StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The guitarists of Guitars & Saxes 2010

This week, let's take a look at some video clips featuring guitarists Jeff Golub and Peter White, the two men doing the six-string thing for this year's edition of the long running smooth jazz package tour Guitars and Saxes. They'll be at The Pageant on Friday, August 13, along with saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum, who played in the St. Louis area together last year at the Ameristar Casino's Bottleneck Blues Bar during their "Sax for Stax" tour.

Up above, you can see Golub playing his version of the Average White Band's 1970s funk hit "Pick Up the Pieces." Down below, White tackles the Isley Brothers "Who's That Lady" at a November 2007 gig in Tokyo, aided by saxophonist Mindi Abair, keyboard player Gregg Karukas, bassist Stan Sargeant and drummer Eric Valentine.

The third clip shows Golub performing "Dangerous Curves" on the 2008 Guitars and Saxes tour with Albright, saxophonist Jessy J and keyboardist Jeff Lorber. The fourth and final video is "Bullseye," another selection from White's Tokyo show.

Guitars and Saxes returning to The Pageant on Friday, August 13

According to an article published today on smoothjazznetwork.com, the long-running Guitars and Saxes package tour is taking to the road again in the summer of 2010, and the itinerary includes a stop on Friday, August 13 at The Pageant in St. Louis.

The 16th annual Guitars and Saxes tour will feature guitarists Peter White and Jeff Golub and saxophonists Kirk Whalum (pictured) and Gerald Albright, all of whom are veterans of previous editions of the tour. The 2010 tour begins May 15 in Sacramento, CA and continues through September.

There's been no official announcement of the show yet from The Pageant, but when there's news of ticket prices and the on-sale date, we'll have it for you here.

Jazz this week: Peter White with Rick Braun and Mindy Abair, Jeremy Davenport, Denise Thimes, and more

The Thanksgiving holiday means a somewhat reduced level of activity on local concert stages (and a holiday posting schedule here at StLJN) but there are still some noteworthy jazz and creative music events happening in St. Louis this weekend:

Let's start with trumpeter, singer and St. Louis native Jeremy Davenport (pictured), who returns home from New Orleans to perform at Jazz at the Bistro on Friday and Saturday, plus a matinee on Sunday to benefit PAN CAN, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. For much more on Davenport, see thhis post.

Also on Friday, pianist Peter Henderson is performing John Cage's "Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano" in a free concert at the Grigg Gallery of the St. Louis Art Museum.

The on Saturday, Trio Tres Bien with singer Danita Mumphard are at Cookie's Jazz and More in Webster Groves, and Clave de Sol, featuring pianist Phil Gomez, plays Latin jazz at Brandt's in University City.

On Sunday afternoon, singer Denise Thimes will perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall in what as being billed as a "women only" benefit for the Mildred Thimes Foundation, which supports pancreatic cancer research and awareness. Thimes will sing during the first half of the show, with the second half given over to spoken word performer Sharon McGhee, who will do a piece called "The Pocketbook Monologues."

Then on Sunday night, guitarist Peter White brings the 2009 edition of his Christmas show to The Pageant. White has been doing a holiday show for several years now using different smooth jazz musicians as co-headliners, and this year's featured guest stars are trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Mindi Abair.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band is back at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups downtown, and Tuesday saxophonist Bennett Wood returns to The Gramophone.

You can find more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond by visiting 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.)

A guide to holiday jazz concerts in St. Louis

StLJN has been getting a number of hits lately combining the search terms "Christmas" and "jazz," and so for the benefit of those visitors looking for more information on holiday jazz concerts in St. Louis, here's a quick overview of some noteworthy upcoming events:

Sunday, November 30: Smooth jazz guitarist Peter White's Christmas show, featuring trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Mindi Abair, at The Pageant.

Thursday, December 4: Guitarist Steve Schenkel and singer Ashley Mason perform music from their new Christmas CD A Midnight Clear with pianist Carolbeth True and bassist Ric Vice in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Thursday, December 4: Singer Jeanne Trevor and pianist Dave Venn headline a performance of jazz and holiday music at the Black Cat Theatre.

Sunday, December 7: Singer/pianist Harry Connick, Jr and his big band perform a holiday-themed concert at the Fox Theatre.

Friday, December 12: Trumpet player and singer Dawn Weber of Mo & Dawn does a holiday themed concert at the Black Cat Theatre.

Saturday, December 13: Singer/pianist Anita Rosamond performs her third annual Christmas show "Celebrate The Season" at the Black Cat Theatre.

Sunday, December 14: "A Soulful Christmas" with saxophonist Gerald Albright (pictured) and singers Lalah Hathaway and Will Downing at The Pageant.

Monday, December 15: Steve Schenkel and Ashley Mason with guitarist Dan Rubright and bassist Ric Vice at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium.

Friday, December 19: The singing group Manhattan Transfer brings their annual holiday show to the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

As for local Christmas CD releases, in addition to Schenkel and Mason's A Midnight Clear, singer Erin Bode has a new Christmas-themed CD titled A Cold December Night that's now available for purchase on her Web site.

Other St. Louis musicians with Christmas CDs still in print include Anita Rosamond, whose release This Is Christmas came out in 2006, and saxophonist Rod Tate, who put out an album called Jazzy Melodies of Christmas last year. You can see Tate performing his version of "The Little Drummer Boy," taken from a show last December at the Vaughn Cultural Center, in the embedded video window below.

Do you know of any local jazz shows or CDs with a holiday theme that we've missed? Do you have a favorite holiday jazz CD (or CDs) of all time? Please use the comments to share your thoughts.



(Updated 11/28/08 to add the shows at Black Cat Theatre.)

Peter White Christmas show coming to The Pageant on November 30

This just in: Smooth jazz guitarist Peter White's Christmas show will be coming to St. Louis on Sunday, November 30 for a performance at The Pageant. Along with White, this year's edition of the holiday program features trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Mindi Abair (pictured).

Tickets for the Peter White Christmas show go on sale at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, September 19, and can be purchased online via Ticketmaster and in person at The Pageant box office and all Ticketmaster outlets.

Smooth jazz returning to the Pageant this summer

The Pageant has announced the scheduling of three smooth jazz concerts for summer 2008. Presented under the auspices of radio personality Rick Sanborn's "Smooth Summer Party," the concerts will feature the 2008 edition of Guitars and Saxes, with guitarists Peter White and Jeff Golub, saxophonist Gerald Albright (pictured) and keyboard player Jeff Lorber, on Sunday, June 22; R&R, with saxophonist Richard Eliot and trumpeter Rick Braun, on Friday, July 25; and saxophonist Dave Koz on Friday, August 8.

Tickets for each show are $35 and $40, with a $5 per ticket discount if you buy seats for all three concerts. Tix will go on sale at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, May 2, via Ticketmaster and the Pageant box office.

StLJN Saturday at the Movies: Peter White - "Promenade", and Russell Malone - "Mugshot"

This week's videos feature two guitarists who will be performing in St. Louis next weekend. First up is Peter White, who will take the stage at the Pageant on Friday, July 20 as part of the Jazz Attack smooth jazz show, also featuring trumpeter Rick Braun, saxophonist Richard Elliot and singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler. He's seen here doing his composition "Promenade" in a clip from 2004.

Down below is a video from Russell Malone, who returns to Jazz at the Bistro on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21 to celebrate the release of his new CD Live at the Jazz Standard, Volume 2 on the St. Louis based MAXJAZZ label. In this clip, Malone is performing "Mugshot", recorded live at the NYC club Smoke in 2004.

Guitars and Saxes, Jazz Attack set for summer dates at the Pageant

The Pageant has just announced return dates this summer for two smooth jazz package shows.

On Sunday, June 24, the popular "Guitars and Saxes" show comes back to the venue with a lineup featuring saxophonists Gerald Albright and Kirk Whalum (pictured), guitarist Jeff Golub and guitarist/vocalist Tim Bowman. Then on Friday, July 20, it's another "Jazz Attack," with trumpeter Rick Braun, singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, saxophonist Richard Elliot and guitarist Peter White.

Both concerts are being presented by smooth jazz radio personality and impresario Rick Sanborn under the "Smooth Summer Party" banner, and as with past events he's promoted, there are special prices for ticket buyers who want to attend both shows: $80 for reserved VIP seating, or $60 for reserved main floor/balcony seats.

Single tickets for either show individually will be $35 each for reserved main floor/balcony seating and $45 each for reserved VIP seating. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. this Friday, April 6 via The Pageant box office and at all Ticketmaster outlets.

(Edited after posting to add a tag.)