Jazz this week: Erik Jekabsen, Shana Tucker, Kimmie Horne, and more

Although it's summer vacation season, and jazz gigs in and around St. Louis are somewhat fewer than usual as a result, there still are plenty of shows worth hearing - if, as we're fond of saying around these parts,  you know where to find them.

Here, then, are a few suggestions for the next several days...

Tonight, trumpeter Erik Jekabson's quintet will play a free concert on the Washington University campus for the Jazz at Holmes series. Because of construction, this summer's "Jazz in July" concerts are being presented in Tisch Commons of the Danforth University Center, 6475 Forsyth Blvd.

Also tonight, Irish blues/jazz guitarist and singer Nigel Mooney, fresh off a performance Wednesday night at Missouri Botanical Garden, will team up with St. Louis guitarist Vince Martin for a gig at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups; and guitarist Dave Black and band are playing at Nathalie’s.

On Friday, the Funky Butt Brass Band will play an outdoor concert at Jefferson Barracks Park amphitheater, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the St. Louis Backstoppers.

Also on Friday, singer Wendy Gordon and pianist Arthur Toney will duet at the Tavern of Fine Arts; the Original Knights of Swing will play at Casa Loma Ballroom; and trumpeter Jim Manley and pianist Kara Baldus are at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar.

On Saturday, singer and multi-instrumentalist Shana Tucker (pictured) will make her St. Louis debut at the Kranzberg Arts Center. Tucker, who alternates between personal projects and work-for-hire playing cello and singing for Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, really is more of a jazz-influenced singer-songwriter than a straight-up jazz musician, but she's a talent to watch. Find our more about her and see some performance videos in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, saxophonist Jim Stevens and band will play a free outdoor concert at Lafayette Park; Wack-A-Doo will perform at Urban Chestnut Brewing Company downtown; and Miss Jubilee will be swinging for the dancers down at Casa Loma Ballroom.

On Sunday, Community Women Against Hardship (CWAH) will hold their annual jazz brunch fundraiser, with this year's event moved to BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups due to the ongoing construction at Jazz at the Bistro.

The benefit will feature music from singer Kimmie Horne, grand-niece of the legendary Lena Horne, backed by a band led by drummer Jerome "Scrooge" Harris and including Jeff Anderson (tenor sax), Matt Villinger (piano), and Ben Wheeler (bass). (Advance reservations can be made via the CWAH website, and are strongly recommended.)

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday, singer Dean Christopher brings his "Rat Pack and More" show back to One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar; and on Tuesday, pianist and singer Jesse Gannon is now doing a regular weekly gig with his band Truth at The Engine 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.)

Willie Pickens to play jazz brunch benefit for CWAH on Sunday, February 9

Willie Pickens, the veteran pianist and mainstay of the Chicago jazz scene, is coming to St. Louis as the featured performer for a jazz brunch benefiting the not-for-profit organization Community Women Against Hardship.

Perhaps best known outside Chicago for his work with the legendary drummer Elvin Jones, Pickens (pictured) will join a group of St. Louis musicians led by drummer Jerome "Scrooge" Harris for CWAH's annual Black History Month event, which will be held at 1:30 p.m., Sunday, February 9 at the Bistro at Grand Center, 3536 Washington Blvd.

In addition to Pickens and Harris, the ensemble will include saxophonist Freddie Washington, singer Anita Jackson and bassist Bob DeBoo. Students from Harris' Institute for the Advancement of Jazz Study & Performance also will perform as part of the event.

Tickets are $60 for reserved seating, which includes a free CD, or $40 for general admission. All tickets include brunch, which will be served at 1:30 p.m., followed by the performance at 2:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, call 314-289-7523 or visit CWAH's website.

Nu-Art Series to present "Drum Line II" this Saturday, November 19 at Metropolitan Gallery

Veteran jazz and creative music percussionists Jerome "Scrooge" Harris, Charles "Bobo" Shaw and Gary Sykes once again will join forces for "Drum Line II" a performance to be presented by the Nu-Art Series from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. this Saturday, November 19 at Metropolitan Gallery, 2936 Locust St downtown.

This is the second annual "Drum Line" performance at the Metropolitan Gallery, with this year's edition also featuring percussionists Johnnie Johnson (who, as far as we know, is no relation to the late blues/rock pianist) and Eddie Brown.

Harris, Shaw and Sykes are all St. Louis natives who gained early experience in local African-American drum & bugle corps, which since their founding in the 1930s also have included well-known musicians such as Clark Terry, Philip Wilson and Oliver Lake. Tickets for "Drum Line II" are $10 for general admission; doors open at 2:00 p.m..

Nu-Art Series to present "The Drum Line" on Saturday, November 20

The Nu-Art Series will present "The Drum Line," a performance by St. Louis percussionists Jerome "Scrooge" Harris, Charles "Bobo" Shaw (pictured) and Gary Sykes, at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, November 20, at the Metropolitan Gallery, 2936 Locust St downtown.

All three percussionists are St. Louis natives who got their start within local drum & bugle corps. Specifically, Nu-Art's news release mentions two marching units, the Tom Powell Post and American Woodsman, affiliated with VFW Post #77, which served African-American veterans. Other well-known alumni include Clark Terry, Phillip Wilson and Oliver Lake.

Shaw is perhaps best known as a member of the Black Artists Group and co-leader of the Human Arts Ensemble, and has collaborated with many well-known improvising musicians around the world, while Harris and Sykes are both longtime mainstays of the local scene, playing with a wide range of local, regional and touring jazz artists.

Admission to "The Drum Line" is $10.00 at the door. For more information, call the gallery at 314-535-6500.

Jazz this week: Tiempo Libre, Eric Person, Musica Slesa, and more

Once again, there's a varied selection of jazz and creative music on tap this weekend in St. Louis, and time is short, so let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, there's a memorial for Blake Travis at the Sheldon Concert Hall, the first of two events this week honoring the late percussionist, singer and storyteller.

Though Travis didn't usually work in the jazz idiom per se, he played with all sorts of St. Louis musicians over the course of his career, and many of them, including pianist Carolbeth True and multi-instrumentalist Sandy Weltman, will gather tonight to pay tribute to him. The roster of performers also will include Lydia Ruffin, Tom Hall, Lisa Campbell, Tim Albert, the Road Apples, January Kiefer, Barton and Sweeney, Charlie Pfeffer, John Higgins and Colleen Heine.

This evening also is the first preview performance for the Black Rep's production of the Louis Jordan musical Five Guys Named Moe, which runs at the Grandel Theatre through April 25. For more about the show, see this post.

On Thursday, pianist Kara Baldus and her group will play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Then on Friday, the weekend takes on a distinct Latin flavor as the Miami-based band Tiempo Libre (pictured) brings their mix of jazz and Cuban rhythms to Washington University's Edison Theatre. For more about Tiempo Libre and some video of them in action, see this post from Saturday.

Meanwhile, a few miles to the east, the St. Louis-based Latin jazz band Musica Slesa will open a weekend stand at Jazz at the Bistro. Jazz St. Louis' Bob Bennett tells me that Musica Slesa has proved to be a good draw at the Bistro, and you can hear samples of their music on their MySpace page.

Also on Friday, the performance space Open Lot has a triple bill of ambient/noise music, featuring electronic musician Kyle Parker a.k.a. Infinite Body, the tape loops and guitar of Earn, and music and 8mm film from Ghost Ice.

On Saturday afternoon, drummer Jerome "Scrooge" Harris and his band will play the music of Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter at the Metropolitan Gallery as part of the Nu-Art Series' jazz composers shows. Saturday evening will provide a double dose of swinging vocals, as Jeanne Trevor performs at Robbie's House of Jazz and Denise Thimes takes the stage at Harris-Stowe State University in a benefit concert for the Delta Child Development Center.

On Sunday, saxophonist Eric Person is back in town to headline a show paying tribute to (and raising funds for) his father Thomas Person, who's recovering from a stroke. The event at the Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., will get started at 4:00 p.m. with a jam session, followed by sets featuring Philip Gomez, Ed Nicholson, Person and pianist Ptah Williams, and Willem Von Hombracht's X-tet.

Also on Sunday, there will be a "jazz funeral" for Blake Travis at the Schlafly Tap Room, with music from the Funky Butt Brass Band and others.

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

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

Nu-Art Series matinees to feature St. Louis musicians interpreting famous jazz composers

The Nu-Art Series has announced a new series of weekend matinees presenting St. Louis musicians performing their own work and the music of a famous jazz composer.

"The Jazz Composers Series: Re-Arrangements & Nu-Compositions" will begin Saturday, February 6 with a concert featuring bassist Darrell Mixon's quartet and the music of Charles Mingus and continue each weekend until April 17. Each concert will feature one set of the musician's own compositions and one set highlighting the work of a jazz great.

Notable dates include a concert on Saturday, February 13 featuring the music of Eric Dolphy as interpreted by drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw, a key member of the Black Artists Group and improvised music veteran whose local gigs have been comparatively rare in recent years; and the return of multi-instrumentalist and St. Louis expat J. D. Parran (pictured), who will perform the music of John Coltrane on Saturday, April 3. Here's the complete schedule:

Saturday, February 6:
Darrell Mixon Quartet/Charles Mingus

Saturday, February 13:
Charles "Bobo" Shaw Art Ensemble/Eric Dolphy

Saturday, February 20:
Ptah Williams Trio/Bud Powell

Saturday, February 27:
Chad Evans Ensemble/Charlie Parker

Saturday, March 6:
Chris Burchett Quartet/Thelonious Monk

Saturday. March 13:
Anthony Wiggins Quintet/Freddie Hubbard

Sunday, March 21:
Willie Akins Quartet/Sonny Rollins

Saturday, March 27:
Jerome "Scrooge" Harris Ensemble/Miles Davis & Wayne Shorter

Saturday, April 3:
J.D. Parran/John Coltrane

Saturday, April 17:
Stan Coleman Youth Jazz Band/Duke Ellington

Aadmission is $10 at the door, and all performances are from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Metropolitan Gallery, 2936 Locust St. For more information, call 314-535-6500, send email to nu-artseries@charter.net, or visit the Nu-Art Series website.

Billy Harper to perform at Luna Bar this Saturday, April 26

This just in: Tenor saxophonist Billy Harper will be in St. Louis this Saturday, April 26 for a performance at Luna Bar, 13 Maryland Avenue (next to Bar Italia) in the Central West End. Harper is a veteran of the NYC scene who, in addition to his work as a bandleader, composer and teacher, has played with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Elvin Jones, the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Gil Evans and Max Roach.

Despite that stellar resume and his considerable skills, Harper is a bit underappreciated, perhaps in part because he draws on a unusually wide range of influences, from gospel and blues to bop and swing to post-Coltrane modernism and free jazz, and thus is hard to pigeonhole. He first caught my ear on a couple of Gil Evans' recordings in the late 1970s, showing off an aggressive tenor sound and an adventurous sensibility that seemed a good fit with Evans' arranging style.

Harper will be joined Saturday night by trumpeter and former St. Louisan Marlon Bonds, plus Ptah Williams on piano, Darrell Mixon on bass and Jerome "Scrooge" Harris on drums. He'll perform at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., and admission is $25.00, with a $5.00 discount if you dine at Bar Italia.

The performance is being presented by the Nu-Art Series, the brainchild of trumpeter, arts administrator and entrepreneur George Sams, and for more information you can call the Nu-Art Series office at 314-535-6500. You can see and hear a brief sample of Harper's playing in the embedded video window below, which contains an excerpt from the song "Cry of Hunger" on the Arkadia DVD release Billy Harper in Concert: Live from Poland.



(Edited after posting to correct the performance time.)

Jazz this week: A new jazz interpretation of Porgy and Bess; Matthew Von Doran; and more

Both the Internet in general and Blogger in particular are acting rather spiteful and capricious right now, so this will be a short post.

Two particularly noteworthy gigs this weekend: First, the local debut of the new guy in town, guitarist Matthew Von Doran, as he plays a free concert and clinic tonight at Fazio's Frets and Friends with drummer Miles Vandiver and bassist Bob Deboo.

And on Sunday, the Ivory Perry Park summer concert series wraps up its season with a jazz version of Porgy and Bess, performed by a group led by saxophonist Aaron "Strayhorn" Parker and including Raymond Eldridge, Jr., Jerome "Scrooge" Harris, Clifton McBride, Mike Nelson and Dennis Block. The concert is free and open to the public; Ivory Perry Park is located at 800 Belt (at Cabanne) in west St. Louis.

In between those two shows, Jeff Anderson's Positive Energy Quartet is at Brandt's tonight; Dave Stone performs as usual at Mangia Italiano on Friday; and Willie Akins holds forth at Spruill's early Saturday evening. Meanwhile, Cookie's Jazz and More presents a trio of female vocalists over the weekend, with trumpeter Dan Smith and his quintet featuring singer Debby Lennon performing this evening, Kim Massie on Friday and Trio Tres Bien with Danita Mumphard (pictured) on Saturday.

For an expanded list of local jazz-related events, please see the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which will be getting some major updates over the next week, as September gig info arrives from bands and venues and presenters like Webster University and Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series announce their schedules for the rest of the year.

(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.)

Finale to present shows by Acoustic Alchemy, Diane Schuur

It's been a while since we've checked out the coming attractions at Finale Music and Dining, and since one of the club's notable shows with a touring headliner is happening next week, now seems like an opportune time to mention that Finale will present smooth jazz/world music group Acoustic Alchemy next Thursday, August 2. Also, although it's not yet on Finale's Web site, thanks to Pollstar, it has been revealed that the club also has booked a return appearance for singer and pianist Diane Schuur on Thursday, October 4 and Friday, October 5.

In between, Finale has scheduled appearances by a number of local and regional musicians of interest to jazz listeners, including return gigs by singer Debby Lennon (doing a Cole Porter tribute show on Saturday, August 4); saxophonist Tim Cunningham (Friday, August 10 and Friday, September 7); singer/impressionist Dean Christopher (Saturday, August 11); singer Anita Rosamond (Saturday, August 18); and Wild, Cool and Swingin' (Friday, September 21).

Also coming up at Finale: a tribute to Charlie Parker by trumpeter Randy Holmes and Hard Bop Heritage (Thursday, August 30); drummer Jerome "Scrooge" Harris with singer Anita Jackson (Friday, August 31); singer/pianist Al Oxenhandler (Saturday, September 1); Downtown Trio's "Bach To The Future" show (Friday, September 14); and a "tenor battle" from saxophonist David Fatek and his organ quartet (Thursday, September 20). And let's not forget the John Coltrane tribute from Holmes and Hard Bop Heritage (Saturday, September 22) and a two-night stand for the "Sinatra Songbook" show (Thursday, September 27 and Friday, September 28).

Finally, to add a little visual interest to this post, there's a bit of YouTubery above and below the text. The video up top shows Acoustic Alchemy performing "Playing for Time", while the one below features Schuur and her quartet doing "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)". Schuur's band in this clip include Rod Fleeman, an excellent guitarist with Kansas City roots who some may also recall as a member of the 1970s fusion group Dry Jack.

Jazz this week: Greg Osby, a tribute to John Norment, Erin Bode and more

There's only time for a short post this week, but there are a few performances definitely worth noting, starting with saxophonist Greg Osby (pictured), a St. Louis native who returns home this weekend to play Friday and Saturday night at Jazz at the Bistro. A prolific composer and bandleader, Osby is always challenging himself and his audience with new material and different ensemble configurations. The quartet is one of his more frequent performing formats, but according to this interview Osby did with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson, he'll have a new piano player and some new compositions to show off this weekend.

Osby is also a Net-savvy individual who's been known to engage fans at length on various message boards and whose Web site contains lots of free music for download in MP3 format. If you're not already familiar with this fine musician, go here to sample some of his work, and then get down to the Bistro to check him out in person.

Also worth noting this weekend is the appearance of singer Erin Bode at Finale Music and Dining for a comparatively rare two-night engagement on Friday and Saturday. No doubt Bode's considerable local fan base will want to avail themselves of the chance to hear her in a showcase club setting, so if you're interested in going, advance reservations are definitely in order.

On Sunday afternoon, the Bistro will host a jazz brunch featuring the Jerome "Scrooge" Harris Quartet in a tribute to the late St. Louis saxophonist John Norment. Proceeds from the event go to benefit Harris' not-for-profit educational institute for young musicians, and they'll also be selling a new CD featuring Harris' renditions of some of Norment's music. For more details, see this post.

Other noteworthy gigs this weekend include perennial local favorite Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum at Brandt's this evening; the Vegas-style jazz of Wild Cool & Swingin' at Cookie's Jazz and More on Saturday; and singer Mae Wheeler at Brandt's for a late afternoon/early evening gig on Sunday.

That's about it for this week, but remember, you always can find a more extensive listing of local jazz-related events by visiting the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

(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.)

CD, benefit brunch on Sunday, July 8 will pay tribute to John Norment

Before his death in 2005, saxophonist and composer John Norment was an important part of the St. Louis jazz scene, held in high esteem by audiences, critics and fellow musicians alike.

Now drummer Jerome "Scrooge" Harris, who worked regularly with Norment, is paying tribute to him with a CD of Norment's compositions entitled Just For John, which will be released at a benefit jazz brunch to be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, July 8 at Jazz at the Bistro. The event will feature a performance from Harris and his quartet, which includes John Hyatt on piano, Jeffrey Anderson on saxophones and Willem von Hambracht on bass, plus guest vocalist Anita Jackson.

Proceeds from the brunch and the CD will benefit the Institute for the Advancement of Jazz Study and Performance and Community Women Against Hardship, Inc. (CWAH), a volunteer organization dedicated to providing programs and basic services to improve the quality of life for women and children struggling with poverty issues. CWAH supports the Institute as one of its youth development programs.

Tickets are $65 per person for reserved seating for the show and brunch, plus a copy of the CD, or $40 for open seating for the show and brunch. To charge tickets to Visa or Mastercard, call 314-289-7523.

After July 8, copies of the CD can be purchased directly from CWAH, and Harris is also looking into making it available at Vintage Vinyl, Streetside Records, Webster Records and Euclid Records.