Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra to headline 2015 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival

The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra will headline the final night of the 12th annual Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, which will be held next year on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Led by drummer Jeff Hamilton, bassist John Clayton and his brother, saxophonist Jeff Clayton, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (pictured) was formed in 1985. They've released six CDs, the most recent of which is 2005's Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra Live At MCG. Local jazz fans also may remember that John and Jeff Clayton performed here as The Clayton Brothers in 2010 at Jazz at the Bistro and in 2011 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

The GSLJF's Friday night concert will feature a band assembled especially for the occasion, fronted by saxophonist "Blue" Lou Marini, known for his work with the Blues Brothers, Blood Sweat & Tears, and the Saturday Night Live house band; trombonist Steve Wiest, a Grammy nominated composer/arranger and faculty member at the University of Denver; and Clay Jenkins, lead trumpeter for top big bands including Stan Kenton and the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra and professor at Eastman School of Music.

They'll be accompanied by a rhythm section comprised of two locals, drummer Montez Coleman and pianist Ken Kehner, plus bassist and jazz educator Lou Fischer.

The GSLJF also includes three days of educational activities, as student bands from Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Tennessee and Texas will participate in adjudicated performances and clinics, which include one-on-one sessions and critiques from visiting professionals.

In a couple of notable differences from past festivals, the March dates for the 2015 GSLJF are nearly a month earlier than when the event has been held in years past, during the third weekend in April. Also, the 2015 festival apparently will not include a Thursday night show at Jazz at the Bistro, which has been part of the event in recent years.

Both public concerts will start start at 8:00 p.m. and will feature the UMSL Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jim Widner, as opening act. The ticket on-sale date and prices will be announced in January.

Jazz this week: Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, Sean Jones, John Jorgenson, Medeski Martin and Wood, FLOW, Dixie Daredevils, Stan Hale, and more

It's the busiest week so far this year for jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis, with a number of touring artists in town and a schedule of shows representing a wide variety of styles, from traditional jazz and big band to straight-ahead modern jazz to free improv, intermedia and more.

Let's go the highlights in chronological order, starting with this evening, when the acclaimed young trumpeter Sean Jones opens a four-night stand continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Jones is considered by many to be a rising star among jazz trumpeters, and this weekend marks his St. Louis debut as a bandleader. For more on Jones and some video samples of his playing, see this post.

On Thursday, singer and pianist Anita Rosamond is doing a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, backed by a group featuring keyboardist Nathan Jatcko, bassist Bob DeBoo, and drummer Jerry Mazucca. That same evening, the Detroit-based free improv duo of saxophonist Wally Shoup and percussionist Ben Hall will perform at Open Lot, 1310 S. 18th St, with opening sets from Dave Stone & Danny McClain and Brain Transplant.

On Friday, the public performance portion of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival kicks off with a concert featuring guest artists Peter Erskine on drums and Lou Marini (pictured) on saxophone with the University of Missouri - St. Louis Jazz Ensemble at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. For some background on Erskine and some video samples of his playing, see this post. Also on Friday, the NYC-based saxophonist Kim Bock and his jazz organ trio FLOW will take the stage at The Gramophone.

Saturday brings some free educational opportunities for aspiring musicians during the morning and afternoon, with Erskine and trumpeter Jon Faddis each presenting free master classes at the Touhill while Bock and FLOW will be giving a free workshop and performance at Saxquest.

On Saturday night, the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival continues with a concert featuring Faddis, singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli and the UMSL Jazz Ensemble at the Touhill. For more about Faddis and some video samples of his playing, see this post.

Also on Saturday, guitarist John Jorgenson brings his Django Reinhardt-inspired quintet to the Sheldon Concert Hall. For some background on Jorgenson and a video sample of his playing, check out this post from when he was last in St. Louis in September 2007.

That same evening, New Music Circle will present a program at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium featuring videos created by Van McElwee, Roy Zurick and others with live musical accompaniment by S.A.N.E. (Semi-Acoustic Noise Ensemble), percussionist Rich O'Donnell, and friends

Sunday is another busy day, as the St. Louis Jazz Club presents a performance by the Peoria, IL-based traditional jazz band Dixie Daredevils at Bel Air Bowl in Belleville, and St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers ends its spring 2009 series with a free concert featuring guitarist Steve Schenkel and singer Ashley Mason at the Second Baptist Church.

Also on Sunday, veteran drummer Stan Hale is having a CD release event at the Jazz Spot to promote The Stan Hale Experience, his debut jazz recording as a leader. Hale's band for the show will feature Jeff Anderson on tenor sax, Tony Simmons on keyboards, Henry Taylor on guitar, and Jamal Nichols on bass, with vocals by Ralph Butler and Virginia Williams, and the $10 admission price includes a copy of the CD. (Full disclosure: Hale is a musical associate of yr. humble editor, and there's a possibility I may end up playing some intermission piano at this gig.)

Last, but not least, Sunday also is the pick day for jazz fans at this weekend's jam-band-oriented Loyal Earth Festival, with performances scheduled during the evening by the groovalicious organ trio Medeski Martin and Wood and pan-stylistic Chicago guitarist Fareed Haque of Garaj Mahal fame.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band is back at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups, and on Tuesday, the ambient music duo Mountains will perform at Open Lot, while the David Wiatrolik Trio is set to perform at The Gramophone.

With so much going on, these are just some of the noteworthy shows happening around St. Louis over the next few days. To see more 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.)

Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival set for April 16-18 with guests Peter Erskine, Lou Marini, John Pizzarelli, and Jon Faddis

The Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival has announced its 2009 guest artists, and organizers have booked some well-known musicians this year to serve as clinicians and performers for the three-day event, which will run from Thursday, April 16 through Saturday, April 18.

While some details are yet to be announced, here's what's been revealed so far: On Friday, April 17, drummer Peter Erskine and saxophonist Lou Marini will be the featured performers in a concert at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. Then on Saturday, April 18, trumpeter Jon Faddis (pictured) and guitarist John Pizzarelli and his quartet will play the TouPAC. Tickets for both concerts are now on sale.

(As regular readers may recall, word of Pizzarelli's appearance leaked out a few months ago via Pollstar, at which time yr. humble editor speculated that the gig in question might indeed be part of the festival. Admittedly, as predictions go, it's not particularly startling, but, hey, it's always nice to get one right.)

Pizzarelli is a favorite of St. Louis audiences, having performed here in the past at both Jazz at the Bistro and the Sheldon Concert Hall. Erskine is known for a diverse career that encompasses early big band work with Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson; tours and recordings with the jazz-fusion ensembles Weather Report and Steps Ahead, and many other significant credits as both leader and sideman.

Marini is familiar to many music fans as part of both the Blues Brothers band and Blood, Sweat and Tears, but also has been a busy session player in New York for many years. Faddis, once a teenage protege of Dizzy Gillespie, is known as both a powerful lead trumpet player - for groups including his own big band and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra - and a daring soloist, and is actively involved in jazz education.

The University of Missouri-St. Louis jazz ensemble, directed by bassist (and festival head honcho) Jim Widner, also will perform at both concerts. The fest's publicist, Dawn DeBlaze, says that a news release with full details on all three days will drop soon, and when it does, we'll have the updated information for you right here.