Jazz this week: A benefit starring Johnny O'Neal, free outdoor concerts, and more

It's mid-summer in St. Louis, and though as usual for this time year, it's mostly another slow week with regard to touring musicians visiting St. Louis, the fine pianist and singer Johnny O'Neal (pictured) will be in town for a benefit show on Sunday.

And of course, St. Louis' hometown musicians keep on keepin' on no matter what, with a variety of jazz and creative music performances happening around town over the next few days.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, July 27
The Grand Center "jazz crawl" starts this week with singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black at KDHX's Magnolia Cafe, and continues as usual with bassist Bob DeBoo and friends at the Kranzberg Arts Center and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's trio at The Dark Room.

Thursday, July 28
Singer Erin Bode will perform in a free outdoor concert at Kirkwood Station Plaza in downtown Kirkwood, and bassist Glen Smith will lead a trio in a concert at Tisch Commons in the Danforth University Center at Washington University, wrapping up this year's free "Jazz in July" concerts from Wash U's Jazz at Holmes series.

Also on Thursday, singer/guitarist Tommy Halloran and his Guerrilla Strings will be recording in public view at the Gaslight Lounge; and this month's edition of the Bruxism experimental music series, with Blank Thomas, Alberto Patino, Schievvf, will be presented at the Schlafly Tap Room.

Friday, July 29
Soul-jazz/funk quartet The Service returns for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro; and guitarists Farshid Soltanshahi and Dave Black will team up with multi-instrumentalist Sandy Weltman for a concert at Focal Point.

Elsewhere around town, the Midwest Jazz-tette performs West Coast-style cool jazz at Evangeline's; Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and trumpeter Jim Manley will be back at One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar.

Also on Friday, singer Ken Haller presents his cabaret performance "The TV Show" at The Emerald Room at The Monocle. Haller will return to the same venue on Saturday night to perform his show "Song by Song by Sondheim".

Saturday, July 30
Take your pick of R&B-influenced saxophonists doing free outdoor concerts, as Tim Cunningham performs at Carondelet Park while Jim Stevens plays at Lafayette Park.

Also on Saturday, the Funky Butt Brass Band will play their monthly gig at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday, July 31
The Community Women Against Hardship will present their annual jazz benefit concert at the Ferring Jazz Bistro, this year featuring pianist and singer Johnny O'Neal.

The Detroit native, now based in NYC after many years living in Alabama, has been compared to Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum. Now 59 years old, O'Neal worked early in his career with Clark Terry and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, but geography, bad health, and bad luck mostly kept him from gaining wider recognition until this decade, when he re-established his presence on the NYC scene with weekly gigs in Manhattan.

For this show, O'Neal will be accompanied by a contingent of St. Louisans including singer Anita Jackson, guitarist Eric Slaughter, bassist Jeff Anderson, and drummer Jerome “Scrooge” Harris.

Monday, August 1
Singer and impresisonist Dean Christopher will present his "Rat Pack & More" show at One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar.

Tuesday, August 2
The Jazz Troubadours, featuring vibraphonist Tom Rickard, bassist Guy Cantonwine, and drummer Steve Helfand, have begun a weekly Tuesday late-night gig and jam session at Evangeline's, continuing until further notice.

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 this week's wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:

* One of singer of singer Cyrille Aimée's performances last week at Jazz at the Bistro was reviewed for DownBeat magazine by St. Louis writer Terry Perkins.

* Writing for the Post-Dispatch a couple of days later, Perkins then covered singer Gregory Porter's show on Saturday at the Touhill, an event also reviewed by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

* Saxophonist Jim Stevens (pictured) announced this week via Facebook that he, drummer James Jackson and bassist John King will go to Jakarta, Indonesia the first week of March to perform with guitarist Larry Coryell and keyboardist and former St. Louisan David Garfield at the Java Jazz Festival.

Described as "one of the largest jazz festivals in the world and arguably the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere," the event also will feature performances this year from Chris Botti with Sting, the jazz-fusion band Yellowjackets, singers Patti Austin and Kurt Elling, saxophonist Candy Dulfer, and more.

* Multi-instrumentalist Adam Maness of The 442s (and several other bands) has joined pianist Peter Martin's company Open Studio Network as "creative content manager." The firm produces and sells online video music lessons featuring Martin, drummer Gregory Hutchinson, guitarist Romero Lubambo, and others.

* In an interview with San Francisco Classical Voice, trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard talked about developing and premiering his opera Champion in St Louis with support from Opera Theatre St. Louis and Jazz St. Louis. A new production of Champion being mounted this month by SFJAZZ and Opera Parallèle features a revised orchestration for fewer musicians.

* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts will present a workshop on crowdfunding for artists at 7:00 p.m. this coming Monday, February 15 at the Regional Arts Commission. Attendees will hear from the author of a book on crowdfunding, a panel of artists who have used crowdfunding, and an attorney who will talk about related legal issues. Admission is $10 in advance; $15 at the door.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer Tony Viviano visited the podcast A Concert Pitch to talk about his show celebrating the 100th birthday of Frank Sinatra next Friday, December 11 at Patrick's Westport Grill.

* Miss Jubilee's show tonight at the Wildey Theatre was previewed by EdGlen.com.

* A featured by Tim Bryant in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at what the National Blues Museum will offer to visitors when it opens downtown in April.

* Saxophonist Jim Stevens (pictured) will be playing with some big names this Sunday in southern California, as keyboardist and Metro East native David Garfield has invited him to take part in the 18th annual memorial concert for drummer Carlos Vega at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro, CA. The lineup for the show features a number of nationally and internationally known musicians, including bassist Will Lee, drummer Steve Ferrone, ex-Steely Dan guitarist Denny Dias, singer Alex Ligertwood, and more.

* In a story that broke last week just after this column went online, the city of St. Louis has canceled its contract with Los Angeles-based production company International Creative Management granting exclusive rights for up to ten years to oversee a series of outdoor rock, pop, and country concerts in downtown St. Louis. The city now is seeking potential local producers for new events in 2016 and beyond.

* Genesis Jazz Project reports that their performance last week benefiting the local food bank Circle of Concern raised more than $350 in cash and collected nearly 400 food items for the charity.

* The Baylor Project, featuring drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and his wife, singer Jean Baylor, will make their Boston debut next Thursday, December 10 at Sculler's Jazz Club. The band also features pianist Sullivan Fortner, bassist Eric Wheeler, and saxophonist Keith Loftis.

* Former bandleader and broadcaster Carlos "Buddy" Moreno has died. He was 103 years old, and lived at Delmar Gardens North assisted living facility. A native of Los Angeles, Moreno began his career during the Great Depression, working with bands led by Griff Williams, Dick Jurgens (with whom he recorded "one Dozen Roses," a number one hit in 1942) and Harry James before forming his own big band in 1944.

Moreno moved to St. Louis in the 1950s to lead the house band at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, and also directed orchestras at the Fox Theatre and the Muny. He subsequently got into broadcasting, hosting The Buddy Moreno Show on local CBS affiliate KMOX-TV (now KMOV) and appearing on radio stations WIL-FM, WEW, and WSIE, where he hosted a weekly program playing big band music until 2005.

Jazz this week: Jeremy Davenport, Perihelion Quartet, John King, and more

While the biggest-name jazz musician visiting St. Louis this week actually is an expat playing his annual homecoming gig, there nevertheless is a tasty selection of jazz shows from local performers available for your pre- and post-Turkey Day consumption. Let's go to the highlights...


Wednesday, November 25
The Perihelion Quartet, featuring pianist Greg Mills and friends, will offer free jazz and improvisation at the Tavern of Fine Arts, while over in Grand Center, the regular Wednesday gigs are in effect, with bassist Bob Deboo leading an early evening jam session at the Kranzberg Arts Center, followed later by trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's trio at The Dark Room.

Friday, November 27
The aforementioned expat - trumpeter, singer and U City native Jeremy Davenport (pictured, top left) - will be back from his adopted home in New Orleans for the first of two nights of what's become an annual Thanksgiving weekend gig at Jazz at the Bistro. Given Davenport's popularity, tickets for the early shows may be hard to come by, but even for the late sets, advance reservations would seem to be a must. 

Elsewhere on Friday, saxophonist Jim Stevens and band will play an early show at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups; saxophonist Jay Hutson and Da Wolvez will perform at Evangeline's; and singer Joe Mancuso brings a quartet to Nathalie's.

Saturday November 28
Saxophonist Stan Coleman and bassist Darrell Mixon will co-lead a quartet for an early show at Tavern of Fine Arts; the Midwest Jazz-tette plays West Coast jazz at Evangeline's; and guitarist Eric Slaughter and bassist Glen Smith will play duets at Thurman Grill.

Also on Saturday, bassist John King (pictured, lower left) brings another edition of his guest-star-laden, autobiographical show "My Life In Music" to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups; and singer Ralph Butler and keyboardist Gigi Darr will play a concert at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton.

Sunday November 29
If you still have relatives or friends visiting from out of town and want to take them to Sunday brunch, you can get some live jazz along with your meal courtesy of singer/guitarist Tommy Halloran's Guerilla Swing at Jazz at the Bistro, Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris at Nathalie's, Miss Jubilee at Evangeline's, or trumpeter Jim Manley with keyboardist Mark Friedricks at Jimmy's Cafe on the Park.

Monday, November 30
The Webster University Jazz Collective, featuring members of Webster's jazz faculty, will play a concert at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus; and saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective will be back for their monthly gig at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday December 1 
Harmonica master Sandy Weltman will lead a master class and workshop at City Music, and the First Tuesday Composer's Club will convene their monthly event showcasing new compositions 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 this week: Mwata Bowden, a David Sanborn tribute, "Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60," Alarm Will Sound, and more

Events have conspired to make this week's preview of jazz and creative music shows in and around St. Louis both rather terse and somewhat behind schedule. so let's go straight to the highlights....

Tonight, multi-instrumentalist Mwata Bowden of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, performs a free concert with bassist Paul Steinbeck and drummer Gary Sykes for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. For more about Bowden and some video samples of him performing, see this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Also tonight, the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Experimental Arts Open Improv Night" with live improvised music; and The Freedom plays smooth jazz and fusion at The Engine Room.

Tomorrow night, saxophonist Jim Stevens teams up with jazz/funk/R&B quartet Good 4 the Soul for the first of two nights in which they "Play the Music of David Sanborn" at Jazz at the Bistro.

Also on Friday, singer Erin Bode provides the musical entertainment for "Heart 2 Heart," a benefit for the organization Education 4 All, Inc, at Gallery 400 on Washington Ave; saxophonist Michael Fitzgerald returns to Jazz on Broadway; Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and the Lindenwood University Jazz Band, with special guest soloist Marshall Gilkes on trombone, will wrap up the first-ever Lindenwood University Jazz Festival with a performance at the Scheidegger Center for the Arts on campus.

On Saturday, singer Joe Mancuso and pianist Adam Maness will duet at Chaser's Lounge in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel; the Coleman Hughes Project performs at The Rustic Goat; and husband-and-wife cabaret performers Joe Dreyer and Rosemary Watts will reprise their show "Swing Into Spring" for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival at the Gaslight Theater.

On Sunday, the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show, having been postponed due to bad weather twice already this year, will present their first show of 2014 at the usual location, the American Czech Hall, 4690 Lansdowne at Kingshighway. Also on Sunday afternoon, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Sunday evening, the all-star "Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60" tribute show, which has been touring for the past two months, arrives at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The ensemble (pictured) features St. Louis' own Peter Martin on piano, along with clarinetist/saxophonist and music director Anat Cohen, singer Karrin Allyson, trumpeter Randy Brecker, guitarist Mark Whitfield, drummer Clarence Penn and bassist Larry Grenadier.

Also on Sunday evening, singer Steve Lippia will join the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra to perform his tribute show "Simply Sinatra" at Powell Symphony Hall.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday Webster University's student jazz combos will give a free performance at the Community Music School building on campus; and "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Tuesday, the new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound resumes their St. Louis season at a new venue, performing music from Aphex Twin, Tyondai Braxton, and Steve Reich at The Pageant. For more details, check out this preview story written by Terry Perkins for St. Louis Public Radio.

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 local news items of interest:

* Multi-instrumentalist and composer Marty Ehrlich was on NPR's "Fresh Air" this week to talk about Trumpet In The Morning, his new album of orchestral music (pictured).

* Drummer Dave Weckl will take off in May to the Great White North, where he'll do a series of daylong drum clinics in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Laval, Quebec; Toronto, Ontario; Edmonton, Alberta; and Vancouver, British Columbia.

* Two local music festivals announced their schedules this week, each with what can only be described as a token presence for jazz. Pianist Peter Martin will kick off the 2014 Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden with a free concert on Wednesday, June 4. However, the rest of the schedule for the series that began years ago as "Jazz in June" is sadly bereft of the genre, unless you count Irish singer-guitarist Nigel Mooney, whose website seems to suggest that he's a blues performer with jazz influences. (With regard to the notion of bringing an Irishman to St. Louis to play the blues, you can insert your own "coals to Newcastle" reference as you see fit.)

* Meanwhile, the Bluesweek festival, subject of much recent controversy stemming from organizers' decision to leave the streets of downtown for the Chesterfield Amphitheater, will take place Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25 with Otis Clay and Ronnie Baker Brooks as headliners, plus a number of ad hoc combinations of St. Louis blues players and singers as support acts. The jazz content for 2014 will be supplied by funk/jazz quartet Good 4 The Soul, who will perform on Saturday afternoon with singer Denise Thimes and saxophonist Jim Stevens as special guests.

* The list of special releases for Record Store Day 2014 is out, and while rock continues to predominate, there will be new and reissued records this year in a variety of genres including jazz, as well as one item of particular local interest: Donny Hathaway Live At The Bitter End 1971, a live show by the singer, songwriter, keyboardist and former St. Louisan that has never been issued before on vinyl.

* Speaking of records, the Miles Davis news this week is all about the promotional push for the release of the trumpeter's latest posthumous box set, Miles Davis at the Fillmore 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3. Fans can listen to an online stream of three of the Fillmore CDs via an app on on Davis' Facebook page, and iTunes has launched a curated Miles Davis artist page, including albums mastered specially for iTunes plus videos, books and more. New articles about Davis in Esquire and SPIN also feature online streams of sample cuts from the box set.

* And speaking of Davis, the latest blog entry from The Bad Plus' Ethan Iverson gets historical to take issue with a biographer who suggests that Miles had a strained relationship with Louis Armstrong.

*Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis' "Somethin' Else," host Calvin Wilson will spin jazz interpretations of the songs of Jimmy Van Heusen by artists including singer-trumpeter Chet Baker, saxophonist Lee Konitz, singer Rickie Lee Jones, and more.

After that, there's a new episode of The Jazz Collective, in which host Jason Church will spin music from Boney James, Nick Colionne, U-Nam, Oscar Peterson, Ramsey Lewis, John Klemmer, Bob James, Tim Cunningham, Jesse Gannon, Tommy Halloran and Dawn Weber.

Wilson's program airs at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by Church at 9:00 p.m., on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Last but not least, though we don't have a playlist for the whole show, singer Joe Mancuso tells StLJN that music from his debut release Cut to the Chase will air on an upcoming episode of "Jazz Unlimited," which can be heard at 9:00 p.m. Sundays on KWMU (90.7 FM) and online at http://www.stlpublicradio.org/listen.php.

Jazz this week: Kevin Eubanks; Garfield, Ligertwood & Stevens; Emily Bergl; a tribute to Miles Davis; and more

While some revelers this weekend no doubt will be wearing green in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day, your StLJN staff would like to remind you that one doesn't have be Irish, or indeed of any particular national origin or ethnicity, to enjoy jazz, either.

You just have to know where to go and when, and to help you with that, we've compiled these highlights of upcoming jazz and creative music performances in the St. Louis area...

Tonight, bassist Christian McBride, who was just here last month with his trio at Jazz at the Bistro, drops into the area again for a day to do a master class and concert with pianist Peter Martin down I-55 at Jefferson College in Hillsboro.Tickets for the evening concert are only $5 for the general public, so even figuring in that it's a bit of drive from many parts of the area, that's still a bargain.

Meanwhile back in downtown St. Louis, keyboardist and St. Louis expat David Garfield, former musical director for George Benson, and singer Alex Ligertwood, who's toured and recorded with Santana, Average White Band and Brian Auger, will join forces with saxophonist Jim Stevens and his rhythm section for two sets of funk, soul and jazz at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

Also tonight, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with singer and actress Emily Bergl, who's best known for her work in musical theater and a recurring role on ABC's Desperate Housewives, presenting the first of three performances of her show "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" at the Gaslight Theater.

On Friday, pianist and Jazz St. Louis education director Phil Dunlap brings his new quintet to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of two evenings featuring the music of Miles Davis. Along with Dunlap, the group includes trumpeter Danny Campbell, saxophonist Ben Reece, bassist Nathan Pence, and drummer Montez Coleman.

Also on Friday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes play at the Atomic Cowboy; singer Wendy Gordon and pianist Arthur Toney perform at the Tavern of Fine Arts; and guitarist Dave Black, violinist Asako Kuboki and saxophonist Paul DeMarinis will team up for a trio show at the house concert venue KindaBlue, 6101 1/2 Idaho in south St. Louis.

On Saturday afternoon, the revived Nu-Art Series will present drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw, pianist David Parker and trumpeter George Sams at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

Then on Saturday evening, guitarist Kevin Eubanks (pictured) will play two shows at Lumiere Place Casino's Lumiere Theatre. Eubanks just got back from a series of dates in Europe and Russia with bassist Dave Holland, performing in both a trio format and with the quartet Prism. The former bandleader for Jay Leno's Tonight Show also made news recently when he dropped by Arsenio Hall's syndicated late night program for a chat and a bit of jamming.

Elsewhere around town on Saturday evening, the Pennsylvania-based contemporary chamber music group NakedEye Ensemble will make their St. Louis debut at The Chapel; trombonist Doug Burns returns to Robbie's House of Jazz; Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and The People's Key and Elastik Soul will present "Bold as Jimi: Love as Jazz," a jazz/funk tribute to Jimi Hendrix, at the Schlafly St. Louis Brewery and Tap Room.

On Sunday, multi-instrumentalist Sandy Weltman and pianist Carolbeth True will be the featured performers at this month's free "Inner Jazz" concert at Kirkwood United Church of Christ; and Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center continues their “Quiet Concert” series with a performance headlined by Kansas City-based electronic musician and composer Jason Zeh.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the jazz faculty at Webster University will present their annual concert in Winifred Moore Auditorium to raise funds for the school's Shepard/Davis scholarships.

On Tuesday, the Sheldon Concert Hall is busy day and night, starting with a morning "Coffee Concert" (also repeated on Wednesday) featuring Red Lehr and the St. Louis Rivermen, and continuing with an evening performance by trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber as part of the hall's "Notes From Home" series. Also on Tuesday, the Twin Cities jump-blues and swing band Davina and The Vagabonds will be back in town for a show at The Gramophone.

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.)

Tickets on sale Monday for new shows at Jazz at the Bistro

Although there's been no announcement yet from Jazz St. Louis, Metrotix today sent out an email including on-sale dates for a number of new shows in 2014 at Jazz at the Bistro.

According to said email, The Wee Trio, with St. Louis native Dan Loomis on bass, will be coming back to town in April to celebrate the release of their album recorded earlier this year at the Bistro, and trumpeter Terell Stafford (pictured) will close out the 2013-14 season in May by serving as special guest for a weekend of perofrmances with students from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program.

As for local players, bassist Jahmal Nichols and singer/guitarist Tommy Halloran have been booked to make their Bistro debuts as bandleaders, and several other hometown favorites will make return appearances there during the winter and spring. Here's the schedule of additional concerts as currently listed by Metrotix.

Friday, January 17 & Saturday, January 18:  Jahmal Nichols CD Release
Saturday, March 1:  Willie Akins & Dave Venn
Friday, March 14 & Saturday, March 15:  Phil Dunlap Quintet plays the music of Miles Davis
Friday, March 28 & Saturday, March 29:  Jim Stevens & Good 4 the Soul play the music of David Sanborn
Friday, April 11 & Saturday, April 12:  The Wee Trio CD Release Event celebrating Live at the Bistro
Tuesday, April 22:  SIUE Concert Jazz Band/Alumni
Friday, April 25 & Saturday, April 26:  Tommy Halloran's Guerilla Swing
Friday, May 9 & Saturday, May 10:  "Great Guitars 2014" with Shaun Robinson & Eric Slaughter
Friday, May 23 & Saturday, May 24:  JazzU with Terrell Stafford

All the performers will play sets at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., except for the SIUE Concert Jazz Band, who will play one show at 7:30 p.m. 

Ticket prices are $5 for Terell Stafford and JazzU; $15 for the SIUE Concert Jazz Band; $25 for The Wee Trio, Akins & Venn, and Jim Stevens' Sanborn tribute; and $20 for all other performances. Tickets for all shows go on sale at 10:00 a.m. next Monday, December 2 via Metrotix.

Jazz this week: Fumee Gypsy Project, T.J. Borden, Tuesday Night Swing Dance, and more

This week's jazz and creative music visitors to St. Louis include a gypsy jazz band from Chicago and an experimental cello player from New York.

Add in a busy lineup of gigs from local musicians, and the calendar for the next few days includes plenty of options for the discerning listener. Let's go to the highlights:

Today, if you're downtown during the lunch hour, you can catch a free performance of funky soul-jazz from the Jim Stevens Group as they play outside the Old Post Office and 8th & Olive.

Then tonight, Dizzy Atmosphere plays gypsy jazz and swing at The Shaved Duck, and singer Feyza Eren performs at Joe's Cafe, the "house concert" venue at 6010 Kingsbury Ave in the Central West End.

Tomorrow night, Wack-A-Doo will swing the Boathouse in Forest Park, while the Jazz Co-Laboratory, with trombonist John Covelli, bassist Ben Wheeler and drummer Joe Pastor, will be playing the music of Wayne Shorter at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Also on Friday, drummer Kaleb Kirby brings a quartet to Robbie's House of Jazz; Second Generation Swing plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform at Thurman Grill; and saxophonist Austin Cebulski leads a trio with Matt Villinger on organ and Micah Walker on drums at Cigar Inn.

On Saturday, the Fumee Gypsy Project (pictured), a young Chicago-based group fronted by singer Christy Bennett, will make their St. Louis debut at Robbie's House of Jazz. Also on Saturday, Miss Jubilee performs at Grappa Grill in St. Charles, and singer Danita Mumphard returns to Jazz on Broadway in Alton.

Update: 4:00 a.m., 8/16/13: A post on Miss Jubilee's Facebook page says Saturday's gig at Grappa Grill is cancelled, as the place has closed (rather abruptly, it would seem).  

If you can't catch them on Saturday night, the Fumee Gypsy Project also will be playing for Sunday brunch at the Rustic Goat. Also on Sunday, saxophonist Readus Miller has begun a recurring brunch gig at Patrick's at Westport Plaza (now back to its original name after several years as the namesake restaurant of departed St. Louis Cardinal Albert Pujols).

Then on Sunday evening, Tim Cunningham will be at Troy's Jazz Gallery, while the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center will present a program of experimental music headlined by cellist T. J. Borden, plus "Pitiful Statement" feat John Beabout, NNN Cook, and John Cage: One.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday trumpeter Keith Moyer brings his group back to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, and on Tuesday, Lindy Hop St. Louis presents their monthly Tuesday Night Swing Dance, this time featuring music from Coco Rico, at the Grandel Theatre.

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: Dave Holland Quintet, Jeremy Davenport, "Funky Dog Gumbo Ball," Bosman Twins, and more

This week's picks in live jazz and creative music around St. Louis include a multi-night gig featuring one of the top small groups in modern jazz, the return of a local "favorite son" to headline at one of our town's most prestigious concert venues, and much more. Let's go to the highlights....

Tonight, bassist Dave Holland (pictured) and his quintet open a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Generally acknowledged as one of the best working bands in jazz today, as well as one of the longest lived, Holland's group this week will feature three regular members - trombonist Robin Eubanks, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and drummer Nate Smith - plus saxophonist Mark Turner subbing for Chris Potter, who's on tour with the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Stars.

While Potter no doubt will be missed by his many fans here, Turner is an excellent musician, too, and historically, Holland's judgment in picking great players as collaborators seems beyond reproach. It'll be interesting to hear what sort of changes in the group dynamic and sound result from Turner's presence in Potter's stead. For more about Dave Holland, including videos of some of what he's been up to since his last visit here, plus links to reviews of the Quintet's last two appearances in St. Louis, check out this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Tomorrow night, you can choose between two gigs with an emphasis on free improv. The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present "At Once: Improvisation Ensemble and the Art of Improvisation" a free concert featuring William Lenihan (guitar and keyboards), Steve Davis (drums) and Vince Varvel (guitar), while the Tavern of Fine Arts will have its monthly "Avant Garde Arts Night" featuring live improvised music from an ad hoc ensemble that often includes musicians such as keyboardist Jim Hegarty, flute player Fred Tompkins, and others associated with New Music Circle.

Also tomorrow night, swing revivalists Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are in town to play at the Lumiere Place Casino Theatre; and saxophonist Jim Stevens will have a couple of guest msucians from Nashville - singer/guitarist Andy Westcott and singer Leslie Craig - performing with his band at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups. (A former St. Louisan, Craig was known as Leslie White when she lived here and sang with local groups including trumpeter Jim Manley's dance band Fantasy and the rock cover band Trixie Delight.)

On Friday,  the Funky Butt Brass Band, the Dogtown All-Stars and Gumbohead will team up for a pre-Mardi Gras fete dubbed the "Funky Dog Gumbo Ball" at the Sheldon Concert Hall's upstairs ballroom, and Lindy Hop St. Louis will present their monthly "West End Stomp" swing dance with live music by The Sidemen at the Mahler Ballroom.

Also on Friday, pianist Brad Ellebrecht leads a group at Robbie's House of Jazz; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes play at Highway 61 Roadhouse; and guitarist Mason Baran's trio performs at the Cigar Inn.

Then on Saturday night, trumpeter, singer and St. Louis native Jeremy Davenport returns to St. Louis from his current home in New Orleans to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Of course, since moving away Davenport has come back numerous times to play just a couple of blocks away at Jazz at the Bistro, and he was a guest artist on one of pianist Peter Martin's shows at the Sheldon a couple of years ago. But surprisingly, this will be the first time he's headlined with his own band at the venerable concert hall, which should prove to be a good match for his straight-ahead, acoustic jazz sound.

Also on Saturday, singer Miss Jubilee and her band will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Randy Bahr will duet at Mojo Tapas.  

On Sunday afternoon, those saxophone-playing siblings the Bosman Twins will present a free concert at Second Presbyterian Church, 4501 Westminster Place (at Taylor) in the Central West End.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday guitarists Eric Slaughter and Tom Byrne will co-lead a quartet offering a tribute to Wes Montgomery at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium.

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.)

John King to record live DVD on Friday, December 21 at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups

Bassist John King (pictured), known for his work with Good 4 The Soul, saxophonist Jim Stevens, and numerous other St. Louis musicians and groups, will launch his new solo project with the recording for DVD of a live performance at 7:00 p.m. Friday, December 21 at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

The gig, billed as "John King - The Story of My Life," will showcase King's new band, featuring drummer Kevin Kelley, keyboardist Kyle Kelley and guitarist Steve Johnson, as well as guest performers including Stevens; singers Denise Thimes, Kim Massie, Cheryl Brown, and Anita Jackson; and others. Admission for the show is $20.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* This week brings several items about trumpet legend and St. Louis native Clark Terry, starting with some cautious but positive news on his medical situation. In a blog post this week, Terry's wife Gwen reported that surgery to amputate his left leg was completed last Thursday, February 23 with no complications. After 24 hours in the ICU, Terry was transferred last Friday to a hospital room, where "he continued to improve and his spirit remained high."

Also, Living St. Louis, the weekly magazine show on local PBS affiliate KETC (Channel 9), this week aired a profile of Terry, reported by Ruth Ezell. You can watch it online here.

Lastly, William Paterson University this week announced the reissue of the trumpeter's book Terry Tunes, a collection of 57 of his compositions that was originally published in the 1970s but has been out of print for years. This new version corrects some notation errors from the original edition, and has added material about Terry's "doodle-tonguing" method. Part of the proceeds from sales of the book go to support the Clark Terry Archive on the William Paterson campus in New Jersey.

* Pianist Peter Martin and drummer Terreon Gully have been on the road this week performing with singer Dianne Reeves, and their concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center last week was reviewed here by the New York Times' Stephen Holden. Their recent travels also included a stop at the White House, where they performed in the East Room for President and Mrs. Obama and visiting state governors. While at the White House, Martin also Tweeted a picture of himself playing an historic antique Steinway piano with wooden legs carved in the shape of eagles.

* Down Beat magazine reports that Hamiet Bluiett was among the participants in a tribute to the late pianist Don Pullen, held last weekend in Pullen's hometown or Roanoke, VA.

* Brass Poison Too, the latest release from trumpeter Jim Manley (pictured), was reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello of AllAboutJazz.com.

* Saxophonist Jim Stevens was the subject of a brief profile on the website OpenBeast.com.

(Edited after posting.)

Ligertwood, Garfield and Stevens to perform Thursday, February 9 at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups

Singer Alex Ligertwood, who's worked with big names including Santana and Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, is coming to St. Louis to perform with keyboardist David Garfield and saxophonist Jim Stevens at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, February 9 at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Garfield, a St. Louis native who's lived in Los Angeles since the 1970s, was in town most recently in October to perform with George Benson at the Touhill, and stuck around to play with Stevens the next night at BB's. The two first met a couple of years ago when Garfield was home for a visit and played a gig at Mineo's restaurant that Stevens attended based on a tip from a mutual friend.

"I went over and checked it out, and he just blew the roof off the place," said Stevens. They struck up a friendship, resulting in Stevens sitting in on another Garfield gig at Mineo's and then their subsequent move to a larger venue, namely BB's, for the keyboardist's last visit home.

In addition to working with Benson, Garfield has led his own bands in Los Angeles, including the fusion group Karizma, which has released six CDs. He's also put out nine CDs under his own name, and toured and/or recorded with a number of musical notables, including Boz Scaggs, Larry Carlton, The Manhattan Transfer, The Rippingtons, Smokey Robinson, Earl Klugh, Michael McDonald and Nancy Wilson. His ongoing collaboration with Ligertwood led to the singer's inclusion on three Midwest dates with this particular ensemble, starting in Indianapolis the night before the BB's gig and moving on to Cleveland afterward.

The band also will include drummer James Jackson and bassist John King, who both work with Stevens as well as with their own group Good 4 The Soul. As for what they'll be playing, Stevens says he hasn't seen a set list yet, but expects some funk and soul covers, some Garfield originals, and perhaps a tune or two from Ligertwood's tenure with Santana.

Tickets for the Ligertwood/Garfield/Stevens show will be $10 general admission at the door; Stevens also is arranging for advance sales by email at thejimstevensgroup@aol.com.

Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival set for Saturday, September 17

The Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival has announced the lineup for its 2011 event, which is scheduled from noon to 11:00 p.m., Saturday, September 17 in and around the intersection of Lockwood and Gore in the old business district of Webster Groves.

The free festival's two stages will feature ten bands, with a roughly equal split between jazz and blues. Acts returning for this year's event will include an ensemble of jazz faculty members from Webster University and the jazz big band from nearby Webster Groves High School, as well as the Funky Butt Brass Band (pictured), who this year will be on the Allen Ave. stage instead of marching around the festival site, and blues singer/guitarist Marquise Knox.

The Latin-pop-rock singer/songwriter/guitarist Javier Mendoza will make his debut at the festival, closing the night on the Allen Ave. stage with a version of the expanded ensemble he debuted last season at Jazz at the Bistro. Others playing the OWJ&BF for the first time include R&B-oriented saxophonist Jim Stevens (who also has worked with Mendoza); blues singer and guitarist Alvin Jett and Phat noiZ; guitarist Tom Byrne's Pat Metheny tribute Have You Heard?, including pop/R&B singer Ralph Butler (on a bit of a busman's holiday); and the Rum Drum Duo, from the old-timey blues band Rum Drum Ramblers.

The winner of something called the "Old Webster's Got Talent Contest" will kick off the day on the Gore Ave. stage, a slot which in years past usually has been filled with something that might most charitably be described as "budget-friendly." No word yet on who's involved with that contest or when it will take place, but presumably more details will follow.

At first glance, this could be a somewhat stronger musical lineup than last year's fest, although how much stronger obviously depends on one's opinions of the individual acts. I can't claim to be a fan of Mendoza's at all, as what I've heard of his music always has seemed rather bland to me, but he does have a fan base and his gig at the Bistro was well-received enough to merit a repeat performance, so I may be of a minority opinion there.

As for the rest, your mileage may vary. Last year, festival head Jennifer Bellm (who also runs Webster Records) took exception to StLJN's criticisms of the lineup, in particular our decrying the deployment of a blues band fronted a local television personality whose musical dues-paying remains highly suspect. At least this year's lineup doesn't repeat that misstep, so that's a plus. It'd be nice if the event also included some older jazz styles, which predominated in its first years, but I suppose tastes do change and no one event can be everything to everyone.

(Edited to add: To her credit, after our exchange last year Bellm also asked me if I had any suggestions as to who she should book this year. I sent her a list of musicians and bands, at least a couple of whom seem to have wound up on this year's lineup, though whether my recommendations played a role remains unknown. She also made a public effort to solicit demos from interested musicians, and I don't know the end result of that. Though I'm not all that enamored with one of this year's headliners, that's an issue of personal musical taste. In terms of opening up the process and being willing to try some new acts along with the tried-and-true, the OWJ&BF has moved in the right direction.)

On the positive side, the Webster faculty ensemble contains some very fine jazz musicians, and the WGHS big band is one of the stronger student groups in the area. Moreover, the Funky Butt Brass Band, Byrne, Stevens, Knox and Jett also are all pretty good at what they do, so as long as your expectations are calibrated properly - this is, after all, a free festival with a rather modest budget - in total there should be plenty of enjoyable musical moments at this year's Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival.

Edited after posting.

Jazz this week: Tim Cunningham and Jim Stevens, Oleta Adams, Wayne Coniglio's live recording, Larry Brown Jr., and more

While St. Louis no longer has a major jazz festival in June since the demise a couple of years ago of the St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, that doesn't mean the local scene is completely devoid of jazz and creative music activity this time of year. Here's what's going on around town this weekend...

Tonight, trombonist (and sometimes bassist) Wayne Coniglio will perform with his band and guest trombonist Scott Whitfield for a live CD recording session at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Whitfield is perhaps best known for his ten years as lead trombonist for NYC's Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra; the band also will include Ken Kehner (piano), Eric Warren (bass) and Kevin Gianino (drums).

On Thursday, singer Erin Bode and her band will perform a free outdoor concert in downtown Kirkwood as part of the city's annual summer concert series.

On Friday and Saturday, St. Louis gets its own local version of one of those contemporary jazz package shows, as the R&B-oriented saxophonists Tim Cunningham (pictured) and Jim Stevens will team up for the first time to perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

Also on Friday, Michael Silverman's Classical Jazz Quartet (basically the Downtown Trio plus one) will perform at the Focal Point; Chicago-based guitarist Larry Brown Jr. is playing at Robbie's House of Jazz; guitarist Dave Black's trio, with drummer Kevin Gianino and bassist Willem von Hombracht, will perform at the Cigar Inn in Belleville; and the Original Knights of Swing will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

That same evening, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra will present "Vegas and the Rat Pack," with orchestral versions of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr featuring singer and conductor Matt Catingub and singer Anita Hall.

Also on Saturday, Swing Set will perform in the afternoon at Montelle Winery, and that evening Robbie's has drummer Brian Sullivan's trio, with Dave Becherer on keyboards and Darrell Mixon on bass.

On Sunday, the jazz-influenced singer Oleta Adams will perform at the Missouri History Museum as part of a Juneteenth commemoration.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday drummer Joe Pastor's trio will play at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups, and on Tuesday, Robbie's will present their weekly open jam session.

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

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

(Edited after posting to add details on Erin Bode, SLSO and Swing Set.)