Jazz at Holmes series announces winter/spring 2016 concert schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series of concerts at Washington University has announced their schedule for the winter/spring semester of 2016.

The ten concerts will include three performances featuring visiting musicians, perhaps most notably drummer Thurman Barker, a longtime member of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and veteran of the 1960s free jazz scene, who will bring a trio to St. Louis to perform on Thursday, April 7.

A professor at Bard College in New York since 1993, Barker (pictured) spends most of his time these days teaching and composing, but his extensive resume includes past performances and recordings with many important free jazz musicians, including Joseph Jarman, Muhal Richard Abrams, Pheeroan akLaff, Anthony Braxton, Billy Bang, Henry Threadgill, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Sam Rivers, and others.

The Jazz at Holmes schedule also including return dates for bassist Gary Peacock and pianist Marc Copland, who did an off-campus concert sponsored by the series in 2013 at 560 Music Center; and for German-born, Zurich-based saxophonist Nicole Johänntgen, who played a Jazz at Holmes show back in 2010.

Here's the complete schedule for the semester:

Thursday, February 4: Ken Kehner, Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris
Thursday, February 11: STL Free Jazz Collective
Thursday, February 18: Paul DeMarinis Group
Thursday, February 25: Jay Oliver, William Lenihan, and Steve Davis

Thursday, March 3: Gary Peacock, Marc Copland, and Mark Ferber
Thursday, March 10: Mosaic Whispers & Java Jived
Thursday, March 24: Montez Coleman Quartet

Thursday, April 7: Thurman Barker Trio
Thursday, April 14: Nicole Johänntgen with William Lenihan, Jay Oliver & Steve Davis
Thursday, April 21: Kasimu Taylor Quartet

While most Jazz at Holmes concerts are free and open to the public, the Marc Copland/Gary Peacock and Thurman Barker performances will be ticketed events, priced at $25 and $10 respectively. Concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall, located on Washington University’s campus at the west end of the Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives.

Edited after posting.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A John Abercrombie sampler

This week, our video spotlight shines on guitarist John Abercrombie, who will be in St. Louis this coming Tuesday, April 7 to perform for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Abercrombie, who turned 70 last December, has been a significant force on the jazz scene since the turn of the 1970s, working with Billy Cobham, the Brecker Brothers, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland and many other well-known musicians, and recording dozens of albums as a leader as part of a career-long association with ECM records. He's known for a somewhat idiosyncratic style which, though clearly based in traditional concepts of jazz guitar, is a bit more abstract and impressionistic, and until the last decade or so, frequently incorporated various electronic effects.

In St. Louis, he'll be playing with a quartet including pianist Marc Copland, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Joey Baron, which is the group heard on his most recent ECM album, 2013's 39 Steps. That recording marked the first time in 30 years that Abercrombie has recorded as a leader with a pianist in his  group, though he and Copland have worked together in other contexts since near the beginnings of their respective careers, and both also had bassist Drew Gress as a regular member of their respective bands.

Although he's been around for a long time, Abercrombie doesn't seem to have played in St. Louis any time recently, and not at all in the decade-plus that yr. humble StLJN editor has been chronicling the local scene. SO today, we've got a sampler of Abercrombie's performances that should serve both to acquaint the unfamiliar with his style and whet the appetite of those who already are fans.

The first video was recorded in April 1999 in Köln, Germany, and features Abercrombie fronting a quartet with pianist Bobo Stenson, bassist Lars Danielsson, and drummer Jon Christensen, all of whom share the guitarist's association with the ECM label. After a brief intro in German by the program's hosts, Abercrombie and band can bee seen playing "One, One, One" and "Spring Song"

After the jump, there a short promo video featuring some in-studio excerpts from 39 Steps. Next up is "Gesùi," as performed by in 2013 at the Montreal Jazz Festival by Abercombie, Gress, Baron and saxophonist Billy Drewes.

That's followed by a full set from October 2011 in Cormons, Italy, with Abercrombie, Baron, violinist Mark Feldman and bassist Thomas Morgan.

The fifth clip, recorded in 2010 in Montreal, features Abercrombie's solo on "Days of Wine and Roses," with backing from Morgan and Baron, and the final video is another trio set, featuring Abercrombie, drummer Adam Nussbaum, and organist Gary Versace in August 2014 at the Pancevo Jazz Festival in Serbia.

For more about Abercrombie and his current quartet, check out this interview he did last February with the Ottawa Citizen. Note also that while most Jazz at Holmes performances are free of charge, tickets for the John Abercrombie Quartet will cost $25 at the door for general admission.

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Guitarist John Abercrombie and pianist Marc Copland will present a free, public master class at 3:30 p.m. this coming Tuesday, April 7 at Washington University. The class will take place in the Goldberg Formal Lounge on the second floor of the Danforth University Center, 6475 Forsyth on the Wash U campus, with parking available in the adjacent garage.

(Note that while the master class is free and open to the public, it's $25 for a ticket to see Abercrombie's quartet perform at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday night for Wash U's Jazz at Holmes series.)

* StLJN extends condolences to the family, friends and musical colleagues of St. Louis pianist and organist Eddie Plitt, who died suddenly this past Monday, March 30. A service will be held at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, April 4 at Stygar Florissant Chapel and Cremation Center, 13980 New Halls Ferry Rd., with interment at Oak Grove Cemetery to follow. An online guestbook can be found at the Stygar Chapel website.

* Don Wolff (pictured), host of the HEC-TV program I Love Jazz and a longtime jazz advocate and radio personality on several stations, has been named by the Jazz Journalists Association as one of 24 local "Jazz Heroes" from across the US for 2015. St. Louis JJA member and freelance writer Terry Perkins tells StLJN that efforts are underway to set up a public presentation of Wolff's award, at a time and location TBA.

* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts' next "Business Edge" workshop, "Anatomy of a Contract," is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. next Monday, April 6 at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. The session presented by attorney Ryan Hardy will cover contract basics and "help you sharpen your negotiation skills." Get more info or register for the event by sending an email to vlaa@stlrac.org.

* The Bosman Twins' forthcoming album When Lions Roar, set for release next week, is the subject of a feature story from the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

* KDHX has posted on their website some photos from last Saturday's New Music Circle concert by Matthew Shipp and Michael Bisio.

* A little further down the "photo set" aisle, saxophonist David Sanborn has posted on Facebook some pics from his sit-in Wednesday night with the band on The Late Show with David Letterman.

* Calvin Wilson of the Post-Dispatch reviews some recent jazz CDs, including drummer Jack DeJohnette's all-star session Made In Chicago, here.

* Jazz radio update: And speaking of Wilson, Saturday's episode of his Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis program “Somethin’ Else” will use the 100th anniversary of Billie Holiday's birth on April 7 as an occasion to examine her musical legacy via her own recordings and those of others including Dexter Gordon and Marcus Miller.

After that on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will be spinning tracks from Down To The Bone, Steely Dan, Chris Standring, Swing Out Sister, Gato Barbieri, Jamiroquai, Shakatak, Herb Alpert, Ramsey Lewis, Jesse Gannon, Funky Butt Brass Band, Jim Stevens, and more.

"Somethin' Else" can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by "The Jazz Collective" at 9:00 p.m. on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Jazz this week: Pat Martino; Lynne Fiddmont & Keith Fiddmont; Copland, Peacock & Baron; holiday jazz; and more

Whether you're looking for jazz explicitly flavored with a bit of holiday spirit, or not, there's plenty to choose from on this week's menu of jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, guitarist Pat Martino (pictured) returns to St. Louis for the first time since 2010 to begin a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. Though he's worked in other contexts, Martino generally favors the organ trio format, and for this visit, he'll be accompanied by organist Pat Bianchi and drummer Carmen Intorre.

For much more about Martino, and some videos of him in action, please see this post from a couple of weeks ago.

Also tonight, singer and St. Louis native Lynne Fiddmont and her saxophonist brother Keith Fiddmont are back in town for a homecoming performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall; trombonist/singer Doug Burns and pianist Pauline Stark will play for diners at the Feasting Fox, 4200 S Grand; and singer Brian Owens will present his holiday show  "Soul of the Season," with guest appearances from pianist Peter Martin and The 442s, at Centene Center for Arts and Education, 3547 Olive. (For an overview of all the holiday jazz shows this month in St. Louis, please see this post.)

Tomorrow night, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a free concert of performances from Wash U jazz students at Ridgley Hall on campus; Miss Jubilee plays at Thaxton Speakeasy downtown; and trumpeter Jim Manley continues his weekly gig at Joyia Tapas, 4501 Manchester Ave in the Grove neighborhood.(Update - 4:00 p.m. 12/5/13: Jim Manley has posted on Facebook that tonight's gig at Joyia is canceled due to the possibility of a winter storm hitting St. Louis this evening.)

On Friday, Jazz at Holmes will wrap up their fall semester schedule with a ticketed concert featuring pianist Marc Copland, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Joey Baron at 560 Music Center. Though not a regular working unit as such, all three players have a stellar list of individual credits, and the result should be a superior evening of music. For more on that, please see this post.

Also on Friday, "cinematic electro-jazz" band Koplant No plays at Robbie's House of Jazz; keyboardist Matt Villinger heads up a trio at Cigar Inn; the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and bassist John King (of Good 4 The Soul) will lead an ensemble of friends and special guests in a performance at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

On Saturday, Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center will begin their new "Quiet Music" series with a concert featuring compositions by Nathan Cook, Greg Farough and Mark Sarich.

Also on Saturday, Sarah Jane of Blue Notes fame will headline an "All Holiday Revue" at Robbie's House of Jazz; Oikos Ensemble will present their Christmas program "Follow That Star: A Jazz Nativity" at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Webster Groves; and guitarist and singer Elliott Ranney will perform at Picasso's Coffee House in St. Charles.

On Sunday, Dizzy Atmosphere will play swing and Gypsy jazz out in the country at Claverach Farm in Eureka.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Webster University Jazz Singers will present their semester-ending concert at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus, and Latin jazz band Clave Sol plays at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Fall 2013 jazz preview, part 4

Today, it's part 4 of StLJN's Fall 2013 jazz preview, in which we offer video samples of the various jazz and creative musicians coming to our town before the end of the year. (Here's part one, part two, and part three.)

Our preview resumes at the beginning of November with guitarist Peter Bernstein, who will be appearing with pianist Peter Martin on Saturday, November 2 at the Sheldon Concert Hall as part of Martin's eponymous concert series there. Bernstein, whose notable credits include stints with Diana Krall, Lou Donaldson, the all-star Blue Note 7, and many others, is seen in the first clip up above playing "Penthouse Serenade" in June 2012 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music.

Down below, the next clip offers a look at trumpeter and pianist Ben Polcer, who will be leading the band providing music for this year's Nevermore Jazz Ball Saturday night dance, also on November 2. Polcer, who lives in New Orleans, will assemble a group specifically for the St. Louis gig; he's seen here with the band known as His Swingin' Six, including vocalist Mischa Lake, performing "24 Robbers."

The following week, singer and pianist Ann Hampton Callaway returns to St. Louis to perform Wednesday, November 6 through Saturday, November 9 at Jazz at the Bistro. Callaway, who last played the Bistro in 2011, is seen here in the studios of KPLU radio in Seattle, improvising song lyrics based on words and phrases suggested by the audience, which on this occasion included "sunshine in Seattle," "home for wayward girls," "basketball" and "snuffleupagus."

A couple of days later, Trombone Shorty and his band Orleans Avenue return to St. Louis to play Monday, November 11 at the Old Rock House. Shorty, aka Troy Andrews, last played here for the Bluesweek festival in May; in this clip, you can see him performing "Big 12."

Next up, it's violinist Regina Carter, who's returning to play Wednesday, November 20 throguh Saturday November 23 at Jazz at the Bistro. When she was here to play the Bistro a couple of years ago, Carter performed with the the band from her album Reverse Thread, with whom she can be seen here playing “Zerapiky,” a folk song from Madagascar. The quartet for this fall tour includes the drummer from that band, Alvester Garnett, as well as pianist Xavier Davis and bassist Jesse Murphy, which, absent Reverse Thread's accordion and kora, suggests at least a partial return to a more straight-ahead sound.

The week after Carter is town, trumpeter, singer and U City native Jeremy Davenport will return home from new Orleans to play his annual post-Thanksgiving dates here on Friday November 29 and Saturday, November 30 at Jazz at the Bistro. In today's sixth clip, shot by an audience member at the French Quarter Festival in April of this year, Davenport offers his version of the standard "Bourbon Street Parade."

The following week, guitarist Pat Martino will play Wednesday, December 4 through Saturday, December 7 at the Bistro. Martino, who's been to St. Louis many times and last played the Bistro in 2010, is seen in the sixth clip performing Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" earlier this year at a jazz festival in Salerno, Italy.

The next show on the calendar is a bit harder to preview, as pianist Marc Copland, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Joey Baron aren't really a regular working unit and thus there's no video online of them all playing together. So, to give you at least taste of what to expect when they join forces to play Friday, December 6 at 560 Music Center, we've got two clips. The first features Copland and guitarist John Abercrombie dueting on "Speak to Me" at a concert last year in Vienna; the second is a profile of Baron, produced for German television.

Today's final video features two more musicians who should be quite familiar to local audiences, singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli, who's done more gigs here in the last decade than just about any other touring jazz musician, and his dad, the legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. For this visit to our town, the Pizzarellis will team up for performances on Wednesday, December 18 through Saturday, December 21 at Jazz at the Bistro. The video is a short feature story about them, with musical excerpts, produced by a New Jersey public TV station and filmed at the Shanghai Jazz Club in Madison, NJ.

Copland, Peacock & Baron to perform Friday, December 6 at 560 Music Center

The trio of pianist Marc Copland, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Joey Baron will perform at 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 6 at the 560 Music Center.

The performance will take place in the center's E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall and is presented by the Washington University Music Department.

Copland and Peacock (pictured, top left) played here in St. Louis with drummer Bill Stewart in February 2009 at the same venue. The pianist, inspired early in his career by the legacy of Bill Evans, has gone on to tour and record with a variety of top musicians including John Abercrombie, Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, Hank Crawford, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, Tom Harrell, Eddie Harris, Harold Land and Blue Mitchell, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, and Sonny Stitt.

Peacock originally was associated with the avant garde, thanks to his early work in the 1960s with saxophonist Albert Ayler and pianist Paul Bley, but he's also led his own groups and been part of pianist Keith Jarrett's long-running "standards" trio that also includes drummer Jack DeJohnette.

Baron (pictured, below left) is best known for his work with John Zorn and Bill Frisell, but also has played with Stan Getz, John Scofield, John Abercrombie, Jim Hall, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, David Bowie, Tony Bennett, Laurie Anderson, Al Jarreau, and others.

Tickets for the the Copland/Peacock/Baron trio are $25 general admission, $15 for seniors and Washington University faculty/staff, $5 for students, and are on sale now via the Edison Theater's box office.

Jazz this week: Al Jarreau, Marc Copland Trio with Gary Peacock and Bill Stewart, Mardra and Reggie Thomas, Tom Wopat, and more

It's another busy week for jazz in St. Louis, so let's go right to the highlights:

Tonight, Jazz St. Louis presents Reggie Thomas and OGD in a free concert celebrating Blue Note records at the Third Baptist Church, 620 N. Grand. In case you didn't know, "OGD" stands for organ, guitar and drums, and it's always a treat to hear Thomas play the B-3, especially given the relative dearth of jazz organ shows in town these days. Also, the Blue Note theme should provide an opportunity to draw from the catalogs of jazz organ greats including Jimmy Smith, Larry Young and Lonnie Smith, all of whom made memorable and influential recordings for the label.

Elsewhere this evening, singer and actor Tom Wopat begins a four-night run at the Kranzberg Arts Center under the auspices of Cabaret St. Louis. While Wopat still may be best remembered for his role as one of TV's Dukes of Hazzard, in recent years he's gotten lots of props for his work on stage in musicals, straight plays and cabaret. For one example, see this New York Times review of Wopat's cabaret show.

On Thursday, pianist Mark Copland, who's in town for a concert on Friday, will give a master class and a lecture at Washington University. The master class begins at 11:30 a.m. in Tietjens Rehearsal Hall, 6500 Forsyth, while the lecture will be at 4:00 p.m. in Room 102 of the music classroom building right next door. Both events are free and open to the public.

Thursday evening, local jazz historian and radio host Dennis Owsley begins his class on St. Louis jazz history at the Ethical Society. The three-week course is based on Owsley's book "City of Gabriels," which chronicles the history of jazz in St. Louis from 1895 to the mid-1970s. For more about Owsley and the course, check out this Jazz St. Louis podcast interview with Owsley.

There's lots going on Friday, starting with singer Al Jarreau (pictured) at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Given that it's the night before Valentine's Day, I'd expect Jarreau to emphasize the R&B love songs in his repertoire, but one would hope he'll sing some jazz-oriented material as well.

Also on Friday, Marc Copland's all-star trio, featuring bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Bill Stewart, will perform at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Avenue in University City. Copland is an accomplished player with a lyrical style that's been compared to Bill Evans, and Stewart and Peacock are both world-class musicians, too, so this should be an outstanding show.

That same evening, in what has become something of a Valentine's week tradition, the husband-and-wife team of pianist Reggie Thomas and singer Mardra Thomas will begin a two-night stand demonstrating both musical and marital harmony at Jazz at the Bistro.

On Sunday, the St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers series presents saxophonist Willie Akins will lead his band in a free concert starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Second Baptist Church, 9030 Clayton Rd. (at McKnight)

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday Willie Akins and fellow saxophonist Paul DeMarinis will head up a tribute to the late tenor sax giant Dexter Gordon at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium.

As always, these are just a few of the performances going on around town; for more jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

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

(Edited 2/14/09 to restore a graf, accidentally deleted during editing, about Willie Akins' concert on Sunday.)

Marc Copland to give master class on Thursday, February 12

In addition to performing in concert at the 560 Music Center this coming Friday, February 13, jazz pianist Marc Copland also will give a master class while he's in St. Louis. The master class, which is free and open to the public, begins at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 12 in Tietjens Rehearsal Hall, 6500 Forsyth on the Washington University campus.

If you're coming from off campus to attend, you should be aware that there's not much visitor parking at Tietjens, a handful of spaces at most. However, there are quite a few metered spaces available for visitors across the street and just to the east, near the Mallinckrodt Student Center. It's a short walk from there to Tietjens Hall.

Notes from the Net: Analyzing Miles Davis' "So What" solo, Clark Terry on Riverwalk Jazz, David Sanborn on DVD, CD reviews, and more

Here's this week's compilation of St. Louis-related short news bits and other items of potential interest from the jazz world...

* Let's start, as is our custom, with two Miles Davis-related items, neither one brand new, but both interesting - specifically, a transcription and analysis of Miles' famous solo on "So What" by guitarist Steve Khan, and an essay offering an overview of Davis' electric music of the 1960s and 70s, with some short audio clips.

* Another famous trumpeter from St. Louis, Clark Terry (pictured), will be appearing on the episode of the weekly public radio program Riverwalk Jazz that begins airing across the nation on February 26. The program can be heard locally at noon Saturdays on WSIE (88.7 FM).

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has a new DVD, Live at Montreux 1984, about to be released. The disc features live versions of material from Sanborn's Straight To The Heart album, plus other songs from his career up until that point, as played by Sanborn and a band featuring Larry Willis (keyboards), Hiram Bullock (guitar), Tom Barney (bass) and Buddy Williams (drums), plus special guest Rickie Lee Jones on vocals.

* This Thursday, February 12 at the Berklee College of Music Performance Center in Boston, two more St. Louis natives, Grammy Award-winning journalist Bob Blumenthal and saxophonist Greg Osby will team up for a night of interviews and musical performance dubbed "Saying Sounds: The Bob Blumenthal Show."

* Turning to the "coming attractions" file, you can prepare for pianist Marc Copland's concert on Friday at the 560 Music Center by reading reviews of two recent CDs, Another Place and Night Whispers, written by Francis Lo Kee for AllAboutJazz.com

* The Blue Note 70th Anniversary Tour comes to the Sheldon Concert Hall on Sunday, February 22, and this week, the New York Times' Nate Chinen wrote about the label's anniversary and its future in a piece titled "At 70, Blue Note asks 'Now What?'"

* If you'd like to check out the new Boney James CD Send One Your Love, you can hear an audio stream for free via this "online listening party." James will perform at The Pageant on Wednesday, March 25.

* Organist Dr. Lonnie Smith also has a new CD, entitled Rise Up and reviewed here for AAJ.com by John Barron. Smith will be in St. Louis March 18-21 to perform with guitarist Russell Malone and drummer Herlin Riley at Jazz at the Bistro.

* By way of catching up with a couple of recent visitors to the Bistro, there are lots more reviews coming out of For All I Care, the new CD from The Bad Plus. The album features singer Wendy Lewis on several tracks, and includes versions of songs by Wilco, Roger Miller, Yes, Pink Floyd, and Heart as well as re-imaginings of classical pieces from Ligeti, Babbitt and Stravinsky. Here's an extended analysis from AAJ.com; a review from Boston Globe; a JD Considine review from Toronto Globe & Mail; and a review from AllMusic.com

* Also, saxophonist Benny Golson, who just turned 80, just did a sextet gig at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola in NYC, reviewed here by the New York Times. And here's a review of two recent Golson CDs, New Times, New 'Tet and The Best Of Benny Golson, written by George Kanzler for AAJ.com

* Finally, a few items that have no specific St. Louis connection, but were interesting for one reason or another, starting with An Indiosyncratic Introduction to Indian Music, a guest post at Destination: Out from saxophonist and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa. As usual, there are some nice MP3s accompanying the post, but you'd better hustle, since D:O only keeps tracks available online for a very limited time.

* Advice from Thelonious Monk, as transcribed by Steve Lacy.

* The always interesting online jazz magazine Point of Departure has a new issue online now.

* And this blog post detailing one musician's experiences running an improvised music club in Cork, Ireland makes some thought-provoking points about the difficulties of promoting free improv music, the nature of local improv scenes, and DIY gigging in general.

Jazz at Holmes announces spring 2009 schedule

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

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

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

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

Thursday, February 19: Todd Mosby Group

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

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

Thursday, March 19: Portnoy and Lenihan

Thursday, March 26: Guitarist Chris Burchett and his quartet

Thursday, April 2: Jan Shapiro with Lenihan

Thursday, April 9: Wee Trio

Thursday, April 16: vocalist Anita Rosamond

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

Marc Copland to perform February 13 at 560 Music Center

Via the Culture Club blog at STLtoday: Pianist Mark Copland (pictured) is bringing his trio to St. Louis to perform on Friday, February 13 at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Avenue in University City. (For those unfamiliar with the venue name, it's the former synagogue building just off the the west end of the Delmar Loop that is currently owned by Washington University but has been operated at various times in recent years by CASA, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Webster University.)

Copland's extensive resume includes work with a number of prominent jazz musicians, including John Abercrombie, Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, Hank Crawford, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, Tom Harrell, Eddie Harris, Harold Land and Blue Mitchell, Dave Liebman, Bob Mintzer, Gary Peacock, and Sonny Stitt. The Philadelphia native, who's 60 years old, is known for his lyrical piano style and has recorded at least 18 albums as a leader. His current trio includes bassist Gary Peacock, who also plays in pianist Keith Jarrett's Standards trio, and drummer Bill Stewart.

Copland's St. Louis concert, which is is being presented by the Washington University Department of Music, starts at 8:00 p.m.. Tickets are $20 and are available online via Metrotix or by calling 314-534-1111.

You can hear Copland and Peacock together in the embedded video clip below, "Calls and Answers," which comes from a 2004 film by Julien Caume and also features pantomime Alexander Neander and actress Marianne Fabbro.