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 (pictured) spoke about his new role as creative advisor to Jazz St. Louis in a brief interview with Amanda Woytus of St. Louis magazine.

* Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, the documentary film about the trumpeter that was released earlier this year, has been nominated for two Emmy awards, for "Outstanding Arts & Culture Documentary" and "Outstanding Sound."

* And speaking of Davis, comedian and actor Alonzo Bodden this week was a guest on the podcast The 500, talking about his love for Davis' album Sketches of Spain.

* St. Louis Music Park, the new 4,500-seat outdoor concert venue in Maryland Heights, is the subject of a feature story from the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Gateway Studio and Production Services, a new multi-million dollar music and video facility to be built in Chesterfield, is the subject of a feature story from St. Louis Public Radio's Kendall Crawford..

* Bassist and singer Janet Evra (pictured) announced this week in a Facebook post that she's been invited to join the Recording Academy, the organization that oversees the annual Grammy Awards. Evra is one of 2,710 invitees this year, including 48 percent female, 32 percent Black or African American+, 13 percent Hispanic or Latino/a/x+, and four percent Asian or Pacific Islander+, as the Academy works toward diversifying its membership.

* Guitarist Steve Schenkel has been appointed music director at First Unity Church of St. Louis in South County. Schenkel, who teaches music at Webster University and works as a player and contractor with the Fox Theatre and Muny orchestras, plans to invite various musician friends to perform at the church, starting this Sunday, July 4 with pianist and fellow Webster University faculty member Carolbeth True. (See the church's website for info on future guest performances.)

* Bassist Darin Gray once again has delved into his archives and come up with more previously unreleased music from On Fillmore, his duo project with drummer Glenn Kotche. The album is called Chicago 2002, and it's now available on Bandcamp.

* As reported by CBS News, Miya Ponsetto, the woman seen earlier this year in a viral video attacking trumpeter Keyon Harrold's teenage son, has been indicted by a Manhattan court on hate crime and other charges, including unlawful imprisonment, aggravated harassment, and endangering a child. Ponsetto's next court date related to the charges is October 20.

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 was interviewed on St. Louis Public Radio's "St. Louis On The Air" about his new role as artistic advisor for Jazz St. Louis.

* The Post-Dispatch/STLToday has published an "iParty" gallery of photos from keyboardist Dave Grelle's show last Friday at City Foundry.

* A little-heard live audio recording of drummer Phillip Wilson (pictured) from March 1979 in Rome has surfaced on YouTube. The bootleg recording, nearly 2 1/2 hours long, features Wilson leading a trio with trumpeter Olu Dara and pianist/vocalist Donald Smith, joined on three tracks by trombonist Joseph Bowie, saxophonist Luther Thomas, and bassist Darrell Mixon.

* And speaking of archival material, a newly colorized version of footage of the Miles Davis Quintet performing at the Teatro dell'Arte in Milan, Italy in October 1964 has been uploaded to YouTube.

* Drummer Rob Silverman and keyboardist Ptah Williams were interviewed by St. Louis magazine's Amanda Woytus about Rhythm City, their recently released recording on Silverman's Autumn Hill label.

* Singer Anita Jackson was interviewed about upcoming gigs and the difficulties of the past year by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* St. Louis is one of the cities mentioned by Rolling Stone magazine in a newly published article about "7 Bucket List Destinations for Blues Lovers." The story namechecks BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, the National Blues Museum, and, in an indication that the piece may have been in the works for a while, Beale on Broadway, which closed more than two years ago in January 2019.

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:

* Keyboardist David Garfield (pictured) next month is releasing a new single, "Hunting Heads," that pays tribute to Herbie Hancock.

* The St. Louis Post-Dispatch went into their archives to republish vintage photos and a story about St. louis' 1960s entertainment district Gaslight Square.

* Singer Erika Johnson was interviewed for a profile on the site of women's shoemaket Walking Cradles.

* A travel article in USA Today touting Midwest sites of interest for music fans mentions notable St. Louis locations including BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups, Broadway Oyster Bar, National Blues Museum, and Vintage Vinyl.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold and the mother of his son Keyon Jr. have filed a racial profiling lawsuit against the Arlo Hotels chain and Miya Ponsetto, the woman who in a widely reported incident last year accosted Harrold and his son at the hotel's NYC location and accused the younger Harrold of stealing her iPhone.

* Jazz St. Louis will share in the prize for "Arts Collaboration" when the Arts and Education COuncil of Greater St. Louis presents the 2021 St. Louis Arts Awards in an event on Monday, May 24 at the Big Top in Grand Center. The award will be shared with St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, Nine Network of Public Media, and The Big Muddy Dance Company for the joint presentation of "Such Sweet Thunder" staged in October 2019 at the Nine Network's Public Media Commons.

* Multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina Saputo is featured on the latest episode of "Classical:BTS", a web video series produced by Illinois Public Media.

* The Don and Heide Wolff Jazz Institute and the National Black Radio Hall of Fame at Harris-Stowe State University will present the induction of four musicians into the Wolff Institute's St. Louis Jazz Hall of Fame in a online ceremony at 3:00 p.m. this Saturday, March 27.

Trumpeter Clark Terry; pianist, singer and saxophonist Hugh 'Peanuts ' Whalum; and singer Kim Massie are the St. Louis performers scheduled to be honored, along with, for reasons that presently are obscure, saxophonist Kirk Whalum, a Memphis native and nephew of "Peanuts" Whalum. (No knock against Kirk Whalum, a fine player who has had a nice career, but apart from his uncle, he doesn't really have much to do with St. Louis.)

The event will be webcast from the National Blues Museum downtown, and can be viewed on the Facebook pages for the NBM or Harris-Stowe.

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 was the featured guest on this past Tuesday's episode of musician and producer Adrian Younge's “Invisible Blackness” podcast. (You may need an Amazon Music ID or Amazon Prime account to listen.)

* In tribute to the late pianist and composer Chick Corea, pianist Dred Scott has recorded and released on SoundCloud a one-man-band version of Corea's tune "Captain Marvel."

* A feature story from the San Jose Mercury News' Andrew Gilbert looks at how Miles Davis helped pianist and singer Shirley Horn achieve late-career stardom.

* Also on the Miles Davis beat, some previously unheard excerpts from a 1978 recording session of his surfaced this week on YouTube. Coming right in the middle of the trumpeter's five-year hiatus from music in the late 70s, the session at Columbia Studio in NYC was set up initially at the urging of guitarist Larry Coryell, who plays on the tracks along with drummer Al Foster, bassist T.M. Stevens, and keyboardists George Pavlis and Masabumi Kikuchi.

Significantly, Davis does not perform on trumpet during the session, choosing instead to play Pavlis' ARP Odyssey keyboard. You can listen to nearly 35 minutes of the group's takes on "Miss Last Summer" here. (An interview with Pavlis, done for the 2005 book The Last Miles, provides more perspective on the session and can be read here.)

* Saxophonist Eric Person has teamed with keyboardist Neil Alexander to create a new online performance series called "Night Flight Music Live." Taking place on the last Friday of every month, the series will feature performers from New York's Hudson Valley and is donation-driven, with 100% of the proceeds going to the artists after operating costs.

Person, Alexander and drummer Jeff Siegel will perform at 7:30 p.m. tonight from Cassandra Studios in Beacon, NY, and can be seen on the series' YouTube channel.

* St. Louis artist and musician Damon Davis (pictured) is one of three recipients of 2021 grants from Alarm Will Sound's Matt Marks Impact Fund, which was started by members of the new music ensemble to honor a founding member who passed away in 2018. You can find out more about Davis' project with AWS, a science-fiction opera called Ligeia Mare, in his interview with the web publication I Care If You Listen.

* Funky Butt Brass Band drummer Ron Sikes has started "The Jazz Chat Podcast" and his guest on the first episode released this week is saxophonist Joel Vanderheyden.

*"Keep Live Alive Saint Louis" is a 90-minute online video special produced locally to raise money for workers here in the music and events industries - ushers, ticket takers, bartenders, wait staff, sound & lighting technicians, stagehands, backstage crews, and more - who have lost income and jobs because of the pandemic.

Scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 12, the special will include appearances from some well-known classic rock musicians and comedians, as well as St. Louis performers and radio personalities. Find out more or tune in via the group's Facebook page.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: More streamed concerts from St. Louis musicians

When the pandemic began last year, many musicians, venues and presenters began to offer performances streaming online, from solo concerts in living rooms to full-blown productions. StLJN over the last year has had a number of Saturday video posts collecting live streams staged by local organizations such as Jazz St. Louis and New Music Circle, and so this week, we're looking at a variety of other performances streamed recently by musicians from St. Louis.

Today's first video up above is the first of three featuring St. Louisans in New York, as saxophonist Eric Person leads a performance of a new work, "Blue Skys in the Distance," a five-part suite "inspired by sights and observations during the COVID Lockdown." It was recorded in December 2020 at Cassandra Recording Studio in Beacon, NY, with a band that also included Neil Alexander (keyboards), Adam Armstrong (bass), and Darrell Green (drums).

After the jump, you can see saxophonist Greg Osby with pianist John Chin and bassist Lonnie Plaxico in a concert recorded for the Woodwind Fest 2020 in December 2020 at Sear Sound in New York City.

Next up, it's Keyon Harrold with fellow trumpeters Marquis Hill, Theo Croker, and Giveton Gelin, pianist Mike King, bassist Ben Williams, and drummer Kendrick Scott in a performance billed as "Signatures in Brass" that was recorded in December at Smalls jazz club in NYC.

Moving closer to home, that's followed by pianist Peter Martin in a performance recorded in January at his studio here in St. Louis. It's one of a series of "Shelter in Place" solo concerts he's been doing weekly since last year.

The eclectic instrumental ensemble The 442s are next, in a performance recorded last October at The Sheldon.

The final video features the Red and Black Brass Band in a concert for KDHX's "Listen Live & Local" series that was recorded this past Tuesday, February 2.

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

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:

* Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes' show this Sunday for the Open Air series at the Grandel Theatre is previewed in a story by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony, a new seven-CD box set featuring previously unheard recordings by the late saxophonist, former St. Louisan and Black Artists Group co-founder Julius Hemphill (pictured), has been released by New World Records

* In an essay in the St. Louis American, Kayla L. Dennis, the aunt of trumpeter Keyon Harrold, opines about the recent incident in which her nephew and his son were assaulted by a woman at a hotel in NTC.

* The latest efforts of local music venues including the Pageant, Old Rock House, and The Sheldon to stay viable during the pandemic are spotlighted in a feature story from St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin.

* KMOV recalled the death of singer-songwriter and former St. Louisan Donny Hathaway by re-airing their 1979 report of his passing.

* And speaking of re-upping vintage content, AllAboutJazz.com has republished a 1998 interview with trumpeter Lester Bowie.

* Jazziz magazine is promoting the new music streaming service Qobuz.com with a specially compiled Miles Davis playlist, "Miles After Dark," which "features 50 laid-back, chilled-out Miles tracks that are sure to ease you into a state of absolute relaxation."

* Also on the Miles Davis beat, the trumpeter's ex-wife, actor Cicely Tyson, who passed away on Thursday night at age 96, talked about her time with Davis in an NPR interview about her new autobiography Just As I Am.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Sheldon this week announced that their annual fund-raising gala will take place online on Saturday, April 10. The event will be hosted by Chris Thile, the singer, mandolinist and former presenter of public radio's "Live From Here," and will include performances from Wynton Marsalis, John Pizzarelli, Dianne Reeves and Peter Martin, and more. For more information or to register, visit The Sheldon's website.

* Woodwind players and St. Louis natives J.D. Parran (pictured) and Marty Ehrlich are among the musicians featured in composer Joseph Daley's new commissioned work “Colorations-Explorations,” which debuted this week on video with Parran directing an ensemble featuring 18 clarinets of various ranges (including Ehrlich), percussionist Warren Smith, and a rhythm section.

* The Cabaret Project of St. Louis has posted a trailer for their upcoming online show featuring pianist and singer Billy Stritch performing music associated with Mel Torme. The concert will stream on Saturday, January 23 and Saturday, January 30, with advance reservations now available online.

* Saxophonist Greg Osby recently released an album called Reflections of the Eternal Line as part of an unusual trio with Swiss drummer ⁦Florian Arbenz⁩ and painter Stephan Spicher, and you can read the story behind the recording as recounted by Arbenz in a post on the website JazzItOut.com.

* St. Louis Public Radio's "St. Louis On The Air" on Thursday broadcast the story of “I’m Dreaming of No One But You,” written in 1942 by Leona Augustine of Washington MO and re-discovered by her grandson Jacob Luecke, who's releasing a brand new big-band recording of the song.

* In the latest developments in the recent story about trumpeter Keyon Harrold and his teenage son, Miya Ponsetto, the woman now facing assault charges after falsely accusing Harrold Jr. of theft, took part in a contentious and controversial interview with TV presenter Gayle King of CBS This Morhing, while the elder Harrold has called for a boycott of Arlo Hotels, which operates the NYC hotel where the incident took place.

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.

Keyon Harrold and teenage son accosted, falsely accused in incident at NYC hotel

Keyon Harrold is used to making the news for his music, but the St. Louis native and Grammy winning trumpeter this week was in the headlines for something else entirely, as he and his teenage son Keyon Jr. were accosted, falsely accused, and assaulted during an incident at the Arlo Soho hotel in New York City.

The Harrolds, who were staying at the hotel, were confronted this past Saturday in the lobby by a white woman (that neither had ever met or seen before) who accused the younger Harrold of stealing her iPhone. The situation went from bad to worse when a hotel employee seemed to side with the woman, who subsequently escalated from verbal accusations to physical confrontation, reportedly grabbing, shoving, and scratching the Harrolds.

Keyon Harrold (pictured) was able to record a portion of the incident on video, and after he posted the clip on social media, the story went viral, getting shared widely online and generating news coverage from the New York Times, CNN, Billboard magazine and numerous other media outlets.

Even as the woman's iPhone reportedly was returned by an Uber driver in whose vehicle she had left it, the incident has sparked outrage and renewed discussions both online and off about racism and white privilege. New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio was quoted in a New Tork Post story calling the incident an example of "racism, plain and simple."

Now, as attempts continue to identify the woman responsible, the Harrolds are being represented by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who has launched a petition online asking that their attacker be charged with assault.

StLJN will update this story as more information becomes available...

UPDATE, 11:00 p.m., 12/31/20: As seen on NBC's Today and other news programs, surveillance video from the hotel showing the incident has been released. Also, in an article in the New York Post, the Harrolds' assailant has been identified as Miya Ponsetto, a 22-year-old with a last known address in Sun Valley, CA.

UPDATE, 11:00 p.m. 1/7/21: According to a post on TMZ.com, Miya Ponsetto has been arrested in California and is being held for extradition to New York. She is expected to be charged with attempted robbery (for trying to take the younger Harrold's iPhone), and may face charges for resisting arrest as well.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* A long-unheard audio interview with Miles Davis, conducted in 1969 at the trumpeter's NYC home for the Japanese publication Swing Journal, has resurfaced on YouTube.

* In related news, Keyon Harrold joined fellow trumpeters Sean Jones, Jeremy Pelt, and Etienne Charles for a discussion on last week's episode of Jazziz magazine's "Miles Monday" podcast.

* Singer Robert Nelson (pictured) was the featured guest on last week's "Coffee Conversations" podcast from Shock City School of Music.

* Drummer Rob Silverman's latest album Drumology was reviewed by Glide magazine.

* Following the removal of a statue of Christopher Columbus from Tower Grove Park, a report from St. Louis Public Radio's Shala Farzan says that the candidates being discussed for a possible replacement statue include singer, dancer and St. Louis native Josephine Baker.

* Hasan Kenyatta Lake, son of saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake, has died at age 48, according to a report in the St. Louis American. The younger Lake worked as a barber and also was involved in music, releasing a rap album, Laclede Town Survivor, in 2001.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Keyboardist and Metro East native David Garfield (pictured) was the featured guest on a recent episode of Jazziz magazine's "Jazziz Live" podcast.

* The Red and Black Brass Band were the subjects of a story on last week's episode of Nine Network's Living St Louis program.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was interviewed on last night's episode of the "Speakin' My Piece!" podcast from Jazz Times magazine.

* Chris Hansen of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation was interviewed about the foundation's response to COVID-19 for a story on HEC-TV.

* Jazz St. Louis' 25th anniversary celebration was the subject of a feature story from Kevin Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

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 natives Eric Person and Keyon Harrold are among the recipients of a new round of composer commissions from the NYC-based Jazz Coalition.

* The restoration of Miles Davis' childhood home (pictured) by the not-for-profit organization House of Miles - East St. Louis (HOME) is the subject of a feature story by Riverfront Times writer Eric Berger.

* Also on the Davis beat, an article at InsideHook.com looks at how in the 1980s the trumpeter became the spokesperson for an obscure Japanese liquor brand.

* Bassist and recent transplant to St. Louis Damon Smith has a new album, Universal or Directional, now available on Bandcamp.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold (pictured) was the featured guest on a recent episode of "Folded Space with Tony Minvielle" on the UK's JazzFM network.

* Keyboardist Michael Silverman and keyboardist/producer Jeff Lorber appeared last week on Jazziz magazine's "Last Call" video series to promote Silverman's latest album Human Spirit, which is out this week on his Autumn Hill label.

* Silverman and Lorber also were guests this week on BlogTalkRadio's "Hybrid Jazz" program with host Trish Hennessey.

* Willem von Hombracht, a longtime mainstay of the St. Louis music scene, has been ailing (though not with COVID-19), and earlier this week was discharged and sent home after a week and a half at St. Mary's Hospital. To raise money to help with von Hombracht's medical bills and other expenses, friends of the bassist have set up a GoFundMe page.

* New Music Circle has put together a collection of music video performances by some of the organization's board members, and after an online premiere this past Monday, has posted it to YouTube. The collection includes music from NNN Cook & Nestor, Michael Williams, Tracy Andreotti, Aaron E. Johnson, Fred Tompkins with Greg Mills, Alex Cunningham, and 18andCounting.

* Multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina was profiled by the St. Louis American's Ashley Jones.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trombonist, bandleader and St. Louis native Joseph Bowie (pictured) was interviewed at length by PopMatters.com.

* Dave Weckl was one of six well-known drummers who participated this week in a free online master class in brush technique presented by drumstick and accessories maker Vic Firth.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was the subject of a feature on the website of Thomas Mason, a UK-based maker of fabrics for men's clothing.

* Harrold also was interviewed on this Wednesday's episode of the podcast "The John Roa Show: Leading from Home."

* Washington University School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic and the ACLU of Missouri have filed a lawsuit against University City arguing that the city has routinely and unconstitutionally suppressed the public performance of music in the Loop.

Guitarist Raymond Douglas and saxophonist "Raven Wolf" C. Felton Jennings II, who both have had issues with police while busking in the Loop area, are the plaintiffs in the suit, which was filed Tuesday, April 28 in the US District Court Eastern District, Eastern Division.

* Eight deluxe multi-CD box sets known as "The Miles Davis Series" now are available again in limited quantities from the official Miles Davis Store. Originally released on Columbia/Legacy between 1996 and 2007, the volumes explore various phases of Davis' music from 1955 to 1975, ranging from from his Columbia recordings with saxophonist John Coltrane to the complete sessions for On The Corner.

* Singer Joe Mancuso was the featured guest on this week's episode of Shock City School of Music's "Coffee Conversations" podcast.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Dave Weckl will be doing a live interview and taking listener calls for an hour on the "Around The Kit" podcast starting at 8:00 p.m. EDT this coming Sunday, April 5.

* The late baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett (pictured) is the subject of a remembrance and tribute in the April issue of the New York City Jazz Record (.pdf link).

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was interviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Aaron Paschal.

* An article by Dan Hardie in Syncopated Times makes the case for St. Louis-born pianist Gus Haenschen as the "missing link" between the ragtime of Scott Joplin and early jazz.

* Multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina Saputo and the Mosaic Jazz Sextet were among the musicians seen - some very briefly - in a news story on local NBC affiliate KSDK about the effects of COVID-19 on the St. Louis music scene.

* In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the release of Miles Davis' landmark album Bitches Brew, Jazz Times asked 10 contemporary musicians for their thoughts on the recording's significance. 

* The Middle East English-language news site The National uses the recent documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool as a jumping-off point for an article about "9 Ways Miles Davis Changed the Music Scene Forever."

* In related news, the Davis documentary, which now is streaming on Netflix, was reviewed by TheArtsDesk.com's Tim Cumming.

* Last but not least, the latest episode of the Rhino Records podcast features an interview with Davis’ son Erin and nephew Vince Wilburn Jr. about life on the road with the trumpeter and the production of the recently released "lost album" Rubberband.

Jazz this week: Tim Warfield Organ Band, Bonerama, Keyon Harrold, and more

Given that Mardi Gras is almost upon us, New Orleans-derived music plays a significant role in this week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis, but there's also a swinging saxophonist from Philly, a brief return home for a celebrated local trumpeter, and mich more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, February 19
Saxophonist Tim Warfield (pictured, top left) will perform for the first of five nights continuing through Sunday at Jazz St. Louis.

Warfield is a Philadelphia native who's played at the Bistro several times before, but this is his first time at the venue as leader of his Organ Band, which includes keyboardist Pat Bianchi and Warfield's hometown friend and frequent collaborator, trumpeter Terell Stafford.

Also in Grand Center, this week's "Wednesday Night Jazz Crawl" features pianist Dave Venn early and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor late at The Dark Room, plus a jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Thursday, 
February 20
Right on time to warm up for parade Saturday and Fat Tuesday, New Orleans' own Bonerama (pictured, center left) returns to perform at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Their sets likely will feature some music from their most recent album Bonerama Plays Zeppelin, which, as the name suggests, features their trombone-centric interpretations of music from the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. You can find out more about that project, and see some of the music being performed live (on video) in this post from a week ago Saturday.

Also on Thursday, keyboardist Jim Hegarty brings his trio to Evangeline's; singer Cheri Evans and CEEJazzSoul return to the Chase Club; keyboardist Ryan Marquez and his trio are back at The Dark Room; and guitarists William Lenihan and Vincent Varvel will team up to present a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Friday, February 21
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina will perform at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups, and bassist and singer Janet Evra and her quartet will play at The Judson House.

Also on Friday, guitarist Joe Park will promote the release of his latest recording with a show at Focal Point, and Samba Bom will do carnaval Brazilian style at Bar Italia.

Saturday, February 22
The Nashville-based group Cosmic Collective returns to Evangeline's, and singer Robert Nelson and  Genesis Jazz Project will be the featured performers in "The B3 Experience: Big Band, Burlesque and Bourbon" at .ZACK.

Also on Saturday, the Funky Butt Brass Band plays a post-parade show at The Bootleg at Atomic Cowboy; the Mosaic Jazz Sextet brings their hard bop sound to the Dark Room; and Dizzy Atmosphere will play vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at Urban Chestnut Midtown Brewery and Biergarten.

Sunday, February 23
Trumpeter Jim Manley plays for brunch at Evangeline's.

Later that afternoon, singer Anita Jackson and trumpeter Keyon Harrold (pictured, lower left) will headline a matinee "Benefit for Community Women Against Hardship" at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups, followed at the venue by a dinner-hour show from singer Chuck Flowers.

Monday, February 24
Webster University faculty members including pianist Kim Portnoy, percussionist David Werfelmann, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis, and violinist Matt Pickart will explore "Improvisational Environments" in a concert at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.

Tuesday, February 25
Celebrate Fat Tuesday in a New Orleans style at the "Central West End Second Line Parade," featuring the Saint Boogie Brass Band and Annie and the Fur Trappers, and/or by catching the double bill of the Funky Butt Brass Band and "Funkify Your Life: A Tribute To The Meters" at Broadway Oyster Bar.

Also on Tuesday, electro-jazz trio Vehachi plays in concert at the Gaslight Theater, and the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra returns to The Sheldon.

For more jazz-related events in and around St. Louis, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)