Notes from the Net: Miles Davis reissued on vinyl, Duke Ellington Day in NYC, plus news, reviews, interviews, and more

Here's this week's 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:

* Four classic Miles Davis albums - Sketches Of Spain, In A Silent Way, Nefertiti, and Bitches Brew - have been newly reissued on 180 gram vinyl LPs. (And on a related note, via AllAboutJazz.com, here's an interesting piece from the Los Angeles Times about the continuing demand for music on vinyl.)

In other Miles-related news, composer/pianist Robert Irving III will present the world premiere of "Sketches of Brazil," an orchestral homage to his mentors Davis and Gil Evans, in August at Chicago's Millennium Park. The piece will feature trumpeter Wallace Roney, guitarist Toninho Horta and percussionist Dede Sampaio, and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the recording of Sketches of Spain, which was arranged by Evans. Irving recorded and performed with Davis during the trumpeter's comeback in the early 1980s.

* Saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake has a new CD with the group Trio 3, which also includes bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. Berne Concert features a guest appearance by pianist Irene Schweitzer, and gets a rave here from reviewer John Sharpe for AAJ.com: "Almost without anyone noticing, Trio 3 has become one of the great working bands in jazz...Trio 3 is sure to find new fans with Berne Concert: not a single track on this outstanding disc is less than stellar."

* Turning to news of coming attractions, saxophonist Kirk Whalum will join forces with pianist Cyrus Chestnut and students from the Stax Music Academy for "SOULed on Jazz!" on May 9 at the Germantown Performing Arts Center in Memphis. Whalum is artist-in-residence at the Stax academy, and he'll be in St. Louis twice this summer - in June to perform with his uncle, Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum, at the History Museum, and in July with saxophonist Gerald Albright when their "Sax for Stax" tour comes to Ameristar Casino St. Charles' Bottleneck Blues Bar.

* Next up, we've got a bunch of links related to recent visitors to St. Louis, starting with another review of trumpeter Sean Jones' new CD The Search Within, penned for Blogcritics.com by the writer pseudonymously known as "The Big Geez": "Sean Jones has followed a successful recipe for his fifth album...Solid compositions in a collection that skillfully blends his own outstanding play with that of his talented cohorts — a winning combination." Jones played in St. Louis at Jazz at the Bistro the week before last.

* Jam/funk organ trio Medeski Martin & Wood, who were in St. Louis the same weekend as Jones to play the Loyal Earth Festival, have a new CD called Radiolarians II. It's reviewed here by Doug Collette for AAJ.com - "Notwithstanding the noir ambience of the closing cut, a piano jazz trio reading of "Baby Let Me Follow You Down," Radiolarians II assaults more than it insinuates" - and here by Bryan Castleberry for JamsBio: "Yes, this is Medeski, Martin & Wood, baffling the listener with their inimitable skill at melding genres and making it all sound so perfectly cool you expect Samuel L. Jackson to speak through your ear buds." Keyboardist John Medeski also has a new CD with trumpeter Steven Bernstein's band Sex Mob.

* Singer Rachael Price, who played the Sheldon Concert Hall in March, was interviewed here before a recent gig in Lodi, CA.

* The Bad Plus, the first musicians to play the Bistro in 2009, and singer Wendy Lewis, who's featured on their new CD For All I Care, were back home in the Twin Cities this past weekend. They also recently did an interview and brief performance for National Public Radio, available via online stream here.

* Pianist Dave Brubeck has had to cancel several more concert appearances while he recovers from a recent viral infection. Brubeck, who is 88, is under a doctor’s orders to not travel until the end of May, but is expected to resume touring following his recovery. Brubeck played the Sheldon last fall.

* Last but not least, by decree of the mayor, this Wednesday, April 29, is Duke Ellington Day in New York City. The event celebrates the 110th anniversary of the birth of Ellington (pictured), and will include speeches by his grandchildren and a special run of the last surviving 1939 'A' Train. At 10:00 a.m. that day, Duke's grandson Paul Ellington and the Duke Ellington Orchestra will perform their signature song "Take The A Train" on the mezzanine at 125th Street and St. Nicholas, and then board and perform on the historic train as it travels out on regular service. The Ellington Orchestra appeared in St. Louis earlier this year at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

(Edited 4/27/09 to add tags.)

Jazz this week: Victor Wooten, Rachael Price, Funky Butt Brass Band, and more

There's plenty of interesting stuff on tap for jazz fans in St. Louis over the next few days, including visits from two touring musicians and a couple of free concerts featuring two of the area's talented jazz pianists.

The first of those free shows is tonight, when keyboard player Adaron "Pops" Jackson performs in a free concert at the newly renovated Soulard Preservation Hall as part of Jazz St. Louis' Whitaker Community Concerts series. Jackson, who also plays with Good 4 The Soul, and members of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra will perform the music of legendary alto saxophonist and bebop progenitor Charlie Parker.

On Friday, bass virtuoso Victor Wooten, best known for his work with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, takes the stage at The Pageant. In general, Wooten's solo projects seems to be a bit more funk-oriented than the Flecktones, but the bassist also displays a similarly wide range of musical influences, and of course, he's got the sort of chops that bring out the guitar-magazine-reading, bass-fanboy contingent in droves. Depending on your point of view, this may or may not be a good thing, but there's no doubt Wooten can flat out play.

Also on Friday, the Funky Butt Brass Band opens a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. The six-member group draws on jazz, funk and the New Orleans brass band tradition, mixing in some unexpected song choices and interpretations of their own. After a busy Mardi Gras season, they should be well-lubricated for their debut appearance at the Bistro.

On Saturday, singer Rachael Price (pictured) performs at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The 23-year-old Price, born in Australia and raised in Nashville, is considered by some critics to be one of the more promising new female jazz vocalists of the last few years. For example, writing in the Los Angeles Times, the respected veteran jazz critic and producer Don Heckman said that "she is clearly a talent with extraordinary potential."

However, from what (admittedly little) I've seen and heard of her so far, Price still seems a little green to be a major headliner, a talented youngster trying a bit too hard to mimic the sound and persona of an older, wiser and more world-weary woman. For my money, she sounds most natural on the country/jazz/bluegrass recording she made with the group The Tennessee Terraplanes, but Price seems determined to try to be another Ella Fitzgerald or Nancy Wilson.

As is always the case in such subjective matters, your mileage may vary, and I suppose if nothing else, it's good that the Sheldon is taking a chance on a new talent. (Price fans, if you're out there, please feel free to try to turn me around by pointing me to any online audio or video that showcases her jazz singing in a better light. )

On Sunday, there's another free concert, featuring the Ptah Williams Trio with singer Marsha Evans at Second Baptist Church in Richmond Heights as part of the church's St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers series. Williams' combination of harmonic sophistication and sheer pianistic force is always impressive, and it should be fun to hear Evans, a shrewd and gutsy singer and entertainer who's usually heard around town singing blues, soul and R&B with her own group, the Marsha Evans Coalition, go to work on some jazz material.

As always, these are just a few of the highlights happening around St. Louis over the next few days; to see listing for more jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit 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.)

Sheldon offering "Choose Your Own" subscriptions

The Sheldon Concert Hall is offering ticket buyers a "Choose Your Own" subscription plan for the 2008-09 season. Concert goers who purchase tickets for three or more concerts from the Sheldon's jazz, folk or classical series will get a 5% discount off single ticket prices plus "Preferred Seating and Great Subscriber Benefits!"

The Sheldon's jazz series for 2008-09 will include concerts by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Paula West, the Dave Holland Quintet, the John Jorgenson Quintet, and Rachael Price.

The "Choose Your Own" subscriptions will go on sale by phone at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, June 24; call 314-533-9900 to order. Online sales begin Wednesday, June 25 at www.thesheldon.org.

Sheldon Concert Hall announces 2008-09 season

The Sheldon Concert Hall has announced its season schedule for 2008-09. The hall's five-concert jazz series will include performances by legendary pianist and composer Dave Brubeck (pictured) and his Quartet (October 4) and acclaimed bassist Dave Holland's Quintet (January 24) as well as guitarist John Jorgenson and band doing a tribute to Django Reinhardt (April 18) and shows featuring singers Paula West (November 22) and Rachael Price (March 14).

Local jazz performers are featured prominently in the Sheldon's series of 10 a.m. "Coffee Concerts." Jean Kittrell and Red Lehr with the Old St. Louis Levee Band will kick off that series on October 27 and 28, followed by Swing Set on December 9 and 10, Mardra and Reggie Thomas doing a Mardi Gras-themed program on February 23 and 24, and traditional jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey on April 29 and 30. And of course, other St. Louis jazz performers can be expected to show up in the "Notes From Home" schedule as those concerts are announced throughout the year.

So, what's the takeaway on this lineup? Well, word of the Holland and Jorgenson shows had already leaked via the online tour information service Pollstar, and Brubeck is making a return visit to the Sheldon after appearing in the jazz series a few years back and again at the hall's 2007 benefit gala. Although all three have played St. Louis in recent years, all would seem to be good bets to deliver satisfying performances. I'm especially glad to see Holland on the schedule, as his group continues to be one of the very best small ensembles in jazz, and Brubeck, a genuine innovator who at age 87 can't have too many more years of touring left, is always welcome. Jorgenson, though not a big name, is a first-rate picker who's made Reinhardt's music an ongoing project, and if you dig that style of playing, he delivers the goods.

West also has performed in St. Louis recently, appearing at the Cabaret at Savor earlier this year. I've gotten divergent reports from a couple of people I trust who heard her then - one favorable and one not so favorable - but West certainly has gotten many good reviews for performances elsewhere. The sole local debut performance in the jazz series will be from Price, a 22-year-old who's just now getting out of the New England Conservatory of Music but has attracted some good notices in the press based on a handful of relatively high-profile festival appearances and work with drummer T.S. Monk's band.

I'm all in favor of the presentation and promotion of new talent, and maybe this is just a manifestation of my deep skepticism of most of the current glut of female singers, but what I've seen and heard about Price so far seems suspiciously like press-agent hype of the sort associated in recent years with the pleasant but ultimately forgettable Jane Monheit. In any event, two singers in a five-concert series is one too many; I would much rather have seen one of those slots devoted to another, more challenging instrumental performer or band that we haven't heard before in St. Louis.

If recent seasons are any guide, it's likely that the Sheldon will add another jazz concert or two to next year's lineup along the way, slotted into the schedule as a non-subscription show. However, unless they're able to snag a really major performer - someone on the order of Sonny Rollins or Ornette Coleman, who hasn't played St. Louis either for a long while, or at all - it won't be quite enough to offset the shortcomings of a schedule that seems less ambitious than it ought to be.

While the need to sell tickets is both understandable and indisputable, a major not-for-profit presenter gets held to a high standard. Unlike commercial, for-profit concert promoters, they have a certain obligation to educate, challenge and lead their audiences, not pander to them. The Sheldon remains a very fine place to hear a concert, with excellent acoustics and sightlines and a very capable, professional production staff led by veteran operations director and all-around-good-guy Dale Benz. I don't want to be too harsh here, because overall the Sheldon obviously is a major asset to the St. Louis music community. But for the sake of St. Louis' jazz fans, I wish their booking policy showed just a bit more vision and, dare I say it, guts.