Concert with Spyro Gyra, Mindi Abair canceled; Ferguson unrest cited

Promoters of the Eco Music Festival have canceled the event, which was to have featured Spyro Gyra, Mindi Abair (pictured) and two St. Louis acts in concert on Saturday, August 30 at the Chesterfield Amphitheater.

No replacement date was announced, and although a story by Calvin Wilson on STLtoday.com refers to the event as "indefinitely postponed," an email from a representative of promoters Sky Promotions used the word "canceled," suggesting that none will be forthcoming.

The email also stated that "the processing of refunds on Eventbrite is underway," but the Eventbrite page for the concert still had no mention of any cancellation, postponement or refund procedure as of 12:15 p.m. Thursday. However, the show has been removed from the Chesterfield Amphitheater site, and the URL ecomusicfestivals.org that originally was used to promote the event is now redirecting to the EventBrite page.

Wilson's story says that the promoters are citing the current unrest in Ferguson as the reason for the cancellation; the story also drily notes that the Chesterfield Amphitheater is located more than 20 miles away from Ferguson.

Given that promoters were still soliciting vendors for the event via Twitter as recently as this past Tuesday, August 19 - 11 days after people took to the streets to protest the shooting of 18-year-old Mike Brown by a Ferguson police officer - and tensions on the ground there seem to have eased somewhat since then, one can't help but wonder what's happened in the last two days to prompt the cancellation now. Perhaps a report indicating poor advance ticket sales?

Discounts available on advance tickets for Spyro Gyra/Mindi Abair concert

Promoters of the Eco Music Festival, which will feature performances from jazz/fusion band Spyro Gyra and saxophonist Mindi Abair (pictured) on Saturday, August 30 at the Chesterfield Amphitheater, are offering a 15% discount to online buyers for tickets purchased before next Tuesday, July 15.

The nominal advance prices for the show, which also will feature St. Louis' Bach to the Future and Tim Cunningham as opening acts, are $28 for lawn seats, and $48 for general admission "preferred seating" in the auditorium's fixed seats.

With a 15% discount, those prices would drop to $23.80 and $40.80, respectively. (Day-of-show prices are $33 and $53.)

To get the online discount, go to the event website at www.ecomusicfestival.org/, and when prompted, enter the discount code JAZZBISTROSTL.

Spyro Gyra, Mindi Abair to perform Saturday, August 30 at Chesterfield Amphitheater

Jazz/fusion band Spyro Gyra and saxophonist Mindi Abair are coming to St. Louis to perform as part of the Eco Music Festival starting at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, August 30 at the Chesterfield Amphitheater.

Also on the bill are St. Louis' own Tim Cunningham and Bach to the Future.

Led by saxophonist Jay Beckenstein, Spyro Gyra first gained wide notice in the 1970s for their self-produced hit singles "Morning Dance" and "Shaker Song," and subsequently have made more than two dozen albums, many of them best-sellers on the jazz and/or smooth jazz charts.

In addition to Beckenstein, the group's current lineup (pictured) includes longtime keyboardist Tom Schuman plus bassist Scott Ambush, guitarist Julio Fernandez, and drummer Lee Pearson. Their most recent album, The Rhinebeck Sessions, came out last year.

Abair has collaborated with contemporary jazz performers including Bobby Lyle, Jonathan Butler, Peter White and Rick Braun and also has made forays into pop with likes of the Backstreet Boys, Duran Duran, Mandy Moore, Aerosmith, and numerous others. Her most recent recording is 2014's Wild Heart.

Advance tickets for the Eco Music Festival with Spyro Gyra and Mindi Abair are $28 for lawn seats, and $48 for general admission "preferred seating" in the auditorium's fixed seats. Tickets purchased at the door will be $33 and $53. Also, six VIP tables for 10 are available for $1,000 each. Tickets are on sale now via EventBrite.