So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis is now accepting applications for 2018 Artist Support Grants.

The grants range in amount from $500 to $3000, and are available to individual artists of all disciplines for a variety of purposes, including equipment and materials, rental space, arts-related travel, conference fees, project completion, salaries, professional and artistic development, training, and other resources.

Applications are due by Thursday, March 15, and RAC will present the first of three free "how to apply" workshops this coming Monday, February 5 at their headquarters.

* Last Sunday's performance by trombonist Ryan Keberle and Catharsis at The Dark Room was reviewed for DownBeat magazine by Terry Perkins.

* Pianist Peter Martin talked with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson about his benefit concert for Metro Theater Company this Saturday night and the troupe's upcoming production of the "concert play" Bud, Not Buddy.

* In a couple of related conversations, trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard talked about his original score for Bud, Not Buddy in interviews with St. Louis Public Radio's Alex Heuer and the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold's new album The Mugician was reviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Thomas Earl. 

* KTVI - FOX2 News is looking for "bands of all genres" to perform live on their 9:00 a.m. weekday newscast. According to a post on Facebook from the station's Kim Hudson, they "need to see videos with clean lyrics and content appropriate for morning television. It always helps if you brag on yourself, too. So, let us know what concerts you have coming up and what big things you have done in the past. Send those videos and all that info to kim.hudson@tvstl.com."

* The 60th anniversary of the release of the movie Elevator to the Gallows, directed by Louis Malle and featuring a soundtrack by Miles Davis (pictured, with the film's star Jeanne Moreau), was noted in articles on LittleWhiteLies.com, DVDTalk.com, and Film School Rejects. 

* And speaking of Miles Davis, a post this week on OpenCulture.com highlights a Spotify playlist featuring 65 hours of Davis' music in chronological order of release.

* Jazz St. Louis is looking to hire an executive assistant to work with the executive director/CEO and the director of development. You can find details on the job and how to apply here.

* The Baylor Project, fronted by drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and his wife, singer Jean Baylor, were the subject of a brief feature by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson published before last Sunday's Grammy Awards ceremony.

The Baylors, who were nominated for Grammys in two different categories, unfortunately did not take home any trophies on Sunday night, but they will be coming to St. Louis to make their local debut at Jazz at the Bistro from Wednesday, March 28 through Saturday, March 31.

The Baylors on Thursday also shared via email a compilation of photos and social media posts documenting their "Grammy Week" experiences.

* Last Saturday's performance by singer Barb Jungr and pianist/singer John McDaniel at the Kranzberg Arts Center was reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* Family and friends of Nathan Jatcko are setting up a scholarship in the late pianist's name at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Donations may be made online at http://www.siue.edu/give or by mail to Kyle Moore, Director of Development, College of Arts & Sciences, SIUE Foundation, Box 5048, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 62026. The memo line on a check should read "Nathan Jatcko." Anyone with questions about online giving can contact Moore via email at kymoore (at) siue.edu or by phone at 618-650‑5048.

A "celebration of the life and music of Nathan Jatcko" also is planned for next Friday, February 8 at Off Broadway.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* A public memorial gathering for the late pianist Nathan Jatcko will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, January 27) at Birger Hall on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

* The decaying building that once housed Club Imperial (pictured), home to historic performances by Chuck Berry, Ike and Tina Turner, and other important St. Louis musicians, is in the news after being purchased at a tax sale by a new owner seeking to facilitate redevelopment of the site.

Those plans were put on hold this week as the St. Louis Preservation Board upheld a decision to deny a demolition permit for the building - for now, anyway. Stay tuned for further news...

* UDiscoverMusic.com's just-published list of "The 50 Best Jazz Trumpeters Of All Time" has some St. Louis flavor, with Miles Davis ranked at #3 (behind Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie) and Clark Terry at #28 (just behind King Oliver and ahead of Cat Anderson). Let the clickbait-article-driven arguments begin!

* And speaking of Miles Davis, an article in the new issue of Jazz Times has more details on the forthcoming CD box set Miles Davis & John Coltrane’s The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6.

* The Baylor Project, led by drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and his wife, singer Jean Baylor, performed Wednesday at the studios of WBGO in NYC, and the radio station has posted to YouTube videos of two songs from the session, "Tell Me A Bedtime Story" and "Afro Blue."

The Baylors, who are nominated for two Grammy Awards this year, also were profiled this week in the Asbury Park Press, and appeared on the CBS3 local newscast in Philadelphia. The 60th annual Grammy Awards ceremony will be broadcast starting at 6:30 p.m. Central time this Sunday, January 28 on CBS.

* "The Kennedy Dream," saxophonist, composer and St. Louis native Oliver Nelson's suite commemorating the life and words of President John F. Kennedy, will be the centerpiece of a performance next month paying tribute to Nelson on the closing night of the 48th annual Rowan Jazz Festival in New Jersey.

* The Sheldon has posted to Facebook an album of photos from last week's concert by Storm Large. Large's performance at The Sheldon also was reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* While The Bad Plus were in town last week to play at Jazz at the Bistro, Jazz St. Louis had them sit down for a video interview moderated by pianist Peter Martin.

* Gene Dobbs Bradford of Jazz St. Louis this week received a St. Louis Arts Award from the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis, accompanied by a brief video about Bradford that's now posted to the A&E Council's Facebook page.

* At last fall's Festival Of New Trumpet Music in NYC, St. Louis' own Keyon Harrold was part of a panel discussion with fellow trumpeter Charles Tolliver and others, and that talk now can be heard online as an episode of Greenleaf Records' podcast "A Noise From The Deep."

* Pianist and St. Louis native Lawrence Fields appears in a new music video from the group Sound Prints, co-led by saxophonist Joe Lovano and trumpeter Dave Douglas. Fields gets a nice solo spot on "The Corner Tavern," a tune from the band's upcoming album Scandal, which will be released on Friday, April 6.

* "Jazz: A Language of Faith and Model for Ministry," a two-day conference exploring "the many possibilities of jazz as a contemporary faith language and creative vehicle for the Church’s ministry," will take place on Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3 at Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves.

The event will include presentations, talks, workshops, and a jazz concert featuring the Oikos Ensemble, led by Rev. Cliff Aerie and featuring guest saxophonist Rev. Ozzie Smith, pastor of Covenant UCC in South Holland, IL.

* The woodwind retailer, repair shop, and museum Saxquest is featured in an article in Webster University's campus paper, the Webster Journal.

* Also at Webster U. the student chapter of the Audio Engineering Society will be sponsoring the Central Region Audio Student Summit February 23-25 on the Webster campus. The event is open to students, teachers and "anyone interested in the subject of audio," and will include educational panels, a student mix competition, and more.

* Saxophonist "Raven Wolf" aka C. Felton Jennings II is the subject of a column this week by the West End Word's Dwight Bitikofer.

* Metro Theater Company's upcoming production of Bud, Not Buddy, a "concert play" for children that includes a musical score by trumpeter Terence Blanchard, is previewed briefly on BroadwayWorld.com.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Can't make it to Jazz at the Bistro this week to hear the new lineup of The Bad Plus? You can see a free online video stream of tonight's first set starting at 7:30 p.m. via Jazz St. Louis' Facebook page.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn (pictured) was interviewed last week on NYC public radio station WBGO.

* Metro Theater Company, the long-running local troupe specializing in theater for children, will take over the Grandel Theater for most of February with two jazz-related events.

They'll present a benefit concert with music from Peter Martin, Brian Owens, and Terence Blanchard on Friday, February 3 at the Grandel, followed by a three-week run of Bud, Not Buddy, a "concert play" that is based on a Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning children's novel and will feature a live, 13-piece jazz band on stage.

* The film Django was reviewed for KDHX.org by film critic Diane Carson. In French with English subtitles, the movie dramatizes the life of jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt during World War II, and will play tonight through Sunday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m. each evening at Webster University's Winifred Moore auditorium.

* The death of pianist Nathan Jatcko was covered in stories written by Daniel Hill of the Riverfront Times and Nassim Benchaabane of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

* Drummer and St. Louis native Kimberly Thompson has posted to her YouTube channel a video of a full set by the Mike Stern Band recorded live at Jazz at the Bistro during their appearance there in February, 2017. Along with Thompson on drums and Stern on guitar, the band included tenor saxophonist Bob Franceschini and bassist Teymur Phell.

Search for missing pianist Nathan Jatcko ends with family's announcement

St. Louis jazz pianist Nathan Jatcko, who went missing last week and inspired a search that has received extensive media coverage in the area, has died.

On Wednesday night, family members posted a message to a Facebook group dedicated to the search that read as follows:

"We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Nathan Jatcko on 1/17/2018. He took his life. He leaves behind a loving family and wide community of friends. We are at a loss for words, but appreciate all of the love, kindness, and prayers communicated to us over the past five days. Thank you.

As we are grieving, the family asks for privacy at this difficult time."

Jatcko (pictured) grew up in Highland, IL and studied music at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He moved to St. Louis after graduation, and regularly performed solo as well as with trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's band, singer Christy Coleman, the Liberation Organ Trio, and others.

He was last seen at around 1:30 a.m. Friday, January 12 at his apartment in south St. Louis, and was reported missing after failing to show up for a recording session and performance later on Friday.

Social media posts seeking information about Jatcko's whereabouts were shared thousands of times, and the search for him was covered extensively by local media, including the Riverfront Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, KTVI-Fox 2, KSDK, Belleville News-Democrat, KMOX, RiverBender.com, KMOV, and Patch.com.

This story will be updated if and when more information becomes available.

Our condolences go out to Nathan Jatcko's family, friends, and musical colleagues.

Update, 11:30 p.m. 1/22/18: A public memorial gathering for Nathan Jatcko will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, January 27 at Birger Hall on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Jazz at Holmes annnounces summer schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University has announced its schedule of free concerts for summer 2009.

Pianist and former St. Louisan Linda Presgrave and her quintet will kick off the series at 8:00 p.m., Thursday, June 11, with concerts to follow on subsequent Thursdays through July 23 (except July 2). .

Other performers for summer 2009 will include pianist Curt Landes, the Legacy Jazz Quintet, trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber (pictured), trombonist Wayne Coniglio and pianist Nathan Jatcko. Here's the complete schedule:

Thursday, June 11: Linda Presgrave Quintet
Thursday, June 18: Curt Landes
Thursday, June 25: Legacy Jazz Quintet
Thursday, July 9: Dawn Weber
Thursday, July 16: Wayne Coniglio
Thursday, July 23: Nathan Jatcko Quartet

All Jazz at Holmes concerts are free and open to the public. Holmes Lounge is located in Ridgley Hall, on the west side of Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives. For more information, call Sue Taylor at 314-862-0874 or send email to staylor@wustl.edu.