Jazz this week: Edward Simon, Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band, a tribute to Art Blakey, and more

As we head into Labor Day weekend, the calendar of upcoming live jazz and creative music performances coming up in St. Louis includes noteworthy visitors from New Orleans, San Francisco and elsewhere, plus a varied selection of sounds from our hometown players.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, August 28
This week's "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" includes Miss Jubilee at The Stage at KDHX, the jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and guitarist Brian Vaccaro's Spiral Trio at The Dark Room.

Thursday, August 29
Trumpeter Jim Manley and guitarist Randy Bahr return to Rendezvous Cafe & Wine Bar, and pianist Ryan Marquez plays at Evangeline's.

Also on Thursday, trumpeter Brady Lewis and his BLStet return to The Dark Room, and the experimental music series Bruxism will present sets from Head Dress (aka Ted Butler), Syna So Pro, and Philosopher's Culture at the Schlafly Tap Room.

Friday, August 30
Saxophonist Harvey Lockhart's HEAL Center For The Arts presents the first of two fundraisers titled simply "An Evening of Jazz," featuring the center's student group Point of View Ensemble, at the event space The OC @ Central West End. (The event will be repeated on Saturday night.)

Also on Friday, saxophonist Kendrick Smith is back at Thurman's in Shaw, and fusion trio 3XGroove performs at Troy's.

Saturday, August 31
Pianist Edward Simon (pictured, top left) will perform solo in a concert presented by Open Studio at Centene Center for the Arts.

Perhaps best known as a longtime member of the SFJAZZ Collective, the native of Venezuela also has recorded more than a dozen albums as a leader, the most recent being 2016's Latin American Songbook.

Update, 10:00 a.m. 8/31/19: Open Studio has informed StLJN that Edward Simon's St. Louis concert has been cancelled "due to a death in the family." The event will be rescheduled for a later date.

Also on Saturday, New Orleans' Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band (pictured, center left) will perform for the first of two nights at Focal Point. The all-woman ensemble, which includes clarinetist and former St. Louis resident Chloe Feoranzo, will play again at Focal Point on Sunday night.

Elsewhere around town, pianist Laura Dubin, visiting from Rochester NY, leads a trio at Evangeline's; pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True return to the Parkside Grille; and singer Jan Shapiro, pianist Dave Venn, bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Henry Ettman play at the Ozark Theatre.

Sunday, September 1
Dizzy Atmosphere plays for brunch at The Dark Room, and the Jazz Troubadours return for a dinnertime gig at Evangeline's.

Tuesday, September 3
The Mosaic Jazz Sextet (pictured, bottom left) is a new group formed by trombonist Dave Dickey that includes trumpeter Danny Campbell and saxophonist Ben Reese plus the rhythm section of pianist Adam Maness, bassist Bob DeBoo, and drummer Montez Coleman. Their debut performance will be a "Tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers" at the Gaslight Theater.

Also on Tuesday, the Tick Tock Jazz Band plays their monthly show of traditional jazz at the Tick Tock Tavern.

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 2019 jazz preview, part one

With fall fast approaching, it's time for the first autumn installment of StLJN twice-yearly jazz preview, featuring videos of noteworthy jazz and creative music performers who will be playing here over the next few months.

Today's preview starts on Labor Day weekend, for that's when pianist Edward Simon will be coming to town for a solo concert presented by Open Studio on Saturday, August 31 at Centene Center for the Arts.

You can see Simon in the first video up above, a trio set with drummer Adam Cruz and bassist Matt Brewer (billed as the "Festival New York Jazz All-Stars") that was recorded in 2016 at Teatro Ocampo in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Also in town over Labor Day weekend will be the Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band from New Orleans, who will perform on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1 at Focal Point. You can see them in the first video after the jump, a full set of music recorded in July of this year in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The next clip features another New Orleans group, Rebirth Brass Band, who will be in St. Louis the following week for a show on Friday, September 6 at Atomic Cowboy Pavilion. It's another full set, recorded in September 2018 at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta.

That same weekend, singer and pianist Diane Schuur will headline the Alton Jazz & Wine Festival on Saturday, September 7 at Alton Amphitheater, with locals Good 4 The Soul and the Funky Butt Brass Band as supporting acts. Schuur can be seen in the third video after the jump, singing George Gershwin's "S'Wonderful" with the Charleston Jazz Orchestra in February of this year at the Charleston Music Hall in South Carolina.

Also on Saturday, September 7, the "Smooth Jazz Cruise on Land" docks at the Chesterfield Amphitheater, with a crew that will includes multi-instrumentalist Brian Culbertson, saxophonist and vocalist Grace Kelly, and saxophonist Eric Darius, plus St. Louis' own Erin Bode and Tim Cunningham.

Culbertson can be seen next performing "Feelin' It/Funkin'" as recorded last year for his Colors of Love Tour - Live in Las Vegas concert video.

That's followed by Kelly, cutting tracks for her most recent album GO TiME: Brooklyn 2 live in the studio, and, last but not least, Darius playing Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" at an event last year for the Cannonball Saxophones company in Sandy, Utah.

Look for part two of StLJN's Fall 2019 jazz preview next week in this space. You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Jazz this week: Sy Smith, Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band, "Labor of Love," and more

For Labor Day weekend, the calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features plenty of traditional and vintage jazz, a showcase of a local foundation's artists-in-residence, the region's largest festival of homegrown blues talent, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, August 29
Singer Sy Smith, whose vocal and piano work runs along the borderline between neo-soul and jazz, will perform with keyboardist Mo Egeston and friends at the .ZACK building in Grand Center.

A couple of blocks away, the weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" will guitarist Tom Byrne and saxophonist Austin Cebulski at The Stage at KDHX; the weekly jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center; and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Thursday, August 30
The New Orleans-based Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band (pictured, top left), including former St. Louis resident Chloe Feoranzo on clarinet, will play at the Blues City Deli in the first of three shows at different local venues this weekend.

Also on Thursday, saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room, and guitarist Carol Eder plays at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, August 31
The Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band plays at The Stage at KDHX; trumpeter Jim Manley returns to Evangeline's; Miss Jubilee performs at Focal Point; and funk/jazz band The Service takes the stage for the late show at The Dark Room.

Though it's not jazz, it's worth noting that Friday also is the kickoff of the annual Big Muddy Blues Festival, which will feature dozens of St. Louis blues acts on outdoor stages and at indoor venues on Laclede's Landing, and continues through Sunday.

Saturday, September 1
Trombonist Charlie Halloran, back home from New Orleans for the weekend, will play two shows on Saturday, a matinee at the Blues City Deli and an evening concert at Focal Point.

Also on Saturday, the Kranzberg Arts Foundation presents its first-ever resident showcase "Labor of Love,"  with music from Anita Jackson (pictured, bottom left), Mo Egeston, Tonina, Owen Ragland and more, at the Grandel Theatre.

Also that same night, guitarists Paquito and Sandro Lorier, a father-and-son duo of swing and Gypsy jazz guitarists from Alsace, France will perform at the house-concert venue Judson House.

Sunday, September 2
The Friends of Scott Joplin present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, and the Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band plays their final show of the weekend at Focal Point.

Tuesday, September 4
The Tick Tock Jazz Band plays vintage jazz and swing at the Tick Tock Tavern.

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 8/29/18 to correct info for Grand Center Jazz Crawl.

Jazz this week: Houston Person, Nevermore Jazz Ball, Eric Marienthal, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes one of the most popular swing dance festivals in the Midwest, a couple of stellar saxophonists, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, November 1
Veteran tenor saxophonist Houston Person (pictured, top left) returns to lead a quartet for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Person, who will turn 83 in November, remains a canny master of bop, blues and ballads, and still works as a single in the old-school style, using local rhythm sections in each city he visits. He'll be accompanied for his four nights here in St. Louis by pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson, bassist Bob DeBoo, and drummer Montez Coleman.

Also on Wednesday, the weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features the Jazz Troubadours at KDHX's Magnolia Café; a jam session at the Kranzberg Arts Center (minus its usual host Bob DeBoo, since he's playing bass with Houston Person at the Bistro); and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Thursday, November 2
Singer Denise Thimes will headline her annual show benefiting pancreatic cancer research in the name of her late mother, Mildred Thimes, at the Sheldon Concert Hall. 

Also on Thursday, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present "Voices of Freedom, Songs of Social Justice," a free concert featuring singer/guitarist Rick Schuler, multi-instrumentalists R. Scott Bryan and William Lenihan and pianist Jay Oliver performing music by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, and more.

Elsewhere around town, the annual Nevermore Jazz Ball - four days and nights of swing dancing and live music at various venues around town - gets underway with two performances by New Orleans' Shake Em Up Jazz Band (pictured, center left) featuring clarinetist and former St. Louisan Chloe Feoranzo.

They'll play a dinner-hour show at the Blues City Deli that's not officially part of the NJB schedule, followed by a ticketed dance at Treffpunkt, a recently opened event space at 3453 S Jefferson Ave on the south side. (While this post notes some of the highlights, you'll need to see the NJB website. linked above, for a complete schedule of the weekend's events.)

Friday, November 3
The Gaslight Cabaret Festival presents singers Farah Alvin and William Michals performing "Broadway's Greatest Hits of All Time" for the first of two nights at the Gaslight Theater.

Also on Friday, guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran begins a Friday residency that will continue through February at Das Bevo Underground, a new live music space that, as the name implies, is located in the basement of the venerable Bevo Mill, now re-opened under new management.

Elsewhere around town, the Nevermore Jazz Ball continues with a dance featuring Miss Jubilee at the Casa Loma Ballroom,  percussionist Herman Semidey and Son Montuno play salsa and Latin jazz at the Webster Groves Concert Hall; and The People's Key will offer their soul-jazz take on the music of Jimi Hendrix at The Stage at KDHX

Saturday, November 4
The Nevermore Jazz Ball has a full day and night of events, including the Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl, an afternoon of live music, from a half-dozen different local bands free and open to the public at various venues along Cherokee St.  and Jefferson Ave, and an evening dance with music by Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders at the Casa Loma. 

Also on Saturday, saxophonist Eric Marienthal (pictured, bottom left), who made his reputation in the 1990s as part of Chick Corea's Elektric Band and has gone on to a busy solo career, will team up with St. Louis' own Bach to the Future to perform in a benefit for the Dillon International adoption agency at Mandarin House Banquet Hall.

Sunday, November 5
The St. Louis Record and CD Collector's Show presents their last event of 2017 at the American Czech Educational Center, and the Friends of Scott Joplin will host their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe.

Also on Sunday, the Coleman Hughes Project plays an early evening show at Troy's Jazz Gallery;
and the St. Louis International Film Festival presents a screening of the documentary "Mr. Handy's Blues," at The Stage at KDHX, followed immediately by a live performance by singer Valerie "Miss Jubilee" Kirchoff, pianist Ethan Leinwand and cornetist TJ Muller.

Monday, November 6
Traditional jazz band Annie and the Fur Trappers will play at Das Bevo Underground.

Tuesday, November 7
Bassist Igor Saavedra, who's known for his prowess on extended-range bass guitar, will play a solo show at  Stringbean Coffee in Brentwood.

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.)