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.

Jazz this week: Mardra & Reggie Thomas, Jahmal Nichols, Todd Mosby + Bach to the Future, Lamar Harris, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis puts the spotlight on hometown performers, with the return of a local favorite couple who have moved away, a show teaming up two bands with distinctive approaches to jazz fusion, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, January 15
Bassist Jahmal Nichols, who's spent most of his time in recent years on the road with singer Gregory Porter, is back home for a visit and will lead his own band for the first of two nights performing at Jazz St. Louis.

Also on Wednesday, drummer Steve Davis leads a trio at Evangeline's, Miss Jubilee performs at Schlafly Bottleworks, and trumpeter Jim Manley continues his weekly gig at Sasha's Wine Bar.

Thursday, 
January 16
Guitarist Todd Mosby (pictured, center left) and his New Horizons Ensemble team up with Bach to the Future for a double-bill of jazz-fusion at Sky Music Lounge, and singer Anna Blair performs her cabaret show "Always..." at Blue Strawberry.

Also on Thursday, singer Cheri Evans and CEEJazzSoul perform at the Chase Club; keyboardist Ryan Marquez and his trio return to The Dark Room; and keyboardist Adam Maness' trio continues their weekly gig at Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, January 17
Spouses and former St. Louisans Mardra and Reggie Thomas (pictured, top left), on vocals and keyboards respectively, will be back in town to headline "An Evening Of Jazz" at Chaminade College Preparatory School.

Also on Friday, multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris will perform for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis.

Elsewhere around town, electro-jazz trio Vehachi plays at the house-concert venue the Judson House, and The Way Out Club hosts "Descension 1" the first installment in a new experimental music series produced by Josh Levi, this time featuring Jack Callahan aka die Reihe, Brain Transplant, and Martin Carriel and Joann McNeil.

Saturday, January 18
Multi-instrumentalist Joe Bozzi and his band return to Evangeline's, and The Dark Room features pianist Jesse Gannon at the dinner hour and drummer Kaleb Kirby's quintet for the late show.

Sunday, January 19
Singer and bassist Janet Evra (pictured, bottom left) performs for brunch at Evangeline's, while singer and guitarist Tommy Halloran is on stage at The Dark Room.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents a matinee performance of vintage jazz by The Gaslight Squares in the Oasis Room of the Moolah Shrine Center.

Also on Sunday afternoon, Oikos Ensemble presents "Dreams and Visions - A Jazz Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King" at St. John United Church of Christ in Collinsville.

Monday, January 20
The Folk School of KDHX hosts their weekly Traditional Jazz Jam Session.

Tuesday, January 21
Cabaret Project of St. Louis presents their monthly "Singers Open Mic" at Sophie's Artist Lounge.

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.)

Jazz this week: Good 4 The Soul, Grand Marquis, New Year's Eve jazz, and more

Here's what's happening in live jazz and creative music in St. Louis for the last week of 2019:

Thursday, December 26
Jazz St. Louis will host a Jam Session & Open House for alumni of their JazzU program.

Also on Thursday, singer Amanda Raye and guitarist Dave Black perform at Evangeline's; Dizzy Atmosphere plays vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at Schlafly Bottleworks; and trumpeter Brady Lewis and BLStet return to The Dark Room.

Friday, December 27
Jazz/ funk quartet Good 4 The Soul (pictured, top left) performs for the first of two nights of their annual year-end gig at Jazz St. Louis; multi-instrumentalist T.J. Muller and friends offer a "Tribute to the Kings of Western Swing" at the Focal Point; and the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, December 28
Singer and St. Louis native Katie McGrath is back from NYC to present her cabaret show "Home(sick) for the Holidays" at Blue Strawberry.

Also on Saturday, pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True return to the Parkside Grille; saxophonist Tim Cunningham plays at Troy's Listening Room; and The Gaslight Squares will perform at the Frisco Barroom.

Sunday, 
December 29
Guitarist Farshid Soltanshahi leads the Mosaic Musical Trio in a concert at Focal Point, and Kansas City-based jump blues band Grand Marquis (pictured, center left) returns to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.


Monday, December 30
The Folk School of KDHX hosts their final Traditional Jazz Jam Session of the year, and BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups has a double bill with guitarist Adam Hansbrough's trio early and The Usual Suspects late.

Tuesday, 
December 31
If you're interested in hearing some jazz this New Year's Eve, bassist and singer Janet Evra will play early evening at The Dark Room, while the Funky Butt Brass Band will be ringing in the new year at the Broadway Oyster Bar, and the Chase Park Plaza's "New Year’s Eve Ball" features multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris (pictured, bottom left) and the L plus a Frank Sinatra tribute and DJ.

For fans of jazz fusion, pianist Ptah Williams' trio Tracer plus guitarist Eric Slaughter will be playing at Troy's Listening Room, and The WirePilots will be joined by singer Kim Fuller for a concert at the Gaslight Theater

For vintage jazz, there's Miss Jubilee at Sasha's on Shaw, or The Gaslight Squares plus multi-instrumentalist Marty Eggers and friends at Yaquis on Cherokee.

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:

* Bernie Hayes wrote a column for the St. Louis American about the recent demolition of Archway Studios, which was the professional home to saxophonist and producer Oliver Sain and significant in jazz history as the place where saxophonist Julius Hemphill recorded his landmark album Dogon A.D.

* Trumpeter Russell Gunn is set to release Pyramids, a new album by his Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, on Friday, August 30.

* Guitarist Todd Mosby promoted the release of his new album Open Waters with a performance last week on KTVI - Fox 2's 9:00 am newscast.

* A recent show by singer Alicia Olatuja (pictured) at Dazzle in Denver, CO was reviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Geoff Anderson.

* The Lab, a new educational program for high school music students being run by multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris, was the subject of a feature in St. Louis magazine.

* Pianist Dred Scott's latest album Rides Alone was reviewed by the website PartTimeAudiophile.com.

* Singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina Saputo was a guest on a recent episode of the podcast "Nina Talks!"

* The Miles Davis official merchandise store is offering fans a chance to win a $100 shopping spree in exchange for an email address. You can enter the drawing here.

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.

Jazz this week: Mardra & Reggie Thomas, "Jazz Triple Play," Moon Hooch, and more

As often happens around major holidays, the calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis this week is light on visiting acts, but there still are some noteworthy shows happening, including a homecoming show for a couple of favorite former St. Louisans; a tour stop from from one of the more distinctive all-instrumental bands touring today; a concert featuring three hometown groups on one bill, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, July 3
Back in St. Louis for a visit, singer Mardra Thomas and keyboardist Reggie Thomas will present a free concert for the Whitaker Music Festival at Missouri Botanical Garden.

Also on Wednesday, singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will duet at Scarlett's Wine Bar; and Miss Jubilee performs at Schlafly Bottleworks.

Thursday, July 4
While some local venues will be closed for the Independence Day holiday (for example, Jazz St. Louis will be dark the entire weekend),  if you're in the mood for some live music after or instead of fireworks, singer Cheri Evans and CEEJazzSoul will be performing at the Chase Club.

Friday, July 5
Funky Butt Brass Band plays at the Broadway Oyster Bar: pianist and singer Jesse Gannon returns to The Dark Room; bassist Darrell Mixon leads a trio at Cigar Inn; and drummer Dhoruba Shakur continues his twice-monthly Friday residency at Sophie's Artist Lounge and Cocktail Club.

Saturday, July 6
The Bosman Twins, the Coleman Hughes Project (pictured, bottom left) and keyboardist Mark Harris II will join forces for a "Jazz Triple Play" at the Grandel Theatre.

Also on Saturday, the Triplets of Grubville play vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at Evangeline's; and saxophonist Tim Cunningham performs (in a non-smoking show) at Gauge Cigar Club (fka Troy's Jazz Gallery and The Gallery by Troy).

Sunday, July 7
Dizzy Atmosphere plays for brunch at The Dark Room, while pianist Adam Maness is at Thurman's in Shaw. Then on Sunday evening, the Jazz Troubadours will play their monthly gig at Evangeline's

Monday, July 8
The Gaslight Squares play a free concert at the historic Hawken House in Webster Groves.

Tuesday, July 9
Saxophones-and-drums trio Moon Hooch (pictured, top left) returns to Old Rock House. Offering danceable grooves with instrumentation that could just as easily be found on an avant-jazz session, they've been touring as relentlessly as ever since their last appearance here in 2018. For a look at some recent shows on video, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Tuesday, multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris performs in concert at the Gaslight Theater.

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:

* 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.

Jazz this week: Shoshana Bean, Snarky Puppy, James Carter, Lamar Harris, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features some cabaret vocals from a Broadway star; a couple of stand-out saxophonists; a genre-straddling, Grammy Award winning fusion band; and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 15
Jazz St. Louis closes out their cabaret series co-produced this season with Cabaret Project of St. Louis, presenting the first of two nights of performances by singer Shoshana Bean.

In addition to her work in cabaret, Bean is well-known as the star of several Broadway musicals, including the current hit Waitress, from which she's taking a brief break for her cabaret shows here.

Also on Wednesday, the aforementioned Cabaret Project of St. Louis presents their monthly "Singers Open Mic" at Sophie's Artist Lounge & Cocktail Club;  guitarist Brian Vaccaro plays at Evangeline's; and Miss Jubilee performs at Schlafly Bottleworks.

Thursday, May 16
NYC-based saxophonist Brian Krock, who went to music school up the road at the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana, performs in an early show at The Dark Room with his band Liddle, a subset of his big band Big Heart Machine.

Also on Thursday, singer Cheri Evans and CEEJazzSoul return to the Chase Club and Jon Thomas & Friends play at the The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, May 17
Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris performs for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis.

Also on Friday, the Original Knights of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom, trumpeter Jim Manley returns to One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar, and drummer Kyle Honeycutt leads a trio for the late-night (actually early morning) gig at Mangia Italiano.

Saturday, May 18
The Funky Butt Brass Band plays their monthly show at the Broadway Oyster Bar, and keyboardist Mo Egeston delivers the late night grooves at The Dark Room.

Sunday, May 19
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents Cornet Chop Suey playing traditional jazz and vintage swing at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis - Westport.

Also on Sunday afternoon, saxophonist James Carter (pictured, bottom left) will perform with some help from pianist Peter Martin's at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Then on Sunday night, the jazz/funk/world fusion band
Snarky Puppy (pictured, top left) will play an outdoor show at the Atomic Cowboy Pavilion.

They're touring in support of their latest album Immigrance, which came out in March. For more about that, and some video footage of recent performances including material from the new album, see this post from last Saturday.

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:

* Drummer Marcus Baylor (pictured) and The Baylor Project are featured on the latest episode of the web video series "Black Friday Live - Celebrity Edition."

* Multi-instrumentalist, DJ and composer Lamar Harris will team up with Grammy Award winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard and Opera Theatre of St. Louis to present "The Lab," a workshop for "high school musicians, producers, deejays and spoken word artists to develop and collaborate with other composers." Applications are due by February 15 for the six-session program, which will run from Sunday, March 17 through Sunday, May 19.

* The traveling exhibition “Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World”, now on display at the St. Louis Science Center through April 14, is the subject of a Post-Dispatch story by Dan Durchholz.

* The fate of the remains of the Goldenrod Showboat, once the site of jazz and ragtime performances on the St. Louis riverfront, is the subject of a story by Paul Schankman for HEC-TV.

* Via Marc Myers' Jazzwax blog, video has surfaced on YouTube of a recently rediscovered interview with Miles Davis from 1984 that finds the trumpeter being quizzed by a couple of local talk-show hosts in Baltimore who apparently had no idea who he was, with results that are both cringe-worthy and kind of funny (as long as you weren't one of the participants). See part one here, and part two here.

* The Sundance Film Festival's screenings of the new documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool starting on Sunday, January 27 are previewed by the website what (not) to doc.

* Saxophonist Tim Cunningham was a guest Wednesday morning on KTVI-Fox 2's morning newscast, promoting his show last night at The Laugh Lounge STL and other upcoming performances.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer and pianist Harry Connick Jr. (pictured) talked about his holiday show next Thursday at the Stifel Theatre for a Post-Dispatch story by Dan Durchholz.

* Multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina Saputo came in at number eight on NPR's list of "Best New Artists of 2018."

* Singer Storm Large's "Holiday Ordeal" show this past Tuesday at the Sun Theatre was reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris was interviewed by St. Louis Public Radio's Don Marsh about his musical direction for Metro Theater Company’s “Wonderland: Alice’s Rock & Roll Adventure,” which runs through December 30 at the Grandel Theatre.

* St. Louis Symphony oboist Callie Banham's new Christmas album, which includes musical contributions from pianist Adam Maness, bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Montez Coleman, is the subject of a feature story by the Riverfront Times' Christian Schaeffer.

Jazz this week: David Sanborn, U City Jazz Festival, two Miles Davis tributes, and more

It's a week to celebrate St. Louis' hometown jazz heroes, as the calendar of upcoming jazz and creative music performances includes the return of the best-known living jazz musician who grew up here; a couple of tributes to the most famous St. Louis-area jazz musician of them all; plus plenty of other noteworthy gigs featuring local players. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 6
Saxophonist David Sanborn (pictured, top left) is back home with his new quintet for the first of four nights of performances at Jazz St. Louis.

You can see some videos of Sanborn's new band and find out more about what he's be up to recently in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Wednesday, multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris is the featured performer this week at Missouri Botanical Garden's Whitaker Music Festival.

Thursday, June 7
Eclectic instrumental quartet The 442s will play at Joe's Cafe & Art Gallery; saxophonist Vince Sala leads a trio at The Pat Connolly Tavern; and saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet continues their month-long residency at The Dark Room.

Friday, June 8
Trumpeter Randy Holmes will lead a quintet for the first night of the "3rd Annual Miles Davis Festival" at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, expanding the group to a sextet for Saturday's performance.

Elsewhere around town, the Brooklyn, NY-based jam band Ikebe Shakedown plays "cinematic instrumental soul" at the Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, and the Funky Butt Brass Band will perform at Beale on Broadway.

Over on the east side, saxophonist Freddie Washington leads a trio at Cigar Inn, and Eckert's in Belleville presents a free outdoor concert from "Trombonanza," featuring trombonists Mark Kellogg, Jim Martin, Aaron Eckert and Brendan Lanighan,

Saturday, June 9
The U City Jazz Festival runs from mid-afternoon through the evening at Heman Park, with a lineup that includes a tribute to Stanley Clarke from the Fusion Warriors, plus sets from Bach to the Future, Joe Mancuso, Soul Cafe, Mo Egeston (pictured, bottom left), Maurice Carnes and the Avant Gardians, and Morphelonious.

Also on Saturday, Alton's annual "Miles Davis Jazz Festival" will feature music from saxophonist Fred Walker, guitarist Tim Jarden, singer Saman Swanson, and Retro Boogie at the Jacoby Arts Center; and the Jazz Edge Orchestra and guest trombonists Steve Turre, Steve Davis and Andre Hayward will present a "Tribute to J.J. Johnson" at Harris-Stowe State University's Emerson Performance Center.

Sunday, June 10
The Arcadia Dance Orchestra will perform a matinee at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, and Miss Jubilee plays a free outdoor concert at Carondelet Park.

Monday, June 11
Dizzy Atmosphere plays swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck.

Tuesday, June 12
Pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True will be joined by singer Joe Mancuso for a "Notes From Home" concert at 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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Bassist Jimmy Blanton, who began his professional career in St. Louis before being hired Dike Ellington, is one of three inductees this year to Jazz at Lincoln Center's Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame. Nina Simone and Nat King Cole are the other 2018 inductees, chosen via an online vote of jazz fans.

* Drummer Dave Weckl (pictured) last week was interviewed (in English) by the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo's video channel.

* Pianist Peter Martin talked about his gigs this weekend at Jazz at the Bistro with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson.

* Speaking of the Post-Dispatch, the paper has published its annual "Go List" issue, which identifies reader and staff favorites in local attractions and festivals, music and the arts, bars and restaurants, and more.

In the "Readers' picks - Music & clubs" category, the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival took second place in "Best concert series" (which seems odd, considering that there's also a "Best music festival" category, in which the GSLJF did not place); the Sheldon Concert Hall was fourth in "Best concert venue"; and Jazz at the Bistro (Ferring Jazz Bistro) won first place in "Best place to hear jazz," followed by the Sheldon, Thurman's in Shaw, and The Stage at KDHX.

In addition, Erin Bode won first place in "Best singer" and second place in "Best original band," with Joe Mancuso scoring second place in "Best singer."

As for the critic's picks in music and clubs, the winners included New Music Circle, for "Favorite music series that presents jazz but doesn’t have ‘jazz’ in its title"; the Arcadia Dance Orchestra, for "Favorite band playing 1920s music"; and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, for "Favorite potential jazz venue." You can see the entire "Go List" for this year here. 

* Meanwhile, as part of the run-up to this year's ShowcaseSTL festival, the Riverfront Times this week began publishing a series of brief articles about the "STL 77," their "list of 77 acts who did big things in the last twelve months" which so far has included profiles of multi-instrumentalist Lamar "DJ Nune" Harris and keyboardist Mo Egeston.

* Photographer Madison Thorn has posted to Facebook an album of pictures from the recent performances by Kevin Bowers and NOVA at the Bistro

* Saxophonist David Sanborn will be one of the headliners and pianist Lawrence Fields one of the featured performers on the 2019 "Blue Note at Sea" cruise, which will take place from January 26 through February 2 and is presented by St. Louis-based Entertainment Cruise Productions.

* Bassist and U City native Neal Caine recently was interviewed by Bass Player magazine and also gets name-checked in a New Orleans Times-Picayune story about NOLA-based musicians performing in this  year's Jazz and Heritage Festival, aka JazzFest.

Whitaker Music Festival announces 2018 schedule

The Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden has announced their schedule for 2018.

The free concert series, presented Wednesday nights at the Garden from late May through the end of July, seems to be recalling its roots as "Jazz in June" a bit with this year's schedule. It features more jazz (or at least jazz-adjacent) performers than it has in the recent past, starting with multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris (pictured) on Wednesday, June 6.

Other concerts that may be of particular interest to StLJN readers include trombonist Charlie Halloran (June 13), Acoustik Element (June 27), Funky Butt Brass Band (July 4), and trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber and the Electro Funk Assembly (July 25).

The series kicks off on Wednesday, May 23 with a show by soul singer Gene Jackson, and also will include performances by rock/Americana acts Brothers Lazaroff (May 30) and John Henry (June 20), blues guitarist Ivas John (July 11), and Al Holliday and The East Side Rhythm Band (July 18).

The Whitaker Music Festival shows start at 7:00 p.m., and all concerts are free and open to the public.

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' theatrical production "Superheroes of Blackness" is the subject of preview stories by the Riverfront Times' Christian Schaeffer and the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. The show plays tonight and tomorrow night at .ZACK in Grand Center.

* Singer Denise Thimes' upcoming gig at Dizzy's Club in New York City's Jazz at Lincoln Center is previewed in a story by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn. Thimes (pictured) will perform at Dizzy's on Tuesday, March 6 and Wednesday, March 7.

* Fans of Dave Weckl, take note - Modern Drummer magazine now is offering a digital "artist pack" of content about the famed percussionist and St. Charles native, which "includes more than 120 pages on Dave Weckl, including cover-story interviews, transcriptions, classic advertisements, and more exclusive content from the Modern Drummer archives."

* Keyboardist and Metro East native David Garfield is ready to release “Outside the Box,” described as a "multi-part, genre-crossing project spanning various types of jazz, R&B, pop, country and rock."

The series will begin with the release on Friday, March 23 of Jazz Outside the Box, a straight-ahead jazz album featuring performances by Randy Brecker, Michael McDonald, The Doors’ drummer John Densmore, Tom Scott, bassist Jason Scheff of the band Chicago, Will Lee, Eric Marienthal, Steve Ferrone, Vinnie Colaiuta, John Clayton, Brian Auger, and more, along with full horn and string sections.

A second album in the series, a "smooth/contemporary" set called Jamming Outside the Box, is scheduled to come out this summer, with additional releases to follow.

* Saxophonist, clarinetist and St. Louis native Dan Block, now based in NYC, has released a new album, Block Party: A St. Louis Connection, featuring a couple of other former St. Louisans - his brother, guitarist and keyboardist Rob Block, and bassist Neal Caine - in the band. The album, which came out last month on Miles High Records, is Dan Block's third release for the label, and is the first recording that he and his brother have ever done together.

Jazz this week: Benny Green Trio, "Superheroes of Blackness," Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes a visit from a stellar straight-ahead jazz pianist, some adventurous electronic sounds, shows mixing music with poetry and video animations, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, February 21
Pianist Benny Green (pictured, top left) returns with his trio for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Notably influenced by Bud Powell and especially Oscar Peterson, Green (like Cyrus Chestnut, who played the Bistro earlier this year) is something of a traditionalist in terms of his stylistic antecedents.

Like Peterson, he can muster showy technique when the mood strikes, but Green also swings hard - a tendency that no doubt was encouraged during his time playing in the trio of one of Peterson's favorite bassists, the legendary Ray Brown. 

Elsewhere around town, the Ambassadors of Swing perform for the monthly "Shake and Shout Wednesday" event at Tin Roof St. Louis.

Thursday, February 22
The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a free concert featuring poet Eileen G'Sell giving a spoken word performance with improvisational music from keyboardist Jay Oliver, guitarist/bassist William Lenihan, and drummer Steve Davis.

Also on Thursday, the monthly Bruxism expermental music series will present Chris Smentowski,  Vernacular Pulse Quintet, and Nebulosa at the Schlafly Tap Room; drummer Stephen Haake's trio plays at The Pat Connolly Tavern; and saxophonist Ben Reece’s Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room

Friday, February 23
Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris presents "Superheroes of Blackness" for the first of two nights at .ZACK in Grand Center. The multi-media production is described as "a live computer-animated journey of epic proportions," with visuals by illustrator David Gordon and an eight-piece live band led by Harris.

Also on Friday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to Evangeline's; Second Generation Swing plays for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom; and The People’s Key perform at The Dark Room.

Saturday, 
February 24
Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe will perform in a concert presented by New Music Circle at Urb Arts in the Old North neighborhood. 

Lowe (pictured, bottom left) combines his voice with modular synthesizers and, in many performances including this one, video or film projections to create soundscapes that can range from ethereal to industrial. For more about him, plus some video samples of previous live performances, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, the Gaslight Squares perform in concert at Focal Point; pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with saxophonist Larry Johnson play at the KindaBlue Club; and the Funky Butt Brass Band are back at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday, February 25
Drummer Montez Coleman and friends will play for brunch at The Dark Room, while Miss Jubilee returns to Evangeline's.

Also on Sunday afternoon, the touring show "In the Mood," a nostalgic look at the big band era featuring a 13-piece band and six singer/dancers, returns to the Touhill Performing Arts Center; and the Folk School at KDHX hosts their monthly "Traditional Jazz Jam".

Monday, February 26
Dizzy Atmosphere plays swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck, and guitarist Dave Black will lead a quartet in a concert featuring his original music at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster University campus.

Tuesday, February 27
Trumpeter Jim Manley returns to Evangeline'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.)

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.

Jazz this week: Keyon Harrold, a tribute to Michael Jackson, Mardi Gras, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes the return of a favorite local son, a tribute to the late "King of Pop," various Mardi Gras festivities, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, February 7
Trumpeter Keyon Harrold returns home to perform for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro

Harrold (pictured, top left) currently is riding high thanks to the critical and commercial success of The Mugician, his second album as a leader, and the publicity last year surrounding the feature film Miles Ahead, which prominently featured the Ferguson native on its soundtrack.

This is his first appearance in St. Louis since the album was released back in September, so advance reservations would seem to be a must. For more on Harrold and some video samples of recent performances, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Wednesday, bassist Glen Smith and guitarist Eric Slaughter are back at Evangeline's, and singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will return to Taha'a Twisted Tiki.

Thursday, February 8
Kicking off the Mardi Grad parade weekend, the Funky Butt Brass Band will play for the annual "King Cake Party" at the Blues City Deli.

Also on Thursday, new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound returns for their first performance of the year at the Sheldon Concert Hall; drummer Steve Davis and his band, featuring vocalist Feyza Eren, will play a free concert for the  Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; trumpeter Keith Moyer's quintet will perform at The Dark Room; and friends, family and musical colleagues will be presenting a "Celebration of the Life & Music of Nathan Jatcko" at Off Broadway.

Friday, February 9
The People's Key (pictured, bottom left) with guest multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris will reprise their "Jazz Memories of Michael Jackson" show for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Also on Friday, singer Erin Bode teams up with The Wire Pilots for a concert at Focal Point, and singer Anita Jackson returns to The Dark Room.

Saturday, February 10
Although the "official" Mardi Gras events on parade day once again are relying on DJs and rock cover bands, Beale on Broadway will feature blues and jazz bands including a morning set from Miss Jubilee and a late-afternoon performance from the Funky Butt Brass Band.

Also on Saturday night, guitarists Paul Davis, Joe Park and Glenn Meyers will pay "Tribute to the Masters" at Evangeline's; and percussionist Herman Semidey and Orquesta Son Montuno will play salsa, Latin jazz and more at VooDoo St. Louis downtown.

Sunday, February 11
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents pianist Bob Row's "Mardi Gras Celebration" at the Ladue Elks Club.

Monday, February 12
Dizzy Atmosphere returns to The Shaved Duck, and pianist Kim Portnoy and band will perform at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium.

Tuesday, February 13
The Funky Butt Brass Band will wrap up Mardi Gras for 2018 with a Fat Tuesday gig at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

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:

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was interviewed about his forthcoming album The Mugician by Billboard magazine.

* Last Saturday's Alton Wine and Jazz Festival, which was headlined by Harrold, was the subject of a feature story from the Alton Riverbender's Steven Spencer.

* In other Harrold family news, drummer Emanuel Harrold (pictured), who's Keyon's younger brother, was interviewed by Tony Minvielle of the UK online radio station Jazz FM. 

* The Brothers Lazaroff promoted their gigs this weekend at Jazz at the Bistro with an appearance on the morning news at KTVI - FOX 2.

* Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris was interviewed about his score for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ presentation of Blow, Winds by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

The production, a re-imagining of King Lear written by Nancy Bell, will be performed at 8:00 pm nightly starting Friday, September 15 through Sunday, September 17 outside of the St. Louis Public Library’s Central Library Branch downtown.

* Saxophonist Donny Piela of the St. Louis Big Band was profiled by the Washington Missourian.