So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter, former member of the Black Artists Group and St. Louis native Baikida Carroll is the winner of the 2020 FONT Music Award of Recognition, which was presented to him in an online event Wednesday night as part of this year's Festival Of New Trumpet Music (aka FONT Music).

Carroll (pictured) was lauded for being "one of trumpet’s most original and creative voices since the early ‘70s." You can see an archived video of the award presentation, which includes performance footage featuring Carroll and commentary from fellow musicians, here.

* Singer and St. Louis native Alicia Olatuja will be one of four featured performers for the "Jazz's Rising Star virtual White Plains Jazzfest" at 8:00 p.m. EDT tonight. Olatuja, fellow vocalist Veronica Swift, and pianists Connie Han and Matthew Whitaker each will present short live sets, and then take part in a moderated discussion. You can preregister to view the event via Zoom here, or watch on Facebook.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has announced that he'll be teaching online master classes in November, sharing techniques and tips and taking questions from a group of 10 to 12 students for a couple of hours on four consecutive Sunday afternoons. Signup details are TBA via Sanborn's website and Facebook page.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake and his son, drummer Gene Lake, this week posted to YouTube a new, recorded-at-home duo performance called "One Afternoon."

* Multi-instrumentalist "Baba" Mike Nelson's use of music to comfort his elderly mother, who's been fighting the coronavirus while also suffering from Alzheimer's disease, is the subject of a feature story from the St. Louis American's Sylvester Brown, Jr..

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Citing his ongoing treatment for prostate cancer, trumpeter Hugh Masekela has cancelled all of his upcoming appearances, including his scheduled performance in St. Louis on Saturday, April 14 at The Sheldon as part of the Jazz Epistles reunion with pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya.

A statement released by The Sheldon said the concert still will go on as scheduled, with a replacement trumpeter to be announced at a later date.

* In advance of their show with Douglas Ewart this Saturday, STL Free Jazz Collective members Jim Hegarty and "Baba" Mike Nelson talked with writer Thomas Crone for a feature story in the Riverfront Times.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold's new album The Mugician (pictured) was reviewed favorably by Jazz Times and PopMatters.com.

* Drummer Mark Colenburg has released a new instructional book and video, The Beat Matrix Unlocked, which is described as creating "a new template for the art of hip-hop drumming."

* The subscription service Vinyl Me Please has made an LP reissue of Miles Davis' 1967 album Sorcerer their "record of the month" for December 2017.

The reissue was remastered from the original tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl colored "orchid purple," and includes an eight-page booklet with liner notes by former New York Times scribe Ben Ratliff plus a 12" x 12" original art print by Santiago Carrasquilla.

STL Free Jazz Collective's new digital album is Live at the Ozark Theatre

The STL Free Jazz Collective has released a new digital album, Live at the Ozark Theatre, which is available now as a name-your-price download from Bandcamp.com.

As the title suggests, the recording was made at a live performance last December at the Ozark Theatre in Webster Groves.

Along with improvised music from the group's five instrumentalists, the album (pictured) includes three tracks featuring spoken word performances from St. Louis poet laureate Michael Castro, titled "We Need to Talk," "America Loves Its Guns More Than Its Children," and "St. Louis Blues Revisited."

The topical focus is no coincidence, said the group's keyboardist Jim Hegarty via email. "The message is yet again really relevant in the light of recent events," Hegarty said. "We're really into the idea of unity and we're using our music to share a vision of peace and freedom for everyone."

In addition to Hegarty and Castro, the STL Free Jazz Collective includes "Baba" Mike Nelson (trumpet, shells, percussion and vocals), Paul Steinbeck (bass), Gary Sykes (drums), and Jerome "Jay Dubz" Williams (alto sax).

Sworn to the Drum performing live on KDHX's "All Soul No Borders" this Sunday, November 30

Via 52nd City: The percussion-heavy jazz and world music group Sworn to the Drum will perform live from 10:30 p.m. to midnight this Sunday, November 30 on "All Soul, No Borders," the KDHX (88.1 FM) radio program hosted by Josh Weinstein. From Weinstein's email:

"The group bills themselves as a "musical salute to the drum." They play improvisational jazz with a variety of world drumming infused. The group is led by Baba Mike Nelson. He plays trumpet, flügelhorn, conch shells, and assorted percussion including the bata drum. Sunday's line-up will include Aaron Parker on alto sax and flute, Mondel on congas, Ariel on Bass, plus the poetry of K. Curtis Lyle and vocal/rhythmic accompaniment by David A. N. Jackson."

(For those who can't listen to the over-the-air broadcast, note that KDHX streams its signal on its Web site, and also archives most programs for online listening for at least a couple of weeks after the original broadcast. )

Weinstein also says the group "are promoting an upcoming concert at The Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar next Sunday, December 7 from 7-9 PM." StLJN will have more details on that if & when we can get 'em...

BAG presenting "Sworn To the Drum" on Sunday, June 22

The Black Artists Group is presenting another free event on Sunday, June 22. From their news release:

"Join “Baba” Mike Nelson (pictured) and friends on Sunday, June 22 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for "Sworn to the Drum," a musical salute to the spirit of the drum, at Scott Joplin House State Historic Site in the Rosebud Café.

A native of St. Louis, Nelson has earned the title of “Omo Anà” or sacred drummer in a global brotherhood of musicians. “This brotherhood is national, international and world-wide. A community that we are expanding by welcoming all to come and share this music with us,” says Nelson.

“This is a musical journey of drumming using local accomplished drummers who have taken an oath to the drum. “Sworn to The Drum” means that we have dedicated our lives to the preservation and protection of drum culture. Singers, dancers and musicians will also accompany the various styles of drumming.

“Part of what we want to speak to is the fact that in the past this style of drumming was relegated only to kings and queens. We’re widening the circle to bring this to the people. Making it accessible to the people and welcoming everyone into the circle,” says Nelson.

“These drummers have dedicated their lives to teaching and the proper social context of the styles of the drumming that we will be sharing on Sunday night. We need to widen the circle, and that is what this event is all about...

...Sunday’s line-up will include Haitian, West African and Afro- Cuban drumming with a tinge of improvisational jazz. Everyone will be invited to take a journey.

“As we have been taught, we want to empower the community with the power that we have, sharing the journey,” says Nelson, “We hope to have people walk away with a new respect for traditional music. An awareness of the sacred drum tradition.”

All BAG events are free and family friendly. Everyone is welcome."

For more information, call 314-340-5790 or send an email to bag_blackartistsgroup@yahoo.com.

BAG to present "From Ragtime to No Time" this Sunday, February 24

This just in: BAG has announced a performance coming up at 7 p.m. this Sunday, February 24 at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

The BAG Trio, which includes Gary Sykes on drums, Zimbabwe Nkenya on bass and Mike "Baba" Nelson on trumpet and percussion, will present "From Ragtime to No Time," a concert that "will take listeners through a musical excursion in rhythm from the Ragtime sounds that make the Scott Joplin State Historic Site famous, to the innovations of the musicians of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who changed the way we hear and think of the creative music today."

Admission to the event is free. For more information, you can call the Scott
Joplin House at 314-340-5790.

BAG to present "One For King" on Sunday, January 20

Via email, BAG has announced that they'll present a program called "One For King" this Sunday, January 20 at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe. The event is, as the name suggests, dedicated to the memory and message of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and will feature a lineup of poets, musicians and artists including Michael Castro and the BAG Trio ("Baba" Mike Nelson on trumpet and percussion, Zimbabwe Nkenya on bass and mbira, and the great Gary Sykes on drums and percussion).

The program will include several group improvisations as well as individual performances. Sykes will be featured on a solo drum composition "in remembrance of the struggle" and Nkenya will offer a piece based on "Dr. King, The Peaceful Warrior," a Cal Massey composition featured on the Archie Shepp album Things Have Got to Change. Nelson and Castro also will perform original solo pieces honoring the Rev. Dr. King.

"One For King" takes place from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and admission is free. For more information, call the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site at 314-340-5790 or send email to bag_blackartistgroup@yahoo.com.

Jazz this week: Bob Dorough, Brian Owens, BAG Trio, St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, and more

Due to various deadlines and some Blogger balkiness, this will be a rather terse chronological summary of this weekend's most noteworthy jazz-related events:

Tonight, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by Jim Widner, will do their monthly gig at Jazz at the Bistro, and pianist Kim Portnoy does a free concert at Washington University's Holmes Lounge as part of the Jazz at Holmes series

On Friday and Saturday, soul/jazz singer Brian Owens (pictured) performs at the Bistro. For a brief sample of Owens' singing style, see the video window at the bottom of this post.

On Sunday, the BAG Trio featuring Zimbabwe Nkenya, Gary Sykes and Mike Nelson will be featured in a free concert at the Scott Joplin State Historic Site.

Also on Sunday, singer and pianist Bob Dorough returns to St. Louis for the first time in 47 years - no, that's not a typo; he last performed here in 1960 - to do a one-nighter at the Bistro. For a bit more about Dorough, whose long career has included everything from guesting on two Miles Davis albums to writing many of the songs for the educational cartoon series Schoolhouse Rock, see the story about him that I wrote for this week's Riverfront Times. (Note also that the phone number appended to the RFT story is incorrect. The correct phone number for advance tickets for Dorough's show is 314-961-1898.)

For more local jazz events this weekend and beyond, please consult 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 after posting to add more tags.)

BAG Trio to perform this Sunday, December 9

BAG II has announced another free event, set for 7 p.m. this Sunday, December 9. From the news release:

The BAG Trio, with Zimbabwe Nkenya on bass and African Mbira, Mike Nelson on shells, trumpet and percussion, and Gary Sykes on drums, are just back from Chicago, where they were featured with Douglas Ewart at the Velvet Lounge. This Sunday, December 9th, they will offer a free evening of creative music at Scott Joplin House State Historic Site from 7 – 9 PM.

The Trio plays everything from Cuban & European to African Jazz. They incorporate the sacred Bata Drums with the sacred African Mbira as well as traditional trio work on trumpet, bass and drums.

For more information call 314-340-5790 or email bag_blackartistgroup@yahoo.com.

Jazz this week: A new jazz interpretation of Porgy and Bess; Matthew Von Doran; and more

Both the Internet in general and Blogger in particular are acting rather spiteful and capricious right now, so this will be a short post.

Two particularly noteworthy gigs this weekend: First, the local debut of the new guy in town, guitarist Matthew Von Doran, as he plays a free concert and clinic tonight at Fazio's Frets and Friends with drummer Miles Vandiver and bassist Bob Deboo.

And on Sunday, the Ivory Perry Park summer concert series wraps up its season with a jazz version of Porgy and Bess, performed by a group led by saxophonist Aaron "Strayhorn" Parker and including Raymond Eldridge, Jr., Jerome "Scrooge" Harris, Clifton McBride, Mike Nelson and Dennis Block. The concert is free and open to the public; Ivory Perry Park is located at 800 Belt (at Cabanne) in west St. Louis.

In between those two shows, Jeff Anderson's Positive Energy Quartet is at Brandt's tonight; Dave Stone performs as usual at Mangia Italiano on Friday; and Willie Akins holds forth at Spruill's early Saturday evening. Meanwhile, Cookie's Jazz and More presents a trio of female vocalists over the weekend, with trumpeter Dan Smith and his quintet featuring singer Debby Lennon performing this evening, Kim Massie on Friday and Trio Tres Bien with Danita Mumphard (pictured) on Saturday.

For an expanded list of local jazz-related events, please see the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which will be getting some major updates over the next week, as September gig info arrives from bands and venues and presenters like Webster University and Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series announce their schedules for the rest of the year.

(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.)

Jazz this week: Randy Holmes Quartet, Mike Nelson, "All That Tap" and more

Time is short today, due to a deadline for (paying) work, but there are still several jazz performances on St. Louis stages this week that are worth noting as we head into the dog days of summer:

Tonight, trumpeter Randy Holmes (pictured) leads his quartet in a free concert at Washington University as part of the Jazz at Holmes summer series.

On Friday, BAG II presents percussionist and trumpeter Mike Nelson in a free concert called "Talking With Drums" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site. Also on Friday, trumpeter and vibraphonist Joe Bozzi will take the stage for two shows at Finale Music and Dining.

On Saturday, pianist Carolbeth True and her trio will serve as the backing band for this year's All About Tap festival held at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Of course, you can also check out local favorites at their regular recurring gigs, including pianist and singer Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum at Brandt's tonight; the Dave Stone trio at Mangia Italiano on Friday; and tenor sax kingpin Willie Akins at Spruill's on Saturday. For a more extensive list of local jazz-related events, please consult 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.)

Photo of Randy Holmes by Dennis Owsley.

BAG II will present Mike Nelson in "Talking With Drums" on July 27

Via email, the Black Arts Guild aka BAG II sends word of a free concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 27 at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, this time featuring percussionist and trumpeter Mike Nelson:

BAG Presents: Talking with Drums

The batá drums and their music have survived for over 500 years, from the land of the Yorùbá in Nigeria to Cuba to the United States and beyond.

Used almost entirely for religious or semi-religious events in Nigeria and Benin, musicians in Cuba and the US have started to build and play batá drums that are not sacred.

The batá drums can speak. Not in a metaphorical sense, but they really can be used to speak the Yorùbá language, and have been used traditionally to recite prayers, religious poetry, greetings, announcements, praises for leaders.

Yorùbá speakers use three basic tones, or pitches, and glides between them, as an essential part of how words are pronounced. This is how the hourglass-shaped "talking drums" (called dundun in Yorùbá) are able to speak Yorùbá praises and sayings.

On Friday, July 27 at 7pm Mike Nelson and Friends will be “talking” with the Drums at Scott Joplin House. A native of St. Louis, Mr. Nelson will perform on trumpet, percussion and conch shells. The music will blend traditional with contemporary and promises to be an exciting evening of rhythm and jazz.

Mike Nelson is an accomplished musician and arts educator. He has performed with the St. Louis Symphony, China National Orchestra and Aska Kaneko as well as a list of well-known recording artists. Mr. Nelson has served on faculty at COCA and at the Better Family Life's Urban Rhythms program. He is also an award winning environmental consultant who has represented EPA community based projects and
environmental justice across the country.

Talking with Drums
Friday, July 27, 7 – 9 PM
Scott Joplin House, historic Rosebud Café
2658 Delmar Blvd.
St. Louis MO 63103

A free evening of music presented by BAG
For further information call 314-340-5790
or email: bag_blackartistsgroup @ yahoo.com