Dave Koz holiday tour booked for Tuesday, December 11 at Family Arena

Saxophonist Dave Koz is bringing his 2018 Christmas tour to the St. Louis area for a performance on Tuesday, December 11 at the Family Arena.

This is the 21st year that Koz (pictured) has done a holiday-themed tour, and for this year's edition, his "special guests" will include saxophonist and singer Mindi Abair, guitarist and singer Jonathan Butler, and keyboard player Keiko Matsui.

Tickets are priced from $50 to $90 (plus service charges), and there's also a "VIP Experience" for $198 per person.

Tickets will go on sale at noon this Friday, September 7, but there's also a presale beginning at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, September 6, and continuing until 10:00 p.m. tomorrow night. To get in on the presale, go to the the Metrotix website and when prompted, use promo code HORNS.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Previewing the Gateway Jazz Festival

This week, let's take a look at some videos of the musicians who will be performing at the Gateway Jazz Festival, which will take place next Saturday, July 21 at the Chesterfield Amphitheater. Now in its second year, the festival will present a day-long program of contemporary jazz and R&B performers.

Here's a collection of recent clips featuring those artists, starting with the headliner, saxophonist Boney James, who can be seen up above performing "Tick Tock" in November 2017 at The Wave/Honda Soundstage in Los Angeles.

After the jump, you can see R&B vocalist Will Downing in an excerpt from his set in May of this year at the ATL Soul Life festival in Atlanta.

Next up is trumpeter Cindy Bradley, performing "Lifted" in January 2018 at the restaurant and music venue South in Philadelphia.

Then it's singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, playing "Living My Dream"  in january at the 2018 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Anaheim, CA.

That's followed by a clip of keyboardist Alex Bugnon, performing his version of War's 1970s hit "The World Is A Ghetto," also recorded last year at South.

Finally, there are videos of the two St. Louis musicians who will be opening the show, both recorded by the prolific St. Louis videographer James Ross (aka JRoss-TV).

Saxophonist Tim Cunningham is featured in the sixth clip, performing "That's What I Like" in a show earlier this year at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and pianist Mike Silverman is seen in the seventh and final clip, showing off the new Steinway piano acquired earlier this year by his Clayton Studios facility.

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Kirk Whalum's "Gospel According to Jazz" set for Sunday, December 10 at Friendly Temple

Saxophonist Kirk Whalum is bringing his "A Gospel According to Jazz Christmas" concert back to St. Louis for a performance at 7:00 p.m. Sunday,  December 10 at the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church

Whalum (pictured) released his first "Gospel According to Jazz" recording back in 1998, with three more albums added to the series over the years, and began touring the Christmas show in 2012. This year's edition also will feature singer and guitarist Jonathan Butler, singers Sheléa, John Stoddart and Kevin Whalum (who is Kirk's brother), and special guests.

Tickets for the concert are priced at $20 balcony, $35 floor, and $50 for VIP seating, and are on sale now via the Friendly Temple office and bookstore and online.

Jazz this week: Kenny Barron & Mulgrew Miller, Jonathan Butler, Phil Perry, and more

This week's schedule of jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes several shows featuring keyboard players, starting tonight when pianists Kenny Barron and Mulgrew Miller (pictured) begin a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro.

Both men are considered to be among the top piano players in mainstream jazz , and being able to hear them together, working out on a pair of nine-foot Steinway grands, is a rare opportunity. For more about Miller and Barron, and some videos of both performing, see this post.

Also tonight, singer Erin Bode and her band perform downtown at the recently re-opened Copia Urban Winery, which hasn't featured much live music yet but would certainly be a welcome addition to the mix in the area.

Thursday night is a bit sparse this week, as the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University is beginning an unexplained, mid-semester two-week hiatus. The series will return on October 7 with a concert by saxophonist Nicole Johänntgen.

On Friday, singer and guitarist Jonathan Butler will perform at 560 Music Center, with saxophonist Tim Cunningham opening the show. For more about Butler, see this post from Saturday.

Also on Friday, Robbie's House of Jazz has keyboard player Marvin F. Cockrell and his band Focus, whicle on Saturday, the club will feature keyboardist Brock Walker's quartet in a tribute to Sarah Vaughan.

On Sunday, Good 4 The Soul has an early evening show at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday pianist Kim Portnoy and his Big Band will play a concert at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium, and BB's has the return of bassist David Certain's CertainBeat WorldBop.

On Tuesday, singer Phil Perry, who got his start here in St. Louis as a member of the yesteryear vocal group the Montclairs, will be back in his hometown to perform a free outdoor concert at the Missouri History Museum as part of the Museum's Twilight Tuesdays series

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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Jonathan Butler

This week, our video spotlight is on singer and guitarist Jonathan Butler, who's coming to St. Louis next Friday, September 24 for a concert at the 560 Music Center in University City. The concert, which is part of the festivities surrounding the annual Gateway Classic college football game next weekend, will feature St. Louis saxophonist Tim Cunningham as opening act.

A native of South Africa, Butler makes music with a sound that could be termed smooth jazz, R&B or adult pop, depending on your perspective, along with lyrics that often come from a spiritual or religious perspective. He first gained recognition outside his home country during the 1980s while living in the UK, and has continued to cultivate a diverse following in the US, Europe and South Africa. His most recent CD is So Strong, which came out earlier this year.

The first video up top shows Butler covering Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry." In the window down below, Butler plays his own "Dancing On The Shore" (after giving his drummer and bass player a chance to jam a bit) and below that, he duets with his daughter Jodie on a version of the Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway hit "Where Is The Love?" The fourth video is a short promotional film/mini-documentary on a trip Butler recently took back to South Africa.

Notes from the Net: Bitches Brew turns 40; new CDs from Vijay Iyer and The Bad Plus; plus news, reviews, interviews, and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* We start, as usual, with some Miles Davis news, much of it related in some way to this year's 40th anniversary re-release of Bitches Brew. The website LAist has a look at a panel discussion on the 40th anniversary of Bitches Brew at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, featuring saxophonist Bennie Maupin, who played on the sessions; actor Don Cheadle, who's set to portray the trumpeter in the proposed film biography; Davis's nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr. and his son, Erin Davis; and others.

On a similar note, the New York Times' Ben Ratliff devoted a good part of recent podcast to Miles and the recording of Bitches Brew. In somewhat-related news, here's a beer enthusiast's review of the new Bitches Brew ale, the brewers of which claim Miles as inspiration. Lastly, Miles Davis Online recently asked readers to pick their favorites from a gallery of Davis' album covers.

* Following up on some recent visitors to St. Louis, guitarist Pat Metheny's Orchestrion Tour, which played here in May at the Touhill, is set to resume in October for 19 more shows, mostly in the northeast US.

* Meanwhile, bassist Christian McBride and his band Inside Straight, including St. Louis' own Peter Martin on piano, recently were featured on NPR's Jazz Set. McBride and Martin did a duo concert last Saturday at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and the bassist will be back here in March for a Ray Brown tribute at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Speaking of Martin, he and fellow MAXJAZZ recording artists Russell Malone and Romero Lubambo will perform this weekend with vocalist Dianne Reeves at the 53rd annual Monterey Jazz Festival. Malone will be at the Bistro next month to celebrate his upcoming release on the St. Louis-based MAXJAZZ, while Lubambo will play with Martin at the Sheldon in December.
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* In other news of coming attractions, singer and guitarist Jonathan Butler recently was featured on CNN. Butler will be in St. Louis next Friday for a concert at the 560 Music Center.

* Singer Jane Monheit just did an interview with Jazz Times discussing the Great American Songbook and her favorite contemporary composers. Monheit comes back to St. Louis in December for four nights at the Bistro.

* Also on the road right now are pianists Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Barron, seen here together at the Detroit Jazz Festival; singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli, who just did a Duke Ellington-themed show at Scullers in Boston; and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, who were just in Indiana at Goshen College. Miller and Barron are here next week at the Bistro; Pizzarelli will return to St. Louis in April to play the Sheldon, and the PHJB will perform with the Del McCoury Band in October at the Family Arena in St. Charles.

* Pianist Vijay Iyer's new solo CD was featured on NPR's "Piano Jazz," reviewed in DownBeat and on the blog Music and More, and served as impetus for a feature about Iyer in the Wall Street Journal. Iyer will be in St. Louis with the Golden Quartet in November for a New Music Circle-sponsored concert at the 560 Music Center.

* Speaking of new records, The Bad Plus' latest album Never Stop is out this week, and already has been featured on NPR and on the website Spinner, and reviewed by Music and More. They'll be back in St. Louis in January to kick off the new year at Jazz at the Bistro.

* In other recording news, the band Yellowjackets have signed a deal with Mack Avenue Records. The 'Jackets, with drummer Will Kennedy back in the fold after the departure last year of St. Louis native Marcus Baylor, will return to St. Louis in April to play at the Bistro.

* Also, Rebirth Brass Band (pictured) have signed with Basin Street Records, also home to trumpeter, singer and St. Louis native Jeremy Davenport and many other jazz artists. The label "worked with Rebirth from the sidelines" in 2005 on Throwback, an album that reunited the band with founding member and now labelmate Kermit Ruffins. Rebirth are expected to release their first album on Basin Street in February 2011. They'll be in St. Louis on Thursday October 7 to perform at The Gramophone.

* Finally, those with an interest in unusual musical instruments and/or extended instrumental techniques may enjoy this recent New York Times piece about "Robert Dick's Glissando Headjoint and Other Inventions"

Jonathan Butler to play Friday, September 24 at 560 Music Center

Guitarist and singer Jonathan Butler (pictured) is coming back to St. Louis to perform on Friday, September 24 at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave. in University City.

Butler was here most recently in April, 2009, when he was part of the Jazz Attack tour that played the Pageant. His show at the 560 Music Center will be part of the festivities surrounding the annual St. Louis Gateway Classic college football game.

Show time will be at 8:00 PM, and tickets will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Wednesday, July 21 via Metrotix. Tickets are priced at $125 and $100 for VIP seating, with regular tickets available for $75, $40 and $25.

Jazz this week: Jazz Attack, Greg Osby with Willie Akins, Wee Trio, Gutbucket, NIU Jazz Ensemble with Benny Golson, and more

It's the beginning of a couple of busy weeks for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with plenty of competition for the time, attention and dollars of music fans from a number of touring musicians as well as local acts. In particular, this weekend's lineup features several stellar saxophonists playing in a variety of musical contexts, from smooth jazz and R&B to post-bop to big band. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, the 2009 edition of the popular Jazz Attack smooth jazz tour, featuring saxophonist Richard Elliot, trumpeter Rick Braun and singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, stops at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

Also this evening, The Wee Trio, a Brooklyn, NY-based group that features St. Louis expat Dan Loomis on bass and has drawn comparisons to The Bad Plus and Medeski, Martin and Wood, will do a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and the St. Louis Jazz Cafe features smooth jazz saxophonist Readus Miller .

In addition, saxophonist and St. Louis native Greg Osby (pictured), who's in town this week for an educational residency and performances for Jazz St. Louis, and JSL education director Phil Dunlap will present "Understanding The Blues," another class in JSL's "Jazz 101" series, at Jazz at the Bistro.

On Friday, Osby's "St. Louis Shoes," a multi-generational project featuring Osby, his band, special guest saxophonist Willie Akins, and student saxophonists recruited from local schools, opens a two-night run at the Bistro. Also on Friday, the NYC-based "punk/jazz" band Gutbucket plays at the Mad Art Gallery, and the St. Louis Jazz Cafe features Trio Tres Bien.

Then on Saturday night, Osby continues at the Bistro; the multi-woodwind playing Bosman Twins will perform at the Jazz Cafe; and singer Kim Massie will be at Brandt's.

Moving on to Sunday afternoon, the Northern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble, directed by saxophonist Ronald Carter and featuring as special guest the legendary saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, will perform in a benefit show at the Sheldon Concert Hall

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday the Jazz St. Louis CD Listening Club will have its April meeting, this month featuring singer Jeanne Trevor and JSL executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford in a discussion of the recording The Audience With Betty Carter. Later that evening, the "West Coast" jazz-inspired band Utter Chaos plays at The Gramophone.

As usual, these are just some of the noteworthy shows happening around St. Louis this week, so to see more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, please visit 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.)

Jazz Attack tickets now on sale

The Pollstar item cited here last month can now be considered officially confirmed, as tickets are now on sale for the Jazz Attack show scheduled for Thursday, April 9 at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

Tickets for the show, which will feature trumpeter Rick Braun, saxophonist Richard Elliot and singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, are priced at $45 and $50 and are available at the casino box office, online at Ameristar.com or Tickets.com or via phone by calling 1-877-444-2637.

Pollstar: Jazz Attack to hit Ameristar's Bottleneck Blues Bar on Thursday, April 9

The online tour information Pollstar has added a listing indicating that the "Jazz Attack" smooth jazz package tour, headlined this year by saxophonist Richard Elliot, trumpeter Rick Braun, and singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler (pictured), will come to the St. Louis metro area for a concert on Thursday, April 9 at the Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

Braun and Elliot were in St. Louis last summer on their "R&R" tour to perform at The Pageant, which also has hosted previous editions of the Jazz Attack show. This would be the first jazz show of 2009 for the Bottleneck Blues Bar, which brought in saxophonist Boney James last year.

There's no mention of the concert yet on the casino's Web site, so, as with all Pollstar listings, this should be considered tentative until it is officially confirmed by the venue. However, the show is showing up on the itinerary pages of both Braun and Elliot's individual sites, along with a gig the next night at Ameristar's Kansas City casino, so it seems likely to happen.

Guitars and Saxes, Jazz Attack set for summer dates at the Pageant

The Pageant has just announced return dates this summer for two smooth jazz package shows.

On Sunday, June 24, the popular "Guitars and Saxes" show comes back to the venue with a lineup featuring saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum (pictured), guitarist Jeff Golub and guitarist/vocalist Tim Bowman. Then on Friday, July 20, it's another "Jazz Attack," with trumpeter Rick Braun, singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, saxophonist Richard Elliot and guitarist Peter White.

Both concerts are being presented by smooth jazz radio personality and impresario Rick Sanborn under the "Smooth Summer Party" banner, and as with past events he's promoted, there are special prices for ticket buyers who want to attend both shows: $80 for reserved VIP seating, or $60 for reserved main floor/balcony seats.

Single tickets for either show individually will be $35 each for reserved main floor/balcony seating and $45 each for reserved VIP seating. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. this Friday, April 6 via The Pageant box office and at all Ticketmaster outlets.

(Edited after posting to add a tag.)