Sunday Session: August 13, 2017

Rudresh Mahanthappa

Here's the roundup of various music-related items of interest that have appeared in StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* Kamasi Washington: An Opinion of Difference (Jazz Times)
* Neither bills nor advancing age can dim the glow of a drummer's dream (Los Angeles Times)
* Was Elvis a thief? Yes! No! Maybe? Music stars weigh in on Presley's legacy (San Diego Union Tribune)
* Field Notes: Newport 2017, Day One - Cécile McLorin Salvant and more at the fest's first McBride-led edition (Jazz Times)
* Field Notes: Newport 2017, Day Two - A touching tribute to Geri Allen highlights Saturday at Fort Adams (Jazz Times)
* Field Notes: Newport 2017, Day Three - The fest wraps with plenty of sun and groove (Jazz Times)
* The Power of Sound: Using the Shepard Tone In Filmmaking (PremiumBeat.com)
* Suzanne Ciani and the Subliminal Property of Being Human (The Paris Review)
* 'The Green Book' Guided Black Travelers to L.A.'s Central Avenue Jazz Scene (KCET)
* Interim Thoughts on the Life and Career of Chubby Checker (PopMatters.com)
* Grammys boss knuckles under China censors as show readies tour (Japan Times)
* Anything is possible when jazz master Henry Threadgill plays at Newport (Boston Globe)
* AI and music: will we be slaves to the algorithm? (The Guardian)
* Southern Exposure: Searching for clues to the death of a bandleader (Daily Astorian)
* Jimmy Webb, Writer of Glen Campbell Classics, Remembers ‘My Big Brother, My Co-Culprit’ (Variety)
* Creating the world’s largest cat sound effects library – with Yarron Katz (ASoundEffect.com)
* Why do stars like Adele keep losing their voice? (The Guardian)
* Forebears: The Mercurial And Majestic Dinah Washington (NPR)
* Q&A with Rudresh Mahanthappa: Connected Spaces (DownBeat)
* The Internet Doesn’t Matter, You’re Making Music in L.A. (Vulture.com)
* Know your customers: Costa Pilavachi on the classical recording industry (Rhinegold.co.uk)
* Steve Martin Explains His Love of Banjo Music: 'It Rivals Any Specialized Genre' (Billboard)
* The Rich History—and Present—of Latin American Prog (Bandcamp.com)
* SoundCloud Saved By The Bell Of A Big Chunk Of Financing (NPR)
* Eagle Saloon unveils historical plaques, window displays (Offbeat)
* Party Over Here: An Oral History of Kool Herc’s Historic Back-to-School Jam (MassAppeal.com)
* When Mistakes/Studio Glitches Give Famous Songs Their Personality: Pink Floyd, Metallica, The Breeders, Steely Dan & More (OpenCulture.com)

Sunday Session: June 11, 2017

Roscoe Mitchell

Here are some interesting music-related items that have landed in StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* Jazz Pioneer Roscoe Mitchell Marked for Dismissal at Mills College (KQED)
* Aretha Franklin Says Detroit Music Weekend May Mark Last Concert (Patch.com)
* Rodney Bingenheimer says farewell to 'Rodney on the ROQ' after 40 years — but he certainly isn't retiring (Los Angeles Times)
* In $43 Million Settlement, Spotify Forced To Confront A Persistent Problem (NPR)
* The Beatles 'A Day In The Life' Is A Landmark In Sound Engineering 50 Years After It Was Recorded (Forbes)
* How Gregg Allman and Cher stunned Canisius High 'assembly' in 1976 (Buffalo News)
* Edison vs. Scott (LaphamsQuarterly.org)
* How to Destroy YouTube & Save the Music Industry (DigitalMusicNews.com)
* Jimmy Webb on Auto-Tune, lying to keep John Lennon from being deported and how cocaine changed music (Los Angeles Times)
* The Bird in my hand: my journey to Charlie Parker (The Guardian)
* Sony Merges RED Into The Orchard: What the Music Giant's Latest Consolidation Means for Indie Labels (Billboard)
* Chops: The Art of the Slap - Poncho Sanchez and Adam Rudolph on transitioning from the drum kit to the conga (Jazz Times)
* Ambrose Akinmusire: Upholding Tradition & Breaking Decorum (Jazz Times)
* NYPL’s Schomburg Center Acquires Sonny Rollins Archive (Jazz Times)
* The Beatles’ iconic Sgt Pepper album returns to the top on its 50th birthday (OfficialCharts.com)
* New Album Narrates Charlie Parker’s Life in Song - Peyroux, Porter, Elling and others create vocal versions of Bird classics to tell his story (Jazz Times)
* The Earth Harp turns an L.A. skyscraper into world's longest stringed instrument (Los Angeles Times)
* Hear Bob Dylan Recite His Nobel Prize in Literature Lecture (Rolling Stone)
* ‘The value of creative assets is systematically being taken away from artists and music companies’ (MusicBusinessWorldwide.com)
* Ken Vandermark’s Indefatigable Drive and Avant-Garde Vision (Bandcamp.com)
* FMP Records’ Free Jazz Legacy is Alive and Well at Destination: OUT (Bandcamp.com)
* Why Are Frenchmen Street Musicians Undervalued? (Offbeat)
* “In Search of the Lost Chord”: Danny Goldberg’s new book on 1967 and the “Hippie Idea” (NightFlight.com)
* Vision Festival Promotes Message of Freedom through Creative Music (DownBeat)
* Woodstock Festival Location Becomes Official Historic Site (Rolling Stone)
* Gary Burton: Retiring The Mallets (NPR)
* This Is What Extinction Sounds Like (Vice.com)
* Inside the Making of 'Sgt. Pepper' (Rolling Stone)

Sunday Session: April 23, 2017

Matana Roberts

Here are some interesting music-related items that have landed in StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* Philip Glass on Listening (and Composing) at 80 (Sonos.com)
* “It wasn’t until I experienced a great amount of pain at one time in my life that I really understood what the blues were about:” An Interview with Matana Roberts (WTJU)
* Forgotten audio formats: The flexi disc (ArsTechnica.com)
* Alice Coltrane’s Devotional Music (The New Yorker)
* A Year On, Few Answers From Probe Into Prince's Death (Billboard)
* Rejuvenating contemporary classical music (The Economist)
* Newest Two Time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Greg Rolie (Santana/Journey) Talks Past & Present (INTERVIEW) (GlideMagazine.com)
* E Street Band Bassist Garry Tallent Gears Up for First Solo Tour, Talks Bruce Springsteen & Chuck Berry (Billboard)
* Allan Holdsworth, Guitarist Revered in Both Jazz and Prog-Rock Circles, Dies at 70 (WBGO)
* Jimmy Webb on John Lennon's Lost Weekend, Writing for Frank Sinatra (Rolling Stone)
* Online music is about to experience another MySpace moment (MusicXTechXFuture.com)
* Are Music Festival Lineups Getting Worse? (Pitchfork.com)
* Concert Review: 2017 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute - Is this the last one? Trump's FY2018 budget proposal eliminates the NEA (Jazz Times)
* 'Jazz Is The Mother Of Hip-Hop': How Sampling Connects Genres (NPR)
* Jazz singer Gregory Porter is an ex-lineman with a blues-infused soul (TheUndefeated.com)
* Shorter, Bridgewater, Kamasi To Headline Detroit Jazz Festival (DownBeat)
* Wayne Shorter, "The Newark Flash," Recalls His Formative Years in the Ironbound and Beyond (WBGO)
* Songwriters ‘More Heavily Regulated Than Pharmaceutical Companies’ and Other Takeaways From ASCAP Expo (Variety)
* How Music on TV Actually Works, According to ‘The Leftovers’ and ‘FNL’ Music Supervisor (Pitchfork.com)
* New Orleans Jazz: Expanding the Tradition (Wall Street Journal)
* Vinyl fantasy: Is the record boom bad for new music? (FactMag.com)
* History of Muzak: Where Did All The Elevator Music Go? (WQXR)
* Those Timeless Tunes of the 1940s, ’60s, and ’80s (PSmag.com)
* Surface Noise (The Paris Review)
* Sylvia Moy, Motown songwriter who wrote hits for Stevie Wonder, dies at 78 (Los Angeles Times)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb (pictured), who's in town this weekend to perform for the Presenters Dolan at the Kranzberg Arts Center, is the subject of two preview stories in local media - one written by Terry Perkins for the St. Louis Beacon, the other by Calvin Wilson for the Post-Dispatch.

* Speaking of cabaret, here's a review of St. Louis native Craig Rubano's performance last weekend at the Kranzberg, written by Chuck Lavazzi for KDHX.

* Jazz St. Louis now has a slideshow and recap of their recent benefit gala up on their website.

* Reunion Revolution, a new store selling vinyl records, art, antiques and collectibles, has opened in the New Town area of St. Charles.

* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts is sponsoring a workshop about mediation at 7:00 p.m. next Monday, March 21 at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. The workshop is intended to teach members of arts community about a "non-litigious way to resolve conflicts" that is "voluntary, confidential, fast and affordable." The registration fee for the workshop is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Get more information at www.vlaa.org or by calling 314-863-6930.

Jazz this week: Ray Brown Tribute, Galactic, Jimmy Webb, Latin and East Indian rhythms meet jazz, and more

The jazz and creative music calendar this week in St. Louis offers a variety of stylistic approaches, from a tribute to a beloved mainstream bassist to shows mixing jazz with funk, Latin and East Indian sounds, electronica, and more.

Fans of bop and swing naturally will gravitate toward the Ray Brown Tribute that begins tonight and continues through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Headed by Brown's protege, bassist Christian McBride, and featuring pianist Benny Green and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, the trio pays tribute to Brown as composer as well as to his bass playing with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson that helped set the standard on his instrument for the post-WWII era and beyond. For more about Brown and some video samples of the tribute trio in action, see this post from last Saturday.

Also tonight, saxophonist Dave Cheli, multi-intrumentalist John Covelli and drummer Martino Covelli (John's son) debut a new project called The Name Of This Band Is at The Gramophone. They'll be doing a live recording session at the club for the next three Wednesdays, laying down original tunes that - Talking Heads reference in their name notwithstanding - Covelli describes as being in a funk/fusion style.

Tomorrow night, the New Orleans funk/jazz band Galactic (pictured) returns to The Pageant, this time bringing along special guests Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers and Corey Henry of the Rebirth Brass Band. Mike Gordon will open, and given that this is being billed as a "special show" by both acts, the Phish bassist seems likely to join Galactic and friends to jam a bit as well.

Also on Thursday, famed songwriter Jimmy Webb begins a three-night run of his cabaret show for the Presenters Dolan at the Kranzberg Arts Center. The performance features Webb singing, playing piano and telling stories about his many hit songs, which range from the wistful country hit "Wichita Lineman" to the melodramatic pop bombast "MacArthur Park" and beyond. Given the limited seating capacity of the room, advance reservations would seem to be a must. For more about what Webb has been up to recently, see this interview with him published last fall by the Onion's AV Club.

On Friday, the eclectic Chicago-based guitarist Fareed Haque brings his new electronica-influenced band MathGames to 2720 Cherokee, headlining a bill that also include saxophonist Dave Stone's trio, and Hot House Sessions with special guest guitarist Dave Black.

Also on Friday, Latin-jazz band Musica Slesa will perform on a triple bill with the Aakash Mittal Quartet and Les Filles du Jazz in the Sheldon Concert Hall ballroom. Mittal is an alto saxophonist from Boulder, CO who combines jazz with East Indian musical meters, rhythmic cycles, and raga-informed melodies; Les Filles du Jazz is the Francophone name for a collaboration between singer Carmen Emborski and pianist Heather Bosshardt.

On Saturday, saxophonist Stan Coleman will bring his University Big Band back to Robbie's House of Jazz, and on Sunday, the Funky Butt Brass Band is doing a free concert at Second Baptist Church in Richmond Heights for the St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers Series.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday BB's Jazz Blues and Soups has pianist Dave Becherer's trio and on Tuesday, Robbie's presents 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.)

Jimmy Webb to perform for Presenters Dolan's upcoming cabaret series

The Presenters Dolan have announced a new schedule of cabaret shows to be presented in February and March at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

The upcoming series' best known performer is singer and songwriter Jimmy Webb (pictured), who will play the Kranzberg from Thursday, March 17 through Saturday, March 19.

Webb, the Grammy Award winning writer of 1960s vintage pop hits such as "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," "Didn't We" and "MacArthur Park", will be singing his own songs and "telling stories about them and the people who sang them over the years." Webb should have some interesting stories to tell, as his tunes have been recorded by an extraordinarily diverse group of performers, including Glen Campbell, the actor Richard Harris, Rosemary Clooney, Michael Feinstein, Frank Sinatra, Nanci Griffith, Linda Ronstadt, Judy Collins, Elvis Presley, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson.

The performers for the other four shows all have a St. Louis connection. The husband and wife team of pianist Joe Dreyer and singer/actress Rosemary Watts will open the series on Friday, February 11 and Saturday, February 12 with their new show "Crazy Relationships - Love in Many Aspects," supported by Scott Alberici on clarinet and Dave Troncoso on bass.

St. Louis native Craig Pomranz is up next, returning home for performances on Friday, February 18 and Saturday, February 19. Pomranz' show is directed by Ron Cohen, with Stephen Bocchino as musical director.

Pianist Carol Schmidt then takes the stage on Friday, February 25 and Saturday, February 26, accompanied by Ric Vice on bass and a lineup of guest singers including Robert Breig, Michele Isam, and Dionna Raedeke. Schmidt's show will include several originals from her forthcoming CD The Significance of Scenery, which she plans to release this fall.

Roundin out the series is St. Louis native, actor and singer Craig Rubano, whose show "We Can Be Kind: Songs of Passion, Songs of Hope" will run Thursday, March 10 through Saturday, March 12. Rubano's show includes songs from writers such as Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, with Beth Ertz as music director and accompanist.

Tickets range in price from $20 for Schmidt's performances to up to $55 for preferred seating for Jimmy Webb, and are on sale now online at licketytix.com.