Jazz this week: Catherine Russell, Mardra Thomas, Brooke Michael Smith, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis features a pleasing variety of female vocalists, both visiting and local, as well as a tribute to saxophonist Dexter Gordon's work in the 1986 film Round Midnight, and more. Let's go the the highlights...

Wednesday, November 16
Singer Catherine Russell (pictured, top left) will perform for the first of four nights continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Russell, the daughter of pianist and bandleader Luis Russell and singer/guitarist Carline Ray, is known for interpreting vintage jazz and blues material, and recently released her sixth solo album Harlem On My Mind. For more about that, and some videos of Russell performing some songs from the album, see this post from last Saturday.

Thursday, November 17
The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present a free program called "Jazz and Film: 30th Anniversary of Bernard Tavernier's Round Midnight." The event features multi-instrumentalist Jeff Anderson on tenor sax, with Adam Maness on piano, Darrell Mixon on bass, and Maurice Carnes on drums. They'll interpret some of the music from Round Midnight that originally was performed on the soundtrack by Dexter Gordon (who also gave an Academy Award-nominated starring performance in the film.) .

Also on Thursday, students in the UMSL Jazz Combos will give a free concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Friday, November 18
Former St. Louisan Mardra Thomas (pictured, bottom left) will be back in town to perform a free concert at St. Peter's United Church of Christ, and singer Wendy Gordon, pianist Carolbeth True, and friends will present an "Ebony and Ivory Tribute to Divas of Song" at the Ozark Theatre.

Elsewhere around town, Second Generation Swing will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; saxophonist Austin Cebulski leads a trio at Cigar Inn; and San Francisco-based cabaret singer Brooke Michael Smith will perform for the first of two nights at The Emerald Room at The Monocle. While Smith's Friday show is already sold out, as of this writing some tickets remain for Saturday.

Saturday, November 19
The vintage swing and Americana band Wack-A-Doo return to Evangeline's, and percussionist Herman Semidey and Orquesta Son Montuno will play salsa, Latin jazz, and more at Club Viva.

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.)

Roseanna Vitro to perform Saturday, December 5 at the Ozark Theatre

Singer Roseanna Vitro is returning to St. Louis to perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, December 5 at the Ozark Theatre.

Vitro (pictured) will present what's being billed as an "American Composers Holiday Concert," featuring the music of Ray Charles, Randy Newman, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, and Clare Fischer. Fischer's compositions were the focus of Vitro's most recent album Clarity: Music of Clare Fischer, which was released last year.

She'll be backed for this performance by a group of St. Louis musicians including Kim Portnoy (piano), Ric Vice (bass), Danny Campbell (trumpet), Clancey Newell (drums), and Jeff Anderson (tenor sax).

The show is being produced by Dorothy Edwards of Robbie's House of Jazz, the now-closed club nearby in Webster Groves where Vitro last performed in St. Louis in September 2013. Tickets are $20 in advance via http://robbieshouseofjazz.com/, $25 at the door.

Edited 10/244/14 to correct date of concert.

Ronnie Burrage's RoBu Big Band to perform October 3 & 4 at Voce

Drummer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and U City native Ronnie Burrage will be back in St. Louis next month, reassembling his RoBu Big Band for performances on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October at Voce, 212 S. Tucker downtown.

Burrage, who now lives in Pennsylvania, performed here most recently in June of this year, fronting a quintet and the big band in a weekend of gigs at the same venue.

The RoBu Big Band (pictured) plays a mix of jazz standards and original compositions by Burrage. In addition to the leader , the group's announced lineup for the October shows includes another well-known St. Louis expat, guitarist Kelvyn Bell, plus saxophonists Willie Akins, Jeff Anderson, Stanley Coleman, Chad Evans, and Jerome "JDubz" Williams; trumpeter Khamali Cuffie-Moore; bassist Darrell Mixon; pianist Ptah Williams; percussionist Henry Claude; and vocalists Kendra Mahr and Charisse Swan.

Tickets are $25 and are on sale now via EventBrite.

Ronnie Burrage to perform June 26, 27 & 28 at Voce

Drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and U. City native Ronnie Burrage is coming back home to perform on Friday, June 26; Saturday, June 27; and Sunday, June 28 at Voce, 212 South Tucker Blvd. downtown.

A 1978 graduate of University City High School, Burrage (pictured) worked local gigs with visiting luminaries such as Arthur Blythe, Jackie McLean, Andrew Hill, and McCoy Tyner while still a teenager living in St. Louis.

After moving to NYC, he played with trumpeter Woody Shaw's quintet in the mid-1980s; formed Third Kind of Blue with saxophonist John Purcell and bassist Anthony Cox in 1986; and gigged with an impressive roster of jazz greats, including Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, and more.

During the 1990s, Burrage recorded with Courtney Pine, Sonny Fortune, Gunther Schuller, Hamiet Bluiett, the World Saxophone Quartet, and Billy Bang. More recently, he's been teaching at Penn State University while releasing a series of recordings as a leader, including Just Natural (2001), In It (2004), Blue Noise (2010), Spirit Guides (2011) and Heal (2013). Despite that busy schedule, Burrage has managed to make it home to perform most summers in recent years, including a weekend of gigs in 2013 supporting the release of Heal.

On this visit to St. Louis, he'll start by playing shows with a small band at 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. That ensemble will feature Burrage on drums and keyboards fronting two slightly different lineups of local musicians, with Eric Slaughter (guitar), Nathan Pence (bass), Kendra Mahr (vocals), and Danny Campbell (trumpet) on Friday, and then with Jeff Anderson (tenor sax) in for Campbell on Saturday.

To cap off the weekend, Sunday's matinee at 3:00 p.m. will feature the 10-piece-plus RoBu Big Band, with Campbell, Anderson, saxophonists Chad Evans, Jerome "JDubz" Williams, Stanley Coleman, and Willie Akins; pianist Ptah Williams; bassist Darrell Mixon; percussionist Henry Claude; singer Charisse Swan, and other special guests.

Tickets are $20 per set on Friday and Saturday, and $25 on Sunday, with a service fee of $1.49 per ticket for online purchases, and are on sale now.

Jazz at Holmes series announces Fall 2014 schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University has announced their schedule of free concerts for the Fall 2014 semester.

The series begins this Thursday, September 11, with a reunion performance by Tracer, the jazz-fusion trio featuring keyboardist Ptah Williams (pictured), bassist Darrell Mixon, and drummer Gary Sykes.

As has been the custom in recent years, the series also includes a couple of themed programs. The first, a look back at the Gaslight Square entertainment district of the late 1950s and early '60s, will take place on Thursday, September 25 and will be preceded by a short panel discussion featuring pianist Dave Venn, trumpeter Bob Ceccarini, and saxophonist Freddie Washington, who all gigged at various establishments in Gaslight Square, and Wash U professors Pat Burke and William Lenihan.

The second, "Freedom Summer '64: A Love Supreme" will take place on Thursday, October 9, and will feature the music of John Coltrane as performed by Washington, Lenihan, Paul DeMarinis, Maurice Carnes, Steve Davis, Kara Baldus, and others.

The complete schedule for the semester is:

Thursday, September 11: Tracer
Thursday, September 18: Vince Varvel
Thursday, September 25: "Gaslight Square" with Bob Ceccarini, Scott Alberici, Wayne Coniglio, William Lenihan, Eric Stiller and Steve Davis.

Thursday, October 2: Brian Vaccaro Trio
Thursday, October 9: "Freedom Summer '64: A Love Supreme"
Thursday, October 23: Bob DeBoo plays the music of Charles Mingus
Thursday, October 30: Adam Schefkind

Thursday, November 6: Mike Buerck Orchestra
Thursday, November 20: Jeff Anderson Quartet

Thursday, December 6: Wash U Student Jazz Combo

Presented most Thursday evenings when school is in session, the Jazz at Holmes concerts are free and open to the public. 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.

A Jazz Heaven returns to the Kranzberg Arts Center on Sunday, October 11

Following a sold-out debut performance in August, singer Wendy Gordon will stage a revamped version of her cabaret show A Jazz Heaven at 4:00 p.m. Sunday, October 11 at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 S. Grand.

A Jazz Heaven tells the story of a meeting between singers Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at New York's Savoy Ballroom, through songs made famous by each singer, Gordon's original poetry, and live music from a three-piece ensemble.

The new version of the show includes some script revisions and dialog changes, some new songs, and a new cast member: longtime St. Louis favorite Jeanne Trevor (pictured), who will play the role of Ella Fitzgerald. Gordon will reprise her role as Billie Holiday, joined by Adrian Bowers as Miles Davis and Edie B as the narrator. The musicians for the production once again will be Jeff Anderson, playing saxophone and bass and taking the role of Charlie Parker; Marty Morrison, playing drums and portraying Chick Webb; and Arthur Toney on keyboards.

Tickets for A Jazz Heaven are $25 and are available in advance by calling 314-838-9198. Since the Kranzberg only seats 80 people, and the previous show sold out, advance reservations are suggested. However, if any tickets remain at show time, they'll be available for sale at the door.

City sponsoring free jazz concerts Wednesdays in O'Fallon Park

This just in: The City of St. Louis is sponsoring a four-week series of free Wednesday night jazz concerts at O'Fallon Park. Alas, StLJN is a little late to this one, as the series kicked off last night with a performance by the Bosman Twins, but there are still three shows left to go.

On Wednesday, August 19, the featured performers will be the Jeff Anderson Quartet with singer Edie Bee., followed by concerts from saxophonist Willie Akins' group on Wednesday, August 26, and singer Denise Thimes (pictured) on Wednesday, September 2.

The concerts start at 6:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public. O'Fallon Park is located at the intersection of West Florissant and Harris in north St. Louis

A Jazz Heaven to evoke Billie, Ella and Miles on Saturday, August 8 at the Kranzberg Arts Center

Via email, singer Wendy Gordon (pictured) shares the news that that she'll be presenting a new show called A Jazz Heaven (When Billie & Ella Met Miles & Friends) at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, August 8 at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand (at Olive).

The cabaret-style performance, set in the late 1940s at the Savoy in New York City, tells the stories of jazz greats Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and others through music associated with each of them, with Gordon's original poetry serving as narration.

Gordon will play the role of Holiday, with veteran St. Louis radio personality Edie B. as the narrator, Virginia Williams as Ella and Adrian Bowers as Miles. The cast and musicians Arthur Toney (keyboards), Jeff Anderson (tenor sax and bass) and Marty Morrison (drums and percussion) will perform songs including "God Bless The Child", "How High the Moon", "'Round Midnight" and "Milestones".

Tickets for A Jazz Heaven are $25 each, and can be purchased in advance by calling Gordon at 314-838-9198, or at the door. (Given that the cabaret space at the Kranzberg seats a maximum of 80 people, advance purchase probably is a good idea if you want to be assured of a seat.)

Sheldon Concert Hall producing concerts in downtown St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve

Continuing its recent trend of producing concerts in other locations, the Sheldon Concert Hall organization is sponsoring two different concert series this summer: a set of free Thursday afternoon outdoor performances in downtown St. Louis during June, and a series of concerts at the historic Orris Theatre in Ste. Genevieve, MO.

The downtown St. Louis series will take place starting at 5:30 p.m. for four consecutive Thursdays at the Old Post Office Plaza at 801 Locust between 8th and 9th streets. At least a couple of the shows look to be of interest to jazz listeners, starting with a performance on June 4 by the Jeff Anderson Trio. Then there's a June 11 show by the Boneheads, an all-trombone quartet that does blues, jazz, classical, ragtime and doo-wop. Concerts featuring Los Flamencos (June 18) and the "acoustic folk-blues-swing" of Mayor Taylor (June 25) round out the series.

The series at the Orris Theater in Ste. Genevieve starts on Friday, June 5 with traditional jazz from the St. Louis Stompers. Other jazz shows in the series include
performances by vibist Jonathan Whiting's trio on July 10 and Gypsy jazz/swing group Hot Club Caravan on July 17. The Boneheads, Mayor Taylor and Los Flamencos also will perform in the Ste. Genevieve series, as will chamber music group Trio D'Anches and the Confluence Chamber Ensemble brass quintet.

Tickets for the Orris Theater shows are $10 each, and can be purchased in advance from the Ste. Genevieve Area Chamber of Commerce, 251 Market Street. For more information call the Chamber at 573-883-3686 or send email to stegenchamber@sbcglobal.net

Stan Hale CD release event set for Sunday, April 19

Drummer and St. Louis native Stan Hale will perform at a CD release party celebrating The Stan Hale Experience, his debut recording as a leader, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 19 at the Jazz Spot, 400 N. Washington Ave. in downtown St. Louis. Admission to the show is $10, and includes a copy of the CD.

Known primarily as a blues drummer, Hale has worked with a number of well-known musicians and singers, including Joe Louis Walker, Maria Muldaur, Son Seals, Charlie Musselwhite, Angela Strehli, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Alvin "Youngblood" Hart, Kenny Wayne, Theo Peoples, and many others.

The CD includes Hale's original jazz compositions "Few and Far Between," "Active Ingredient" and "Red, White and Blue" plus his arrangements of tunes such as Wayne Shorter's "Footprints," and the standards "My One and Only Love," "Lullaby of Birdland," "It Could Happen To You," and "My Heart Belongs To Daddy."

In addition to the leader on drums, the cast of musicians on The Stan Hale Experience CD includes Carolyn Day (piano), Henry Taylor (guitar) and Jeff Anderson (bass, tenor sax), plus vocalists Erika Johnson and Ben Garrett and rapper Zaire Imani. As for the CD release party, Hale says he's still putting together the band, but has already secured the services of singer Ralph Butler to handle vocals.

Hale added that the CD also will be available for purchase at local retailers, such as Vintage Vinyl and Webster Records, soon after the release event.

(Full disclosure: Yr. humble editor has played a number of gigs with Stan Hale over the past couple of years, both as part of Hale's own group and backing up singers such as Uvee Hayes and Renee Smith.)

Jason Moran to perform October 5 at Missouri History Museum

Confirming the news that showed up a few weeks ago on Pollstar, the Missouri History Museum has announced officially that they'll present a concert by jazz pianist Jason Moran (pictured) at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, October 5 in the MacDermott Grand Hall of the Museum's building in Forest Park.

St. Louis pianist, singer and saxophonist Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum will be the opening act, accompanied by Jeff Anderson on bass and Marty Morrison on drums. Moran will play a solo piano set of about 70 minutes, and also will meet and greet audience members at a post-concert reception. Considered one of the top young pianists in jazz, the 33-year-old Moran leads his own group, The Bandwagon, and has toured and recorded with jazz notables such as Greg Osby, Cassandra Wilson, Joe Lovano, Don Byron, Steve Coleman, Lee Konitz, Von Freeman, Christian McBride and Ravi Coltrane.

The concert is part of the Missouri History Museum's "Urban Stories: Reflections of History" series, which "explores how artists - including an actor, a spoken word artist, a musician and an author - explore modern issues facing 21st-century urban dwellers."

Tickets for the Jason Moran concert are $7 for members of the History Museum and $10 for the general public. Advance tickets may be purchased online at museumtix.com and at the History Museum's site, or by phone by calling 314-361-9017.