So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* A tribute to Ella Fitzgerald by singer Anita Jackson (pictured), set for Saturday, February 2 at The Sheldon, is previewed in a short article by St. Louis magazine's Amanda Woytus.

* Opera Theatre of St. Louis is sponsoring a series of events to promote Fire Shut Up In My Bones, the new opera by trumpeter Terence Blanchard that will premiere in June at OTSL.

You can read about the first event, a film screening and talk by the opera's librettist, writer/director and St. Louis native Kasi Lemmons, in this story by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

* Singer and actor Lea DeLaria was a guest Wednesday on KSDK's Show Me St. Louis program. DeLaria performs tonight and tomorrow night at Jazz St. Louis.

* Keyboardist and singer Jesse Gannon talked about his eponymous new album for a story by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The Friends of Scott Joplin are conducting their annual membership drive; find out more on their web site.

* Benjamin Cawthra, the former St. Louisan who in 2001 curated the Missouri History Museum's exhibit "Miles: A Miles Davis Retrospective," writes in a recent blog post about consulting with director Stanley Nelson on Nelson's documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, which premieres this Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival.

* Two local music venues that are experiencing hard times financially are asking the public for help. Foam, the south side spot that serves up coffee, beer and performances ranging from alt-rock to free improv, has set up a GoFundMe page to help keep the doors open after revenue shortfalls in recent months.

Meanwhile, The Focal Point, which in recent years has featured vintage jazz and swing along with folk, bluegrass, singer-songwriters, and Americana, is "faced with the loss of a key subsistence grant and some unexpected expenses." As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, they're able to solicit and accept donations directly via their website.

* The UMSL Symphonic Band is looking for additional woodwind, brass, and percussion players. The band is open to all musicians with at least six years of experience on their instrument, and rehearses under the direction of professor Gary Brandes on Monday evenings starting January 28 at the Lee Theater in the Touhill Performing Arts Center. For information on auditions, contact Brandes by email at brandesg@umsl.edu.

Jazz this week: Lea DeLaria,"Music for Piano, Percussion & Drums," and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features visits from a couple of local natives turned expats - one quite famous, the other up-and-coming - plus an assortment of performances in a variety of jazz styles from hometown performers. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, January 23
Singer Emily Wallace presents a one-night-only performance at Jazz St. Louis, backed by pianist Adam Maness' trio.

Also on Wednesday, the weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features guitarist Jacob Weisman and friends at The Stage at KDHX, the weekly jam session hosted by bassist Bob DeBoo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Thursday, January 24
Saxophonist Stephen Martin is back home from Kansas City to lead a quartet at The Dark Room, and singer Joe Mancuso will welcome singer Jan Shapiro and pianist Dave Venn as the guests for his gig this week at 50/Fifty Kitchen.

Friday, January 25
Belleville native Lea DeLaria (pictured, top left) may be best known as an actor and one of the stars of the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black, but she also has extensive credits in cabaret, musical theater and stand-up comedy. All those skills likely will be on display when DeLaria takes the stage for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis as part of the series JSL is co-presenting this year with Cabaret Project of St. Louis.

Also on Friday, singer Tony Viviano presents a tribute to the music of Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin for the first of two nights at Table Three; soul/jazz quintet Hip Grease returns to The Dark Room; trumpeter Jim Manley performs at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar; and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, January 26
Pianist Greg Mills and percussionist Glen "Papa" Wright will present a free concert of "Music for Piano, Percussion & Drums" at St. Louis University's Xavier Hall; and The Gaslight Squares play vintage jazz at The Frisco Barroom, a recently opened spot in the Old Orchard neighborhood of Webster Groves.

Sunday, January 27
The Folk School of KDHX will host their monthly traditional jazz jam session, and DJ Pockets will present his monthly "1950s/60s Jazz Record Spin" at The Royale.

Monday, January 28
Bassist Willem von Hombracht leads a trio in a concert at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium, and singer/impressionist Dean Christopher brings his "Rat Pack & More" show back to One 19 North Tapas & Wine 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:

* Miles Davis Properties, LLC has announced that they're teaming up with with global licensing company Perryscope Productions to develop and sell various merchandise based on Davis' name, image, music, and visual art.

* In somewhat-related news, Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, the forthcoming documentary directed by Emmy winner Stanley Nelson, will be screened at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Along with a global theatrical release next summer, the film also will air on PBS' American Masters and on BBC2 in the UK.

* Singer Lynne Fiddmont (pictured) was interviewed by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson in advance of her concert this Sunday afternoon at The Sheldon.

* L.I.F.E. Arts, a not-for-profit organization started by singer Brian Owens, has won a $100,000 grant from Maryville University, which will be used over the next two years for various programs to help young people develop leadership skills through the arts.

* Singer, actor and Belleville native Lea DeLaria was interviewed on Britain's Channel 4 News.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold last week was a special guest performer with pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya at a concert in London; read a review here.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer Mardra Thomas and her husband, keyboardist Reggie Thomas (pictured), will join the cast of the gospel musical Crowns for two weeks of performances in August at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in Evanston, IL.

The play by writer/director Regina Taylor "reveals the story of African-American women and the hats they wear to church. Each hat holds a story of a wedding, a funeral and a baptism as the women share their life stories of how they moved through life’s struggles."

* Pianist Peter Martin has posted a new blog entry at Medium.com explaining "7 Cool Left Hand Voicings."

* Miles Davis' soundtrack for the 1958 Louis Malle film Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud is being reissued as a deluxe set of three 10" LPs. Scheduled for release by the Verve label on Friday, June 22, it will be the first vinyl release to feature both the film music and complete takes from the December 1957 recording session.

* Improvising percussionist Drew Gowran was the subject of a short Riverfront Times feature by Thomas Crone.

* Singer, actor and Belleville native Lea DeLaria was profiled in San Francisco Classical Voice.

* Guitarist Norman Brown's concert next Saturday at The Sheldon was previewed by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

* Also in the American, Vaughn previews saxophonist Stan Coleman's concert this Sunday at The Sheldon. 

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was interviewed this week on an episode of BBC3's "Jazz Now" (available to hear online through June 20).

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer Storm Large (pictured) was interviewed Wednesday by St. Louis Public Radio's Alex Heuer in advance of her performance next Wednesday, January 17 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

* Singer and St. Louis native Alicia Olatuja is the subject of a short feature story in the current issue of Jazz Times.

* A new article on the website Jazz in Europe looks at the impact of Miles Davis' landmark 1970 album Bitches Brew.

* Speaking of Davis, an article in On Milwaukee magazine recounts the story of the trumpeter's 1959 "legendary show that wasn't" at a club there called the Brass Rail.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn appeared Thursday on the morning news at New York City's WABC, promoting his gigs this weekend at BB King's in NYC.

* Lea DeLaria's performance last month at Jazz at the Bistro was reviewed for CabaretScenes.org by Chuck Lavazzi.

* Keyboardist Michael Silverman of Bach to the Future and Silverman Productions was interviewed by St. Louis County Arts Blog's Valerie Tichacek.

* Gene Dobbs Bradford of Jazz St. Louis was profiled on the website of the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis. Bradford will be one of seven 2018 recipients of the council's St. Louis Arts Awards, which will be presented at an event on Monday, January 22 at the Chase Park Plaza hotel.

* Guitarist Todd Mosby's performance next week in Rolla is previewed on the Three Rivers Publishing website, which compiles news from several small towns in east central Missouri.

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.

Jazz this week: Lea DeLaria with Janis Siegel, New Year's Eve jazz, and more

For the last week of the year, the calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features a homecoming for another local native who's made good on the national stage, plus a variety of musical options for New Year's Eve, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, December 27
Singer, actor and Belleville native Lea DeLaria (pictured) will perform for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

DeLaria, who has done stand-up comedy, starred on Broadway, and snagged a couple of awards from the Screen Actors Guild for her work on the Netflix series Orange is the New Black, also has won plenty of accolades as a singer, performing at the Newport Jazz Festival and at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Chicago Symphony, Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall, and the Sydney Opera House.

In her first-ever shows at the Bistro, Delaria will be joined a special guest, The Manhattan Transfer's Janis Siegel, and will spotlight material from her 2015 album House of Bowie, which featured interpretations of music by iconic rocker David Bowie.

Also of note, this is the first show at the Bistro that yr. StLJN editor can recall coming with a disclaimer about the content, specifically: "This show contains strong language which may be offensive to some and or inappropriate for children. Any views or opinions presented in this performance are solely those of the artist and do not represent those of Jazz St. Louis." For more on what to expect, you can read the brief interview DeLaria did previewing the show with the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

Also on Wednesday, bassist Glen Smith and guitarist Eric Slaughter perform at Evangeline's; and the final "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" of the year includes Miss Jubilee at The Stage at KDHX, the jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's group at The Dark Room.

Thursday, December 28
Trumpeter Jim Manley plays his last Thursday night gig of the year at Momo's Greek Restaurant; pianist Adam Maness' trio is at Thurman's in Shaw; and saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room.

Friday, 
December 29
Pianist Ptah Williams plays an early-evening show at The Dark Room; jazz/funk quartet Good 4 The Soul (pictured) returns to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of two nights of their long-running late-December engagement; and singer Tony Viviano and his band will be "Celebrating Frank Sinatra's 102nd Birthday" at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Clayton.

Saturday, December 30
Saxophonist Dave Stone's trio is back at Thurman's in Shaw, and keyboardist Mo Egeston performs at The Dark Room.

Sunday, December 31
Highlighting just a handful of the jazz and jazz-related local musical possibilities for New Year's Eve - you can check the StLJN jazz calendar for more extensive listings - if you're in the mood for some vocals, singer Erin Bode will be doing two shows at Cyrano's, while singer Chuck Flowers will perform for NYE diners at Bartolino's South.

If smooth jazz and R&B are more your speed, you can hear saxophonist Tim Cunningham at Troy's Jazz Gallery, while fans of vintage swing and hot jazz can head to Das Bevo for a double bill of Miss Jubilee and Roya and the High Timers.  And for some New Orleans-inspired revelry, the Funky Butt Brass Band will be closing out 2017 with one final show 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:

* Record megalabel Columbia/Legacy last week announced the release of a sixth volume in their "Bootleg Series" of Miles Davis live recordings.

Miles Davis & John Coltrane - The Final Tour is a four-CD set (pictured) documenting five shows from Davis' 1960 tour of Europe, and is set for release on Friday, March 23, 2018.

* A story in UMSL Daily details the upcoming travels of the UMSL Big Band directed by Jim Widner, including a trip next week to Chicago for the annual Midwest Clinic and appearances in January at the Jazz Education Network convention in Dallas and the Missouri Music Educators Association conference at the Lake of the Ozarks.

* Singer, actor and Belleville native Lea DeLaria was the subject of a feature story on the website OutInStL.com. DeLaria, who's starred on Broadway and in cabaret, TV, and film, will make her debut at Jazz at the Bistro with shows on Wednesday, December 27 and Thursday, December 28 that also will feature singer Janis Siegel of Manhattan Transfer as a guest performer.

* The STL Free Jazz Collective has posted to YouTube a video of their complete performance with multi-instrumentalist Douglas Ewart earlier this month at the 14th St. Artist Community. 

* Also on YouTube, saxophonist Eric Person has posted a video from his show with fellow saxophonist Houston Person in March of this year at Dizzy's Club in NYC.

* The Sheldon has posted to Facebook a photo album from the Spanish Harlem Orchestra's performance there last week.

* Guitarist Dave Black's upcoming album, a collaboration with blues guitarists Tom Hall and Brian Curran, is previewed in a Riverfront Times story by Thomas Crone.

* Also in the RFT, the Funky Butt Brass Band's "Holiday Brasstravaganza" and their new Christmas album are the subjects of a brief feature story by Christian Schaeffer.

* Right Up On, saxophonist/composer Oliver Lake's recent recording in collaboration with the FLUX Quartet, made the New York Times' recently published list of "The 25 Best Classical Music Recordings of 2017."

* Singer Debby Lennon's latest theatrical role, as tone-deaf diva Florence Foster Jenkins in Max and Louis Productions' upcoming staging of the musical Souvenir, is the subject of a short feature by St. Louis Post-Dispatch theater critic Judith Newmark.

* Percussionist Moacyr Marchini of Samba Bom will lead a series of eight Brazilian percussion workshops for adult students beginning Wednesday, January 10 at Lucha in Grand Center. For more info about the workshops and how to sign up, go here.

* The venerable Edwardsville drinking spot Laurie's Place, which in recent months has featured a jazz jam session on Tuesday nights, will close at the end of this year.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Fall 2017 jazz preview, part four

Here's the fourth and final part of of StLJN's Fall 2017 jazz preview, featuring videos of jazz and creative music performers who will be visiting St. Louis in the next several months. (You can see part one here, part two here, and part three here.)

Picking up the chronology at the point when part three left off, today's first video features trumpeter and East St. Louis native Russell Gunn, who will be coming back home to perform Wednesday, November 15 through Saturday, November 18 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Gunn's "Blackhawk Revisited" band celebrates Miles Davis' sound at the turn of the 1960s, as exemplified by the box set In Person Friday and Saturday Night at the Blackhawk, recorded in 1961 at the Black Hawk nightclub in San Francisco.

On hand to lend authenticity to the proceedings will be Jimmy Cobb, the octogenarian drummer who played on the original Blackhawk dates and is the only musician from Davis' landmark album Kind of Blue still living. This video was recorded last October at Dizzy's in New York, and features Gunn, Cobb and bandmates Morgan Guerin (tenor sax), Kevin Bales (piano), and Corcoran Holt (bass) doing a full set of the Blackhawk material.

After the jump, it's singer Jane Monheit, who will perform Wednesday, November 29 though Saturday, December 2 at the Bistro. She's seen here singing "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" in May 2016 at the studios of KNKX Public Radio in Tacoma, WA.

The third clip features Battle Trance, the all-tenor-sax quartet who will be presented by New Music Circle on Saturday, December 2 at The Luminary. It's a video of the title track from their album Blade of Love, as performed in January at the Vandoren Studio in Los Angeles.

Next, it's pianist and singer Freddy Cole, seen here performing "Songs for Lovers" in February 2017 at Dizzy's. Cole and his band, with guest saxophonist Harry Allen, will be in St. Louis starting Wednesday, December 6 through Saturday, December 9 at Jazz at the Bistro.

That same weekend, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra will make their St. Louis debut with a holiday-themed show called "Salsa Navidad" on Friday, December 8 at Sheldon Concert Hall. The sixth video depicts highlights from that show, as performed last year at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

The penultimate video features vocal group Take 6, who will be back to perform starting Wednesday, December 13 through Saturday, December 16 at the Bistro. You can see them here singing "Stand By Me" and "Straighten Up and Fly Right," as recorded in August at the studios of Hawaii Public Radio. 

Last but not least, it's actor, singer, and Belleville native Lea DeLaria, who will perform her cabaret show on Wednesday, December 27 and Thursday, December 28 at Jazz at the Bistro. She's seen in the final video doing an impromptu version of "Since I Fell For You" last October at an NYC spot called the Duplex.

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

Jazz St. Louis adds shows to Bistro schedule

Jazz St. Louis has announced nine more events for the 2017-18 season at Jazz at the Bistro, filling in some gaps in the previously-announced schedule for the fall and adding one more headliner in the spring.

Three of the shows are co-productions with Cabaret Project of St. Louis, as the two organizations will team up to present singer and actor Kyle Dean Massey on Wednesday, September 27 and Thursday, September 28; actor, singer and Bellevile native Lea DeLaria (pictured), who will make her debut at the Bistro with shows on Wednesday, December 27 and Thursday, December 28; and Marilyn Maye, the 89-year-old known as the "grand dame of cabaret," on Wednesday, March 7 and Thursday, March 8.

Three other newly-scheduled events will pay tribute to jazz greats.

Drummer Montez Coleman will helm "The Art of Blakey," a celebration of the iconic drummer and his Jazz Messengers, on Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10, joined by saxophonist Ben Reece, trumpeter Danny Campbell, bassist Bob DeBoo, and pianist Adam Maness.

Coleman, DeBoo and Maness then will return the following month for a "Thelonious Monk Centennial" tribute on Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26.

Then on Wednesday, November 5, a free event titled "Duke Ellington and Film" will examine Ellington's music for film and his onscreen appearances via a talk by John Edward Hasse, curator of American music at the Smithsonian Institute, and a performance from the Jazz St. Louis Big Band.

Also added to the fall schedule are a performance by the JazzU Big Band student ensemble on Sunday, October 29, and return dates for the 1970s jazz-fusion tribute Weather Forever on Friday, November 10 and Saturday, November 11, and trumpeter Jim Manley's holiday show "A Very Manley Christmas" on Friday, December 22 and Saturday, December 23 .

Tickets for all these shows are available now via the Jazz St. Louis website.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Dave Weckl will drum with the Buddy Rich Big Band in a tribute concert in May at Ronnie Scott's in London.

* Speaking of London, the website London Jazz News last week published two posts of local interest to StLJN readers: a previously unseen interview from 1995 with trumpeter and St. Louis native Lester Bowie; and a review of Message to Our People, bassist and Washington University faculty member Paul Steinbeck's new book recounting the history of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, of which Bowie was a member.

* Organizers of the U City Jazz Festival have announced the date and lineup for this year's event. The fest will be held Saturday, June 10 in Heman Park, and will feature music from Demarius Hicks, Ptah Williams (pictured), Dave Black, Bach to the Future, and the St. Louis Jazz All Stars.

* David Steward, founder of St. Louis-based World Wide Technology Inc, and his wife Thelma Steward will receive the Ed Bradley Award for Leadership in philanthropy from Jazz at Lincoln Center during JALC's annual gala on April 26 in NYC. Though the award is for their contributions to JaLC, the Stewards also were the lead donors for Jazz St. Louis' renovated headquarters and performance space that opened in October 2014.

* Drummer Kimberly Thompson is transformed into an animated version of herself in the first episode of "Music Time with Kimberly Thompson," a new web series for kids posted this week to YouTube.

* Meanwhile, in another animation aimed at a more adult audience, singer, actor and Belleville, IL native Lea DeLaria lends her voice to the role of a talking birth control pill in "I'm Just A Pill," a new animated video produced by the Lady Parts Justice League "to school (Supreme Court nominee Neil) Gorsuch and dispel fake facts on birth control and drop some scientific knowledge on Plan B as a preventative measure."

* Chris Hansen of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation was interviewed by writer Terry Perkins for an article in Alive! magazine about The Dark Room's new location in the renovated Grandel Theatre.

* Happiness of Living,  the new album from On Fillmore, bassist Darin Gray's duo project with drummer Glenn Kotche, is officially released today, and already has gotten positive press coverage from Rolling Stone and Chicago Reader.

* Saxophonist Eric Person has posted to Facebook a photo album from his recent "Person to Person" shows with fellow saxophonist (and unrelated namesake) Houston Person at the Blue Note in NYC.

* Trombonist Charlie Halloran talks about his move from St. Louis to New Orleans in a brief feature by the Riverfront Times' Christian Schaeffer.

* Cabaret Project St. Louis' monthly open mic night has yet another new home, after a brief run at The Monocle following the closing last year of its longtime location, the Tavern of Fine Arts. Starting on Thursday, April 20, the event, now known as the Broadway Open Mic, will take place from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month at the Curtain Call Lounge in Grand Center.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Tomorrow's Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival was previewed by KTRS' "McGraw Millhaven Show."

* Singer, actress, comedian and Belleville native Lea DeLaria was interviewed by the Belleville News Democrat. DeLaria will be back home to speak at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday, September 22 at Lindenwood Auditorium on Lindenwood University's Belleville campus. Her latest album House of David, released this summer, offers jazz interpretations of the music of David Bowie.

* Rev. Cliff Aerie, saxophonist and leader of the Oikos Ensemble, and Tim Osiek, the group's trumpeter, have co-authored Worship In A New Key - Jazz Hymnbook, Vol 1, a new book of jazz arrangements of well-known hymns. A second volume, covering Christmas music, is forthcoming.

* Regional Arts Commission is now accepting applications for the current round of their Artists Support Grants, and they're presenting a free workshop on how to apply for one at 5:30 p.m. next Monday, September 21 at the RAC offices, 6128 Delmar Blvd. The deadline to apply is Thursday, October 22.

* A video just posted to YouTube documents saxophonist Oliver Lake's recent performance with the Vijay Iyer Trio at the Jazz Poetry 2015 festival in Pittsburgh. Lake (pictured, with Iyer) also celebrated his 73rd birthday this past Monday, September 14.

* The late singer, songwriter, keyboardist and former St. Louisan Donny Hathaway's battle with mental illness is the subject of Twisted Melodies, a one-man show that just ended a run at the Athenaeum Theatre in Chicago.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold, currently touring with R&B singer D'Angelo, was interviewed on video by Demencha Magazine.

* Singer, actor, comedian, and Belleville native Lea DeLaria was interviewed by Slate about her new album of jazz covers of David Bowie songs.

* Saxophonist Eric Person is taking part this week in the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute's summer intensive at the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA. The week-long program "brings together jazz composers at various stages in their careers chosen from a national pool of applicants, to explore the challenges of writing for the symphony orchestra."

* The Bosman Twins were profiled in an article on the website Something Else.

* Beverly Hacker, longtime executive director at KDHX, has been placed on administrative leave by the community radio station's board of directors, and wrote about it in a "letter to the community" published by the Riverfront Times.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake will participating in NYC's Charlie Parker Jazz Festival later this month, engaging in a conversation with fellow saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa on Thursday, August 20 at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and leading his big band in a performance Friday, April 21 at Marcus Garvey Park.

* The Goldenrod Showboat, once home to performances of traditional jazz and ragtime from the 1960s to the 1970s while moored on the St. Louis riverfront, is finally headed for the scrapyard. Attempts to resurrect the boat (pictured) have been abandoned after a recent attempt to move it from a remote spot along the Illinois River near Kampsville, IL to a safer location resulted in major structural damage.

The Historic Riverboat Preservation Association, the volunteer group that’s been working to preserve the boat, announced Wednesday morning that it will salvage what it can from the boat’s interior for a proposed riverboat museum.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, “Somethin’ Else” host Calvin Wilson will showcase the music of fast-rising bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding. The program begins at 8:00 p.m. and can be heard over the air on 107.3 FM, on HD radio at 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Bosman Twins (pictured) are among the winners of 2016 Arts Awards from the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis.

The awards honor "individuals, organizations and businesses who achieve a legacy of artistic excellence and enrich St. Louis’ arts and cultural community" and will be presented at a ceremony and dinner on Monday, January 25, 2016 at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

* Singer, actor, stand-up comic and Belleville native Lea DeLaria has a new album out this week called House of David, offering her jazz interpretations of the music of David Bowie.

You can hear DeLaria's takes on "Fame" and "Modern Love" from the album here. She currently can be seen as part of the cast of the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black.

* And speaking of Belleville, the Wine Dine and Jazz Festival taking place downtown there this weekend was previewed in the Belleville News-Democrat and featured on local NBC affiliate KSDK.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake's most recent album To Roy, a duo with bassist William Parker paying tribute to to trumpeter Roy Campbell, was reviewed by Stefan Wood  of the Free Jazz blog.

* The results of the annual Riverfront Times music poll are are in, and singer-guitarist Tommy Halloran has won readers' approval in the "Best Jazz" category again this year, with the Funky Butt Brass Band once again triumphing in the "Best Soul/Funk" category. You can see the complete list of winners here.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, Calvin Wilson's program “Somethin’ Else” will feature new music from contemporary trumpeters Terence Blanchard, Dave Douglas and Jeremy Pelt.

After that on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will feature music from Grover Washington, Jr., Brother Strut, Chieli Minucci & Special EFX, Marc Antoine, Sonny Rollins, Amp Fiddler, Euge Groove, Sarah Jane & The Blue Notes, Feyza Eren, Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum, and mor.

Wilson's program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by Church at 9:00 p.m., on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Notes from the Net: The Miles Davis Radio Project reissued; Sanborn plays through pain; plus news, reviews, interviews & more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* Let's start, as we usually do, with news of Miles Davis. Via Miles Davis Online comes word that Davis, who in the 1970s recorded an album called On The Corner, soon may have an actual NYC street corner named after him. Also: the Miles Davis Radio Project, an eight-part, 16-hour audio documentary about the trumpeter first recorded nearly 20 years ago, is now available for purchase as a series of digital downloads; Toronto trumpeter Brownman Ali just completed a five-week series of concerts paying tribute to Davis; and images of Davis and other members of the band that recorded Kind of Blue apparently are sufficiently cool to be featured on some new skateboards and sneakers.

* In news of other former St. Louisans, saxophonist and clarinetist Marty Ehrlich (pictured) has teamed with trombonist Ray Anderson to co-lead a quartet on a new CD called Hear You Say, out now on Challenge Records. Here's a review of the disc from AllAboutJazz.com's Bruce Lindsay, and another perspective from the UK Guardian's John Fordham.

* Singer, actor, comic and Belleville native Lea DeLaria also has a new CD, Be A Santa, out on the Warner Classics & Jazz label. AAJ's Bruce Lindsay reviewed DeLaria's disc, calling it "an album full of festive standards that swings like a sleigh bell on a Christmas tree and entertains in stylish fashion."

* Via Avant Music News: Saxophonist, composer and onetime Webster University student John Zorn will present a performance of his classical works later this month at Bard College in upstate New York.

* Another saxophonist and former St. Louisan, David Sanborn, played the Blue Note in NYC last month with his trio, and got a nice review from the Times' Nate Chinen. Sanborn's performance seems even more remarkable in retrospect, given the recent news that he's been performing for months now while suffering acute pain from a kidney stone.

* In other medical-related news, pianist Dave Brubeck, who had to cancel his October performance here at the Sheldon Concert Hall for health reasons, recently underwent surgery to have a pacemaker installed. There's good news, too, though - after the operation, Brubeck's doctors said he should be able to resume practicing and performing soon. Brubeck also is the subject of a new documentary film, directed by Clint Eastwood and set to premier next month on the BBC.

* Meanwhile, drummer Max Weinberg, who did make it here with his new Big Band to perform last month at the Argosy Alton Casino, recently talked to the website Popeater about his own recent heart surgery, his decision not to join Conan O'Brien's new show on TBS, and more.

* Pianist Kenny Barron, seen in St. Louis last month in duet with fellow pianist Mulgrew Miller at Jazz at the Bistro, talked with NPR's A Blog Supreme about his recent listening habits here.

* Also recently at the Bistro was guitarist Russell Malone, who did a four-night stand to celebrate the release of his latest CD Triple Play on the St. Louis-based MAXJAZZ label. Now, reviews of the disc are coming in, including favorable mentions from the New York Times, DownBeat and DustyGroove.com.

* Violinist Regina Carter, who was here last week at the Bistro, played the previous week at Regatta Bar in Boston; here's an article about the gig, from the Harvard Crimson.

* Turning to news of coming attractions, pianist Vijay Iyer, who will be in St. Louis this Saturday to perform with Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet at 560 Music Center, recently was a guest on NPR's "Fresh Air".

* Speaking of Wadada Leo Smith, he's got a new disc out, recorded as a duo with drummer Ed Blackwell, called The Blue Mountain’s Sun Drummer. Read a review here, courtesy of Burning Ambulance blogger Phil Freeman.

* Zappa Plays Zappa, set to play The Pageant on December 8, recently celebrated what would have been Frank Zappa's 70th birthday with a concert in London. In related news, keyboardist George Duke, who worked with FZ for several years in the 1970s, will join ZPZ onstage for the first time ever in an upcoming show in Los Angeles.

* Last but not least, Lisette Dennis of Regional Arts Commission kindly emailed with the news that the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City wants to hire a Grants Development Officer. Interested individuals can find out more about the position and how to apply here.

Jazz this week: Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, John Pizzarelli, King Sunny Ade, Ronald Carter & Russell Gunn, Lea DeLaria, and more

It's an extremely busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with everything from big bands and straight-ahead small group swing to organ-driven soul-jazz, cabaret, free improv, and two or three different flavors of ethnic music fused with jazz.

Let's go to straight to the highlights, described here in more-or-less chronological order:

On Wednesday, singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli, who's always a good draw here in the Gateway City, begin a four-night run at Jazz at the Bistro. This time around, expect to hear at least a few selections from his latest CD, the Duke Ellington tribute Rockin' In Rhythm, as well as other classic jazz and popular songs from Pizzarelli's extensive repertoire.

On Thursday evening, it's the final Jazz at Holmes event of the semester at Washington University, a free concert featuring saxophonist Larry Johnson and Two Times True, led by pianist Carolbeth True and including her son David True on drums.

Also on Thursday, the 2010 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival also gets underway at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, with student combos playing and working with guest clinicians all day. There will be more student bands and clinics during the day on Friday and Saturday, with evening concerts headlined by trombonist Conrad Herwig's Latin-jazz band on Friday and Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band (pictured) on Saturday. (For a complete schedule of events, see this post.)

In addition to the events for the participating student ensembles, Herwig also will present public master classes on Friday and Saturday. Also, word from GSLJF publicist Dawn DeBlaze is that the Big Phat Band will perform Goodwin's new arrangement of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue, " which should be interesting. For some video of the Big Phat Band in action, see this post from last Saturday, and for more about the GSLJF, check out Terry Perkins' preview story now online at the St. Louis Beacon.

On Friday and Saturday, singer/actor/comic and Belleville native Lea DeLaria brings her cabaret show to Nancy's Place, 4510 Manchester (in the Grove neighborhood). DeLaria, who's best known for her out-and-outrageous comedy but also has some serious vocal chops, will be accompanied by pianist Janette Mason, whose CD Alien Left Hand was just nominated in the "Best Jazz CD" category of the UK's 2010 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. (You can see DeLaria and Mason on video here, doing a swinging version of "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," from the musical Sweeney Todd.) The show's promoter tells StLJN that some tickets remain for both nights, including some VIP packages for Friday, and can be purchased online via brownpapertickets.com.

And speaking of cabaret, Jim Dolan's Presenters Dolan has two shows this weekend at the Kranzberg Arts Center. Jeffrey Wright will reprise his show "The Dance" on Friday, and Shana Farr will make her St. Louis cabaret debut on Saturday with"Pure Imagination," accompanied by musical director Amanda Kirkpatrick and bassist Jay Hungerford.

On Saturday afternoon, the Nu-Art Series wraps up its spring skein of jazz composers concerts with a performance by saxophonist Stan Coleman and the Youth Jazz Band doing the music of Duke Ellington.

Then on Saturday evening, sitarist Imrat Khan and guitarist Todd Mosby will do a benefit concert at the Ethical Society; the Dutch lute player/composer Jozef van Wissem and NYC free improv duo Che Chen and Robbie Lee play at Open Lot; and keyboardist Reggie Thomas performs at Robbie's House of Jazz to celebrate the release of his new CD Four, which features Thomas on Hammond B-3 organ with trumpeter Clay Jenkins, guitarist Rick Haydon and drummer Gary Hobbs.

On Sunday afternoon, saxophonist Ronald Carter and the Northern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble plus special guests Russell Gunn and Reggie Thomas will perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall in the sixth annual "Youth In the Arts" benefit for the Genesis Performing Arts Foundation. For ticket information, go here or call 618-741-0898.

Also on Sunday, singer Erin Bode appears in the final free concert of the spring for the St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers series at Second Baptist Church.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday the godfather of juju music King Sunny Ade and his African Beats will play at the Old Rock House. Although this show seems to have stirred interest well beyond St. Louis, as of this writing it looks like there are still tickets available, though there's no telling how long the remaining supply will last.

UPDATE, 5;30 p.m., 4/15/10: Although Ade has had to cancel the first five shows on his US tour due to visa problems affecting a couple of band members, the Old Rock House's Erica Deiters has confirmed to StLJN that Ade's St. Louis show Tuesday is still on.

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 by becoming a "fan" of 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.)

Lea DeLaria to perform cabaret show Friday, April 16 & Saturday, April 17

Singer, actress and comic Lea DeLaria (pictured) is coming back to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m. Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17 at the Lip Room at Nancy's Place, 4510 Manchester (in the Grove neighborhood).

A native of Belleville, IL, DeLaria began in show business as a stand-up comic, but her career now ranges from cabaret and one-woman shows to Broadway to jazz clubs.

Reviewing her in 2008, Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote, "DeLaria’s jazz singing is like her stand-up comedy. Loud, brash, rude and impatient, it pushes its way to the microphone, all knees and elbows. All smiles too, for Ms. DeLaria is an innately funny jazz clown...There is sophisticated jazz method in Ms. DeLaria’s raucous bluster. She swings hard, and scats and bends notes in a style that suggests a no-frills Betty Carter on steroids." For a more recent take, check out this review from the LondonJazz blog of her performance there in late January.

DeLaria played St. Louis most recently last June at the Metro East Pride Festival. Her April 16 and April 17 shows are billed as incorporating both her "amazing jazz vocals and her outrageous, in-your-face comedy." Tickets are $25 for general admission and $42 for VIP admission, which includes preferred seating and a DeLaria-themed "swag bag," and can be purchased online now via brownpapertickets.com.

Jazz this week: Lea DeLaria, Musica Slesa, KMOX Jazz & Wine Festival, Scott Alberici, and more

It looks like the weather in St. Louis will be going directly from "soaked" to "sizzling" this weekend, but fortunately, there's jazz and creative music all around town (including several free concerts) to provide diversion from the onset of another steamy summer in the Gateway City.

Here's a brief look at what's going on over the next few days:

Tonight, clarinetist Scott Alberici plays a free concert for the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden. With any luck, the rain that has plagued the event for the past couple of weeks will stay away tonight, but if the skies look threatening, you can check the Garden's Web site or tune into WSIE (FM 88.7) for an update.

On Thursday, pianist and singer Curt Landes performs a free show for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and singer Erin Bode is doing a free concert outdoors at Bluebird Park in Ellisville.

Then on Friday, Latin/jazz group Musica Slesa (pictured at top left) returns to Jazz at the Bistro for the first evening of a two-night stand, while guitarist Matthew Von Doran will bring some jazz out to St. Charles county with a show in the performance space at Mozingo Music in O'Fallon. Also on Friday, the St. Louis Jazz Cafe has guitarist Gregg Haynes, while Brandt's will feature singer Kim Massie.

Saturday afternoon brings the KMOX Jazz and Wine Festival to the grounds of the historic Cabanne House in Forest Park (at the corner of Lindell and Union). This year's lineup featuring Erin Bode, Kim Massie, the Original Knights of Swing big band, and saxophonist Tim Cunningham. (Note that, contrary to what some folks searching online seem to be thinking, this is not a free event; tickets are $10 in advance, with a $3 surcharge for online purchases, or $15 at the gate.)

Also on Saturday, singer, actress, comic and Belleville, Illinois native Lea DeLaria (pictured at right) performs a free concert as part of Metro East Pride Festival in downtown Belleville; saxophonist Rod Tate is at the St. Louis Jazz Cafe; and the Joe Pastor Jazz Trinity plays at Brandt's.

As always, this summary only covers some of the notable performances happening over the next few days; for more listings of jazz-related events in St. Louis 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.)

Lea DeLaria to perform in Belleville on Saturday, June 20

Singer, actress and comic Lea DeLaria, a native of Belleville, IL, will return to her hometown on Saturday, June 20 to perform for the Metro East Pride festival.

DeLaria started her show business career as a stand-up comic, and has gone on to utilize her acting and singing talents in cabaret, Broadway, one-woman shows, and jazz clubs. In a review of a DeLaria performance last October at the NYC jazz club Smoke, Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote "Lea DeLaria’s jazz singing is like her stand-up comedy. Loud, brash, rude and impatient, it pushes its way to the microphone, all knees and elbows. All smiles too, for Ms. DeLaria is an innately funny jazz clown...There is sophisticated jazz method in Ms. DeLaria’s raucous bluster. She swings hard, and scats and bends notes in a style that suggests a no-frills Betty Carter on steroids."

The Metro East Pride festival will take place on West Main Street in downtown Belleville, and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit their Web site.