So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Tavern of Fine Arts (pictured), the Central West End restaurant and bar that has presented numerous jazz, free improv, cabaret, and classical music performances over the past five years, will close permanently at the end of service next Saturday, June 25.

In a message posted on the venue's website, proprietors Aaron Johnson and Matt Daniels wrote, "While the performances have often attracted large audiences, and we have always paid the bills, the business is not profitable." Next week's performances will go on as scheduled, but the closing means the cancellation of a CD release party planned by local free improvisors for next month, as well the loss of the venue for recurring events including poetry readings, a monthly free improv jam session, and Cabaret Project St. Louis' monthly "open mic."

* KDHX has posted online photo albums from Genesis Jazz Project's concert last Thursday at Chesterfield Amphitheater; the New Orleans Suspects' show on Friday at the Broadway Oyster Bar; and Saturday's "Summer Gras" at Old Rock House.

* Bjorn Rannheim of The 442s was interviewed about the band's new release RELAY on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis.

* Saxophonist Christopher Braig has started a podcast called, fittingly enough, Sax St. Louis Podcast, offering "an eclectic mix of music, jazz, saxophone history, interviews, performing and educational topics relating to the greater St. Louis music community." Episode 1 is online now, with a second installment promised soon.

* The culinary offerings at The Dark Room were the subject of features this past week in the Ladue News and on the morning newscast at KTVI/Fox 2.

* In a new entry on his blog Devil at the Confluence, author, historian, and illustrator Kevin Belford takes a deep dive into the question of how Jelly Roll Morton got credit for a recording of the song "Soap Suds" that actually was made by the St. Louis Levee Band.

* Belford also posted to Vimeo a 30-second clip from Blues for Charlie O'Brien, a "doc in progress" about the former St. Louis police detective who in the 1950s helped revive interest in the city's early blues and jazz performers.

* A new entry on Marc Myers' blog Jazzwax looks into the connection between guitarist Grant Green's 1965 album I Want to Hold Your Hand and the line of "Little LPs" produced for stereo jukeboxes by Blue Note records.

* Drummer Kimberly Thompson was honored for her work on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers at the SESAC Film & Television Composers Awards Dinner held on June 1 in Santa Monica, CA. The performing rights organization presented more than 100 awards to music composers in the categories of network TV, local TV, cable TV, film composing, jingles, and streaming media.

* Bassist and St. Louis native Dan Loomis will debut "Job's Trial's - Our Trials," a new jazz oratorio he composed for bass, guitar, drums, voices, and a narrator, in a performance next Friday, June 24 at IBeam Brooklyn in NYC.

* The website Boiler Room has posted online a video of trumpeter and St. Louis native Keyon Harrold's performance at Revive Music's 10th anniversary event last month in NYC.

* Saxophonist Eric Person and his band Meta-Four are booked to perform at the 2016 Hudson Valley Jazz Festival, which takes place August 11-14 in Peekskill, NY.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* As part of their New Year's Eve "Toast of the Nation" program last week, NPR rebroadcast and put online a set of music recorded by Clark Terry on NYE 1989 at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. 

* In a new post on Medium.com, Peter Martin offers "5 New Year’s Resolutions For Jazz Pianists."

* Martin (pictured) also was the subject last week of a profile in Alive magazine.

* St. Louis Public Radio has a story with the latest on volunteer efforts to save historic artifacts from what's left of the Goldenrod Showboat.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band announced over the weekend that Cody Henry is replacing founding member Matt Brinkman as the group's tuba player, effective with the start of the new year.

* Jimmy's on the Park, the long-running restaurant and bar in the DeMun neighborhood of Clayton, has closed. Trumpeter Jim Manley was the featured musical entertainment for the spot's Sunday jazz brunch for more than a decade.

* A short feature in this week's Riverfront Times notes The Bad Plus' ten-year string of January gigs at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Meanwhile, Jazz St. Louis' Gene Dobbs Bradford went on Fox 2 News to discuss JSL's four-star rating from Charity Navigator.

* The RFT also recently put online an album of vintage photos from Gaslight Square, drawn from the collection of the State Historical Society of Missouri.

* Blues historian, author, and illustrator Kevin Belford has a new post on his blog about providing research assistance for American Epic, an upcoming music documentary being produced by PBS and the BBC.

* The St. Louis Business Journal put online a photo album offering readers a peek inside the new National Blues Museum, which opens downtown in April.

* A post last week on the travel blog of the airline Virgin Atlantic spotlighted the St. Louis swing dance scene.

Palladium added to national list of "Most Endangered Historic Places"

The Palladium building in Grand Center has been added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation 2014 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

Once home to Club Plantation, which hosted performances by many historically important jazz and blues musicians, the building (pictured) has been threatened both by neglect and by a potential expansion of the nearby VA Medical Center. The NTHP is a Washington-based not-for-profit group that works to save historic places in the United States.

The inclusion of the Palladium on their 2014 represents a potentially significant step in saving it, and a victory for local artist, author and activist Kevin Belford, who's been a vocal advocate for preserving and restoring the the building and created a Facebook group to publicize the effort.

On his blog Devil at the Confluence, Belford wrote:

"This is the only landmark in St. Louis ever recognized as an endangered national treasure. In its 27-year history, the NTHP's list has brought attention to more than 250 sites, only a handful of which have been lost, according to the Trust.

The new research and the support from everyone on the Facebook group made the difference and now the possibility of demolition by the VA Medical Center is lessened. The Missouri State Historic Preservation Office and the VA's own independent Cultural Resources survey confirms that the Palladium is significant for its association with culturally important events and social history.

In correspondence to the MSHP, the Veterans Administration said, "At this time, the VA considers it unlikely that the St. Louis Palladium property will be acquired." And in a recent reply to me, the VA's Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction said, "Presently the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has no plans to acquire the Palladium building." But the threat by the VA was not the only danger, because deterioration was evident in a recent visit inside of the building."

Opened in 1913 as a roller skating rink, the Palladium also served as a dance hall that featured some of St. Louis' first jazz performances. Club Plantation, which occupied the building during World War II and into the 1950s, had the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra as house band, and presented early performances by important St. Louis musicians including Chuck Berry and Miles Davis as well as nationally known touring acts like Nat "King" Cole, Benny Carter, the Mills Brothers, and Ella Fitzgerald. The building was used as a thrift store in the 1980s but has been vacant for a number of years.

“The Palladium is one of the last remaining links to St. Louis’ important role as a center for African-American music in the 20th century." said a statement from NTHP president Stephanie Meeks. "Rather than demolishing this vital piece of America’s historic fabric, it should be restored to once again serve as a cultural center for the people of St. Louis.”

For more about the history of the Palldium and Club Plantation, see these two entries from Belford's blog.

Photo from the Save the Palladium Building at Grand Center Facebook page. Edited 6/26/14 to fix a garbled sentence.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Kimberly Thompson is keeping busy with her duties with the house band for NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, even participating in some on-camera comedy bits, like the one pictured here with Michelle Wolf and Alison Agosti of the Late Night writing staff. However, Thompson did manage to find time this week to post on SoundCloud an excerpt from her band's performance last month at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

* Jazz students from Webster Groves High School are in New York City this week, and band director Kevin Cole has a full schedule planned for his young charges. The trip will include visits to NYC venues to hear Ambrose Akinmusire, Maria Schneider, Ulysses Owens, Charles Turner, Walter Smith III, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; and a clinic at Queens College with Michael Philip Mossman, Antonio Hart, Paul Bollenbeck, and Luis Bonilla.

In addition, the WGHS Jazz 1 group will perform Sunday at St. Peters Jazz Vespers with pianist Kenny Werner, and then serve as the opening act that evening at Birdland for Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.

* Also on the education front, Jazz St. Louis has announced a $35,000 gift from the Arthur & Helen Baer Foundation in support of the 2014-15 season of their JazzU program. Applications to audition for next year's JazzU are due by Friday, May 2, with auditions beginning on Monday, June 2. For more details, see the Jazz St. Louis website.

* Writing for the website NextStL, Kevin Belford has an update on recent wind damage to the historic Palladium Building in Grand Center and the possible effects on efforts to save the structure.

* Via Miles Davis Online, here's a video interview from IRockJazz with Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr., who helps administer his uncle's estate, in which Wilburn discusses the forthcoming movie about the trumpeter and various other Miles-related topics. MDO blogmaster Jeffrey Hyatt also has created a new site, Kill The Trumpet Player, to track news of the Davis film.

* Singer Connie Fairchild's show last Saturday for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival was reviewed for KDHX by Chuck Lavazzi.

* The late ragtime pianist and historian Trebor Tichenor was the subject of a tribute episode of KWMU's "CityScape" program.

* Galactic's performance last week at The Pageant was reviewed by KDHX's Amy Burger.

* A set from the Funky Butt Brass Band's gig last month at The Gramophone has been posted to archive.org.

* And speaking of The Gramophone, they're celebrating the venue's sixth anniversary this week with the announcement that their Sandwich and Bottle Shop will be open for regular daytime business offering food, drink and free wi-fi to the growing Grove neighborhood starting April 1.

* Also on the culinary tip, the Post-Dispatch's Ian Froeb is the latest to review the Louisiana-style menu at the new Central West End spot Evangeline's.

* HEC-TV last night debuted a new episode of I Love Jazz, featuring previously unseen archived performances by singer Marlena Shaw, trumpeter Dawn Weber, singer Marilyn Maye and pianist Billy Stritch, saxophonist Willie Akins and drummer Montez Coleman, and jazz faculty and students from Webster University. Check your TV provider's program guide for channels, dates and times, or watch online at http://www.hectv.org.

* Jazz radio update: On this Saturday's episode of Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis' "Somethin' Else," host Calvin Wilson spotlights New Orleans trumpeters including Louis Armstrong, Derrick Shezbie, Joe Newman, Terence Blanchard and Wynton Marsalis. You can listen at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

(Edited after posting to add the KWMU "CityScape" link.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* With the wrecking ball poised to swing at the historic Castle Ballroom, site of performances by many important jazz musicians, Nicholas J. C. Pistor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that much of the recent deterioration of the building came while it was owned by groups that included some St. Louis city officials.

* Also on the historic preservation front, Steve Smith, owner of the south side tavern The Royale, has recorded a video in support of the effort to save the Palladium, aka Club Plantation, another building in the Grand Center district with a musically significant history that also is threatened with demolition. The effort to raise awareness and save the building is being led by artist and author Kevin Belford, who created the collage of musicians who played at Club Plantation used to illustrate this post.

* In this week's Miles Davis-related news, Peter Bacon of the UK blog The Jazz Breakfast wonders if the number of Davis CD box sets has reached the saturation point.

* Meanwhile, an article in Audiophile Review critiques the quality of various reissues of Davis' landmark album Kind of Blue.

* The Presenters Dolan have posted to their Facebook page an album of pictures from last weekend's Gaslight Cabaret Festival performances by singer Marissa Mulder.

* Singer Connie Fairchild, whose Gaslight Cabaret Festival performance on Saturday night is sold out, was interviewed by Terry Perkins for the St. Louis Public Radio website.

* Guitarist Pat Metheny was interviewed by Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for a preview story about Metheny's Unity Group concert this Sunday at The Pageant. 

* Trumpeter Roger Ingram has posted to his Facebook page a photo album from his workshops and performances at last week's Mineral Area College Jazz Festival

* The St. Louis Big Band's Ryan Sheehan was profiled by the Webster University Journal.

* Guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran was interviewed by Liz Schranck of KDHX.

* The New Orleans-style cuisine at Evangeline's, the new Central West End spot that features live music several nights a week, was reviewed by the Riverfront Times' Cheryl Baeh.

* St. Louis writers K. Curtis Lyle and Quincy Troupe spoke on the program New Day Jazz about the late author, poet and critic Amiri Baraka.

* Jazz St. Louis reports via this week's email newsletter that their 2014 fundraising gala held last Friday at the Ritz-Carlton raised more than $260,000 for the organization's education programs, making it the second most successful gala in JSL's history. You can see photos from the gala, which featured music from saxophonist Maceo Parker, on Jazz St. Louis' Facebook page.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday night on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis' "Somethin' Else," host Calvin Wilson will feature jazz interpretations of the music of composer Stephen Sondheim by clarinetist Don Byron, saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., singer Sarah Vaughan, and others. Listen in at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Then, this Sunday evening on KWMU's "Jazz Unlimited," host Dennis Owsley continues his exploration of music recorded live in New York, ranging from vintage tracks featuring Art Tatum, Sarah Vaughan with Lester Young, Dizzy Gillespie, Don Byas with Thelonious Monk, and many others to more recent recordings by Chucho Valdes, the Gil Evans Orchestra, the Dave Holland Quintet, the World Saxophone Quartet, Medeski, Martin & Wood, the Anthony Braxton Quartet with Marty Ehrlich, and Hamiet Bluiett.

The program can be heard at 9:00 p.m. Sundays over the air on KWMU (90.7 FM) or online at http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org. (This is a "pledge week" for KWMU, so if you're so inclined, you can show your support for "Jazz Unlimited" by calling in during the program with a membership contribution.)

Also on Sunday nights: While Josh Weinstein presents avant-jazz, improvised music and more each week on "All Soul, No Borders", airing at 10:30 p.m. KDHX (88.1 FM), he rarely tips his playlists in advance. However, we have been remiss in not noting in this space that once the show has aired, you can see the ASNB playlists, and more importantly, access an audio stream of the previous two weeks' shows, via the KDHX website.

(Edited after posting to add the link to the Pat Metheny interview.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Riverfront Times' Joseph Hess writes briefly about Saturday's show by guitarist Bill Horist and bassist Darin Gray at the Schlafly Tap Room.

* The Village Voice has a review of one of last week's shows by saxophonist and St. Louis native Oliver Lake's Trio 3 at NYC's Birdland.

* The St. Louis Big Band has posted on their Facebook page some photo sets documenting recent gigs at the Casa Loma Ballroom and Sheldon Concert Hall.

* The Regional Arts Commission has put out a last call for St. Louis artists, musicians and other creative types to complete their "Artists Count!" survey. Next Tuesday, July 31 is the last day to take the survey at http://www.artistscount.com/.

* The Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival is looking for musicians to enter its "Webster's Got Talent" contest. The winners get a opening slot on one of the stages at this festival on Saturday, September 15. To see more details and download an application form, visit the festival website. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, August 14.

* Artist and author Kevin Belford's campaign to save the Palladium Building, aka Club Platnation, continues this week with the release of another graphic (pictured) designed to raise awareness of the threat to this historic structure that hosted performances from many of the greatest jazz and blues musicians of the 20th century.

Belford also linked to a new wrinkle in the story: a KTVI report that the proposed expansion of the Cochran VA Medical Center that threatens the Palladium also could wipe out the newest location of the popular soul food restaurant Sweetie Pie's, owned by former Ikettte Robbie Montgomery. Stay tuned...

* Lastly, have you voted you in StLJN's poll asking which nationally known St. Louis musicians should be asked to play at the proposed David Sanborn Jazz Festival next year? If not, go here sometime before next Tuesday and voice your choices!

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Stages St. Louis' production of the Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin' came under the scrutiny of the show's creator during its final weekend, as Richard Maltby Jr, who directed the original, Tony Award winning Broadway production, visited St. Louis to catch Friday's performance.

Calling the Stages production "Broadway level work (or higher)" and "one of the best productions this show has ever received," Maltby Jr. schmoozed with theater patrons and staff, and posed for photos with the show's cast and band (pictured). Seen in the photo here, from left, are saxophonists Kendrick Smith and Jason Swagler, drummer Bernard Long Jr, Maltby, trombonist Cody Henry, bassist Jahmal Nichols, and trumpeter Matt Bittles.

* Jazz St. Louis this week announced a $50,000 gift from the Monsanto Fund to support their JazzU program during the 2012-13 academic year. The gift will let JSL continue to offer JazzU at no cost to students, and to reimburse them for transportation costs when necessary. JazzU provides weekly private instruction in ensemble playing, improvisation, music theory, and listening strategies to middle school and high school students from all over the St. Louis area.

* There's also good news this week for saxophonist and St. Louis native Greg Osby, who's one of thirteen recipients of a 2012 Pew Fellowship in the Arts worth $60,000. The awards go to Philadelphia artists from a variety of disciplines; the only other jazz musician to win one this year is saxophonist and Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen.

* Another saxophonist and St. Louis expat, Eric Person, has a new album out this week. The new CD from TrioKinesis, with Person, bassist Joseph Lepore and drummer Shinnosuke Takahashi, is available on iTunes, Amazon and CDBaby.com.

* Blues historian, author, illustrator and preservationist Kevin Belford is the latest local artist to take part in Feast magazine's "Booze Doodles" series.

* The St. Louis Rivermen played the annual Greater Olympia Dixieland Jazz Festival in Washington last weekend, and got a shout-out from the local paper.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band has posted online an album of photos from their show last week for the St. Louis Zoo's "Jungle Boogie" concert series

* The US Air Force is downsizing its band program, and the ensembles based at Scott AFB in metro east are among those being discontinued. The Post-Dispatch's Sarah Bryan Miller has a story about the last days of the 571st Air Force Band here.

* Condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and students of Matthew "Matt" Rice, band director at Fox High School in Arnold, who died Thursday of what news accounts say were natural causes. Rice, who was 37, directed several different ensembles at the school, including the jazz band.

Visitation is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday, July 9 at First Baptist Church, 2012 Missouri State Rd in Arnold. The funeral will take place at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 10 at the church, and Fox HS will hold a candlelight vigil at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* As part of the campaign to save the historic Palladium Building (aka Club Plantation) in midtown, artist and author Kevin Belford has created some new images with a vintage look that liken the significance of the Palladium to that of New Orleans' Preservation Hall (pictured), Chicago's Green Mill, and Harlem's Cotton Club. Those who support preserving the building, which is scheduled to be razed for a parking lot, are being asked to email the Landmarks Association of St. Louis' Andrew B. Weil at aweil@stlouis.missouri.org.

* Rhino Records has announced plans to issue a newly compiled 2-CD "best of" anthology from saxophonist and St. Louis native David Sanborn on Tuesday, July 31.

* One of guitarist Charlie Hunter's sets last Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro was reviewed by KDHX's Wil Wander.

* The Meramec Jazz Band has posted a photo album on their Facebook page of their recent concert at Old Orchard Gazebo Park.

* Pianist and composer Jim Hegarty has posted a new entry in his "Creativity Is..." video interview series. This installment features a chat with John Tamm-Buckle, electronic musician and founder of Kvist Records. You can see a one-minute excerpt here, and the whole interview, which runs just over 15 minutes, here.

* The Regional Arts Commission (RAC) this week announced the results of a study showing that not-for-profit arts and culture organizations generated $582.3 million in total economic activity in St. Louis city and county in fiscal 2010, up 4 percent from fiscal 2005. That amount includes $313.3 million in spending by nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and $269.1 million in event-related spending by their audiences. You can see a .pdf of the study results here.

* And speaking of RAC, they're still looking for artists, musicians and other creative people living in the St. Louis region to take their "Artists Count" survey. Those who complete the online questionnaire by Monday, July 9 will be entered in a drawing to win a $200 iTunes gift card.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Veterans Administration hospital has filed papers to demolish the Palladium, aka Club Plantation, the historic building (pictured) at the intersection of Enright and Delmar that hosted performances from many significant jazz and blues musicians from the 1930s through the 1950s. The VA wants to put a parking lot on the site. Author and illustrator Kevin Belford is keeping track of the story via a "Save The Palladium Building at Grand Center" page on Facebook.

* Author and former St. Louisan Benjamin Cawthra was on KWMU's Cityscape program last week to discuss his book Blue Notes in Black and White: Photography and Jazz and his appearance on Sunday afternoon at the Missouri History Museum.

* The Post-Dispatch's Gail Pennington has a story about Ken Haller's cabaret performance "The TV Show," which happens tonight and tomorrow night at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

* The KDHX website has photos from last Friday's performance by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the Old Rock House.

* Here's more coverage of Jazz St. Louis' 2012-13 season schedule announcement from Terry Perkins of the St. Louis Beacon, Kevin Johnson of the Post-Dispatch, and Elaine Hoffman of St. Louis magazine. (And in case you missed it, StLJN's story is here.)

* A new episode of HEC-TV's I Love Jazz will get its first airing at 8:00 p.m. next Thursday, June 7 on Charter channel 989, U-Verse channel 99, and via the cable network's website. This installment features a live performance by trumpeter Jim Manley recorded at Jimmy's on the Park.

* As reported by both the Post-Dispatch and Business Journal, Wells Fargo Advisors will contribute $100,000 to Jazz St. Louis to be the presenting sponsor of the 2012-13 Jazz at the Bistro season.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* NPR's Fresh Air this week had a review by Kevin Whitehead of a recent Clark Terry reissue pairing two 1960s Impulse! albums, The Happy Horns of Clark Terry and It's What's Happenin', on a single CD (pictured).

* Multi-instrumentalist/Internet provocateur Nicholas Payton, who's playing next week at Jazz at the Bistro, did an interview with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson.

* The Webster University Journal has an article about Monday night's concert on the Webster campus paying tribute to jazz DJ, photographer and historian Dennis Owsley, who recently donated his personal collection of more than 3000 jazz recordings to the university.

* Meanwhile, Owsley writes about the donation and about physical media vs. digital storage of music in his latest blog entry for St. Louis magazine.

* The St. Louis magazine website also now has up a photo album from last Friday's Jazz St. Louis fundraising gala, as well as a reader poll using elimination brackets in the style of the NCAA basketball tournament to determine "The Best St. Louis Musician of All Time."

* Illuminating another aspect of St. Louis' historic Club Plantation, Kevin Belford blogs about guitarist Floyd Smith and the real origin of the electric guitar solo on record.

* At his concert last Sunday at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, Herbie Hancock spoke for a few minutes about helping establish International Jazz Day, which will be celebrated for the first time on April 30 of this year. Here's the scoop on what that celebration will entail.

* Finally, if you missed KETC's broadcast of the 2012 St. Louis Arts & Education Awards ceremony, which featured pianist Peter Martin as one of this year's honorees, you now can watch the program online.

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:

* Singer Mae "Lady Jazz" Wheeler's doctors sent her home from the hospital last week, saying that further medical treatment of her colon cancer and leukemia was unlikely to be effective. Freelance music journalist Terry Perkins visited Wheeler at her home, where she's spending time with family and friends, and wrote about her life and musical legacy in this feature story for the St. Louis Beacon.

* Dennis Owsley's latest blog entry for St. Louis magazine looks at two myths about St. Louis jazz that were dispelled by the research for his book City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis 1895-1973.

* The Belleville News-Democrat's Carolyn R. Smith talked with band members and parents for a feature about the East St. Louis High School Jazz Band's recent trip to NYC for the Essentially Ellington festival at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

* And speaking of East St. Louis High School, the St. Louis American's Rebecca S. Rivas has written a feature story about drummer Bryan Carter, an ESL HS alumnus who's also the son of its former band director, saxophonist Ronald Carter (who's now at Northern Illinois University). The younger Carter, now studying at the Juilliard School in NYC, has just released his first CD, Enchantment.

* Illustrator and music historian Kevin Belford has written an interesting blog post about the Palladium Building (pictured) on Enright just west of Grand. Once the home of the Club Plantation, site of many significant jazz and blues performances, the building is now in rough shape and up for sale.

Photo by Kevin Belford/Devil at the Confluence.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of links and short local news items of interest that you may have missed:

* The St. Louis based label MAXJAZZ once again is offering discounts on CDs purchased from their website for the holiday season. Between now and the end of the year, those who purchase a MAXJAZZ CD from their site at the full price of $16.99 can get up to four more releases at $12.99 each, with free shipping in the U.S.

* The Riverfront Times' Annie Zaleski looks at the music-related documentaries in this year's St. Louis International Film Festival in a blog post here. One film of particular interest to jazz fans is In My Mind, which "explores the parallels (and differences) between a 2009 concert by jazz pianist Jason Moran -- which paid tribute to the great Thelonious Monk -- and a gig that the late, great jazz legend performed exactly fifty years earlier." In My Mind screens at 1:15 p.m. next Saturday, November 20 at the Tivoli.

* Author/illustrator Kevin Belford's book on the history of St. Louis blues, Devil At The Confluence, got another nice review, this time from the blog In A Blue Mood.

* The Gaslight Square veterans in the group Banjos and Brass were featured in a recent story written by Chris Campbell for the Suburban Journals. The band plays on Fridays at The Sands in Shrewsbury.

* Mel Bay, the St. Louis-based publishers of music instructional books, CDs and DVDs, are holding a sweepstakes to give away a free Apple iPad with case and $250 worth of Mel Bay materials in the company's new eBook format. The contest closes on November 30; for details on how to enter, go here.

* Music retailer Webster Records (pictured) has announced that they've gone "back to the future" and are once again selling vinyl, with a selection of LPs and 45s in various genres including jazz, classical, rock and show tunes. The store also now is buying used vinyl from collectors, and will have a open house sale with refreshments and special pricing this Sunday, November 14 as part of the holiday season kickoff in the Old Webster business district.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of links and short local news items of interest that you may have missed:

* The St. Louis-based independent label MAXJAZZ recently was the subject of a feature on cable channel HEC-TV's program State of The Arts. You can see the video of the segment on MAXJAZZ's Facebook page.

* St. Louis flute player and composer Fred Tompkins (pictured) and local presenting organization New Music Circle are both mentioned in an article about Third Stream music in the most recent issue of CA-Modern magazine, a slick, glossy publication that covers California lifestyles and architecture from the mid-20th century to today. You can read the article, written by Jeff Kaliss, online here. (Note: The link goes to the first page of a Flash version of the magazine. Use the controls at the top of the page to move forward and backward through the contents.)

* Musical instrument retailer Fazio's Frets & Friends is sponsoring a free informational lecture, "Playing for Longevity: A Chiropractic Workshop for Musicians (Part II)" from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p. m. next Wednesday, July 28 in the performance room at Fazio's, 15440 Manchester Rd. in Ellisville. The discussion will include "prevention strategies and treatment options for patients regarding repetitive motion injuries and other conditions related to inflammation. An acupuncture demonstration will follow the lecture and a question & answer session will round out the evening."

*In a post on the paper's Culture Club blog, the Post-Dispatch's Diane Toroian Keaggy lists all the local organizations that will be participating in this fall's American Arts Festival, which will include performances by pianist Dave Brubeck at the Sheldon Concert Hall and saxophonist Joshua Redman at Jazz at the Bistro.

* The Riverfront Times has part two of Chrissy Wilmes' interview with Art Holliday about his documentary on the late pianist and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Johnnie Johnson, in which the KSDK newsman talks about some of the famous folks he's interviewed for the doc, and why it's taking so long to finish the film.

* Author, artist and St. Louis blues historian Kevin Belford will be signing (and presumably, selling) copies of his tome Devil at the Confluence and showing artwork from the book beginning at 11:00 am and continuing into the afternoon this Sunday, July 25 at the Urban Eats Cafe, 3301 Meramec.

* The Big Muddy Blues Festival, which will be held over Labor Day weekend on Laclede's Landing, announced part of its 2010 lineup this week. Bud Jostes, proprietor of Beale On Broadway, is booking this year's event, a task previously handled since the Bid Muddy's inception by John May of BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups and the St. Louis Blues Society. Given the change in management, it's no surprise that the musical menu this year includes touring acts Nick Curran and the Lowlifes, Magic Slim and the Teardrops and Eric "Guitar" Davis, all of whom have played the Beale in recent years, as well as local singer Kim Massie, a longtime regular performer at the Beale who's now also managed by Jostes. The rest of the lineup is TBA for now.

* Finally, we note with sadness the passing of St. Louis harmonica player and singer Keith Doder, who was part of the blues scene here for more than 30 years. Doder played with guitarists Tommy Bankhead and Jimmy Rogers and with his own group, the Blue City Band, but yr. humble editor knew him long before that as a fellow student at Webster Groves High School. Keith was a fine person as well as a musician with an authentic blues feel, and he'll be missed not only by his family and friends but by his fellow musicians and blues fans everywhere.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Herein, we introduce a new occasional feature for StLJN - a quick wrap-up of links & short local news items of interest. (The title is from the Miles Davis song that leads off Kind of Blue. The notion of using said title was inspired by (read "stolen from") the weekly "Confirmation" feature of the Kansas City jazz blog Plastic Sax.)

* Percussionist Bernard Long, Jr. will be the lead instructor for a six-week "Dynamic Drum Line" summer camp for young people ages 11 to 17, starting at noon next Monday, June 28 at the Katherine Dunham Museum, 1005 Pennsylvania Ave. in East St. Louis. For more information, call 618-910-2055 or send email to tixsay@hotmail.com.

* Singer Erin Bode went on the morning show at local Fox affiliate KTVI (Channel 2) today to plug her upcoming self-released CD Photograph, due out July 1. You can see a brief interview and hear an excerpt of one of her new songs here.

* Artist/illustrator and St. Louis blues historian Kevin Belford was interviewed about his book Devil at the Confluence by Dana Smith for a recent post on the Creative St. Louis blog.

* Recent changes at Mangia Italiano will include "The St. Louis Shuffle," a new DJ spin every other Wednesday featuring Matt Harnish playing exclusively St. Louis music. When asked "Is there one record that you're really excited to play that this gives you an excuse to play?" by the Riverfront Times' Chrissy Wilmes, Harnish said, "I'm really looking forward to playing the Human Arts Ensemble in a bar...It's really amazing, and it's going to be really cool hearing that playing in a bar." The next "St. Louis Shuffle" is on Wednesday, June 30; there's no word yet if the changes at Mangia Italiano will affect saxophonist Dave Stone's long-running Friday night gig, so stay tuned.

* The old Ozark Theatre building, once the neighborhood movie house for several generations of Webster Groves residents, is being restored and renovated as a recording studio by saxophonist/entrepreneur Dan Stevens.

Kevin Belford, Bob Koester signing books at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Vintage Vinyl

Author and artist Kevin Belford will sign copies of his new book Devil at the Confluence: The Pre-War Blues Music of St. Louis, Missouri at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Monday, October 19, at Vintage Vinyl, 6610 Delmar Blvd in University City.

Belford will be joined at the signing by former St. Louisan Bob Koester, the owner of Chicago's Jazz Record Mart and the blues and jazz label Delmark Records, who helped compile the companion CD included with the book.

Devil at the Confluence tells the story of St. Louis' pre-World War II blues musicians through Belford's original paintings, historic record labels, sheet music covers, ads, newspaper clippings and photographs. The book (pictured) is published by St. Louis based Virginia Publishing and is available from their Web site and at most local book stores. You can read a review written by Terry Perkins for the Post-Dispatch here.

Belford also will have signings at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, November 7 at Borders Books in Sunset Hills, and at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, December 3 at Subterranean Books in University City.

Jazz this week: A jazz tribute to Woodstock; music at the St. Louis Art Fair; a new book about the St. Louis blues; and more

While this weekend in St. Louis offers no shows featuring big name jazz musicians - think of it as a chance to save up a bit for next weekend's concerts by Sonny Rollins, Trio 3 and/or Chris Botti - there are still some jazz-related events over the next few days that may merit your attention. Here's a look at some highlights:

Tonight, the fall series of free weekly Jazz at Holmes concerts at Washington University begins with guitarist William Lenihan leading "a jazz tribute to Woodstock" outdoors on the Brookings Quadrangle.

Presumably, it's not a concert featuring jazz versions of songs that were played at Woodstock and/or written by musicians who performed there, or they would have just described it as such. (You can read Wash U's rather uninformative blurb on the show, and my initial reaction to it, here. ) Still, with a lineup of very capable musicians including Lenihan, Jason Swagler (who's listed in the show's promotional email as playing guitar, rather than his more usual alto sax), pianist Ptah Williams, drummer Kyle Hunnicutt, percussionist Henry Claude, and bassist Zeb Briskovich, there's certainly plenty of potential for some good music, even if the concept is a bit vague.

On Friday, St. Louis artist and writer Kevin Belford will be at Mad Art Gallery, signing copies of his new book Devil at the Confluence: The Pre-War Blues Music of St. Louis and showing his original paintings of St. Louis blues musicians that illustrate the tome. The free event also will include a performance from singer/guitarist Tom Hall, vintage film footage of St. Louis blues legends, and a spin of the book's companion CD. .

Friday night is also the beginning of the official "grand opening" weekend for Robbie's House of Jazz, which is located in the old Cookie's Jazz and More space at 20 Allen Ave. in Webster Groves. The featured performers this weekend will be the 16-piece Robert Edwards Big Band, which delves into a variety of big band jazz styles and includes trombonist Lamar Harris and pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson among its members. (For more about Robbie's, see this previous post. I've also got a new post about the club scheduled to go online today at the Riverfront Times music blog, A to Z; when it goes live, I'll post a link here.)

The annual St. Louis Art Fair also gets underway on Friday, but there's not much music of interest to jazz fans until Saturday, when the event will feature performances from the Funky Butt Brass Band and the Sheldon Jazz Quintet, comprised of Rick Haydon (guitar), Mardra Thomas (vocals), Reggie Thomas (piano), Miles Vandiver (drums) and Zeb Briskovich (bass).

Jazz St. Louis executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford's band the Blues Inquisition also will perform on Saturday, and Sunday's musicians of interest include pianist Monika Herzig's group, and trumpeter/vocalist Dawn Weber (pictured) and her band Electro Funk Assembly.

On Sunday, there will be a benefit performance for singer Elaine Donahue from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups, 700 S. Broadway. Performers will include Willie Akins, Marty Abdullah and members of the Soulard Blues Band, Denise Thimes, Skeet Rogers, the Bosman Twins, Mae Wheeler, Jeanne Trevor, Roland Johnson, Wendy Gordon, Marsha Evans, Eugene Johnson, Renee Smith and more. All proceeds will go to medical and living expenses for Donahue, who has been fighting cancer and has been unable to work as a singer or at her day job in the treasurer’s office for the city of East St. Louis. In addition to leading her own group, Donahue has worked with Akins, pianist Ed Nicholson’s trio, and many others.

For more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar or by clicking here.

(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 9/10/09 to fix problems with tags & add additional tags. Edited again on 9/11/09 to restore a paragraph accidentally dropped during the editing process.)

New book by Kevin Belford chronicles pre-WWII history of St. Louis blues

St. Louis artist and author Kevin Belford, who has made local musicians a frequent subject of his work over the course of his career, has a new book coming out that chronicles St. Louis blues musicians of the 1920s and 1930s.

Issued by St. Louis-based Virginia Publishing, Devil at the Confluence: The Pre-War Blues Music of St. Louis is a coffee-table book recounting the stories and songs of legends including Peetie Wheatstraw, Henry Townsend, St. Louis Bessie and many other pre-World War II era performers.

The product of years of research, the book is illustrated with Belford's original paintings, plus vintage photographs and other material he unearthed during his digging. As a bonus, there's also an accompanying CD of rare recordings of St. Louis blues legends, produced by former St. Louisan Bob Koester's label Delmark Records.

Devil at the Confluence is scheduled for official release in September, and Belford will be doing a number of promotional events, the most ambitious of which would seem to be a one-night-only showing of the paintings from the book, to be held from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 on Friday, September 11 at Mad Art Gallery.

Other planned events include a signing at the Big Muddy Blues Festival downtown over Labor Day weekend; another at Webster Records during the Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival on Saturday, September 19; and two more later in the month at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups and the Blues City Deli. For more info, check out the blog Belford has set up in conjunction with the book's release.

Known among local music fans for his posters of St. Louis jazz legends and blues performers, Belford has worked as a freelance illustrator doing advertising, corporate art, and editorial illustration for books and for print media such as The Sporting News, the St Louis Post Dispatch, St Louis magazine, and the Riverfront Times. His previous books include The Ballpark Book (for The Sporting News) and the children's books Amazing Arthur Ashe, Spirit Of A Champion and Twist Of Fate-The Miracle Horse Of Longmeadow Ranch.