The Sheldon Concert Hall is offering a last-minute discount on tickets for Saturday's concert by jazz pianist Michael Wolff. To purchase tickets for the show for just $20, go to www.metrotix.com/promotions and enter the promotion code WOLFF. The offer is subject to availability and is not valid on previously purchased tickets.
This week brings another diverse selection of jazz and creative music concerts to St. Louis stages, starting with trumpeter Terell Stafford, who performs at Jazz at the Bistro on Friday and Saturday.
Stafford has worked as a sideman with McCoy Tyner, Christian McBride, John Clayton, Steve Turre, Dave Valentin, and Russell Malone as well as being a member of Matt Wilson's critically acclaimed band Arts and Crafts. He also has recorded as a leader for the locally based MAXJAZZ label, and is spending this week doing an educational residency for Jazz St. Louis, playing school concerts and working with student musicians. To see a couple of videos featuring Stafford in action, check out this previous post.
The other touring act in town this week is pianist Michael Wolff, who's playing at the Sheldon Concert Hall on Saturday. Wolff may be best remembered as the leader of the house band on Arsenio Hall's talk show, but he also had plenty of serious jazz credits in his pre-Posse days, including work with Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Sonny Rollins, Airto Moriera and Flora Purim’s Fingers band, and Cal Tjader. As a bandleader, Wolff has concentrated on small ensembles, as on his most recent CD Jazz, Jazz, Jazz, a collection of standards performed by a trio that also includes electric bassist John B. Williams and drummer Victor Jones. For his St. Louis concert, Wolff's group also will feature tabla player Badal Roy, who worked with Miles Davis back in the day.
This week's free Jazz at Holmes concert on Thursday night at Washington University features a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass from singer Jan Shapiro, a former St. Louisan who now teaches at Berklee College of Music in Boston, along with guitarist William Lenihan and pianist Kara Baldus.
Another free show happens at Washington University on Friday, when the group Mmmelt, described as a mix of "ambient, punk, world beat, jazz, electronics, avant-garde and spoken word," kicks off the concert series at the new Kemper Art Museum. For more experimental improv, post-rock and other genre-defying sounds, you also can check out Tony Renner's trio learn, artist! and Eric Hall's band Peanuts on Friday at the Schlafly Brewery and Tap Room downtown.
On Sunday, the BAG Trio commemorates Black History Month with a free concert called "From Ragtime to No Time" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site. And looking beyond the weekend, on Monday night the Webster University Big Band and the Genesis Jazz Project will team up at Webster's Winifred Moore Auditorium for a program called "The St. Louis Blues & All That Jazz."
As always, these highlights are just some of what's happening around town; for more local jazz-related 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.)
(Edited 2/21/08 to correct the day of the Michael Wolff show.)
It may be cold outside, but baby, yr. humble editor has been burning up the Internets seeking out news for your edification and entertainment, including items about jazz musicians from St. Louis, jazz musicians coming to St. Louis, and jazz musicians who have recently played St. Louis, as well as other relevant content:
* Let's start, as we almost always do, with Miles Davis, who's one of the featured subjects in Jazz Beyond Jazz, the new book from longtime jazz journalist Howard Mandel.
* Trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum, perhaps best known as an associate of adventurous multi-reedman and composer Anthony Braxton, has a nice blog post up in which he shares his appreciation of the music of trumpeter and St. Louis native Lester Bowie (pictured).
* Speaking of St. Louis trumpet greats, Concord Music Group's video podcast series recently offered a segment in which veteran jazz producer Orrin Keepnews tells the story of a recording date with Clark Terry that produced the Riverside session Serenade to a Bus Seat. You can see the clip, officially titled "Mr. Pulled Together - Clark Terry," in the embedded video window below.
* When saxophonist/flutist Eric Person toured the West Coast late last year, DJ and blogger Leroy "The Jazzcat" Downscaught his show and posted a review/interview, along with some performance photos, here.
* Turning to the "coming attractions" file: Preservation Hall Records, the label operated by the New Orleans based organization that oversees the Hall and its associated musical ensembles, has a new series of CDs spotlighting the individual members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The series will debut in March with albums from the band's drummer, Joe Lastie Jr., and its banjoist, Carl Leblanc. CDs will be available at the Hall, on tour, at the band's Web site and at selected retailers. The PHJB will be in the St. Louis area to play at the Argosy Alton Casino on Friday, January 25 and Saturday, January 26.
* Pianist Michael Wolff, who's performing at the Sheldon Concert Hall on February 23 has added some dates to his current tour. The news release also says that tabla player Badal Roy, who has recorded and performed with Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, John McLaughlin and many others, will be a special guest for Wolff's St. Louis performance.
* Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra drummer and Detroit native Ali Jacksontalked with his hometown paper about the JaLCO's tour stop in the Motor City., giving a preview of what we might expect in St. Louis: "Wednesday's program is being billed as "The Love Songs of Duke Ellington,'' but Jackson says that "about half the show will probably be Ellington's love songs and half will be a potpourri of all kinds of jazz, from different eras." The JaLCO performs at the Sheldon on February 9. Meanwhile, JaLCO's director, trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, recently did an interview with MSN Music, and has posted some videos from a recent master class for young students on his Web site.
* Catching up with some former visitors to St. Louis, we see that the aforementioned Leroy "The Jazzcat" Downs also recently interviewed saxophonist Joshua Redman, who's been seen in St. Louis the last couple of years performing at Jazz at the Bistro with his own group and with the SF JAZZ Collective.
* Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli, whose most recent St. Louis appearance was last fall at the Sheldon, will be one of the featured entertainers for the Nightlife Awards at NYC's Town Hall on Monday, January 28.
* Also performing at that event will be clarineist/saxophonist Anat Cohen, who played at the Bistro in November with her Quartet and Waverly Seven. Cohen also recently was a guest on Marian McPartland's NPR program Piano Jazz. You can listen to the episode online here.
* When Jazz St. Louis announced its 2007-08 season, the fine pianist George Cables was scheduled to be part of saxophonist Javon Jackson's Superband, which is playing this weekend at the Bistro. However, the pianist had to cancel all his performances after undergoing a double-transplant operation, in which he received a new liver and kidney. News accounts say Cables' recovery appears to be on track, but it will be at least six months before he can begin working again. To help with his expenses, a group of fellow musicians have organized an all-star benefit tribute for Cables in NYC next weekend. Those who cannot attend but would like to send a donation can do so at georgecables.com.
* Finally, a few miscellaneous items of interest, starting with the new edition of Bill Shoemaker's monthly music journal, Point of Departure, which is now online, and as always, worth a look.
* Elsewhere on the Web, a new site has been launched at the easy-to-remember address Jazz.com that looks to be a serious effort to compete with the popular and oft-visited AllAboutJazz.com as a one-stop online resource for jazz fans. Bagatellen has an interview with Jazz.com editor Ted Gioiahere.
* And anyone who wants to understand the realities of the music business in the era of digital technology definitely should check out David Byrne's recent article for Wired magazine on "survival strategies for emerging artists & megastars." The musician, songwriter, filmmaker and former Talking Heads frontman breaks down the 21st century music biz and explores possible business models for different types of musical careers in an entertaining and easy-to-grasp style.
Once again, it's been a while since our last compilation of St. Louis jazz-related news and assorted musical items of interest from all over the Internet. So, let's not waste any time...
* And via eMusic, here's a review/essay by Kevin Whitehead about Miles' early 1960s quintet and the recently issued recording Live at Monterey Jazz Festival 1963 .
* In other Miles-related news, Toronto trumpeter Nick "Brownman" Ali recently produced a five-week series of Miles Davis tribute concerts exploring music from different periods of Miles' career.
* Another St. Louis trumpet great, the venerable Clark Terry(pictured), recently performed with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band on public radio's "Riverwalk" program as part of a Thanksgiving special.
* Pianist and composer Linda Presgrave, another St. Louisan turned New Yorker, was back in the Gateway City earlier this month to play at Cookie's Jazz and More, and she's now giving NYC audiences a preview of the same material, which she'll perform on an upcoming tour through Italy.
* Former Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra "creative conductor" Marin Alsop continues to make news as the new musical director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, with a feature in the New York Times and one in Baltimore's City Paper.
* Turning to coming attractions, the Bad Plus, who will be in St. Louis at Jazz at the Bistro during the first week of January2008, are pretty newsworthy themselves, with an interview and performance on NPR affiliate WBGO in Boston; from be.jazz, a review of a gig last month in Belgium; and, from Blogcritics, a review of the latest CD from side project Happy Apple.
* Saxophonist Javon Jacksonrecently played at NYC's Iridium with a band co-led by pianist Benny Green. Jackson is set to return to the Bistro in January with what's being billed as the "Superband," originally set to feature drummer Jimmy Cobb and pianist George Cables. However, it looks like Jackson, Cobb et al will have to find a replacement for Cables, who's just had double transplant surgery, getting a new liver and kidney. The good news is that the surgery went well and Cables is expected to recover; the bad news is that he'll be laid up for at least six months, whcih means no trip to St. Louis.
* Trumpeter Chris Botti is also due in St. Louis early in 2008, with two performances scheduled in January at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Botti recently did an interview with About.com hyping his new CD Italia, and also was the subject of a recent feature story in the Boston Herald.
* Pianist Michael Wolff, who's playing the Sheldon in February, recently did an interview with AllAboutJazz.com
* Pianist Cyrus Chestnut recently cut a CD of songs associated with Elvis Presley - reveiwed here by Bagatellen - and is doing a show based on the CD at Iridium. Chestnut returns to Jazz at the Bistro on March 7 and 8.
* Catching up with some recent visitors, we find that pianist Mulgrew Miller, who's played the Bistro several times and has recorded for the St. Louis based label MAXJAZZ, recently played Dizzy's Club Coca Cola in NYC and got a very nice review from the New York Sun.
* Saxophonist Josh Redman, who's played St. Louis with his trio and mosre recently with the SF JAZZ Collective, is now working in a trio format and has a new CD, Back East, featuring some of the last recorded performances from his dad, the late tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman.
* And, in a technological development that could cast many song titles and/or lyrical metaphors in a completely new light, Japanese engineers have come up with a way to build roads that play music as you drive over them. Maybe they can devise one to play Wes Montgomery's "Road Song," or Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again," or (fill in the road-related song title of your choice.)
It's been nearly two weeks since the last installment of "Notes From the Net," and so there's a heapin' helpin' of news items concerning St. Louis musicians, recent visitors, old favorites and coming attractions just waiting to be read and enjoyed. Let's go:
* Another former St. Louisan, saxophonist Greg Osby, will be playing at Chicago's Green Mill this weekend. Osby also will be among the performers at an upcoming tribute concert for the late pianist Andrew Hill.
* Rudder, a cooperative electric jazz band that includes saxophonist and Webster University graduate Chris Cheek (pictured), is heading out on tour this fall. (No St. Louis date, though.)
* From AllAboutJazz.com, a review of guitarist and St. Louis native Joe Friedman's debut CD Cup O' Joe.
* Turning to the "recent visitors and old favorites" file: While in St. Louis last month to play the Fox Theatre, singer and pianist Diana Krall gave an interview to a newspaper in Greece. Meanwhile, Krall's erstwhile tourmate, trumpeter Chris Botti, recently was interviewed by the Ashland (OR) Herald-Dispatch.
* SoCal-based DJ and blogger Leroy "The Jazzcat" Downs recently got to go in the studio to observe a session with singer Dianne Reeves (who performed earlier this year at Wasington University's Edison Theater) and chat with some of the participants, including Reeves, George Duke, Russell Malone, Geoff Keezer and Reuben Rogers. You can listen to an .mp3 file of the conversation here.
* Seguing to the "coming attractions" file, the New York Times had a review of a Fred Hersch/Ethan Iverson piano duet at NYC's Jazz Standard. Hersch, who played at the Sheldon earlier this year, did a week-long series of duets with various pianists including Brad Mehldau and Kenny Barron. Iverson will be in St. Louis in January with The Bad Plus for a return engagement at Jazz at the Bistro, where both Mehldau and Barron performed earlier this year.
* The Greenville (SC) News had a feature story on saxophonist Victor Goines and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Goines, Wynton Marsalis, and the rest of the LCJO also will play the Sheldon in February.
* Village Voice jazz critic Francis Davis gave a mixed review to Waverly Seven's Bobby Darin tribute CD, Yo, Bobby. The group will be in St. Louis in November to play Jazz at the Bistro.
* From the "miscellaneous items of interest" file: Another issue of veteran jazz critic Bill Shoemaker's fine e-zine Point of Departure is now online.
* And finally, the Wall Street Journal had a nice profile of jazz discographer Tom Lord, whose research has yielded a lot of interesting info, including what must be the definitive list of the most-recorded jazz songs:
"Mr. Lord's database shows 1,675 versions of "Body and Soul," making it the most recorded melody in jazz history. New Zealand disc jockey John Joyce used Mr. Lord's latest CD-ROM to break out a list of songs logging more than 500 recordings.
He found 70 in all, 12 of which surpassed 1,000 versions. Following "Body and Soul" are "St. Louis Blues" (1,628), "Summertime" (1,358), "Sweet Georgia Brown" (1,302), "Take the A Train" (1,201) and "Round Midnight" (1,184)."
In addition, the Sheldon also will present pianist Michael Wolff (pictured), best known as the former bandleader for talk show host Arsenio Hall, on Friday, February 23, 2008, and singer Carla Cook, who's recorded for the local MAXJAZZ label, on Friday, April 26, 2008. Subscriptions for the 2007-08 jazz series are $175-$195.
The Sheldon's Coffee Concerts, Saturday Matinee and Special Concerts series will also feature some musicians of interest to jazz listeners. The Coffee Concerts will include appearances from Anita Rosamond (October 9 & 10), the St. Louis Stompers (November 12 & 13), Sherry Drake and Carolbeth True (December 4 & 5), and the St. Louis Ragtimers (March 4 and 5, 2008). In addition, Jean Kittrell and the St. Louis Rivermen will do a special concert on Sunday, September 23 and trombonist Brett Stamps will do a Saturday matinee on April 12, 2008.
To yr. humble editor, this lineup of touring performers, while comparatively safe from a box-office standpoint, seems rather uninspired. Pizzarelli, Cook and Jamal are all well-known to local audiences, with each having several recent St. Louis gigs to their credit; their appearances here once again serve as yet another example of recycling by a local presenter, a practice I've criticized on numerous prior occasions. Meanwhile, Smith and Wolff, while no doubt competent and entertaining, are musicians of minor importance at best. And while the lineup of local bands and musicians consists of proven performers, it appears to offer no particular surprises, either.
Although there's always the possibility that an interesting show or two may be added to the schedule somewhere down the line, as happened this year with the Pat Metheny/Brad Mehldau concert, overall it feels like the Sheldon is just treading water here. Given the vast universe of exciting artistic possibilities available for a jazz series at a high-quality concert venue, it's hard not to see this mostly recycled lineup of musical moderates as something of a disappointment, a case of pandering to audience tastes rather than expanding or challenging them.
You can find out more about the rest of the Sheldon's 2007-08 series in this article, written by Post-Dispatch pop critic Kevin Johnson and published in today's paper.
