Jazz this week: Oliver Lake, Hamid Drake, Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, David Liebman, and more

It's a fine week to be a fan of jazz and creative music in St. Louis, as the calendar offers a jam-packed schedule of upcoming performances in a variety of styles and genres from big band and straight-ahead swing to free improv and experimental music.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, April 20
The Bad Plus Joshua Redman finish their two-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. While some tickets may remain for the 9:30 performance, call ahead to check for availability.

Also tonight, Erin Bode performs at Cyrano's, Sarah Jane & The Blue Notes return (in trio form) to The Feasting Fox, and Cabaret Project St. Louis presents their monthly "Open Mic Night" at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Thursday, April 21
Saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake returns to headline "BAG - A Celebration of the Black Artists Group" at Jazz At The Bistro.

Lake, poet Shirley LeFlore and drummer Charles “Bobo” Shaw will take part in a panel discussion about BAG, and then will perform, abetted by bassist Darryl Mixon and trumpeter George Sams. The latest from Jazz St. Louis is that this free event is at capacity, so if you don't already have a ticket, you can still show up and watch from the Bistro's adjacent first floor lounge or hope for returns and/or no-shows.

Also on Thursday, drummer Hamid Drake (pictured, top left) will be visiting from Chicago to perform with bassist Joshua Abrams and saxophonist Ernest Dawkins at Joe's Cafe Gallery.

Abrams and Dawkins are last-minute replacements for percussionist Adam Rudolph, who was scheduled for a duo performance with Drake but unfortunately, has fallen ill and can't travel this week.While their presence will make the program undoubtedly different than a Drake/Rudolph duet, it nevertheless should prove to be a satisfying experience for fans of creative improvised music.

Elsewhere on Thursday, trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's quartet will play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and the high school students of the North County Big Band will show off what they've learned this semester in a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Friday, April 22
The public portion of the 2016 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival gets underway with a concert by guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli at the Touhill Performing Arts Center., with the UMSL Jazz Ensemble as opening act.

A longtime favorite of St. Louis audiences, Pizzarelli (pictured, center left) was here most recently last year to perform at a benefit gala for The Sheldon. You can read StLJN's review of a Pizzarelli performance in 2014 at Jazz at the Bistro here.

Also on Friday, singer Erika Johnson and guitarist Tom Byrne perform at Evangeline's; guitarist Eric Slaughter and bassist Glen Smith will play at Thurman Grill; singer Joe Mancuso leads a quartet at Nathalie's; and Miss Jubilee will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, April 23
Saxophonist David Liebman makes a rare visit to St. Louis with his group Expansions, presenting a free workshop and concert during the afternoon at Saxquest and then performing two sets on Saturday evening at Jazz at the Bistro.

For more about Liebman (pictured, lower left) and a video of a workshop and performance featuring him and the members of Expansions, see this post from Monday.

Also on Saturday, the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival wraps up with a "Tribute to Maynard Ferguson," featuring a group of former Ferguson sidemen billed as the M.F. All-Star Band, at the Touhill. You can see videos of some of the musicians performing in the concert in this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Elsewhere around town, saxophonist Chad Evans will perform at Mozingo Music; guitarist Matthew Von Doran leads a trio at The Dark Room; and multi-instrumentalist Sandy Weltman and guitarist Dave Black will play at the house concert venue Kinda Blue Club.

Sunday, April 24
The Dave Dickey Big Band will present their monthly performance at Jazz at the Bistro, with the UMSL Jazz Ensemble playing at intermission, while the Gateway City Big Band takes the stage at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Monday, April 25
Webster University's student jazz singers will perform at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.

Tuesday, April 26
New Music Circle ends their 2015-16 season with a free event presenting a program of experimental films from Poland plus live musical accompaniment from 18&Counting, Vernacular String Trio and Chris Smentkowski at the St. Louis Public Library downtown.

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: The legacy of Maynard Ferguson

The week, let's take a brief look at the legacy of the late trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, as carried on by some of his former sidemen. Billed as the M.F. All-Star Band, they'll be playing in St. Louis on Saturday, April 23 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center as part of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival.

(This year's GSLJF also will feature a concert on Friday by St. Louis favorite John Pizzarelli, with the UMSL Jazz Ensemble directed by Jim Widner as opening act for both nights. In addition, the festival includes three days of adjudicated performances and clinics for high school jazz ensembles from around the area, beginning on Thursday and continuing through Saturday.)

Known particularly for his exceptional high-note prowess on trumpet, outgoing personality, and showmanship, Maynard Ferguson first gained wide notice as a member of Stan Kenton's band in the 1950s. He formed his own big band in 1957, and after a sabbatical in the late 1960s, Ferguson rose to even greater prominence in the 1970s, thanks to incessant touring and a series of fast-selling albums featuring original charts tinged with funk and rock plus brassy renditions of then-current pop tunes.

What also happened around that time was that, as Wikipedia puts it, "Ferguson latched on to the burgeoning jazz education movement by recruiting talented musicians from colleges with jazz programs (notably Berklee College of Music, North Texas State University and the University of Miami) and targeting young audiences with performances and master classes in high schools and colleges. This practical and strategic move helped him develop a strong following that would sustain him for the remainder of his career."

Although not all of Ferguson's more commercially oriented music was well-received by critics, his late-career return to a more mainstream jazz sound with the nine-piece Big Bop Nouveau provided ample evidence that he was more than just a high-note specialist, and also was popular enough to keep him busy touring and recording right up until his death at age 78 in 2006.

The group of former Ferguson sidemen who will be performing in St. Louis will include trumpeters Wayne Bergeron and Frank Greene, trombonist Steve Wiest, baritone saxophonist Dennis DiBlasio, and drummer Stockton Helbing.

Today's collection of video clips shows them performing music associated with their former boss in a variety of settings, including a 2008 tribute show that yielded the first video up above, a version of the Ferguson band's arrangement of "MacArthur Park" featuring Wayne Bergeron on trumpet.

After the jump, there's another clip from the same show of "Gonna Fly Now," better known as the theme from the film Rocky, which was recorded by Ferguson in 1977 and here features solos from Eric Miyashiro, Patrick Hession, and Bergeron.

Next, there's a version of "Got the Spirit," a Slide Hampton composition that was a staple of Ferguson's 1970s and 80s touring repertoire. This clip was recorded in 2013 by the University of North Texas' One O'Clock Band, directed by Steve Wiest and featuring as special guests Frank Greene, Denis DiBlasio, and Stockton Helbing.

Wiest steps into the spotlight in the next video, wielding a customized trombone with Denver's Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra as the featured performer on "Superbone Meets The Badman." The chart by arranger/composer Jay Chattaway originally was heard on Ferguson's popular 1974 album Chameleon; this version is from a 2014 show by Wiest and the MJO at Dazzle Jazz Club in Denver.

That's followed by another clip from the 2008 tribute show, a Fergusonized version of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man" that includes a solo turn from Denis DeBlasio.

The baritone saxophonist also is featured in the sixth clip, which is from a Ferguson band performance sometime in the 1980s and provides a vivid example of the leader's typical onstage demeanor. As DeBlasio solos and scat-sings on Dizzy Gillespie's bebop standard "Salt Peanuts," Ferguson is right there alongside, getting into the music and visibly exhorting him.

The final clip, from a Big Bop Nouveau performance in 1988, doesn't feature any of the musicians who will be at the Touhill, but instead serves as a reminder of some of Ferguson's other popular arrangements that could end up being part of the show. The video of "The MF Hit Medley" starts with "Chameleon" and moves through abridged versions of "MacArthur Park", "Frame For The Blues", "Maria", and "Blue Birdland".

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

2016 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival to feature John Pizzarelli, tribute to Maynard Ferguson

The 2016 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival is set for Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, and will feature guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli on Friday and a tribute to the late trumpeter Maynard Ferguson on Saturday.

Pizzarelli (pictured) is a frequent visitor to St. Louis who played here most recently in July at the Sheldon in a fundraiser for the family of pianist Ray Kennedy. His latest album Midnight McCartney, which was released in September, features interpretations of the songs of Paul McCartney. Pizzarelli also was one of the headliners at the 2009 GSLJF.

The Maynard Ferguson tribute will be presented by the the M.F. All-Star Band, which features former Ferguson sidemen including trumpeters Wayne Bergeron and Frank Greene, trombonist Steve Wiest, baritone saxophonist Dennis DiBlasio, and drummer Stockton Helbing.

The UMSL Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jim Widner, will open both shows. The GSLJF also will include three days of adjudicated performances and clinics for high school jazz ensembles from around the area, beginning on Thursday, April 21 and continuing through Saturday.

Tickets for the Friday and Saturday concerts will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. next Tuesday, October 20 via the Touhill box office, online at http://touhill.org/, and by phone at 314-516-4949.

Harry Miller to play Saturday, November 17 at Robbie's House of Jazz

Pianist and St. Louis expat Harry Miller, who grew up in University City and now lives in NYC, is coming back home this month to perform at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, November 17 at Robbie's House of Jazz.

Miller's credits include a couple of years of road work with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's last touring group, Big Bop Nouveau, with whom the pianist played his last St. Louis gig about a decade ago. In addition to leading his own bands and doing freelance gigs in a variety of genres, Miller (pictured) also has worked with notables including Greg Osby, Ralph Moore, Jean Toussaint, Mike Stern, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Jerome Harris, Slide Hampton, Ted Curson, Paul Motian, Phoebe Snow, Michael Urbaniak, Cindy Blackman, DK Dyson, Allan Zavod, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ashford & Simpson, Quincy Jones, and Bebe Winans.

Miller also has self-released four recordings as a leader, the most recent of which, Jazz Beauty Supply, featured a supporting cast that included saxophonist Steve Slagle and singer Kate McGarry. He'll be joined for his gig at Robbie's by bassist Darrel Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes. Admission at the door is $10, $5 for students with ID.

Jazz this week: A tribute to Maynard Ferguson, Erin Bode, St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, and more

While this weekend isn't as jam-packed with jazz activity as some we've had lately, there are still several good reasons for fans of jazz, improvisation or creative music to get out and hear some live music.

The biggest event of the weekend is the 80th birthday tribute to the late trumpet player and bandleader Maynard Ferguson on Sunday night at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Organized by St. Louis music impresario Steve Schankman, who was Ferguson's last personal manager, and the trumpeter's friend and former road manager Ed Sargent, the event will feature a video tribute to Ferguson before the performance by a group of alumni from his big band.

Among the musicians to be featured are trumpet soloists Eric Miyashiro from Japan and Walter White from NYC, along with saxophonists Chip McNeill, Denis DeBlasio, Matt Wallace and Tim Ries (pictured). The band also will include Steve Wiest on trombone and Scott Engelbright on trumpet, along with a rhythm section comprised of Chip Stephens on piano, Brian Stahurski on bass and Dave Throckmorton on drums.

That's not your only chance to hear a big band this weekend, though, because the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by bassist and educator Jim Widner, also is performing tonight at Jazz at the Bistro. The Bistro's email newsletter for this week calls it their last performance of the season, so if you've been wanting to go check out the StLJO but haven't made it yet, this could be your last chance for a while.

On Friday and Saturday, singer Erin Bode returns to the Bistro. Bode has been spending a fair amount of time out of town in recent months, and on previous gigs at the Bistro she's worked with an expanded version of her band. I don't know what specific plans, if any, they may have for this gig, but if you're a fan, this would seem to be a good opportunity to catch up with Bode and her group before they head out on the road again.

In addition, here are a few more noteworthy shows happening over the next few days: Guitarist Dave Black brings his group to Pop's Blue Moon this evening, and the St. Louis Public Library's central branch downtown has two free concerts coming up - one on Saturday afternoon by Dizzy Atmosphere, and another on Monday night by the Jeff Lash Trio. Also, on Sunday percussionists Tom Zirkle and Matt Henry, a.k.a HaZMat, will do a concert sponsored by New Music Circle at St. Louis Community College - Forest Park's Mildred E. Bastian Performing Arts Center, 5600 Oakland Ave..

For more jazz-related local 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.)

TouPAC's 2007-08 season will offer more of the same

The Touhill Performing Arts Center has announced its 2007-08 season of concerts and theatrical presentations, and while there are a few shows that may be of interest to jazz listeners, for the most part they feature artists who already have played the venue in the very recent past.

In addition to the October 8 concert featuring Frank Sinatra, Jr. that previously showed up on Pollstar, the TouPAC's upcoming season will include return appearances by vocal group the Manhattan Transfer (December 12, pictured), trumpeter Chris Botti (January 18 and 19), and the Glenn Miller Orchestra (April 26) as well as another "Explosions" percussion concert featuring members of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra on March 29.

There is one new entry on the schedule that ought to stir up some interest in the local jazz community and beyond: an 80th birthday tribute to Maynard Ferguson, scheduled for May 4. No word as to what form the tribute will take, or the musicians involved, but given the loyalty of the late trumpeter's former sidemen and fans, and the probable involvement of Ferguson's manager and friend Steve Schankman, I'm sure no effort will be spared to do it up right.

In addition to these shows, the main hall at the TouPAC will serve as one of the performance venues for the 2008 edition of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, which will be held April 16-19.

Beyond that, though, it looks like pretty slim pickings for jazz fans, and that's too bad. As a major concert facility at a University that's trying very hard to promote its jazz program, it seems as if the TouPAC ought to be both more active in the genre and less risk-averse in selecting acts.

You can see the entire season schedule and read a bit more about it in Calvin's Wilson's piece from the weekend Post-Dispatch, available online here.

New Maynard Ferguson CD released

St. Louis-based Contemporary Productions has announced the release of The One and Only Maynard Ferguson, a CD of the last recordings by the legendary trumpeter and bandleader who passed away at age 78 last year.

According to the press release, the CD was recorded at Bennett Studios in Englewood, NJ, following a sold=out engagement at NYC's famed Blue Note Jazz Club. It contains nine tracks, "including "The Days of Wine and Roses" and "Besame Mucho," where fans will enjoy a dueling trumpet duet between Ferguson and Wayne Bergeron. Other tunes include three original compositions by Denis DiBlasio, and an all new composition by pianist and Ferguson's son-in-law, Christian Jacob titled "Lost Horizons" featuring the beautiful flugelhorn played by Ferguson."

The One and Only Maynard Ferguson will go on sale Friday, May 4th and will be sold for $20 exclusively through the Maynard Ferguson Web site.

Contemporary Productions is a booking, management and event production company owened by St. Louis music mogul Steve Schankman, a close friend of Ferguson's who also served as the trumpeter's personal manager for the last few years of his life. Ferguson made many St. Louis appearances over the years and served as the inaugural performer at Finale Music and Dining, the Clayton restaurant and club which also is owned by Schankman and other partners.