Jazz this week: Roseanna Vitro, U City Jazz Festival, a tribute to Cannonball Adderley, and more

While the music news in St. Louis this weekend may be dominated by the annual LouFest in Forest Park, and the tribute to the late singer-songwriter Bob Reuter on Sunday at the Casa Loma Ballroom, there's will be plenty for local fans of jazz and creative music to do over the next few days, too. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber plays at Herbie's Vintage 72; fusion band The Freedom performs at the Rustic Goat; and Miss Jubilee is at Thaxton Speakeasy.

Tomorrow night, there are a couple of noteworthy events for swing dancers, as Lindy Hop St. Louis presents their monthly "West End Stomp" dance with music from the Sidemen at Mahler Ballroom, while the Ambassadors of Swing purvey their version of the big-band sound to the terpsichorean habitues of the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Elsewhere around town on Friday, singer Wendy Gordon takes the stage at the Tavern of Fine Arts; singer Joe Mancuso will perform at Robbie's House of Jazz; and trumpeter Anthony Wiggins fronts a trio at Cigar Inn.

On Saturday, the annual St. Louis Art Fair will feature sets from several musicians of interest. Performers will include guitarist Rex Bauer's trio, the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars student ensemble, and the Sheldon Jazz Quintet with pianist Carolbeth True, all on the Forsyth stage at the corner of Forsyth and Central; and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes, on the Fair's main stage.

Also on Saturday, the U City Jazz Festival takes place in Heman Park, 1028 Midland Blvd (at Olive). The free all-day event will feature sets from local bands including the Willie Akins/Montez Coleman group, Bach to the Future, Tom Byrne and Have You Heard?, the Joe Mancuso Quintet, and Clave Sol, plus a tribute to Wes Montgomery featuring guitarist Chris Burchett.

On Saturday night, singer Roseanna Vitro comes to town to perform with pianist Kim Portnoy's trio at Robbie's House of Jazz. Vitro, who's originally from Arkansas, broke in to the music business singing with tenor saxophonist Arnett Cobb in Houston. Her career took off after a move to NYC in the late 1970s, as she toured with Lionel Hampton, pianist Kenny Werner and others, and began to establish herself as a solo act. Since then, Vitro has recorded 12 albums as a leader, the most recent of which, 2011's The Music of Randy Newman, was nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award as Best Vocal Jazz Album.

Elsewhere on Saturday night, keyboardist Matt Villinger and his trio will play at Thurman Grill; the Galaxy Jazz Quintet with singer Kim Fuller performs at Bar Italia; and pianist and singer Curt Landes is at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Sunday's another busy day, as guitarist Brian Vaccaro's trio and Brazilian music group Samba Bom will play at the Art Fair on the Forsyth Stage, and the fall edition of the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show takes place at the American Czech Hall, 4690 Lansdowne.

Also on Sunday afternoon, relatives and friends of the late DJ Ross Gentile are staging a tribute concert at the Meridian Ballroom in the Morris University Center at SIUE. The free show will feature another performance by Roseanna Vitro, plus music from Denise Thimes, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra, guitarist Rick Haydon, trumpeter/vibraphonist Joe Bozzi, the Gary Dammer Big Band, and more.

Those seeking a more contemplative experience on Sunday may want to check out the latest "Inner Jazz" multi-faith meditation at Kirkwood United Church of Christ, 1603 Dougherty Ferry Rd, with music from the Oikos Ensemble, led by saxophonist Rev. Cliff Aerie.

Lastly, Sunday also is the date for the Sheldon Concert Hall's September 11th Interfaith Memorial in Music: An Appreciation of Religious Diversity with performances by pianist Peter Martin, classical soprano Christine Brewer and more.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the jazz faculty at Webster University kicks off their fall concert series with "A Tribute to Cannonball Adderley" featuring saxophonist Paul DeMarinis, trumpeter Keith Moyer, guitarist Steve Schenkel, pianist Kim Portnoy, bassist Willem von Hombracht, drummer Kevin Gianino and singer Debby Lennon at Winifred Moore Auditorium.

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.)

Jon Wirtz, Roseanna Vitro coming to Robbie's House of Jazz

Two new bookings of touring musicians have been announced by Robbie's House of Jazz.

* Pianist Jon Wirtz and Nuskool will perform at the club at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, August 22.

According to the press release, the Denver-based keyboardist has "shared the stage with artists including Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Robbie Krieger (The Doors), Melissa Etheridge, Joe Bonner, Justin Timberlake, and many others."

Wirtz's groove-conscious trio Nuskool, which incorporates influences from hip-hop, R&B and folk, also includes Daniel Hogans on drums and Tyson Ailshie on bass. Tickets for Jon Wirtz and NuSkool will be $10 for general admission, $5 for students with ID.

* Singer Roseanna Vitro will perform at Robbie's at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 7.

Vitro (pictured) will be backed by pianist Kim Portnoy's trio, and will perform material drawn from her back catalog of 12 solo CDs; her most recent, Grammy nominated 2012 album The Music of Randy Newman; and her upcoming CD Clarity, the Music of Clare Fischer, a tribute to the late pianist and composer.

In addition to recording and touring, Vitro has been chair of the vocal jazz program at New Jersey City University since 1998 and also teaches vocal jazz at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Tickets for Roseanna Vitro at Robbie's House of Jazz are $10 in advance when purchased though Robbie's website; the news release for the show did not disclose a door price.

While Vitro is in St. Louis, she also will perform as part of a tribute concert honoring the late jazz DJ Ross Gentile at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, September 8, at the Meridian Ballroom in SIU Edwardsville's Morris University Center.

Concert paying tribute to Ross Gentile set for Sunday, September 8 at SIUE

A concert paying tribute to the late Ross Gentile is scheduled for 8:00 p.m., Sunday, September 8 in the Meridian Ballroom, located in the Morris University Center on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Gentile (pictured) hosted the "Standards In Jazz" program on WSIE for 15 years, at one point working on-air for the station seven days a week. He also worked as a DJ for WIBV, KSHE and WZQZ, and was a regular presence as an MC at live jazz events in the St. Louis area. He died in February at age 60 after a heart attack.

Musical performers at the tribute concert will include the Gary Dammer Big Band, Rick Haydon, Denise Thimes, Sherry Drake, Joe Bozzi, and others. Also appearing will be friends and colleagues of Gentile's, including Dr. Ed Wolf, Marvin Cohen, Adam Tracy, Buddy Moreno, and Don Wolff.

Tickets for the Ross Gentile tribute concert are $20. For more information, call 618-409-1389. To purchase in advance, send a cashiers check, money order or check payable to "Dianne Turek" to Box #240, 407 Belt Line Rd., Collinsville, IL, 62234. Tickets also will be sold at the door.

Family members also have set up a "Standards in Jazz" website and Facebook page to promote the concert and Gentile's legacy.

Photo of Ross Gentile from standardsinjazz.com.

Ross Gentile, former WSIE DJ, dead at 60

Ross Gentile, known to St. Louis jazz fans for more than 15 years as the host of "Standards In Jazz" on WSIE (88.7 FM), has died. He was 60.

Gentile, a longtime resident of Glen Carbon, IL, reportedly had been in poor health for some time, and according to friends and published accounts, had been undergoing regular dialysis treatments. A report first published on the website Berger's Beat says he died of a massive heart attack on Friday night at Anderson Hospital in Maryville; subsequent reports put the time of death early Saturday morning.

In addition to being a familiar voice, Gentile (pictured) also was a familiar face to local jazz enthusiasts, often serving as master of ceremonies at live jazz shows in the area. He began at WSIE in 1993, and frequently incorporated recordings from and interviews with St. Louis jazz musicians into his program. For much of his time at WSIE, he was on the air seven days a week, broadcasting from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

His jobs before WSIE included work as a broadcaster for KSHE from 1970 to 1973, and in promotions for A&M Records.

Gentile was fired by WSIE in April 2009 as they began a series of cutbacks that eventually resulted in the elimination of all local on-air hosts. (The station since has returned to featuring local programming and hosts, though some of the voiceover work now is pre-recorded.) He subsequently sued Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, seeking to regain his old job and recover back wages and benefits. Though the filing of the suit was covered in local media such as the Edwardsville Intelligencer, no information about any resolution was ever made public.

After leaving WSIE, Gentile went on to host a jazz program on Saturday afternoons for KZQZ (1430 AM) and continued to attend, and sometimes MC, live jazz performances around the area.

According to the obituary published Monday, February 25 in the Belleville News-Democrat, visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27 at Sunset Hill Funeral Home, 50 Fountain Dr. in Glen Carbon, followed immediately at 7:00 p.m. by a funeral service.

Update - 3:30 p.m., 2/26/13:  An expanded obituary for Ross Gentile was posted today on the Belleville News-Democrat website. Here is the complete text:

"Ross Kenton Gentile was born on June 3, 1952, in East St. Louis, Ill., and died on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, Ill.

Mr. Gentile began his career as a radio broadcaster at WIBV in Belleville, Ill., in 1967, at the age of 15, under Jim Bolen. He continued his career at KSHE-95 in St. Louis, Mo., and also served in the Illinois Army Reserves.

In 1974, he became the midwest regional promotions director for A&M Records in Los Angeles, Calif., where he earned numerous gold and platinum records and was responsible for the signing of the rock group Head East to a long term recording contract with A&M.

He promoted and remained personal friends with artist such as Beatle George Harrison, Peter Frampton, the Carpenters and music greats: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald and many others.

He worked at the "jazz station" WSIE, hosting his daily radio show "Standards in Jazz" until 2009, when he retired from his passion and love of radio due to failing health and kidney disease. Currently he hosted an hour long radio show "A Touch of Velvet" on 1430 KZQZ, in Belleville, Ill.

Ross was preceded in death by his parents, Betty Jean, nee Botkin, Zdroik and Sam Gentile.

Surviving are his sister, Dianne (Joe) Turek of Collinsville, Ill.; niece, Heather (Dr. James) Koch of Columbia, Mo.; great-nephew, John Joseph Koch; many loving family members, friends and radio fans.

Memorials may be made to the family. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.sunsethillcemetery.com.

Visitation: Friends may call from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, at Sunset Hill Funeral Home, Glen Carbon, Ill.

Funeral: Services will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, at Sunset Hill Funeral Home in Glen Carbon, Ill. A memorial concert for Ross is being planned for a date in April."

Update - 12:45 a.m., 2/27/13: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has published a detailed obituary about Ross Gentile, written by reporter Michael Sorkin, that can be read online here.

(Updated after posting with information about Gentile's program on KZQZ. Updated 2/23/13 to correct Gentile's age at the time of his death and to add mention of his work at KSHE and A&M. Updated a third time to include information on funeral services.)

Jazz benefit to raise funds for O'Fallon HS band

St. Louis area jazz musicians and student bands will perform to raise money for the marching band program at O'Fallon (IL) High School during "O' That Jazz," a benefit event at 6:00 p.m. Friday, February 26 at the Regency Conference Center, 360 Regency Park Drive in O'Fallon, IL.

Performers will include the St. Louis Jazz All-Stars, fronted by trumpet player and singer Dawn Weber (pictured) and including Jason Swagler (saxophone), Shaun Robinson (guitar), Zeb Briscovich (bass), Miles Vandiver (drums) and Charlie Brown (keyboards).

Other performers will include the Twilight Jazz Club and the O’Fallon High School Band Jazz Combos, with radio personality Ross Gentile serving as MC. The evening also includes dinner, dancing and a live oral auction for items including sports, entertainment and music memorabilia and tickets to sports events.

You can see a flyer for the event here (.pdf file). Tickets are $35 and $40, and can be purchased online (before February 23) here. Event chair Betsy Layfield also tells StLJN that those unable to make dinner can pay $20 at the door and come in at 7:45 p.m. for the concert only.

(Updated 2/22/10 with details on the All-Stars and day-of-show tickets.)

Ross Gentile files suit against SIUE

The Edwardsville Intelligencer has published an article detailing a lawsuit brought by Ross Gentile, the longtime host of the "Standards in Jazz" program on WSIE (88.7 FM), against Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, which operates the radio station.

The article by the Intelligencer's Steve Horrell says Gentile alleges that "for more than a decade the university’s Board of Trustees intentionally misclassified his employment status to keep from paying him pension, health insurance, vacation, holidays and other benefits."

Gentile started at WSIE in 1993; he has had some health problems in recent years, and was let go this past April as the station began a series of cutbacks that eventually resulted in the elimination of all of its local on-air hosts. The suit filed in Madison County Circuit Court asks for Gentile to be reinstated with benefits and back pay, as well as unspecified financial damages.

You can read the entire article online here.

(Edited 12/9/09 to fix typos.)

SIUE chancellor Vandegrift says WSIE will keep jazz format

In a story published today by the Belleville News-Democrat, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift is quoted as saying that radio station WSIE (88.7 FM) will retain its jazz format.

The fate of the university owned station has been in question for months, as a committee appointed by Vandegrift studied station operations and debated whether to preserve WSIE's status as the only jazz radio station in the St. Louis area, or to go in another direction. The story by BN-D reporter Elizabeth Donald says that the announcement, made by Vandegrift on Wednesday in his annual address, was "greeted with applause in the crowded hall."

While the chancellor's statement certainly seems like welcome news for area jazz fans, there are many details yet to be resolved, starting with exactly what sort of programming will be featured on the "new" WSIE.

For many years, the station featured a mix of syndicated jazz programs and local shows hosted by hometown DJs such as Ross Gentile and E.B. Stevenson. Earlier this year, Gentile, Stevenson and the rest of the local on-air staff were let go, supposedly for budgetary reasons. Since then, the station has featured all syndicated programming, with virtually no live, local material except for twice-hourly newscasts.

The decision to sack the local DJs, combined with general uncertainty over the station's future, has created some ill will with local jazz fans, as demonstrated by the tone of many of the messages on the "Save 88.7 The Jazz Station" Facebook group. And what the university seems to have in mind for WSIE may not placate its most vociferous critics.

Under the new plan, outlined for the BN-D by SIUE director of marketing Elizabeth Keserauskis, WSIE will now be part of the marketing department instead of mass communications, and "will be used as a marketing tool for the university." SIUE's jazz program, which consists of 35 students, four full-time and four adjunct faculty members, will be featured on the "new" WSIE, but there also will be "regular features spotlighting other programs on campus," the story said. "Keserauskis said her vision of WSIE's new direction will include spotlighting SIUE programs, increased broadcasting of SIUE's athletic programs -- garnering more interest now that the university is in Division I -- coaches' shows and 'other things that are not unusual in a Division I school'."

Given that WSIE has been starved for resources in recent years, more attention (and funding) from university authorities could be a good thing. But if the station becomes nothing but a 24-hour promotional vehicle, it could alienate what remains of its once-loyal audience. Time will tell - but for now, you can read the whole story from the BN-D here, and, if you like, use the comments section below to express your opinions and thoughts about what ought to happen next with WSIE.

(Edited after posting to correct a misspelled name.)

More on the potential sale of KFUO, changes at WSIE

The fate of classical music, jazz, and local St. Louis arts coverage on radio station KFUO (99.1 FM) remains in doubt, as the station's owners consider whether or not to sell.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch classical music critic Sarah Bryan Miller has been doing good work on this story since rumors of a possible sale first surfaced back in March of this year. She summarized the current situation in a blog post here:

"The board of directors of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod met last Thursday and Friday. According to Vicki Biggs, the LCMS’s director of public affairs and media relations; the KFUO committee made its presentation on whether to sell its license to Joy FM, a Christian rock station, for $18 million.

“No decision was made,” said Biggs. She said the committee would “continue to do its work,” and is expected to make an announcement toward the end of this week.

Since Joy FM does not have the money, sources say the LCMS would have to finance the sale itself. The station has never been advertised, and the negotiations with Joy FM have been secret.

Some discussions were held between Omaha attorney Kermit Brashear, a member of the LCMS board who is in charge of selling the station, and the Radio Arts Board, but those broke down over what seem to be personality issues. The Arts Board grew out of the Circle of Friends, a philanthropic group which has raised over $800,000 to support KFUO-FM and its programming over the last two years."

(For more, including links to Miller's previous coverage of the story, see this post and this post. )

FOX 2 News reporter Charles Jaco also had a story last weekend about the potential sale, which can be viewed online here, and the Post's editorial page has chimed in with a somewhat wishy-washy editorial here. (By "wishy-washy," I mean that while it is sympathetic to classical music fans who don't want to lose their favorite station, there doesn't seem to be an explicit call for KFUO's owners either to retain the current format or to sell to someone who will.)

St. Louis area jazz fans have an interest what happens because KFUO also is the home of Don Wolff's long-running program "I Love Jazz," which last year began airing Friday nights on the station. As of this writing, there's been no announcement on the ultimate fate of KFUO, but when the news breaks, we'll have something on it here at StLJN.

UPDATE - 5:00 p.m., 8/28/09: The Post has just published a story by Miller headlined "Lutheran Church votes to continue KFUO sale talks" that reads in part:

"No timetable was given, and the special board committee headed by Omaha lawyer Kermit Brashear is charged with pursuing negotiations to "continue the uninterrupted broadcast of the 99.1 classical format in the St. Louis market," according to the announcement, which is posted at lcms.org. But the board also gives Brashear's committee "absolute and sole discretion" for a sale, without further consultation of the full board of directors."

...which would seem to indicate that a sale could be consummated at any time. You can read the whole article here, and the statement about the KFUO sale issued today by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and quoted in the story is here.

Meanwhile, over across the river in Edwardsville, the St. Louis area's only all-jazz station, WSIE (88.7), appears to have laid off all of its local hosts for weekday programming. Rumors regarding possible changes at WSIE have been flying since May, when news leaked that the university had formed a committee to study station operations. In response, WSIE listeners started a Facebook group called "Save 88.7 The Jazz Station," which has grown to more than 1,300 members.

Not long after the Facebook group was formed and StLJN ran the post linked above, the Alestle, the campus newspaper at Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, on May 27 published a story by Rosie Githinji with the headline "No News is Good News for WSIE."

The piece quoted university officials as saying they intended to continue the jazz format at WSIE, but also included a rather telling quote from station general manager Frank Akers: "WSIE is one of a few major public stations in the United States without a fund raising staff," Akers said. "While it seems very easy to just get on the air and ask for money, in reality, it takes several fulltime employees, which WSIE does not have, to organize and do the paperwork associated with such fund raising."

Now it appears WSIE is dumping most of its local programming, as longtime air personalities Ross Gentile, EB Stevenson and Bob Pelc all have been removed from the schedule, according to a post by Stevenson on the "Save 88.7" Facebook group. (As this is written, the program guide on the station's Web site still lists all three as hosts of their respective former programs.)

Writing under his real name Eric Bueneman, Stevenson had sounded a glimmer of hope in a posting earlier this summer on the Facebook group's Wall, writing that, while station employees were bring put on unpaid leave, "I am scheduled to return as early as August 24; that date will depend on what the University does."

The post appears to have been removed, but it went on to say that "The station was transferred from the College of Arts and Sciences to the Department of Marketing and Communication on July 13, 2009. There are no plans to change the format at the station; an advisory committee is being formed to see how they can make WSIE an even more effective Jazz station, as well as an effective marketing tool for SIUE, especially their Department of Jazz Studies.

However, another member of the group, Aaron, writing on July 2, found a University spokesperson to be evasive: "The Public Affairs Dept at SIUE had stated that a decision would be made by July 1 about the future of WSIE and whether there'd be a change in format. I just spoke to Beth in that Department. To say that she was evasive would be a gigantic understatement. She said it's up to the Chancellor to make a final decision and that the "Committee" has issued their report to him and he will make a decision based on that report. When I asked her how will we the public know a decision has been made? She said there will be an announcement. I said, "Great! Where can we get that announcement? Newspaper? Internet? TV station?" She said she really doesn't know. "

Then on August 20, Stevenson wrote, "I will not be returning to the air at WSIE, as anticpated, on August 24. Live and local weekday programming will end on August 21 when Bob Pelc does his last show on the station. It appears that Human Resources at SIUE is also keeping GM Frank Akers in the dark about who gets to come back to the station and who doesn't. It appears I may have worked my last shift at WSIE; if SIUE doesn't let me return, I will be retiring from the radio business."

Stevenson confirmed his departure from the station and SIU-E in a discussion board post today.

So what's really happening at WSIE? Is the station simply going to put more syndicated programs in the time slots formerly occupied by local hosts? Or is this a prelude to a more drastic change of some sort, like a format flip? This definitely seems to merit further inquiry, so please stay tuned in the coming days as yr. humble StLJN editor attempts to ferret out a bit more information.

Ross Gentile profiled in Alton Telegraph

Jazz radio personality Ross Gentile, who hosts the daily program Standards in Jazz on WSIE (88.7 FM ), is the latest St. Louis/Metro East-area jazz figure to be the subject of a profile in the Alton Telegraph. You can read the article online here.

Summer concert series in Godfrey to feature three jazz big bands

Three St. Louis area big bands will be featured as part of a free jazz concert series this summer in Godfrey, Illinois. The Sessions Big Band leads off the 2008 Jazz in the Park series at 7:00 p.m. this Wednesday, June 11, followed by the Sentimental Journey Dance Band on Wednesday, July 16, and Shades of Blue, the jazz ensemble of the US Air Force Band of Mid America at Scott Air Force Base, on Wednesday, August 12.

Although the concert series has been known as Jazz in the Park since its inception five years ago, this year's performances will take place indoors in the Commons at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey. In a story published in the Alton Telegraph, the president of one of the local groups sponsoring the series said that the move was made because of "unpredictable weather."

Ross Gentile of WSIE (88.7 FM) will serve as host and MC. All three concerts are free and open to the public. Concert goers also may reserve a picnic-style dinner catered by Carver's Barbecue for $15 per person or $27 per couple; plates must be reserved in advance by calling 618-466-6110 no later than the Monday preceding each concert.

Jazz this week: Karrin Allyson, Ann Hampton Callaway, Denise Thimes with Helen Sung and Rickey Woodard, James Davis Quintet, and more

It's mostly about the ladies this weekend in St. Louis, as three of the most significant jazz events happening over the next few days will feature talented female vocalists.

First, there's singer Karrin Allyson (pictured), who's performing two sets a night at Jazz at the Bistro through Saturday. Allyson's star has been rising since she moved from Kansas City to New York a few years ago, and her current CD Imagina: Songs of Brazil seems to be getting lots of favorable attention. Freelance writer & friend o' this site Terry Perkins talked to Allyson about the CD and playing St. Louis for an article in today's Post-Dispatch, available online here. For a couple of video samples of Allyson's work, see this post from a couple of weeks ago.

On Friday, singer, pianist and songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway headlines a benefit for WSIE (88.7 FM) radio personality Ross Gentile at Royale Orleans Banquet Center, 2801 Telegraph Rd. in South County. Gentile has had some health problems recently, and the proceeds from the event will help pay for some of his medical costs and other expenses. Reggie Thomas and his trio will back Callaway, and the Gary Dammer Sextet will open the evening's festivities with a pre-dinner set featuring several special guests. There will be no ticket sales at the door, so if you'd like to attend, you'd best hurry up and secure your spot via Ticketmaster.

On Sunday, singer Denise Thimes presents her annual Mothers' Day performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The late-afternoon performance will be preceded by a buffet supper, and as usual, Thimes has lined up some special guests for the concert, namely up-and-coming pianist Helen Sung, the winner of the Kennedy Center 2007 Mary Lou Williams Competition, and veteran saxophonist Rickey Woodard. Reservations for the buffet and show are available through Metrotix.

And while this feature usually focuses strictly on live performances, we would be remiss not to note that this Friday also marks the return to St. Louis airwaves of Don Wolff, who will be bringing a new iteration of his radio program I Love Jazz to KFUO (FM 99.1) from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. every Friday from here on out.

Looking beyond the weekend, the student musicians from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program are presenting their end-of-semester demonstration on Monday. On Tuesday, singer and pianist Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum performs at Brandt's, while something called the Universal Sound Ensemble plays at The Gramophone. Whalum is a old favorite in St. Louis, but I can't tell you much about the Universal Sound Ensemble except that I like the name, and their show, like all the Tuesday night jazz sets at The Gramophone, is free, without cover charge or admission fee.

On Wednesday, the Chicago-based James Davis Quintet will be in town to perform at the Underground @ Red Sea, otherwise known as the basement of the Red Sea restaurant, located at 6511 Delmar in the Loop. Davis, the trumpet playing leader of the group, is a graduate of the well-regarded music program at the University of North Texas, and the band's impressive debut CD Angles of Refraction contains some smart, well-played original music that reflects a variety of classic jazz influences, from hard bop to West Coast cool to an almost ECM-like impressionism, through a 21st century lens. Miles Davis' mid-Sixties band circa Nefertiti would seem to be another important influence, both sonically and conceptually.

Davis has a pleasing tone and a nice melodic sense as a soloist, and keyboardist Sean McCluskey's Rhodes electric piano is featured prominently throughout, evoking the likes of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Bob James and Uri Caine without directly imitating any of them. Saxophonist Caroline Davis contributes several incisive solos, and bassist Jeff Greene and drummer Jon Deitemeyer are a solid and sensitive rhythm section. Though I haven't heard the band live, based on their CD I'd say the James Davis Quintet are definitely worth a listen and rank as the "sleeper" pick of the week.

For more St. Louis 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.)

(Edited after posting.)

Ann Hampton Callaway to headline May 9 show to benefit Ross Gentile

Singer, songwriter and pianist Ann Hampton Callaway (pictured) will return to St. Louis on Friday, May 9 to headline an event benefiting longtime WSIE (88.7 FM) radio personality Ross Gentile. Gentile recently returned to work after a long illness, and funds raised at the benefit jazz concert and dinner will help pay for some of his medical costs.

The event will be held at Royal Orleans Banquet Center, 2801 Telegraph Rd. in South County. It gets underway at 6:00 p.m. with a cash bar and music by the Gary Dammer Sextet, with special guests including Anita Rosamond, Denise Thimes and others. Dinner will be catered by Giuseppe's Restaurant, followed by the performance at 8:00 p.m. by Callaway and the Reggie Thomas Trio. Tickets are $45 per person for dinner and the concert, or $30 per person for the concert only, and can be purchased in advance online from Ticketmaster or by calling 314-241-1888. (There will be no ticket sales at the door.)