So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Dave Weckl is the subject of the cover story of the May 2021 issue of Modern Drummer magazine (pictured).

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold talks about his new job as creative advisor to Jazz St. Louis in an interview with the St. Louis American's Danielle Brown.

* Keyboardist Dave Grelle was interviewed in advance of his gig tonight at City Foundry by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The Post/STLtoday also has published an "IParty" photo gallery from last Saturday's show by singer Janet Evra and pianist Prah Williams at Blue Strawberry.

* Trumpeter Jim Manley was the featured guest on the latest episode of "The Trumpet Gurus" podcast.

* Generations, the forthcoming album from drummer Marcus Baylor's Baylor Project that's set for release on Friday, June 18, was previewed in a brief post on the blog Soul and Jazz and Funk.

* Marking the 95th anniversary of the trumpeter's birth, an article in the UK's Far Out Magazine attempts to answer the question "Why Do So Many Rock Stars Love Miles Davis?"

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Jazz St. Louis on Wednesday announced the appointment of trumpeter Keyon Harrold to the newly established position of Creative Advisor. During his three-year appointment, Harrold (pictured) will perform annually at Jazz St. Louis, starting with a five-night run coming up in December of this year.

He also will be involved with the organization's "Jazz Speaks" and residency programs; will create "a major commissioned work reflecting on the St. Louis community" to close JSL's 2023-24 season; and take part in "other appearances, performances, and events."

* A previously unreleased recording of Miles Davis performing at the Vienne Jazz Festival in one of his final concerts will be issued as Merci, Miles by Rhino Records on Friday, June 25. The recording will be available on all major digital music services as well as both a two-CD set and a double LP, and can be pre-ordered here.

* Also on the Miles Davis beat, here's a feature story about Mikel Elam, a visual artist from Philadelphia who served as Davis' personal assistant from October 1987 until the trumpeter's death in September 1991.

* Drummer Demarius Hicks was interviewed by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson about his Chick Corea tribute show playing Saturday night at The Grandel's "Open Air" tent.

* Also from the Post-Dispatch, an "iParty" gallery of photos from singer Denise Thimes' shows last weekend at Blue Strawberry.

* Shake The Rum, the newest album from trombonist Charlie Halloran, a St. Louis native now living in New Orleans, and his band, the Tropicales, was reviewed in Offbeat magazine.

* Multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina is one of six up-and-coming artists from St. Louis and Detroit profiled in "The Flavor of Two Cities," a new ad campaign for distilled spirits maker Jack Daniel's. You can see a promotional video featuring her and Detroit's Leonard Ware (aka Drummer B) here.

* The reaction of local music venues and theaters to the easing of some coronavirus restrictions in Missouri is the subject of a feature story from St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Kendrick Smith was interviewed by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson, talking about this Saturday's jazz fundraiser show at the Grandel Theatre's "Open Air" tent. There's also a short video accompanying the article.

* Also from Kevin Johnson in the Post, pianist and singer John McDaniel talks up his return engagement tomorrow night at Blue Strawberry.

* Stories, the forthcoming album from bassist Tom Kennedy (pictured), is previewed in an article in Bass magazine. The album is set for release by Autumn Hill Records on Friday, May 21.

* The Sheldon Art Galleries will open a new exhibit of musical instruments created by local students on Friday, April 30 in the AT&T Children's Gallery.

* An interview with drummer Dave Weckl by Daniel Durchholz in the Post-Dispatch discusses Weckl's new live album, his recent move back to the St. Louis area, and more.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist and clarinetist Marty Ehrlich is the subject of a feature story in the latest issue of Point of Departure.

* DownBeat has an article about the recently released seven-CD set of music from saxophonist Julius Hemphill (pictured).

* Also on the Hemphill beat, the latest issue of The Wire offers "A Short Guide to Julius Hemphill."

* The Post-Dispatch this past week went into their archives to assemble a photo feature about a visit here in 1932 from W.C. Handy, composer of "St. Louis Blues."

* Saxophonist Joel Vanderheyden and pianist Kara Baldus-Mehrmann are among the most recent faculty members to record streaming performances for the Washington University department of music's "Musical Lunch Box." Baldus-Merhmann performed "Nola’s Waltz" by Bob Borgstede and her own "Where You Are," while Vanderheyden offered up a live-looping version of "Hunter" by Icelandic pop star Björk.

* Bassist Damon Smith has released another recording, Bass Duos 2000-2007, featuring 3 CDs' worth of duo improvisations with fellow bassists Joëlle Léandre, Bertram Turetzky, and the late Peter Kowald.

* Saxophonist Rhoda G was interviewed by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Also in the Post-Dispatch, Johnson interviewed drummer Marcus Baylor and singer Jean Baylor of The Baylor Project.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold this week kicked off Black History Month by putting together a "Black Lives Matter" playlist for Spotify.

* Also for Black History Month, SiriusXM will revive for a limited time only their Miles Davis Radio channel, with "music from over 100 of Davis’ albums and featuring alumni band members as hosts," including Marcus Miller, Lenny White, John Beasley, Joey DeFrancesco, and Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn Jr.

* Keyboardist Pete Ruthenburg talks about future plans for recordings and gigs in an interview with the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The Post-Dispatch this week also published a photo feature commemorating the return of Josephine Baker (pictured) on February 3, 1952 to perform in her hometown for the first time since becoming internationally famous.

* Autumn Hill Records, the all-digital label operated by brothers Mike and Rob Silverman, has teamed up with Modern Drummer magazine to present "The Modern Drummer Drumology Playalong Contest."

Contestants are invited to download and record a video of themselves playing along with a track from Rob Silverman's recent solo recording, which also features fellow drummers Simon Phillips and Dave Weckl. Prizes for the contest, which ends on Sunday, Feburary 28, include a Spinelli "Floating Snare" and Drumology prize packs.

* And speaking of contests, the National Saxophone Museum (located within St. Louis woodwind dealer Saxquest) is sponsoring "a $5000 prize purse contest to give all saxophone players a chance to have some fun, showcase their art, and perhaps “cash in” on their passion."

Prizes range from $500 to $2,500 for the three top winners, and there also will be prizes awarded for young artists, honorable mention, and "People's Choice." Registration for the contest continues through Friday, April 30.

* Writing in the Los Angeles Times, former St. Louisan Randall Roberts looks at "The tortured, touching love saga of Cicely Tyson and Miles Davis."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold has written an essay for USA Today about the recent incident at a New York City hotel in which he and his teenage son were assaulted and falsely accused of theft.

* Keyboardist David Garfield's re-release of a track featuring singer-guitarist Boz Scaggs was the subject of a brief feature in American Songwriter magazine.

* Rhythm City, the recent album from pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Larry Kornfeld, and drummer Rob Silverman, received a four-star review in the February 2021 issue of DownBeat magazine.

* Singer Erika Johnson (pictured) talked about her new band The Gemini Project in an interview with the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. The group debuts this Saturday at Blue Strawberry.

* As also reported by Kevin Johnson in the Post-Dispatch, The Sheldon has postponed its "Coffee Concerts" series that had been scheduled to resume this spring until the fall and winter of 2021-22.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn is starting a new series of online master classes on Sunday, January 31. For details on the classes and pricing, or to register, visit his website.

* A story from St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin looks at the potential impact of government relief funds on local arts and cultural organizations affected by the COVID pandemic.

* AllAboutJazz.com recently surveyed readers to find out what they consider to be the "top jazz cities" in the world, and St. Louis came in at #42. (Insert your own Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy joke here.) The top five jazz cities as determined by AAJ.com readers are New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Paris, and London; Kansas City was ranked as #13.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* With no new relief from the government this fall for businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic, St. Louis-area independent venues that are part of the Missouri Entertainment Alliance are asking music enthusiasts to contact Missouri legislators and urge them to provide industry-specific financial assistance at the state level.

Find more about the campaign and how to participate at https://www.missourientertainmentalliance.com/take-action.

* Singer Denise Thimes (pictured) led an online master class on "Interpretation of Performance Material" this past Tuesday for local students under the auspices of the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation. You can see the class on YouTube in three parts here, here and here.

* Rhythm City, a new recording from pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Larry Kornfeld and drummer Rob Silverman on the Autumn Hill label, was reviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Jim Worsley and by MakingAScene.org's Jim Hynes.

* St. Louis Post-Dispatch classical music critic Sarah Bryan Miller has died after a long battle with cancer. Miller was 68 years old and had been at the Post since 1999.

* A feature story in the latest issue of Jazz Times takes a look at Miles Davis' unreleased collaboration with singer-songwriter Prince.

* Also on the Miles Davis beat, Jo Gelbard, who was the trumpeter's "painting teacher, collaborator, and companion in the final seven years of his life" was interviewed about "The Paintings of Miles Davis" on the podcast "For Keeps."

* Bassist Jahmal Nichols talked about his new recording Black Frequencies in an interview with the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Nine Network is reporting on social media that veteran St. Louis pianist and teacher Herb Drury has died. Drury was 92 years old, and was active on the local scene from the Gaslight Square era in the late 1950s into the early 2000s. You can see a profile of Drury from a 2008 episode of Nine's program Living St. Louis here.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Jean Baylor & Marcus Baylor

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

* Miles Davis is one of five musicians to be featured in "Space Is The Place," a radio series on the UK's JazzFM presenting "specially commissioned dramas...based on five pivotal moments in the lives of some of Jazz FM’s legendary artists." The other featured artists will include Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong and Sun Ra; the Davis episode will air on Monday, December 7.

* Nominees for the 2021 Grammy Awards were announced this week, and the list includes St. Louis' own Marcus Baylor, whose group The Baylor Project (co-led with his wife, singer Jean Baylor) was nominated for "Best Traditional R&B Performance" for their song "Sit on Down."

In addition, three more St. Louisans - bassist Jahmal Nichols, drummer Emanuel Harrold, and trumpeter Keyon Harrold - performed on singer Gregory Porter's All Rise, which was nominated in the "Best R&B Album" category.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has released another short video as part of his "Sanborn Sessions" web series, in which he teams up with various musical friends for some performances recorded in his home studio. The latest episode features Sanborn with his longtime collaborator, organist Joey DeFrancesco.

* Ahead of his gig this Sunday night at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups, keyboardist Mark Harris II is the subject of a feature story from the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The late trumpeter Lester Bowie, who grew up in St. Louis and went on to fame as a member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, is being honored with an outdoor mural in Frederick, Maryland, the city where he actually was born.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran was interviewed last week on an episode of "The Dale Wiley Show" podcast.

* In an effort to keep customers safe during the ongoing pandemic, musical instrumental retailer and repair shop Saxquest this year has reconfigured the fifth edition of their annual Musical Instrument Expo, which starts this Saturday, November 14 and continues through Thursday, December 24.

Instead of presenting a day-long event in meeting rooms at a local hotel, this year Saxquest is offering registered participants "isolated individual appointments" to try out instruments at their shop on Cherokee Street, with the added incentives of 5% to 20% discounts on "nearly all new instruments" and 0% financing options available for many instruments.

Appointments are free, and all participants are registered automatically for a door prize of $500 and other prizes. For more information, visit the Expo's Facebook page, or sign up online here.

* Multi-instrumentalist T.J. Müller (pictured) of traditional jazz band The Gaslight Squares is the host of a new program added to the schedule at community radio station KDHX. Müller's "The Riverboat Shuffle" features vintage jazz, blues, swing, and ragtime, and airs from 10:00 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays.

* Red Flag, a new music venue from the owners of rock club Fubar that will hold up to 1,000 concertgoers, has had a soft opening on Locust St. in Midtown, as reported by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. The Post also produced a short video showing the inside of the club.

* Citing lost revenue from shows canceled due to the pandemic, the Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, the main venue for the annual Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, has let go 14 full-time employees, including director John Cattanach. According to a story from St. Louis Public Radio's Chad Davis, the Touhill will keep three full-time staff members but now will be run by the university’s event services department.

* Saxophonist and East St. Louis native Amos Brewer has died. Brewer, who was 53 years old, passed away last Saturday, November 7; no cause of death has been disclosed. A bluesy stylist in the R&B-flavored tradition of Hank Crawford, Oliver Sain, and David Sanborn, he freelanced with various groups and musicians around town, and also was a member of the band at Friendly Temple Church, which has released a video in tribute to him.

Arrangements are through Layne Mortuary, and the funeral will take place Sunday, November 22 at Friendly Temple, with viewing at 3:00 p.m. and services at 4:00 p.m.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Although David Sanborn has wrapped the "official" first season of his online video series "Sanborn Sessions," in recent weeks the saxophonist has added a couple of postscripts in the form of short "remote sessions" with keyboardist Cory Henry and singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke.

* Singer Mardra Thomas and her husband, pianist Reggie Thomas, both are part of the cast of "Day Dream," an online audio drama "inspired by the life of jazz artist and composer Billy Strayhorn." Reggie is handling the musical direction, while Mardra, appropriately, is playing the role of a jazz singer named Alice. Two of the eight planned episodes have been released so far, and can be heard at https://www.daydreamseries.com/.

* Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris (pictured) was interviewed on last Friday's episode of KTRS radio's "In The Know with Ray Hartmann."

* As reported by the Riverfront Times' Daniel Hill, The Monocle, the venue in the Grove neighborhood that sometimes featured cabaret and jazz performers as part of an eclectic entertainment policy, has closed permanently.

* In more venue news, according to a report from the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson, construction has begun on The Factory, a new concert club located at The District in Chesterfield, on the site of what was the Chesterfield Outlets mall. The facility, which will have a maximum capacity of 3,000 people, will present a variety of musical genres and is scheduled to open in May, 2021.

* Also in the Post-Dispatch, Ian Froeb reports that the Venice Cafe will close "until spring 2021."

* Tomorrow will be the third and final "RSD Drops" day of 2020, replacing the annual Record Store Day celebration in April that was canceled due to the pandemic. For a list of participating stores in Missouri offering the special RSD releases, go here.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* St. Louis magazine has published their annual "A List" of local attractions, organizations, people, and events, and the names of at least a couple of the winners will be familiar to StLJN readers.

The Red and Black Brass Band was mentioned for "Best Use of Brass," while Blue Strawberry was named "Best New Storytelling Venue." You can see a list of all the winners here.

* The current fund-raising efforts of radio station WSIE are the subject of a feature story from the Riverfront Times' Daniel Hill. Thanks in large part to budget cuts by the state of Illinois, WSIE must raise a total of $100,000 by the end of this month or the station may go off the air permanently.

* Job’s Trials: A Jazz Song Cycle, the latest recording from bassist and St. Louis native Dan Loomis, was reviewed by the UK magazine Jazz Journal.

* Singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina (pictured) talked about what she's been doing during lockdown and discussed a couple of upcoming livestream performances in an interview with the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Jazz in St. Louis has gotten some attention from NYC's Jazz at Lincoln Center recently, as last week JALC published a Spotify playlist of St. Louis jazz (accompanied by a short and rather sketchy history of our local scene) as part of a series called "City Soundscapes."

That was followed this week by a St. Louis-themed installment of "On the Road with Riley," an online video series featuring trumpeter Riley Mulkerhar that purports to take "viewers on a virtual road trip...to see how various #jazz scenes around the U.S. are coping with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis." The video features a brief chat with pianist Adam Maness and a streamed performance of "St. Louis Blues" by Mulherkar, Maness, bassist Bob DeBoo, and drummer Kaleb Kirby.

* Dr. Dorothy Steward, the mother of businessman, philanthropist and Jazz St. Louis board member David Steward and one of the namesakes of JSL's headquarters, the Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, has died at age 92.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Etienne Charles of the SFJAZZ Collective talked with the Post-Dispatch's Daniel Durchholz about the group's latest project, a re-imagining of music by Miles Davis and Sly Stone.

The Collective was scheduled to perform here in St. Louis tomorrow night at The Sheldon, but they've cancelled that show and the remainder of their spring tour due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

* Guitarist Dave Black was the subject of a short feature story in St. Louis magazine.

* This weekend's Carol Moore Memorial Jazz Festival at Mineral Area College, featuring trombonist Michael Dease (pictured), was previewed in a feature story in the Park Hills Daily Journal.

* Jazz St. Louis has published on their website a Q&A with keyboardist Dave Grelle. Grelle's band Playadors performs at the venue tonight and tomorrow night.

* The St. Louis Post-Dispatch/STLToday.com went into their archives to republish photos from when W.C. Handy, composer of "St. Louis Blues," came back to St. Louis for a visit in 1932.

* The venue formerly known as The Stage at KDHX will get a makeover and a new name, Bennie's Blues Room, as it becomes the new headquarters for the St. Louis Blues Society. Focusing on the history of St. Louis blues, the venue (named in honor of the late guitarist and singer Bennie Smith) will present live music, educational events, and more, as detailed in a story by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The Regional Arts Commission this week unveiled a five-year plan that would have them working more closely with local arts groups to set priorities and foster collaborations as well as providing funding. For details, see this story by St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and his wife, singer Jean Baylor (pictured), have launched a campaign via IndieGoGo to crowd-fund the next album by their group The Baylor Project.

* Chuck Lavazzi of KDHX reviewed recent shows at Blue Strawberry by David Giuntoli and John McDaniel.

* In related stories, St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Fenske interviewed cabaret artists Beverly Brennan, Robert Brieg and Dionna Raedeke about upcoming shows at Blue Strawberry; and the venue also was the subject of a brief feature story from St. Louis magazine's Melissa Meinzer.

* Another item at St. Louis Public Radio's website notes the retirement of "Jazz Unlimited" host Dennis Owsley, mostly reiterating information already made public, but also adding the intriguing tidbit that "jazz music will continue on 90.7 KWMU-1 on Sunday nights from 9 to midnight" without any specifics. So, stay tuned...

* The Northsider has posted to Facebook a photo album from the Funky Butt Brass Band's early Saturday matinee of last weekend's "Holiday Brasstravaganza."

* With the southside venue Foam closing permanently this week, the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson took a look back at a decade of shows there.

* The Bosman Twins were interviewed by ChicagoJazz.com in advance of their gig this week at Winters Jazz Club.

* Trumpeter George C. Davis, one of the founders of the Jazz Edge Orchestra, has died.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Broadcaster, author and photographer Dennis Owsley will end his long-running St. Louis Public Radio program "Jazz Unlimited" with a final broadcast on Sunday, December 29.

Owsley, who moved with his wife to Arizona this fall to be closer to his grandchildren, had been sending in pre-recorded shows from there.  He said the decision to sign off after 36 years of broadcasting was entirely his own, with no pressure from station management. With the notable exception of the St. Louis Symphony's live broadcasts, "Jazz Unlimited" is one of the last music programs on the St. Louis Public Radio schedule, which increasingly has emphasized news and talk since the mid-2000s.) 

The author of two books on the history of jazz in St. Louis, Owsley (pictured) has won honors including several Riverfront Times "Best of St. Louis" awards for best jazz radio program and a "Jazz Hero" award in 2016 from the Jazz Journalists Association. The Post-Dispatch's Joe Holleman has more here.

* Drummer Nate Smith recently did a brief Q&A that was published on the Jazz St. Louis website. Smith and his band KINFOLK will perform through Sunday night at the Bistro.

* Smith also has recorded a solo performance for an episode of Gaslight Studios' web series "Gaslight Sessions," which was released online Monday.

* The Grand Center district in midtown will be the site of a new concert venue with a capacity of 1,200 that's scheduled to open in 2021. The club, to be called The Sovereign, will book national touring acts, local and regional bands in a variety of genres, as well as corporate events, private parties and weddings.

The venture is the product of a team-up between Tim Weber, managing partner of Old Rock House and former general manager and talent buyer at Mississippi Nights, and Steve Smith, the CEO of Lawrence Group, an architectural and development firm involved in a number of real estate projects in the neighborhood. The P-D's Kevin Johnson has more, including some quotes from Weber, here.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has posted to Facebook an album of photos from his recent shows at the Blue Note Tokyo.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* A story by St. Louis Public Radio's Eric Schmid reports that Miles Davis' childhood home (pictured), now restored and operated as a museum by the not-for-profit organization House of Miles East St. Louis, is the centerpiece of a new weekly tour focused on ESL history and culture.

* In related news, PBS has announced that the American Masters episode featuring the documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool will premiere on Tuesday, February 25. (Check local affiliate listings for the broadcast time in your area.)

* The new vinyl reissue box set of Davis' The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions released last week is the subject of a brief feature in DownBeat and a longer story from UDiscoverMusic.com.

* Guitarist Vincent Varvel and Gaslight Theater owner William Roth were interviewed on Monday's episode of the KTRS program "St. Louis In the Know with Ray Hartmann and Jay Kanzler."

* The holiday cabaret shows of singers Debby Lennon and Dean Christopher last week at Blue Strawberry were reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* And speaking of Debby Lennon, she'll star next month in Max and Louie Productions' staging of "Songs for Nobodies," a one-woman play by Joanna Murray-Smith that features the music of Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf, and Maria Callas in "a mosaic of stories told by the everyday women who had unexpected life-changing encounters with these musical icons." The production will run from Thursday, January 23 through Saturday, February 1 at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

* Singer, actor, and Belleville native Lea DeLaria was interviewed about her new streaming TV show Reprisal and plans for her next album by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

*  Oikos Ensemble has produced a video looking back on past editions of their annual "Jazz Noel" program and promoting this year's performances, which will take place tomorrow at Parkway United Church of Christ and Sunday at First Congregational Church of Webster Groves.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist David Sanborn's new video series "Sanborn Sessions," inspired in part by his turn-of-the-90s NBC show Night Music, is set to debut on the web next week.

Each episode will feature Sanborn (pictured) with a different musical guest or guests, starting on Tuesday, December 3 with singer and keyboardist Kandace Springs.

* The Gil Evans score of "Porgy and Bess" originally recorded in 1959 by Miles Davis was revisited on the final night of the recent EFG London Jazz Festival by a 21-piece band directed by Nick Smart, head of the jazz program at the Royal Academy of Music.

* The story of what singer Jenna Bauer did with the 7,000 piece collection of vinyl records she inherited from her late father is recounted by the Riverfront Times' Christian Schaeffer.

* Singer and pianist Katarra Parson's album-release show tonight at The Dark Room is the subject of feature stories from the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. 

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness (pictured) will present a special live-streaming version of their Open Studio podcast "You'll Hear It" next Friday, August 9.

* Thurman's In Shaw was reviewed by Sauce magazine, with a mention of the venue's live jazz offerings alongside the critique of its food and drinks.

* A previously unseen interview from the mid-1980s with drummer and St. Louis native Phillip Wilson has been published in the latest issue of the online 'zine Perfect Sound Forever.

* Singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina Saputo took time out from her just-concluded European tour to stop in Jazztone Studios in Valencia, Spain to record a music video of the song "Que Lio," originally made famous by Puerto Rican salsa singer Hector Lavoe.

* Singer Valerie Kirchhoff aka Miss Jubilee was one of the musicians interviewed for a Quad City Times article about this weekend's Bix Jazz Festival in Davenport, IA.

* A post on the UMSL Daily blog recounts the UMSL Jazz Ensemble's recent trip to Europe, which doubled as a farewell to outgoing director of jazz studies Jim Widner.

* The Brothers Lazaroff were interviewed about their new album and shows this weekend at Jazz St. Louis by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. (Link is paywalled)

* There's a new trailer out this week for director Stanley Nelson's documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, which will play starting later this month in selected theaters across the country.

* Davis also was the subject of a recent episode of MOJO magazine's "Innovators Podcast."

* Continuing on the Davis beat, the trumpeter this week was the latest musician discussed in The Guardian's recurring "20 Greatest Albums Ranked" feature.

* And finally, Jazz Journal has a review of Milestones, a new reissue of some familiar early Davis tracks by the French label Dreyfus Jazz.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* In conjunction with the release earlier this year of the Miles Davis set The Complete Birth Of The Cool, UDiscoverMusic.com gathered a panel in Los Angeles for a discussion of the album's impact, legacy and lasting influence; working with the master tapes to produce the new reissue; and Davis' fight for African-American rights. You can hear highlights from the discussion here.

* Drummer Dave Weckl (pictured), who was back home here last month to play at rthe Chesterfield Jazz & Wine Festival, has added a new 2.5 hour drum recording course to his online school at daveweckl.teachable.com.

* Radio station WSIE and its general manager Jason Church were the subjects of a feature story in the Alton-area news site Riverbender.com

* Saxophonist Carlos Brown Jr. was interviewed about his gig this weekend at Jazz St. Louis by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. (Link is paywalled.)

 * As reported by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn, multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina Saputo is one of three local musicians featured in Nature of Sound, a new short film produced and directed by St. Louisan Jon Alexander.

* Nearly a decade after ending their first attempt at podcasting, Jazz St. Louis is trying again with a podcast called "Jazz Happens," with production outsourced to Konfluenz Studios, a St. Louis based company that produces several other podcasts, none music-related.

Unfortunately, while the format is on point - interviews with touring musicians who are in town to play gigs at the Bistro - and the production values are solid enough, the podcast's hosts* seem to know very little about jazz, or even the basics of how to conduct an interview. Even worse, they seem to have done very little to no research about their subjects.

The results, as sampled in brief snippets of various episodes by yr. humble editor, range from insipid to awkward to downright cringeworthy, as in the interview with Anat Cohen, which begins with one of hosts asking her if she still lives in Tel Aviv (her hometown).

Cohen, clearly not amused, replied that, no, she's lived in the USA for more than 20 years - a fact both essential to her current career, since it was her move here in 1996 to study at Berklee that set up her subsequent accomplishments, and easily gleaned from the bio on her website, most of the interviews and feature stories published about her, or her Wikipedia page.

To sum up, while StLJN's journalistic mission compels us to inform you of this podcast's existence, it is not recommended that you listen to it. If you must, the eight episodes produced to date are archived 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:

* Drummer Marcus Baylor and singer Jean Baylor of the Baylor Project (pictured) were interviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's K. Shackelford

* Capitalizing on the St. Louis Blues' run for the NHL's Stanley Cup, singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina Saputo has recorded a video of her cover version of "Gloria," the 1982 hit by singer Laura Branigan that has become the team's victory anthem. You can see the video here.

* Pianist Ethan Leinwand was interviewed briefly about Monday's St. Louis Piano Festival by Kevin Johnson of the Post-Dispatch.

* Singer Alicia Olatuja was the featured guest on a recent episode of NPR's "In Black America."

* Trumpeter Russell Gunn was interviewed by Georgia Public Broadcasting about the performance of his Royal Krunk Jazz Orchestra at the Atlanta Jazz Festival. You can see some photos and a video from the show this past Sunday at LibroMusica.com.

* The 93rd anniversary of the birth of trumpeter Miles Davis last week was noted in a brief story on KTVI-Fox 2's newscast featuring an interview with the co-founders of House of Miles East St. Louis, the museum that now occupies Davis' childhood home.

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.