Jazz this week: The Thing, Denise Thimes, Charlie Hunter, Victor Wooten Trio, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features several stellar singers; the local debut of an esteemed free jazz trio; some straight-up bebop; funky sounds from New Orleans, California, and beyond; and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, March 21
Singer Brian Owens performs for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, revisiting some of the jazz material he did earlier in his career, with backing from pianist Adam Maness' trio.

(Thursday's show will features Owens' current working band, the Deacons of Soul, with an emphasis on songs recorded for his most recent album The Soul of Cash, an R&B-flavored re-imagining of songs associated with country music legend Johnny Cash.)

Also on Wednesday, the Ambassadors of Swing return to Tin Roof St. Louis downtown; and singer Joe Mancuso is back at Taha'a Twisted Tiki in The Grove.

Thursday, March 22
New Music Circle presents the Scandinavian free-jazz trio The Thing (pictured, top left) at Off Broadway. Saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love have been working together since the turn of the century, touring and recording frequently as a trio and also playing with musicians such as Peter Brötzmann, Ken Vandermark, Thurston Moore, Joe McPhee, James "Blood" Ulmer, and singer Nenah Cherry.

This is their St. Louis debut, and there seems to be a good deal of interest in the show, so if you're planning on going, don't be late. For more about The Thing and some videos of their live performances, see this post from Saturday before last.

Also on Thursday, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present a free concert featuring trumpeter Randy Holmes' quintet playing 1940s and '50s bop in the style of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, and guitarist/violinist Christopher Voelker of Dizzy Atmosphere leads a trio at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, March 23
Singer Denise Thimes (pictured, center left) who recently moved from St. Louis to Chicago and got a rave review from the Chicago Tribune for her first shows there, will be back home to present a tribute to Nina Simone in the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

A few blocks away, Jeanne Trevor - another longtime favorite St. Louis female vocalist who, unfortunately, gigs infrequently these days - will perform with guitarist Dave Black and bassist Willem von Hombracht at The Judson House.

Also on Friday, pianist Ptah Williams will be in his usual spot at The Dark Room; the Gateway City Big Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran does the penultimate gig in his winter residency at Das Bevo Underground.

Saturday, March 24
Guitarist Charlie Hunter (pictured, bottom left) returns to lead a trio with singer Dara Tucker and drummer Damon Grant at Off Broadway; the New Orleans Suspects are back for another performance at the Broadway Oyster Bar; and trumpeter Jim Manley is playing at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar.

Sunday, March 25
Miss Jubilee performs for brunch at Evangeline's; pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with singer Kim Fuller and saxophonist Larry Johnson play a late-afternoon concert at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, and singer Mary Dyson is back with an early evening show at Troy's Jazz Gallery.

Monday, March 26
Webster University's Student Jazz Combos will show off what they've learned this semester with a concert at the Community Music School.

Tuesday, March 27
Bassist Victor Wooten and his trio with drummer Dennis Chambers and saxophonist Bob Franceschini will perform at the Old Rock House.  Wooten, who played the Chesterfield Jazz Festival here last summer with his family band, the Wooten Brothers, currently is touring in support of his most recent album Trypnotyx, which was released last fall and features Chambers and Franceschini.  For more about that, and some videos of recent live performances of material from the album, see this post from last Saturday.

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: Grégoire Maret & Alicia Olatuja, Peter Evans Septet, Steve Tyrell, Liberation Music Collective, and more

It's a busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with an eclectic selection of visiting performers offering something for listeners with tastes ranging from vintage jazz to mainstream to experimental.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, April 12
Harmonica player Grégoire Maret, with singer and St. Louis native Alicia Olatuja as his featured guest, opens a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

One of a scant handful of headlining jazz performers on his chosen instrument, Maret (pictured, top left), may be making his St. Louis debut as a bandleader, but he already has quite a thriving career, having played with Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller and many other well-known musicians before releasing his first album as a leader in 2012. You can find out more about him and see and hear some samples of his virtuoso technique in this post from last Saturday.

Thursday, April 13
In a relatively last-minute addition to their previously announced season schedule, New Music Circle will present trumpeter Peter Evans' new electro-acoustic septet at the new performance space and "arts incubator" .ZACK (aka the Cadillac Building, recently the site of the nightclub Plush).

This band is an expanded version of Evans' long-running quintet, described as "a 21st century chamber ensemble dedicated to a broad range of creativity, drawing on dense notated scores, free improvisation, novel combinations of acoustic and electronic sounds, the seamless incorporation of electronic instruments into live improvised textures, and a performance energy channeling both intensity and sincerity."

The event also will feature music from DJ Jeff Michael and a video and art installation created by Elizabeth Moore, Chad Eivins, Kevin Harris, Matthew Kelly Debbaudt, Jeremy Kannapell, and Stan Chisholm

Also on Thursday, singer Steve Tyrell (pictured, center left) will offer his jazz- and funk-tinged interpretations of standards and pop favorites at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and the New Orleans Suspects are back for another visit to the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Friday, April 14
The Oikos Ensemble offers a pre-Easter program called "Good Friday Blues" at the First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, and Nashville-based swing and jump blues band Eight O'Five Jive plays at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Also on Friday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform at Thurman's in Shaw, and the Funky Butt Brass Band will make their monthly appearance at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Saturday, April 15
The Liberation Music Collective returns to the Center for Social Empowerment in Ferguson.

Based in Bloomington, IN, Liberation Music Collective (pictured, bottom left) is a self-described "socially conscious big band" made up of past and present students at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music who are "dedicated to performing original compositions about contemporary social issues." LMC's visit will include an afternoon workshop for young musicians, followed by an early evening "Jazz for Justice" concert.

Sunday, April 16
Miss Jubilee will perform for brunch at Evangeline's.

Monday, April 17
The Webster University Jazz Collective, made up of faculty members from the university's jazz program, will present their last concert of the semester at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.

Tuesday, April 18
The SIUE Concert and Alumni Jazz Bands will take the stage at Jazz at the Bistro, and the Handsome Devils Trio, in from New Orleans for a weeknight show without their lead singer Naomi, will perform for "NOLA Swing Night" at HandleBar in the Grove.

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 Orleans Suspects, U City Jazz Festival, Miles Davis at 90, and more

This week's lineup of jazz and creative music in St. Louis features a bit of New Orleans, a bit of Las Vegas, an appearance by an original member of a seminal jazz/fusion band, plus tributes to George Clinton and Miles Davis, and much more.


Wednesday, June 8
Trumpeter Jim Manley and Wild, Cool and Swingin' will play their signature Vegas-style swing in a free concert at the Alton Senior High School Performing Arts Center, and guitarist Vincent Varvel performs at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Also on Wednesday, the Grand Center district continues its weekly "jazz crawl" with bassist Bob Deboo leading a jam session at the Kranzberg Arts Center, trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's trio performing at The Dark Room, and this week, guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran at KDHX's Magnolia Cafe.

Thursday, June 9
The Genesis Jazz Project will play a free concert at Chesterfield Amphitheater; singer Wendy L. Gordon returns to the Tavern of Fine Arts, and Danbury Street plays at Nathalie's

Friday, June 10
The New Orleans Suspects (pictured, top left) will play funk and R&B at the Broadway Oyster Bar, with an opening set from the Funky Butt Brass Band.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Randy Holmes leads a quintet in the first of two nights celebrating Miles Davis 90th birthday at the Ozark Theatre, and multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris (pictured, center left) and band will offer their take on the music of funkmeister George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic for the first of two nights of "The Mothership Chronicles" at Jazz at the Bistro.

Elsewhere around town, Miss Jubilee will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom, and vibraphonist Tom Rickard leads a trio at Cigar Inn.

Saturday, June 11
The U City Jazz Festival will feature headlining sets from The Fusion Warriors, billed as "an all star tribute to the electric jazz pioneers of the 1970s," and Bach to the Future with guest violinist Jerry Goodman.

Goodman (pictured, bottom left) is best known as an original member of guitarist John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, and also played with The Dixie Dregs and the Chicago-based jazz/rock band The Flock.

The free event, which runs from mid-afternoon through evening at Heman Park in University City, also will feature music from the jazz/fusion trio Tracer, trumpeter and vibraphonist Joe Bozzi, and trumpeter Danny Campbell's quintet with drummer Maurice Carnes.

Also on Saturday, the Funky Butt Brass Band headlines a multi-act bill of funk, R&B, and New Orleans-influenced bands playing indoors and outdoors for "Summer Gras" at the Old Rock House.

Elsewhere around town, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will be playing a double-header, starting in the afternoon at the St. Agnes Home Summerfest in Kirkwood, then finishing with an evening show at Evangeline's; and Dizzy Atmosphere will perform at The Dark Room.

Sunday, June 12
The St. Louis Jazz Club will present The Gaslight Squares in a matinee performance at the Moolah Shrine in West County; singer Dean Christopher will bring his "Rat Pack and More" show to Peno in Clayton; and the Ambassadors of Swing will play an early evening gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Tuesday, June 14
The Saxquest Little Big Band returns to the Tavern of Fine Arts, and guitarists Eric Slaughter and Jake Weisman will play duets at Evangeline's.

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: Stanley Clarke Trio, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Dead Kenny Gs, Glendale Jazz Festival, and more

Memorial Day weekend is always a busy time, and there's lots to do in St. Louis over the next several days, including the annual Bluesweek Festival, which this year has moved from fall to spring. Fortunately, that packed calendar of events also includes a number of jazz and creative music performances worth checking out. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, virtuoso bassist Stanley Clarke (pictured) opens a four-night stand continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Clarke was at the Bistro last year in a duo with pianist Hiromi Uehara; this time, he's playing in a trio format with pianist Ruslan Sirota and drummer Ronald Bruner Jr. They'll likely draw on some of the material from Clarke's recent trio albums - one featuring Hiromi and drummer Lenny White, the other with White and pianist Chick Corea - as well as a few of his best-known compositions rearranged for an acoustic trio. (To whet your appetite, you might want to check out this post from last year featuring some videos of Clarke.)

Also tonight, pianist Thollem McDonas is back in town for two performances, the first at 6:00 p.m. at Laumeier Sculpture Park with multi-instrumentalist Arrington de Dionyso and electronic musician Eric Hall, the second at 9:00 p.m. at Floating Laboratories on a bill with Hall, de Dionsyo, Raglani, Kevin Harris and Ghost Ice.

Tomorrow, the New Orleans Suspects, which features members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Radiators and the Neville Brothers' backing group, make their St. Louis debut at the Old Rock House. The Suspects include DDBB saxophonist Kevin Harris, a founding member of that group, and its current guitarist Jake Eckert; bassist Reggie Scanlan, formerly with the Radiators; drummer Willie Green, who's been touring and recording with the Neville Brothers since the mid-1980s; and keyboard player and vocalist CR Gruver.

And speaking of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, they'll be in town and performing at the Old Rock House on Friday night. For an update on what's been happening with the DDBB, see this interview with founding member Roger Lewis just published in Kansas City's Pitch Weekly.

Also on Friday, the 13th annual Glendale Jazz Festival (.pdf file) takes place at Glendale City Hall, 424 N. Sappington Rd. Performers at the free event include Cornet Chop Suey, the Terry Thompson Swing Alive Band, and blues/rock guitarist and singer Billy Peek. Don Wolff will serve as MC.

And as if that weren't enough for one evening, Friday also is the date for "Da-Dum-Dun," a mini-festival honoring the legacies of Miles Davis, write Henry Dumas and choreographer Katherine Dunham. The free event will feature a variety of performances, including music from the Bosman Twins, and takes place at the SIUE-ESL Higher Education Campus, 601 J.R. Thompson Dr. in East St. Louis.

On Saturday, the "punk jazz" trio the Dead Kenny Gs come to town to perform at 2720 Cherokee. While the DKG's crazy quilt mix of musical styles driven by punk-rock-style aggression isn't everyone's cup of tea, some find it quite entertaining. And there's no doubt that percussionist/vocalist Mike Dillon, saxophonist/keyboardist Skerik, and bassist and saxophonist Brad Houser display some interesting chops in the process. You can see them perform on video and make your own judgment in this video post from last Saturday.

Then on Sunday, trombonist Dave Dickey brings his big band back to Kirkwood Station Brewing Company for their monthly gig.

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.)

(Edited after posting to the link to the Stanley Clarke video post.)

New Orleans Suspects to perform Thursday, May 24 at the Old Rock House

The New Orleans Suspects, a new group that includes two members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, an ex-Radiator, and the Neville Brothers' longtime drummer, are coming to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m., Thursday, May 24 at the Old Rock House.

The Suspects (pictured) are comprised of DDBB saxophonist Kevin Harris, a founding member of that group, and its current guitarist Jake Eckert; bassist Reggie Scanlan, formerly with the long-running rock/funk band, the Radiators; drummer Willie Green, who's been touring and recording with the Neville Brothers since the mid-1980s; and keyboard player and vocalist CR Gruver, who has worked with several New Orleans roots music acts.

The Suspects started playing together informally in 2009, and officially became a band last year after the Radiators retired and the Neville Brothers reduced their touring schedule. In a blog post last April, Scanlan described their sound like this: "…like most bands from New Orleans, we cover a lot of ground…Traffic, Taj Mahal, Ry Cooder, Little Feat, Wet Willie, The Band, Robert Palmer, Bob Dylan, and Little Milton…and, of course, we do a ton of N.O. music…Professor Longhair, James Booker, The Meters, Lee Dorsey, and Allen Toussaint…we also include music from our alma maters, The Neville Brothers, The Radiators, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band." The Suspects also have completed recording their first album, though no release date has been announced yet.

Tickets for the New Orleans Suspects at the Old Rock House are $12 in advance, $15 day of show, and go on sale at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, March 16.