Jazz this week: Tribute to Count Basie, Clint Baker salutes New Orleans "cornet kings," Webster Groves Piano Festival, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes tributes to one of the greatest big band leaders in jazz and to New Orleans' tradition of producing memorable cornet players, a free outdoor concert featuring four St. Louis pianists, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, August 21
Saxophonist Kendrick Smith (pictured, top left) has assembled an eight-piece band plus vocalist Joe Mancuso to pay "Tribute to Count Basie" in a concert at the Ozark Theatre.

Also on Wednesday, Jazz St. Louis will raise funds with "Cocktails for a Cause" at 33 Wine Shop & Bar, and this week's Grand Center Jazz Crawl features saxophonist Andy Ament at The Stage at KDHX, the jam session hosted by bassist Bob DeBoo at the  Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor returning to The Dark Room.

Thursday, August 22
The Ptah Williams Trio with bassist Darrell Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes will play at Joe's Cafe, and trumpeter Jim Manley performs at Evangeline's.

Friday, August 23
The Focal Point continues their late-summer traditional jazz series with the Rudy Torrini Swing Project, featuring the St. Louis clarinetist and friends playing music from the 1920s, 30s and 40s.

Also on Friday, Miss Jubilee performs in a free outdoor show for "Jungle Boogie" at the St. Louis Zoo; and keyboardist Ryan Marquez will promote the release of his new CD Cosmic Perspective with a late-night show at The Dark Room.

Saturday, August 24
The first-ever Webster Groves Piano Festival
will feature music from Carolbeth True and Two Times True, Jay Oliver, Michael Silverman and Bach to the Future, and Ptah Williams with Darrell Mixon and Steve Davis, all for free on the front lawn of the Masonic Hall, 12 E. Lockwood Ave in downtown Webster.

Also on Friday, San Francisco-based multi-instrumentalist Clint Baker (pictured, bottom left) will offer "A Tribute to the Cornet Kings of New Orleans" with some help from cornetists T.J. Muller and "Wild" Bill Mason at the Focal Point; and Dizzy Atmosphere plays vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at Urban Chestnut Midtown Brewery and Biergarten.

Sunday, August 25
Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to play for brunch at the Angad Arts Hotel, and the Folk School of KDHX presents their monthly Traditional Jazz Jam Session.

Monday, August 26
Drummer Kaleb Kirby and friends perform at The Dark Room.

Tuesday, August 27
Pianist Pat Joyce plays solo at Evangeline's.

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.)

Jazz this week: The Baylor Project, Don Dietrich & Ben Hall, "Essentially Ellington" festival, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features the local debut of a Grammy-nominated act featuring one of the city's own; a rare local appearance from a founder of one of the most uncompromising free jazz/noise bands of all time; several student ensembles showing off what they've learned this year, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, March 28
The Baylor Project makes their St. Louis debut with the first of four nights of performances at Jazz at the Bistro.

Led by singer Jean Baylor and her husband, drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor (pictured), they were nominated this year for Grammy awards in both jazz and R&B categories. You can find out more about them and see some videos of live performances in this post from last week.

Also on Wednesday, singer Joe Mancuso performs for the last night of his winter residency at Taha'a Twisted Tiki, and the "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features the St. Louis Steady Grinders at The Stage at KDHX, the weekly jam session hosted by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center; and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's quartet at The Dark Room.

Thursday, March 29
The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a free concert featuring Washington University Jazz Studies Students; guitarist Dave Black leads a trio at The Dark Room; and saxophonist Andy Ament plays at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, March 30
The closing concert of the annual "Essentially Ellington" festival at SIU Edwardsville's Dunham Hall will feature the participating student bands, plus the SIUE Concert Jazz Band and jazz faculty and visiting clinicians including trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Reggie Thomas, bassists Rodney Whitaker and Jeff Campbell, and drummer Dennis Mackrel.

Also on Friday, Oikos Ensemble presents "Good Friday Blues - A Jazz Lamentation" at the First Congregational Church of Webster Groves; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to Evangeline's; and guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran wraps up his winter residency at Das Bevo Underground.

Saturday, March 31
Traditional jazz bands including the Riff Raff Jazz Band, Annie and the Fur Trappers, and Roya and the High Timers will perform in a benefit for clarinetist and sculptor Rudy Torrini at Yaquis on Cherokee;

Also on Saturday, keyboardist Ryan Marquez celebrates the release of his album Moving Forward In Time with a show at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and singer Feyza Eren and bassist Willem von Hombracht will duet at the KindaBlue Club.

Sunday, April 1
Saxophonist Don Dietrich, best known as one of the founding members of the apocalyptic free-jazz group Borbetomagus, teams with composer/sculptor Ben Hall for a performance at The Sinkhole; Tim Cunningham headlines a bill featuring fellow saxophonists Antoine Washington, Terry Grohman and Kendrick Smith at Troy's Jazz Gallery; and the The Jazz Troubadours return to Evangeline's.

Monday, April 2
Webster University Student Jazz Combos 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.)