So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* A "roll in" event put on last week by local sound, lighting and stage workers in support of the #SaveOurStages campaign was the subject of a feature story in the St. Louis Labor Tribune.

For more information on the campaign, which seeks federal relief for independent music venues affected by the pandemic, go to https://www.saveourstages.com/.

* Pianist and Webster U faculty member Kim Portnoy has released a new album of his compositions titled Caprice: The Chamber Music of Kim Portnoy.

* Rick Beato, a popular YouTuber who usually discusses and analyzes rock and pop music, turned his attention last week to jazz and Miles Davis with a video titled "The Picasso of Sound- The man who changed MODERN music."

* Drummer Rob Silverman's latest release Drumology was reviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Jim Worsley.

Jazz this week: Freddy Cole & Houston Person, Arturo Sandoval & Jane Monheit, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes two shows featuring two visiting headliners for the price of one, plus a Middle Eastern instrumental virtuoso and the usual assortment of performances in various styles from our hometown's own.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, October 23
Pianist and singer Freddy Cole and his quintet with special guest saxophonist Houston Person (pictured, top left) will perform for the first of five nights continuing through Sunday at Jazz St. Louis.

Cole, the brother of the legendary Nat "King" Cole, shares his late sibling's general air of suavity and his good taste in songs and musicians, but has established his own identity as a performer, as defiantly noted in his original song "I'm Not My Brother, I'm Me." Person, a veteran steeped in bebop, blues and ballads, seems a fine match for Cole, as both not only are of the same generation but share an old-school musical sensibility.

Also in Grand Center, this week's "Wednesday Night Jazz Crawl" includes pianist Ethan Leinwand at The Stage at KDHX, the jam session hosted by bassist Bob DeBoo, and singer Erika Johnson, debuting her new organ trio at The Dark Room.

Thursday, October 24
Guitarist Brian Vaccaro leads a quartet in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and keyboardist Andrew Stephen returns to The Dark Room.

Friday, October 25
Guitarist Dave Black, recovered from a serious cycling accident this summer that took him out of action for a couple of month, plays solo at The Dark Room; and Iraqi-American oud player Rahim Al Haj brings his trio, plus guest pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson, to the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Also on Friday, the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and the Oîkos Ensemble teams up with SkyStone Conservatory Dance Ensemble and the Logos Readers for "Earth Walk Returns," a multi-disciplinary performance at the First Congregational Church of Webster Groves.

Saturday, 
October 26
The annual "Friends of the Sheldon Benefit" features trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, his band, and guest singer Jane Monheit (pictured, bottom left) in a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Sandoval, the Cuban-born protege of Dizzy Gillespie turned multiple Grammy Award winner, certainly can bring the pyrotechnics on trumpet when the situation calls for it, while Monheit belongs in any discussion of the top women jazz singers working today.

Both usually headline their own shows, though they have done some select gigs in this configuration, and so it should be interesting to hear what musical ground brings them together, and how they choose to navigate it.  You can see some recent performances by Sandoval on video in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, The Gaslight Squares return to the Frisco Barroom.

Sunday, October 27
Miss Jubilee performs for jazz brunch at Evangeline's; and bassist Ben Wheeler’s Sketchbook plays an evening concert at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Monday, October 28
Dizzy Atmosphere plays vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck, and pianist Kim Portnoy leads a big band playing original works in a concert at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster University campus.

Elsewhere around town, the Folk School of KDHX has moved their Traditional Jazz Jam Session to Monday nights, and made it a weekly event.

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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Bassist, composer, former St. Louisan, and SIU Edwardsville alumnus Dan Loomis (pictured) has launched a crowd-funding campaign to pay for a recording of his jazz song cycle "Job's Trials." You can read more about the project and, if you like, pledge your support here.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was interviewed about his guest spot on the new Nas album and more by HipHopDX.com

* The STL Free Jazz Collective has posted on YouTube a video of their performance on April 27 at the Link Auditorium, their first show without founding member and former St. Louis poet laureate, the late Michael Castro.

* Also new on YouTube, bassist and singer Janet Evra performing "Tenderly" for the web series Lo-Fi Cherokee 2019.

* Singer, actor and St. Louis native Craig Pomranz wrote a personal essay for CabaretScenes.org about how the late Doris Day taught him to sing.

* Pianist and St. Louis native Dred Scott was the subject of a feature story on the web site Berkeleyside.
 
* The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's collaboration with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on a recording of the trumpeter's "Swing Symphony" made Jazziz magazine's list of "10 Albums You Need To Know For July 2019."

* Voting in the 2019 DownBeat Readers Poll is open, and you can cast your ballot here.

* Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris is looking for young musicians in high school or their first year of college to participate in "From The Lab," a free educational program that will teach recording techniques, music business skills, and more. Applications for the first session starting in Fall 2019 are being accepted now on Harris' website.

* Pianist Kim Portnoy will have an original composition premiered by Chamber Project St. Louis during their upcoming 2019-20 season. Portnoy's "From an Imaginary Musical" will be on the program for the group's concert in April 2020 at the Missouri History Museum.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Roseanna Vitro to perform Saturday, December 5 at the Ozark Theatre

Singer Roseanna Vitro is returning to St. Louis to perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, December 5 at the Ozark Theatre.

Vitro (pictured) will present what's being billed as an "American Composers Holiday Concert," featuring the music of Ray Charles, Randy Newman, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, and Clare Fischer. Fischer's compositions were the focus of Vitro's most recent album Clarity: Music of Clare Fischer, which was released last year.

She'll be backed for this performance by a group of St. Louis musicians including Kim Portnoy (piano), Ric Vice (bass), Danny Campbell (trumpet), Clancey Newell (drums), and Jeff Anderson (tenor sax).

The show is being produced by Dorothy Edwards of Robbie's House of Jazz, the now-closed club nearby in Webster Groves where Vitro last performed in St. Louis in September 2013. Tickets are $20 in advance via http://robbieshouseofjazz.com/, $25 at the door.

Edited 10/244/14 to correct date of concert.

Webster University announces 2013-14 jazz concert schedule

The music department at Webster University has announced their schedule of Monday night jazz concerts for 2013-14.

The series will kick off with a tribute to Cannonball Adderly at 7:00 p.m. Monday, September 9 in Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus, 470 E. Lockwood Ave.

The performance will feature songs associated with Adderly such as “Unit Seven,” “Jive Samba,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and “Sack O’ Woe,” performed by an ensemble including Paul DeMarinis (pictured, saxophones), Keith Moyer (trumpet), Steve Schenkel (guitar), Kim Portnoy (piano), Willem von Hombracht (bass), Kevin Gianino (drums) and Debby Lennon (vocals).

Here's the complete schedule for the year:

Monday, September 9: A Tribute to Cannonball Adderley
Monday, September 16: Four in One: The Thelonious Monk Project
Monday, September 23: Paul DeMarinis & Friends with DeMarinis (saxophones), Dave Black (guitar), Ben Wheeler (bass) and Kyle Honeycutt (drums).
Monday, October 28: TKT Scholarship Benefit Concert
Monday, November 18: Webster Jazz Collective

Monday, January 27: TBA
Monday, February 3: Black History Month Concert
Monday, February 10: Kim Portnoy Ensemble
Monday, February 24: Webster Jazz Collective
Monday, March 17: Shepard/Davis Scholarship Benefit Concert

All Monday night faculty concerts begin at 7:00 p.m. and take place in Moore Auditorium. Tickets for most concerts are $5 for general admission; $3 for seniors; free for students.

Tickets for the TKT concert will be $20 $10 general admission; free for Webster faculty, staff, & students, and for the Shepard/Davis concert, $10 general admission; $5 seniors; free for Webster faculty, staff, and students. The two Webster Jazz Collective concerts are priced at $3 general admission; free for faculty, staff and students. For more information, call 314-647-1415.

In addition to the concert series featuring Webster's faculty members, the University also will present a seminar by famed alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, October 10 in the recital hall on campus. Donaldson will be in town that week to perform with his quartet at Jazz at the Bistro.

Lastly, Webster also has released the schedule of student jazz performances for the year. The student jazz combos will present performances for the fall semester on November 4 and 11, and in the spring on March 31 and April 7. The free concerts start at 7:00 p.m. in Room #10 of Webster's Community Music School, 535 Garden Ave.

The university's student jazz singers will present their fall performance on December 8 and their spring concert on April 21. Both concerts take place at 7:00 p.m. in Moore Auditorium, with admission at $3 for the general public, free for students, faculty and staff.

Edited 10/11/13 to correct the ticket price of the TKT Scholaship concert.

Webster University announces winter/spring 2013 schedule of jazz concerts

The music department at Webster University has announced their schedule of jazz events for winter and spring 2013.

This semester's Monday night concert series will get started with a performance by Two Times True at 7:00 p.m. Monday, January 28 at Winifred Moore Auditorium, 470 E. Lockwood on the Webster campus.

The group features pianist and Webster University adjunct professor Carolbeth True (pictured) and her son, drummer David True, along with bassist Glenn Smith, saxophone player Larry Johnson, and guest vocalist Christi John Bye.

Guitarist Eric Slaughter will be up next, leading a quartet in a Black History Month tribute to jazz guitar legend Wes Montgomery at 7:00 p.m., Monday, February 4 in Moore Auditorium. Update, 12:30 p.m., 1/15/13: Slaughter tells StLJN that the quartet actually is co-led with guitarist Tom Byrne, whose presence on this gig means listeners will get two different perspectives on Montgomery's music.

On Monday, February 11, saxophonist Sheila Cooper will present a free one-hour seminar at noon and again at 3:00 p.m. on campus at Thompson Recital Hall, 8282 Big Bend Ave. That same evening, guitarist Steve Schenkel and singer Deborah Sharn will perform a concert at 7:00 p.m. in Moore Auditorium.

Next up is the Webster Jazz Collective, made up of musicians from the University's jazz faculty, who will perform at 7:00 p.m. Monday, February 26 at Moore Auditorium.

After spring break, the faculty performances for the semester wrap up at 7:00 p.m. Monday, March 18 with the annual Shepard & Davis Endowed Scholarship Concert at Moore Auditorium, which this year will feature pianist Kim Portnoy's ensemble in a tribute to songwriter Frank Loesser.

Student performances of interest at Webster this semester will include concerts by the student jazz combos at 7:00 p.m. Monday, April 1 and Monday, April 8 at Webster's Community Music School, 535 Garden Ave; the Webster Jazz Singers at 7:00 p.m. Monday, April 22 at Moore Auditorium; and Webster's New Music Ensemble at 7:00 p.m. Friday, April 26 at the Community Music School.

Tickets for concerts in the Webster University faculty series are $5 general admission, $3 seniors, free for Webster U. faculty/staff and students with valid ID. Tickets for student concerts are $3 general admission, free for Webster U. faculty/staff and students with valid ID.

Jazz this week: Freddy Cole, Claudia Quintet with Theo Bleckmann, Koplant No, and more

It's another busy week for live jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with performances from both touring and local acts ranging from ragtime, traditional New Orleans jazz, and swing to thought-provoking modern jazz influenced by a variety of contemporary genres. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, singer and pianist Freddy Cole returns to St. Louis to open a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Cole, the brother of the legendary Nat "King" Cole, has proved to be a popular attraction here in recent years, and though he even has a song titled "I'm Not My Brother, I'm Me," the two siblings do share a certain relaxed elegance and propensity for mainstream-style swing. Cole usually is a good draw when he plays the Bistro, so advance reservations definitely are recommended. You can see and hear some of his music in this video showcase post from his last appearance here in 2010

Also tonight, the Meramec Jazz Lab Band, directed by Bob Boedges, will perform in a concert at the Black Cat Theatre.

On Thursday, guitarist Steve Schenkel and pianist Kim Portnoy will team up for a free concert featuring the music of George Gershwin for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. Also on Thursday, the Dixie Dudes bring their traditional jazz sound back to Jazz on Broadway in Alton for a no-cover-charge show.

On Friday, the Claudia Quintet (pictured) will perform at 560 Music Center in a concert presented by New Music Circle. The critically acclaimed group, which combines jazz with a variety of other influences informed by a sort of post-modern compositional sensibility, will be making their St. Louis debut. Their most recent album, What Is The Beautiful?, was released late last year, and features the Quintet's original music with the words of poet Kenneth Patchen as interpreted by vocalists Kurt Elling and Theo Bleckmann. Bleckmann, a rising star who's garnered plenty of critical praise for his own work, will be in St. Louis with the group, which only raises the concert's "must hear" score even higher.

For much more about the Claudia Quintet, including a half-dozen video clips of them in action, check out this post from last Saturday. Also, last week I interviewed the group's drummer/leader John Hollenbeck for the Riverfront Times' RFT Music Blog, and that article will be going online soon; once it's up, I'll add a link to it here.

Also on Friday, Koplant No, a "progressive jazz electronic rock band" from the Quad Cities area in Iowa, will be in town to headline a three-band bill with Funky Butt Brass Band and guitarist Teddy Presberg at Jumpin' Jupiter; saxophonist Tim Cunningham returns to Jazz on Broadway; pianist Tim Garcia is at the Cigar Inn; and Robbie's House of Jazz will present a trio featuring drummer Steve Davis, saxophonist Christopher Braig and bassist Ben Wheeler.

On Saturday, the veteran big band trumpeter Roger Ingram will be in town to present a master class that afternoon at UMSL. That evening, singer Gene Lynn will appear at the Frontenac Grill, and Robbie's will feature the 1920s and '30s-style swing and hot jazz of Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes.

Then on Sunday, this quarter's St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will take place at the American Czech Center. Also on Sunday afternoon, the Funky Butt Brass Band will head out to St. Louis Community College at Meramec, where they'll join forces with the Meramec Symphonic Band and Jazz Lab Band for a concert featuring some (vastly) expanded arrangements of FBBB and New Orleans favorites. And Sunday also is when bassist Willem von Hombracht and singer Joe Mancuso will kick off their new weekly event "Willem's Sunday Jazz Jam" at Johnny Gitto's bar and restaurant.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday, BB's Jazz Blues and Soups will feature guitarist Tom Byrne's Have You Heard. Then on Tuesday morning, the St. Louis Ragtimers will play the first of two "coffee concerts" at the Sheldon Concert Hall. (The program repeats on Wednesday.) That evening, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra under the direction of bassist Jim Widner will perform a concert paying tribute to the music of big band leader, composer and arranger Stan Kenton at the Touhill Performing Arts Center; and guitarist Dave Black will play at BB's.

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.)

Webster University announces jazz concert schedule for 2011-12

The music department at Webster University has announced the schedule of Monday night concerts by the Webster jazz faculty for the 2011-12 school year.

The series kicks off at 7:00 p.m. Monday, September 12, with a theme concert dedicated to jazz music released in 1961, a year that included significant recordings by John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Stan Getz, Max Roach, Sun Ra and many others.

Another particularly noteworthy concert is scheduled for Monday, October 10, when guitarist Steve Schenkel (pictured) will follow up last year's sellout show devoted to the music of John Lennon with a performance of music by Lennon's fellow Beatle George Harrison.

Here's the lineup of concerts in chronological order:

Monday, September 12: "It Was A Very Good Year: Great Jazz Recordings of 1961"

Monday, September 19: Willem von Hombracht Quartet

Monday, September 26: Kim Portnoy Sextet plays original jazz compositions

Monday, October 10: Steve Schenkel Trio in "All Things Must Pass: Jazz Interpretations of the Music of George Harrison"

Monday, October 24: TKT Scholarship Fund 20th anniversary benefit concert

Monday, January 30: Dave Black & Friends

Monday, February 6: Willie Akins & Friends

All concerts begin at 7:00 p.m. in Webster's Winifred Moore Auditorium, except for the TKT scholarship benefit on October 24, which will be held at the Loretto-Hilton Theatre and will carry a $10 admission charge. The other concerts are $5 at the door for general admission, and free to Webster students with ID.

Jazz this week: Regina Carter's Reverse Thread, Banu Gibson, Dave Pietro, Christopher McBride, and more

This week's jazz and creative music offerings in St. Louis would seem to have something of a nostalgic bent, with several shows recalling early New Orleans or Swing Era jazz, and one headliner who's reaching all the way back to the music's African roots. However, there also are some more modern sounds happening around town; you just have to know where to look. So, let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, violinist Regina Carter (pictured) opens a four-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro with her current project Reverse Thread, which draws inspiration from African folk music and features kora player Yacouba Sissoko. You can see some videos of Reverse Thread in action here, and read a brief interview with Carter, done last week by Calvin Wilson of the Post-Dispatch, here.

Thursday's quite busy, as the touring Swing Era musical In The Mood is in town for two shows at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, and saxophonist Dave Pietro, who's played with many modern-day big bands including Toshiko Akiyoshi, Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, Maynard Ferguson, Maria Schneider, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and Arturo O’Farrill, will perform with the Webster Groves HS combos at Highway 61 Roadhouse.

That same evening, clarinetist Scott Alberici plays a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and the Sheldon Concert Hall hosts its annual "Artsounds" benefit, which this year is themed "Jazz in Black and White" and will feature a performance of new music from pianist Kim Portnoy.

On Friday, singer, pianist and percussionist Al Ox (aka Alan Oxenhandler) is putting on what's being billed as a "classic stage variety show" of "songs, schtick and soft-shoe" at 560 Music Center; and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Anderson will deploy his tenor sax at Robbie's House of Jazz, backed by guitarist Eric Slaughter, bassist Nick Jost and drummer Marty Morrison.

Also of note: The Sands, located just outside the city limits in Shrewsbury, recently has expanded its musical offerings to a third day of the week and now is presenting trad jazz, ragtime and other vintage sounds from Banjos and Brass every Friday. The group includes Bobby Grimm and Al Lehman on banjos, Pat Arana on trombone, and Steve Hoog on tuba.

On Saturday, Robbie's has the young Chicago-based saxophonist Christopher McBride, who has played the club once before with his group the McMoore Movement. This time, McBride will front a quartet with pianist Matt Villinger, plus the aforementioned Nick Jost and Marty Morrison.

Then on Sunday afternoon, singer Banu Gibson and her band, the New Orleans Hot Jazz, will perform a matinee at the Sheldon. Her show "Meet Me At The Corner of Broadway and Jazz" will pay tribute to "classic Broadway and jazz songs of the 1920s, '30s and '40s."

As the new week begins, the Webster University Student Jazz Combos 2 get their turn on Monday to perform a free concert at the university's Community Music School, 535 Garden Avenue; and the Next Generation Jazz Band plays at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

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

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

Jazz this week: Reggie Thomas and OGD, Lamar Harris and Tribal Funk, Kim Portnoy Trio, and more

Though ghosts, goblins and ghouls may reign supreme this Halloween weekend, it should still be possible for interested listeners to scare up some good jazz in St. Louis.

Tonight, singer Erin Bode and her group will help inaugurate a new "special events" room at Cyrano's in Webster Groves. There's no word yet if Cyrano's plans to make this new addition a regular venue for live music, but fans who in the past have packed in to see Bode perform in the main part of the restaurant no doubt will enjoy the extra elbow room.

On Friday and Saturday, keyboardist Reggie Thomas and his organ trio OGD will take the stage at Robbie's House of Jazz, augmented for the weekend by special guests Ronald Carter (pictured) on saxophone and Anthony Wiggins on trumpet. Thomas is one of the top keyboard talents in the area, and adding Carter and Wiggins to the mix will expand the band's sonic pallette considerably.

Also on Friday and Saturday, trombonist Lamar Harris and Tribal Funk will perform at Jazz at the Bistro. Harris' music blends jazz, funk, R&B and hip-hop, and though I haven't heard his newest project yet, given the name I'd expect an emphasis on beats and grooves.

On Sunday evening, pianist Kim Portnoy and his trio will team up with virtuoso harmonica player Sandy Weltman for a concert at 7:30 p.m. at Eliot Unitarian Chapel, 100 S. Taylor (at Argonne) in Kirkwood. Weltman's work on the chromatic harp is both technically impressive and emotionally expressive, and Portnoy is a thoughtful pianist and composer whose playing ranges from swinging to impressionistic. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door and can be purchased by calling 314- 662-2947.

As usually happens with the first of a new month coming up, some schedule information for November is still arriving at StLJN HQ. So, for updated information on more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check out the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar, or by clicking here. Also, you can now follow St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes and/or become a "fan" by signing up 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.)

Jazz this week: Sara Gazarek, Gino Robair, the St. Louis Stompers, and more

With warmer weather in the offing for St. Louis this weekend, it should be a good time to get out and hear some live music. Here's what's going on in jazz and creative music over the next few days in St. Louis:

We've got two touring artists of note in town this week, one of whom is the delightful singer Sara Gazarek (pictured), who's back to perform at Jazz at the Bistro through Saturday. Gazarek is a standout in the crowded field of young female jazz singers, an exemplary vocal technician who swings effortlessly and brings a fresh, unaffected approach to the tunes she chooses and/or co-writes with her pianist, Josh Nelson. For more on Gazarek, check out StLJN's past coverage here and here.

The other headliner is improvising percussionist and composer Gino Robair, who's in St. Louis under the auspices of New Music Circle for a couple of events at St. Louis Community College - Forest Park's Mildred E. Bastian Performing Arts Center. Robair will do a free percussion workshop on Friday afternoon, and then a performance of his improv opera "I, Norton" on Saturday night.

In addition to these two well-known visitors, we've got some noteworthy shows featuring local musicians, too. This evening, guitarist William Lenihan, pianist Kim Portnoy and drummer Roger Guth team up for a free concert at Washington University as part of the Jazz at Holmes series, while the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center has a four-band bill of musicians working in various aspects of the free improv/electronics/ambient/noise genre with EXTRA LIFE, Ghost Ice, Exercise, and 7th epicycle.

On Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham brings his smooth jazz sound to Peppertini's in Chesterfield, and on Saturday, Jazz Renaissance does their monthly gig at Riddle's in University City.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club will presents the St. Louis Stompers in a concert of traditional jazz at the Moolah Shrine Center, and a whole bunch of local blues and jazz musicians will put on a benefit for bassist Gus Thornton at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

The Sessions Big Band is back at BB's on Monday for another of their recurring gigs there, and on Tuesday, the Jazz St. Louis CD Listening Club has its meeting at Borders in Brentwood, this month featuring the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's Shawn Weil and Jazz St. Louis executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford discussing Charlie Parker With Strings. Afterwards, saxophonist Bennett Wood and his group will be playing at The Gramophone as part of the free Tuesday night jazz series the club co-sponsors with Jazz St. Louis.

For more jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

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

Jazz at Holmes announces spring 2009 schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University has announced the rest of its spring 2009 schedule of concerts.

Two Jazz at Holmes shows, featuring the Poor People of Paris and Randy Holmes and Hard Bop Heritage, have already taken place this semester. Also, according to the news release sent out today, the February 13 concert by pianist Marc Copland's trio, previously announced as a presentation of the Wash U. Department of Music, is now being co-sponsored by Jazz at Holmes as well.

The Copland concert, also featuring bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Bill Stewart, will be a departure from the usual Jazz at Holmes formula. It is being held on a Friday, it's off campus at the 560 Music Center in University City, and it is not a free show; tickets are $20 for the public, $15 for Wash. U faculty and staff, and $5 for students.

As for the rest of the schedule of free Thursday night performances announced today, other noteworthy shows for spring 2009 include appearances by the Wee Trio (pictured), an NYC-based group featuring former St. Louisan Dan Loomis on bass, and singer Jan Shapiro, another St. Louis expat who now teaches at Berklee College of Music. This spring's concerts also will feature a whole lot of Wash U. faculty member and Jazz at Holmes series coordinator William Lenihan, who will be wielding his guitar with various combinations of players on four of the gigs. Here's the schedule:

Thursday, February 19: Todd Mosby Group

Thursday, February 26: Sometime Then and Again - quartet with guitarist William Lenihan and saxophonist Dave Stone

Thursday, March 5: Pianist Kim Portnoy, drummer Roger Guth, and Lenihan

Thursday, March 19: Portnoy and Lenihan

Thursday, March 26: Guitarist Chris Burchett and his quartet

Thursday, April 2: Jan Shapiro with Lenihan

Thursday, April 9: Wee Trio

Thursday, April 16: vocalist Anita Rosamond

All of these concerts are free and open to the public, and begin at 8:00 p.m. in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall on the Washington University campus.

Jazz this week: Harry Connick Jr, Nnenna Freelon, Steve Schenkel & Ashley Mason, Kim Portnoy Trio, St. Louis Rivermen and more

It's a potentially busy week for fans of jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with two major touring headliners in town, a lot of activity from local musicians, and holiday-themed concerts a-plenty, too.

Let's go to the highlights, starting with singer Nnenna Freelon, (pictured) who's in town to perform at Jazz at the Bistro tonight through Saturday. For more about Freelon and some video clips of her in action, see this post from last Saturday.

The other major name in town this week is ever-popular singer and pianist Harry Connick Jr., who will brings his big band's holiday show to the Fox Theatre on Sunday. Connick Jr. has a new Christmas CD out this year, so look for Sunday's concert to draw heavily on that material as well as from his previous holiday albums.

On the local front, guitarist Steve Schenkel and singer Ashley Mason will perform material from their new Christmas CD A Midnight Clear in a free concert Thursday night for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. Also on Thursday, singer Jeanne Trevor and pianist Dave Venn headline a holiday-themed show at the Black Cat Theatre in Maplewood.

On Friday night, keyboardist Mo Egeston and trombonist Lamar Harris bring their new collaborative band The Urban Groov Project to Brandt's. And on Saturday, trumpeter Randy Holmes and his Quintet featuring singer and flute player Margaret Blanchetta will perform a tribute to the music of Cannonball Adderley and Nancy Wilson at Cookie's Jazz and More.

On Sunday, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents the traditional jazz sounds of the St. Louis Rivermen in a matinee concert at the Moolah Shrine Center, 12545 Fee Fee Rd. That evening, the Kim Portnoy Trio, featuring the leader on piano, Ric Vice on bass and Kevin Gianino on drums with Steve Schenkel as special guest guitarist, will perform a program of original compositions at Eliot Chapel, 216 E. Argonne in Kirkwood. (A portion of proceeds from the show will go to benefit the Eliot Music Fund.)

Monday finds the Sessions Big Band back at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups, and there are three noteworthy events on Tuesday, starting in the morning when Swing Set plays a 10:00 a.m. "Coffee Concert" at the Sheldon Concert Hall. (The same program will be repeated at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday.)

Tuesday evening, the Jazz St. Louis CD Listening Club has its monthly meeting, this time to discuss the Louis Armstrong CD from the series of albums issued in conjunction with Ken Burns' PBS series "Jazz." Radio and television personality/jazz advocate Don Wolff and jazz journalist Terry Perkins will host and moderate the event, which takes place at the Brentwood location of Borders, 1519 S. Brentwood Blvd. That same night, the Gerry Mulligan/Bob Brookmeyer-inspired band Utter Chaos returns to The Gramophone.

On Wednesday, Squid Choir Orkestra brings their mix of free jazz and "power electronics" back to the Way Out Club, 2525 S. Jefferson, as the middle act on a bill that includes electronic improv group Worm Hands and avant-rockers Skarekrau Radio.

You can find more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond by visiting the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

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

Jazz this week: Jeanne Trevor, Kim Portnoy Jazz Orchestra, "Cool Art & Hot Jazz," Audrey Chen and Frederic Blondy, and more

Although there are no huge marquee names performing in St. Louis this weekend, the next several days nevertheless are packed with a variety of events that will appeal to fans of jazz and creative music. Let's go to the highlights:

On Thursday night, saxophonist Jerry performs a free concert featuring the music of John Coltrane at Washington University as part of the Jazz at Holmes series, while the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by bassist Jim Widner, does its regular monthly gig at Jazz at the Bistro.

During the day on Saturday and Sunday, there's "Cool Art & Hot Jazz", a festival sponsored by the Greater St. Louis Art Association at the Greensfelder Recreation Center in Queeny Park. The event features 125 visual artists from across the country and a children's art discovery program as well as live music. Saturday's performers include the John Chiecsek Trio, Dave Black (pictured) playing solo guitar and with his Quartet, and the duo of singer Al Oxenhandler and keyboardist Curt Landes. Sunday will feature smooth jazz from the Readus Miller Project and something called Curtis Blackstar - Music Extravaganza, about which neither the GSLAA's site nor Google has much to say.

Saturday evening features a couple of events that fall into the "creative music" category, starting with cellist Audrey Chen and pianist Frederic Blondy, who will perform at Open Lot, the arts collective and performance space at 1320 S. 18th St. For more about Chen and Blondy, see this post from last Saturday.

That same night, New Music Circle presents a multimedia performance at the Mildred E. Bastian Performing Arts Center at St. Louis Community College - Forest Park. The event will feature spoken word artist Chris Mann and the 2007 edition of composer Rob Voisey’s "60x60," with video by St. Louis multimedia artist Zlatko Cosic. Mann is described as a "pioneer in the field of compositional linguistics" who has performed with Thomas Buckner, Annea Lockwood, and Larry Polansky and received commissions from the BBC, NPR, John Cage, and Ars Electronica. "60x60" is a recorded music project directed by Voisey that showcases 60 electronic works of 60 seconds or less in length, each by a different composer, that are played in succession to create a one-hour concert.

If you're more in the mood for something mainstream on Saturday, singer Jeanne Trevor is having a CD release party at Cookie's Jazz and More. I wish I could tell you more about the event and/or the CD, but neither Trevor nor Cookie's has sent out any details, at least not to me. Suffice it to say that Trevor has been one of St. Louis' most esteemed and most reliable performers over the past four or five decades, and I'd expect the show and the CD both to be up to her usual standards.

And let's not forget that Saturday is also when Jazz St. Louis has its annual fundraising benefit gala and auction, featuring a performance by singer and pianist Tony DeSare. I don't know if there are still tickets available for this event, but if you've got the dough - $500 per person - and want to go, I'd suggest that you get in touch with JSL development director Melissa Jones and see if they can squeeze you in.

On Sunday, guitarist Todd Mosby brings his group to BB's Jazz Blues and Soups to perform his signature blend of jazz, fusion and Indian classical music. Also on Sunday, BAG presents a spoken word event titled "Rivers of Women, a National Poetry Month Tribute to Women" that will feature performance poetry from Shirley Bradley LeFlore, Marsha Cann, Blue-Mashibini and others. The event is free and takes place in the Rosebud Café at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday pianist and composer Kim Portnoy and his Jazz Orchestra are doing a show for the "Notes From Home" series at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Portnoy has assembled an impressive lineup of musicians to play his original compositions, including bassist Ric Vice, drummer Kevin Gianino, guitarist Tom Byrne, trumpeters Randy Holmes and Paul Hecht, saxophonists Paul DeMarinis, Mike Karpowicz and Rob Hughes, and trombonists Brett Stamps and Jim Martin. The program will feature all of the music from their CD Wash Away The Dust of Everyday Life, plus some newer work. Also on Tuesday, singer Valerie Tichacek performs Brazilian-influenced jazz at The Gramophone, and Brandt's features the swinging mainstream sounds of Trio Trés Bien.

That ought to be enough choices to hold all but the most voracious music fan for a little while, but if you're still looking for more, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar for additional listings of jazz events this weekend and beyond.

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

Jazz this week: Bob Dorough, Brian Owens, BAG Trio, St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, and more

Due to various deadlines and some Blogger balkiness, this will be a rather terse chronological summary of this weekend's most noteworthy jazz-related events:

Tonight, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by Jim Widner, will do their monthly gig at Jazz at the Bistro, and pianist Kim Portnoy does a free concert at Washington University's Holmes Lounge as part of the Jazz at Holmes series

On Friday and Saturday, soul/jazz singer Brian Owens (pictured) performs at the Bistro. For a brief sample of Owens' singing style, see the video window at the bottom of this post.

On Sunday, the BAG Trio featuring Zimbabwe Nkenya, Gary Sykes and Mike Nelson will be featured in a free concert at the Scott Joplin State Historic Site.

Also on Sunday, singer and pianist Bob Dorough returns to St. Louis for the first time in 47 years - no, that's not a typo; he last performed here in 1960 - to do a one-nighter at the Bistro. For a bit more about Dorough, whose long career has included everything from guesting on two Miles Davis albums to writing many of the songs for the educational cartoon series Schoolhouse Rock, see the story about him that I wrote for this week's Riverfront Times. (Note also that the phone number appended to the RFT story is incorrect. The correct phone number for advance tickets for Dorough's show is 314-961-1898.)

For more local jazz events this weekend and beyond, please consult the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

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



(Edited after posting to add more tags.)

Jazz at Holmes announces Fall 2007 concert schedule

Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series, which puts on free jazz concerts most Thursday nights during the school year, has announced the rest of their schedule for for the Fall 2007 semester.

Although, as usual, most of the lineup consists of St. Louis-based musicians, the series will also present a couple of touring acts, namely Austrian pianist Wolfgang Seligo and the Los Angeles-based group Power Trio, which features Yosef Dosik on alto sax, bassist Nick Rosen, and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on viola. Here's the schedule:

September 27: Paul DeMarinis
October 4: Brett Stamps
October 11: Vince Varvel
October 25: Reggie Thomas
November 1: Steve Schenkel & Open Strings
November 8: Wolfgang Seligo
November 15: Dave Stone
November 29: Power Trio
December 6: Kim Portnoy
December 13: Tom Byrne

All concerts take place from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Holmes Lounge, located in Ridgely Hall on the Washington University campus, and are free and open to the public.