seem like good candidates for her set list at the Peabody.

Also on Tuesday, the Glenn Miller Orchestra "ghost band" will perform a "Salute to the Heroes of D-Day" at the Webster Groves Concert Hall (formerly the Ozark Theatre); and the St. Louis Piano Festival wraps up with an evening of blues pianists including Silvercloud, Carl "Sonny" Leyland, Gene Taylor, Ethan Leinwand and Christopher Parrish, at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

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

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* I Called Him Morgan, the new documentary film about the life and death of trumpeter Lee Morgan (pictured), opens its St. Louis run today at the Tivoli Theatre in University City. You can see a list of show times here.

* The website St. Louis Musicians Unite has a new post this week about St. Louis jazz, combining a mention of Jazz Appreciation Month, a (much-appreciated!) acknowledgement of StLJN's recent 12th anniversary, and a video annotation of our current "Jazz this week" post.

Edited by Christopher Davis, STLMU has content covering a variety of musical genres and interests, and also has a very active Twitter account, with daily updates on live music shows happening around town.

* Guitarist Bill Frisell is the subject of a feature story by the Riverfront Times' Roy Kasten. Frisell performs with his trio tonight at The Ready Room.

* Saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake has a new release on his Passin' Thru label. Offered on CD and as a digital download,  Right Up On features Lake collaborating on a program of original compositions with the Flux Quartet, a string quartet specializing in contemporary music.

* @Nesbys, the Sunset Hills restaurant and bar with a musical menu including occasional live jazz on weekends and a weekly jam session on Wednesday nights, will close after service this Saturday, April 29.

In a message on Facebook, the proprietors said, "The Econolodge stigma, and what will happen to the hotel in the future, as well as its patrons, was impacting our business. We are looking for another place where we can be successful for years to come!" According to the message, the owners will continue their catering business while looking for a new restaurant location, a process they hope to facilitate with help from a GoFundMe campaign.

* Two students in Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program have been selected for the 2017 edition of the Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. Trombonist Wyatt Forhan, a student at St. Dominic High School in O'Fallon, MO, and drummer Christian McGhee, who attends Westminster Christian Academy in Town and Country, will tour with the band this summer.

* The upcoming Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis will include a production of Bertha in Paradise running from Wednesday, May 3 through Sunday, May 14 at the Curtain Call Lounge.

Imagining an alternate fate for the title character from Williams' play Hello from Bertha, the musical features singer Anita Jackson and pianist Charles Creath delivering "a saucy stew of bawdy songs" including "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl", "If It Don't Fit Don't Force It," and "I've Got You Under My Skin."

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: Chris Botti, JazzU with Stefon Harris, Don Cunningham, U City Jazz Festival, Daniel Bennett, and more

This week's lineup of jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis encompasses musicians with a vast range of experience, from young teenage players getting their first chances onstage at a showcase club to an elder statesman who got his start more than a half-century ago in the fabled Gaslight Square entertainment district. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 3
Billed as the "New York Jazz Ensemble," bassist Tom Kennedy, saxophonists George Garzone and Steve Wirts, guitarist Joe Cohn and drummer Miles Vandiver will play an early evening show at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Also on Wednesday, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra will make their debut at Jazz at the Bistro.

Thursday, June 4
Singer Feyza Eren teams with guitarist Brian Vaccaro's trio to re-imagine songs from a variety of genres at the Tavern of Fine Arts; guitarist Dave Black and friends, featuring singer Joe Mancuso, return to Nathalie's; and saxophonist Jim Stevens and band will perform at Hammerstone's.

Friday, June 5
If there's a sentimental favorite among this week's jazz and creative music attractions, it would have to be singer, multi-instrumentalist and St. Louis native Don Cunningham.

Cunningham (pictured, top left), a veteran of the Gaslight Square era who now lives in Las Vegas, is returning to his hometown this weekend for his first performances since his wife and musical partner, singer and pianist Alicia Cunningham, passed away back in December.

He'll be joined by singer Jeanne Trevor and a local rhythm section for shows paying tribute to his wife and the late St. Louis singer Gene Lynn on Friday and Saturday nights, plus a Sunday matinee, at the Ozark Theatre.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Chris Botti (pictured, center left) returns to St. Louis for the first time since 2012 for a performance with the St. Louis Symphony at Powell Hall; and the students from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU and Jazz St. Louis All-Stars programs will begin their annual weekend showcase at Jazz at the Bistro, with a little help from special guest vibraphonist Stefon Harris (pictured, lower left).

Elsewhere around town, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform at Evangeline's; the Funky Butt Brass Band check in for their monthly gig at Broadway Oyster Bar; and the Original Knights of Swing play for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom.


Saturday, June 6
Starting mid-afternoon and continuing through the evening, the annual U City Jazz Festival in Heman Park will present free performances by drummer Demarius Hicks' quartet, the Silverman Brothers Band, trumpeter Anthony Wiggins with drummer Maurice Carnes, pianist Philip Gomez' trio, and the student band Nexus.

Also on Saturday, pianist Greg Mills and the Perihelion Ensemble return to the Tavern of Fine Arts; and The People's Key offer instrumental interpretations of the music of Michael Jackson at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Sunday, June 7
The Friends of Scott Joplin present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" matinee at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, this month welcoming performs who will have just played the annual Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia; and Good 4 The Soul plays their monthly show at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday June 9
Saxophonist Daniel Bennett, touring in support of his new album The Mystery at Clown Castle, will play a free concert with his trio in the auditorium at the downtown branch of the St. Louis Public Library.

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 news items of local interest:

* If you missed last Saturday's concert by drummer Gerald Cleaver (pictured) and his band Black Host (or just want to revisit it), you can see photo sets from the show on the KDHX website and on the Facebook page of presenters New Music Circle.

* One of last week's performances by the Robert Glasper Experience at Jazz at the Bistro was reviewed by Kenya Vaughn of the St. Louis American.

* After two years purveying smooth jazz, R&B and pop to local listeners, HD radio station Hip 96.3 finally has an official website of its own.

* Jazz St. Louis education director Phil Dunlap and student bassist Nathan Pence were interviewed about JSL's JazzU program on St. Louis Public Radio's "CityScape."

* Don Wolff talked about his work as a jazz broadcaster and his recent "Jazz Hero" award from the Jazz Journalists Association in an interview this week with KTRS' John Carney.

* Saxophonist and St. Louis native Eric Person's big band will be back in action this weekend in NYC, with a concert on Sunday, May 3 for First Presbyterian Church's ArtsWestchester series.

* Jazz radio update: On this Saturday's episode of his Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis program  “Somethin’ Else,” Calvin Wilson will highlight the compositions of Burt Bacharach as interpreted by musicians such as Wallace ROney, Nellie McKay, and Mulgrew Miller.

Immediately following on "The Jazz Collective,"  Jason Church will feature new music from Boney James, Sun Soul Orchestra, and Rhonda Thomas, along with tracks from Ronnie Laws, Joe Sample, Pieces Of A Dream, Ramsey Lewis, Clave Sol, Tim Cunningham, The Bosman Twins, and Groovethang.

"Somethin' Else" can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by "The Jazz Collective" at 9:00 p.m. on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The deadline for student musicians to apply to Jazz St. Louis’ JazzU program for the 2015-16 school year is coming up next week on Friday, May 1.

Auditions for JazzU, which offers weekly jazz instruction to middle school and high school students in a small-combo setting, will take place Monday, June 1 through Thursday, June 4. For more information or to submit an application, call 314-881-3093 or visit the website.

* Coincidentally, JazzU and its current crop of student players also are featured in an article in the May issue of DownBeat, penned by St. Louis freelance writer Terry Perkins. The issue (pictured) also contains a nice tribute to the late Clark Terry, written by longtime DB contributor John McDonough.

* Speaking of Clark Terry, now that Keep On Keepin' On has been released on Netflix, the documentary film about the St. Louis-born trumpeter got a recommendation from London Jazz News.

* Pianist Herbie Hancock and filmmaker Ken Burns, whose PBS series Jazz is still the most extensive history of the music to air on TV in the US, are two of the five people receiving honorary degrees from Washington University this year. The commencement ceremony will be held at 8:30 a.m., Friday May 15 in Brookings Quadrangle on the main Wash U campus.

* Drummer and St. Charles native Dave Weckl's Acoustic Band begins a European tour this week, with dates scheduled in Norway, Greece, the UK, Italy, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France and Sweden.

* Last Saturday's Record Store Day celebration was the subject of a feature story from St. Louis Public Radio's Willis Ryder Arnold. (And if you'd like to hear the tunes that yr. humble StLJN editor laid on the shoppers at Vintage Vinyl during my RSD DJ set there, you can listen to the whole set online here.)

* Guitarist Eric Slaughter is profiled by drummer (and now, writer) Joe Pastor in the latest issue of the St. Louis Blues Society's Bluesletter (PDF).

* The Funky Butt Brass Band are the Reader's Pick in the "Best Local Band" category of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's 2015 GO! List Awards.

* In his latest CD reviews in the Post-Dispatch, Calvin Wilson opines on the new releases from bassist Kyle Eastwood and tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby’s band Tubacello.

* Jazz radio update:  Meanwhile, on Saturday's edition of his Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis program  “Somethin’ Else,” Wilson will compare and contrast music from recent recordings by pianists Vijay Iyer and Myra Melford.

After that on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will be playing some tracks from the new album by The Bosman Twins, as well as music from Wes Montgomery, Chuck Mangione, Miles Davis, 3rd Force, Dizzy Gillespie, Spyro Gyra, David Sanborn, and more

"Somethin' Else" can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by "The Jazz Collective" at 9:00 p.m. on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Jazz St. Louis has scheduled auditions for their 2015-16 JazzU program for June 1 through June 4 at the JSL HQ on Washington Ave.

High school musicians who are interested in trying out will find an application form and audition information on the the JSL website.

* Fact magazine published a feature story highlighting "20 essential records from the 1970s underground," and the list includes three albums with a St. Louis connection: Julius Hemphill's Dogon A.D., Luther Thomas Human Arts Ensemble's Funky Donkey Vol. 1, and the Black Artists Group's In Paris, Aries 1973.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has set Tuesday, April 7 as the release date for his new album Time and the River. If you didn't buy a copy of the recording (pictured) through Sanborn's crowdfunding campaign, you can pre-order it now via Amazon and iTunes.

* Saxophonist Greg Osby answered 10 questions from the music website Textura.

* The recently opened vinyl shop Rich's Record Emporium in Collinsville was the subject of a feature story in the Belleville News-Democrat.

* And speaking of record stores, the list of special and limited edition releases for Record Store Day 2015, which falls on Saturday, April 18, was announced this week. (Though most of the special releases are various flavors of rock and pop music, there are some items of interest to jazz listeners, too.)

* Neal Richardson's show last week for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival was reviewed by Chuck Lavazzi of KDHX.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, Calvin Wilson's “Somethin’ Else” program will delve into music recorded for the Columbia label during the 1980s by trumpeter Woody Shaw and saxophonist Arthur Blythe.

"Somethin' Else" can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Jazz St. Louis announces more shows for spring 2015

Jazz St. Louis this week announced additional bookings filling out the rest of the spring 2015 schedule at Jazz at the Bistro.

Perhaps the biggest news is that, as tipped here a couple of weeks ago, pianist Ramsey Lewis will return to St. Louis to perform at the Bistro on Friday, March 13. (JSL's Devin Rodino tells StLJN that the listing shown on Pollstar for Lewis on Saturday, March 14 at the Bistro is for a private event.)

The announcement also confirms dates at the Bistro previously announced by local acts the Bosman Twins (Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11) and Miss Jubilee (Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9).

In addition, Jazz St. Louis will "welcome" singer Mary Stallings (pictured) on Sunday, February 15 in a benefit performance for the not-for-profit organization Community Women Against Hardship; and St. Louis expats, singer Mardra Thomas and pianist Reggie Thomas, have booked a return trip home for Friday, May 22 and Saturday, May 23 to promote the release of a new CD, Matters of the Heart.

Other shows added include a return visit from singer Denise Thimes (Friday, March 27); the Bistro debuts of jazz-fusion band Koplant No (Saturday, March 28) and the up-and-coming Kansas City-based ensemble Shades of Jade (Sunday, March 29); and a one-night, one-set return by the SIUE Concert Jazz Band and  SIUE Alumni Jazz Band (Tuesday, April 21).

Lastly, singer/guitarist Tommy Halloran’s Guerrilla Swing, who currently are playing Sunday brunch every week at the Bistro, will get a full weekend of shows on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25; and the annual performances by students from the JazzU and the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars programs, with a special guest artist yet to be determined, will take place on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6.

Tickets for all of these shows went on sale to Jazz at the Bistro subscribers on Wednesday, January 28, and will be available to the general public starting at 10:00 a.m. next Wednesday, February 4 via Metrotix or the Jazz St. Louis website.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes (pictured) performed this past Tuesday on the morning newscast on KTVI (Fox/Channel 2).

* Students from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program can be heard playing on the soundtrack for Stairs to the Roof, a nearly forgotten Tennessee Williams play currently getting its second professional production ever at the restored theater and event space, the Boo Cat Club, 812 Union Blvd.

Working under the supervision of Jazz St. Louis education director Phil Dunlap, a group of students including Wyatt Forhan (trombone), Nathan Pence (bass), Brandon Vestal (clarinet), and Ben Steger (trumpet) recorded the original score by the show's music director, pianist Henry Palkes. The production continues through Sunday, November 23.

* Singer, actor and St. Louis native Craig Pomranz now is an author as well, with his children' book Made by Raffi published in five languages and distributed in eight countries by UK publishers Frances Lincoln. Pomranz also will be releasing a song, "Different," inspired by the book's story and co-written by Amanda McBroom (who wrote “The Rose” for Bette Midler) and Michele Brourman.

* What I Heard, the new album from saxophonist Oliver Lake's Organ Quartet,. was reviewed for Something Else by S. Victor Aaron.

* Saxophonist Greg Osby's most recent release (pictured), which teams him with Dutch saxophonist Tineke Postma, was reviewed by the website Jazz in Europe. Also, LA's Jazz Bakery has posted on Facebook a photo set of Osby's recent performance there with his quartet.

* Speaking of photo sets, the Riverfront Times has a slideshow of last weekend's Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl.

* Also, Lindy Hop St. Louis has posted on Facebook an album of photos from the Crawl and the entire Nevermore Jazz Ball weekend.

* And also on Facebook, saxophonist Eric Person has posted a photo album from his big band's recent performance at the Blue Note in NYC.

* Here's an update on efforts to stop the recent string of thefts targeting the tour vans of bands visiting St. Louis, via the Riverfront Times Brian Heffernan.

* Voting in Jazz Times magazine's annual readers poll is open through 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 24.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis, “Somethin’ Else” host Calvin Wilson will feature the songs of Jimmy McHugh (writer of "On The Sunny Side of the Street," "Let's Get Lost" and more than 500 other credited compositions) as performed by Joe Lovano, Terence Blanchard, Karrin Allyson, and more.

After that on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will play tracks from Count Basic, Herb Alpert, Keiko Matsui, The Peet Project, David P Stevens, Funky Butt Brass Band, Jim Stevens, Farshid Etniko, Groove Thang, Boz Scaggs, Bob James, Nina Simone, and more. Wilson's program can be heard at 8:00 p.m., followed by Church at 9:00 p.m. on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Kimberly Thompson is keeping busy with her duties with the house band for NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, even participating in some on-camera comedy bits, like the one pictured here with Michelle Wolf and Alison Agosti of the Late Night writing staff. However, Thompson did manage to find time this week to post on SoundCloud an excerpt from her band's performance last month at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

* Jazz students from Webster Groves High School are in New York City this week, and band director Kevin Cole has a full schedule planned for his young charges. The trip will include visits to NYC venues to hear Ambrose Akinmusire, Maria Schneider, Ulysses Owens, Charles Turner, Walter Smith III, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; and a clinic at Queens College with Michael Philip Mossman, Antonio Hart, Paul Bollenbeck, and Luis Bonilla.

In addition, the WGHS Jazz 1 group will perform Sunday at St. Peters Jazz Vespers with pianist Kenny Werner, and then serve as the opening act that evening at Birdland for Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.

* Also on the education front, Jazz St. Louis has announced a $35,000 gift from the Arthur & Helen Baer Foundation in support of the 2014-15 season of their JazzU program. Applications to audition for next year's JazzU are due by Friday, May 2, with auditions beginning on Monday, June 2. For more details, see the Jazz St. Louis website.

* Writing for the website NextStL, Kevin Belford has an update on recent wind damage to the historic Palladium Building in Grand Center and the possible effects on efforts to save the structure.

* Via Miles Davis Online, here's a video interview from IRockJazz with Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr., who helps administer his uncle's estate, in which Wilburn discusses the forthcoming movie about the trumpeter and various other Miles-related topics. MDO blogmaster Jeffrey Hyatt also has created a new site, Kill The Trumpet Player, to track news of the Davis film.

* Singer Connie Fairchild's show last Saturday for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival was reviewed for KDHX by Chuck Lavazzi.

* The late ragtime pianist and historian Trebor Tichenor was the subject of a tribute episode of KWMU's "CityScape" program.

* Galactic's performance last week at The Pageant was reviewed by KDHX's Amy Burger.

* A set from the Funky Butt Brass Band's gig last month at The Gramophone has been posted to archive.org.

* And speaking of The Gramophone, they're celebrating the venue's sixth anniversary this week with the announcement that their Sandwich and Bottle Shop will be open for regular daytime business offering food, drink and free wi-fi to the growing Grove neighborhood starting April 1.

* Also on the culinary tip, the Post-Dispatch's Ian Froeb is the latest to review the Louisiana-style menu at the new Central West End spot Evangeline's.

* HEC-TV last night debuted a new episode of I Love Jazz, featuring previously unseen archived performances by singer Marlena Shaw, trumpeter Dawn Weber, singer Marilyn Maye and pianist Billy Stritch, saxophonist Willie Akins and drummer Montez Coleman, and jazz faculty and students from Webster University. Check your TV provider's program guide for channels, dates and times, or watch online at http://www.hectv.org.

* Jazz radio update: On this Saturday's episode of Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis' "Somethin' Else," host Calvin Wilson spotlights New Orleans trumpeters including Louis Armstrong, Derrick Shezbie, Joe Newman, Terence Blanchard and Wynton Marsalis. You can listen at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

(Edited after posting to add the KWMU "CityScape" link.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Two musical conventions are coming to St. Louis this month, starting with the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica (SPAH), which will hold its 50th anniversary confab from Tuesday, August 13 to Saturday, August 17 at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel.

There's an interesting article that touches on SPAH and the convention, but mostly focuses on how members modify stock harmonicas for their own purposes, in Collector's Weekly here.

* Later in the month, the International Steel Guitar Convention, held the weekend of August 29-31 at the Millennium Hotel, will give local listeners a free opportunity to hear jazz music played on steel guitar.

From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 31, the convention's "Maurice Anderson Jazz Room" will featuring seven steel players performing jazz and standards backed by a local rhythm section. The featured guitarists will include Mike Sweeney, Russ Wever, Doug Jernigan, Sid Hudson, Jim Cohen, and Dave Easley. Though there's a fee to attend most of the convention events, the jazz room is open to the public and is free of charge.

* Saxophonist Jeff Coffin, currently with the Dave Matthews Band and formerly of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, lives in Nashville, but he's such a fan of St. Louis' Saxquest that he recently brought several fellow saxophonists from his hometown all the way up here to check it out.

* Down Beat magazine's 78th annual Readers Poll continues, and if you haven't voted yet, you can cast your ballot for your favorite musicians, bands and recordings here. The poll ends next Friday, August 16.

* Best wishes to bassist Bob DeBoo, who's on the mend from hand surgery after being injured in an accident while on vacation last week in Pennsylvania. According to a post on his Facebook page, DeBoo was sitting on a tree swing with his wife and daughter when a limb gave way, and his right hand was injured in the fall. Fortunately, doctors were able to repair the damage upon his return to St. Louis, and DeBoo says he expects a complete recovery.

* Jazz St. Louis is looking for a "teaching artist" to join the faculty of their JazzU program. It's an independent contractor job that involves weekly sessions teaching improvisation to middle and high school students in a small group setting. For more information on the job requirements and how to apply, see http://www.jazzstl.org/uncategorized/open-position-teaching-artist/

* In other Jazz St. Louis news, the organization's board of directors elected a new president at their final meeting of fiscal 2013: Marian Nunn, chief financial and operating officer of THF Realty. A graduate of St. Louis University, where she also is an adjunct professor in the entrepreneurship program, Nunn also has been on the boards of several other local not-for-profits, including a stint as president of Cultural Festivals, producers of the St. Louis Art Fair (and the defunct St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival.) She succeeds philanthropist Pam Trapp, who served as JSL board president for the past four years.

* To raise money for their upcoming season and beyond, New Music Circle is sponsoring a Trivia Night on Saturday, August 24 at the Kerr Foundation on Laclede's Landing.

* Single tickets on sale go at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, August 10 for shows in the Sheldon Concert Hall's 2013-14 season, and at 10:00 a.m. next Tuesday, August 13 for Jazz St. Louis' upcoming season of performances at Jazz at the Bistro. The ticket agency for both presenters is Metrotix.

* Applications are now being accepted for the first round of the Regional Arts Commission's new Artists Fellowships, through which RAC will award a total of ten $20,000 grants to St. Louis artists from various disciplines. Applications are due by Tuesday, August 27; for details on how to apply, and an online form, go to http://www.artistscount.com/.

There's also a "How to Apply" workshop at 5:30 p.m. this coming Monday, August 12 at the RAC offices, 6128 Delmar. If you want to attend, RSVP by email to roseann @ stlrac dot org or call 314-863-5811 ext 48.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday's episode of Calvin Wilson's "Somethin' Else" looks at one of jazz's most revered and royal figures, spotlighting the compositions of Duke Ellington (pictured) through recordings by pianist Allen Toussaint, singer Rebecca Martin, and Ellington himself. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2 and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Then on Sunday, the next edition of Dennis Owsley's "Jazz Unlimited" features great jazz soloists from throughout the music's history, from “King” Oliver, Fats Waller and Bix Beiderbecke to David Murray, Ornette Coleman and Wayne Shorter. You can listen in from 9:00 p.m. to midnight every Sunday on KWMU (90.7 FM) or online at http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org/.