* St. Louis photographer Tiffany Sutton last week launched a crowd-funding campaign for "Black, Brown and Beige," a series of portraits inspired by the Duke Ellington suite of the same name. Her plans also include an exhibition of the photos with a choir performing Ellington's music for the exhibit's opening. Find out more and, if you wish, donate at the project's GoFundMe page.
* On a related note, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, directed by trumpeter Byron Stripling, last week debuted a newly commissioned big band suite paying tribute to Terry. You can read a review of the performance here.
* A story in Wednesday's Alton Telegraph detailed the financial woes of radio station WSIE. With the state of Illinois poised to withdraw all support by 2018, the article says the station will need to replace approximately $140,000, or 80 percent, of its annual budget with additional sponsorships, underwriting, and listener support.
WSIE currently is conducting an IndieGoGo campaign with a goal of collecting $10,000. With 30 days to go, they've raised $1,155 from 21 backers.
* Drummer Mark Colenburg has been tapped to present a master class, "Connecting Generations," as part of the Percussive Arts Society's 2015 convention, which takes place Wednesday, November 11 through Saturday, November 14 in San Antonio, TX.
* While Eubanks was in town, the former Tonight Show bandleader made several appearances on local broadcast media, including one on NBC affiliate KSDK and one on ESPN Radio affiliate 101Sports.
* Saxquest is introducing their own line of saxophone mouthpieces, and they're taking pre-orders now for the first two models, called "The Core" and "The Bridge".
Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:
* Following up on a story first mentioned here a couple of weeks ago, community radio station KDHX this week has launched their fall fund drive early and with a bit more urgency than usual.
* Euclid Records, the indie label associated with the St. Louis based music store of the same name, will be releasing a two-LP 180-gram vinyl version of Talk Thelonious by keyboardist Terry Adams with NRBQ. The tribute to Monk will be out in November on vinyl from Euclid, and also will get a CD release from Clang!, both via Burnside Distribution.
Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:
* Drummer Mark Colenburg(pictured) has recorded a new promotional video for Zildjian's "Cover To Cover" series, playing a version of Radiohead's "Packed Like Sardines."
* Metro East audio equipment manufacturer Heil Sound is expanding, adding 3,200 square feet of space to their Fairview Heights warehouse.
* The Nevermore Jazz Ball announced this week that advance tickets for 2015's event are sold out. More information on a wait list, pass transfers, and the NJB's free public events will be forthcoming at a later date.
* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, “Somethin’ Else” host Calvin Wilson will dig into the catalog of tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon.
After that on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will play tracks from Four80East, Dave Koz, The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, James Lloyd, Keyon Harrold, the JT Project, Gato Barbieri, Down To The Bone, Slash, Young-Holt Unlimited, Funky Butt Brass Band, Vincent Varvel, Feyza Eren and Dawn Weber.
Wilson's program begins at 8:00 p.m., followed by Church at 9:00 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.
As Jazz Appreciation Month swings on, it's a big week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with the local debuts of two significant contemporary ensembles offering two different takes on the jazz diaspora, and more.
Let's go to the highlights...
Wednesday, April 22
First up is the much-talked-about Robert Glasper Experiment, with St. Louis native Mark Colenburgon drums and featuring fellow St. Louisan, trumpeter Keyon Herrold, as special guest.
Although Glasper has played here before with his piano trio, the Experiment will be making their debut at the new Jazz at the Bistro with a special midweek two-night engagement, with two sets on Wednesday and again on Thursday.
And while the Experiment's blend of jazz with hip-hop, funk and neo-soul influences may not suit all the purists out there, they've managed (with help from a couple of Grammy wins) to attract a considerable number of fans from outside the core jazz audience.
Given that, plus the presence of hometown success stories Colenburg and Harrold, advance reservations are highly recommended. For more about the Robert Glasper Experiment and some video samples of the band in action, check out this video showcase post from a couple of weeks ago.
Elsewhere around town, the touring musical production In The Mood, featuring a live band with singers and dancers performing Swing Era favorites, returns for matinee and evening shows at the Touhill Performing Arts Center; and singer Erin Bode will perform at Nathalie's.
Thursday, April 23 Denise Thimes inaugurates a new concert series for Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis with an early evening performance at Centene Auditorium, 7700 Forsyth in Clayton; pianist Ptah Williams, guitarist Eric Slaughter and bassist Darrell Mixon begin what's billed as a new weekly residency at The Dark Room in Grand Center; and guitarists Tom Byrne and William Lenihan will duet at Remy's Kitchen & Wine Bar.
Friday, April 24
Guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran and his band Guerrilla Swing have been performing weekly for Sunday brunch at Jazz at the Bistro for a couple of months now, and this weekend, they'll make their official evening debut on the Bistro stage with performances on Friday and Saturday night.
Also on Friday, the Webster University New Music Ensemble will perform "The Music of Brian Eno" at the Community Music School on the Webster campus; Tim Cunningham will take the stage for what's billed as the first of two nights of live recordings at Troy's Jazz Gallery; and Herman Semidey and Orquesta Son Montuno will play for Latin and salsa dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom
If swing dancing is more your style, there's also the monthly "West End Stomp" at the Mahler Ballroom, with music this month from The Sidemen; and if you're in more of a "sit and listen" mood, Jim Manley and Randy Bahr will be performing on trumpet and guitar, respectively, in the relatively intimate confines of Thurman Grill.
Saturday, April 25
Although at this point they've got only a fraction of the public profile of Robert Glasper and the Experiment, drummer Gerald Cleaver's group Black Host arguably are of equal potential significance in indicating a possible way forward for improvised music, and so their concert presented by New Music Circle at The Stage at KDHX should be of significant interest to music fans wondering what could be next.
With Cleaver providing compositional frameworks that draw on a variety of influences, Black Host blends jazz with loud, rock-guitar textures, free improv, and more into something that's hard to pigeonhole but certainly offers vast sonic possibilities. You can see them on video, and find links to a couple of extended interviews with Cleaver, in this post from last Saturday.
Sunday, April 26
Sarah Jane and The Blue Notes won't have much time for rest after Saturday night's gig, as they'll be filling in for Sunday brunch at Evangeline's, Meanwhile, Tommy Halloran and band will be right back on stage at the Bistro, while the rest of the weekly Sunday brunch gigs around town proceed (we hope) as usual.
Also on Sunday evening, Sound Unlimited, aka multi-instrumentalists Gary Presley and John Pyatt plus assorted guests and friends, have begun what's anticipated to be a weekly Sunday dinner-hour gig at Candicci’s Restaurant, 100 Holloway Rd in Ballwin.
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.)
This week, let's take a look at some video clips featuring keyboardist Robert Glasper, who's bringing his group the Experiment back to St. Louis to perform Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23 at Jazz at the Bistro.
Glasper, a native of Houston who turned 37 just last week, will be returning here for the first time since making his local debut in February 2012 at the Bistro. (That first gig was a long time in the making. Jazz St. Louis had booked him previously on two separate occasions in 2009, but dates in February 2009 were canceled because Glasper's wife was due to deliver a baby, and an attempt to reschedule in October of that year fell through when Glasper put his own band on hold to do a tour backing up R&B singer Maxwell.)
As it turned out, 2012 was a watershed year for Glasper, as the release of his album Black Radio, with its synthesis of jazz, funk, neo-soul and hip-hop influences, attracted wide attention beyond the jazz world, scored a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Album," and brought in lots of new fans. The sequel Black Radio 2, released in the fall of 2013, continued in the same vein. It contained a version of Stevie Wonder's "Jesus Children of America," with vocals from Lalah Hathaway and Malcolm Jamal Warner, that wound up winning another Grammy for "Best Traditional R&B Performance."
At the time, there was some fairly predictable grumbling that the Black Radio albums were essentially pop, not jazz, but that seems to have died down over the last 12 months or so, with the Experiment's approach seeming to gain wider acceptance, or at least acquiescence, among many of those who previously were skeptical.
After all, jazz musicians have been offering their own interpretations of popular music from the very beginning of the genre, and Glasper is doing the same thing, just drawing on the music of his particular time. Interestingly though, his next album Covered, set for release in June, will feature his acoustic piano trio reunited in the studio for the first time since his 2007 recording In The Element.
Here in St. Louis, the Experiment's upcoming shows also will include some specifically local flavor: St. Louisan Mark Colenburg has been a regular member of the band for a couple of years now, taking over the drum chair after the departure of Chris Dave, and trumpeter and fellow St. Louis native Keyon Harrold also will be on hand for both nights as a special guest performer.
Unfortunately, there's not much footage online of Harrold sitting in with Glasper (except for the example already posted here), so today, we're just going to serve up a sampling of recent performances from the Experiment, all recorded since Glasper's last appearance here.
Up top, there are four songs from the 2013 North Sea Jazz Festival, as Glasper and the Experiment offer an eclectic collection of covers including Radiohead's "Packt Like Sardines," Kanye West and Jay-Z's "No Church In The Wild," Sade's "Cherish The Day," and Daft Punk's "Get Lucky."
After the jump, you can see and hear their appearance in January of last year on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert. That's singer Marsha Ambrosius, formerly of the group Floetry, with Glasper, Colenburg and bassist Derrick Hodge as they perform "Trust," a brief impromptu bit dubbed "NPR Tiny Desk Jam," and "F.T.B. (Gonna Be Alright)." (Not sure where saxophonist and synth player Casey Benjamin was that day, but perhaps his rig simply wouldn't fit into the available space.)
The next clip is another performance from 2013, featuring the Experiment playing "Big Girl Body" live on Los Angeles NPR affiliate KCRW. After that, you can check out the official music video for "I Stand Alone," another cut from Black Radio 2 that includes contributions from the rapper Common and Patrick Stump of the rock group Fall Out Boy. That's followed by a excerpt from a live performance at The Mint in Los Angeles with singer Jill Scott, another of Black Radio 2's guest stars.
The last two videos both were recorded in 2013 in Atlanta. There's a full set from the Experiment's performance at the Center Stage Theater, followed by an informal Q&A session they did for a local not-for-profit group, the Schemes and Dreams Foundation.
For more about the Robert Glasper Experiment, and the effect that the Black Radio albums have had on his career, check out this conversation Glasper had last year with Interview magazine, and this interview, published last year by (believe it or not) the department store Nordstrom's as part of a catalog supplement.
You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...
Most notably, the Robert Glasper Experiment with special guest, St Louis' own Keyon Harrold, on trumpet, will perform on Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23 at the Bistro.
Along with the leader on keyboards, the regular lineup of the Experiment (pictured) also includes another St. Louisan, drummer Marc Colenburg, as well as bassist Derrick Hodge and saxophonist and vocalist Casey Benjamin.
They recently won a 2015 Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Jesus Children," a song from Glasper's 2013 album Black Radio 2 that featured guest vocal performances from Lalah Hathaway (daughter of another former St. Louisan, the late keyboardist, singer and songwriter Donny Hathaway) and Malcolm Jamal Warner.
Glasper's only visit to the old version of the Bistro was back in 2012, and given how much his star has risen since then, plus the additional local interest stemming from the presence of Harrold and Colenburg, tickets for these shows in the newly expanded venue seem likely to be a hot commodity.
Also added to the spring schedule were single evenings featuring the Bistro debuts of percussionist Pedrito Martinez and his group on Thursday, May 7, and trumpeter Avishai Cohen's Triveni on Thursday, May 21.
Martinez, who was born in Cuba but has lived since 1998 in NYC, has played with notable musicians and singers including Paquito D’Rivera, Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Eddie Palmieri, Cassandra Wilson, Arturo O’Farrill, Joe Lovano, and more, and also co-founded the group Yerba Buena. The first album by his eponymous band, The Pedrito Martinez Group, was released in 2013; it made the year-end "best of" lists of a number of jazz critics and also earned a Grammy nomination.
Cohen is the brother of clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen and saxophonist Yuval Cohen, and like his siblings was born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel before coming to the US. He has released seven albums as a leader including three with Triveni, which is a trio also featuring bassist Omer Avital and drummer Nasheet Waits. Their St. Louis performances are part of a week of shows that also will include dates in NYC, Boston and Chicago.
As per usual at the Bistro, all three acts will play will two separate sets each night, at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets for the Robert Glasper Experiment with Keyon Harrold are priced at $35 for adults, $15 for students; for Avishai Cohen's Triveni, $30 for adults, $10 for students; and for Pedrito Martinez, $25 for adults and $10 for students.
Tickets for all three shows are available now for purchase by Jazz at the Bistro subscribers, and will go on sale to the general public at 10:30 a.m. next Wednesday, March 11 via phone at 314-571-6000 and online.
Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:
* In case you missed it, St. Louisans who were part of Sunday night's Grammy Awards included drummer Mark Colenburg(pictured), who played on pianist Robert Glasper's Grammy winning Black Radio 2; Peter Martin, pianist and bandleader for Dianne Reeves, who won "Best Jazz Vocal Album" for Beautiful Life; and the St. Louis Symphony, who won the Grammy for Best Orchestral Recording for their album featuring composer John Adams' City Noir.
You can see a list of all the jazz Grammy winners here, and read more about the Symphony's win in this article from Sarah Bryan Miller of the Post-Dispatch.
* Local luthier Tritone Guitars is organizing a "Gear Expo" of St. Louis guitar makers to be held from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday, March 21 in the common room of the Metropolitan Art Lofts, across Grand Ave from The Fox Theater. Participants will include K-Line Guitars, Landry Amps, ESB Guitars, Stage Craft Cabs, Rein Guitars, Hollow Tree Guitars, Don Lennon St. Louis Slides, Firebrand Studios, Certain Bass, Locomotive Audio, Bearfoot FX, WoC Guitars, Rock Road Custom Guitars, and Vintage Amp Restoration, plus artwork from local artists, beer from 4Hands Brewery, and more. The event is free and open to the public.
* Lindy Hop St. Louis is encouraging local swing dancers to sign up for a local screening of the new film Ctrl+Alt+Dance, billed as "a cinematic celebration of swing dancing." However, the event only will happen if enough people reserve tickets by February 15, which can be done online here.
* Jazz radio update: The jazz programming this weekend on Radio Arts Foundation is all about the love, as on Saturday's edition of “Somethin’ Else,” host Calvin Wilson will present his second annual Valentine's Day-themed show, featuring recordings by musicians including including Keith Jarrett, Norah Jones, Joe Lovano, and more.
After that on The Jazz Collective, host Jason Church continues the Valentine's Day theme with tracks from David Benoit, Herbie Hancock, Acoustic Alchemy, Paul Hardcastle, Tommy Halloran, Swing Out Sister, Michael Franks, Fourplay, Candy Dulfer, Al Jarreau, Chris Botti, Diana Krall, and more.
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.
* Saxophonist David Sanborn's next album Enjoy The View, a collaborative effort with mallet percussionist Bobby Hutcherson, organist Joey DeFrancesco, and drummer Billy Hart is coming out Tuesday, June 24 on Blue Note Records. The album marks Hutcherson's return to the label for which he did some of his most widely recognized recordings in the 1960s and 70s.
* Pianist Peter Martin will travel next week to NYC's Jazz at Lincoln Center to lead a restaging of The Real Ambassadors, the musical that was created in 1961 by Dave Brubeck and Louis Armstrong to spread American culture around the world.
The work was recorded for Columbia in 1961, but was performed live only once, at the 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival. Other participants in the revival will include bassist Robert Hurst, drummer Ulysses Owens, vocalist Roberta Gambarini and trumpeter James Zollar, plus Yolande Bavan, who took part in the 1962 performance, as the narrator.
* Saxophonist and jazz educator Ronald Carter (pictured), who trained many local musicians while he was band director at East St. Louis' Lincoln HS, is retiring this spring from his job as head of jazz studies at Northern Illinois University. A concert paying tribute to Carter will take place next Thursday, April 10, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center on the NIU campus.
* Saxophonist Oliver Lake is set to take part in a tribute to Eric Dolphy next month in Montclair, NJ that will feature some Dolphy compositions never before recorded or performed in public. Drummer Pheeroan akLaff is organizing the show, which also will include luminaries such as Richard Davis, Gunther Schuller, Don Byron, Vernon Reid, and Henry Threadgill, and is raising funds via a page on IndieGoGo.
* Speaking of fundraisers, trumpeter Terence Blanchard still has a long way to go in his effort to gather $140,000 to record Champion, his "opera in jazz" that premiered last summer at Opera Theatre St. Louis. With 19 days to go, the project's IndieGoGo page puts the contributions to date at $13,035.
* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts will present their next "Business Edge" workshop on Monday, April 7 at the Regional Arts Commission offices on Delmar. Titled "Square Feet," the session will provide information on real estate contracts aimed at artists contemplating leasing living or working space. The cost is $10 per person in advance, and you can register by sending an email to vlaa at stlrac dot org.
* Jazz radio update: On this Saturday's edition of Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis' "Somethin' Else," host Calvin Wilson will showcase "new standards" from current popular artists from OutKast to Oasis as performed by musicians including trumpeter Wallace Roney, singer-pianist Patricia Barber, and bassist Ben Allison.
After that, The Jazz Collective's host Jason Church will celebrate the program's one-year anniversary with a re-broadcast of his very first episode, featuring music from Chris Standring, Bob James, Ronny Jordan, Tia Fuller, Miles Davis, Ben Williams, Funky Butt Brass Band, Tommy Halloran, Dawn Weber, and Robert Silverman.
Wilson's program airs 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.
* Drummer Matt Wilson talks about his new album Gathering Call with the website Search and Restore and with Aarik Danielsen of the Columbia Daily Tribune. Wilson's quartet and special guest John Medeski will play tonight and tomorrow at Jazz at the Bistro, head to Columbia on Sunday, and then return to St. Louis to perform again on Monday to make up for Wednesday's postponed sets.
* Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center is looking for volunteers for its street team, which helps distribute posters and handbills around town. If you'd like to get involved, get in touch via LNAC's Facebook page or by sending an email to contact@lemp-arts.org.
* The latest episode of HEC-TV's I Love Jazz is now available on the channel's website, spotlighting the jazz program at Webster University and performances from last fall's TKT scholarship concert, "Jazz Interpretations of the Music of Irving Berlin".
* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis' "Somethin' Else," host Calvin Wilson continues the previous episode's focus on Davis, showcasing music from the trumpeter's famed 1960s quintet with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams.
Then "The Jazz Collective" host Jason Church will feature tracks from Davis, Grant Green, The Rippingtons, Dudley Moore, Jeff Lorber Fusion, Joel Del Rosario & SureWill, Bob James & David Sanborn, Jim Stevens, Brian Vaccaro, and Christopher Braig.
Wilson's program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by Church at 9:00 p.m., via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.
* Drummer Rob Silverman and keyboardist Mike Silverman of Bach to the Future, Silverman Productions and Autumn Hill Records have released a new digital single on iTunes, a version of Paul Desmond's "Take Five," that features performances from famous friends Eric Marienthal on sax, John Patittucci on bass and Randy Brecker on trumpet.
* And speaking of getting famous, Mark Colenburg's national profile continues to rise, the most recent evidence being a promotional video in which the drummer and St. Louis native (pictured)talks about his endorsement deal with Yamaha.
* The Sheldon Concert Hall still is accepting entries in the songwriting contest they're sponsoring in conjunction with the STL250 celebration. The winning composer of a St. Louis inspired song gets a cash prize, a performance at First Night in Grand Center, Inc and more. Get the details at http://www.thesheldon.org/songcontest.asp
* Saint Louis University is sponsoring the first annual Kwame Foundation Jazz Composition Competition for high school seniors and college students. The top three scores in each division get a performance and recording of their composition at a concert next year. The high school winner also will receive a $2,000 scholarship to SLU, and the college division winner gets a $500 cash prize.
The competition is open to all students and is not limited to music majors. Submissions must be received before September 1, and can be made online as Finale or PDF files at http://slu.edu/jazzcompetition. For more details, visit the site or email jazz-competition@slu.edu.
* The Miles Davis Memorial Project will have a booth at the Alton Block Party this Saturday, August 17. Volunteers will be sharing information about the statue of Miles Davis planned for downtown Alton, and selling commemorative bricks to pay for it. In addition, actor Joshua Young will be on hand to portray Davis.
The Project will operate a similar booth at the Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market from 8:00 a. m. to noon on Saturday, August 31. The commemorative bricks, which will be installed in the area surrounding the statue, also can be purchased via the website of Pride, Inc and in person or by mail from the organization's offices at 5800 Godfrey Road, Godfrey, IL 62035.
* Jazz radio update: Over at the Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis, Saturday's edition of Calvin Wilson's “Somethin’ Else” highlights jazz interpretations of popular music, with artists including pianist Vijay Iyer, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts and guitarist Charlie Hunter offering their takes on tunes from Pink Floyd to Radiohead.
That same evening, Jason Church's "The Jazz Collective" will offer a tribute to George Duke, plus music from Jeff Lorber Fusion, The Brand New Heavies, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, the Brian Vaccaro Trio, Jim Manley, Tim Cunningham and Hugh 'Peanuts' Whalum.
Wilson's program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. and Church's at 9:00 Saturdays on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2 and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.
* From the the "Shows we'd like to see in St. Louis" file, saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille - known collectively as Trio 3 - will team up with pianist Vijay Iyer next Wednesday through Saturday for a gig at Birdland in NYC.
* Snarky Puppy's performance Monday night at the Manchester Jazz Festival in England was reviewed by Adrian Pallan of London Jazz News. The band (pictured) will play here in St. Louis next Friday, August 9 at the Old Rock House.
* A post on St. Louis magazine's Look/Listen blog recounts recent progress towards putting up a statue honoring Miles Davis in his birthplace of Alton, IL.
Meanwhile, the folks behind the statue, the Miles Davis Memorial Project, are looking for volunteers to work information booths on August 17 at the Alton Block Party and August 31 at The Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market. Prospective volunteers can call 618-467-2375 or contact board member Derrick Richardson via email at derrickdrichardson at gmail dot com.
* The Ozark Theatre in Webster Groves is booking music acts for the fall. For more information and available dates/times, call owner Dan Stevens at 314-962-7000.
* Saxquest is encouraging St. Louis players to enter Keilwerth's "Saxophone Idol" contest, in which saxophonists will compete before a panel of judges including famed tenor man Ernie Watts. The prize package include a Keilwerth sax; mouthpiece and reeds from Van Doren; subscription to Down Beat; and a chance to perform with Watts at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. The entry deadline is September 30.
* Jazz radio update: This week's episode of Calvin Wilson's "Somethin' Else" will feature blues-influenced music from singer Cassandra Wilson, drummer Joey Baron and saxophonist J.D. Allen. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2 and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.
Meanwhile, NPR will be broadcasting live this weekend from the Newport Jazz Festival from noon to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4. This year's Newport fest features performances from Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Chick Corea, Joshua Redman, and more.
* Drummer and St. Louis native Mark Colenburg, now working with acclaimed pianist Robert Glasper's band, is starring in a new promotional video for Vater drumsticks.
* St. Louis' new classical music radio station, founded by a group of former KFUO staffers, supporters and others known as the Radio Arts Foundation, has received FCC approval to begin broadcasting on Monday, April 8. The station will be available via a low-power signal at 107.3 FM; on HD radio at KIHT-HD2 (96.3 FM); and as an online audio stream. The Post-Dispatch's classical music writer Sarah Bryan Miller has more here.
* At a meeting at The Sheldon on Monday night, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis announced the results of last year's Artists Count survey and some new grant programs for individual artists. Starting later this year, RAC will award 10 $20,000 fellowships per year to area artists, hoping to provide "a financial endowment and investment in the careers of the selected artists and in the cultural vibrancy of the region." RAC also will invest another $75,000 into support grants of $500 to $3,000 to fund specific projects and needs of individual artists. Read more in the agency's news release here (.pdf file).
* And speaking of surveys, the Arcade Building downtown at 812 Olive St is being restored as live/work space for artists, and the developer, Dominium, Inc, is working with a group called PLACE (Projects Linking Art, Community & Environment) to conduct a survey of local creative types, which you can take online here.
