So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Jazz Journalists Association has named Gene Dobbs Bradford of Jazz St. Louis (pictured) as one of 27 local "Jazz Heroes" for 2020. The awards are given annually to "activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz" in different cities across the USA.

* Keyboardist Mo Egeston was the featured guest on last Friday's episode of "St. Louis In The Know" with Ray Hartmann on KTRS.

* St. Louis Public Radio reporter Chad Davis has the scoop on the Red and Black Brass Band, the impromptu ensemble who have been playing music during the shutdown while walking the streets of the Tower Grove neighborhood in south St. Louis. The band members also were interviewed by KMOX's Debbie Monterrey.  

* Also on St. Louis Public Radio, Christian Frommelt, dance teacher and co-organizer of the Nevermore Jazz Ball, was the subject of a feature story about how local swing dancers are still pursuing their hobby during the COVID-19 shutdown.

* As many cultural organizations dig into their vaults for video and audio material to share during the shutdown, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis has posted to YouTube a full concert performance "The Music of Miles Davis," recorded in November 2018 at the Rose Theater inside Lincoln Center in NYC.

* Also on the Miles Davis beat, LiveForLiveMusic.com has an article looking back at the night 50 years ago when Davis shared a bill with the Grateful Dead at the Fillmore West in San Francisco.

Jazz this week: The Bad Plus, Emily Skinner's "Broadway My Way," and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes the return of one of the most acclaimed trios in modern jazz, a visit from a Broadway diva performing in an intimate cabaret setting, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, January 8
The Bad Plus (pictured, top left) continue their decade-plus-long tradition of a week of January performances here, playing for the first of five nights continuing through Sunday at Jazz St. Louis.

Since their appearance here last year, TBP in October released a new album, Activate Infinity, their second since pianist Orrin Evans replaced founding member Ethan Iverson in 2018.

The album, their first for the British label Edition Records, features eight tracks of new original material, with two written by Evans, two by drummer Dave King, and four by bassist Reid Anderson. Fans can expect to hear most of those new pieces during their shows here, and given the trio's continuing popularity here, advance reservations are advised.

Thursday, January 9
Keyboardist Mo Egeston will have new original material plus some guest stars for an "All-Star Birthday Groove" performance at Joe's Cafe, and Dean Christopher returns with his "Rat Pack and More" show to LoRusso's Cucina.

Also on Thursday, guitarist Dave Black and saxophonist Paul DeMarinis will play duets at The Pat Connolly Tavern, and singer Christy Simmons performs her cabaret show "When Life Gives You Lemons" at Blue Strawberry.

Friday, January 10
Singer and actress Emily Skinner (pictured, bottom left), known for her leading roles in musicals including Billy Elliot, Side Show, and Dinner at Eight, will present her cabaret show "Broadway My Way" for the first of two nights at Blue Strawberry.

Also on Friday, Herman Semidey and Orquestra Son Montuno will play salsa, Latin jazz and more in their debut performance at Troy's Listening Room, and pianist and singer Curt Landes performs solo at The Judson House.

Elsewhere around town, trumpeter Jim Manley returns to One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar; and singer Anita Jackson performs at Sophie's Artist Lounge.

Saturday, January 11
Bassist and singer Janet Evra plays at Evangeline's, and guitarist Brian Vaccaro leads a quartet at the house concert venue KindaBlue Club.

Sunday, January 12
Miss Jubilee performs for brunch at Evangeline's, and the Arcadia Dance Orchestra returns to Focal Point.

Monday, January 13
Dizzy Atmosphere plays vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck, and the Southwestern Illinois College Jazz Band performs at Main Street Brewing Company in Belleville.

Tuesday, January 14
Guitarist Eric Slaughter will perform at BB's Jazz, Blues and 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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Ben Reece, keyboardist Mo Egeston, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor were interviewed on a recent episode of Rock Paper Podcast. 

* Bassist and singer Janet Evra appeared Tuesday on KTVI/Fox 2's morning newscast.

* In advance of his debut later this month at SFJAZZ in San Francisco, trumpeter Keyon Harrold's past collaborations are the subject of an article on SFJAZZ.org's website. 

* Cabaret singer and pianist Rick Jensen's performance last Saturday at the Kranzberg Arts Center was reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* The family of the late Hamiet Bluiett (pictured) is trying to raise money via crowd-funding for burial and memorial expenses, as the baritone sax great died last week without life insurance. If you'd like to contribute, go to https://www.gofundme.com/683jk7k. (You also can help by sharing the GoFundMe page URL on social media and elsewhere.)

A funeral service for Bluiett will be held at 10:00 a.m. today (Friday, October 12) at Lovejoy Temple Church of God, 511 Canal Street in Brooklyn, IL, followed by burial at 12:30 p.m. at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Bassist Jimmy Blanton, who began his professional career in St. Louis before being hired Dike Ellington, is one of three inductees this year to Jazz at Lincoln Center's Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame. Nina Simone and Nat King Cole are the other 2018 inductees, chosen via an online vote of jazz fans.

* Drummer Dave Weckl (pictured) last week was interviewed (in English) by the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo's video channel.

* Pianist Peter Martin talked about his gigs this weekend at Jazz at the Bistro with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson.

* Speaking of the Post-Dispatch, the paper has published its annual "Go List" issue, which identifies reader and staff favorites in local attractions and festivals, music and the arts, bars and restaurants, and more.

In the "Readers' picks - Music & clubs" category, the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival took second place in "Best concert series" (which seems odd, considering that there's also a "Best music festival" category, in which the GSLJF did not place); the Sheldon Concert Hall was fourth in "Best concert venue"; and Jazz at the Bistro (Ferring Jazz Bistro) won first place in "Best place to hear jazz," followed by the Sheldon, Thurman's in Shaw, and The Stage at KDHX.

In addition, Erin Bode won first place in "Best singer" and second place in "Best original band," with Joe Mancuso scoring second place in "Best singer."

As for the critic's picks in music and clubs, the winners included New Music Circle, for "Favorite music series that presents jazz but doesn’t have ‘jazz’ in its title"; the Arcadia Dance Orchestra, for "Favorite band playing 1920s music"; and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, for "Favorite potential jazz venue." You can see the entire "Go List" for this year here. 

* Meanwhile, as part of the run-up to this year's ShowcaseSTL festival, the Riverfront Times this week began publishing a series of brief articles about the "STL 77," their "list of 77 acts who did big things in the last twelve months" which so far has included profiles of multi-instrumentalist Lamar "DJ Nune" Harris and keyboardist Mo Egeston.

* Photographer Madison Thorn has posted to Facebook an album of pictures from the recent performances by Kevin Bowers and NOVA at the Bistro

* Saxophonist David Sanborn will be one of the headliners and pianist Lawrence Fields one of the featured performers on the 2019 "Blue Note at Sea" cruise, which will take place from January 26 through February 2 and is presented by St. Louis-based Entertainment Cruise Productions.

* Bassist and U City native Neal Caine recently was interviewed by Bass Player magazine and also gets name-checked in a New Orleans Times-Picayune story about NOLA-based musicians performing in this  year's Jazz and Heritage Festival, aka JazzFest.

Kranzberg Arts Foundation begins "Music Artist in Residence" program

The Kranzberg Arts Foundation (KAF) has announced a new "Music Artist in Residence" program intended to identify "band leaders with original projects and provide them with the performance, rehearsal and recording opportunities that assist them with advancing and building their careers."

The first group of residents consists of nine performers who already are involved with the foundation through performances at the Kranzberg Arts Center and/or The Dark Room, including bassist Bob DeBoo, keyboardists Mo Egeston, Jesse Gannon, Owen Ragland and Ptah Williams, singer Anita Jackson, saxophonist Ben Reece, bassist and singer Tonina Saputo, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor (pictured).

As artists in residence, they'll continue regular performances at those venues and in conjunction with other programs within the Grand Center Arts District. What makes the residency program new are the additional forms of support being deployed on their behalf, including marketing help, free rehearsal and office space, and more.

Residents will have access to cooperative office space and conference rooms at .ZACK, with rehearsal spaces provided at Kranzberg Arts Center and other KAF venues, said Chris Hansen, executive director of the foundation, in an email to StLJN. The foundation also will provide funding for "paid radio and print, social media, digital activation, as well as helping them (with) graphic design, photography and other essential tools," he said.

In addition to the in-house support from the foundation, Clayton Studios will donate studio time towards production of a compilation album featuring the artists in residence. The album, release date TBD, will be available through digital outlets, along with a "small number" of CDs, Hansen said.

Also, Listen Live Entertainment, producers of the annual LouFest Music Festival, will "provide the artists with main stage opportunities at the festival and other satellite events, plus other exciting opportunities to be announced later."

In total, Hansen said the foundation will spend more than $100,000 annually on the residency program. That's over and above the fees paid to the musicians for performances, and encompasses all the marketing and support services, as well as recent upgrades to The Dark Room including a new piano, sound system, and an in-house sound technician.

While this first group of residents was selected from among performers who had existing relationships with the foundation, that could change in the future. "We will be creating a formal submission process for the next round of residents," said Hansen. "Currently we have not set a definitive time on the residencies. It has been an organic process and we want to serve the current residents until we feel like their and our goals are met."

Jazz this week: The Bridge Trio, Mo Egeston album release party, and more

The end of August usually is an in-between time for live jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with most summer series having wound down and Labor Day and the fall presenting season yet to come.

Even so, there still are some noteworthy events happening this weekend, so let's go to the highlights...

Thursday, 
August 24

The Bridge Trio will perform at the The Dark Room in the penultimate date of a two-week Midwestern tour.

Based in New Orleans, the trio of drummer Joe Dyson, pianist Conun Pappas, and bassist Max Moran (pictured, top left) first worked together as students at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA) under the direction of clarinetist Alvin Batiste, and currently perform as members of saxophonist Donald Harrison’s band. They've got two albums out as a group, the most recent being 2015's The Search: Departure.

You can check out their "nouveau swing” style, fusing modern dance beats with more traditional New Orleans influences, via this video of their show last year at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

Friday, August 25
Trumpeter and vibraphonist Joe Bozzi returns to Evangeline's; saxophonist Tim Cunningham plays at Troy's Jazz Gallery; singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will be back at The Wolf in West County; and saxophonist Kendrick Smith will lead a trio at Cigar Inn in Belleville.

Saturday, August 26
The annual Festival of Nations takes place this weekend in Tower Grove Park, and the variety of entertainment offerings at the free, family-friendly event includes some music that may be of interest to StLJN readers, including Saturday afternoon performances by Latin jazz group Clave Sol and the Brazilian-influenced Samba Bom.

Elsewhere around town, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra will play a free concert at Kirkwood City Park Amphitheater, and the Funky Butt Brass Band returns to the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday, August 27
The Festival of Nations continues at Tower Grove Park with music including sets of swing and Gypsy jazz from Dizzy Atmosphere and French pop and jazz from Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris.

Also on Sunday afternoon, the Folk School of KDHX will present their monthly Traditional Jazz Jam Session.

On Sunday evening, keyboardist Mo Egeston (pictured, bottom left) will celebrate the release of his debut album Groove Suites Vol. 1 with a performance at The Dark Room. You can read more about the project in this Riverfront Times story, and hear excerpts from the album here.

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.)

Jazz this week: New Year's Eve in St. Louis

As noted in this space last week, most touring jazz performers are off the road this time of year, and many of St. Louis' not-for-profit venues that present jazz are on hiatus until the new year as well.

Most notably, Jazz at the Bistro, the city's most prominent spot for live jazz, will be dark again this weekend as the First Night celebration takes place in the surrounding Grand Center district.

So, given all that, what options are available for someone who'd like to hear some jazz this New Year's Eve in St. Louis?

Well, once place to look would be the aforementioned First Night. Billed as a family-friendly, alcohol-free event, First Night offers a variety of entertainment both outdoors on the streets of Grand Center and indoors at various venues around the district for a single price. This year's indoor performance spaces include the Sheldon Concert Hall and Ballroom, Kranzberg Arts Center, the Grandel Theatre, Third Baptist Church, SLU's Busch Student Center, St. Francis Xavier College Church, and the Scottish Rite Auditorium. (Powell Hall is not included, as the Symphony has its own New Year's Eve concert scheduled.)

Performers at this year's First Night who are of potential interest to jazz fans include trad jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey; singers Jeanne Trevor (pictured) and Wendy Gordon; the contemporary quartet Nu Element; saxophonist James Warfield's trio; cabaret performers Rosemary Watts and Joe Dryer; Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris; stride/ragtime pianist Stephanie Trick; the Friends of Scott Joplin; and singer Kim Massie. For a complete schedule of who's playing where and when, see the First Night website.

Elsewhere around town on NYE, guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio will perform at Robbie's House of Jazz, and the Funky Butt Brass Band will be part of a multi-act bill with Hip Grease, the Dogtown All-Stars, and three DJs at 2720 Cherokee.

Also, keyboardist Mo Egeston's All-Stars will play downtown at Lola; The Sands will feature Gaslight Square veterans Banjos and Brass; and Iron Barley will present Sins of the Pioneers, who blend New Orleans jazz and Western swing with rock and various other strains of American roots music.

(For more on other New Year's Eve entertainment around St. Louis, see the Riverfront Times' coverage here, and the Post-Dispatch's here. )

Here at StLJN HQ, yr. humble editor continues to work on year-end posts and various housekeeping-type matters, as well as updating the site calendar as new info comes in for next month and beyond. While things may seem a bit slow right now, updates will be ongoing.

So, for more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, we encourage you to 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: Sampling the St. Louis scene

For the last Saturday video post of 2009, let's take a look at a grab-bag of clips featuring musicians and singers currently active on the St. Louis jazz and creative music scene. From the top, we've got:

* Singer Erin Bode and her band - bassist (and husband) Syd Rodway, keyboardist/guitarist Adam Maness, and drummer Derek Phillips - performing their original songs "Sydney Come Down" and "Chasing After You" in a show last January 31 at the Old Settlers' Inn in Moundridge, Kansas.

* The Bosman Twins, playing a multi-tempo take on Charlie Parker's "Dewey Square." Be sure to check out pianist Ptah Williams' solo starting at around 6:00 into the clip.

* Trumpeter Jim Manley with guitarist Travis Mattison doing "Take The A Train." This has a nice, relaxed just-a-couple-of-guys-sittin'-around-playin' quality that I found enjoyable.

* Hot Club Caravan, featuring the great Sandy Weltman on harmonica, with their version of "In A Sentimental Mood" from a show last summer in Kirkwood Park.

* Traditional jazz festival circuit favorites Cornet Chop Suey, completing a serendipitous Ellington trilogy with a version of "Caravan" (with a drum solo) recorded at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

* The Urban Groove Project (a.k.a. UG Project) featuring Lamar Harris and Mo Egeston laying down a "Fela Groove" at the St. Louis Art Museum.

In addition to the customary previews of touring artists coming to town and historic clips from greats of the past, in 2010 I'd like to feature more videos from working St. Louis musicians and bands in this space. So if you're in St. Louis; you're doing jazz, creative music, improvisation or something related; and you've got a clip or clips on YouTube, let StLJN know about it by sending an email to stljaznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com.