Jazz this week: "Jazz St. Louis at 20," "3 Nights in September," Bonerama, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in and around St. Louis includes an anniversary celebration for the city's most prolific jazz presenter, plus a gathering of our town's free improvisors, the return of a favorite New Orleans band, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, September 23
The "3 Nights in September" festival of improvised music continues at Tavern of Fine Arts, with sets from Ghost Ice, Mister Ben, and Dave Stone with Henry Claude, Glenn "Papa" Wright, and Joe Hess. The event wraps up on Thursday with music from the Experimental Arts Ensemble STL, Vernacular String Trio (pictured, top left), STL Free Jazz Collective, and George Sams and Charles "Bobo" Shaw.

Also on Wednesday, Jazz St. Louis presents the first of four nights of "Jazz St. Louis at 20," an anniversary celebration featuring an all-star band comprised of musicians who have played Jazz at the Bistro multiple times over the last 20 years.

Since the group has been put together just for this occasion, there's no video footage available of all of them together, but you can see individual clips of bassist Christian McBride, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, drummer Gregory Hutchinson, guitarist Russell Malone, trumpeter Terell Stafford (pictured, center left) and saxophonist Tim Warfield in part 1 of StLJN's fall jazz preview.

Elsewhere around town, the jazz-inflected hip-hop group Sidewalk Chalk will perform at the Old Rock House, heading a bill that also includes Lamar Harris in his "DJ Nune" identity. To kick off their two-month tour of more than 50 cities, last week the group released a video of their cover of Kendrick Lamar‘s “Alright.”

Thursday, September 24
Pianist Ptah Williams leads a quartet in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; singer Joe Mancuso and bassist Willem von Hombracht will be in duo mode at Thurman Grill; and pianist Brad Ellebrecht and singer Diane Vaughn will perform at Evangeline's.

Friday, September 25
Orquesta Son Montuno will bring the salsa for a free outdoor concert as part of the Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival at Soulard Market Park; guitarist Eric Slaughter and bassist Glen Smith will play duets at Thurman Grill; and the Matt McCallie Orchestra will make their debut at Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, September 26
Singer Feyza Eren will lead a quartet in a concert at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton; multi-instrumentalist Joe Bozzi and band return to Evangeline's; trumpeter Randy Holmes and his quartet will perform in a benefit for local food pantries at the Ozark Theatre; and guitarist Larry Brown Jr. will be back home to celebrate the release of his latest album, The Music And The Moment, at 2720 Cherokee.

Sunday, 
September 27
The sound of multiple trombones will be thundering on South Broadway as New Orleans'
Bonerama (pictured, lower left) returns to the Broadway Oyster Bar, while just up the street, blues/rock guitarist Billy Barnett and friends will present a "Tribute to Danny Gatton" at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Also on Sunday, the Jazz Edge Orchestra and singer Marsha Evans return to Kirkwood Station Brewing Company; and guitarist Vincent Varvel plays at Nathalie's.

Monday, September 28
Saxophonist and Webster University faculty member Paul DeMarinis and his ensemble will perform a program of original compositions and more at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.

Tuesday, September 29
The Route 66 Jazz Orchestra presents a "Tribute to Frank Sinatra" as part of the Sheldon Concert Hall's "Notes From Home" series.

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: Fall 2015 jazz preview, part 1

As the start of the fall presenting season approaches, it's time once again for a video preview of the touring jazz and creative musicians and bands who will be visiting St. Louis in the next few months. Here's a look at who's coming to town during the fall of 2015, presented in chronological order.

Jazz at the Bistro's first touring attraction of the season will be the Dave King Trucking Company, who will perform there on Friday, September 4 and Saturday, September 5.

Although bandleader and drummer King has played the Bistro many times with The Bad Plus, this will be the Trucking Company's debut at the venue. You can hear them in the first video clip up top, playing a piece called "Blue Candy" that was recorded in June, 2010 at the Artists Quarter in St. Paul, MN with King on drums, Erik Fratkze on guitar, Brandon Wozniak on sax, and Adam Linz on bass.

The following week, pianist Monty Alexander will return to the Bistro for the first time to perform with his trio on Wednesday, September 9 and Thursday, September 10. After the jump, you can see a clip of Alexander, bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton playing "Mojo" back in 2013 at the studios of radio station KPLU in Seattle.

A couple of days after that, trumpeter Bobby Shew will be in the area to take part in the festivities surrounding the unveiling of the Miles Davis commemorative statue in Alton, IL. Shew will play with drummer Montez Coleman's band after the ceremony on Saturday, September 12 at Elijah P's in Alton. In today's third video, he can be seen performing his own composition "The Red Snapper" earlier this summer with the Airmen of Note big band.

Next up, Jazz St. Louis will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Bistro from Wednesday, September 23 through Saturday, September 26 with a band assembled especially for the occasion, featuring musicians who have been frequent visitors to the Bistro over the years as bandleader or co-leaders - specifically, bassist Christian McBride, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, drummer Gregory Hutchinson, guitarist Russell Malone, trumpeter Terell Stafford, and saxophonist Tim Warfield.

Since the band has been put together just for this occasion, for purposes of this preview you'll have to settle for seeing clips of the musicians individually (with one exception). So, today's fourth video shows McBride's trio with pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. playing - "Fried Pies" earlier this year, also at KPLU.

That's followed by Chestnut's trio playing Charlie Parker's "What Price Love," recorded earlier this year at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, NJ; and then a clip of a drum solo by Greg Hutchinson, recorded last year at the Drum Daze expo in Columbus, OH.

The seventh video shows Russell Malone fronting his own quartet at the 2009 Jazz at Marciac festival in France, playing the Duke Ellington standard "Caravan."

Last but not least, Stafford and Warfield - old friends who grew up near each other in Pennsylvania, and frequently share the same bandstand - can be heard in the final clip performing "The Touch of Your Lips" at the 2006 Jazz Baltica festival in Salzau, Germany, assisted by Matt Wilson on drums, Martin Wind on bass, and the late pianist Mulgrew Miller.

Look for part 2 of the Fall 2015 jazz preview in this space next week. You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Jazz this week: Cyrus Chestnut & Russell Malone, Claire Chase & ICE, St. Louis Stompers, and more

This week's jam-packed calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis offers something for listeners of just about any stylistic preference, from ragtime and traditional New Orleans style to straight-ahead modern jazz to free improvisation and contemporary chamber music. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, pianist Cyrus Chestnut and his trio will team up with guitarist Russell Malone for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro. Revisiting an alliance forged a couple of years ago at the Bistro, Chestnut and Malone both are technically accomplished musicians who also swing hard and usually manage to incorporate elements of blues and/or gospel into their playing. For some video samples and interviews with both men, see this post from last Saturday.

Tomorrow night, Claire Chase - flute player, founder of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" - will give a talk and take questions in an early evening event presented by New Music Circle at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar Blvd.

Chase (pictured) and ICE then will perform in an NMC-sponsored concert on Friday at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. For more about her and ICE, see this video showcase post from a couple of weeks ago. 

After Chase's talk, you should be able to get to the Washington University campus in time to hear trumpeter Anthony Wiggins lead a quartet in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series entitled "Mandela: Improvisation & The Music of Social Justice."

Also tomorrow night, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with Morgan A. Faulkner performing her show "I Got It All From My Mother" at the Gaslight Theater; and guitarist Dave Black and singer Feyza Eren will play at Nathalie's.

On Friday, after the Claire Chase and ICE concert, cornetist Rob Mazurek of the Chicago Underground Duo/Trio/Quartet and/or Orchestra will join bassist Darin Gray for a late set of improvised music at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Also on Friday: For those in the mood to hear a vocalist, Katie McGrath will be performing her show "Love in the Desert: Romance in an Age of Scarcity" for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival; Tony Viviano will return to Talayna's of Chesterfield; and Wendy Gordon will be back at DeLeo's Cafe & Deli.

Meanwhile, swing dancers can check out Miss Jubilee at Lindy Hop St. Louis' monthly "West End Stomp" at the Mahler Ballroom, or the Knights of Swing at Casa Loma Ballroom, while those looking for some straight-ahead jazz may enjoy saxophonist Kendrick Smith's trio at Cigar Inn or pianist Brad Ellebrecht "Little Quartet" at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday evening, trumpeter Scott Vignassi's big band will perform at Robbie's; the Coleman Hughes Project will play smooth jazz and R&B at Troy's Jazz Gallery; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will swing the Venice Cafe; and the Funky Butt Brass Band returns to the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday afternoon potentially has a bit of a throwback feel, as the Metro South Arts Council will showcase the young winners of their 14th Annual Scott Joplin Ragtime Competition in a performance at Robbie's House of Jazz, while the St. Louis Jazz Club will present the traditional jazz sound of the St. Louis Stompers at the Doubletree Hotel in Westport.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday pianist Jim Hegarty and bassist Paul Steinbeck will play improvised music at the Tavern of Fine Arts; Webster University's student jazz combos will give a free performance at the Community Music School on the Webster campus; and guitarist Tom Byrne plays at BB's Jazz, Blues & 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: A few minutes with Cyrus Chestnut and Russell Malone

This week, let's spend a little time with pianist Cyrus Chestnut and guitarist Russell Malone, who will be returning to St. Louis to join forces for a series of performances Wednesday, April 2 through Saturday, April 5 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Both men are quite familiar to St. Louis audiences, as they first teamed up for a series of dates at the Bistro back in April 2012, and each has led their own band there several times before that. So today we'll skip the biographical information and go straight to some music and interviews.

In the first clip above, you can see a solo performance by Chestnut recorded in August 2012 in the studios of KPLU in Tacoma, WA, in which he plays "Tonk," "Polka Dots And Moonbeams," and "No Problem".

In the second video, Chestnut performs his composition "Solace" with a band of students from Berklee College of Music at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola in NYC. Along with Chestnut, the featured musicians are Edmar Colon (soprano sax), Joseph Streater (trumpet), Ido Meshulam (trombone), Tabari Lake (bass), and John Lee (drums).

The third and fourth clips feature Malone, bassist Ron Carter and pianist Donald Vega playing "Candlelight" and "Samba de Orpheus," and are taken from an October 2013 gig at the Teatro Gran Rex in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The fifth video is a short interview with Chestnut, in which he discusses his influences and early career work with singer Betty Carter, while the sixth clip features Malone talking about his influences and mentors, such as Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell.

Check out the rest of today's videos after the jump...

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Winter/spring 2014 jazz preview, part 4

This week, we continue with part four of StLJN's winter/spring 2014 jazz preview, featuring bands and musicians who will be coming to our town in the first few months of this year. (Here are part one, part two and part three.)

Today's first clip features guitarist Pat Metheny and his Unity Band, with saxophonist Chris Potter, bassist Ben Williams and drummer Antonio Sanchez, performing "Breakdealer" at a show in July 2012 in Rome, Italy. Metheny and the ensemble, now known as the Unity Group with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Giulio Carmassi, will be touring in support of a new album this year and will play St. Louis on Sunday, March 9 at The Pageant.

Down below, you can see pianist Cyrus Chestnut who will be here with his trio and special guest guitarist Russell Malone to perform Wednesday, April 2 through Saturday, April 5 at Jazz at the Bistro.

In this clip, Chestnut, bassist Darryl Hall and drummer Willie Jones III are playing his adaptation of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," recorded in 2011 for his album Moonlight Sonata, an import-only release from Japan. Below that, you can see a video of Malone playing "There Will Never Be Another You" with pianist Billy Taylor's trio.

The fourth clip shows flute player and composer Claire Chase, who will perform here in a concert presented by New Music Circle on Friday, April 4 at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. This video is an excerpt from a performance by Chase and her ensemble last January at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC.

Next up are The Wee Trio, featuring St. Louis native Dan Loomis on bass, who will be returning to St. Louis to perform on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 at Jazz at the Bistro. In this clip, you can see them in a 2012 show at MiraCosta College in California, performing the arrangement of "Queen Bitch" originally conceived for Ashes to Ashes, their album of David Bowie music, and then revisited on Live at the Bistro, recorded here in St. Louis last February.

The sixth clip features singer Storm Large, who's performing Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 at the Gaslight Theater as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. Large, whose career in entertainment has ranged from rock singer to reality TV to cabaret, is heard here in a 2011 recording singing the standard "Brasil" with Pink Martini, the retro-style dance band for which she is co-lead vocalist.

Today's seventh video features percussionist Poncho Sanchez, who was here in 2012 to perform at the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival and will return this year to play Wednesday, April 16 through Saturday, April 19 at the Bistro. Sanchez and his band are seen here performing their complete set from the 2012 Montreux Jazz Festival.

Look for the fifth part of the winter/spring 2014 jazz preview next week.

MAXJAZZ releasing Ben Wolfe's new CD From Here I See on Tuesday, April 2

The St. Louis-based independent label MAXJAZZ has scheduled the release of bassist/composer Ben Wolfe's new CD From Here I See for Tuesday, April 2.

The album (pictured) is Wolfe's second for MAXJAZZ, which previously released his CD No Strangers Here back in 2008. The NYC-based Wolfe is known for his work with Harry Connick Jr., Diana Krall, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and also teaches at Juilliard.

His new recording features him with pianist Orrin Evans, drummer Donald Edwards, and saxophonist J.D. Allen, along with a string quartet on several tracks and special guest appearances by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, guitarist Russell Malone, and saxophonist Marcus Strickland. Audio samples of From Here I See should be online soon at Wolfe's page on the MAXJAZZ website.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trombonist Brett Stamps (pictured) will make his final appearance as director of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Concert Jazz Band in a concert at 8:00 p.m. this coming Tuesday, April 17 at the Wildey Theatre. Stamps is retiring as director of jazz studies at SIUE after 33 years on the job.

The concert will include music from Doc Severinsen and Woody Herman as well as charts by Stamps and SIUE graduate Mike Dee, plus a grand finale featuring graduates of the SIUE jazz program from the last 30 years. Tickets are $10, $7 for seniors and under age 18, free to SIUE students with ID, and will be available at the door.

* Meanwhile, pianist Reggie Thomas, who formerly taught at SIUE, is featured on The Teacher, the debut CD release by the MSU Professors of Jazz. The group is made up of faculty members from Thomas' new professional home at Michigan State University. They'll debut the CD, which includes three of Thomas' compositions and a guest appearance from spouse/singer Mardra Thomas, in a concert this Saturday at the Creole Gallery in Lansing, MI.

* The Regional Arts Commission is conducting a survey of St. Louis area artists, musicians and other creative types. To complete the "Artists Count" questionnaire and enter a drawing to win a free iPad, go here.

* Singer Erin Bode reported this week on Twitter that her song "The Little Garden" will be used in the episode of the CW Network program Hart of Dixie airing on Monday, May 7. The comedy/drama series stars Rachel Bilson as a big-city doctor transplanted to a small town in the South, and airs locally on KPLR (Channel 11).

* John King, bassist for Good 4 The Soul, saxophonist Jim Stevens, and several other local bands, has released a single, "Introducing The Pharaoh," on iTunes.

* Guitarist Russell Malone, in town this week to play at Jazz at the Bistro, appeared on the 4:00 p.m. newscast at local NBC affiliate KSDK for a brief interview and performance. Malone and pianist Cyrus Chestnut's trio continue at the Bistro through Saturday.

* The Webster Journal has a profile of Dr. Aurelia Hartenberger, whose collection of unusual musical instruments currently is featured in an exhibit at the Sheldon Art Galleries.

* The Jazz Journalists Association has announced the nominations for their 2012 JJA Jazz Awards, and the "Best Historical or Boxed Set" category includes two albums with a St. Louis connection: Miles Davis' Bootleg Sessions, Vol 1, Quintet Live in Europe 1967 (Columbia Legacy) and the long-awaited reissue of Julius Hemphill's Dogon A.D. by the International Phonograph label. You can see the complete list of 2012 JJA Awards nominees here.

Jazz this week: Russell Malone & Cyrus Chestnut Trio, Craig Hultgren & Luna Nova, NIU Jazz Ensemble & Victor Lewis, and more

It's a mixed bag of jazz and creative music happening this weekend around the St. Louis area, with performances including straight-ahead, mainstream jazz sounds from both small groups and big bands; a triple bill of female guitarists; a cabaret take on Southern rock; an innovative cellist who bridges free improv and contemporary compositions; and more. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, guitarist Russell Malone and pianist Cyrus Chestnut and his trio will team up for the first time ever in St. Louis*, beginning a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro. Both Malone and Chestnut have proved popular with local jazz fans, and to sweeten the deal, Jazz St. Louis is offering two tickets for the price of one for Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Tomorrow night, Lewis and Clark Community College presents a "Musicians' Gathering" at Jazz on Broadway in Alton, while saxophonist Paul Antion, a senior at Washington University, is the featured performer for this week's Jazz at Holmes concert on the Wash U. campus.

Friday, the Old Rock House will host "La Guitara," a package show highlighting female guitarists including singer-songwriter Patty Larkin, "new acoustic music" performer Muriel Anderson, and Vicki Genfan, whose resume includes a variety of genres including jazz.

Also on Friday, singer Jeffrey M. Wright, backed by pianist Carol Schmidt and guitarist Steve Schenkel, performs the first of two nights of his "Southern Roots" cabaret show at Kranzberg Arts Center under the auspices of the Presenters Dolan; saxophonist Jay Hutson leads a quartet at Robbie's House of Jazz; and saxophonist Tim Cunningham is back at Jazz on Broadway, where management has announced that he'll continue weekly through at least June 8.

On Saturday, New Music Circle presents cellist Craig Hultgren (pictured) and members of the Memphis-based experimental music group Luna Nova at Christ Church Cathedral. Hultgren has played St. Louis several times before, but if you don't know him or his music yet, you can catch up by checking out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, singer Feyza Eren performs at Robbie's, fronting a rhythm section including pianist Brad Ellebrecht, bassist Willem Von Hombracht and drummer Tom Kernan.

On Sunday afternoon, the Northern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of saxophonist Ron Carter, will return with a special guest, veteran drummer Victor Lewis, to play at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Also on Sunday, the Saint Louis Jazz Club will present pianist Pat Joyce and his All-Stars in a matinee performance at the DoubleTree Hotel Westport.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band returns for their monthly performance at 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.)

*Update - 4/11/12, 11:50 p.m.: As longtime reader (and stalwart fan of Russell Malone) Kandie Webster points out in the comments, this week's gig at the Bistro is not the first time Malone and Cyrus Chestnut have played together, as stated in the first version of this story. That statement was based on information supplied by Jazz St. Louis that may have been incorrect, or simply just misinterpreted by me. At any rate, this week's gig definitely is the first time they've played together here in St. Louis...

Jazz St. Louis offering 2-for-1 tickets for Malone & Chestnut, Tia Fuller

Jazz St. Louis is offering two tickets for the price of one for sets by guitarist Russell Malone and pianist Cyrus Chestnut's trio this Wednesday and Thursday at Jazz at the Bistro, and for the shows on Wednesday, April 25 and Thursday, April 26 at the Bistro by saxophonist Tia Fuller's quartet.

Single tickets for Malone and Chestnut are priced at $30, while tickets for Fuller (pictured) are $25.

To get the two-for-one discount, purchase your tickets by calling Jazz St. Louis at 314-289-4030 and using the promo code FCAPR12. The discount applies only to tickets for Wednesday and Thursday for these two shows.

Jazz at the Bistro: Marlena Shaw postponed, Russell Malone & Cyrus Chestnut added

This just in: Jazz St. Louis has announced that due to "circumstances beyond their control," singer Marlena Shaw's upcoming engagement at Jazz at the Bistro, scheduled for Wednesday, April 11 through Saturday, April 14, has been postponed. JSL director of operations and artistic administration Bob Bennett says they're working with Shaw's representatives to reschedule for next season.

Shaw's place on the calendar will be taken by guitarist Russell Malone (pictured) and pianist Cyrus Chestnut's trio. Both have played the Bistro as headliners several times before - Malone most recently in October 2010, Chestnut in April 2011 - but this will be the first time they've teamed up for joint performances there.

Bennett added that "those who purchased tickets for Marlena Shaw may use them for the new shows with Russell Malone and the Cyrus Chestnut Trio (same night/set) or return them to the point of purchase for a refund.”

Tickets for Russell Malone and the Cyrus Chestnut Trio are $30 for Wednesday and Thursday, $35 for Friday and Saturday, $15 for students. Sets are at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival 2011

This week, let's take a look at the headliners for next weekend's Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. The GSLJF begins Thursday with adjudicated performances by middle school and high school jazz ensembles from around the area, along with workshops and clinics for the student musicians.

Those activities continue during the day on Friday and Saturday, but the main attraction for most listeners will be the concerts featuring the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra on Friday night and bassist Ron Carter's Golden Striker trio on Saturday night. The UMSL Big Band - directed, as is the festival itself, by bassist Jim Widner - will open both shows.

That common element notwithstanding, the two nights certainly offer plenty of musical contrast, with the intimate, chamber jazz of Carter, guitarist Russell Malone and pianist Mulgrew Miller offset by the expansive big band sound of the VJO.

Carter (not to be confused with saxophonist and educator Ronald Carter) perhaps is still best known for his work in the 1960s with Miles Davis, but he's also one of the most-recorded and most influential jazz bassists of the past 50 years. Miller and Malone, both a generation younger than Carter, excel at the kind of straight-ahead, swinging jazz that is the trio's meat and potatoes. Both men also have a local connection, having recorded fine CDs as leaders for the St. Louis based MAXJAZZ label.

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is the present-day incarnation of the big band originally started in 1965 by trumpeter/arranger Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis. Though both founders now are deceased, the VJO continues to be a Monday night staple at NYC's Village Vanguard and a significant showcase for both players and arrangers.

Up above, you can see Carter, Malone and Miller in a video shot from the audience at their performance last month in Kassel, Germany. Down below, you'll find another clip from the same show. The videos are just one static shot, occasionally obscured by audience members walking in front of the camera, but the sound is good and the footage is the most recent available. For more on what to expect from the Golden Striker trio, check out this review of their London show last week from the London Jazz blog.

Next, we've got some clips of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra that also happen to have a connection to Missouri. The first is taken from the VJO's performance two years ago at the Missouri Theatre in Columbia, Missouri. They're playing the first part of trombonist, arranger, composer and Kansas City native Bob Brookmeyer's "Suite for Three," which was commissioned for the occasion.

Down below that, you can see and hear the VJO playing "St. Louis Blues," at the 2008 Hague Jazz Festival. The performance is split into two parts, and the chart is a good demonstration of how much a talented arranger and big band can wring from a well-known standard. For more VJO on video, check out their YouTube channel, and then look here.

Notes from the Net: Still more Miles to cover; Brubeck on the mend; plus news, reviews, interviews, and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* Starting with some Miles Davis news, here's a recent article by PopMatters.com's Will Layman that asks, "How much Miles Davis is enough?" Well, for us, not just one item, that's for sure - so here's a review of the deluxe 40th anniversary collectors' edition of Bitches Brew, written for AllAboutJazz.com by Chris M. Slawecki. Meanwhile, yet another Davis-related book, Miles: The Companion Guide to the Autobiography, is currently scheduled for a February 2011 release date.

Also, via Miles Davis Online, there's news that hip-hop star/actor Q-Tip is working on a play about Davis (pictured) with author and filmmaker Nelson George. Also, there's another documentary film about Davis in the works, and the magazine The Revivalist just ran several stories on the Bitches Brew anniversary in their inaugural issue. The package includes interviews with saxophonist Bennie Maupin and drummer Lenny White, who played on the sessions for the album, and Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn, as well as a never-before-released live recording of “Directions.”

* Turning to news of other former St. Louisans, saxophonist Oliver Lake has just opened a show of his visual art in the galleries of radio station WBGO in Newark. The exhibit runs through January 28.

* Here's a review of guitarist Grant Green's CD Retrospective from Tim Niland of Music and More.

* In news of recent visitors, guitarist Russell Malone, who played Jazz at the Bistro in October and has a new CD on the St. Louis-based label MAXJAZZ, just did an interview on WBGO's The Checkout.

* And here's a review of drummer/keyboardist Gary Husband's latest, Dirty and Beautiful Volume 1, from AAJ.com's Ian Patterson. Husband was in St. Louis last month at The Sheldon with guitarist John McLaughlin's band 4th Dimension.

* The Rebirth Brass Band, who played at The Gramophone in October, have just released Rebirth Revisited, a collection of remixes by the band and various contributing producers. You can check out a sample track, "Do Whatcha Wanna (Jazzhouse SPD Remix)," by clicking on the embedded audio player below.



* Dave Brubeck is on the mend from the health difficulties that forced him to cancel his appearance here in October at the Sheldon. Here's a review of Brubeck's return to the stage at the Blue Note in NYC, courtesy of the Times' Nate Chinen, and a recent feature story on the venerable pianist and composer written by Marc Myers for the Wall Street Journal.

* Wrapping up with some items of more general interest, a recent story from the New York Times' Daniel J. Wakin chronicles the shrinking amount of work available to NYC freelance classical musicians, while another recent Times piece from A.G. Sulzberger looks at the ambivalent relationship that many working musicians have with holiday music.

* The first season of the HBO series Treme will be released on DVD in March. Pianist and former St. Louisan Tom McDermott is just one of many jazz and blues musicians who appeared earlier this year in the HBO series about New Orleans residents recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding of the city.

* Nominees for the 2001 Grammy Awards were announced last week, and though no St. Louis jazz musicians were nominated this year, a number of the jazz nominees have played here recently, as you can see if you check out the complete list here.

Notes from the Net: The Miles Davis Radio Project reissued; Sanborn plays through pain; plus news, reviews, interviews & more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* Let's start, as we usually do, with news of Miles Davis. Via Miles Davis Online comes word that Davis, who in the 1970s recorded an album called On The Corner, soon may have an actual NYC street corner named after him. Also: the Miles Davis Radio Project, an eight-part, 16-hour audio documentary about the trumpeter first recorded nearly 20 years ago, is now available for purchase as a series of digital downloads; Toronto trumpeter Brownman Ali just completed a five-week series of concerts paying tribute to Davis; and images of Davis and other members of the band that recorded Kind of Blue apparently are sufficiently cool to be featured on some new skateboards and sneakers.

* In news of other former St. Louisans, saxophonist and clarinetist Marty Ehrlich (pictured) has teamed with trombonist Ray Anderson to co-lead a quartet on a new CD called Hear You Say, out now on Challenge Records. Here's a review of the disc from AllAboutJazz.com's Bruce Lindsay, and another perspective from the UK Guardian's John Fordham.

* Singer, actor, comic and Belleville native Lea DeLaria also has a new CD, Be A Santa, out on the Warner Classics & Jazz label. AAJ's Bruce Lindsay reviewed DeLaria's disc, calling it "an album full of festive standards that swings like a sleigh bell on a Christmas tree and entertains in stylish fashion."

* Via Avant Music News: Saxophonist, composer and onetime Webster University student John Zorn will present a performance of his classical works later this month at Bard College in upstate New York.

* Another saxophonist and former St. Louisan, David Sanborn, played the Blue Note in NYC last month with his trio, and got a nice review from the Times' Nate Chinen. Sanborn's performance seems even more remarkable in retrospect, given the recent news that he's been performing for months now while suffering acute pain from a kidney stone.

* In other medical-related news, pianist Dave Brubeck, who had to cancel his October performance here at the Sheldon Concert Hall for health reasons, recently underwent surgery to have a pacemaker installed. There's good news, too, though - after the operation, Brubeck's doctors said he should be able to resume practicing and performing soon. Brubeck also is the subject of a new documentary film, directed by Clint Eastwood and set to premier next month on the BBC.

* Meanwhile, drummer Max Weinberg, who did make it here with his new Big Band to perform last month at the Argosy Alton Casino, recently talked to the website Popeater about his own recent heart surgery, his decision not to join Conan O'Brien's new show on TBS, and more.

* Pianist Kenny Barron, seen in St. Louis last month in duet with fellow pianist Mulgrew Miller at Jazz at the Bistro, talked with NPR's A Blog Supreme about his recent listening habits here.

* Also recently at the Bistro was guitarist Russell Malone, who did a four-night stand to celebrate the release of his latest CD Triple Play on the St. Louis-based MAXJAZZ label. Now, reviews of the disc are coming in, including favorable mentions from the New York Times, DownBeat and DustyGroove.com.

* Violinist Regina Carter, who was here last week at the Bistro, played the previous week at Regatta Bar in Boston; here's an article about the gig, from the Harvard Crimson.

* Turning to news of coming attractions, pianist Vijay Iyer, who will be in St. Louis this Saturday to perform with Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet at 560 Music Center, recently was a guest on NPR's "Fresh Air".

* Speaking of Wadada Leo Smith, he's got a new disc out, recorded as a duo with drummer Ed Blackwell, called The Blue Mountain’s Sun Drummer. Read a review here, courtesy of Burning Ambulance blogger Phil Freeman.

* Zappa Plays Zappa, set to play The Pageant on December 8, recently celebrated what would have been Frank Zappa's 70th birthday with a concert in London. In related news, keyboardist George Duke, who worked with FZ for several years in the 1970s, will join ZPZ onstage for the first time ever in an upcoming show in Los Angeles.

* Last but not least, Lisette Dennis of Regional Arts Commission kindly emailed with the news that the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City wants to hire a Grants Development Officer. Interested individuals can find out more about the position and how to apply here.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Here's the latest wrap-up of links and short local news items of interest that you may have missed:

* Pianist Peter Martin has added singer Erin Bode (pictured) and bassist Chris Thomas to the lineup for his concert with guitarist Romero Lubambo on December 4 at the Sheldon.

* Jazz St. Louis offers some pictures on their Facebook page of guitarist Russell Malone's Wednesday night performance at Jazz at the Bistro. (You don't have to be logged in to Facebook to view the photos.) Malone, who continues at the club through tomorrow night, also appeared today on the morning news program at local FOX affiliate KTVI (Channel 2).

* Local music journalist, KDHX DJ and record-store-guy Steve Pick has a review of Jazz Matters, a new book by Donald Ake, now up at Blurt Online.

*The Riverfront Times' Diane Benanti previews this weekend's Noise Fest at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.

* The Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson writes that The Jazz Spot - which, despite its name, hardly ever programmed any actual jazz music - has closed, yielding the space at 400 Washington Ave. to a dance club called Love.

* More than a year after switching from mostly local programming to syndicated fare, radio station WSIE (88.7 FM) has revamped their website. A blog post on the new site offers an update on current happenings at the station, and indicates that more changes are in the works, including the potential return of programs with local content. For those interested in keeping up with the latest developments, WSIE also has set up a Facebook Fan page and Twitter feed.

Jazz this week: Max Weinberg Big Band, Russell Malone, Straight Ahead, and more

It looks to be another nice fall weekend in St. Louis, with a number of opportunities to get out and hear some jazz and creative music. Here's what's going on over the next few days:

Tonight, the versatile guitarist Russell Malone (pictured) opens a four night stand at Jazz at the Bistro in support of his upcoming CD Triple Play, which will be released November 2 by the St. Louis-based label MAXJAZZ.

Malone, who has played with Diana Krall, Ron Carter, Dianne Reeves, and many others, just did a Jazz St. Louis podcast interview in anticipation of his Bistro gig and CD release, and you also can see some a sampling of his playing over the years on video here.

On Thursday, drummer Max Weinberg's Big Band will perform at the Argosy Alton Casino. Weinberg seems to be bringing lots of energy and enthusiasm to the project, and judging from the video clips we featured in this post on Saturday, the 15-piece group is drawing enthusiastic crowds as well.

UPDATE - 12:30 p.m., 10/21/10 - Riverfront Times freelancer Matt Wardlaw yaks with Max about the Big Band, Weinberg's recent heart surgery, and more for an article available online here and here.

Also on Thursday night, pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Eric Stiller and drummer Miles Vandiver will play a free concert featuring the music of Herbie Hancock for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; and electronic musician Christopher Willits will be performing “An Evening of Neuroscience and Music” at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.

The event begins with "a lively conversation about art, perception and the human experience" with associate curator Laura Fried and neuro-psychiatrist Abhilash Desai, followed by a live performance from Willits, who blends live instrumentation with electronic sounds created using custom software.

On Friday, singer Wendy Gordon will perform at Robbie's House of Jazz, backed by pianist Arthur Toney, bassist Jeff Anderson and drummer Marty Morrison; and singer Kim Massie does a show for the "Encore!" music series at the JCC's Mirowitz Performing Arts Center.

UPDATE - 12:35 p.m., 10/21/10 - Just got word that Florida-based flute player Galen Abdur-Razzaq will play an informal concert at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Maryville University Student Center. Abdur-Razzaq will be backed by pianist Matt Scotty Villinger, drummer Marty Morrison Drummer and bassist Willem von Hombracht, and the event is free and open to the general public.

(A parenthetical note about Saturday: The concert by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Del McCoury Band that had been scheduled for October 23 at the Family Arena in St. Charles has been postponed until April 13, 2011.)

On Sunday, the Detroit-based, all-female group Straight Ahead will play at the Sheldon Concert Hall in a benefit performance for Community Women Against Hardship (CWAH), while Good 4 The Soul does an early evening set at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

UPDATE - 12:40 p.m., 10/21/10 - Also on Sunday, there's a benefit for radio station WSIE from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Sharky's, 601 N. Shore Dr. in St. Charles county. The event will feature music from guitarist Tom Byrne, pianist Reggie Thomas, the SIUE Student Jazz Combo and the Eric Slaughter Trio. Suggested donation at the door is $20, and for more information, call 636-250-3300, or go to sharkysontheriver.com

Then on Monday, the music department at Webster University presents its annual TKT Scholarship concert, featuring members of the jazz faculty and special guests performing at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.

Proceeds benefit a scholarship established in memory of former Webster music students Terry Jackson, Kirk Cappello and Tony Saputo, who in 1991 were killed in a plane crash while on tour with country singer Reba McIntyre.

Afterward, if you're up for still more music on Monday evening, bassist David Certain's free-form/funk outfit CertainBeat WorldBop is playing at BB's.

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.)

Jazz St. Louis podcast series resumes with Russell Malone interview

After a five-month hiatus, Jazz St. Louis has restarted their series of podcast interviews via a conversation with guitarist Russell Malone, who will be in town next Wednesday, October 20 through Saturday, October 23 to perform at Jazz at the Bistro. You can stream or download the interview of Malone by JSL's Bob Bennett here.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: A Russell Malone sampler

With a new CD coming out next month, and four night of performances scheduled Wednesday, October 20 through Saturday October 23 at Jazz at the Bistro, it seems like a good time to make guitarist Russell Malone the subject of our weekly video feature. Though there's no footage extant of Malone fronting his own trio - something he's doing for the first time on record on his new disc, Triple Play - we did manage to find some tasty clips of him in several other contexts.

First up is a video of Malone with bassist Ron Carter's trio in 2006 at a concert in Germany. Pianist Jacky Terrasson gets the first solo on the tune, "NY Slick," and then the guitar kicks in about the 3:30 mark. As you'd expect, it's a very accomplished ride, but what's really fascinating about this particular performance is the variety of timbral effect Malone coaxes from his guitar, ranging from a harp-like glissando in the middle of his turn to a surprisingly effective simulation of conga drums behind Terrasson's solo.

Down below in the first embedded video window, Malone conjures a travelogue of blues guitar styles as a solo introduction to a version of "Route 66" sung by his former employer, pianist Diana Krall. Below that, you can get a taste of Malone's ballad style as he plays a duo version of "Embraceable You" with another former boss, singer Dianne Reeves.

Finally, in the fourth clip you can see Malone fronting his own quartet in a sprightly performance of his tune "Flirt," recorded a couple of years ago at the Rio das Ostras Jazz e Blues Festival in Brazil. (Note the crowd response when Malone quotes "Girl From Ipanema" in his solo.) This was shot by an audience member with a handheld video camera, so the picture gets wobbly at some points and, for some reason, it cuts off just before the end of the song, but the audio quality is more than adequate.

MAXJAZZ to release Russell Malone's Triple Play on Tuesday, November 2

The St. Louis-based label MAXJAZZ will release guitarist Russell Malone's latest CD Triple Play (pictured) on Tuesday, November 2.

The disc, which features the guitarist in a trio setting for the first time with East St. Louis' Montez Coleman on drums and David Wong on bass, is Malone's fourth release for MAXJAZZ. In addition to leading his own bands, Malone has worked with Jimmy Smith, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, Ron Carter's Golden Stryker Trio, Dianne Reeves and many others.

Malone is familiar to many St. Louis listeners from his previous performances at Jazz at the Bistro, and he'll be back here in a couple of weeks to promote Triple Play, playing Wednesday, October 20 through Saturday, October 23 at the Bistro. Tickets for those shows are on sale here.

On first listen, Triple Play impresses as a satisfying, seamless set of mainstream jazz guitar in the classic mode. Malone doesn't stray far from the familiar territory of bop, blues and ballads, but his execution is always tasteful and technically accomplished. His touch is deft; his tone tends toward timbres that are darker, but not dull; and he's got a sure sense of swing in a variety of grooves, with Coleman and Wong providing solid and sensitive accompaniment throughout.

Standout tracks include two Malone originals, the bossa nova-styled opener "Honeybone" and the blues-tinged, backbeat-propelled "Sweet Georgia Peach," as well as two songs from composers with St. Louis roots, Oliver Nelson's "Butch and Butch" and John Hicks' "Mind Wine."

MAXJAZZ announces 2010 releases

The St. Louis-based independent label MAXJAZZ today announced plans for four new CD releases in the coming year.

Guitarist Russell Malone (pictured) will release his fourth project on MAXJAZZ, a studio recording of originals and standards with bassist David Wong and drummer and East St. Louis native Montez Coleman.

Trumpeter Terell Stafford also will record again for MAXJAZZ, with his third date for the label paying tribute to composer/arranger Billy Strayhorn. Stafford will enter the studio after performing the material live at Dizzy's in NYC from May 11 through May 16.

Pianist David Budway, who's from Pittsburgh and is influenced by classical and rock music as well as jazz, will make his debut for MAXJAZZ with a session featuring a lineup of musicians including Branford Marsalis, Eric Revis, Jeff "Tain" Watts and Marcus Strickland. Rounding out the quartet of releases will be veteran guitarist Royce Campbell's MAXJAZZ debut, a tribute to composer Henry Mancini, with whom Campbell toured for nearly twenty years.

StLJN will have more detailed information, including release dates, when it is announced.

Jazz St. Louis polling fans on potential Bistro bookings

Once again this year, Jazz St. Louis is looking for input from local jazz fans regarding who they'd like to see booked next season at Jazz at the Bistro. Interested individuals may offer their opinions by responding to a survey on the Jazz St. Louis Web site.

Musicians listed in the poll as under consideration for the Bistro's 2010-11 season include Patricia Barber, Bill Charlap, Stefon Harris, Lionel Loueke, Russell Malone, Gretchen Parlato, Jeremy Pelt, Chris Potter, Christian Scott, Esperanza Spalding (pictured) and Tierney Sutton.

Jazz St. Louis also is accepting "write-in" suggestions on their Facebook fan page and, presumably, via other means such as email, postal mail and in person as well. Many of the artists in this year's survey have played the Bistro at least once before, with the exceptions including Loueke, Parlato, Potter and Scott. JSL usually announces the next season's lineup for the Bistro in the latter part of May.