So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Euclid Records has completed their move to new digs and is now open for business at 19 N. Gore in Webster Groves, as documented by the local edition of Patch.com.

* The fifth part of Dennis Owsley's documentary on St. Louis jazz history will air during his program "Jazz Unlimited" at 9:00 p.m. this Sunday on KWMU (90.7 FM). This installment covers the Gaslight Square period of the late 1950s and 1960s, and features music from Sammy Gardner, Singleton Palmer, Muggsy Sprecher, the St. Louis Ragtimers, Ceil Clayton, Clea Bradford, Jeanne Trevor and the Quartet Tres Bien, and others, plus interviews with Jeter Thompson, Norman Menne and Joe Buerger. Previous installments can be heard online on KWMU's website.

* Erin Bode (pictured) is the subject of a new episode of HEC-TV's program A Conversation With..., which features a half-hour long interview with the singer.

* Alarm Will Sound has posted to their Facebook page an album of photos from last week's performance of 1969 at the Touhill, plus a video from the show of bassist/guitarist Miles Brown re-creating a Hendrix-at-Woodstock style version of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

* Speaking of videos, here's a clip of electronic musician Joe Raglani performing last weekend at mushmaus.

* And speaking of photosets, here's one from the Dave Dickey Big Band's performance on Sunday at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

* Also, via KDHX, here are some photos of the show by guitarist Bill Frisell and his band Beautiful Dreamers last Sunday at the Old Rock House.

* Pianist and bandleader Kevin Mitchell has been named editorial director of a group of music magazines including Musical Merchandise Review (MMR), School Band & Orchestra (SBO), JAZZed, and Choral Director. Mitchell is a longtime freelance contributor to publications run by the magazines' new owners, Timeless Communication Corp.

* St. Louis University and the Kwame Foundation are sponsoring a jazz composition competition for high school seniors in the St. Louis area. Entry deadline is September 1, and you can get the details here.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* New Music Circle has posted on Facebook an album of photos from last Saturday's concert by the Kris Davis Quintet at 560 Music Center.

* And speaking of photo albums, the Sheldon Concert Hall added a photo album to their Facebook page featuring pix of last Friday's performance by Denise Thimes and Bucky Pizzarelli.

* Trumpeter Terence Blanchard has been in St. Louis all this week, taking part in various activities related to Opera Theatre of St. Louis' production this summer of his opera Champion.

Tonight at 5:30 p.m., Blanchard, baritone Aubrey Allicock, and pianist Peter Martin will be at Hamburger Mary’s Attic Rooftop Lounge, 3037 Olive, for “Meet the Composer: A Young Professionals Happy Hour.” The event sponsored by the Young Friends of OTSL and Jazz St. Louis will include drinks, appetizers and a sampling of the opera’s music. During his stay in St. Louis, the trumpeter also was interviewed on KWMU's Cityscape program.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake was interviewed by the Houston Press before a Trio 3 gig there last week, and spent some time discussing his work with the Black Artist Group in St. Louis as well as his current projects.

* Singer Kurt Elling's concert last week at Kansas City's Gem Theater was reviewed for the Kansas City Star by Bill Brownlee (who also blogs about KC jazz at Plastic Sax). Elling (pictured) will be in St. Louis next week to perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Electronic musician Joe Raglani's latest release was reviewed by PopMatters.com.

* The list of recent podcasts posted at the Mel Bay website includes one featuring guitarist Lionel Loueke, who's coming to St. Louis in May to play at the Bistro.

* Guitarist Bill Frisell, who will be here in April to play at the Old Rock House, was was featured this past week on NPR's "Jazz Set."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The electronic music duo Caboladies, who will perform next Friday at the White Flag Projects gallery in a concert presented by New Music Circle, were interviewed by St. Louis magazine's Stefene Russell.

* Reid Anderson, bassist for The Bad Plus, talked briefly about the group's new album Made Possible with the Post's Calvin Wilson. TBP will be back in St. Louis next Wednesday through Saturday to play at Jazz at the Bistro. 

* Saxquest has posted to their Facebook page a set of photos from the Jazz Education Network (JEN) conference, held earlier this month in Atlanta.

* The Tavern of Fine Arts is the subject of a short feature story from the Post-Dispatch's Sarah Bryan Miller.

* One of singer Gregory Porter's Sunday night sets at Jazz at the Bistro was reviewed by KDHX's Wil Wander. Also in the audience that same evening was publicist/producer Madeline Dames, who was kind enough to share the photo above of Porter and his drummer, St. Louis native Emanuel Harrold, as well as this remembrance:

"On Sunday evening I snuck down to Jazz at the Bistro for the last set of Gregory Porter's show. As excited as I was to hear Gregory perform, I was just as enthusiastic to see Emanuel Harrold on drums."

"Emanuel and his brother Keyon were second set regulars during my tenure at the Bistro. "Back in the day" students could come in for second sets for just $10 and the smart ones took advantage of this. Fast forward to 2013, both Emanuel and Keyon are a part of the Grammy-nominated "Be Good". And I can't help but think how much Barbara Rose would have LOVED this part of the story! Something tells me she's enjoying the show from her listening room in the sky."

* Saxophonist and former St. Louisan David Sanborn and keyboardist Bob James (who grew up in the northwest Missouri town of Marshall) are among first musicians to sign to the reborn OKeh label, newly revived under Sony Masterworks.

* Singer and actor Ken Page, the St. Louis native who was part of the original Broadway casts of Ain't Misbehavin' and Cats, is back in town directing Upstream Theater’s production of his musical play Café Chanson, which runs this weekend at the Kranzberg Arts Center. Read a short interview with Page by the St. Louis Beacon's Nancy Fowler here.

* Electronic musician Joe Raglani was interviewed on the website AdHoc.fm.

* Lindy Hop St. Louis has posted online a Facebook photo album from January's West End Stomp swing dance and a video of some of the entrants in the evening's dance contest.

* The Gramophone is looking to hire an audio engineer. They're looking for someone with three years of experience in live sound and (preferably) some sort of degree in audio engineering. Pay is $13 an hour; you can see details of the job here. Reply with resume, letter of interest and written references via email to mattkeune@gmail.com, or by mail to The Gramophone, 4243 Manchester Ave, St. Louis MO, 63110.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* With the 30th anniversary of his first broadcast on KWMU coming up in the new year, radio host, author and photographer Dennis Owsley last weekend was the subject of a profile written for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch/STLtoday.com by Steve Giegerich.

* Legendary trumpeter Clark Terry has posted a message of holiday greetings on his blog.

* Drummer Dave Weckl (pictured) was interviewed by drummer/podcaster Joe Crabtree about his sound, the craft of recording, and his new crowd-funded album project with keyboardist Jay Oliver.

* The new downtown music venue Voce is the subject of a feature story by the Post's Kevin Johnson.

* Electronic musician Joe Raglani's new album Real Colors of the Physical World was reviewed by the Riverfront Times' Christian Schaeffer.

* Drummer Montez Coleman will ring in the new year playing with saxophonist Sherman Irby at Jazz at Lincoln Center's new club in Doha, Qatar. Irby's group, which also features trombonist Vince Gardner, pianist Ricky Germanson, and bassist Gerald Cannon, will be featured next Thursday, January 3 in a live webcast on JALC's web site.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Miles Davis Online's Jeffrey Hyatt has a new post up looking at the current state of the Miles Davis biopic starring Don Cheadle.

* Meanwhile, Columbia Legacy has announced the January release of Miles Davis Quintet Live In Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2.

* A short essay on the Blue Note Records site about guitarist Grant Green (pictured) spotlights some of the recordings the St. Louis native made for the Blue Note label.

* Electronic musician Joseph Raglani is all over the famed indie music site Pitchfork.com this week, with a review of his new album Real Colors of the Physical World and a music video of "Trampoline Dream."

* Jazz St. Louis has posted on their Facebook page some photos documenting saxophonist Chris Potter's second set on Wednesday at Jazz at the Bistro. Potter continues at the Bistro through tomorrow night.

* Music from flute player Fred Tompkins and pianist Jim Hegarty is featured on the latest installment of Taran Singh's Free Jazz Hour podcast.

* The city of Sedalia needs $4,000 to restore a mural commemorating pianist and composer Scott Joplin.

* Fundrasising for the proposed National Blues Museum in downtown St. Louis got a jumpstart this week with the announcement of a $6 million gift from Pinnacle Entertainment Inc., which operates the Lumière Place casino downtown and River City casino in Lemay. The gift, part of more than $11 million given to organizations in the the city, fulfills part of the redevelopment agreement between Pinnacle and St. Louis. Coverage from local media included stories from the Post-Dispatch and St. Louis Business Journal.

* The December episode of HEC-TV's I Love Jazz, featuring music from saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett recorded live this past summer at the Missouri Botanical Garden, is airing now on the cable network (check the program guide for your TV provider) and also is available for viewing online.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* St. Louis magazine's Stefene Russell has written a short preview of tonight's New Music Circle Showcase concert, and the Riverfront Times' Christian Schaffer has an interview with electronic musician Joe Raglani, who's one of the the featured performers at the NMC event.

* JazzTimes has put up another segment of a video interview with saxophonist Bobby Watson (pictured), who's playing this weekend at Robbie's House of Jazz.

* The Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson interviewed Denise Thimes about her Mother's Day show at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

* The East St. Louis High School Jazz Band is the subject of a brief article by the Belleville News-Democrat's Carolyn P. Smith. The band and their special guest, trumpeter Russell Gunn, will play a fundraising concert this coming Monday at the Sheldon.

* In his latest blog entry for St. Louis magazine, Dennis Owsley reflects on thirty years of hosting a jazz radio program.

* The PNC Foundation has donated $500,000 to St. Louis area arts organizations; among the lucky recipients are Jazz St. Louis and the Sheldon, each of which will receive $30,000.

* The history of jazz and blues in St. Louis recently was the subject of an episode of the syndicated public radio program The New Jazz Archive.

* Want to see some party pics of people who attended the Bela Fleck and The Flecktones concert in March at the Sheldon? Well, Town and Style magazine has got 'em.

Jazz this week: "A Night of Jazz Greats" with Clark Terry; Eastern Blok; free outdoor concerts; and more

Vacation season is winding down, and there are a number of noteworthy jazz and creative music performances over the next few days in St. Louis, including several free concerts. Let's take a look at the shows in chronological order:

Tonight, saxophonist Willie Akins and his group will give a free concert as part of a city-sponsored series at O'Fallon Park.

On Friday evening, the Chicago-based ensemble Eastern Blok will perform in the Saint Louis Art Museum's Grigg Gallery in a free show that's part of the Museum’s "Art After 5" series. That same night, Jazz St. Louis is holding a fundraiser spotlighting the work of local artist Russell Kraus at Jazz at the Bistro.

The biggest event of the weekend is on Saturday, when "A Night of Jazz Greats" comes to Harris-Stowe State University. The concert, which benefits the Wolff Jazz Institute at Harris-Stowe, will feature trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry (pictured) along with an all-star band including trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, tenor saxophonist Houston Person, trumpeter Randy Sandke, drummer and vibes player Chuck Redd, pianist Rossano Sportiello, bassist and singer Nicki Parrott, and drummer Eddie Locke, as well as St. Louisans Jim Widner on bass and Denise Thimes on vocals. For more on the event, Clark Terry, and the other musicians who will be performing, see these two posts.

Also on Saturday, there's a triple bill of electronic and experimental music at Open Lot, 1310 South 18th Street, featuring two acts from southern California - the cello and electronics duo Pedestrian Deposit and solo ambient electronics performer Infinite Body (aka Kyle Parker) - plus St. Louis electronic musician Joe Raglani, who, after getting his equipment stolen on tour earlier this year, has assembled a new arsenal of machines.

Update - 8;30 p.m., 8/27/09: Just got an email from Open Lot saying that Infinite Body will not be performing, so Saturday night's bill now includes Pedestrian Deposit; "power drone" group Earn (aka Privy Seals); St. Louis' The Lonely Procession; and "if you're lucky, a collaboration between RAGLANI (St. Louis) and TREETOPS!"

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday the Missouri History Museum's Twilight Tuesdays series features a free outdoor concert from singer Denise Thimes.

For more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar. However, note that if you look more a couple weeks into the future, you'll see that last week's promised mega-update of the calendar has yet to happen. There are several reasons for for the delay which will become clear in the very near future, but in the meantime, please be patient and know that there is indeed work going on to bring you an improved and up-to-date calendar of St. Louis jazz events.

Benefit for Joe Raglani this Saturday, May 30 at White Flag Projects

Via the fine folks at the Open Lot performance space, news comes that St. Louis electronic musician Joe Raglani recently had thousands of dollars worth of equipment stolen while on tour in Brooklyn, NY. To help Raglani recover from the loss, friends and fans are throwing a benefit party at 9:00 p.m. this Saturday, May 30 at White Flag Projects, 4568 Manchester Ave. Here's the official press release:

"For the first four months of this year, local electronic musician Joe Raglani (Kranky Records, 2008 RFT Experimental Musician of the Year) prepared for his first cross-country tour by selling off multiple pieces of equipment and much of his music library, relentlessly producing and recording new material, and scheduling and booking the tour by himself. With the funds, he bought three vintage synths and two new amplifiers, put together some tour-only CDs and tee-shirts, and rented a van, presuming the tour would pay for itself and give him enough money to get home.

In the early morning of Sunday, May 16th, one night after playing a set at the No Fun Fest in Brooklyn, Joe stepped away from the van to get some food, and a professional thief broke in and stole nearly $10K worth of equipment, much of it custom-tweaked, which took over a decade to assemble. This included the laptop onto which Joe had ripped much of the music he'd sold to buy the synths and amps, which were among the gear stolen. Caught in the act while loading the last piece of equipment into his car, the thief tried to run Joe over. When Joe told the cops that he wasn't able to get a license plate number because of this, they laughed.

This Saturday, May 30th, we will attempt to redress this wrong as best we can, in the only appropriate way: by throwing a big party.

DJS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR SO FAR:
GHOST ICE
ASHLEY VULTURE (ATOMIC COWBOY)
D-GRETS (FOUND FUTURE, UPSTAIRS LOUNGE)
RAGLANI (THE VICTIM)
MATT LEACH (DIRTY MONEY, UPSTAIRS LOUNGE)
ONE VISION
JOHN TAMM-BUCKLE

SPINNING EVERYTHING FROM GARAGE ROCK TO MINIMAL SYNTH, NEW WAVE TO NEW JACK SWING, ELECTRO AND DUB TO HAPPY HARDCORE AND IDM.

SCHLAFLY KEGS, CUP INCLUDED IN DOOR FEE; $1 CANS FROM STEVE POWERS' POUR BOX. RAFFLE, DONATED ARTWORK AND MERCH.

MAY 30th, 9PM @ WHITE FLAG PROJECTS . $10-$15 STRONGLY SUGGESTED DONATION (IT'S A BENEFIT, Y'ALL).
spookyinfo@gmail.com FOR MORE INFO, OR TO VOLUNTEER SERVICES, ARTWORK, OR SUGGESTIONS."

Rose, Speer and Raglani to perform at Open Lot this Sunday, April 27

This just in: The arts collective and performance space Open Lot is presenting a concert at 9 p.m. tomorrow, Sunday, April 27, featuring touring musicians Jack Rose (pictured) and D. Charles Speer and an opening set from St. Louis-based multi-instrumentalist Joe Raglani.

Rose is a Philadelphia guitarist whose sound is described as having made the journey from electric noise/drone music to "acoustic maximalism", while D. Charles Speer is the nom de musique of NYC singer/guitarist Dave Shuford, who blends influences from folk, blues and experimental music. Open Lot is located at 1310 S. 18th Street, and admission to the Rose/Speer/Raglani concert is $10.

(Edited after posting to add the photo. Edited again to correct the ticket price. )