* Generations, the forthcoming album from drummer Marcus Baylor's Baylor Project that's set for release on Friday, June 18, was previewed in a brief post on the blog Soul and Jazz and Funk.
* Bassist Damon Smith has released another recording, Bass Duos 2000-2007, featuring 3 CDs' worth of duo improvisations with fellow bassists Joëlle Léandre, Bertram Turetzky, and the late Peter Kowald.
* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts will present "Anatomy of a Contract," another in their ongoing series of business seminars for artists, at 6:30 p.m. next Monday, February 22. The online event will feature attorney David Kim of Stinson LLP and will "provide negotiation tips and cover contract basics." Get more info or sign up at STLVLAA's website.
* Jazz Times is showcasing on their website a track from drummer Dave Weckl's forthcoming album. "Big B, Little B" was recorded as part of the Weckl band's reunion gig in June 2019 at the Chesterfield Amphitheater, and the album, titled Live In St. Louis, will be released on Friday, April 9 by the Autumn Hill label.
* Students at Webster University affiliated with the Audio Engineering Society will present the university's annual Central Region Audio Student Summit from Friday, March 19 through Sunday, March 21. The online event will include guest speakers, panels, and demonstrations covering topics such as recording, mixing, and mastering; audio for film and visual; live sound; and more. It's open to industry professionals, high school and college students and teachers, and "others interested in the subject of Sound."
Here's StLJN's latest wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:
* Miles Davis is one of five musicians to be featured in "Space Is The Place," a radio series on the UK's JazzFM presenting "specially commissioned dramas...based on five pivotal moments in the lives of some of Jazz FM’s legendary artists." The other featured artists will include Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong and Sun Ra; the Davis episode will air on Monday, December 7.
* Nominees for the 2021 Grammy Awards were announced this week, and the list includes St. Louis' own Marcus Baylor, whose group The Baylor Project (co-led with his wife, singer Jean Baylor) was nominated for "Best Traditional R&B Performance" for their song "Sit on Down."
In addition, three more St. Louisans - bassist Jahmal Nichols, drummer Emanuel Harrold, and trumpeter Keyon Harrold - performed on singer Gregory Porter's All Rise, which was nominated in the "Best R&B Album" category.
* Saxophonist David Sanborn has released another short video as part of his "Sanborn Sessions" web series, in which he teams up with various musical friends for some performances recorded in his home studio. The latest episode features Sanborn with his longtime collaborator, organist Joey DeFrancesco.
* The recently released album Miles Davis: The Lost Septet, which captures a live set by a 1970 lineup of the trumpeter's band that made no studio recordings, was reviewed in Jazz Journal.
* This Saturday, September 24 is the second of three "RSD Drops" presented in lieu of the annual National Record Store Day celebration cancelled earlier this year. Local stores including Vintage Vinyl and Euclid Records will be taking part by carrying some of the RSD releases; check with your preferred retailer for specific availability, store hours, and other details.
* Saxophonist David Sanborn guest stars on fellow saxophone player Dave Koz's latest single "Side by Side," which can be heard here or wherever you stream or download music.
Here's StLJN's latest wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:
* The Baylor Project, led by drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and singer Jean Baylor, has released a new single, “Sit On Down,” which is now available for download and for listening on the major streaming services.
* Trombonist and St. Louis native Charlie Halloran, now residing in New Orleans, also has a new album out. Titled Shake the Rum, it offers Halloran's take on calypso music, and is available now for download or in CD format via his Bandcamp page.
* With this year's event postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, National Record Store Day has announced a plan to move forward later in the year, with special releases hitting participating stores on August 29, September 26 & October 24.
* Another item at St. Louis Public Radio's website notes the retirement of "Jazz Unlimited" host Dennis Owsley, mostly reiterating information already made public, but also adding the intriguing tidbit that "jazz music will continue on 90.7 KWMU-1 on Sunday nights from 9 to midnight" without any specifics. So, stay tuned...
* Capitalizing on the St. Louis Blues' run for the NHL's Stanley Cup, singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina Saputo has recorded a video of her cover version of "Gloria," the 1982 hit by singer Laura Branigan that has become the team's victory anthem. You can see the video here.
* The St. Louis Banjo Club has elected a slate of officers for 2019 including John Williams as the organization's new president and Tina Miller as the new treasurer, with Don Dempsey continuing as secretary and Joe Feager as music director. The group meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at Affton Elks Club, and will celebrate their 50th anniversary this year with an event in November at the National Blues Museum, date and details TBA.
* 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 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.
Here's StLJN's latest wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:
* A new blog post from saxophonist Greg Osby, "Who's In The Band?", skeptically examines how a group's lineup of musicians can affect the way presenters view and market them.
* "The Moon Is Ours Tonight," a new song written and recorded on commission by singer Erin Bode with multi-instrumentalist Viktor Krauss, was the subject of a feature on KSDK's Show Me St. Louis.
This week, StLJN's video spotlight shines on The Baylor Project, who will be making their St. Louis debut starting next Wednesday, March 28 through Saturday, March 31 at Jazz at the Bistro.
Fronted by singer Jean Baylor and drummer Marcus Baylor, her husband and a native of the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, they released their first album The Baylor Project (The Journey) in 2017 and were nominated for Grammy Awards this year in the categories of Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance.
Previously, Marcus had been known for his work as a member of the jazz-fusion band Yellowjackets from 2000 to 2010, while Jean, using her maiden name Jean Norris, sang with Zhané, the hip-hop/soul duo known for 1990s hits such as "Hey, Mr. DJ" and "Groove Thang" and later had released a couple of solo albums.
The music they make as The Baylor Project draws on those varied influences, blending contemporary jazz with R&B/soul and adding a bit of gospel flavor, which seems fitting for a couple of preachers' kids. But rather than read further description, you can see and hear for yourself in the first clip up above, a performance of their Grammy-nominated song "Laugh and Move On" recorded in November 2017 at the studios of radio station WERS in Boston.
After the jump, you can see them play Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me a Bedtime Story," with original lyrics by Jean Baylor, and Mongo Santamaría's "Afro Blue," as recorded in January of this year in the studios of WBGO in Newark, NJ.
The last three videos were recorded in the music room at South Restaurant in Philadelphia, circa February 2017, and feature the Baylors performing their interpretations of the well-known hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and the standards "Tenderly" and "Our Love Is Here To Stay."
This week, StLJN's winter/spring 2018 jazz preview continues with part four of a series of posts featuring videos of the jazz and creative music performers who will be coming to St. Louis in the first few months of the new year. (If you missed the previous installments, you can see part one here, part two here, and part three here.)
Continuing in chronological order from where part three left off, today's first video features singer Marilyn Maye, the grande dame of cabaret who will perform Wednesday, March 7 and Thursday, March 8 at Jazz at the Bistro. She's seen here singing a medley of "Secret of Life" and "Here’s to Life," recorded June 5, 2017 at the fifth anniversary celebration of Feinstein's/54 Below in New York City.
After the jump, you can see a clip of Melissa Aldana, who will lead her quartet in shows starting Wednesday, March 14 continuing through Saturday, March 17 at the Bistro. The video shows the Chilean-born, Berklee-educated saxophonist with pianist Sam Harris, bassist Pablo Menares and drummer Craig Weinrib playing "Turning & Over There" in November 2017 at the venue musig im pflegidach in Muri, Switzerland.
That week also features two more concerts of interest to StLJN readers on Thursday, March 15, when New Orleans jazz/funk band Galactic will be playing at Delmar Hall while saxophonist Ben Wendel performs at The Ready Room.
Galactic can be seen in the second video after the jump, playing a full set recorded in February 2017 at the Music Box in San Diego, CA, followed by Wendel, a founding member of Kneebody, playing "Song Song" from his album What We Bring in a undated video with Gerald Clayton, Joe Sanders, and Henry Cole.
Next up, it's The Thing, the avant-jazz trio of saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, bassist Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, and drummer Paal Nilssen Love. They'll be in St. Louis on Thursday, March 22 for a concert presented by New Music Circle at Off Broadway, and can be seen here playing a full set recorded November 27, 2017 at Blue Tomato in Vienna, Austria.
the penultimate clip features bassist Victor Wooten's trio with drummer Dennis Chambers and saxophonist Bob Franceschini. They're set to perform on Tuesday, March 27 at the Old Rock House, and are seen here playing "Love is My Favourite Word" in February 2016 at the Blue Note in Milano, Italy.
Last, but certainly not least, it's The Baylor Project, fronted by the husband-and-wife team of drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and singer Jean Baylor, who are performing Wednesday, March 28 through Saturday, March 31 at the Bistro.
The Baylors, who are nominated in for 2018 Grammy Awards in both the "Best Traditional R&B Performance" and "Best Jazz Vocal Album" categories, can be seen in today's final video performing their Grammy-nominated song "Laugh and Move On," in a version recorded live last year at the studios of radio station WERS in Boston.
Look for part five of StLJN's winter/spring 2018 jazz preview next week in this space. You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...
Last year's event featured a half-dozen acts, including saxophonist Najee, singer Maysa, and Pieces of A Dream; the rest of the 2018 bill currently is TBA.
The Baylor Project, featuring singer Jean Baylor and her husband, drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor, has received two nominations in the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
The Baylors (pictured) were nominated in the "Best Jazz Vocal Album" category for their debut album The Journey, and for "Best R&B Performance" for their song "Laugh and Move On."
Released in February of this year on the Baylors' Be A Light label, The Journey debuted at No 8 on the Billboard Jazz Chart, and got a favorable reception from media outlets including All About Jazz, Hot House, Soul Tracks, Soulbounce, Modern Drummer, The Chicago Defender, Revive Music, and more.
The 60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, January 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with portions broadcast live on CBS. You can see the full list of nominees here.
The Baylor Project will perform in St. Louis from Wednesday, March 28 through Saturday, March 31 at Jazz at the Bistro.
The free event will include guided tours of the new facility, free food, giveaways and door prizes, and live music from the Pyle Driver Saxophone Quartet, Renegade Saxophone Quartet, and Al Holliday and The East Side Rhythm Band. The original Saxquest store on Cherokee St. will close for the day so all staff members can help out with the grand opening.
* Drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and his wife, singer Jean Baylor will bring their group The Baylor Project to NYC's Jazz Standard for the first time on Sunday, August 20 in support of their album The Journey. Along with the Baylors, the Project includes trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, tenor saxophonist Keith Loftis, pianist Terry Brewer, and bassist Corcoran Holt.
Here's this week's wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:
* Pianist Peter Martin and his trio are across the Pacific this weekend, set to perform at the Thailand International Jazz Conference (TIJC) at Mahidol University in Bangkok. Martin, bassist Robert Hurst, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson will wrap up the three-day event with a headlining performance at the closing concert Sunday night.
* Drummer Marcus Baylor and the Baylor Project will celebrate Valentine's Day weekend with performances on February 12, 13 and 14 at NYC's Smoke Jazz and Supper Club.
