Jazz this week: Taylor Eigsti, Sandra Reaves-Phillips' "Ladies of Blues and Jazz," a tribute to the electric music of Miles Davis, and more

With St. Louis' Mardi Gras parade on Saturday and pro football's Super Bowl on Sunday, there undoubtedly will be a lot of parties going on in the Gateway City this weekend. However, if you're interested in getting out and hearing some jazz, either instead of, or in addition to, said occasions for revelry and merriment, there are several performances happening over the next few days that may merit your attention.

For starters, piano phenom Taylor Eigsti (pictured) plays at Jazz at the Bistro tonight through Saturday. Filling the spot on the schedule originally designated for pianist Jason Moran, Eigsti returns to St. Louis for four nights after doing a two-night stand at the Bistro in June 2006. Now 23, he began playing jazz while still in grade school, released his first internationally distributed CD at age 18, and earned two Grammy nominations a couple of years back. Eigsti's got prodigious technique on the keyboard and is clearly a player to watch, though some critics, yr. humble editor among them, contend that his impressive chops could benefit from a bit of restraint and some additional seasoning. However, you can sample his playing and make your own judgment by checking out the embedded video window and the bottom of this post, which contains a clip of Eigsti and band playing the Cole Porter-penned standard "Love For Sale."

Also on Saturday, singer/actress Sandra Reaves-Phillips brings her show "The Late Great Ladies of Blues and Jazz" to Dunham Hall on the campus of Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville. Reaves-Phillips is a veteran of Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theater as well as the concert stage, and "The Late Great Ladies..." incorporates both her singing and dramatic skills as she performs material associated with legends such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Mahalia Jackson.

Other noteworthy shows coming up: Saxophonist Mike Karpowicz performs a free concert Thursday night as part of the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and perennial St. Louis favorite Hugh "Peanuts" Whalum will display his piano and vocal prowess on Friday at Brandt's.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Webster University Jazz Faculty will do a tribute to the electric music of Miles Davis at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster U. campus. The ensemble will include Randy Holmes on trumpet, Paul DeMarinis on woodwinds, Steve Schenkel on guitar, Kim Portnoy and Carolbeth True on keyboards, bassist Jay Hungerford and drummer Ron Carr.

For more local jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please consult 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 2/1/08 to correct the headline.)

Sandra Reaves-Phillips to perform for SIUE Arts and Issues series

The Arts and Issues series at SIU-Edwardsville has announced its 2007-08 series of performances, and, as seems to happen almost every year, there are a couple of events worth noting for jazz fans.

First is the scheduled appearance of Sandra Reaves-Phillips (pictured), who will perform "The Late Great Ladies of Blues & Jazz" on Saturday, February 2 in the theater at SIUE's Katherine Dunham Hall. The show features Reaves-Phillips' talents as a singer and actor as she renders her impressions of Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Ethel Waters and Billie Holiday.

The series will also present neo-swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on Friday, November 30 in the Meridian Ballroom. Can't say I'm much of a fan of these guys, as they've always semed to me to have the same relationship to real swing bands that Sha-Na-Na had to real doo-wop groups. But if you happen to dig them, consider yourself notified; if not, consider yourself warned.

The Arts and Issues series also is tying in some of this season's events to the 50th anniversary of SIU-Edwardsville, including concerts featuring Judy Collins and Arlo Guthrie, both of whom appeared at the Mississippi River Festival, which was held on campus during summers in the late 1960s and 1970s. You can order tickets online here.