Sunday Session: November 1, 2020

Sun Ra Arkestra

Here's this week's roundup of various music-related items of interest:

* Artist Feature: Hasan Shahid and the Return of Al-Fatihah (JazzRightNow.com)
* Happy 80th Eddie Henderson! (London Jazz News)
* How the Shure SM57 became an industry standard microphone – from presidential duties to pop (MusicRadar.com)
* Joni Mitchell: 'I'm a fool for love. I make the same mistake over and over' (The Guardian)
* EXCLUSIVE: John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain and Shankar Mahadevan Discuss Music, Legacy and Beyond (RollingStoneIndia.com)
* On Performing Fluxus in 2020 (New Music Box)
* Jeff Hamilton, Drummer’s Drummer (Jazz Times)
* This Year’s Model Elvis Costello is back with his 31st (or so) studio album. But don’t look for any consolation from him. (Vulture.com)
* Sun Ra Arkestra :: Swirling (AquariumDrunkard.com)
* A No. 1 Song Written by a Solitary Songwriter Is Becoming a Thing of the Past (Billboard)
* Lost interviews hold new Bob Dylan insights (Chicago Sun-Times)
* “We’re Just a House Band on the Titanic”: A Conversation With Devo’s Gerald Casale (Tidal.com)
* Shabaka Hutchings Lets The Tape Roll (DownBeat)
* Angel Bat Dawid, Musician and Myth Scientist, Shares Her Story and Takes a Righteous Stand (WBGO)
* The Sun Ra Arkestra Is Swirling Through Space (Jazz Times)
* A Conversation with Peter Guralnick About His Latest Book, ‘Looking To Get Lost’ (American Songwriter)
* B.B. King Estate Announces Official Biopic, Clears Up Wendell Pierce Confusion (EXCLUSIVE) (Variety)
* The 30 greatest synth players of all time: keyboard wizards, programming gurus and sound design legends (MusicRadar.com)
* Makaya McCraven Refracts The World Around Him (DownBeat)
* What’s in a Name? (Jazz Times)
* New Charlie Parker Vinyl Box Set, ‘The Mercury & Clef 10-Inch LP Collection’ Set For Release (UDiscoverMusic.com)
* How do the best horror scores scare the crap out of us with just a few notes? (AV Club)
* 80 years ago today: the Benny Goodman-Count Basie Octet (Jazz on the Record)
* Historic Labels: An Enlightening Sonic Window to the Past (WQXR)

Jazz this week: TAUK, Jeff Hamilton, Etienne Charles, Big Sam's Funky Nation, and more

This week's jazz and creative music calendar in St. Louis is all about the one-nighters, with an eclectic handful of headlining acts in town for single-serve appearances.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, March 8
NYC-based funk/fusion band TAUK plays at the Old Rock House, and pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with saxophonist Larry Johnson will perform at Evangeline's.

Also on Thursday, Jazz St. Louis in cooperation with COCA presents a "Rent Party Concert" at Jazz at the Bistro, a free event featuring unspecified performers who will "celebrate the music of the Harlem Renaissance" with songs made famous by Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, James P. Johnson, and more.

Thursday, March 9
Drummer Jeff Hamilton (pictured, top left) will perform with his trio, featuring bassist Christoph Luty and pianist Tamir Hendelman, at Jazz at the Bistro. Hamilton, who co-leads the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and has served as a sideman for jazz luminaries from Oscar Peterson to Diana Krall, also will perform on Saturday at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, MO (see below).

Also on Thursday, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a free concert by pianist Adam Maness and bassist Bob Deboo; and guitarist Dave Black and saxophonist Freddie Washington will play duets at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, March 10
The jazz-fusion tribute project Weather Forever returns for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro; the Funky Butt Brass Band will headline the musical entertainment for the first night of the Schlafly Tap Room's Stout and Oyster Festival; and Wright's Project plays at Thurman's in Shaw.

Saturday, March 11
Trumpeter Etienne Charles (pictured, bottom left) makes his St. Louis debut as a bandleader with a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall

Mixing jazz with Caribbean popular musical styles like reggae, calypso and soca, Charles has developed a distinctive, crowd-pleasing sound that seems to resonate with a variety of music fans. For more about him, and some video samples of his "Creole Soul" ensemble, check out last Saturday's post.

Also on Saturday, Big Sam's Funky Nation will be back from New Orleans for another visit to serve as featured performers for the second night of the Schlafly Tap Room's Stout and Oyster Festival.

A bit farther afield, if you can't catch Jeff Hamilton on Thursday at the Bistro and don't mind a bit of a drive, you can head down to Park Hills, MO to see him and his trio headlining Mineral Area College's Carol Moore Memorial Jazz Festival. Hamilton will present a master class at noon and perform in the fest's evening concert, with the Mineral Area College Jazz Ensemble and the Mineral Area College Kicks Band opening.

Sunday, March 12
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents boogie-woogie and stride pianist Carl "Sonny" Leyland in a matinee concert at the Moolah Shrine Center; trumpeter Keith Moyer returns for a matinee performance at BB's Jazz. Blues & Soups; and the Ambassadors of Swing will be back to play at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

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: Jazz at Lincoln Center Group, Rob Endicott, Miss Jubilee, and more

Though it's been a relatively mild winter so far in St. Louis, many touring acts are still taking it easy this time of year, and not all local presenters are back up to full speed after the holiday break. Still, while this week's offerings of live jazz and creative music may be fewer in number than usual, you can count on StLJN to point you to the good stuff.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, January 13
Pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson, often seen as one-fourth of the funk/jazz band Good 4 the Soul, steps into the spotlight on his own, leading a trio for a one-nighter at Jazz at the Bistro.

Thursday, January 14
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Group, an ad hoc band of clinicians assembled here this week to take part in educational residencies for Jazz St. Louis, performs for the first of two nights at the Bistro.

The band features trumpeter Terell Stafford, drummer Jeff Hamilton, tuba player Bob Stewart, and saxophonist and U City native Todd Williams (pictured, top left), and you can see video clips of all four in action individually in the first part of StLJN winter/spring 2016 jazz preview.

Also on Thursday, bassist Willem von Hombracht plays at Thurman Grill; Danbury Street performs at  Nathalie's; and vocal group Java Jived will sing for the cabaret series at The Emerald Room at The Monocle.

Friday, January 15
As part of their educational residencies, Jeff Hamilton will present a drum clinic and Terell Stafford a master class early on Friday afternoon. Both events will take in the practice rooms located above the Bistro in the Harold & Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, and both are free and open to the public.

Also on Friday, Second Generation Swing plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, January 16
For those in the mood for some mid-afternoon music, singer Wendy L. Gordon will perform in a matinee at J&C BBQ and Blues in Ferguson.

Then on Saturday evening, the Jim Manley/Randy Bahr All-Star Band plays at Nathalie's; and trumpeter Rob Endicott, who's played with Voodoo Blues Band, Javier Mendoza, and various other acts around town, gets an opportunity to lead his own group in a one-nighter at Jazz at the Bistro.

Sunday, January 17
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents Miss Jubilee (pictured, bottom left) in a matinee performance at the DoubleTree Hotel in Westport.

Monday,
January 18
Pianist Ptah Williams will play in what's being billed as a new, regular weekly solo gig on Mondays at Thurman Grill.

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

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

Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra to headline 2015 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival

The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra will headline the final night of the 12th annual Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, which will be held next year on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Led by drummer Jeff Hamilton, bassist John Clayton and his brother, saxophonist Jeff Clayton, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (pictured) was formed in 1985. They've released six CDs, the most recent of which is 2005's Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra Live At MCG. Local jazz fans also may remember that John and Jeff Clayton performed here as The Clayton Brothers in 2010 at Jazz at the Bistro and in 2011 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

The GSLJF's Friday night concert will feature a band assembled especially for the occasion, fronted by saxophonist "Blue" Lou Marini, known for his work with the Blues Brothers, Blood Sweat & Tears, and the Saturday Night Live house band; trombonist Steve Wiest, a Grammy nominated composer/arranger and faculty member at the University of Denver; and Clay Jenkins, lead trumpeter for top big bands including Stan Kenton and the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra and professor at Eastman School of Music.

They'll be accompanied by a rhythm section comprised of two locals, drummer Montez Coleman and pianist Ken Kehner, plus bassist and jazz educator Lou Fischer.

The GSLJF also includes three days of educational activities, as student bands from Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Tennessee and Texas will participate in adjudicated performances and clinics, which include one-on-one sessions and critiques from visiting professionals.

In a couple of notable differences from past festivals, the March dates for the 2015 GSLJF are nearly a month earlier than when the event has been held in years past, during the third weekend in April. Also, the 2015 festival apparently will not include a Thursday night show at Jazz at the Bistro, which has been part of the event in recent years.

Both public concerts will start start at 8:00 p.m. and will feature the UMSL Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jim Widner, as opening act. The ticket on-sale date and prices will be announced in January.