John Scofield, Sean Jones to headline 2020 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival

The Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival has announced that guitarist John Scofield and trumpeter Sean Jones (pictured) will be the headliners for the 2020 fest's concerts on Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Scofield will perform on Friday, featuring music from his most recent recording Combo 66 with a band including keyboardist Gerald Clayton, bassist Vicente Archer, and drummer Bill Stewart.

His last gigs in St. Louis were an October 2017 date with the group Hudson at The Sheldon, and a week co-leading a band with saxophonist Joe Lovano in April, 2018 at Jazz St. Louis.

Jones will play on Saturday, teaming up with choreographer, dancer and vocalist Brinae Ali to present "Dizzy Spellz," which is described as "an Afro-futuristic lens exploring the intersection of cultural and spiritual dilemmas within the African Diaspora through the music of Dizzy Gillespie."

A frequent visitor to St. Louis in recent years, Jones' most recent gig here was with the "Bistro All-Stars"(also including saxophonist Tia Fuller, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, and pianist Peter Martin) in February of last year at Jazz St. Louis.

The GSLJF also includes two days of adjudication, clinics, and performances by area high school big bands on the Wednesday and Thursday preceding the public concerts. This year's festival will be the first under the direction of pianist and educator Adaron "Pop" Jackson, who took over leadership of the University of Missouri-St. Louis' jazz program last fall after the retirement of former director and festival founder, bassist Jim Widner.

Tickets for both concerts are scheduled to go on sale, prices TBA, on Friday, January 24 via the Touhill box office.

Sunday Session: October 13, 2019

Art Blakey

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

* Ain’t No Limitations: The Soul Rebels pave the roads and knock down the doors (Offbeat)
* Are Albums Dying? ⁠— 15% of Music Fans Under 25 Have Never Listened to a Full Album (DigitalMusicNews.com)
* Harry Nilsson’s Animated Film ‘The Point!’ Gets 50th Anniversary Digital Release (Rolling Stone)
* Remembering Ginger Baker (DownBeat)
* Ginger Baker: A Jazz Drummer With a Rock Reputation (Billboard)
* Bill Frisell Remembers Ginger Baker: ‘Nobody Sounded Like That’ (Rolling Stone)
* Ginger Baker’s Best: A Deep Dive Into the Late Drummer’s Hidden Gems (Listen) (Variety)
* Cold Gettin’ Dub: Rap 12"s and the Forgotten Artform of Bonus Beats (RedBullMusicAcademy.com)
* Sean Jones: A Challenging Life (Jazz Times)
* John Anderson, World's Greatest Soul Record Dealer, Is Dead (The Daily Beast)
* Live Review: 2019 Monterey Jazz Festival (Jazz Times)
* A new ‘Porgy and Bess’ raises old questions about race and opera (TheUndefeated.com)
* An AJMF Conversation with Jimmy Heath (AtlantaJMF.org)
* Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood: 'Instead of cocaine, hook me up with a recorder group!' (The Guardian)
* Cut Your Own Vinyl Records With This $1,100 Machine (Wired)
* On ‘Fly Or Die II,’ Jaimie Branch Lets the Music Breathe (DownBeat)
* Deutsches Jazzfestival Frankfurt Celebrates 50 Years of Fruitful Collaborations (DownBeat)
* Art Blakey's Legacy: A Rallying Cry And A Gathering Place (NPR)

Jazz this week: Bistro All-Stars with Sean Jones, Tia Fuller, Warren Wolf & Peter Martin; Chucho Valdes' "Jazz Bata"; and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis provides an opportunity to hear four bandleaders joining forces for the first time on one stage, a powerful pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz piano, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, January 30
The Bistro All-Stars (pictured, top left),  featuring trumpeter Sean Jones, saxophonist Tia Fuller, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, and pianist Peter Martin, will perform for the first of five nights at Jazz St. Louis.

Given that each of the four principals is a bandleader and composer in their own right, the All-Stars, assembled specifically for this gig, should have plenty of material to draw upon. And while an ad hoc group like this may not have the established chemistry of a regular working band, the jolt of discovery among musicians working together for the first time can be a lot of fun to watch.

Thursday, January 31
Guitarist Dave Black's newest ensemble, the itti bitti Swing Orchestra, plays a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and saxophonist Ben Reese's Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room.

Friday, February 1
Ptah Williams will play solo piano for "happy hour" at The Dark Room, and pianist Adam Maness' trio with singer Malena Smith resumes their late-night Friday residency at Sophie's Artist Lounge and Cocktail Club.

Saturday, February 2
Anita Jackson will sing music associated with Ella Fitzgerald for a mid-day matinee at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Then on Saturday evening, The Wire Pilots play original jazz/fusion at The Focal Point, and the Funky Butt Brass Band performs at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday, February 3
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents keyboardist Bob Row's "Mardi Gras Party" at Royale Orleans, and the Jazz Troubadours play an early evening show at Evangeline's.

Monday, February 4
Saxophonist Harvey Lockhart leads a quartet in a concert at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster University campus.

Tuesday, February 5
Cuban-born pianist Chucho Valdés (pictured, bottom left) will mix jazz with the rhythms and folk traditions of his home country in the first of three nights of performances with his "Jazz Bata" project at  Jazz St. Louis.

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: Sean Jones Quartet, Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Nutria, a new weekly jam session, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features some top talent on trumpet and trombone, the local debut of an up-and-coming band from New Orleans, a new weekly jam session, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, February 28
Trumpeter Sean Jones returns with his quartet for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Jones (pictured, top left)  has been a frequent visitor to St. Louis in recent years, turning up on the Bistro's schedule almost annually, and he even recorded his most recent album for Mack Avenue Records live at the venue a couple of years ago.

In addition to his popularity as a performer, Jones over the years also has participated in a number of educational activities for Jazz St. Louis, so advance reservations are suggested in anticipation of a good turnout from former students as well as fans.

Also on Wednesday, guitarist Brian Vaccaro's trio performs at Evangeline's; the Washington University Jazz Band plays a free concert at the 560 Music Center's Pillsbury Theater; and the "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" will feature the Jazz Troubadours at The Stage at KDHX, the weekly jam session led by bassist Bob DeBoo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor 's band at The Dark Room.

Thursday, March 1
Pianist Kara Baldus-Mehrmann will lead her trio in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; saxophonist Arthur White brings his trio to The Dark Room; and singer Cherilyn Evans and CEEJazzSoul will perform in Chase Park Plaza's Chase Club.

Friday, March 2
Guitarist Dave Black's latest project, a trio called In Touch, performs at the house concert venue The Judson House in Grand Center, and pianist and singer Jesse Gannon and his band return to The Dark Room.

Saturday, March 3
Trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra will play at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Delfeayo, the second-youngest of the four musical Marsalis brothers, assembled the UJO a decade ago to showcase the musical traditions of New Orleans, but it wasn't until last year that the group released its first album, the pointedly titled Make America Great Again. You can find out more about Marsalis (pictured, bottom left) and the UJO and see them on video performing some of the music from that album and more in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, there's another New Orleans act in town for the night, as the group Nutria makes their St. Louis debut at Evangeline's.

Drummer Shawn Myers, bassist Trey Boudreaux and tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Byron Asher play original modern jazz compositions, exploring "traditional music of the African diaspora & Eastern Europe as well as the avant-garde," and they're playing ten Midwestern cities in March in support of their just-released new album Call To The Air.

Elsewhere around town, there's an eclectic bill of experimental and electronic music featuring Kyle Landstra, Oxherding, JoAnn McNeil and the Vernacular String Trio at the Cherokee Street art gallery Flood Plain.

Sunday, March 4
The St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will present their spring event at the American Czech Educational Center; singer Anita Jackson performs for brunch at The Dark Room; and the Friends of Scott Joplin present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe.

Monday, March 5
Jim Manley plays for diners at Momo's Greek Restaurant.

Tuesday, March 6
Drummer Montez Coleman and guitarist Eric Slaughter are teaming up to host "The Tuesday Night Hit," a new weekly jam session at The Dark Room.

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: Winter/spring 2018 jazz preview, part 3

Today, it's part three of StLJN's winter/spring 2018 jazz preview, featuring videos of the jazz and creative music performers who will be visiting St. Louis in the first few months of the new year.  (The series features these coming attractions in chronological order; you can see part one here, and part two here.)

Picking up where we left off last week, the first video features trumpeter and St. Louis native Keyon Harrold, who's set to perform on Wednesday, February 7 and Thursday, February 8 at Jazz at the Bistro.

These shows will be Harrold's first in his hometown since releasing his second album as a leader, The Mugician, in September, and no doubt he'll be including material from that recording in his sets at the Bistro. You can hear live versions of some of that same music in the video up above, an episode of BRIC TV's program B-Side devoted to Harrold that was recorded in October 2017 in New York City.

After the jump, there's a clip of another St. Louis native who's now a rising star on the international jazz scene: singer Alicia Olatuja, who was known as Alicia Miles while growing up in St. Louis and attending the University of Missouri.

Now married to bassist Michael Olatuja, who also leads her band, she made her Bistro debut last April as a guest star with harmonica player Gregoire Maret, and is set to headline her own shows at the venue starting Wednesday, February 14 through Saturday, February 17. She's seen here performing "Love Me Still," first made famous by R&B diva Chaka Khan, in August 2015 at Dizzy's in NYC.

The third video features pianist Benny Green, who will perform with his trio from Wednesday, February 21 through Saturday, February 23 at the Bistro. Green spent nearly a decade as part of bassist Ray Brown's latter-day trio, emphasizing the mainstream swing and bop that's continued to be foundational to his playing, and in this clip, recorded in 2016 at the University of Michigan, you can hear those roots as Green plays a solo version of Bud Powell's "Hallucinations." 

That same week, electronic musician and multi-media artist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe will be in town for a performance presented by New Music Circle on Saturday, February 23 at Urb Arts in the Old North neighborhood. Today's fourth video shows a full set of Lowe performing live as part of the 2017 Brighton Modular Meet at the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, University of Sussex, Brighton, England.

Next, it's trumpeter Sean Jones, who will be back with his quartet to perform Wednesday, February 28 through Saturday, March 3 at the Bistro. Jones has been a frequent visitor to the Bistro in recent years, even recording his most recent album there. The penultimate clip shows Jones in an episode of the web series "The Pace Report" from June 2017, discussing that recording, his long-running quartet, influences, and his role as an educator at Berklee.

The final video features trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, who will be in St. Louis to perform on Saturday, March 3 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Son of Ellis Marsalis, younger brother to Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and older brother to Jason Marsalis, Delfeayo leads a big band stocked with musicians from New Orleans, often including baritone saxophonist Roger Lewis of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and multi-reedman Victor Goines. Both Lewis and Goines are on hand for this video, a full set recorded in February 2017 at Dizzy's Club in NYC's Lincoln Center.

Look for part four of StLJN's winter/spring 2018 jazz preview next week in this space. You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Attention donut lovers: The pastry devotees and baked-goods aficionados at Jazz St. Louis will celebrate National Donut Day once again this year with a morning of festivities at Jazz at the Bistro.

The free, public event, scheduled for 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 2, will feature free donuts from 14 local shops, plus complementary beverages, live music from students in JSL's JazzU program, a "Best Donut" competition, activities for kids, and more.

* Speaking of the Bistro, thanks to radio station WBGO,  you can get a first listen to trumpeter Sean Jones' new "live" album on Mack Avenue Records, which was recorded last year at the club.

* A crew from the Japanese documentary TV series Yume No Tourimichi has been in Missouri this month, shooting footage in St. Louis and Sedalia for an upcoming episode about ragtime pianist and composer Scott Joplin.

* And speaking of ragtime, the Goldenrod Showboat - which for 50 years hosted ragtime and vintage jazz festivals while moored on the St. Louis riverfront - finally has been declared beyond all hope by preservationists after recent flooding on the Illinois River where the boat's remains had been stored.

* Today is the 91st anniversary of the birth of Miles Davis, and should you be looking for a thoroughly annotated list of 10 noteworthy Latin jazz interpretations of Davis compositions, it turns out that Chip Boaz of the website Latin Jazz Corner has you covered.

In other Miles-related news, the London Vocal Project last week performed for the first time singer and lyricist Jon Hendricks’ vocalese version of the Davis/Gil Evans orchestral album Miles Ahead. Hendricks (pictured, with the album's reissue cover) has been working on this project since the late 1960s, and you can read reviews of the London production here and here.

To commemorate the trumpeter's natal day, you also can read a retrospective look at Davis' album E.S.P. from Stereophile's Fred Kaplan, occasioned by the 45th anniversary of its release; listen to the most recent episode of the "Night Lights" program from Indiana public radio station WPIU, which covers "Final Miles," as represented by the trumpeter's late-career recordings for Warner Brothers; and watch StLJN's video tribute to Davis from last Saturday. 

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* This Saturday, April 22 is the 10th annual celebration of Record Store Day, and as in recent years, yr. StLJN editor once again will be taking part by doing a "guest DJ" stint at Vintage Vinyl, spinning tunes inside the U City store for an hour starting at 4:00 p.m. (If you look closely at the event poster (pictured), you can even see my name in small type at the lower right.)

As usual, VV and their fellow music retailers in St. Louis have a full day of activities, live music, giveaways and more planned for RSD, and you can get an overview of who's doing what via Kevin Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

* Are you, or do you know, an accountant with an appreciation for jazz? If so, your dream job could be waiting, as Jazz St. Louis is looking for a Chief Financial Officer. You can find out more about the job and how to apply here. 

* The second annual Make Music Day St. Louis festival, the relatively recent local addition to a long-running, worldwide event marking the summer solstice, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 21. Musicians and venues interested in participating can find more information at www.makemusicstl.org.

* Trumpeter Sean Jones, a frequent visitor to St. Louis in recent years, is preparing to put out his first-ever  live album, which was recorded here at Jazz at the Bistro. Set to be released by Mack Avenue Records on Friday, May 26, the aptly titled Live from Jazz at the Bistro features Jones' working band of the past 12 years and is available for pre-order now.

* The group of musicians from the STL Free Jazz Collective, Vernacular String Trio, and others recording under the "Secret Sessions" banner have released another album as a pay-what-you-will download on Bandcamp.  

* Trumpeter Adam Hucke of the Funky Butt Brass Band (and various other local ensembles) is the subject of a feature story in this week's Riverfront Times. Hucke will celebrate the release of his first solo album Madam, I'm Adam with a show Sunday night at the Old Rock House.

* The date is set for the 2017 Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival, which will take place from noon to 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 16 in the area around the intersection of Lockwood and Gore in Webster Groves' "Old Webster" business district. The festival's lineup of bands will be announced at a later date.

Miles on Monday: The BBC on the visual art of Miles Davis, and more

"Sugar Rush" by Miles Davis

This week in Miles Davis news:

* To coincide with the 90th anniversary of Davis' birth, the BBC has scheduled "Blue Canvas: The Artist Miles Davis," an  audio documentary about Davis' visual art, for broadcast this Thursday. 

* Also on Thursday, All Music Television Digital Network will release a promotional video for an upcoming broadcast of the "Miles in May" event presented last week in Los Angeles by keyboardist Robert Glasper, saxophonist Terrace Martin, and friends. A full-length program based on the event will be shown Friday, June 24 on All Music Television and the ASPiRE TV network.

* Speaking of Robert Glasper, he talked about the release this week of his Miles Davis tribute/remix album Everything's Beautiful and various other topics in interviews with the Village Voice and Rolling Stone.

* An apartment subdivided from the NYC townhouse where Davis lived for more than 20 years has been listed for sale. The price? $500,000, plus monthly maintenance fee.

* Trumpeter Sean Jones was interviewed about Miles Davis' legacy and his experiences working with former Davis collaborators including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Marcus Miller. Jones will be featured as a special guest with SFJAZZ's "Miles Electric" project at the San Francisco Jazz Festival in June.

* Davis' historic album Bitches Brew served as inspiration for an essay in The Atlantic by the writer Mark Haddon about why "Art Should Be Uncomfortable."

Jazz this week: Sean Jones, Sylvie Courvoisier & Mark Feldman, Roseanna Vitro, and more

Even as presenters prepare to go into full holiday mode, it's going to be a busy week for jazz and creative music in and around St. Louis, with visits from several major touring musicians in the next few days, plus special seasonal performances from a number of local favorites. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, December 2
Trumpeter Sean Jones returns to Jazz at the Bistro for the first evening of a four-night engagement in which he'll be recording tracks for a planned live album for his longtime label Mack Avenue Records. Jones (who was the subject of video showcase posts here previously in 2009 and 2011) performed here most recently last November at the Bistro, co-leading a band with saxophonist Tia Fuller and vibraphonist Warren Wolf.

He first came to St. Louis as lead trumpeter for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and since leaving that job in 2010, he's become chair of brass at Berklee College of Music and the artistic director of the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestras. Also, this past August Jones (pictured, top left) joined the SF Jazz Collective octet, succeeding Avishai Cohen. That means he'll be coming back to St. Louis and the Bistro in the spring for the Collective's annual tour, which next year will feature interpretations of the music of Michael Jackson.

Also tonight, saxophonist Daniel Bennett's trio will play a free concert at the St. Louis County Library's Daniel Boone Branch in Ellisville; and this year's procession of holiday-themed performances begins with the Gateway City Big Band playing their annual Christmas concert at Sky Music Lounge in Ballwin, while pianist Peter Martin joins St. Louis Symphony violinist David Halen and friends to "Celebrate the Holidays" at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Thursday, December 3
Singer Kim Fuller will sing songs associated with Billie Holiday in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and guitarists Brian Vaccaro and Tim Fischer will play duets at the Pat Connolly Tavern in Dogtown.

Friday, December 4
New Music Circle presents pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and violinist Mark Feldman (pictured, center left) in concert at The Stage at KDHX.

Working the territory where contemporary composition meets free improvisation, Courvoisier and Feldman have earned a reputation as serious players in both contexts. You can find out more about them and see some video samples of their duo performances in this post from the Saturday before last.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Randy Holmes and his quintet anticipate and pay tribute to the December 14 birthday of the late trumpeter Clark Terry by performing his music at the Ozark Theatre; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play swing and jump blues at Evangeline's; and the Original Knights of Swing perform for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Over in Illinois, Miss Jubilee will play at Edwardsville's Wildey Theatre, while the Midwest Jazz-tette brings their West Coast jazz sound to The Abbey in Belleville.

Saturday, December 5
Singer Roseanna Vitro (pictured, center left) will perform at the Ozark Theatre. Vitro is a savvy and swinging vocalist who was nominated for a Grammy Award for her 2012 album interpreting the music of Randy Newman.

For more about her, plus some video samples of some live performances, see this post from last Saturday.

Sunday, December 6
The University of Missouri St. Louis music department presents "UMSL's Jazz for the Holidays," a free concert featuring the UMSL Jazz Ensemble, directed by bassist Jim Widner, the Vocal Point ensemble and University Orchestra at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Also on Sunday, the Dave Dickey Big Band turns their regular monthly gig at Jazz at the Bistro into a "Big Band Christmas" with a little help from guest vocalist Olivia Neal and an intermission set from the Pattonville HS Jazz Ensemble; and saxophonist and clarinetist Victor Goines will perform in a benefit for the North County Big Band at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Monday, December 7
Guitarist Tom Byrne and singer Erika Johnson perform at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, December 8 
The eclectic acoustic band The 442s will present their "Holiday Spectacular" with guest performers including pianist Peter Martin and singer Erin Bode at the 560 Music Center.

Also on Tuesday, the Saxquest Jazz Orchestra returns to the Tavern of Fine Arts; guitarist Vincent Varvel plays at Evangeline's; and pianist Pat Joyce will perform at The Wine Press.

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 5

This week, it's the fifth and final installment of StLJN's fall 2015 jazz video preview, offering an advance look at jazz and creative music performers who will be visiting St. Louis between now and year-end.

Parts one, two, three and four covered September, October and the first part of November, so today's post begins with Omaha Diner, who will make their St. Louis debut with performances starting Wednesday, November 17 through Saturday, November 21 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Comprised of guitarist Charlie Hunter, saxophonist Skerik, drummer Bobby Previte, and trumpeter Eric Bloom (in for original member Steven Bernstein), Omaha Diner is premised on the idea of performing only original arrangements of songs that have made it to number one on the Billboard pop charts. And so, in the first clip up above you can see them playing "Thrift Shop," which was a hit for hip-hop duo Macklemore & Lewis.

After the jump, you can see a clip featuring singer Susan Werner, who will close out the fall edition of the Presenters Dolan's Gaslight Cabaret Festival with performances on Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21 at the Gaslight Theater. Werner, who's associated with folk and country as much as cabaret, can be seen here performing "(Why Is Your) Heaven So Small" a a gig in August 2014 in Nashville.

Next up is pianist Eliane Elias, who's playing Saturday, November 21 to kick off the 2015-16 jazz series at  The Sheldon. Elias is seen in the third clip performing "So Danço Samba" at the 2015 International Jazz Day Global Concert in Paris, with some help from trumpeter Claudio Roditi, percussionist Mino Cinélu, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington.

The same evening as Elias' concert, the Stanley Clarke Band will be in town for a concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. The fourth clip features the bassist and his electric ensemble in a full set at this year's North Sea Jazz Festival.

After that, it's trumpeter Sean Jones, who returns to St. Louis to play Wednesday, December 2 through Saturday, December 5 at Jazz at the Bistro. Jones is seen here performing his deconstructed version of "How High The Moon" last month at the Litchfield Jazz Festival in Connecticut.

Also in town that same weekend will be the duo of pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and violinist Mark Feldman, who will perform in a concert presented by New Music Circle on Friday, December 4 at The Stage at KDHX. They're represented here by a video shot by an audience member in 2014 during their set at NYC's Winter Jazzfest.

Today's final clip features drummer Matt Wilson Christmas Tree-O, who will be spreading holiday cheer from Wednesday, December 16 through Saturday, December 19 at Jazz at the Bistro. The video shows them performing in 2011 for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Bosman Twins (pictured) were interviewed for a short feature in St. Louis magazine by the mag's culture editor Stef Russell.

* The opening of Jazz St. Louis' new HQ was covered in the December issue of DownBeat magazine by St. Louis' own Terry Perkins.

* Cabaret singer Meghan Kirk performed Thursday on Fox 2's morning newscast. Kirk will do her show "The Story Goes On" tonight for a sold-out house at the Gaslight Theater as part of the final weekend of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival.

* Quincy Jones was interviewed by The Dinner Party Download about trumpeter Clark Terry and Keep On Keepin' On, the the new documentary about Terry that Jones co-produced.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band has posted on Facebook an album of photos from their performance last Sunday for the St. Louis Jazz Club.

* Saxquest has posted on Facebook an album of photos from saxophonist Tia Fuller's performance and workshop there last Thursday.

* The U City High School jazz band has put online some photos from their workshop last week with pianist Peter Martin and trumpeter Sean Jones.

* In this week's Miles Davis-related news, Los Angeles-based apparel company Worn Free has launched a new line of Miles Davis t-shirts, with eight different designs priced from $35 to $50.

* Meanwhile, Prestige Records is looking for producers and DJs to do remixes of Davis' version of "Doxy." Prizes for the winners include $500 cash, a "large merch package from Prestige," an official release on a Spotify EP, and more.

* Jazz radio update: Saturday night on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis' “Somethin’ Else”, host Calvin Wilson will feature music from trios led by pianist Chick Corea, including tracks from his new album with Christian McBride and Brian Blade. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Jazz this week: Fuller, Jones & Wolf; "Swing Xing" with Bucky Pizzarelli; Jazz in Pink; and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis features two different all-star groups of visiting musicians, a return visit from one of the more prominent all-female ensembles in jazz, and a number of noteworthy shows from local bands and players. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, saxophonist Tia Fuller (pictured), who's in town for a Jazz St. Louis educational residency and weekend gig at Jazz at the Bistro, will present a free workshop and performance at Saxquest; and the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with singer/actress Sheri Sanders and her show "Rock It" at the Gaslight Theater.

Also tonight, Good 4 The Soul returns for their monthly gig at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups; and guitarists Tom Byrne and William Lenihan will play as a duo at Remy's Kitchen & Wine Bar.

Tomorrow night, Fuller, trumpeter Sean Jones and vibraphonist Warren Wolf will play for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, supported by a St. Louis rhythm section of Peter Martin (piano), Jahmal Nichols (bass), and Montez Coleman (drums).

Jones and Wolf, like Fuller, are here this week doing educational residencies for Jazz St. Louis, and so since this is an ad hoc assembly rather than a regular working band, it's hard to say precisely what their repertoire will be. It seems likely that they'll draw on recent albums by the visitors - all three have recorded for the Mack Avenue label, with Wolf and Jones both releasing new CDs this year - but given the talent level, they should sound just fine no matter what they're playing.

Also on Friday, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival presents singer Carole J. Bufford in the first of two nights of her show "Body & Soul" at the Gaslight Theater. Bufford, who will be making her St. Louis debut with this show, was called “most likely to succeed” among the younger generation of New York cabaret performers by the New York Times' Stephen Holden.

Elsewhere around town, singer Erin Bode will perform at Nathalie's; singer Feyza Eren will be at the The Wine Press; and trumpeter Jim Manley returns to One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar.

On Saturday, guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo will present their touring production "Swing Xing! Three Generations of Swing Guitar" at the Sheldon Concert Hall. For a preview of that performance and video footage of all three guitarists in action, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play swing, jump blues and more at Nathalie's; and guitarist Tom Byrne's trio will perform at Thurman Grill.

On Sunday, Jazz St. Louis will begin their new weekly Sunday jazz brunch at the Bistro, with musical accompaniment from guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran's Guerrilla Swing.

Then that afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club will present the Funky Butt Brass Band at the DoubleTree  Hilton at Westport, where perhaps concertgoers will get a live preview of some of the material from the FBBB's forthcoming album Sugar Sugar Whomp Whomp.

Right around the time that show wraps up, Jazz in Pink will be getting underway at the Sheldon Concert Hall, as the all-female band returns to St. Louis to play another benefit performance for Community Women Against Hardship.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Webster University Jazz Collective, featuring members of Webster's jazz faculty, will perform at Winifred Moore Auditorium on campus; and guitarist Dave Black and singer Joe Mancuso will return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Tuesday, the SIUE Concert Jazz Band, directed by guitarist Rick Haydon, and the recently formed SIUE Alumni Jazz Band will share the stage for a performance at Jazz at the Bistro, playing "your favorite charts from Basie, Ellington, and beyond."

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 2014 jazz preview, part 4

Today, it's part four of StLJN's video preview of jazz and creative music performers who will be coming to St. Louis this fall. (In case you missed them, here's part 1, part 2, and part 3.)

For this installment, we resume with more of what's coming up in November, starting with a video featuring keyboardist Marco Benevento, who will be back to play Sunday, November 9 at 2720 Cherokee.

Benevento is touring this fall in support of his recent album Swift, which features him singing lead vocals for the first time. As someone who's generally enjoyed his instrumental music, I've not found what I've heard so far of his singing to be particularly compelling, so rather than showcasing one of his new songs here, we've got a live version of the Benevento concert staple "RISD", recorded in June of this year at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ. (For samples of Benevento new vocal material, check out these live performances of "At The Show" and "Eye to Eye.")

Later that week, saxophonist Tia Fuller, trumpeter Sean Jones and vibraphonist Warren Wolf will team up to perform on Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 16 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Although all three have recorded for the Mack Avenue label, and Fuller and Jones have worked together on occasion, this specific lineup is a custom one-off for Jazz St. Louis, so there's actually no footage online of all three of them playing together.So instead, we've got clips of them performing individually.

First up is Fuller, seen in a recording made in March of this year at Smoke in NYC that excerpts her solo on a tune that's not positively identified but may very well be "Impressions." The interesting thing about this is that it demonstrates that while some may think of Fuller as a slick R&B saxophonist, based on her tenure with pop singer Beyonce and other commercial gigs, she's also comfortable going outside in a post-Coltrane style.

And speaking of Coltrane, the next clip features Sean Jones' trumpet solo on a big band version of "Giant Steps" recorded with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, for whom he has spent nearly a decade as lead trumpeter. Below that, you can see Wolf in a duo performance of Chick Corea's "Senor Mouse" with pianist Alex Brown, recorded at a performance by Wolf's band in March of this year in Boston at Berklee College of Music's 939 Cafe.

After that, you can see singer Carole J. Bufford doing "Cry Me A River" in a recording made last year in NYC. She'll perform her show "Body and Soul" on Friday, November 13 and Saturday, November 14 for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival.

Next, it's guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, who will bring their show "Swing Xing! Three Generations of Swing Guitar" to the Sheldon Concert Hall on Saturday, November 15. They're seen here performing "Three Little Words" in a recording made in May 2014 at the Cutting Room in NYC.

The very next evening, the all-female ensemble Jazz in Pink will take the Sheldon stage in a benefit performance for Community Women Against Hardship. In this clip from 2013, they're playing "Soulchestral Groove."

A few days later, saxophonist Jeff Coffin and his band, the Mutet, will make make their debut at Jazz at the Bistro with a four-night run starting Friday, November 19 and continuing through Saturday, November 22. This recording of "The Mad Hatter Rides Again" was made by an audience member at Coffin's show last October in Athens, GA.

That same weekend, clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen will be back in town to serve as special guest for pianist Peter Martin's concert on Saturday, November 21 at the Sheldon. Cohen, who led her own group for a week at the Bistro a couple of years ago and this year toured with Martin as part of the Newport Jazz Festival 60th anniversary band, is seen here last December at the Umbria Jazz Festival dueting with guitarist Howard Alden on "Espinha de Bacalhau."

Last but certainly not least, today's final video features trumpeter, singer and U City native Jeremy Davenport, who will return from his adopted home in New Orleans for his annual post-Thanksgiving performance on Friday, November 28 and Saturday, November 29 at Jazz at the Bistro. This is a full set of Davenport and his band, apparently recorded within the last year at some sort of private or corporate gig, but otherwise not labeled with a date or place.

You'll find the fifth and final part of the fall 2014 jazz preview in this space next week, and you can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Jazz this week: Sean Jones, Galactic, Pat Metheny Unity Group, Andre Delano, a tribute to Eddie Lang, and more

As the city wakes up the morning after Fat Tuesday, there's no post-Mardi Gras slump in the schedule of jazz and creative music in St. Louis. This week includes shows from several noteworthy touring musicians, plus a homecoming performance from a well-known expat, and much more. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, Sean Jones returns to Jazz at the Bistro to open a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday. The former lead trumpeter with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Jones (pictured) has been a frequent visitor to St. Louis on his own in recent years, most recently performing at the Bistro in 2013 with both the "Triumph of Trumpets" show and as guest soloist with the student JazzU ensembles. For this visit, he'll be accompanied by a top-notch group including pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Obed Calvaire.

Tomorrow night, another group of frequent visitors returns, as New Orleans' funk/jazz/hip-hop band Galactic checks in for their annual appearance at The Pageant, this time with singer Maggie Koerner as special guest and the Mike Dillon Band as opening act. For more about Galactic, plus some recent performances of theirs on video, check out this post from a couple of Saturday ago.

Elsewhere around town on Thursday, saxophonist/clarinetist Elsie Parker's group featuring pianist Ken Kehner will play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; singer Feyza Eren and pianist Scott Shepard will star in "Colored Sky: An Evening of St. Louis Jazz," a benefit for the Diversity Awareness Partnership presented at the Sheldon Concert Hall; and the Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues with a performance of Ken Haller's "The TV Show" at the Gaslight Theater.

On Friday, the husband-and-wife team of pianist Joe Dreyer and singer Rosemary Watts continue the Gaslight Cabaret Festival with their show "Swing Into Spring"; singer Wendy L. Gordon returns to DeLeo's Cafe & Deli; vibraphonist Tom Rickard leads a trio at Cigar Inn; and the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom

Then on Saturday, Connie Fairchild, the soulful singer best known for the long-running local rock band bearing her last name, will make her debut as a cabaret performer with a show called "Down By The River" at the Gaslight Theater.

Also on Saturday, Wack-A-Doo will be at the Tavern of Fine Arts; saxophonist Jay Hutson and Da Wolvez play R&B-inflected tunes at Robbie's House of Jazz; jazz-fusion band The Freedom make their debut at Thurman Grill; and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to the Venice Cafe.

On Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents a tribute to guitarist Eddie Lang at the Sheraton Westport, featuring guitarist Rick Haydon, trombonist Brett Stamps, clarinetist Scott Alberici, drummer Miles Vandiver, and bassist Zeb Briskovich.

Sunday evening offers dueling headliners, as saxophonist and East St. Louis native Andre Delano will be back home to play two shows at the Bistro at Grand Center, while guitarist Pat Metheny brings his Unity Group to town for a highly anticipated performance at The Pageant. For more about the Pat Metheny Unity Group and their brand new album Kin, see this post from last Saturday.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday percussionist Joe Pastor and his group are back at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Tuesday, the jazz-fusion group Common Time (formerly known as Steizuello) will be joined by a string quartet for a "Notes From Home" performance at the Sheldon; and Boisyiac, a new quartet including guitarist Mason Baran, bassist Nathan Pence, drummer Joe Winstein-Hibbs, and keyboardist Matt Villinger, will play at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

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.)

(Edited 3/6/13 to add some links and clean up typos.) 

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Winter/spring 2014 jazz preview, part 3

This week, it's an extra-large part three of StLJN's video preview of jazz musicians and bands coming to St. Louis in the first part of 2014. (In case you missed them, here's part one and part two.)

Today's first clip features singer Marissa Mulder, who will make her St. Louis debut as one of the headliners of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, performing "The Songs of Tom Waits" from Thursday, February 27 through Saturday, March 1 at the Gaslight Theater. In this clip, Mulder can be seen singing "Day After Tomorrow," written by Waits and Kathleen Brennan, during a show in March of this year at the Metropolitan Room in NYC.

Down below, the next video shows off trumpeter Sean Jones playing his song "Transitions" at the 2011 Detroit Jazz Festival. Jones will return to St. Louis once again this spring to play Wednesday, March 5 through Saturday March 8 at Jazz at the Bistro.

The third video features another act that's visited St. Louis frequently in recent years, the New Orleans funk/jazz group Galactic. They'll be back on Thursday, March 6 to play at The Pageant, but in the meantime, you can watch their entire set from this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Below that, the fourth clip present another of the visiting headliners for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, singer/actress Emily Bergl, whose performances of "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" from Thursday, March 13 through Saturday, March 15 at the Gaslight Theater will be her first here in St. Louis. Bergl, an acclaimed musical theater performer who also had a recurring role on ABC's Desperate Housewives, is seen here singing "42nd Street" at the Cicada Club in Los Angeles.

In the fifth video window, you can see an NPR Music "Tiny Desk Concert" featuring alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, who will be making his St. Louis debut Wednesday, March 19 through Saturday, March 22 at Jazz at the Bistro. Mahanthappa, who leads several different ensembles, is seen here performing "Killer" and "Playing With Stones" with guitarist Rez Abbasi, bassist Rich Brown, and drummer Rudy Royston.

The last five clips all relate to a single concert, the all-star "Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60" ensemble that will play the final date of a 17-city tour on Sunday, March 30 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The group includes St. Louis' own Peter Martin (who should be quite familiar to regular StLJN readers by now) as pianist, and will be directed by clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen, who was featured in this space last year when she and her quartet played a week at the Bistro.

Also taking part will be singer and Kansas City native Karrin Allyson, seen here performing "The Shadow of Your Smile" with her quartet; trumpeter Randy Brecker, who in his clip is playing "Round Midnight" in a 2011 performance with Washington DC's Jazz Academy Orchestra; and guitarist Mark Whitfield, offering his version of "In a Sentimental Mood" this part June at the JazzAscona festival in Switzerland (with some help from bassist Roland Guerin and drummer Troy Davis).

Providing the foundation for the band will be bassist Larry Grenadier, who is seen in the ninth video soloing at a clinic in June of this year in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and drummer Clarence Penn, who's featured in today's tenth and final clip playing a solo in 2010 at the Blue Note club in Poznań, Poland.

Look for part four of StLJN's winter/spring 2014 jazz preview here next week.

Jazz this week: Jazz St. Louis All-Stars & Sean Jones, Dan Thomas & Voyage, Miles Davis Jazz Festival, and more

While not every week here in St. Louis can be as packed with touring jazz and creative music talent as was the end of Jazz Appreciation Month last week, our local and regional musicians nevertheless are serving up plenty of noteworthy performances over the next few days. So, let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, the funky organ trio Downstereo will be doing their regular weekly performance at Atomic Cowboy; Miss Jubilee will sing at Thaxton Speakeasy, and saxophonist Jim Stevens is playing a solo-with-tracks gig at Stanley's Cigar Lounge, 1000 Washington Ave. downtown.

On Friday, saxophonist Dan Thomas (pictured), who comes originally from Canada by way of Kansas City, brings his quartet Voyage to St. Louis for the first of two evenings at Robbie's House of Jazz. Thomas co-chairs the jazz program at UMKC alongside former Jazz Messenger Bobby Watson, and released his first CD with Voyage last fall. It's an enjoyable, crisply executed collection of modern jazz grooves that range from straight-ahead swing to Latin, and you can access audio samples from it and Thomas' other recordings via his website.

That same evening, Jazz St. Louis will present the first of two evenings at Jazz at the Bistro featuring student musicians from the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars and JazzU programs, with trumpeter Sean Jones sitting in as a special guest star. The weekend giving the top high-school-age players from Jazz St. Louis' education programs the chance to show off what they've learned has become a spring tradition at the Bistro, enlivened in recent years by the presence of guest musicians such as Jones.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Delano Redmond leads a quartet with drummer Marty Morrison, pianist Matt Villinger and bassist LaRon Stover at Cigar Inn; and guitarist-singer Tommy Halloran and violinist Alyssa Avery play for diners at Big Sky Cafe.

On Saturday, trumpeter and vibraphonist Joe Bozzi will do a lunchtime matinee at Frontenac Grill, and later that day, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform for a Kentucky Derby Day themed event at Thurman Grill and Provisions.

Also getting started in the late afternoon Saturday is the Alton Museum of History and Art's annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival, held this year at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton. The lineup of performers includes saxophonist Fred Walker, the Marty Morrison Quartet, and guitarist Henry Taylor's revue featuring vocalist Saman Swanson.

Also on Saturday evening, the University of Missouri's Mizzou New Music Ensemble will be in town to perform a free concert at the World Chess Hall of Fame in the Central West End; and saxophonist Tim Cunningham and singer Angela Sutherlin will play for a spring fund-raiser at Harris Stowe State University. For more about that, see this story from KPLR's Christine Buck.

On Sunday, the spring edition of the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will take place at the American Czech Center on S. Kingshighway, with a roomful of dealers selling music in a variety of physical formats, plus related ephemera and collectables.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday guitarist Tom Byrne's trio will play at BB's Jazz Blues & Soups. Then on Tuesday morning, Cornet Chop Suey will play traditional jazz and swing for the first of two Coffee Concerts at the Sheldon Concert Hall, with the same program repeating on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday night, guitarist Dave Black brings his group to BB's for an early evening set.

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 St. Louis announces new shows in May at Jazz at the Bistro

Jazz St. Louis has announced two weekends of performances to fill out the schedule for May at Jazz at the Bistro. 

Trumpeter Sean Jones (pictured), who was here just a couple of weeks ago for the "Triumph of Trumpets" show, will return to serve as a guest star with the student musicians from the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars and  JazzU programs, who will present their annual weekend of performances at the Bistro on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4. 

Then on Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18, it's "Great Guitars 2013," featuring a team-up of St. Louis guitarists Tom Byrne, Shaun Robinson (from Good 4 the Soul), and Eric Slaughter, backed by bassist Jahmal Nichols and drummer Montez Coleman.

Sets will be at the Bistro's usual times of 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and tickets for both weekends are on sale now via Metrotix.

Jazz this week: "Triumph of Trumpets" with Faddis, Stafford & Jones, "Seeing Sound," Marco Benevento, Hot 8 Brass Band, and more

If you're a fan of brass instruments, it's a good week to be a jazz listener in St. Louis, with three first-rate trumpet players performing together on one stage, plus a chance to see one of New Orleans' most spirited brass bands. And if you're not in the mood for brass, there are plenty of other options, too, from spacey keyboard jams to swinging guitars to experimental film and audio. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, singer Erin Bode performs at Troy's Jazz Gallery, and singer Ralph Butler and keyboardist Gigi Darr will play at Brazikat (a recently opened Brazilian restaurant in Clayton).

Tomorrow night, brothers Dan Rubright (guitar) and Ted Rubright (percussion) will bring their new group WirePilots to Washington University to play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series; and guitarist Todd Mosby plays a concert of original music at Webster University's Community Music School.

On Friday, it's the first of two evenings of the "Triumph of Trumpets" at Jazz at the Bistro, featuring noted brass men Jon Faddis, Terell Stafford (pictured) and Sean Jones. The three have been teamed up for a weekend at the Bistro after being in town all this week for an educational residency for Jazz St. Louis. If you're a fan (or student) of jazz trumpet, this obviously is the pick show of the week, as the chance to hear three top players on one stage doesn't come along all that often. 

That same evening, New Music Circle and Webster University Film Series present "Seeing Sound," a program of experimental film and audio that's screening at Webster's Moore Auditorium. For all the details on that, and some samples of the films that will be shown, please see this post from last Saturday.

Also on Friday, Lindy Hop St. Louis present their monthly "West End Stomp" swing dance at the Mahler Ballroom , with live music from Miss Jubilee; and pianist/singer Jesse Gannon will lead a trio at Cigar Inn.

On Saturday, keyboardist Marco Benevento will be back in town to perform at 2720 Cherokee, with Downstereo as opening act. Benevento was in St. Louis most recently in September of last year, and for more about him and his music, check out the video showcase post that preceded that appearance.

Also on Saturday, keyboardist and singer Curt Landes is at Robbie's House of Jazz; guitarist Randy Bahr and pianist Carolbeth True play at One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar; and guitarist Tom Byrne's trio with singer Feyza Eren will be at Thurman Grill.

On Sunday, New Orleans' Hot 8 Brass Band comes to town to perform at The Demo,  with a opening set from the Funky Butt Brass Band. Also on Sunday, Dizzy Atmosphere plays swing, Gypsy jazz, and more at the Schlafly St. Louis Brewery & Tap Room.

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.)

(Edited after posting.)