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: Max Weinberg Big Band, Russell Malone, Straight Ahead, and more

It looks to be another nice fall weekend in St. Louis, with a number of opportunities to get out and hear some jazz and creative music. Here's what's going on over the next few days:

Tonight, the versatile guitarist Russell Malone (pictured) opens a four night stand at Jazz at the Bistro in support of his upcoming CD Triple Play, which will be released November 2 by the St. Louis-based label MAXJAZZ.

Malone, who has played with Diana Krall, Ron Carter, Dianne Reeves, and many others, just did a Jazz St. Louis podcast interview in anticipation of his Bistro gig and CD release, and you also can see some a sampling of his playing over the years on video here.

On Thursday, drummer Max Weinberg's Big Band will perform at the Argosy Alton Casino. Weinberg seems to be bringing lots of energy and enthusiasm to the project, and judging from the video clips we featured in this post on Saturday, the 15-piece group is drawing enthusiastic crowds as well.

UPDATE - 12:30 p.m., 10/21/10 - Riverfront Times freelancer Matt Wardlaw yaks with Max about the Big Band, Weinberg's recent heart surgery, and more for an article available online here and here.

Also on Thursday night, pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Eric Stiller and drummer Miles Vandiver will play a free concert featuring the music of Herbie Hancock for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; and electronic musician Christopher Willits will be performing “An Evening of Neuroscience and Music” at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.

The event begins with "a lively conversation about art, perception and the human experience" with associate curator Laura Fried and neuro-psychiatrist Abhilash Desai, followed by a live performance from Willits, who blends live instrumentation with electronic sounds created using custom software.

On Friday, singer Wendy Gordon will perform at Robbie's House of Jazz, backed by pianist Arthur Toney, bassist Jeff Anderson and drummer Marty Morrison; and singer Kim Massie does a show for the "Encore!" music series at the JCC's Mirowitz Performing Arts Center.

UPDATE - 12:35 p.m., 10/21/10 - Just got word that Florida-based flute player Galen Abdur-Razzaq will play an informal concert at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Maryville University Student Center. Abdur-Razzaq will be backed by pianist Matt Scotty Villinger, drummer Marty Morrison Drummer and bassist Willem von Hombracht, and the event is free and open to the general public.

(A parenthetical note about Saturday: The concert by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Del McCoury Band that had been scheduled for October 23 at the Family Arena in St. Charles has been postponed until April 13, 2011.)

On Sunday, the Detroit-based, all-female group Straight Ahead will play at the Sheldon Concert Hall in a benefit performance for Community Women Against Hardship (CWAH), while Good 4 The Soul does an early evening set at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

UPDATE - 12:40 p.m., 10/21/10 - Also on Sunday, there's a benefit for radio station WSIE from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Sharky's, 601 N. Shore Dr. in St. Charles county. The event will feature music from guitarist Tom Byrne, pianist Reggie Thomas, the SIUE Student Jazz Combo and the Eric Slaughter Trio. Suggested donation at the door is $20, and for more information, call 636-250-3300, or go to sharkysontheriver.com

Then on Monday, the music department at Webster University presents its annual TKT Scholarship concert, featuring members of the jazz faculty and special guests performing at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.

Proceeds benefit a scholarship established in memory of former Webster music students Terry Jackson, Kirk Cappello and Tony Saputo, who in 1991 were killed in a plane crash while on tour with country singer Reba McIntyre.

Afterward, if you're up for still more music on Monday evening, bassist David Certain's free-form/funk outfit CertainBeat WorldBop is playing at BB's.

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 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: The Max Weinberg Big Band

This week, let's take a look at some clips of the Max Weinberg Big Band, who will be in the St. Louis area to perform at 7 p.m. this Thursday, October 21 at the Argosy Alton Casino. Known both for his long tenure as the drummer for singer, guitarist and songwriter Bruce Springsteen, and as the bandleader for late-night TV host Conan O'Brien, Weinberg debuted the 15-piece group last year while on hiatus from O'Brien's show.

With Weinberg having passed on the chance to be part of the comic's upcoming new TBS program, the big band is currently on an extended US tour, showcasing a repertoire significantly influenced by three Bs - Buddy (Rich), (Count) Basie and the Boss (in this case, Springsteen, and not the late trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, whose band members sometimes referred to him by the same nickname). To give you an idea of how they actually come across on the bandstand, we've got clips of four songs, recorded at three different gigs this past June.

In the first video up above, you can hear the MWBB tackle "Basically Blues," a straight-ahead number from Rich's catalog that was recorded during a show at Yoshi's in Oakland, CA. Down below, there's a version of the theme from the short-lived 1950s TV show "M Squad," written by Basie, arranged by Benny Carter and taken from the band's gig at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ.

Below that, there are two tunes from their performance in Newport Beach, CA: a version of "Bugle Call Rag" that revisits the arrangement used by the Rich band and includes a Weinberg drum solo; and a big band take on Springsteen's "Kitty's Back," featuring a solo from tenor saxophonist Joey Berkley.

The overall verdict? Judging from these clips, while they're not exactly breaking any new musical ground, the band is solid and swinging, Weinberg clearly is having a good time, and the audiences seem to be enjoying it as well. For tickets to hear the Max Weinberg Big Band at the Argosy Alton Casino, go here.

Max Weinberg Big Band to perform Thursday, October 21 at Argosy Alton Casino

Drummer Max Weinberg (pictured), known for his work with Bruce Springsteen and as leader of late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien's band, will get a chance to show off his jazz chops when he brings his big band to the St. Louis area for a performance at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, October 21 at the Argosy Alton Casino.

The 15-piece aggregation, which "continues the traditions established by Max’s musical heroes including Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Doc Severinsen, and Maynard Ferguson," has been a pet project of Weinberg's in recent years when not on duty with Springsteen or O'Brien. The group made its debut at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach during Christmas Week of 2009, and has since performed at the Count Basie Theater in New Jersey, Yoshi’s in San Francisco, the Ottawa Music Festival and the Newport Beach Summer Jazz Series.

Now, they're out on an extended tour that will run for most of October and November. The Max Weinberg Big Band's repertoire includes original arrangements and tunes made famous by Basie, Rich, and others, plus some vintage TV themes and a segment called "Boss Time" in which they "take a couple of Bruce (Springsteen's) songs and have re-worked them in a big band swing style," according to Weinberg. For more, check out this blog post, which has comments about and a set list from their show this past June at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ.

Tickets for the Max Weinberg Big Band at the Argosy Alton Casino are $35 for general admission and $50 for VIP seating, and can be purchased online here. For more information, call 618-709-6426, or visit the Facebook page of show promoters Spectrum Entertainment Group.