So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* St. Louis music venues this week continued to adjust their admission policies to cope with the regional resurgence of COVID and proliferation of the Delta variant. As reported by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson, Blue Strawberry made the first move, announcing that it would require patrons to provice proof of vaccination. The Pageant, Delmar Hall, and Off Broadway quickly followed by announcing that they too will require proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test for entry.

* Nine PBS on Tuesday presented the broadcast premiere of Show Me the Music: A Celebration of the Missouri Bicentennial, a special program featuring Missouri musicians that was recorded in May at The Sheldon.

The lineup of performers includes pianist Peter Martin and his trio plus saxophonist Bobby Watson and trumpeter Keyon Harrold; singer Anita Jackson (pictured); pianist Royce Martin; bluegrass star Rhonda Vincent; a faculty ensemble from the University of Missouri playing a new piece composed specifically for the bicentennial; and more. The special will air multiple times on all four PBS affiliates in the state, and also can be seen on YouTube.

* Miles Davis was known as a sharp dresser, so perhaps it's fitting that the late trumpeter's estate recently added licensed neckties to his online store. You can see the three available designs, including "Bitches Brew," that are available for $59.99 each at https://www.milesdavisstore.com/store/.

* Drummer, educator and U City native Ronnie Burrage now is co-hosting a weekly podcast produced by City Jazz Sessions, for which he already has interviewed St. Louis expats including Russell Gunn, Kelvyn Bell, and Eric Person, as well as musicians working here locally. New episodes are webcast at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, and can been seen (along with all the previous episodes) on the City Jazz Sessions YouTube channel.

* Guitarist Charles "Chip" Katz, a four-decade veteran of the St. Louis music scene, passed away on Sunday, August 8. He was 63 years old; no cause of death has been disclosed.

Katz performed across the area as a solo act, with a trio, and as accompanist to singers Anita Rosamond, Alan Ox, and numerous others. He also taught guitar in private lessons and through local music stores including Fazio's Frets and Friends and McMurray Music. Katz is survived by two sisters, two nieces, and two nephews. Funeral services will be private, and the family has requested that any memorial contributions be made in Katz's name to the charity of the donor's choice.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony, the seven-CD set drawn from the archives of saxophonist and Black Artists Group co-founder Julius Hemphill and released earlier this year, is the subject of a short feature/review for Jazz Times by Ted Panken.

* Trumpeter and East St. Louis native Russell Gunn, now based in Atlanta, has released the second recording from his band The Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra. Titled The Sirius Mystery opus 4 no. 1, the album is out today via Ropeadope Records on all digital platforms, plus limited editions on CD and vinyl LP.

* Bassist Damon Smith, a recent transplant to St. Louis, also has a new recording, Houston 2012, out this week on digital and as a double CD. The album teams Smith with guitarists Keith Rowe and Sandy Ewen and the ensemble Gooseberry Marmalade.

* And speaking of new releases, a Miles Davis performance recorded in 1991 at La Villette in Paris, France will be released as The Lost Concert on digital services and as a two-CD set on Wednesday, September 29, the 30th anniversary of his death. The album (pictured) is the third in a series from Sleepy Night Records that started with Miles Davis: The Lost Quintet and continued with The Lost Septet, both released last year.

The Lost Concert is particularly noteworthy because Davis' then-current band was augmented for the date by numerous guest stars and former sidemen, including Chick Corea, Al Foster, Steve Grossman, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Darryl Jones, John McLaughlin, Jackie McLean, John Scofield, and Joe Zawinul.

* Gene Dobbs Bradford of Jazz St. Louis was interviewed about the organization's upcoming 2021-22 season by the St. Louis American's Danielle Brown.

* One of St. Louis' most acclaimed young talents is leaving town, as singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina Saputo this week announced in a Facebook post, "I have accepted a job as an audio engineer at a media group in Los Angeles. I’ll be driving from STL to LA this weekend." Saputo will play what she's calling her final show as a St. Louis resident tonight at Tower Grove Park (though she also is on the bill for the Music at the Intersection festival in September).

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold (pictured) spoke about his new role as creative advisor to Jazz St. Louis in a brief interview with Amanda Woytus of St. Louis magazine.

* Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, the documentary film about the trumpeter that was released earlier this year, has been nominated for two Emmy awards, for "Outstanding Arts & Culture Documentary" and "Outstanding Sound."

* And speaking of Davis, comedian and actor Alonzo Bodden this week was a guest on the podcast The 500, talking about his love for Davis' album Sketches of Spain.

* St. Louis Music Park, the new 4,500-seat outdoor concert venue in Maryland Heights, is the subject of a feature story from the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Merci, Miles! Live at Vienne, the newly released album of previously unheard recordings from Miles Davis' last concert (pictured), was reviewed in Jazz Times magazine.

* Generations, the new release from the Baylor Project (featuring St. Louis' own Marcus Baylor and spouse Jean Baylor) is among the albums named by NPR to their list of favorites of 2021 (so far).

* The Baylors also are featured this month in an article on Grammy.com spotlighting "8 Jazz Artists Honoring Black Geniuses."

* The Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival this week announced that the event will return on Saturday, September 19, featuring a dozen acts on two stages with headliners including blues guitarist/singer Marquise Knox, jazz-fusion band Bach to the Future, and singer Erin Bode.

* St. Louis magazine's annual "A-List" issue is out, and readers' picks for 2021 include the Funky Butt Brass Band as "Favorite Original Band", The Pageant as "Favorite Live Music Venue" and Erin Bode as "Favorite Vocalist." You can see the entire issue (albeit in flip-book format) here.

* Organizers of the upcoming Music at the Intersection festival have put together a Spotify playlist featuring the acts that will be playing at the three-day event.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Sheldon's jazz series for the 2021-22 season is previewed in an article by the St. Louis American's Danielle Brown.

* Merci, Miles! Live at Vienne, featuring previously unrelased recordings of one of Miles Davis' final live shows in the summer of 1991, is out today as a 2-CD set or vinyl double LP.

* The Bosman Twins (pictured) were interviewed on the most recent episode of Hank Thompson's KDHX podcast "Tangazo."

* The Post-Dispatch/STLtoday this week went into their archives to republish photos and a story about the night in 1965 when Frank Sinatra and the "Rat Pack" came to St. Louis to perform in a charity benefit. There's also a video of the event, which can be seen on YouTube.

* Keep Live Alive St. Louis last week announced that they've raised more than $100,000 to help local music industry workers who lost income due to the pandemic.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Lauren Parks, president of the House of Miles in East St. Louis, was interviewed for a Belleville News Democrat article about local culture in ESL.

* Asleep at the Wheel's concert last Friday at the Fox Theatre was reviewed by Dan Durchholz for the Post-Dispatch. The Post also published a gallery of photos from the gig.

* Also in the Post-Dispatch, Kevin Johnson reports on bassist Jahmal Nichols scoring a documentary that aired on PBS. There's also a brief video accompanying the story.

* Still in the Post, Kevin Johnson interviewed singer Robert Nelson about this Saturday's Juneteenth show at Blue Strawberry, and there's a video with that story, too.

* The Riverfront Times reports that the Way Out Club, a fixture of south city nightlife and alternative music for 27 years, will close permanently next month.

* A 1976 interview of saxophonist Julius Hemphill on the public radio program "Fresh Air" was resurfaced this week by pianist Ethan Iverson, who offered his commentary on the talk via Twitter.

* Marcus Baylor and Jean Baylor of the Baylor Project (pictured) were the featured guests this week on radio station WBGO's online video talk show "The Pulse."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was interviewed on St. Louis Public Radio's "St. Louis On The Air" about his new role as artistic advisor for Jazz St. Louis.

* The Post-Dispatch/STLToday has published an "iParty" gallery of photos from keyboardist Dave Grelle's show last Friday at City Foundry.

* A little-heard live audio recording of drummer Phillip Wilson (pictured) from March 1979 in Rome has surfaced on YouTube. The bootleg recording, nearly 2 1/2 hours long, features Wilson leading a trio with trumpeter Olu Dara and pianist/vocalist Donald Smith, joined on three tracks by trombonist Joseph Bowie, saxophonist Luther Thomas, and bassist Darrell Mixon.

* And speaking of archival material, a newly colorized version of footage of the Miles Davis Quintet performing at the Teatro dell'Arte in Milan, Italy in October 1964 has been uploaded to YouTube.

* Drummer Rob Silverman and keyboardist Ptah Williams were interviewed by St. Louis magazine's Amanda Woytus about Rhythm City, their recently released recording on Silverman's Autumn Hill label.

* Singer Anita Jackson was interviewed about upcoming gigs and the difficulties of the past year by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* St. Louis is one of the cities mentioned by Rolling Stone magazine in a newly published article about "7 Bucket List Destinations for Blues Lovers." The story namechecks BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, the National Blues Museum, and, in an indication that the piece may have been in the works for a while, Beale on Broadway, which closed more than two years ago in January 2019.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Dave Weckl is the subject of the cover story of the May 2021 issue of Modern Drummer magazine (pictured).

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold talks about his new job as creative advisor to Jazz St. Louis in an interview with the St. Louis American's Danielle Brown.

* Keyboardist Dave Grelle was interviewed in advance of his gig tonight at City Foundry by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The Post/STLtoday also has published an "IParty" photo gallery from last Saturday's show by singer Janet Evra and pianist Prah Williams at Blue Strawberry.

* Trumpeter Jim Manley was the featured guest on the latest episode of "The Trumpet Gurus" podcast.

* Generations, the forthcoming album from drummer Marcus Baylor's Baylor Project that's set for release on Friday, June 18, was previewed in a brief post on the blog Soul and Jazz and Funk.

* Marking the 95th anniversary of the trumpeter's birth, an article in the UK's Far Out Magazine attempts to answer the question "Why Do So Many Rock Stars Love Miles Davis?"

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Celebrating the birthday of Miles Davis

This coming Wednesday, May 26 will be the 95th anniversary of the birth of Miles Davis, and so it's time once again for StLJN's annual tribute to the most famous and influential jazz musician ever to come from this area.

Here are nine videos from throughout Davis' career, selected as personal favorites of yr. editor and first posted here with annotations in 2016.

The first, embedded up above the text, is the by-now-at-least semi-famous live version of "So What," the leadoff track from Kind of Blue, seen here as recorded by Davis and his quintet for the 1959 TV special The Sound of Miles Davis.

After the jump, you can see Davis and the Gil Evans Orchestra performing "The Duke" and "Blues for Pablo" from that same TV special.

The next two clips show Davis' so-called "Second Great Quintet" - with Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone), Herbie Hancock (piano), Tony Williams (drums) and Ron Carter (bass) - in 1967, performing "I Fall In Love Too Easily" in Karlsruhe, Germany, and then doing "Footprints" in Stockholm, Sweden.

Davis was on the precipice of his "electric period" at that point, and in the next clip, a full set recorded in 1969 in Copenhagen, you can see him taking the leap with help from Shorter plus Chick Corea (keyboards), Dave Holland (bass), and Jack DeJohnette (drums).

This relatively short-lived band, which years later was dubbed the "Lost Quintet," led directly to the group seen in the next video, an entire set recorded on August 18, 1970 at the Berkshire Music Center, Tanglewood, MA. The band here is Davis, Corea, Holland and DeJohnette along with Gary Bartz (alto and soprano sax), Keith Jarrett on organ, and Airto Moreira on percussion, and at this point, Miles has gone full-on electric.

By the time the seventh clip was recorded, in 1973 at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Davis had changed the entire band again, and the version of "Ife" offers an even more jagged soundscape than the previous clip, courtesy of David Liebman (soprano sax), Pete Cosey (guitar, percussion), Reggie Lucas (guitar), Michael Henderson (bass), Mtume (congas, percussion), and Al Foster (drums).

The final two videos are both from the 1980s, well after Davis' comeback from the period of self-imposed exile in which Don Cheadle's film Miles Ahead is set. "Time After Time," Davis' cover of a hit originally recorded by Cyndi Lauper, was a staple of his live sets for several years, and is heard here in a version recorded in 1985 in Tokyo, Japan.

The last clip is a version of "Tutu," recorded in 1988 in Stuttgart, Germany, which unfortunately does not feature Marcus Miller, the song's composer and producer of the album of the same name. But it does show off one of Davis' more interesting and idiosyncratic late-period bands, with Kenny Garrett on saxophone and flute, Robert Irving III and Adam Holzmann on keyboards, Joseph "Foley" McCreary on six-string "lead bass" plus Benjamin Rietveld on electric bass, percussionist Marilyn Mazur, and the great drummer Ricky Wellman, who Davis plucked from Washington DC go-go godfather Chuck Brown's band, the Soul Searchers.

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Jazz St. Louis on Wednesday announced the appointment of trumpeter Keyon Harrold to the newly established position of Creative Advisor. During his three-year appointment, Harrold (pictured) will perform annually at Jazz St. Louis, starting with a five-night run coming up in December of this year.

He also will be involved with the organization's "Jazz Speaks" and residency programs; will create "a major commissioned work reflecting on the St. Louis community" to close JSL's 2023-24 season; and take part in "other appearances, performances, and events."

* A previously unreleased recording of Miles Davis performing at the Vienne Jazz Festival in one of his final concerts will be issued as Merci, Miles by Rhino Records on Friday, June 25. The recording will be available on all major digital music services as well as both a two-CD set and a double LP, and can be pre-ordered here.

* Also on the Miles Davis beat, here's a feature story about Mikel Elam, a visual artist from Philadelphia who served as Davis' personal assistant from October 1987 until the trumpeter's death in September 1991.

* Drummer Demarius Hicks was interviewed by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson about his Chick Corea tribute show playing Saturday night at The Grandel's "Open Air" tent.

* Also from the Post-Dispatch, an "iParty" gallery of photos from singer Denise Thimes' shows last weekend at Blue Strawberry.

* Shake The Rum, the newest album from trombonist Charlie Halloran, a St. Louis native now living in New Orleans, and his band, the Tropicales, was reviewed in Offbeat magazine.

* Multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina is one of six up-and-coming artists from St. Louis and Detroit profiled in "The Flavor of Two Cities," a new ad campaign for distilled spirits maker Jack Daniel's. You can see a promotional video featuring her and Detroit's Leonard Ware (aka Drummer B) here.

* The reaction of local music venues and theaters to the easing of some coronavirus restrictions in Missouri is the subject of a feature story from St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Rev. Cliff Aerie, saxophonist with the Oikos Ensemble, was profiled in an article in the Webster-Kirkwood Times.

* The Boyé Multi-National Crusade For Harmony, the new 7-CD box set of previously unheard tracks from saxophonist Julius Hemphill, was reviewed by Mark Corroto for AllAboutJazz.com.

* Pianist Peter Martin's company Open Studio this week launched another podcast, titled "Upright Citizens" and hosted by bassists Reuben Rogers and Bob DeBoo. You can check out the first episode here.

* The new Dave Weckl Band album Live In St. Louis at the Chesterfield Jazz Festival was reviewed by Jim Worsley of AllAboutJazz.com and by Jim Hynes of online magazine Glide. The album (pictured) is out today on the Autumn Hill label and can be streamed via the major digital music services.

* An article at HotCars.com offers "A Detailed Look At Miles Davis' Lamborghini Miura."

* In more Miles Davis news, a new album, Champions, featuring tracks culled from the expanded box set The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions in 2003, is set for release on Saturday, July 17 as part of this year's Record Store Day "RSD Drops."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Fox Theatre will reopen on a limited basis beginning later this month to host a concert series featuring local acts, including the Funky Butt Brass Band (pictured) on Friday, April 23.

* After canceling their 2020 event due to the COVID pandemic, the Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival this week announced plans for a return this fall on Saturday, September 18. The event will run from noon until 11:00 p.m. with a total of 12 bands (still TBA) on two stages.

* Last Saturday's webcast ceremony for this year's group of inductees to the Dan and Heide Wolff Institute's St. Louis Jazz Hall of Fame at Harris Stowe State University has been archived and now can be seen on YouTube.

* A streaming performance by singer/pianist Tony DeSare and singer Capathia Jenkins to benefit Cabaret Project of St. Louis was reviewed by KDHX's Judi Mann.

* The newly issued Julius Hemphill seven-CD box set The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony was reviewed by UK jazz writer Richard Williams at his blog The Blue Moment.

* Commemorating the 51st anniversary of the landmark album's release on March 30, 1970, the UK website Far Out goes "Revisiting the revolutionary brilliance of 'Bitches Brew' by Miles Davis."

* Bassist Darin Gray was interviewed about his new release The Reduction (music for dance) and more by the website Recital.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpet player Kasimu Taylor (pictured) was the subject of a feature story by the St. Louis American's Sylvester Brown.

* Writing in London Jazz News, journalist Jonathan Gee details the "10 Tracks By Miles Davis I Can't Do Without."

* Drummer Marcus Baylor and his wife, singer Jean Baylor, were the featured guests on this week's episode of the "All That's Jazz" podcast.

* Pianist, singer and St. Louis native John McDaniel celebrated his 60th birthday last week, and Playbill magazine commemorated the occasion with a retrospective of photos from his Broadway career.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was the featured guest on this past Tuesday's episode of musician and producer Adrian Younge's “Invisible Blackness” podcast. (You may need an Amazon Music ID or Amazon Prime account to listen.)

* In tribute to the late pianist and composer Chick Corea, pianist Dred Scott has recorded and released on SoundCloud a one-man-band version of Corea's tune "Captain Marvel."

* A feature story from the San Jose Mercury News' Andrew Gilbert looks at how Miles Davis helped pianist and singer Shirley Horn achieve late-career stardom.

* Also on the Miles Davis beat, some previously unheard excerpts from a 1978 recording session of his surfaced this week on YouTube. Coming right in the middle of the trumpeter's five-year hiatus from music in the late 70s, the session at Columbia Studio in NYC was set up initially at the urging of guitarist Larry Coryell, who plays on the tracks along with drummer Al Foster, bassist T.M. Stevens, and keyboardists George Pavlis and Masabumi Kikuchi.

Significantly, Davis does not perform on trumpet during the session, choosing instead to play Pavlis' ARP Odyssey keyboard. You can listen to nearly 35 minutes of the group's takes on "Miss Last Summer" here. (An interview with Pavlis, done for the 2005 book The Last Miles, provides more perspective on the session and can be read here.)

* Saxophonist Eric Person has teamed with keyboardist Neil Alexander to create a new online performance series called "Night Flight Music Live." Taking place on the last Friday of every month, the series will feature performers from New York's Hudson Valley and is donation-driven, with 100% of the proceeds going to the artists after operating costs.

Person, Alexander and drummer Jeff Siegel will perform at 7:30 p.m. tonight from Cassandra Studios in Beacon, NY, and can be seen on the series' YouTube channel.

* St. Louis artist and musician Damon Davis (pictured) is one of three recipients of 2021 grants from Alarm Will Sound's Matt Marks Impact Fund, which was started by members of the new music ensemble to honor a founding member who passed away in 2018. You can find out more about Davis' project with AWS, a science-fiction opera called Ligeia Mare, in his interview with the web publication I Care If You Listen.

* Funky Butt Brass Band drummer Ron Sikes has started "The Jazz Chat Podcast" and his guest on the first episode released this week is saxophonist Joel Vanderheyden.

*"Keep Live Alive Saint Louis" is a 90-minute online video special produced locally to raise money for workers here in the music and events industries - ushers, ticket takers, bartenders, wait staff, sound & lighting technicians, stagehands, backstage crews, and more - who have lost income and jobs because of the pandemic.

Scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 12, the special will include appearances from some well-known classic rock musicians and comedians, as well as St. Louis performers and radio personalities. Find out more or tune in via the group's Facebook page.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer Chuck Flowers (pictured) was interviewed on the webcast "Jazz in the AM."

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has released a clip from his most recent "Online Sessions" video, a version of "Georgia On My Mind" recorded with organist Joey DeFrancesco and drummer Billy Kilson.

* In a new video for Rhythm magazine, drummer Dave Weckl reveals the details of his home studio setup for playing and teaching online.

* Also on the Weckl beat, he and fellow drummer Rob Silverman were the guests on last week's Modern Drummer podcast, discussing their most recent recordings and the drumming contest being sponsored by the magazine and their label Autumn Hill Records.

* The Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson this week reported that Atomic Cowboy, the long-running bar, restaurant and music venue in The Grove neighborhood, has closed permanently and put all its equipment and fixtures up for auction.

* Also from Kevin Johnson in the Post, a look at how cabaret venue Blue Strawberry has adapted to present different types of live music during the pandemic.

* An article at UDiscoverMusic.com takes a retrospective look at Miles Davis' classic 1950s album Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet.

* In more Miles Davis-related news, tattoo artist Kat Von D is being sued by a Los Angeles photographer who alleges that a tattooed image of Davis rendered by Von D for one of her customers infringes on his copyrighted photo of the trumpeter.

* And finally, a short feature in Far Out magazine recounts the story of the time in 1969 when Davis was asked by guitarist Jimi Hendrix to form a "supergroup" that also would have included drummer Tony Williams and Beatles bassist Paul McCartney.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold this week kicked off Black History Month by putting together a "Black Lives Matter" playlist for Spotify.

* Also for Black History Month, SiriusXM will revive for a limited time only their Miles Davis Radio channel, with "music from over 100 of Davis’ albums and featuring alumni band members as hosts," including Marcus Miller, Lenny White, John Beasley, Joey DeFrancesco, and Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn Jr.

* Keyboardist Pete Ruthenburg talks about future plans for recordings and gigs in an interview with the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The Post-Dispatch this week also published a photo feature commemorating the return of Josephine Baker (pictured) on February 3, 1952 to perform in her hometown for the first time since becoming internationally famous.

* Autumn Hill Records, the all-digital label operated by brothers Mike and Rob Silverman, has teamed up with Modern Drummer magazine to present "The Modern Drummer Drumology Playalong Contest."

Contestants are invited to download and record a video of themselves playing along with a track from Rob Silverman's recent solo recording, which also features fellow drummers Simon Phillips and Dave Weckl. Prizes for the contest, which ends on Sunday, Feburary 28, include a Spinelli "Floating Snare" and Drumology prize packs.

* And speaking of contests, the National Saxophone Museum (located within St. Louis woodwind dealer Saxquest) is sponsoring "a $5000 prize purse contest to give all saxophone players a chance to have some fun, showcase their art, and perhaps “cash in” on their passion."

Prizes range from $500 to $2,500 for the three top winners, and there also will be prizes awarded for young artists, honorable mention, and "People's Choice." Registration for the contest continues through Friday, April 30.

* Writing in the Los Angeles Times, former St. Louisan Randall Roberts looks at "The tortured, touching love saga of Cicely Tyson and Miles Davis."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes' show this Sunday for the Open Air series at the Grandel Theatre is previewed in a story by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony, a new seven-CD box set featuring previously unheard recordings by the late saxophonist, former St. Louisan and Black Artists Group co-founder Julius Hemphill (pictured), has been released by New World Records

* In an essay in the St. Louis American, Kayla L. Dennis, the aunt of trumpeter Keyon Harrold, opines about the recent incident in which her nephew and his son were assaulted by a woman at a hotel in NTC.

* The latest efforts of local music venues including the Pageant, Old Rock House, and The Sheldon to stay viable during the pandemic are spotlighted in a feature story from St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin.

* KMOV recalled the death of singer-songwriter and former St. Louisan Donny Hathaway by re-airing their 1979 report of his passing.

* And speaking of re-upping vintage content, AllAboutJazz.com has republished a 1998 interview with trumpeter Lester Bowie.

* Jazziz magazine is promoting the new music streaming service Qobuz.com with a specially compiled Miles Davis playlist, "Miles After Dark," which "features 50 laid-back, chilled-out Miles tracks that are sure to ease you into a state of absolute relaxation."

* Also on the Miles Davis beat, the trumpeter's ex-wife, actor Cicely Tyson, who passed away on Thursday night at age 96, talked about her time with Davis in an NPR interview about her new autobiography Just As I Am.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Ben Reece this week released a new recording with his Unity Quartet.

Titled Hard Times, the album (pictured) features 12 original compositions performed by Reece and Rob Nugent on saxophones, Cody Henry on sousaphone and Ron Sikes on drums. It was recorded "live in the studio" at Midtown Sound House in St. Louis, with Dan Merhmann engineering.

Hard Times is available now via Reece's Bandcamp page and the usual outlets for digital music.

* British drummer Moses Boyd offered his in-depth take Miles Davis’ mid-Sixties album Nefertiti on the latest episode of the web series "Classic Album Sundays."

* By way of commemorating the 14th anniversary of the demise of Mississippi Nights, the Post-Dispatch republished Daniel Durchholz's look back at the history of the eclectic riverfront music venue.

* The first development of artists' housing from the St. Louis Art Place Initiative, located in the Gravois Park neighborhood on the south side, is now accepting applications. The program is intended to build "wealth and equity through homeownership for low to moderate-income artists of all disciplines." Find out more at http://stlartplace.org/.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* With no new relief from the government this fall for businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic, St. Louis-area independent venues that are part of the Missouri Entertainment Alliance are asking music enthusiasts to contact Missouri legislators and urge them to provide industry-specific financial assistance at the state level.

Find more about the campaign and how to participate at https://www.missourientertainmentalliance.com/take-action.

* Singer Denise Thimes (pictured) led an online master class on "Interpretation of Performance Material" this past Tuesday for local students under the auspices of the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation. You can see the class on YouTube in three parts here, here and here.

* Rhythm City, a new recording from pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Larry Kornfeld and drummer Rob Silverman on the Autumn Hill label, was reviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Jim Worsley and by MakingAScene.org's Jim Hynes.

* St. Louis Post-Dispatch classical music critic Sarah Bryan Miller has died after a long battle with cancer. Miller was 68 years old and had been at the Post since 1999.

* A feature story in the latest issue of Jazz Times takes a look at Miles Davis' unreleased collaboration with singer-songwriter Prince.

* Also on the Miles Davis beat, Jo Gelbard, who was the trumpeter's "painting teacher, collaborator, and companion in the final seven years of his life" was interviewed about "The Paintings of Miles Davis" on the podcast "For Keeps."

* Bassist Jahmal Nichols talked about his new recording Black Frequencies in an interview with the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Nine Network is reporting on social media that veteran St. Louis pianist and teacher Herb Drury has died. Drury was 92 years old, and was active on the local scene from the Gaslight Square era in the late 1950s into the early 2000s. You can see a profile of Drury from a 2008 episode of Nine's program Living St. Louis here.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Jean Baylor & Marcus Baylor

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

* Miles Davis is one of five musicians to be featured in "Space Is The Place," a radio series on the UK's JazzFM presenting "specially commissioned dramas...based on five pivotal moments in the lives of some of Jazz FM’s legendary artists." The other featured artists will include Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong and Sun Ra; the Davis episode will air on Monday, December 7.

* Nominees for the 2021 Grammy Awards were announced this week, and the list includes St. Louis' own Marcus Baylor, whose group The Baylor Project (co-led with his wife, singer Jean Baylor) was nominated for "Best Traditional R&B Performance" for their song "Sit on Down."

In addition, three more St. Louisans - bassist Jahmal Nichols, drummer Emanuel Harrold, and trumpeter Keyon Harrold - performed on singer Gregory Porter's All Rise, which was nominated in the "Best R&B Album" category.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn has released another short video as part of his "Sanborn Sessions" web series, in which he teams up with various musical friends for some performances recorded in his home studio. The latest episode features Sanborn with his longtime collaborator, organist Joey DeFrancesco.

* Ahead of his gig this Sunday night at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups, keyboardist Mark Harris II is the subject of a feature story from the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* The late trumpeter Lester Bowie, who grew up in St. Louis and went on to fame as a member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, is being honored with an outdoor mural in Frederick, Maryland, the city where he actually was born.