So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Shirley Bradley LeFlore, St. Louis poet laureate and member of the Black Artists Group who performed throughout her career with the city's jazz and creative musicians, died this past Sunday, May 12. She was 79 years old.

Formerly married to the late trumpeter Floyd LeFlore, she performed and/or recorded at various times with musicians including her ex-husband, saxophonists Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett, J.D. Parran and Don Byron, pianist Ptah Williams, trumpeter George Sams, and more. Ms. Bradley LeFlore's funeral will take place today (Friday, May 17), with a visitation at 11:00 a.m. followed by services at noon at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust St. downtown.

* Drummer Dave Weckl (pictured) was interviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Jim Worsley.

* Singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina Saputo is releasing a new album, St. Lost, that comes out today, and was interviewed Monday about the recording and her career by KSDK's Art Holliday.

* The new documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool was the subject of a review/reminiscence by FYIMusicNews' Bill King.

* Speaking of Miles Davis, a 1979 interview with pianist Bill Evans unheard for 40 years has re-surfaced online, in which Evans discusses his work with Davis and the recording sessions for the trumpeter's landmark album Kind of Blue.

* And speaking of Birth of the Cool, an article in DownBeat has more details on the new LP box set Complete Birth of the Cool Sessions, which will be released on Friday, June 7.

* Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris' shows this weekend at Jazz St. Louis are previewed in an article by Kevin Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and in an interview with Harris published on the Jazz St. Louis website.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* A tribute to Ella Fitzgerald by singer Anita Jackson (pictured), set for Saturday, February 2 at The Sheldon, is previewed in a short article by St. Louis magazine's Amanda Woytus.

* Opera Theatre of St. Louis is sponsoring a series of events to promote Fire Shut Up In My Bones, the new opera by trumpeter Terence Blanchard that will premiere in June at OTSL.

You can read about the first event, a film screening and talk by the opera's librettist, writer/director and St. Louis native Kasi Lemmons, in this story by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

* Singer and actor Lea DeLaria was a guest Wednesday on KSDK's Show Me St. Louis program. DeLaria performs tonight and tomorrow night at Jazz St. Louis.

* Keyboardist and singer Jesse Gannon talked about his eponymous new album for a story by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The Friends of Scott Joplin are conducting their annual membership drive; find out more on their web site.

* Benjamin Cawthra, the former St. Louisan who in 2001 curated the Missouri History Museum's exhibit "Miles: A Miles Davis Retrospective," writes in a recent blog post about consulting with director Stanley Nelson on Nelson's documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, which premieres this Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival.

* Two local music venues that are experiencing hard times financially are asking the public for help. Foam, the south side spot that serves up coffee, beer and performances ranging from alt-rock to free improv, has set up a GoFundMe page to help keep the doors open after revenue shortfalls in recent months.

Meanwhile, The Focal Point, which in recent years has featured vintage jazz and swing along with folk, bluegrass, singer-songwriters, and Americana, is "faced with the loss of a key subsistence grant and some unexpected expenses." As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, they're able to solicit and accept donations directly via their website.

* The UMSL Symphonic Band is looking for additional woodwind, brass, and percussion players. The band is open to all musicians with at least six years of experience on their instrument, and rehearses under the direction of professor Gary Brandes on Monday evenings starting January 28 at the Lee Theater in the Touhill Performing Arts Center. For information on auditions, contact Brandes by email at brandesg@umsl.edu.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Bassist and Washington University faculty member Paul Steinbeck - author of Message To Our Folks, a history of the Art Ensemble of Chicago - has received the 2018 Steve Larson Award for Jazz Scholarship from the Society for Music Theory's Jazz Interest Group.

* Pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True have released a new album for the holidays called True Christmas. The album (pictured) features True's original arrangements of 14 favorite seasonal songs, and is on sale now as a digital download, with CDs available soon.

* Keyboard player David Grelle was the subject of a feature on the newscast of local NBC affiliate KSDK. Grelle and his group, the Playadors, perform tonight and tomorrow night at Jazz St. Louis.

* This weekend's homecoming of singer Kate McGrath, the St. Louis expat whose show "Aunt of The Year" is a sell-out tonight at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, was the subject of an item by Post-Dispatch columnist Joe Holleman.

* An exhibit of visual art created by trumpeter Miles Davis opened this week at Jackson State University in Jackson, MI. The exhibit, which features 15 of Davis' paintings and photos, continues through November 30.

* Keyboardist and Metro East native David Garfield was interviewed on the Inside Musicast podcast.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Veteran drummer Gary Sykes (pictured), who plays with pianist Ptah Williams' trio, the STL Free Jazz Collective and others, is ailing with heart- and blood-related issues, and has missed some recent gigs and spent time in the hospital as a result.

While he's on the mend, pianist Jim Hegarty, his bandmate in the Collective, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Sykes'  living expenses during his recovery. Find out more and, if you can, donate at https://www.gofundme.com/support-gary-sykes.

* Miles Davis' ex-wife Frances Davis talks about her life before, during and after her marriage to the famed trumpeter in a new 50-minute video documentary.

* Meanwhile, They Say I'm Different, a new documentary film about another of Miles' exes, singer Betty Davis, was covered recently in stories from both The New Yorker and the New York Times.

* A celebration of the legacy of Scott Joplin, held in Queens, NY near where the pianist and composer is buried, was described in a feature story last week in the New York Times.

* Videographer James Ross, known for his YouTube channel featuring up-close recordings of jazz and R&B performances in St. Louis, was the subject of a profile by KSDK's Art Holliday.

* The Kranzberg Arts Foundation has acquired an option to purchase 24 properties in the south St. Louis neighborhood Gravois Park as part of a plan to develop affordable housing and studio space for artists.

* And in a bit of coincidence involving participants in the previous two items, Art Holliday this week also did a story about the Kranzberg Arts Foundation's new artists-in-residence program. 

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Metrotix and the Grandel Theatre are offering a "buy one, get one free" discount on tickets to the concert by trumpeter Terence Blanchard (pictured) on Sunday, May 20 at the Grandel. To take advantage of the offer, go here and use the discount code TBLIVE.

* St. Louis County Library once again is inviting local musicians to participate in "Listen Up STL," which makes original recordings from St. Louis bands and solo performers available for streaming to library patrons. Submissions are being accepted from May 1 through May 31; for details on the program and how to submit, visit the library's website.

* Trumpeter Jim Manley was interviewed last week by KSDK's Art Holliday for a story about Record Store Day.

* On a semi-related note, you can hear tracks from the two new Grant Green recordings released on Record Store Day via last week's episode of WBGO's "The Checkout."

* Pianist and St. Louis native Lawrence Fields can be seen in a new music video for "Libra," a track from the new album by Sound Prints, the quintet co-led by trumpeter Dave Douglas and saxophonist Joe Lovano that also includes Linda May Han Oh on bass and Joey Baron on drums.

* Drummer Dave Weckl will lead a a group of Drum Fantasy Camp students on a tour of Cuba in January of next year. You can see a promotional video for the trip here.

* Singer Chuck Flowers was interviewed on the online radio program "Jazz in the AM."

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold will join pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya for their tribute to Ibrahim's ground-breaking Jazz Epistles this Sunday, April 29 at the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia. Harrold will play the parts originally intended for the late Hugh Masekela, a role that has been filled on Ibrahim's other recent dates by trumpeters Terence Blanchard, Wadada Leo Smith, and, in their show last week here in St. Louis, Freddie Hendrix.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris (pictured) and pianist Kim Portnoy are among this year's group of 10 winners of $20,000 artist fellowships from the Regional Arts Commission.

* Metro Theater Company's production of Bud, Not Buddy, which features a score by trumpeter Terence Blanchard performed live on stage by a 13-piece band, was reviewed by BroadwayWorld.com's Steve Callahan.

In addition, local NBC affiliate KSDK's Show Me St. Louis last week ran a feature about the show, and Jazz St. Louis also has released a short promotional video about the production. "Bud, Not Buddy" continues through Sunday, February 25 at the Grandel Theater.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold's return home last week to play at Jazz at the Bistro was the subject of a column from the St. Louis American's Delores Shante.

* In an interview with the campus newspaper, flute player Oliver Nelson Jr. talked about the concert tonight at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ paying tribute to his father, St. Louis native, saxophonist and composer Oliver Nelson. The university will close its annual jazz festival with a performance of Nelson's works, including his suite "The Kennedy Dream."

* Former St. Louisan Katie McGrath has won the 2018 Bistro Award for "Best New York Debut" for her cabaret show, "Significant Others." The awards were established in 1985 to recognize excellence among cabaret, jazz and comedy artists in NYC. 

* Saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake is part of an all-star lineup of performers taking part in "Timeless Portraits and Dreams: A Festival/Symposium in Honor of Geri Allen" this weekend at Harvard University. The event will include two concerts and two days of panel discussions featuring musicians and artists who worked with Allen, including Lake, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran, Craig Taborn, Don Byron, Carmen Lundy, Kenny Davis, Tia Fuller, and Yosvany Terry.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* New Music Circle will raise money for their upcoming 59th season with "an evening of drinks and DJs" from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 22 at Tick Tock Tavern, 3459 Magnolia Ave in the Tower Grove East neighborhood.

The free event will include raffles for prizes including CDs, LPs, and tickets to upcoming NMC concerts; and a preview of the upcoming season schedule.  Proceeds from drinks purchased during the event will go to support NMC.

* Speaking of season previews, Jazz St. Louis will (re)introduce their upcoming season with a free "preview party" event at 6:00 p.m. next Tuesday, August 8 at Jazz at the Bistro.

JSL's Gene Dobbs Bradford and Bob Bennett will offer their insights into the artist selection and planning process for the year, and complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. Space is limited, so they're asking those who want to attend to RSVP by emailing boxoffice@jazzstl.org or calling 314-571-6000 by tomorrow (Friday, August 4).

* Also from Jazz St. Louis, their monthly book club will resume for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday, September 12 with a discussion of Dorothy Baker's novel Young Man with a Horn.

The group, which is facilitated by Washington University professor Gerald Early, meets on the second Tuesday of each month in the first floor lounge at Jazz St. Louis headquarters, 3536 Washington Ave. There's no charge for membership, and meetings are free to attend. For more details, including the list of books that will be discussed this season, go here.

* In advance of his concert next Thursday, August 10 at Powell Hall, keyboardist Herbie Hancock (pictured) answered some questions from the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Keyboardist/bandleader and writer Kevin Mitchell was profiled by the St. Louis County Arts blog

* Also new from the St. Louis County Arts blog: a brief feature story on the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra.

* Music Record Shop in Grand Center was the subject of a feature story on KSDK-TV's local newscast.

* There's still time to vote in DownBeat magazine's 82nd annual readers poll by casting your online ballot here.  Results of the poll will be published in the mag's December issue.

Miles on Monday: A new campaign to restore Miles Davis' childhood home, and more

This week in Miles Davis news:

* A new campaign to restore Davis' childhood home in East St. Louis will kick off with a fundraising event later this month, according to a post made last week on MilesDavis.com.

Per the invitation reproduced on the site, the event will take place starting at 5:00 p.m. at a private home located at 910 North 87th St. in East St. Louis. There's a notice that "YOUR DONATION IS TAX DEDUCTIBLE!" and just below that, "$500", which presumably is the price of admission. There are no further details about the event included.

Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP no later than this Friday, November 6 via email to houseofmilesstl@gmail.com or by mail to House of Miles East St. Louis, P.O. Box 243, East St Louis, IL 62201.

As documented in 2011 by the Riverfront Times and local NBC affiliate KSDK, the Davis home has been in dire condition since vandals stripped it of aluminum siding, plumbing, and anything else that could be sold for scrap. Photos published last year by a user of Reddit.com show the building in even worse condition than in the KSDK and RFT stories.

The Davis estate, which still owns the property, issued a statement at the time of those 2011 stories (reproduced in full at the KSDK link above) detailing their efforts over the years to secure and maintain the home and concluding, "Miles Davis Properties, LLC has put forth every effort possible to position the home as an historic site; to donate the property to charity and to the City of East St. Louis; and to regularly maintain the home and property from the effects of repeated vandalism."

Since then, there's basically been nothing at all in the news about the home, until last week's word of this new effort, which is being headed by East St. Louis' former mayor and current city manager Alvin Parks. Parks, like many East St. Louis politicians before him, has been a controversial figure, and though a detailed discussion of his terms in office and the past and present political situation in ESL is way beyond the scope of this post, the complete lack of local publicity for a $500-per-person fundraiser being mounted on a short time scale does raise some concerns about the potential viability of the campaign.

For what presumably will have to be a major fund-raising effort, relatively few pieces seem to be in place so far. An online search for "House of Miles East St. Louis" shows that there's a not-for-profit corporation by that name, with the ESL post office box noted above as a return address; and Parks' sister Lauren Parks, who worked as his administrative assistant while he was mayor, in July of this year registered the online domain "houseofmiles.org", though at present there's nothing there except a page of PHP code. There's also a "House of Miles East St. Louis" Facebook page, which as of this writing contains absolutely no information at all about the fundraiser or anything else.

In an ideal world, the Davis property could be preserved, restored and perhaps turned into something along the lines of the Louis Armstrong House Museum in NYC. A similar project now is underway at the former home of saxophonist John Coltrane in Dix Hills, NJ.

Both projects have involved extensive efforts over many years, with attendant publicity both locally and nationally. It seems unlikely that an effort to restore the Davis home can succeed without a similar level of commitment and public awareness. Is this upcoming fundraiser the beginning of a credible long-term effort? Watch this space, as StLJN will be following up on this story...

* Saxophonist and former Davis sideman Dave Liebman shared his liner notes for the reissues of Davis’ albums Dark Magus and Get Up With It.

* The Times of India reviewed the compilation CD The Best of Miles Davis.

* The website Quarto Knows shared an excerpt from the book Miles Davis: The Complete Illustrated History dealing with Davis' early years.

* Opera singer Stephen Costello picked Davis' version of "Bess You Is My Woman" Now to lead off his mix for the "Soundtrack" feature at the website Dinner Party Download.

* Milestones: A Miles Davis Archive has posted to YouTube an audio-only recording of a Davis performance on November 4, 1981 at the Bradford Hotel in Boston. The recording features Davis, saxophonist Bill Evans, guitarist Mike Stern, bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Al Foster, and percussionist Mino Cinelu performing a pretty typical early-80s setlist including "Back Seat Betty," "My Man's Gone Now," "Aida," "Fat Time," and "Jean Pierre".

Edited after posting.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Following up on a story from last week, artist Ray Harvey has completed his mural of the late trumpeter Clark Terry on a building in the Carondelet neighborhood, and St. Louis magazine has a photo of the finished work and an interview with Harvey.

* On a related note, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, directed by trumpeter Byron Stripling, last week debuted a newly commissioned big band suite paying tribute to Terry. You can read a review of the performance here.

* A story in Wednesday's Alton Telegraph detailed the financial woes of radio station WSIE. With the state of Illinois poised to withdraw all support by 2018, the article says the station will need to replace approximately $140,000, or 80 percent, of its annual budget with additional sponsorships, underwriting, and listener support.

WSIE currently is conducting an IndieGoGo campaign with a goal of collecting $10,000. With 30 days to go, they've raised $1,155 from 21 backers.

* With the hull of what's left of the Goldenrod Showboat destroyed this past summer in a low-water mishap, an article in the St. Louis Business Journal says that preservationists now hope to salvage the Goldernrod's theater and various other artifacts for possible display in a museum setting.

* Drummer Mark Colenburg has been tapped to present a master class, "Connecting Generations," as part of the Percussive Arts Society's 2015 convention, which takes place Wednesday, November 11 through Saturday, November 14 in San Antonio, TX.

* One of guitarist Kevin Eubanks' performances last week at Jazz at the Bistro was reviewed for the Post-Dispatch by Terry Perkins.

* While Eubanks was in town, the former Tonight Show bandleader made several appearances on local broadcast media, including one on NBC affiliate KSDK and one on ESPN Radio affiliate 101Sports.

* Speaking of reviews, KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi has posted one of Lina Koutrakos and Rick Jensen's show last Sunday for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival.

* And speaking of KDHX, they've also posted to Facebook two photo sets of interest, one from Banu Gibson's performance last Sunday at the Sheldon and one from last weekend's St. Louis Gypsy Jazz Festival.

* Saxquest is introducing their own line of saxophone mouthpieces, and they're taking pre-orders now for the first two models, called "The Core" and "The Bridge".

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake has posted to YouTube some video footage from the Krakow show of his recent European tour with the Generations Quartet.

* Trumpeter, singer and U City native Jeremy Davenport was one of a number of musicians taking part last week in a tribute to 100 years of the legacy of Frank Sinatra at the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans. Davenport (pictured) will be back in St. Louis next month for his annual Thanksgiving weekend gig at Jazz at the Bistro.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The HEC-TV program I Love Jazz will be doing a live recording for a future episode at 7:00 p.m. this coming Tuesday, May 8 at Jimmy's Cafe on the Park. A quartet led by trumpeter Jim Manley (pictured) will perform for an hour before the cameras, and the taping is open to the public.

* Speaking of televised performances, while saxophonist Tia Fuller was in town last week to play at Jazz at the Bistro, she and bassist Mimi Jones stopped by the studios of local NBC affiliate KSDK for an interview and brief performance on the station's afternoon newscast. You can watch the segment online here

* Online voting has begun for the Riverfront Times' 2012 RFT Music Poll. You can vote for your favorite bands and musicians here.

* The latest entry on Clark Terry's blog reports on the benefit concert held last week in NYC to raise money for Terry's medical expenses.

* JazzTimes has a new video interview with saxophonist Bobby Watson, who will be in St. Louis next weekend to play at Robbie's House of Jazz. You can watch Watson describe how he got his first big break with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers here.

* Jazz on Broadway has posted more photos in a Facebook album documenting recent Friday shows featuring saxophonist Tim Cunningham.

* While you're on Facebook, you also can check out photos of the Meramec Jazz Band's spring concert at the Black Cat Theatre.

* If you wanted to attend the recent workshop at the Regional Arts Commission about how to use the online crowd funding site Kickstarter, but couldn't make it that night, check out a slide show recapping the presentation here (.pdf file).

* Keyboard player, composer and New Music Circle board member Jim Hegarty has just posted free mp3s of two albums on his website. One of the recordings features duos and trios with drummer Shane Robles and bassist Willem von Hombracht; the other is of a quartet with von Hombracht, saxophonist Dave Stone and percussionist Henry Claude.

* And speaking of New Music Circle, they'll wrap up their 2011-12 season next Friday, May 11 at the William A. Kerr Foundation, 21 O’Fallon St, with a showcase concert featuring music from regional and local performers including Olivia Block, Joseph Raglani, Kevin Harris, Pat Boland, and Jeremy Kannapell. You can watch a promo video for the concert in the embedded window below.



(Edited to add three more items inadvertently omitted from the first version of this post.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trombonist Brett Stamps (pictured) will make his final appearance as director of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Concert Jazz Band in a concert at 8:00 p.m. this coming Tuesday, April 17 at the Wildey Theatre. Stamps is retiring as director of jazz studies at SIUE after 33 years on the job.

The concert will include music from Doc Severinsen and Woody Herman as well as charts by Stamps and SIUE graduate Mike Dee, plus a grand finale featuring graduates of the SIUE jazz program from the last 30 years. Tickets are $10, $7 for seniors and under age 18, free to SIUE students with ID, and will be available at the door.

* Meanwhile, pianist Reggie Thomas, who formerly taught at SIUE, is featured on The Teacher, the debut CD release by the MSU Professors of Jazz. The group is made up of faculty members from Thomas' new professional home at Michigan State University. They'll debut the CD, which includes three of Thomas' compositions and a guest appearance from spouse/singer Mardra Thomas, in a concert this Saturday at the Creole Gallery in Lansing, MI.

* The Regional Arts Commission is conducting a survey of St. Louis area artists, musicians and other creative types. To complete the "Artists Count" questionnaire and enter a drawing to win a free iPad, go here.

* Singer Erin Bode reported this week on Twitter that her song "The Little Garden" will be used in the episode of the CW Network program Hart of Dixie airing on Monday, May 7. The comedy/drama series stars Rachel Bilson as a big-city doctor transplanted to a small town in the South, and airs locally on KPLR (Channel 11).

* John King, bassist for Good 4 The Soul, saxophonist Jim Stevens, and several other local bands, has released a single, "Introducing The Pharaoh," on iTunes.

* Guitarist Russell Malone, in town this week to play at Jazz at the Bistro, appeared on the 4:00 p.m. newscast at local NBC affiliate KSDK for a brief interview and performance. Malone and pianist Cyrus Chestnut's trio continue at the Bistro through Saturday.

* The Webster Journal has a profile of Dr. Aurelia Hartenberger, whose collection of unusual musical instruments currently is featured in an exhibit at the Sheldon Art Galleries.

* The Jazz Journalists Association has announced the nominations for their 2012 JJA Jazz Awards, and the "Best Historical or Boxed Set" category includes two albums with a St. Louis connection: Miles Davis' Bootleg Sessions, Vol 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967 (Columbia Legacy) and the long-awaited reissue of Julius Hemphill's Dogon A.D. by the International Phonograph label. You can see the complete list of 2012 JJA Awards nominees here.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* While in St. Louis last week to play at Jazz at the Bistro, guitarist John Scofield was interviewed by KSDK's Art Holliday on the NBC affiliate's 4:00 p.m. newscast.

* Jazz St. Louis has posted photo albums with shots of pianist Ahmad Jamal in performance last Sunday at the TouPAC, and of the reception following the concert by Jamal and singer Dianne Reeves.

* Retro-swing string band Wack-A-Doo (pictured) was spotlighted this week in the Post-Dispatch's "Listen" music video feature, performing "By The Sea" at the Fox Theatre.

* Bassist and luthier David Certain sends word that bassist and St. Louis native Mark Peterson will be playing a CertainBass Model One on an upcoming recording with pianist Bob James. You can see Peterson and his instrument with singer Ben E. King's band here.

* In more celebrity recording news, keyboardist Michael Silverman of the Classical Jazz Quartet says that famed fusion guitarist Scott Henderson has agreed to record on CJQ's next album project, The Rebirth of Fusion. Henderson, known for his work with Tribal Tech and Chick Corea's Elektrik Band, will lay down his tracks in January.

* St. Louis Kids magazine is giving away four tickets to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's November 27 performance of the "The Nutcracker Meets Jazz," featuring music by George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and Duke Ellington. The performance is presented in partnership with Jazz St. Louis, and specifically designed to introduce children to the symphony. To enter the drawing for the free tickets, go here.

* NPR's Kevin Whitehead last week reviewed the new, limited-edition CD reissue of saxophonist Julius Hemphill's landmark debut album Dogon A.D., with the NY Times Ben Ratliff weighing in on the disc here. The reissue is limited to 1,500 copies, and was done by the small International Phonograph label, which earned plaudits for its earlier re-issue of another long-out-of-print session, trumpeter Bill Dixon's Intents and Purposes. The reissue already is out of stock or back-ordered at some online retailers, but if you like, you still can download and hear a free .mp3 rip of the original recording via this StLJN Audio Archive post from back in August.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Sunday's Jazz St. Louis "Family Concert" with Metta Quintet at the Touhill Performing Arts Center was the subject of a short report from Art Holliday on local NBC affiliate KSDK's noon newscast.

* Meanwhile, guitarist Steve Schenkel (pictured) talked about his concert of the music of George Harrison next Monday at Webster University for this story by Christa Corrigan of the Webster-Kirkwood Times.

* The Post-Dispatch's Tim Bryant has an article about efforts to save the buildings formerly known as the Castle Ballroom and the Palladium, including some quotes from author, illustrator and blues historian Kevin Belford about the latter.

* Filmmaker and University City native Rod Milam is working on a documentary about the many musicians who have come from his hometown, and he's seeking funding to finish the movie via Kickstarter.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* In advance of their gig this Wednesday through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro, Joey Kibble of the vocal group Take 6 (pictured) did an interview with Calvin Wilson of the Post-Dispatch.

* Singer Jeanne Trevor last week talked about her career and this weekend's U City Jazz Festival with DJ Jason Church of Smooth Jazz 96.3 HD-3, but you need to be on Facebook to hear it.

* Pianist Peter Martin, who will play a duo concert with pianist David Torkanowsky on Friday at the Sheldon, was the subject of a brief profile by the P-D's Deb Peterson.

* The new Miles Davis set of formerly bootleg live recordings from 1967 is reviewed by Terry Perkins for the St. Louis Beacon.

* Meanwhile, KSDK reports that neighbors in East St. Louis are concerned about the condition of Davis' childhood home, which has been vandalized and stripped of copper and other metals.

* Lastly, former P-D theater reviewer and restaurant critic Joe Pollack reports for St. Louis magazine on the London funeral of Fran Landesman, poet, writer and former co-owner of the Crystal Palace nightclub in St. Louis' Gaslight Square.

More about Mae

Following up on the death of the iconic singer Mae Wheeler, yesterday I talked with people who knew and worked with her for another article that's now up on the Riverfront Times website. Check it out!

Update - More coverage from around town of Wheeler's passing:

The Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson recalled the first time he met Wheeler, and reposted the story that resulted from that encounter. He followed up with a more detailed story/obituary, including comments from family members and Wheeler's musical colleagues, here.

Meanwhile, Sauce Magazine dug into their vaults for a 2007 article about Wheeler by Thomas Crone.

Local NBC affiliate KSDK ran a brief item about Wheeler's passing on their newscasts yesterday. It's good that they covered the story, but bad in that the text published on KSDK's site looks to be nothing more than a thinly disguised, condensed rewrite of my piece that ran Wednesday on the Riverfront Times website. A giant media corporation like Gannett, which owns KSDK and reportedly took in $5.4 billion (with a b) in revenues in 2010, really ought to be able to do their own reporting, don't you think?

That's what local CW affiliate KPLR did, sending a camera crew out to interview one of Wheeler's daughters.

On a related and happier note, Jazz Times mentioned and linked to StLJN's coverage of Wheeler and two other items in their weekly wrap-up of the jazz blogosphere, for which yr. humble editor is most grateful.

Finally, for those who'd like to hear more of Mae Wheeler's singing, Michael Major of Major Creative has posted several free MP3s of Mae Wheeler holding forth during a jam session at Brandt's. The recording date isn't specified, but given the location and the personnel announced by Wheeler during "Killer Joe" - Jeff Anderson on bass, Arthur Toney on keyboards, and "Marty" (perhaps Marty Spikener or Marty Morrison?) on drums - it's fairly recent.

Update - 7:20 p.m., 6/17/11: Funeral arrangements for Mae Wheeler have been announced. Here's the full text of a post made today on her Facebook account:

"THE FUNERAL FOR MAE "LADY JAZZ" WHEELER WILL BE HELD @ THE GREATER GRACE CHAPLE@3690 PERSHALL RD ST.LOUIS, MO - JUNE 26,2011. VIEWING AND VISITATIONS WILL BE HELD FROM 3 PM TO 4:30 PM FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BEGIN @ 5 PM REPASS TO FOLLOW.. *(FOR MAP GO TO WWW.GGCSTL.ORG)*
**THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS**"

Denise Thimes featured on KSDK's "Today in St. Louis"

St. Louis singer Denise Thimes was the subject of a feature on Thursday morning's edition of Today in St. Louis, which airs starting at 5:00 a.m weekdays on local NBC affiliate KSDK. You can read the story by KSDK's Heidi Glaus and see a streaming video here.

(Edited after posting in an attempt to fix some formatting problems with the post footer.)

Bob Blumenthal interviewed on KSDK

Jazz journalist Bob Blumenthal, who was in St. Louis yesterday to promote his new book, was interviewed during his visit by Jennifer Blome of local NBC affiliate KSDK (Channel 5). You can see video of the interview here.

Denise Thimes to sing for Queen Elizabeth

St. Louis vocalist Denise Thimes is in Washington D.C. and is set to perform tonight at the British Embassy for an event honoring Queen Elizabeth, the British monarch who's currently making a state visit to the US. According to this story by Leisa Zigman of KSDK, Thimes got the gig after the British ambassdor's wife saw her perform at the Kuwait embassy a few month ago. You can watch the video version of the report, which includes some comments from Thimes, here.

Thimes' annual Mothers Day concert, which this year will feature trumpeter Clark Terry as special guest, takes place Sunday, May 13 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

UPDATE - 5/12/07, 1:30 p.m.: Post-Dispatch columnist Sylvester Brown Jr. talked with Thimes after her royal experience, and has written about the conversation for the weekend paper. Read it online here.