So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Thanks to a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Jazz St. Louis will be offering more live video streams of performances from the Bistro, starting with tonight's 7:30 p.m. set by the Mark Guiliana Quartet.

JSL experimented last season with live-streaming a handful of performances, but with the upgraded gear purchased with funds from the grant, they'll be streaming from three to six more performances this spring, and more than 20 performances during the 2019-20 season. The video streams will be accessible from JSL's Facebook and YouTube pages, as well as on a new live-streaming page on their website.

* Singer Michael Buble's performance last week at the Enterprise Center was reviewed for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Dan Durchholz. The Post also published online a gallery of photos from the show.

* The Bosman Twins (pictured) were interviewed on a recent episode of the web series SMilesTV.

* Organizers of the concert series promoting the release of the book St. Louis Sound have posted to Facebook a gallery of photos from last Friday's "Experience Jazz" show at the Grandel Theatre.

* The St. Louis Low Brass Collective was the subject of an HEC-TV feature by reporter Paul Schankman.

* Trumpeter Terence Blanchard's recent local appearances to promote the upcoming premiere of his opera Fire Shut Up In My Bones this season at Opera Theatre of St. Louis were covered by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn and the Post-Dispatch's Sarah Bryan Miller.

Jazz this week: Ralph Towner, MarchFourth, Oliver Lake, Bonerama, Michael Bublé, Oz Noy, Dave Weckl & Jimmy Haslip, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis is jam-packed with so many noteworthy shows that it defies easy summary, so in the interest of getting to the good stuff as soon as possible, let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, 
March 20
Guitarist Ralph Towner returns to play a solo concert at Graham Chapel on the Washington University campus. (For more about Towner and some video samples of his work, see this post from before his last appearance here in 2017.)

Also on Wednesday, the eclectic mutant-marching-band MarchFourth returns for a performance at the Old Rock House; Cabaret Project St. Louis presents their monthly "Singers Open Mic" at Sophie's Artist Lounge; and pianist Reggie Thomas and the Jazz St. Louis Big Band celebrate the "Nat "King" Cole Centennial" with a free performance as part of the the "Whitaker Jazz Speaks" series at Jazz St. Louis.

Thursday, March 21
The 442s play original instrumental music at Joe's Cafe, and guitarist Billy Barnett will perform in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Friday, March 22
The Nu-Art Series and St. Louis University  present saxophonist Oliver Lake (pictured, top left) in concert at Xavier Hall on the SLU campus.

The former St. Louisan and co-founder of the Black Artists Group and the World Saxophone Quartet will be reciting some of his poetry as well as playing music, with some help from pianist Greg Mills, trumpeter and Nu-Art Series impresario George Sams, and dancers Antonio Douthis-Boyd and Kirven Douthis-Boyd.

For more about Lake and his artistic pursuits in music, poetry, and painting, see this post from last Saturday. 

Also on Friday, Bonerama (pictured, center left) presents their Led Zeppelin tribute show at The Bootleg at Atomic Cowboy; pop-jazz crooner Michael Bublé will perform at the Enterprise Center; and the Funky Butt Brass Band plays for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis.

Saturday, March 23
NYC-based band The Bailsmen will play vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at Focal Point, and a series of shows celebrating the release of the new book St. Louis Sound kicks off with "St. Louis Sound: Experience Jazz," featuring sets from Tonina, the Adam Maness Trio, and trumpeter Danny Campbell with guest vocalist Anita Jackson, at the Grandel Theatre.

Also on Saturday, pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True return to the Parkside Grille, and trumpeter Jim Manley leads a quartet at Evangeline's.

Sunday, March 24
Israeli-born jazz-fusion guitarist Oz Noy wraps up his current tour with drummer and St. Charles native Dave Weckl (pictured, bottom left) and bassist Jimmy Haslip with two shows at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Monday, March 25
Singer and impressionist Dean Christopher returns with his "Rat Pack and More" show to One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar; and Webster University's Student Jazz Combos perform at Webster's Community Music School.

Tuesday, March 26
Nashville-based ensemble The Cosmic Collective plays at Evangeline's.

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.)

Michael Bublé returning for concert on Friday, March 22 at Enterprise Center

Singer Michael Bublé will return to St. Louis for the first time in more than five years for a concert at 8:00 p.m. Friday, March 22 at the Enterprise Center.

Bublé (pictured) last performed here in September 2013, when the same venue still was called the Scottrade Center. He recently made headlines for an interview in which he discussed his five-year-old son Noah's battle with cancer and his possible retirement from the music business.

That talk of retirement then was walked back by his representatives almost immediately, as the singer prepares to launch a tour in support of his upcoming album Love, which will be released next Friday, November 16.

Tickets for Michael Bublé are priced from $65 to  $135 and will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. Monday, November 19 via Ticketmaster and the Enterprise Center box office.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* "Jazz Unlimited" host Dennis Owsley will will serve as interviewer and moderator for a discussion with multi-instrumentalist and composer Marty Ehrlich at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, October 3 at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar Blvd.

Ehrlich, who grew up in University City, will play with his Rites Quartet in a concert presented by New Music Circle the following evening, Friday, October 4, at the Kranzberg Arts Center. The Ehrlich/Owsley conversation is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

* Saxophonist and St. Louis expat Greg Osby (pictured) talked to London Jazz News about his upcoming appearance at the Whirlwind Festival in UK.

* Trumpeter Russell Gunn, raised in East St. Louis and now living in Atlanta, has a new album, Elektrik Funeral, out this month on the Atlanta-based indie label Hot Shoe Records. Described as "inspired by the work of the Brecker Brothers Heavy Metal Bebop and the music of the classic Black Sabbath lineup," the album features a cover version of Sabbath's "War Pigs" and guest appearances from musicians including saxophonist Branford Marsalis, pianist Robert Glasper, and trombonists Andre Hayward and Fred Wesley.

* A new short film, Trane and Miles, takes a fictionalized look at Miles Davis and John Coltrane in 1959 during the recording of Davis' landmark album Kind of Blue.

* Saxophonist Eric Person (also from St. Louis, now living in Brooklyn, NY) has posted on Facebook an album of pictures from his big band's first live gig earlier this month at NYC's Jazz Standard.

* Speaking of Facebook photo sets, here's one posted by the American Embassy in Guyana, documenting the recent trip to that country by pianist and Jazz St. Louis education director Phil Dunlap, bassist Nick Jost and drummer Marty Morrison. The trio were in Guyana from September 9 through September 14 on behalf of the U.S. State Department's Jazz Ambassadors program to perform a concert and lead workshops for local students and musicians.

* In other Jazz St. Louis-related news, there's a new promo video online for the touring edition of "Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration," the extended work composed in 2008 by Wynton Marsalis for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and a gospel choir. JSL is presenting the St. Louis stop of the "Abyssinian" tour next month at the Touhill.

* Meanwhile, JSL executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford on Wednesday night took part in a Jazz Journalists Association online video panel, "The Future of Jazz: Where We’ll Hear Jazz," with Revive Music's Meghan Stabile and former Jazz at Lincoln Center head Adrian Ellis. You can watch a replay of their discussion here.

* Singer Michael Buble's concert last Friday at the Scottrade Center was reviewed by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The St. Louis Jazz Orchestra's tribute to Maynard Ferguson next Tuesday night at the Touhill is previewed in an online story from UMSL's news service.

* Trumpeter Roger Ingram's appearance Sunday night with the Dave Dickey Big Band at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company is previewed by St. Louis magazine intern Kim Aubuchon (who's a trumpet player herself).

* Congrats to Logic Systems Sound & Lighting, based in the St. Louis suburb of Valley Park, for being named one of the finalists for Front Of House magazine's 2013 Hometown Hero awards.

* In some less felicitous news, St. Louis blues guitarist and singer Jimmy Lee Kennett is facing a relapse of the colon cancer he's fought for several years, and friends and family have launched an online fund-raising effort to help with medical bills and other expenses.

* Jazz radio update: This week's edition of Calvin Wilson's "Somethin' Else" is devoted to the music of legendary bassist and composer Charles Mingus, as heard on recordings by Mingus himself; his former sideman, saxophonist Charles McPherson; and the Mingus Big Band, which continues to perform his compositions under the auspices of his widow Sue Mingus. 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.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer Michael Buble, who performs here tomorrow night at the Scottrade Center, talked about his tour and latest album with the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* From AllAboutJazz.com's Bill Leikam, here's a review of a recent Brubeck Brothers Band gig at Filoli Estate, just south of San Francisco. The Brubecks are playing here in St. Louis on Saturday, October 5 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

* Saxophonist and St. Louis native Eric Person reports that last week's concert by his big band drew standing ovations from the audience at NYC's St. Albans Congregational Church. Person (pictured) and the big band will perform next on Monday, November 11 at the Blue Note in NYC. You can see a video sample of the band here.

* Meanwhile, fellow saxophonist and StL expat Oliver Lake is set to play NYC's Roulette on Tuesday, October 1 with special guests including the Flux String Quartet and pianist Vijay Iyer.

* WSIE has posted on their Facebook page an album of photos from last Saturday's U City Jazz Fest.

* Also on Facebook, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra's page has lots of pictures from last Sunday's concert paying tribute to the late Ross Gentile.

* From the UK comes a newly rediscovered interview with Miles Davis, ca. 1974, by British drummer and music journalist John Runcie.

* Trumpeter Jim Manley has put some audio excerpts from his forthcoming album Short Stories and Tall Tales up on YouTube.

* Here's a review of pianist and St. Louis native Tom McDermott's new Van Dyke Parks-curated anthology “Bamboula,” from the Buffalo News' Jeff Simon.

* Josh Weinstein, host of KDHX's "All Soul, No Borders," contributed extensively to a new article about pianist Matthew Shipp for AllAboutJazz.com.

* The St. Louis Beacon's Mary Delach Leonard takes a look at the latest, and perhaps final, effort to resurrect the Goldenrod Showboat, which for many years hosted music and theater performances on the St. Louis riverfront.

* Saxquest boss Mark Overton reminds local saxophonists between the ages of 18 and 35 that there's still time to enter Keilwerth's "Saxophone Idol" competition. Prizes include a new Keilwerth sax and the chance to play a gig with famed tenor man Ernie Watts.

* Applications are being accepted now for the next round of Artists Support Grants from the Regional Arts Commission. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, October 15.

* Jazz radio update: With the beginning of the fall semester, WSIE has added some new on-air hosts and made some changes to their programming schedule. You can see all the details of the new lineup here.

Meanwhile, over at Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis, this week's edition of Calvin Wilson's "Somethin' Else" features contemporary big band sounds from musicians including Darcy James Argue, Brian Landrus and Joel Harrison. 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.

Jazz this week: Michael Buble, tributes to Oliver Nelson and Thelonious Monk, and more

After a very busy few days of live music in St. Louis last weekend, things are a little slower this week. But if you've checked out parts one and two of StLJN's fall 2013 jazz preview, you know that it's just the calm before the storm, as the last ten days of this month and the first week of October will be filled with touring musicians visiting our town.

And of course, "calm" is a relative term, for as you'll see if you read on, there's still plenty of live jazz and creative music happening right now that is worthy of your attention. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, trumpeter Randy Holmes and his quintet will pay tribute to composer, saxophonist and St. Louis native Oliver Nelson by playing a free concert of his music to kick off this semester's Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Nelson (pictured), who died in 1975 at the age of just 43, was a prolific composer who these days is best known for writing the standard "Stolen Moments" and for Blues and the Abstract Truth, the classic album that introduced it.

But he also has considerable historical importance in American popular culture, because, along with Quincy Jones, he was one of the first African-American composers to get steady work writing for film and television beginning in the 1960s. Nelson's themes for shows like "Ironside" and "The Six Million Dollar Man" put his music into millions of homes - many of which may not have contained a single jazz album - and had he not died so young, there's no telling what else he might have accomplished. At a time when tribute shows proliferate to the point of oversaturation, Nelson is both truly deserving and too often overlooked.

Also tonight, trumpeter Jim Manley plays at Joyia Tapas, 4501 Manchester Ave in the Grove district, and singer Joe Mancuso returns after a one-week break to Cafe Eau at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

Tomorrow night, guitarist Tom Byrne brings his Pat Metheny inspired band Have U Heard to Jazz on Broadway; drummer Montez Coleman plays at Cigar Inn; singer Wendy Gordon performs at DeLeo's Deli & Cafe, 2782 N Lindbergh; and saxophonist Tim Cunningham will be downtown at The Precinct, the restaurant and bar formerly known as Jim Edmonds 15 Steakhouse at 1900 Locust St..

On Saturday afternoon, St. Vincent Greenway, Inc., the City of St. Louis, and Great Rivers Greenway will present "Jazz on the Greenway," a free event that will include live music from Uncensored Band plus a plethora of outdoor and family activities, all taking place at Ruth Porter Park and St. Vincent Greenway in the CWE at Delmar and DeBaliviere.

That evening, singer Michael Buble performs at the Scottrade Center. While his most recent album To Be Loved may reflect more of a pop/rock sensibility than some previous outings, it seems likely that some of the Sinatra-inspired arrangements that previously have been staples for the Canadian crooner will make it into this show as well.

Also on Saturday night, singer Tony Viviano is at Fortel's in Creve Coeur; Miss Jubilee performs at the Schlafly Bottleworks; guitarist Eric Slaughter plays at Robbie's House of Jazz; and guitarist Brian Vaccaro and his trio will working it like real-life cavemen at Crystal City Underground, the subterranean entertainment venue located in a former mine.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the group Four in One: The Thelonious Monk Project, which includes guitarist Steve Schenkel, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis, drummer Alan Schilling and bassist Ric Vice,  will play a concert at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium; and trumpeter Keith Moyer brings his group back to 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

Today, we offer part one of StLJN's 2013 fall jazz preview, with a look at some of the touring jazz and creative music performers who will be coming to St. Louis to perform in September.

First up is singer Roseanna Vitro, with an interpretation of "Mama Told Me Not To Come," the Randy Newman song that was a major pop hit in 1970 for Three Dog Night. She recorded it a couple of years ago as part of an entire album of Newman songs; this version comes from a performance in June 2011 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC, with pianist Mark Soskin, violinist Sara Caswell, bassist Dean Johnson, and drummer Tim Horner. Vitro will perform with pianist Kim Portnoy's trio next Saturday, September 7 at Robbie's House of Jazz, and on Sunday, September 8 at SIUE's Meridian Ballroom as part of a concert paying tribute to the late DJ Ross Gentile.

Down below is singer Michael Buble, seen in full-on Rat Pack mode with an uptempo version of "Come Fly With Me" recorded a few years ago for a live DVD. Though Buble's new album moves more in the direction of pop and rock material, it seems likely that he'll still deliver a few swinging numbers along the same lines when he performs on Saturday, September 14 at the Scottrade Center.

Next, we see saxophonist Jeff Coffin and his band the Mu'tet performing "Move Your Rug" in May of this year at the Loveless Cafe in Nashville. Coffin will return to St. Louis on Friday, September 20 to play at The Gramophone.

Also on Friday, September 20, Johnny Boyd will perform for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom. The former lead singer of Indigo Swing is seen here crooning "My Baby Just Cares For Me" in a performance from December, 2012 in Pasadena, CA.

Below that, it's The Wee Trio with "Ranthem," recorded last year at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, CA. The composition by bassist and St. Louis native Dan Loomis is included on Live at the Bistro, the group's new album recorded in February here in St. Louis and set for release in September on their Bionic Records label. The Wee Trio's tour supporting the album's release will include two public performances in St. Louis, on Tuesday, September 22 at Jefferson College and Wednesday, September 23 at Chaminade College Prep.

Wednesday, September 23 is also when Yellowjackets will open Jazz St. Louis' 2013-14 season, performing two sets nightly through Saturday, September 27 at Jazz at the Bistro. Since their last visit here, the group has a new bassist, Felix Pastorius, and a brand new album, A Rise In The Road, that features their newest lineup. The clip seen here in the sixth position is a full set recorded in May 2012 for something called MüpArt, and though Pastorius at that point was still technically a substitute, rather than an official member, he can be heard in the video along with material from the new album.

Last but not least, it's singer Dianne Reeves, who's been a relatively frequent visitor here in recent years, thanks in part to her music director and pianist, St. Louis native Peter Martin. Reeves, Martin, Erin Bode and Denise Thimes all will perform on Friday, September 26 as part of the "Divas For A Cause 3" benefit for Beyond Housing at the Sheldon Concert Hall. This clip features Reeves doing a wordless piece dubbed "Tango Du Jour" that was recorded on International Jazz Day 2013 in Istanbul, backed by Hüsnü Şenlendirici (clarinet), Bilal Karaman (guitar), Zakir Hussain (tabla), James Genus (bass), and Terri Lyne Carrington (drums).

Look for part two of StLJN's fall 2013 jazz preview right here next week.

Michael Buble to perform Saturday, September 14 at Scottrade Center

Singer Michael Buble is returning to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, September 14 at the Scottrade Center.

The retro-style crooner will be touring in support of his new album To Be Loved, which was released in April. His last show in St. Louis was in June 2010 at the Scottrade Center.

Tickets for Michael Buble (pictured) are priced from $54.50 to $110, and will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. next Friday, May 17 via Ticketmaster.

Michael Buble reviewed, Erin Bode previewed

Singer Michael Buble was in St. Louis on Friday night to perform at the Scottrade Center, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sent veteran freelancer (and pal o' this website) Terry Perkins to cover the show. You can read his review online here.

The Post also just published a short interview Terry did with singer Erin Bode about her new CD Photograph, and the release party for the disc that will take place next weekend at Jazz at the Bistro. You can read that article online here.

Jazz this week: Michael Buble, Kim Massie, Brave Combo, and more

St. Louis may be without a major jazz festival this June, but fortunately there's enough other activity this weekend that many fans of jazz and creative music can probably find something to their liking.

It looks like the busiest night of the next few is Friday; that's when singer Michael Buble (pictured), who's arguably a jazz-influenced pop singer rather than a jazz singer per se, brings his current tour to the Scottrade Center, and singer Kim Massie opens a two-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro

That same evening, pianist Carolbeth True performs at the Foundry Arts Centre in St Charles, and the Funky Butt Brass Band will be at the St. Louis Art Museum for a free "Art After 5" concert. (You can see some video of the FBBB in action here.)

Also of interest on Friday is the return to St. Louis of perennial favorites Brave Combo, who will be playing at The Gramophone. While they're not really a jazz group either, the band's eclectic mix of "salsa, meringue, rock, cumbia, conjunto, polka, zydeco, classical, cha cha, the blues and more" usually makes for interesting listening as well as providing fun, danceable beats.

Elsewhere this weekend Robbie's House of Jazz will feature house band the Robert Edwards Ensemble on Friday, with the Christopher Braig Caribbean Trio taking the stage on Saturday.

Also on Saturday: the Presenters Dolan will feature singer Christy Simmons performing her cabaret show "'Cause I'm A Woman" at the Kranzberg Arts Center, backed by pianist Joe Dreyer, bassist Dave Troncoso and drummer Clancy Newell; and, for the more cacophonously inclined, Open Lot offers "an invasion of synths, violins, and incredible noise from the north" with Stare Case, Dog Lady, Steve Kenney and Maths Balance Volumes.

BB's Jazz Blues and Soups also has a couple of jazz-related acts coming up, with Good 4 The Soul playing the early set on Sunday, and bassist David Certain's CertainBeat WorldBop, featuring saxophonists James Warfield Jr. and Willie Dineen and drummer Stan Hale, on Monday.

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: Four from Michael Buble

This week, let's take a look at some videos featuring singer Michael Buble, who will be in St. Louis next Friday, June 25 to perform at the Scottrade Center. Undeniably influenced by Frank Sinatra and, to a lesser extent, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin and other tuxedo-clad crooners of the 1950s and 1960s, Buble doesn't really fit the textbook definition of a jazz singer, primarily because he rarely seems to improvise. Think of him more as a pop vocalist who incorporates some jazz elements in his arrangements, often hires jazz players, and mines some of the same standard repertoire.

For example, check the version of "Come Fly With Me" up top. It's a big band swing-style arrangement, reminiscent of Sinatra's version but taken at an even quicker tempo. In the first clip down below, Buble sings "The Way You Look Tonight" with a small combo in a bossa nova style, letting the guitarist take a short, tasteful solo midway through.

The third clip shows Buble tackling "Feeling Good," originally a Broadway song (from the 1960s musical Stop The World, I Want To Get Off) that was famously transformed by Nina Simone into a show-stopper of a different sort. Although Buble's performance here is more dramatic than in either of the first two clips, he wisely stops short of Simone's level of bombastic divatude. Finally, in the fourth clip you can hear Buble dueting with his piano player on the Willie Nelson composition "Always On My Mind," which gets a straight ballad treatment.

Buble's vocal performance in all four clips is solid in a technical sense - in tune, on time and well-enunciated, with no obvious indications of any major technological interventions like Auto-Tune (which some accused him of using during a recent show in London). But the performances also seem very carefully worked out in advance, with little left to chance. Buble would seem to have the vocal skills necessary to at least attempt a more improvisational approach, but one can also understand why he'd be loathe to mess with what has proved to be a successful formula.

Notes from the Net: More Miles Davis reissues; Regina Carter's new CD; plus news, reviews, interviews and 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:

* With Miles Davis’ 84th birthday coming up tomorrow (Wednesday, May 26), there's plenty of news this week about the legendary trumpeter, including word of the release of yet another box set, The Genius of Miles Davis, which incorporates eight previously issued box sets in a special package that resembles a trumpet case.

Then in August, Columbia/Legacy will release two new editions of Bitches Brew, which was first released 40 years ago. The Legacy Edition is a three-disc set, with two CDs containing the original 94 minutes of music in their original studio mixes, plus bonus cuts and a DVD of a previously unissued concert performance by Davis' Quintet filmed in November 1969 in Copenhagen.

The 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition features the same three discs as the Legacy Edition, plus a third CD of a previously unissued performance from August 1970 by the new septet lineup at Tanglewood in the Berkshires, a 54-page color booklet, and a 180-gram vinyl double-LP gatefold replication of the original album.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the price spectrum, online retailer Amie Street is offering downloads of ten albums from Davis' catalog for $5 each.

Also, the revamped JazzOnline website has begun a series of Miles Davis podcasts, which so far has featured interviews about the trumpeter with Sonny Rollins, former Davis producer and sideman Marcus Miller, contemporary trumpeters Christian Scott and Chris Botti, and Miles' ex-wife Frances Davis.

* Turning to news of recent visitors, guitarist Pat Metheny's Orchestrion tour has continued on since his St. Louis gig earlier this month at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, in the process both puzzling and impressing the critics. Here are a review of Metheny's Denver show, written for AllAboutJazz.com by Geoff Anderson; a review of his NYC performance by the New York Times' Ben Ratliff; a piece on his Boston show by jazz journalist & blogger Ken Franckling; a review of Metheny's Philadelphia concert by the Inquirer's Karl Stark; and an analysis and interview with the guitarist, done for AAJ by Tom Greenland.

* Joey DeFrancesco recently took part in a jazz organ summit with fellow keyboardists Trudy Pitts, John Medeski and Dr. Lonnie Smith at the Kimmel Center in Philadephia, and the show was reviewed for AllAboutJazz.com by Victor L. Schirmer. DeFrancesco was here in April to headline a week at Jazz at the Bistro, and will return to St. Louis in August to back saxophonist David Sanborn for two nights at the club.

* Delving further into the "coming attractions" file, some observers suspected singer Michael Buble of using Auto-Tune during a recent live performance in London, sparking some controversy as described here by the blog LondonJazz. Buble will be in St. Louis on June 25 to perform at the Scottrade Center.

* Saxophonist Boney James, who's scheduled to be in the St. Louis area in July to perform at the Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar, recently was hit by a drunk driver while driving home from a performance in Newport Beach, CA. James was stopped in traffic on the freeway when a drunk driver rear-ended him at 70 miles per hour, "causing a gash in his chin that resulted in 14 stitches, a fractured jaw and two broken teeth." No word yet on any possible long-term effects on James' embouchure.

* Violinist Regina Carter and her new band Reverse Thread were featured recently on NPR's All Things Considered. Carter and Reverse Thread will perform in St. Louis in November at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Pianist Kenny Barron was one of several jazz musicians recently honored by the Berkelee College of Music in Boston, receiving a honorary doctorate from the prestigious music school. Barron returns to St. Louis in September for a week of duets with fellow pianist Mulgrew Miller at the Bistro.

* The Jazz Crusaders kicked off their reunion tour last week in Oakland, with original members Joe Sample (piano), Wilton Felder (tenor sax) and Wayne Henderson (trombone) performing together for the first time since 1974. Bassist Nicklas Sample (Joe's son) and drummer Terrail Moody round out the current incarnation of the Crusaders, who will come to St. Louis in September to play at the Touhill under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis.

* Last but not least, here's a review from the LondonJazz blog of a recent London performance by guitarist John McLaughlin and 4th Dimension. McLaughlin and 4D will be in St. Louis in November to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Notes from the Net: Miles Davis' Blue Moment; Clark Terry honored in KC; plus news, reviews, interviews and 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:

* Starting with some Miles Davis news, "We Want Miles," the exhibit about the trumpeter's life and work first staged last year in Paris, has now opened in Montreal. We Want Miles also is the name of a new book, written by French jazz critic Vincent Bessières and just published here in the US, that includes photographs, handwritten musical scores, album covers, posters, and other visual material from the exhibit. (You can see some of the photos from the Miles-as-fashion-icon section of the book and exhibit here).

Another new book about Davis, The Blue Moment: Miles Davis's Kind of Blue and the Remaking of Modern Music by Richard Williams, was featured recently on NPR. For good measure, here's another review of the tome, from Baltimore City Paper's Michaelangelo Matos.

Finally, we move from literature to libations, with news that the brewers at Dogfish Ale have commemorated the fortieth anniversary of Davis' album Bitches Brew with a special craft beer.

* Trumpeter and St. Louis native Clark Terry (pictured) was honored by the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City a couple of weekends ago, accepting an award and performing briefly as part of a concert of Duke Ellington music. Bill Brownlee, proprietor of the KC jazz blog Plastic Sax, reviewed the concert for the Kansas City Star here. Meanwhile, our town's Dawn DeBlaze of DeBlaze & Associates was there too, enjoying the proceedings and shooting photos, including the one of Terry accepting his award from AJM CEO Greg Carroll that she has graciously provided to StLJN to accompany this post.

* And while we're on the subject of St. Louis trumpet players, the Lester Bowie tribute presented last year by the San Francisco organization Other Minds can now be heard online. The concert was organized by Bowie's daughter Sukari Ivester, and featured Bowie's Art Ensemble colleagues Roscoe Mitchell on saxophones and Famoudou Don Moye on drums, plus trumpeter Corey Wilkes, saxophonist James Carter (who's in St. Louis this week to play at Jazz at the Bistro), trombonist Frank Lacy, pianist Jon Jang and bassist Peter Barshay.

* Turning to news of recent visitors, DowntownMusic.net has photos of saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and drummer Hamid Drake , taken at their NYC performance on the same tour that brought them to St. Louis' Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center last month. (Scroll down the page to see the pix.) After wrapping the duo tour, Brötzmann has since headed down under to play the Melbourne International Jazz Festival in Australia.

* Before playing the Touhill Performing Arts Center last Saturday, guitarist Pat Metheny took his Orchestrion home to Kansas City for a concert at the Uptown Theater, and Bill Brownlee reviewed the show for the Star here.

* Here's another review of drummer Stanton Moore's new CD Groove Alchemy, written for AllAboutJazz.com by Doug Collette. Moore and his band Galactic were in St. Louis most recently in February at The Pageant.

* The Clayton Brothers are giving fans an inside look at the production of their next album via the Internet, with rehearsal pictures, videos, interviews, sheet music and more. You can hear bassist John Clayton talk about the development of “Terrell's Tune" here. The Claytons played Jazz at the Bistro in April, and will be back in St. Louis later this month for the Jazz Education Network conference.

* Also performing at the JEN Conference will be bassist Rufus Reid, who has a new trio CD and also guests on the latest disc from Sweden's Norrbotten Big Band. Here's a review of both CDs, written by J. Hunter for AllAboutJazz.com, plus another review of the trio CD by frequent AAJ contributor Pico.

* Saxophonist Kirk Whalum will be one of the headliners at the 31st Detroit International Jazz Festival over Labor Day weekend, performing music from Everything is Everything, his forthcoming tribute to singer, songwriter, keyboard player and St. Louis native Donny Hathaway that will be released in September. Whalum will be in St. Louis with this year's Guitars and Saxes tour in August to play The Pageant.

* Singer Michael Buble, who's performing in St. Louis on June 25 at the Scottrade Center, was one of the top winners at the Juno Awards, the annual Canadian music award ceremony held last month.

* Here's another review of guitarist John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension's new CD To The One , written for AllAboutJazz.com by Ian Patterson. McLaughlin will bring the fusion quartet to the Sheldon Concert Hall in November. McLaughlin also now has an official iPhone App, created by his record label Abstract Logix. You can get it for free by going to the App Store on your iPhone and searching for "John McLaughlin."

Notes from the Net: More on Metheny's Orchestrion; Zorn in Cleveland: plus news, reviews, interviews, and 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:

* It's been kind of a slow news week, but we can fulfill our Miles Davis news requirement for this installment with a link to a Nate Chinen essay for At Length magazine about about the night the trumpeter shared a bill at the Fillmore East with singer/songwriter Neil Young. (Via Miles Davis Online).

Also, we're sorry to have to note the passing of writer and musician Michael Zwerin, who played trombone on Davis' Birth of the Cool and wrote about, rubbed elbows or played with many of the most significant jazz musicians of the past half-century. Zwerin died last week in Paris at age 79.

* For some reason, saxophonist, composer and one-time Webster University student John Zorn had never played Cleveland before last week, when he finally made his debut there at the city's art museum with his Masada Sextet. Here's a review of the proceedings from Cleveland Scene.

* Here's a review of The Wee Trio's new CD Capitol Diner #2, written for AllAboutJazz.com by "Pico." Former St. Louisan Dan Loomis is the Wee Trio's bassist.

* Opening the "coming attractions" file, here's a review from AllAboutJazz.com's Woodrow Wilkins of guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli's latest CD, the Duke Ellington tribute Rockin' in Rhythm. Pizzarelli will be back in St. Louis next week to play Wednesday through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

*Ranging far from his Kansas City home, Plastic Sax's Bill Brownlee has a review of guitarist Pat Metheny's Orchestrion concert in Rome, Italy. In related news, Metheny and the Orchestrion (pictured) are the subject of a Wall Street Journal article by the noted jazz writer Ashley Kahn, and also will be featured on the April 25 edition of the CBS television program Sunday Morning. The Orchestrion tour comes on St. Louis on May 8 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

* Also, just because: Michael Buble Being Stalked By A Velociraptor. Assuming he escapes the savage jaws of the prehistoric predator, Buble will be in St. Louis on Friday, June 25 to play the Scottrade Center.

* Lastly, for the musicians and music students out there, Berklee College of Music is offering a free downloadable Music Business Handbook that "collects some of the essential knowledge from our instructors in one easy-to-navigate guide." Topics covered include include "Past, Present, and Future of Music, Direct-to-Fan Marketing, Music Publishing, Music Licensing, Challenges of the Music Industry, and Music Royalties."

Notes from the Net: Marsalises on tour, Buble at MSG, plus news, reviews, interviews, and 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:

* In this week's Miles Davis news, Miles Davis Online recaps a series of posts on Davis-related art, and has more photos of Davis, including a nice early 1960s pic of the trumpeter and film star/fellow icon of cool Steve McQueen, and a link to a gallery of photos of Davis by famed music photographer Jim Marshall, who died this week at age 74.

And in this week's Davis-tribute-related news, drummer Gerry Gibbs and his Electric Thrasher Orchestra have a new 2-CD set featuring interpretations of music from Miles Davis' early electric period (1967-1975). The discs include 26 selections taken from Bitches Brew, Nefertiti, Sorcerer, Live Evil, Dark Magus, Big Fun, several live Fillmore recordings and others, with liner note commentary from Davis alumni including Bennie Maupin, Gary Bartz, Dave Liebman, Billy Hart and Airto Moreira.

* You'd think he'd have played there at some point before this, but saxophonist/composer John Zorn finally is making his debut in Cleveland this weekend with his Masada Sextet, performing at the Cleveland Museum of Art. (Which raises the question: Given that Zorn hasn't played in St. Louis in something like 15 years, when will someone here invite the former Webster University student back to perform? )

* St. Louis music journalist, DJ and record store guy Steve Pick has a review of bassist Dave Holland's latest CD Pathways online now at Blurt.com.

* Turning to news of recent visitors, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, who were here two weeks ago to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall, are still on tour, and their stop in Buffalo prompted an assessment of Marsalis' impact on jazz by Buffalo News arts editor Jeff Simon. Meanwhile, the JaLCO will be headed to England in June for a residency at London's Barbican Centre (home of the London Symphony), and Marsalis has signed to be one of the headliners at this year's Newport Jazz Festival.

* Saxophonist Branford Marsalis, another member of the famous New Orleans family, played in St. Louis last month at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Since then, he's been to New Zealand, where his concert closing the 2010 NZ International Arts Festival earned rave reviews. It also was announced this week that Marsalis (pictured) will headline the sixth anniversary fundraiser for Canada's JazzFM91 in Toronto.

* Singer Sutton Foster, who headlined a benefit for Cabaret St. Louis in February at the Sheldon, has a couple of concerts coming up in Los Angeles.

* Opening the "coming attractions" file, bassist John Clayton is offering a free online bass lesson at the website ArtistShare.com. The Clayton Brothers Quartet, which features John and his brother, saxophonist Jeff Clayton, will be in St. Louis to perform April 9 & 10 at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli is performing this weekend in Clayton, NC, and was profiled by the local paper here. Pizzarelli will be in St. Louis from April 14 -17 to play the Bistro.

* Singer Michael Buble, who's coming to St. Louis' Scottrade Center on June 25, just played NYC's Madison Square Garden to good notices from both the New York Times' Stephen Holden and the NY Post.

* Pianist Dave Brubeck is one of the latest subjects of blogger Steve Cerra's Jazz Profiles. Brubeck is scheduled to return to St. Louis in October to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall as part of the first American Arts Experience-St. Louis festival.

* Last but not least, in the nearly five years StLJN has been online, there hasn't been a week go by without at least a few hits from people searching for the sheet music (or "jazz notes," if you will) for W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues."

Well, the search is over, because a lead sheet with melody and chord changes for "St. Louis Blues" is freely available online at Wikifonia, which also has similar sheets for hundreds more well-known tunes ranging from public domain classical themes and folk songs to jazz standards and pop hits.

The site also lets you transpose the music into any key at the click of a mouse, which certainly is a handy feature. You'll find the music for "St. Louis Blues" here, and you can browse the rest of Wikifonia's lead sheet collection here.

Notes from the Net: More Miles Davis biopic news; Jamie Cullum's Pursuit; plus news, reviews, interviews, and 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:

* Via Miles Davis Online, there's a bit more news this week about actor Don Cheadle and his interest in starring in the proposed film biography of the trumpeter.

* Saxophonist and former St. Louisan David Sanborn and pianist Joe Sample are among the headliners for the fifth annual Jazz in the Gardens at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on March 20 and March 21.

* Here's a review of Rollo-Coaster, the new CD from saxophonist and Webster University grad Chris Cheek and accordion player Victor Prieto, written by Dan Bilawsky for AllAboutJazz.com

* Turning to news of recent visitors, singer Vanessa Rubin was profiled last week by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Manny Theiner. Rubin finishes her run this Sunday as star of the Black Rep's production of Yesterdays: An Evening With Billie Holiday. On a related note, the Village Voice's Francis Davis recently reviewed two more tributes to Holiday by singers DeeDee Bridgewater and Stephanie Nakasian (via NPR's A Blog Supreme).

* Pianist Mulgrew Miller (pictured), who records for the St. Louis-based MAXJAZZ label and seems to make it here for a performance at least once a year, has been named Artist in Residence for the 2010 Detroit International Jazz Festival.

* After playing The Pageant here last month, Galactic and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe took their tour on to the Fillmore in Denver, where their performance was reviewed by Geoff Anderson for AllAboutJazz.com.

* Meanwhile, pianist Vijay Iyer , who was here in January to play Jazz at the Bistro, recently went to London for a duo performance with saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. Here's a review of their show from the LondonJazz blog.

* From the "coming attractions" file, singer and pianist Jamie Cullum's new CD The Pursuit was released last week, and he's featured in the current issue of Nylon magazine. He also will perform songs from his new CD on a live broadcast this Thursday evening, March 11, for Canada's JAZZ.FM91, which you can hear online here. JAZZ.FM91 also is offering Cullum's song "I Think I Love" as a free download this month in their iTunes Lounge. Cullum arrives in St. Louis this Sunday, March 14 to play the Roberts Orpheum Theatre.

* Saxophonist Houston Person just wrapped a gig at NYC's Jazz Standard, and Nate Chinen was there to review it for the New York Times. Person is coming to St. Louis on Sunday, April 11 to headline the Jazz St. Louis benefit gala at the Hilton at the Ballpark.

*Via Kansas City's jazz blog Plastic Sax, we see that Pat Metheny is on the cover of the March issue of Jazz Inside magazine, and learn of a Metheny fan who seems a little too excited about getting his copy of the guitarist's latest CD, Orchestrion. Metheny will be in St. Louis on May 8 to play the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

* Vocalist Michael Buble has been nominated for six Juno Awards this year, including Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. The Juno Awards are the Grammy Awards equivalent for Canadian-born recording artists. Buble comes to St. Louis' Scottrade Center on June 25.

Notes from the Net: Sanborn on tour; new CDs from Reid, Pizzarelli, Holland; plus news, reviews, interviews and 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:

* From the Miles Davis files, the blog Miles Davis Online hears rumors that the museum exhibit about the trumpeter that just closed in Paris may be headed to San Francisco. Also, most Davis fans know that he also played organ and synthesizers on some of his later electric recordings, but have you ever seen or heard of Miles playing tenor sax? Marc Myers' JazzWax blog has the story behind a rare photo showing Davis with a tenor sax.

* Saxophonist and former St. Louisan David Sanborn currently is on the road promoting his new release Only Everything. Here's an interview Sanborn did with Spinner's Tad Hendrickson; a preview story on a Sanborn show in Boston; and another review of the new disc, written by Joel Roberts for AllAboutJazz.com.

* After 10 years as drummer for the group Yellowjackets, Marcus Baylor has left the band to pursue other musical ventures. Writing on his MySpace page, Baylor said, "I’m really looking forward to recording my solo debut album, producing, playing, and collaborating with many more talented musicians and artists." In a statement on their website, the members of Yellowjackets wrote, "We want to wish Marcus Baylor all the very best as he embarks on a new musical path after 10 years as a member of Yellowjackets. We are deeply grateful to him for his profound musical contributions to the band, including the recordings Mint Jam, Peace Round, Time Squared, Altered State, 25, Life Cycle, plus the latest Paris Live DVD." Former Yellowjackets drummer Will Kennedy is rejoining the band as Baylor's replacement.

* Moving on to coming attractions, here are two more reviews of Pat Metheny's new album Orchestrion, from Nenad Georgievski for AllAboutJazz.com and Tim Niland's blog Music and More. Metheney's Orchestrion Tour comes to the Touhill Performing Arts Center on May 8.

* In March, bassist Rufus Reid (pictured) will release a new CD called Out Front on the Motéma Music label. The trio date features Reid with pianist Steve Allee and drummer Duduka Da Fonseca. Reid will be in St. Louis in May to perform for the Jazz Education Network conference at UMSL.

* Just in time for Valentine’s Day, singer Michael Buble has released Special Delivery, a EP of six classic love songs previously available only on limited edition and special packages. It's available at iTunes and other digital retailers. Buble begins a U.S. tour next month to support his latest full-length CD Crazy Love, and will be in St. Louis on June 25 at the Scottrade Center.

* Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli will celebrate the music of Duke Ellington and the release of of his new CD Rockin' In Rhythm with concerts on Saturday, February 27 in Cranston, RI and Sunday, February 28 in Boston. Pizzarelli will be in St. Louis April 14 - 17 to play at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Opening the "recent visitors" file, Dave King, drummer for The Bad Plus, has a new solo album called Indelicate. TBP were in St. Louis in January to play at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Bassist Dave Holland, who played here last year at the Sheldon Concert Hall, is releasing a new album, Pathways, on March 23. The disc was recorded live at NYC's Birdland and features an octet drawn from Holland's quintet - Holland, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Steve Nelson on vibes, Nate Smith on drums and Chris Potter on saxophones - plus Holland Big Band veterans Antonio Hart on alto sax, Alex Sipiagin on trumpet and Gary Smulyan on baritone sax. You can hear three songs from Pathways (nearly 40 minutes of music) by clicking on the embedded widget below.

* Last but not least, the latest issue of Bill Shoemaker's jazz netzine Point of Departure is now online.

(Edited after posting to add the Marcus Baylor item. Edited again to fix punctuation.)