Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:
* The big
Miles Davis news this time out is the
release on September 14 of
The Genius of Miles Davis , a new collection bringing together eight deluxe multi-CD box sets, including 43 CDs of music, which were originally released on Columbia/Legacy between 1996 and 2007.
Presented in a replica of Miles' own trumpet case (
pictured), the collection contains
Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings (6 CDs);
Miles Davis Quintet 1965-1968 (6 CDs);
The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (4 CDs);
Miles Davis & John Coltrane: The Complete Columbia Recordings, 1955-1961 (6 CDs);
The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions (3 CDs);
The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions (5 CDs);
Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings Of Miles Davis, 1963-1964 (7 CDs); and
The Complete On The Corner Sessions (6 CDs).
Extras include a replica of the 'Gustat' Heim 2 model mouthpiece used by Davis; a "previously unseen and unavailable fine art lithograph" by the trumpeter himself; and a "boutique-worthy" T-shirt with an image of Davis playing his horn.
In other Miles-related news, the 40th anniversary of the release of Davis' influential
Bitches Brew has prompted
"Miles Davis: Forty Years of Freedom - The legacy of Bitches Brew," an article by
Geoffrey Himes in the September issue of
Jazz Times. Also, the 40th anniversary reissue edition of the album is reviewed
here for AllAboutJazz.com by
Doug Collette, and the music from the sessions also was
celebrated earlier this month at a concert in Los Angeles. Last but certainly not least, here's
audio of a recently rediscovered interview from 1970 with Teo Macero, in which Macero, who produced Davis' Columbia recordings, discusses the making of albums like
Bitches Brew and
Live Evil.
* Speaking of recently unearthed recordings, trumpeter and St. Louis native
Clark Terry's episode of the NPR program "Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz" recently was
posted online. Terry also is
one of several jazz legends interviewed for the Visionary Project, an archive of African American oral history. You can check out Terry's interview
here.
* Updating the world via his
Twitter feed, saxophonist and former St. Louisan
Oliver Lake writes that he recently went to Belgium with the
World Saxophone Quartet and percussion group
M'boom to play the Middelheim Jazz Festival; did a week at NYC's Birdland with
Trio 3 and pianist
Geri Allen; and is set to play the Jazz Standard this week with his Organ Quartet, featuring
Jared Gold.
* Another Oliver - the late composer, alto saxophonist and St. Louisan
Oliver Nelson - recently was the subject of
a post on Doug Ramsey's blog Rifftides.
* Remember that
Greg Osby live NPR broadcast from the Village Vanguard we told you about
here? The saxophonist, composer and St. Louis native's gig also was reviewed by the
New York Times'
Nate Chinen here, and has been archived for online streaming and downloading
here.
* A section of West 139th St at Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem has been renamed "
John Hicks Way" in honor of the late jazz pianist and former St. Louisan. WBGO’s
Josh Jackson reports on the renaming
here, and there's a photo of the new street sign bearing Hicks' name
here.
* Saxophonist
Chris Cheek has a new CD,
Jugendstil II, recorded for ESP Disk in collaboration with the venerable sax master
Lee Konitz and bassist
Stephane Furic Leibovici. Here's a
review of the album written for AllAboutJazz.com by
Raul d'Gama Rose.
* Turning to news of coming attractions, pianist
Vijay Iyer has a new CD,
Solo, that's attracting lots of interest after the success of his previous release
Historicity. AllAboutJazz.com already has up three reviews of the disc: one
here written by
Bruce Lindsay,
here by
Lyn Horton, and
here by
Chris May. Meanwhile, About.com's
Jacob Teichrow has a review of the new Iyer disc
here, and the pianist is interviewed for a feature about the release by the
Los Angeles Times'
Chris Barton here. Iyer will return to St. Louis to play with trumpeter
Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet in November at the 560 Music Center under the auspices of
New Music Circle.
*
Dave Brubeck celebrated his 90th birthday a bit early this month at the Newport Jazz Festival. Brubeck is scheduled to come back here in October to perform at the
Sheldon Concert Hall as part of the
American Arts Experience -St. Louis festival.
* In other Newport-related news, pianist
Hiromi's performance is documented
here by NPR's "Jazz Set," and the network's recording of the
Preservation Hall Jazz Band's concert at the parallel Folk Festival can be heard
here. Hiromi will play with bassist
Stanley Clarke in February at
Jazz at the Bistro, while the PHJB's tour with the
Del McCoury Band comes here in October to the Family Arena in St. Charles.
* After his recent hospitalization in France, singer
Al Jarreau resumed his European tour. Jarreau said on his website he
expects to complete the rest of the European tour and fulfill other concert commitments in the United States, Japan and elsewhere after doctors in Marseille successfully treated him for arrhythmia, or heart palpitations. Jarreau is scheduled to perform in February at the
Touhill Performing Arts Center under the auspices of
Jazz St. Louis.
* Apparently, tenor saxophonist
Wilton Felder is the
Jazz Crusader having health challenges that have forced the
postponement of the group's St. Louis appearance, originally scheduled for next month at the Touhill. Interestingly, Felder was
replaced on the band's date in Long Beach by
Euge Groove, who was just here last weekend at the
Pageant.
* Speaking of
Groove, he's
just released Groove On This, a new "interactive album" on data DVD. The recording is designed to be listened to and played with on something called the Beamz Player Interactive Music System, which allows listeners to remix songs in real time, among other things.
* In more news of recent visitors, saxophonist
Boney James, who played the
Bottleneck Blues Bar last month, is still
glad to be back on stage touring after a serious auto accident and dental surgery sidelined him for several weeks earlier this year.
* Signer and pianist
Harry Connick Jr, who played here in June at the
Fox Theatre,
recently brought his big band to the Hollywood Bowl.
* In other miscellaneous news from around the jazz internet,
The Bad Plus' pianist
Ethan Iverson recently "rebooted" his widely read blog
Do The Math; Argentine pianist
Esteban Sehinkman has
posted online a free
"real book" of compositions by Argentine jazz musicians; and photographer
William Gottlieb's jazz photos in the Library of Congress have just entered the public domain.
* Finally, condolences to the family, friends and fans of Kansas City saxophonist and jazz-scene elder statesman
Ahmad Alaadeen, who recently died after a battle with cancer.
Plastic Sax's
Bill Brownlee penned a nice tribute to Alaadeen for the
Kansas City Star, which you can read online
here.
