So What: Local News, Notes & Links

* Trumpeter Ray Vega, in town this week to play at Jazz at the Bistro, appeared yesterday on KPLR's afternoon news broadcast. You can see the video here; Vega continues at the Bistro through Saturday.

* Writing for the Post-Dispatch, Terry Perkins interviewed trumpeter Chris Botti (pictured) about his sold-out concert with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra on Saturday.

* Perkins also has a piece online at the St. Louis Beacon previewing Saturday's performance by Quincy Troupe, Kelvyn Bell and Hamiet Bluiett for the Nu-Art Series at the Metropolitan Gallery.

* Back at the Post, pop music critic Kevin Johnson reviewed last week's concert by Al Jarreau at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

* As mentioned here last November, Jazz St. Louis is a winner of one of the 2011 Arts Awards from the Missouri Arts Council. JSL was honored in the category of "Arts Organization," along with this year's other recipients, in a ceremony this week at the state Capitol in Jefferson City. The awards recognize "individuals and organizations that have made profound and lasting contributions to the cultural and artistic climate of the state."

* Lastly, we direct your attention to this editorial published this week by the Post-Dispatch about radio station WSIE and jazz radio in St. Louis. P-D editorial writer Eddie Roth, a jazz fan himself, interviewed yr. humble StLJN editor in conjunction with the piece, and I'm quoted briefly therein. More on this subject in a future post...

Jazz this week: Ray Vega, Chris Botti, "SoundArt" with Troupe, Bell & Bluiett, Craig Pomranz, Todd Clouser, and more

This week's noteworthy jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis include visits from two traveling trumpeters, and two shows featuring St. Louis expats coming home. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, trumpet player Ray Vega (pictured) brings his Latin jazz-meets-hard bop quintet to town to open a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro, continuing through Saturday. For more about Vega and some video clips of him in action, see this post from last week.

On Thursday evening, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present a free concert from the St. Louis Jazz X-Tet, with saxophonist David Stone and vibraphonist Peter Schlamb. The concert is co-sponsored by campus radio station KWUR as part of KWUR Week.

On Friday, actor, singer and St. Louis native Craig Pomranz returns home from NYC to open a two-night stand of his cabaret show at the Kranzberg Arts Center under the auspices of the Presenters Dolan. Directed by Ron Cohen with musical direction from Stephen Bocchino, the performance includes a range of material, from Mel Brooks and Ronny Graham to Rodgers and Hart and Cole Porter. For more about Pomranz, see this feature article written by Alisha Alexander for the Vital Voice.

Also on Friday, singer Crystal Haywood, profiled last week here by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson, will do a Billie Holiday tribute at Robbie's House of Jazz. .

On Saturday afternoon, poet Quincy Troupe and guitarist Kelvyn Bell, who both grew up in the St. Louis area, will be back home to perform with special guest saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett in a show called "SoundArt," presented by the Nu-Art Series at the Metropolitan Gallery. The St. Louis American's Chris King interviewed Troupe about the gig for a story published in last week's paper, and it's still available online here.

Saturday also is the date for the annual Southwestern Illinois College Jazz Festival, which starts at 9:00 a.m. and continues into the evening at the Main Complex Theatre on SWIC's Belleville campus, 2500 Carlyle Ave. in Belleville. In the morning, jazz bands from area schools will perform and get critiqued. After lunch, saxophonist and noted jazz educator Ron Cart of Northwestern Illinois University will present a master class, followed by more student performances and critiques. Then at 7:00 p.m., Carter will perform a concert with the SWIC Jazz Band and a combo featuring Reggie Thomas (piano), Anthony Wiggins (trumpet), Nick Jost (bass) and Marty Morrison (drums). All events are free and open to the public.

On Saturday night, trumpeter Chris Botti returns to St. Louis to make his debut with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra at Powell Symphony Hall. The show was heavily promoted, with tickets offered as a pledge premium, by local PBS affiliate KETC, and that, plus Botti's baseline popularity, equals a show that sold out a good while ago. However, the Symphony may have some standing room tickets for sale; call 314-534-1700 for information.

That same night, guitarist Brian Vaccaro's trio, with keyboard player Nick Schlueter and drummer Kyle Hunnicutt, will play at Robbie's.

On Sunday evening, bassist Darrell Mixon's trio will play at Second Baptist Church in Richmond Heights for the St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers series; and pianist Kim Portnoy and his trio, with clarinetist Scott Alberici as special guest, will perform in a concert at Eliot Chapel in Kirkwood.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday night guitarist Todd Clouser and his band A Love Electric will make a tour stop at the downtown bar/restaurant Lola. For a bit more about Clouser, who comes from Minneapolis by way of Mexico, see this post.

And for more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, 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 2/16/11 to add info about the SWIC Jazz Festival and fix the date for Chris Botti.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Four from Ray Vega

This week, we've got some video clips featuring trumpet player Ray Vega, who will be in St. Louis next week to play Wednesday, February 16 through Saturday, February 19 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Vega grew up in the South Bronx, and has an extensive resume as a gigging musician in NYC playing both salsa and jazz. He's worked with top Latin performers including Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, Mario Bauza and many others, as well with more jazz-oriented big bands including Lionel Hampton, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Chico O’Farrill's Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, and the Lincoln Center Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.

He made his solo debut in 1996 with a self-titled album for the Concord label, and since has released four more CDs as a leader. Vega's most recent recording is East-West Trumpet Summit, a collaboration with Seattle trumpeter Thomas Marriott that came out last summer on Origin Records. He also recently has worked with the composer Osvaldo Golijov, performing first and solo trumpet in his critically acclaimed orchestral piece "La Pasion Segun San Marco".

In addition to performing and recording, Vega is a senior lecturer at the University of Vermont, where he coaches jazz combos and teaches trumpet and jazz history. His band for the gig at the Bistro will feature pianist Zaccai Curtis, bassist Andy Eulau, percussionist Chembo Corniel and drummer Diego Lopez.

Today's first clip is from 2008, and shows Vega in a performance at the Black Note Jazz Club in Adelaide, South Australia. Down below are two performances from the Bern Jazz Festival, each split into two parts due to YouTube's restrictions. Last but not least, we see Vega with some of his university students, playing at a club in Burlington, VT. Check them out for a taste of Vega's Latin-jazz-meets-hard-bop style.