Sunday Session: September 27, 2020

John McLaughlin

Here's this week's roundup of various music-related items of interest:

* CTI Records: Ten Tasty Albums With No Added Sugar (Almost) (AllAboutJazz.com)
* Alexis Cole: Teaching & Learning (Jazz Times)
* Funk Legend Steve Arrington Celebrates a Long Career with “Down to The Lowest Terms” (Bandcamp.com)
* Albert Murray Talking Modernism, Race, and Jazz (Hyperallergic.com)
* Third of British musicians may quit industry amid pandemic (The Guardian)
* Rediscovering The Enormous Social And Spiritual Legacy Of Black Jazz Records (NPR)
* When Front Page Challenge met Ella Fitzgerald (CBC)
* Regina Carter’s Extraordinary Career Continues to Evolve (San Francisco Classical Voice)
* 12 synths that could have been classics, but weren’t (MusicRadar.com)
* Punch the 'Clockface': Elvis Costello On Making Albums In a Streaming World (Billboard)
* Paul Desmond and the Canadians (JazzHistoryOnline.com)
* Asynchronous Ensembles Come Out Swinging (DownBeat)
* Five Decades On, An Eclectic Church Preaches The Message Of John Coltrane (NPR)
* The Beat of Her Own Drum (TheLAndMag.com)
* John McLaughlin: Where The Muse Leads (AllAboutJazz.com)
* The Band’s Robbie Robertson: “If there was anything wrong with ‘The Last Waltz’ it was that the cocaine wasn’t very good” (NME.com)
* We’ve Got A File On You: Thurston Moore (Stereogum.com)
* Sound Territory: The Genius of Ornette Coleman (Los Angeles Review of Books)
* Congress Is Killing Independent Music Venues (Vice.com)
* Spike Lee Brings David Byrne’s American Utopia to the Big Screen (American Songwriter)
* Rishi Sunak's winter economy plan will silence the UK music scene (The Guardian)
* Documentary Tracks Charters ‘Searching for Secret Heroes’ of Blues Music (UConn.edu)

Jazz St. Louis sets 25th anniversary celebration for Friday, October 2

Jazz St. Louis will celebrate their 25th anniversary with a free online event on Friday, October 2.

From its origins as the "Just Jazz" concert series presented by the late Barbara Rose at the Majestic Hotel downtown, Jazz St. Louis has grown into a top presenter of touring and local jazz performers with its own venue in the Grand Center district, renovated in 2014 and now officially known as the Ferring Jazz Bistro.

In addition to presenting live performances, the organization also offers various educational programs for local students from ranging from pre-school to high school age.

The 25th anniversary celebration will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a "pre-event concert" featuring students in the organization's JazzU program.

Then starting at 7:00 p.m., Jazz St. Louis CEO Gene Dobbs Bradford and pianist Peter Martin will serve as hosts for the main event, which will include performances by violinist Regina Carter (pictured), The Bad Plus, singer and pianist Ann Hampton Callaway, and more.

To wrap up the evening, singer Denise Thimes will perform an "after-party" set at 8:00 p.m.

Jazz St. Louis' 25th anniversary celebration will be available for viewing for free via their Facebook page. You can find out more details about the celebration here, and RSVP to receive a reminder email about the event here.

Sunday Session: February 2. 2020

Kris Davis

Here's this week's roundup of various music-related items of interest:

* Underground Railroad: A Conductor And Passengers Documented In Music (NPR)
* Kandace Springs Honors History and Personal Growth on ‘The Women Who Raised Me’ (DownBeat)
* The Flute of Shame: Discover the Instrument/Device Used to Publicly Humiliate Bad Musicians During the Medieval Period (OpenCulture.com)
* Pete Brown: White Rooms & Imaginary Westerns, Part 2 (AllAboutJazz.com)
* Best Music Arrangers: 20 Artists You’ve Heard But Not Seen (UDiscoverMusic.com)
* Chick Corea, Brad Mehldau, Esperanza Spalding Among the Winners at 62nd Grammy Awards (WBGO)
* Bob Porter's Portraits In Soul Jazz (IndianaPublicMedia.org)
* UK industry reacts to venues business rates cut (IQ-Mag.net)
* Don’t leave jazz to the jazz guys (TheOutline.com)
* The Unsung Black Musician Who Changed Country Music (Narratively.com)
* Nightmares on wax: the environmental impact of the vinyl revival (The Guardian)
* In conversation: When Elvis Costello met Tom Waits (FarOutMagazine.co.uk)
* Violinist Regina Carter in full swing for the Charleston Jazz Festival (Charleston Post and Courier)
* Jeff Parker’s Shifting Mentality (DownBeat)
* Singing Songs to Fix the World: A Q&A with Mavis Staples (SFJAZZ.org)
* Eight Artists Fusing Traditional Arabic Music With Jazz (Bandcamp.com)
* Gordon Goodwin’s Total Devotion (DownBeat)
* From Skepta’s dystopia to Travis Scott’s fairground: are immersive shows the future of live music? (The Guardian)
* BMG responds to artist streaming revolt in Germany: ‘It is time for record companies to change.’ (MusicBusinessWorldwide.com)
* ‘Always finding nice things in a tragic situation’ - Robert Wyatt at 75 (MorningStarOnline.co.uk)
* Innovation is Kris Davis’ Motivation (DownBeat)
* Watch the Residents Perform ‘God in Three Persons’ Live for the First Time (Rolling Stone)
* Rachmaninov is the most innovative composer in 200 years, researchers reveal (ClassicFM.com)
* ‘Are you sure it’s Sun Ra?’: Rare recording by the Philly jazz giant at Haverford College finally sees the light of day (Philadelphia Inquirer)
* How a lost recording became a Philadelphia soul classic (PBS)
* Swinging Modern Sounds #101: A Really Big Band (TheRumpus.net)
* An update to a 37-year-old digital protocol could profoundly change the way music sounds (QZ.com)
* Kris Davis: Ribbons in Rhythm (Jazz Times)
* The electronic genius of Karlheinz Stockhausen (HappyMag.tv)
* Bedroom Music Wars (UndergroundPress.co.za)

Jazz this week: Regina Carter & Xavier Davis, Nevermore Jazz Ball, Mwenso & the Shakes, Greg Ward & Rogue Parade, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music includes the biggest local event of the year for swing dancers, plus the return of an internationally acclaimed, poll-winning instrumentalist; a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance; a visit from a provocative Chicago saxophonist; and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, November 6
Violinist Regina Carter and pianist Xavier Davis (pictured, top left) will perform for the first of five nights at Jazz St. Louis.

Considered by many to be the top jazz violinist currently working, and the winner (again) on her instrument in this year's DownBeat Critic's Poll, Carter has performed here several times with different ensembles in recent years. This week, she'll be in a intimate duo setting with Davis, who's been the pianist in her working group for the last couple of years. For more about Carter and some recent video samples of her playing, take a look at this post from Saturday before last.

Also in Grand Center, the free, weekly "Wednesday Night Jazz Crawl" features multi-instrumentalist T.J. Muller at The Stage at KDHX, the jam session hosted by bassist Bob DeBoo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Danny Campbell's Helios at the The Dark Room.

Thursday, November 7
The weekend-long swing dancing festival Nevermore Jazz Ball gets underway with a "Welcome Dance" featuring music by Miss Jubilee at 2720 Cherokee

Also on Thursday, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a free concert from Vehachi, with guitarist Vincent Varvel, saxophonist Joel Vanderheyden and percussionist Joe Pastor; keyboardist Ryan Marquez brings his trio to Evangeline's, and singer Meghan Kirk performs her cabaret show "Speaking Of Dreams" at Blue Strawberry.

Friday, November 8
The Nevermore Jazz Ball continues with a dance featuring pianist Paul Asaro’s Chicago Rhythm at the Casa Loma Ballroom, plus an after-hours show by the Chicago Cellar Boys at the Link Auditorium.

Elsewhere around town, Mark Deutsch brings his invented instrument, the Bazantar, to The Judson House, and Annie and the Fur Trappers play traditional jazz and swing at the Frisco Barroom.

Saturday, November 9
The Nevermore Jazz Ball has a triple-header of events on Saturday, starting with the free Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl, which offers live music from late morning to early evening at various venues along Cherokee Street (roughly, from the 2700 block west to the 3000 block).

Then, the Saturday evening dance will feature bassist Michael Gamble’s Rhythm Serenaders Orchestra at the Casa Loma Ballroom, followed by another after-hours event with Jonathan Stout’s Campus Six at the Link Auditorium.

Also on Saturday, Mwenso and the Shakes (pictured, center left) present their show "Harlem 100" at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

The multi-media performance from the NYC-based ensemble celebrates the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance, evoking memories of icons including Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, and Billie Holiday. You can see some videos of Mwenso and the Shakes in this post from last Saturday, and they also were featured on this week's episode of NPR's World Cafe.

For those needing an additional incentive, The Sheldon and Metrotix are offering a $10 discount to online buyers on tickets for Mwenso and the Shakes. To get the discount, go here and when prompted, enter the code "10OFF" (without the quotation marks).

Sunday, 
November 10
Chicago saxophonist Greg Ward (pictured, bottom left) and Rogue Parade, which also includes bassist Matt Ulery, drummer Quinn Kirchner, and guitarists Matt Gold and Dave Miller, will perform at Gaslight Studios.

Their debut album Stomping Off From Greenwood, released in January of this year, was called "a blend of fearlessness, merriment, pathos, and perhaps a measure or two of irony" by Jazz Times.

Also on Sunday evening, the Nevermore Jazz Ball wraps up with one last event featuring Michael Gamble’s Rhythm Serenaders at 2720 Cherokee.

Monday, November 11
Dizzy Atmosphere plays for diners at The Shaved Duck, and Webster University's Student Jazz Combos will perform at Webster's Community Music School.

Tuesday, November 12
Keyboardist and singer Jesse Gannon returns to BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Violin virtuosity from Regina Carter

Today, it's time for a look at some videos featuring violinist Regina Carter, who will be back in St. Louis to perform starting Wednesday, November 6 through Sunday, November 10 at Jazz St. Louis.

Generally acclaimed as the top jazz violinist of her generation, Carter has performed at major venues around the world, released 10 albums as a leader, and been the recipient of numerous honors, including a MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant" in 2006 and the Doris Duke Award in 2018.

The Detroit native has been a regular visitor to St. Louis in recent years, most recently in October 2018 to headline a benefit concert for Community Women Against Hardship at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Another of her previous gigs, in 2015 at Jazz St. Louis with her "Southern Comfort" band, was previewed here at the time with a Saturday video post and you can check out that post for more background on her.

On this visit, Carter will be playing in a duo with pianist Xavier Davis, who's been part of her band for the last couple of years, starting not long before her Ella Fitzgerald tribute Accentuate The Positive was released in 2017.

Today's collection of recent performances featuring Carter starts with the two of them, along with the rest of Carter's band, in the first clip up above, an audience-shot excerpt from a show they did in April of this year at Stony Brook University in New York.

After the jump, you can see an excerpt from Carter's guest performance with pianist Chucho Valdez in a concert this past June at Prospect Park in Brooklyn NY.

That's followed by a couple of duets with bassist Robert Hurst, "Strung Out" and "R&R," recorded a couple of years ago for NPR's "Night Owl" feature and released in January 2019.

Then in the next clip, Carter dips into an almost jazz-fusion sound on "Lapis Refugii" with the AMC Trio, a Slovak group led by pianist Peter Adamovič.

Last but not least, the final video is an interview of Carter by fellow violinist Christian Howe, recorded in August, 2018.

For more about Regina Carter, read the excerpt about her from Mark Stryker's book Jazz From Detroit published earlier this year, and these two interviews from January 2018 and August 2019.

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Sunday Session: May 5, 2019

Regina Carter

Here's this week's roundup of various music-related items of interest, drawn from StLJN's inboxes, newsfeeds, and assorted other sources:

* Wynton Marsalis on Bringing the Story of Jazz Originator Buddy Bolden to the Big Screen (Billboard)
* More Than 'Kind Of Blue': In 1959, A Few Albums Changed Jazz Forever (NPR)
* An Open Letter to Bill Frisell (ImmuneToBoredom.com)
* Violinist Regina Carter Searches For Roots, in an Excerpt of Mark Stryker's 'Jazz From Detroit' (WBGO)
* Ralph Alessi Reconvenes Ensemble for ‘Imaginary Friends’ (DownBeat)
* We untangle the many strings of North Philly poet, actor and activist Moor Mother (Philadelphia Weekly)
* Black Utopia: The Funkadelic Art of Pedro Bell (Afropunk.com)
* 13 Young Jazz Musicians Shaping The Future Of Jazz (UDiscoverMusic.com)
* Music Streaming Services Are Gaslighting Us (UseJournal.com)
* Playing Changes: Music And Conversation With Jazz Writer Nate Chinen (WFIU)
* Wynton Marsalis on 12 Essential Jazz Recordings (Rolling Stone)
* Herbie Hancock: 'I felt like I stood on the shoulders of giants and now it's my turn' (The Guardian)
* Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram Carries the Blues Forward (Nashville Scene)
* Interview: Dan Tepfer, the Musician Coding the Future of Concerts (CoolHunting.com)
* Field Notes From the Rock Critic Wars (Rolling Stone)
* In Melbourne and Sydney, International Jazz Day Explores Cultural Exchange (DownBeat)
* Machines Can Create Art, but Can They Jam? (Scientific American)
* How does music affect our emotions? Neuroscience may hold the key (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
* Louis Armstrong: nobody’s fool (Jazz Journal)
* Wayne Shorter, Linda May Han Oh Among 2019 JJA Jazz Awards Winners (Jazz Times)
* Good vibrations: I purified myself in a sound bath (TheOutline.com)
* The Birthplace Of Country Music's First Hit Is Being Threatened By Modern Construction (NPR)
* The Scott Joplin Memorial Concerts at St. Michael’s Cemetery (The Syncopated Times)

Jazz this week: Stefon Harris, Nevermore Jazz Ball, Quincy Troupe, Regina Carter, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features not one, but two DownBeat poll-winning musicians on their respective instruments - vibes and violin - plus the year's biggest local event for swing dancers, a spoken-word performance from a confidant of Miles Davis, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, October 31
Vibraphonist Stefon Harris and his band Blackout return for the first of five nights of performances at Jazz St. Louis.

Winner of this year's DownBeat Critic's Poll as "best vibraphonist," Harris (pictured, top left) is touring in support of his new album Sonic Creed, which his first release as a leader since 2009. For more about that, plus some videos of Harris performing, check out this post from last Saturday.

Thursday, November 1
The eighth annual Nevermore Jazz Ball, a weekend of swing dance events that attracts enthusiasts from all over the country, gets underway with a performance by the Arcadia Dance Orchestra at 2720 Cherokee. Though all-event passes for the weekend are sold out in advance, tickets for the individual events will be sold at the door pending availability.

Also on Thursday, guitarist Vincent Varvel, multi-instrumentalist William Lenihan, drummer Steve Davis and bassist Ric Vice will present a "Tribute to John Abercrombie" in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Elsewhere around town, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with singer Bob Gerchen's show "Joe Cocker: Never Forget" at the Gaslight Theater, and trumpeter Keith Moyer and his quartet return to The Dark Room.

Friday, November 2
The Nevermore Jazz Ball continues with Miss Jubilee performing at the Casa Loma Ballroom, followed by an after-hours event with music from Austin, TX-based clarinetist Jon Doyle's sextet at the South Broadway Athletic Club.

Also on Friday, poet, author and Miles Davis biographer Quincy Troupe (pictured, center left) will give a spoken-word performance with music from trumpeter George Sams' quartet at St. Louis University's Xavier Hall.

Elsewhere around town, singer and actress Carrie St. Louis performs for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival in the first of two nights at the Gaslight Theater; and keyboardist Jay Oliver's trio and Bach To The Future will share a double-bill at 50/Fifty Kitchen.

Saturday, November 3
Nevermore Jazz Ball continues with three events on Saturday, starting at noon with the "Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl," featuring free live music from more than a dozen bands and solo acts at various locations along Cherokee St. between Jefferson Ave and Nebraska Ave.

The NJB's Saturday evening dance then will feature music from Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders at Casa Loma Ballroom, followed by an after-hours event with the Emily Asher Band at the South Broadway Athletic Club.

Also on Saturday, jazz-fusion band Dreaming In Colour plays a late-afternoon show at BB's Jazz Blues & Soups

Sunday, 
November 4
The St. Louis Record Collector & CD Show presents their fall event at the American Czech Educational Center, while the Friends of Scott Joplin's monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" takes place at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

Also on Sunday afternoon, violinist Regina Carter (pictured, bottom left), another DownBeat poll winner, headlines a benefit concert for Community Women Against Hardship at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Elsewhere around town, the Nevermore Jazz Ball wraps up for 2018 with one final performance from Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders at the Boo Cat Club.

Monday, November 5
The Student Jazz Combos from Webster University perform at Webster's Community Music School.

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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's StLJN's latest wrap-up of assorted links and short news items of local interest:

* Two new releases of previously unheard live recordings helped guitarist and St. Louis native Grant Green make the cover (pictured) of the July/August 2018 issue of Jazz Times nearly 40 years after his death.

Though the article about Green isn't online (yet), the magazine is on sale now, and they're also conducting an online poll asking readers to name their favorite Grant Green album.

* St. Louis native Mark Colenburg is profiled in the August 2018 issue of Modern Drummer magazine.

* Colenburg also will be one of the featured clinicians at the Australia Ultimate Drummer's Weekend, held August 25 & 26 in Victoria, Australia.

* Singer Denise Thimes, who recently moved from St. Louis to Chicago, is the subject of a brief profile by the Chicago Tribune's Howard Reich. 

* Here's a review of trumpeter Keyon Harrold's performance at last weekend's Love Supreme festival in England.

* The Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis has posted to YouTube a video of a performance by violinist Regina Carter and pianist Peter Martin at the 2018 St. Louis Arts Awards.

* Bassist Darin Gray has collaborated with Japanese singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Eiko Ishibashi on a new album, Ichida, which will be released on Friday, July 20 by the Black Truffle label.

* St. Louis photographer Tiffany Sutton last week launched a crowd-funding campaign for "Black, Brown and Beige," a series of portraits inspired by the Duke Ellington suite of the same name. Her plans also include an exhibition of the photos with a choir performing Ellington's music for the exhibit's opening. Find out more and, if you wish, donate at the project's GoFundMe page.

Sunday Session: April 2, 2017

Regina Carter

Here are some interesting music-related items that have landed in StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* Streaming Music Services, From Most Screwed to Least Screwed (Gizmodo)
* Hardware Store With a Jazzy Past Prepares to End its 95-Year Run (WTTW)
* How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Music Making (Billboard)
* With a big benefactor, Detroit Jazz Festival aims to find other revenue sources (CrainsDetroit.com)
* Fragments of Louis Armstrong when he was on the cusp of greatness (New Orleans Times-Picayune/NOLA.com)
* How inner city apartment developments have killed Australian rock’n’roll (Domain.com.au)
* Here’s how technology is fueling the home-recording industry (DailyNews.com)
* Orrin Evans Among Headliners of Inaugural Philly Jazz Fest (DownBeat)
* Big Ears 2017: Where Jeff Tweedy Is Noise Star, Symphony Plays on Floor (Rolling Stone)
* Chick Corea Announces ‘The Musician’ Documentary Film & Live Album (Jambase.com)
* The Microscopic Septet - Pioneers Across Jazz Boundaries (PopMatters.com)
* Meet the encephalophone: An instrument you can play with your mind, just by thinking (Seattle Times)
* Carter Honors First Lady of Song with New Ella Tribute Album (DownBeat)
* Q&A with ‘I Called Him Morgan’ Filmmaker Kasper Collin (DownBeat)
* Jazz great Arthur Blythe, who grew up in San Diego, is dead at 76 (San Diego Union Tribune)
* Dizzy in the Daylight (New York Review of Books)
* Sculpting Sound: The Life of a Field Recordist (RedBullMusicAcademy.com)
* Rolling Stones Drummer Charlie Watts Plots New Big Band Record (Rolling Stone)
* Where Have All The Bob Seger Albums Gone? (NPR)
* Once We Listened to the Beatles. Now We Eat Beetles. (Bloomberg.com)
* When a record label gets into making cool, weird instruments (Create Digital Music)
* Big Ears Festival Embraces Jazz Experimentalism (DownBeat)
* Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah Talks Jazz as Protest Music, Trap Influence (Rolling Stone)
* The Poetry of Pop (The Paris Review)
* Monterey Jazz Festival Announces Lineup and Artists-in-Residence (Jazz Times)
* Q&A with Allan Holdsworth: “The Man Who Changed Guitar Forever” (DownBeat)
* Artificial Intelligence: Your New Best Friend? (ProSoundNetwork.com)
* Was Chuck Berry the lone genius he’s made out to be? (TheConversation.com)
* U.S. Music Industry Sees First Double Digit Growth in Almost 20 Years as Streaming Takes Over (Billboard)
* Never Mind Her Stellar Jazz Career, Young Ella Fitzgerald Just Wanted to Dance (Smithsonian)
* 7 Indie Labels On How Technology Has Changed Their World (Pitchfork)

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, Iva Bittová & Hamid Drake, and more

Wondering what's happening this week in live jazz and creative music in St. Louis?

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, January 18
Arguably the premier jazz violinist working today, Regina Carter (pictured, top left) opens a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Like many a conservatory trained musician, Carter (pictured) certainly has fluid technique, but what really sets her apart from other equally proficient players are her expressive abilities as an improvisor, her feeling for blues and swing, and a canny sense of curation when conceiving albums and live performances.

On this visit to the Bistro, she'll be "performing music celebrating the 100th birthday of the great Ella Fitzgerald," and no doubt will have some interesting and enjoyable interpretations of material from the singer's vast catalog.

Thursday, January 19
Pianist Ptah Williams and guitarist Eric Slaughter will play at The Dark Room.

Friday, January 20
New Music Circle presents their first show of 2017, featuring a duo performance by Czech violinist and singer Iva Bittová and Chicago-based percussionist Hamid Drake (pictured, bottom left) at Joe's Cafe.

Also on Friday, Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; singers Rick Jensen and Lina Koutrakos present their cabaret show "After All Those Love Songs" at the Kranzberg Arts Center; and SpaceShip will bring their jazz/fusion sound to Evangeline's.

Saturday, January 21
Live jazz starts in the daytime, as trumpeter Jim Manley will play at Evangeline's as part of their new live music policy for Saturday brunch, and saxophonist Jason Swagler will be the first local player featured in a new monthly series of free Saturday matinee concerts at Saxquest.

Then on Saturday evening, saxophonist Tim Cunningham returns to @Nesby's in Sunset Hills.

Monday, January 23
Guitarist Tom Byrne and his quartet will kick off this semester's series of jazz concerts at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium, and Dizzy Atmosphere will play swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck.

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.)

Music Education Monday: Learning jazz violin with Christian Howes, and more

Although there have been jazz violinists ever since the music began, formal jazz education programs in schools usually are set up to cater mostly to trumpets, trombones, saxophones and rhythm sections, leaving many aspiring string improvisors to forge their own musical paths.

Fortunately, there seem to be plenty of instructional materials available to help chart that pathway, both for purchase and for free online.

And since pointing out free music education resources available on the internet is the stated premise of Music Education Monday, today's installment spotlights a few useful videos and articles that are readily accessible to any violinist who wants to learn jazz:

* The well-known jazz violinist Christian Howes (pictured) offers lessons online and has written several books you can buy on how to play jazz violin, but he's also shared some materials for free on YouTube.

At the end of this post, you'll find embeds of five short video lessons by Howes, covering "How to play Jazz Violin"; "Blues for Jazz Violin"; "Improvisation for Beginning to Intermediate String Players"; "Arpeggios for Jazz Violin, Cello, and Viola"; and "How to use Modes on violin from Light to Dark".

* Jazz violinist Regina Carter was interviewed last year by the "string blog" ElbowMusic.com for two articles offering "some advice on exploring the genre."

* For more ideas about violin improvisation, check out the "how to" articles by Tracy Silverman of the Turtle Island String Quartet; UK violinist Chris Haigh; and violinist Martin Norgaard, an assistant professor at Georgia State University who's written ten jazz string method books for Mel Bay Publishing.

* For further reading, you can peruse "A Guide to Pedagogical Resources for Improvisation on Violin, Viola, Cello and Bass", a 101-page PDF put together by a doctoral of musical arts student that serves as a handy guide to the commercially available materials that are available for string players who want to learn jazz.

You can see the Christian Howes instructional videos after the jump...

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, Jeff Beck, STL Free Jazz Collective, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis is book-ended by two performers - perhaps the most famous living jazz violinist, and a legendary rock guitarist - who both have successfully stretched the boundaries of their respective musical genres.

In between, there are a number of noteworthy shows from local musicians in styles ranging from traditional jazz to free improv. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 13
Violinist Regina Carter returns to Jazz at the Bistro, opening a four-night engagement that continues through Saturday.

During this visit to St. Louis, Carter (pictured, top left) will be showcasing music from her 2014 album Southern Comfort, which presents her personal interpretations of folk, blues, country and roots music from the rural South. You can find out more about the project, and see videos of Carter performing several songs from the album, in this post from last Saturday.

Also tonight, singer Eve Seltzer fronts a trio at Nathalie's; and keyboardist Bob Werner and singer Ellen Martinez host a new "open mic" night at Shakers, which recently moved into the space formerly occupied by  Jazz on Broadway at 554 W. Broadway, in downtown Alton.

Thursday, May 14
Singer Tony Viviano pays tribute to the legacy of Bobby Darin at Patrick's Westport Grill; bassist Willem von Hombracht will team up with singer Arvell Keithley for a duo show at Thurman Grill; and trumpeter Jim Manley and guitarist Randy Bahr are now doing their duo gig at Momo's Greek Restaurant in U. City on Thursdays as well as Mondays.

Friday, May 15
The recently formed STL, A Free Jazz Collective will take the stage for their second-ever show at Tavern of Fine Arts.

Explicitly attempting to carry on the improvised music banner once raised by the historic Black Artists Group, the band (pictured, center left) features an intriguing assortment of musical personalities, including Jim Hegarty (piano, electronics), "Baba" Mike Nelson (trumpet, shells, miscellaneous instruments), Jerome "J. Dubs" Williams (alto sax), Paul Steinbeck (bass), and Gary Sykes (drums, percussion), topped off by the spoken word contributions of St. Louis poet laureate Michael Castro.

Elsewhere on Friday, veteran trumpeter Gary Dammer plays a rare public gig at Jacoby Arts Center; saxophonist Jay Hutson brings his R&B sound to Evangeline's; saxophonist Tim Cunningham will return to Troy's Jazz Gallery; the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and guitarist Vincent Varvel will perform in the intimate confines of the house concert venue KindaBlue.

Saturday, May 16
Guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran's Guerrilla Swing will play a kid-friendly "Musical Merry-Go-Round" matinee, sponsored by KDHX, at the Tick Tock Tavern, 3549 Magnolia.

Then on Saturday evening, trumpeter Kasimu Taylor leads a quintet in a Miles Davis birthday tribute show at the Kranzberg Arts Center; and Wack-A-Doo plays swing, hot jazz and Americana at Evangeline's

Sunday, May 17
St. Louis Jazz Club presents a matinee performance by the Union Dixie Jazz Band at Concord Farmers' Club.

Monday, May 18
 "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective are doing their regular gig at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups a week earlier that usual this month, as BB's will be closed for Memorial Day..

Tuesday, May 19
It's been 50 years since Jeff Beck (pictured, lower left) first came to public attention as the guitarist tapped to replace Eric Clapton in the British blues-rock band the Yardbirds, and 40 years since the all-instrumental album Blow by Blow showed the world that he was much more than just a stereotypical raving rocker.

Although there have been some periods of relative inactivity in the ensuing years, Beck's command of tone, touch and time remains distinctive and nearly unequaled, and so his show at the Fox Theatre should be a highlight of the year for fans of crafty electric guitar playing. As of this writing, there still are some tickets available, so if you've ever wanted to see Jeff Beck, now would seem to be the time

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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Regina Carter's Southern Comfort

Today, let's check out some videos featuring violinist Regina Carter, who will be back in St. Louis next week to play Wednesday, May 13 through Saturday, May 16 at Jazz at the Bistro. Carter will be performing music from her album Southern Comfort, which was released early in 2014, not long after the last time she played the Bistro, backed by a straight-ahead piano trio, in November 2013.

The Detroit native has said that Southern Comfort continues a process she began with 2010's Reverse Thread, which offered interpretations of African folk and roots music through a jazz lens. (Her Reverse Thread band played the Bistro in 2010, and you can see some videos of them here.)

This time, Carter began with folk music that her grandfather, a coal miner in Alabama, might have heard during his lifetime. She wound up recording a collection of songs that also included gospel, Cajun and even a Hank Williams tune, with an ensemble sound that evokes Americana, old-time country music, and bluegrass as much as jazz.

Carter talks a bit about her process in the "making of" promotional video for Southern Comfort that's embedded at the top of this post. Then after the jump, you can see her playing several songs from the album, backed by Will Holshouser (accordion), Marvin Sewell (guitar), Chris Lightcap (bass), and Alvester Garnett (drums).

The first concert video has performances of "Miner's Child" and Hank Williams' "Honky Tonkin'," both recorded last year at an outdoor concert in Italy. That's followed by a version of "See See Rider," from an appearance on radio station WNYC, and a performance of "I'm Going Home" from the Montreal Jazz Festival.

The final video is an extended interview with Carter, recorded last May before her set at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival in Vermont. For more about Carter and the Southern Comfort project, listen to her interviews recorded last year with WNYC's "SoundCheck" and NPR's "All Thing Considered."

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Winter/spring 2015 jazz preview, part 5

Today, it's the fifth and final part of StLJN's winter/spring 2015 jazz preview, offering a look at the touring bands and musicians who will be performing here during the first half of the year.

(Parts one through four can be found here, here, here, and here. And speaking of part four, last week in this space we were remiss in not mentioning tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, who will be performing with Freddy Cole from Wednesday, April 1 through Saturday, April 4 at Jazz at the Bistro. You can see and hear Allen in action in this post from before his last gig here with Cole in 2013.)

Resuming our preview chronology in mid-April, today's first video features singer Kurt Elling, who will be returning to St. Louis to perform Wednesday, April 15 through Saturday, April 18 at Jazz at the Bistro. Elling has been a frequent visitor here in recent years, appearing most recently in June of last year at the Sheldon. He's seen here in a full set from the 2013 Jazz TM Festival in Timișoara, Romania, accompanied by his former pianist and music director Laurence Hobgood, bassist Clark Sommers, guitarist John McLean and drummer Kendrick Scott.

After the jump, you can see a clip featuring guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli and singer Jane Monheit, who will be teaming up on Saturday, April 18 to play for the annual benefit gala for the Sheldon Concert Hall. This version of "They Can't Take that Away From Me" was recorded in 2006 for PBS' Legends Of Jazz program. (For more, read this review of Pizzarelli's show last November at the Bistro, and check out this video showcase post featuring Monheit that was posted before she played the club in May of last year.)

Next is pianist Benny Green, who will be leading his trio from Wednesday, April 29 through Saturday, May 2 at Jazz at the Bistro. This clip of Green playing "Taking a Chance on Love" with drummer Lewis Nash and bassist Christian McBride in 2013 at The Blue Note in New York City.

Today's fourth video features singer Cécile McLorin Salvant, one of the most talked-about new performers in jazz, who will be making her St. Louis debut on Saturday, May 2 at the Sheldon. She's seen here singing and playing Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz" in 2014 at the Victoires du Jazz festival in Paris.

A couple of weeks later, violinist Regina Carter and her Southern Comfort project will be here for performances from Wednesday, May 13 through Saturday, May 16 at Jazz at the Bistro. Carter and company are seen here playing "I'm Going Home" in April, 2014 in the studios of WNYC radio.

After that, you can see saxophonist Tim Berne's Snakeoil, who will perform in a concert presented by New Music Circle on Friday, May 18 at The Stage at KDHX. This video shows the second half of a Snakeoil set recorded in 2013 at Firehouse 12 in New Haven, Connecticut.

The next two clips featuring organist Dr. Lonnie Smith and guitarist Lionel Loueke, who will be paired for a series of shows starting Wednesday, May 27 through Saturday, May 30 at Jazz at the Bistro. Clip #7 shows Smith and his trio in 2011 at the Lamantin Jazz Festival in Szombathely, Hungary, while clip #8 captures a brief solo number by Loueke in 2014 at the Asheville Percussion Festival in North Carolina.

Today's final video features trumpeter Terence Blanchard with his latest project, E- Collective, performing "Oscar Groove" on October 23, 2014 at the Blue Note Milano. Blanchard, who spent a good chunk of 2013 here working with Opera Theatre St. Louis on the premiere of his opera Champion, will be back to play Wednesday, June 10 through Saturday, June 13 at Jazz at the Bistro.

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of assorted links and short local news items of interest:

* Clark Terry's blog has been updated with a new entry recounting his recent activities and acknowledging fund-raising efforts on his behalf.

The famed trumpeter and St. Louis native, who now resides in Pine Bluff, AR, will turn 93 tomorrow (Saturday, December 14). Fans and friends have been soliciting donations to help pay for the cost of Terry's nursing care so that he can continue to enjoy living in his own home. For more about that, please see this post.

* The Regional Arts Commission this week announced the winners of its first ten Artist Fellowships, which are worth $20,000 to each of the ten recipients. Pianist Peter Martin (pictured) was the only musician to win one of the fellowships; the other disciplines represented include dance, visual art, theater arts, literature, and media arts.

* Musica Slesa percussionist Matt Henry chatted with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson for a preview story about the band's gig this weekend at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Guitarist John Pizzarelli, who will be in St. Louis next week with his dad Bucky Pizzarelli to play at the Bistro, is the subject of an interview on St. Louis magazine's Look/Listen blog. For more Pizzarelli coverage, see this post from last week.

* When violinist Regina Carter was in St. Louis last month to play the Bistro, she also made a stop to perform for and visit with the patients at Children's Hospital, as recounted in this story written by Terry Perkins for the St. Louis Beacon. The Wash U medical center news site also has a report on Carter's visit, complete with video, here.

* Speaking of videos, saxophonist Oliver Lake has recorded four instructional clips for Jazz at Lincoln Center, which can be accessed from the JALC website here.

* The latest Miles Davis reissue, compiling the trumpeter's nine mono albums originally recorded for the Columbia label, was reviewed by The Daily Beast.

* An update published by the Miles Davis Memorial Project on the Alton area news website Riverbend.com says they'll hold another another community meeting in late January, with details TBA. The group also is planning a fundraising dinner for March 22 on the campus of Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey.

* Guitarist Todd Mosby recently has begun blogging about various musical topics, and you can read his thoughts on subjects ranging from 1960s soul house bands to the differences between "program music" and "absolute music" here. Mosby's latest musical project is Circle, which he describes as "a new music ensemble which performs contemporary compositional mix of rags and choice kirtan...(featuring) vocals, acoustic guitars, indian guitar, native flutes, harmonium and tabla." The group plays next at 7:00 p.m. this Saturday, December 14 at Yoga 6, 5724 Oakland Ave.

* Jazz radio update: WSIE (88.7 FM) will be conducting an on-air fund-raising drive this weekend, starting at 4:00 p.m. today and continuing through Sunday evening. Premiums for the station's supporters will include WSIE-branded items such as beverage tumblers and desk clocks, CDs from the St. Louis-based MAXJAZZ label, and Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock releases from the Legacy label.

Various guests from the local music scene also will be dropping in throughout the weekend to lend their support, including yr. humble StLJN editor. I'll be on the air for a few minutes around 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon, chatting about jazz in St. Louis and making what I hope will be a persuasive case for donations. 


Elsewhere on the radio dial, over at Radio Arts Foundation -St. Louis this Saturday's episode of Calvin Wilson's program “Somethin’ Else”  will feature "mostly solo piano, performed by artists including Chick Corea, Joe Sample and Thelonious Monk."

Right after that, Jason Church's "The Jazz Collective" will play holiday music from Wynton Marsalis, Mindi Abair, Joshua Redman, The Yellowjackets, Vince Guaraldi, Kirk Whalum and more, plus tracks from St. Louis musicians including Al Hammerman, Lynne Fiddmont, Dawn Weber and Erin Bode.

Wilson can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by Church at 9:00 p.m., via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2 and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen. 

Jazz this week: Regina Carter, a trio of big bands, a benefit for Tony Simmons, and more

This week's notable jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis include the return of the premier violinist in jazz; concerts by three different local big bands; and more. Let's go to the highlights...

The violinist in question is, as you might suspect,  Regina Carter, who opens a four-night engagement this evening continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Carter (pictured) was here last in 2010, touring with a band that included accordion and kora players in support of her album Reverse Thread, which featured compositions by musicians from Kenya, Mali, and Senegal. This time, she'll be accompanied by a more conventionally configured trio, including Xavier Davis on piano, Gayelynn McKinney on drums, and Jesse Murphy on bass, and presumably will be drawing on her repertoire of straight-ahead, swing and funk tunes as well. For more about Carter plus a video sample of her current band and some retrospective clips, please see this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Also tonight, Cabaret Project St. Louis presents their monthly Open Mic Night at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Tomorrow night, pianist Carolbeth True and her trio will play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and pianist/singer Jesse Gannon performs in a showcase at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

On Friday, pianist and Jazz St. Louis education director Phil Dunlap finally gets to bring his new quintet to the Saint Louis Art Museum, playing a free concert for their "Art After 5" series to make up for an outdoor show back in June that was canceled due to bad weather. In addition to Dunlap, the group features Danny Campbell (trumpet), Ben Reece (tenor sax), Jahmal Nichols (bass), and Montez Coleman (drums).

Also on Friday, singer and actress Liz Murphy will present the first of two performances of her cabaret show "The Best Is Yet To Come" at the Kranzberg Arts Center; Miss Jubilee performs at The Wine Press; bassist Darrell Mixon leads a trio at Cigar Inn; and drummer Chuck Kennedy will debut a new ensemble featuring saxophonist Jerry Greene, pianist Arthur Toney and bassist Marc Torlina, plus some special guest performers, at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday, trumpeter Randy Holmes brings his quintet to Robbie's, while a couple of blocks away, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play at C.J. Muggs. Also on Saturday, singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will duet at Candicci’s Italian Restaurant in Ballwin, and singer Ann Dueren's trio performs at Il Bel Lago.

Then on Sunday afternoon, a number of local musicians and singers will team up to present a benefit performance for keyboardist Tony Simmons at Union Memorial United Methodist Church, 1141 Belt Ave. The show will raise money toward Simmons' medical expenses, incurred earlier this year when his legs had to be amputated due to complications from diabetes. Scheduled performers announced so far include Denise Thimes, Joe Mancuso, Anita Jackson, Tim Cunningham, Jeremiah Allen, Cheryl Brown and Joy Bryant.

On Sunday evening, the Dave Dickey Big Band plays their monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, with an intermission performance by the Lindbergh High School jazz band; and pianist Tony Suggs and drummer Montez Coleman will co-lead a quartet for two sets at the Bistro at Grand Center, the first of which already is sold out.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday Dizzy Atmosphere will play at The Shaved Duck, and saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Tuesday, there's a double dose of big band action, as the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by Jim Widner, performs as part of the "Notes From Home" series at the  Sheldon Concert Hall, while the Genesis Jazz Project, under the baton of Bob Waggoner, will play a concert at Midwest Music in Ballwin. 

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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Welcome back, Carter

Today, let's look at some videos of violinist Regina Carter, who's coming back to St. Louis to perform Wednesday, November 20 through Saturday, November 23 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Carter was last seen in these parts in October, 2010 at the Bistro, touring in support of her then-new album Reverse Thread, which included compositions by musicians from Kenya, Mali, and Senegal. You can see video of that project, and get more background on Carter, in this post that ran here on StLJN before that engagement.

Since then, Carter has not issued any new recordings, but has kept busy with live dates; serving as a resident artistic director for SFJAZZ in San Francisco; and working on a new project, Southern Comfort. That group has been described in promotional material as "a transition from the exploration of her African ancestry to her family history. Trading the West African kora for a slide guitar, she has collected songs redolent of her father’s roots in Alabama for a celebration of the joyous music that infused her early childhood."

Carter has done live dates this year with Southern Comfort, and recorded with the band back in the spring for an album set for release in March 2014 as part of her just-inked deal with Sony Masterworks. But while those gigs and Reverse Thread both had her working with specifically configured bands, this fall Carter also is doing some dates with a more standard piano-bass-drums quartet, which, we are given to understand, is the group that will be appearing with her in St. Louis.

You can see one version of that band, featuring Xavier Davis on piano, Gayelynn McKinney on drums, and Jesse Murphy on bass, performing in the first video clip up above, which was recorded last month at a gig at Jamboree Jazz in Barcelona, Spain.

Down below, you can see a couple of samples of the Reverse Thread group (in addition to the ones previously featured here) - a music video version of "Artistya," and a take of "N'teri" recorded in 2011 at KPLU radio in Seattle.

Below that, there's a more vintage clip demonstrating Carter's take on a swinging standard. This version of "I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me" was recorded in 2003 at the Bern Jazz Festival by Carter with the George Wein Newport All Stars, featuring Wein on piano, Rodney Jones (guitar), James King (bass) and Alvin Queen (drums).

Video number five is from a 2006 appearance on the program Aqui Y Ajazz, and shows Carter getting funky with an instrumental rendition of the Chaka Khan hit "Ain't Nobody." She's accompanied by Vana Gierig (piano), Lonnie Plaxico (bass), Jeff Haynes (percussion, vocals), Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums), and two singers (unidentified on the YouTube post).

Last but not least, we've got a short video of Carter produced by the violin maker RS Berkeley, for which she is an endorser, that shows her talking about her violin line, introduced in 2010; her preferences in instruments; and how to choose a violin.

For more about Regina Carter, check out the interview she did last month with the Oakland County (MI) Prosper, and this radio interview, also from last month, with Michigan public radio station WMUK, in which she discusses her recent interest in music therapy.