So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Last weekend's production of "Such Sweet Thunder" by Jazz St. Louis, St. Louis Shakespeare Company, Big Muddy Dance Company, and Nine Network was reviewed by Mark Bretz of Ladue News.

* The artwork that will be featured in "The Shape of Abstraction Trumpet and Voice, Call and Response," tonight's performance by trumpeter Keyon Harrold and writer Quincy Troupe at the St. Louis Art Museum, is the subject of a feature story by St. Louis magazine's Samantha Stevenson.

* Stanley Nelson, director of the new documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, was interviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Victor L. Schermer. 

* The Sheldon Concert Hall has posted to Facebook an album of photos from last Saturday's performance by singer Cecile McLoran Salvant.

* When saxophonist and composer Benny Golson was in town last weeks to appear for Jazz St. Louis' "Whitaker Jazz Speaks" series, he also went to the University of Missouri-St. Louis to give a master class to jazz students, which was covered in an article on the UMSL Daily website.

* Radio host, photographer and author Dennis Owsley's new book St. Louis Jazz: A History was reviewed by Repps Hudson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

* In related news, Owsley (pictured) last week announced via social media and emails to friends and colleagues that he and his wife Sara are moving to the Phoenix, AZ area to be close to their grandchildren.

The move already is underway, but Owsley says he'll be continuing his radio program "Jazz Unlimited," which airs Sunday nights on St. Louis Public Radio. Since he's been recording the program on his home computer for more than 10 years and submitting it either on disc or by email, the only change will be "that it goes 1500 miles to St. Louis Public Radio rather than 15 miles," he said.

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 interviewed this past Tuesday on Worldwide FM by British jazz broadcaster Gilles Peterson.

* Guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran has finished his next album, Just As Good As Feeling Good, and before releasing it on physical media, he's made it available for a limited time as a free download from his website.

* Speaking of free downloads, keyboardist Jim Hegarty has made available for free a new recording in his "Secret Sessions" series, this one featuring cellist Tracy Andreotti, flute player Fred Tompkins, pianist Greg Mills, and clarinetist Eric Paul Mandat.

* The musical comedy Souvenir, starring singer Debby Lennon, was reviewed by Mark Bretz of Ladue News. The production runs through this Sunday, December 31 at the Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center.

* Lea DeLaria's show Wednesday at Jazz at the Bistro was reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

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 St. Louis native Kelvyn Bell has a new recording, Cubed Root Cure, set for release in January, and you can hear a sample now on SoundCloud.

The EP (pictured) will be available from CD Baby and all the major digital music services.

* The Gateway Jazz Festival, a day-long "smooth jazz" event that made its St. Louis debut last summer at the Chesterfield Amphitheater, has a date for 2018 - Saturday, July 21 - and a headliner, saxophonist Boney James.

Last year's event featured a half-dozen acts, including saxophonist Najee, singer Maysa, and Pieces of A Dream; the rest of the 2018 bill currently is TBA.

* "The World of Spectacular Strings" exhibit on view through Saturday, April 21 at the Sheldon Art Galleries was reviewed by Ladue News' Bryan A. Hollerbach.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band has posted to Facebook a photo album of last weekend's  "Holiday  Brasstravaganza" shows. Friday's performance also was reviewed for KDHX.org. by Mike Vachow.

* Saxophonist Greg Osby will join forces with the experimental multimedia duo Mn'JAM for a performance in January at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

* Drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and singer Jean Baylor, the husband-and-wife duo behind The Baylor Project, were interviewed Tuesday on the nationally syndicated radio program "The Tom Joyner Morning Show" about their two nominations in this year's Grammy Awards, their careers, and more.

* The Bosman Twins were interviewed for the most recent episode of KDHX's "Collateral Damage" podcast by guest host Hank Thompson.

* And speaking of podcasts, former WSIE DJ E.B. Stevenson has released a Christmas episode of his "The Jazz Mixer" podcast.

* Max and Louie Productions' current staging of Souvenir, the musical comedy starring singer and Webster U faculty member Debby Lennon as tone-deaf diva Florence Foster Jenkins, was reviewed by the Post-Dispatch's Judith Newmark and OnStL.com's Chuck Lavazzi.

* Also in the Post-Dispatch, singer Dom Thomas' show this Saturday at The Stage at KDHX is previewed in a short feature from the paper's Kevin Johnson.

* Voting is now open in Jazz Times magazine's annual readers poll.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Jazz St. Louis' Gene Dobbs Bradford is one of the 2018 St. Louis Arts Awards winners featured in an article on the website of the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis. The honorees will receive their awards at a ceremony on January 22 at the Chase Park Plaza.

* Drummer Emanuel Harrold (pictured) has a new promotional video out offering a preview of his forthcoming EP Look Forward.

* St. Louis based Entertainment Cruise Productions is offering special, limited-time two-for-one pricing on their upcoming "Blue Note at Sea" cruise. The cruise takes place January 27 - February 3,  and will feature performances from Charles Lloyd, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Marcus Miller, Robert Glasper, St. Louis' own David Sanborn, Chick Corea, Dr. Lonnie Smith and many others.

* Singer Ken Haller's Gaslight Cabaret Festival show "Happy Haller Days" was reviewed by the Ladue News' Mark Bretz and KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* And speaking of KDHX, the station now has a page on VuHaus.com, "a non-profit, digital music video service that introduces emerging and established artists to new audiences. Through a website and mobile app, VuHaus aggregates performance videos and interviews from leading "Music Discovery" public radio stations from markets across the U.S."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Michael Lazaroff, the CEO of St. Louis based Jazz Cruises LLC, was interviewed by Jazz Times magazine

* Blues pianist Ethan Leinwand (pictured) and his St. Louis Piano Festival, which will include stride and ragtime pianists as well as blues, are the subjects of a feature story from the Riverfront Times' Christian Schaeffer.

* The Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson talked to some members of the local music community to get their reactions to the death of BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups co-owner Mark O'Shaughnessy.

* The photography exhibit "The Music Seen: Beyond the Stage,” which opens next week at Bullivant Gallery in Grand Center, was previewed by the Ladue News' Bryan A. Hollerbach.