Jazz this week: Peter Martin & Federico González Peña, Byron Stripling, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes a duo concert pairing two prolific pianists, a return visit from a top trumpeter, three different big band performances, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Thursday, February 26
Pianist Kara Baldus, guitarist William Lenihan, and drummer Steve Davis will play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, with Wash U provost Holden Thorpe also sitting in on piano. In keeping with the evening's theme of different approaches to improvisation, they'll reportedly be using Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt's infamous Oblique Strategies as inspiration for a freeform piece or two.

Also tonight, the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Experimental Arts Open Improv Night" with live improvised music.

Friday, February 27
Pianist Peter Martin (pictured, top left) will wrap up this season of his eponymous series at the The Sheldon performing a duo concert with keyboardist Federico González Peña, who's played with Marcus Miller, Grégoire Maret and Gene Lake, Sting, Chaka Khan and Meshell Ndegeocello.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Jim Manley and guitarist Randy Bahr will be duet at Thurman Grill; singer Joe Mancuso leads a quartet at Nathalie's; and the Ambassadors of Swing will play for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom. Over on the east side, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will be perform in concert at the Wildey Theatre, and keyboardist Matt Villinger leads a quartet at Cigar Inn.

(In case you were wondering, Friday also is when Jazz St. Louis will hold their annual fundraising gala at the Ritz Carlton, with music by Jonathan Batiste and Stay Human and an "after-hours cabaret" with Denise Thimes. While tickets for the event were sold in advance, if you've got the requisite $500 per person and want to attend, you can contact JSL's development director Wendy Rosenblum at wendy at jazzstl dot org or 314-881-3085 to see if any seats remain available.)

Saturday, February 28
Trumpeter Byron Stripling (pictured, center left) who's been in town this week doing educational events for Jazz St. Louis, will play two sets at Jazz at the Bistro. For some video of Stripling in action, check out this post from before his appearance here in 2012

Also on Saturday, Miss Jubilee will play swing and jump blues at Casa Loma Ballroom, and Wack-A-Doo returns to Thurman Grill.

Sunday, March 1
The Friends of Scott Joplin present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site; and the Dave Dickey Big Band will play their monthly gig at Jazz at the Bistro. Dickey will be featuring charts from the late trumpeter Clark Terry's Big Bad Band, and student jazz ensembles from Seckman High School and Middle School will perform at intermission.

Monday, March 2
Guitarist Tom Byrne and singer Erika Johnson will perform at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, March 3
The St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by bassist Jim Widner, will feature guest vocalist Mardra Thomas (pictured, lower left) performing material associated with Billie Holiday at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

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: Kenny Barron & Stefon Harris, No BS! Brass Band, Branford Marsalis, and more

Considering that it's still mid-winter and pre-Mardi Gras, it looks like there's a nice variety of jazz and creative music over the next few days in St. Louis, with everything from intimate duets to roaring big bands on the musical menu. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, February 4
Pianist Kenny Barron and vibraphonist Stefon Harris (pictured, top left) begin a four-night run of duo performances at Jazz at the Bistro. You can get a close-up look and listen to Barron's considerable pianistic skills in this video post from last Saturday.

Also tonight, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra offers "A Tribute to Stan Kenton" at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Thursday, February 5
Guitarist Chris Burchett will play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, while guitarist Stuart Johnson plays standards at Thurman Grill.

Friday, February 6
The Ambassadors of Swing will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; singer Joe Mancuso fronts a trio at EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery; and keyboardists Matt Villinger and Adam Maness will team up to perform at Thurman Grill.

Over on the east side of the Mississippi, the Midwest Jazz-tette will bring their West Coast "cool jazz" inspired sound to The Abbey Espresso Bar & Cafe in Belleville; and pianist Dave Becherer leads a trio at Cigar Inn.

Saturday, February 7
Pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True will play the house concert venue KindaBlue, 6101 1/2 Idaho;  trumpeter Jim Manley and pianist Arthur Toney will be at One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar; the Sidemen will play vintage swing at Evangeline's; and singer Feyza Eren will lead a quartet in concert at The Chapel.

Sunday, February 8
Inspired by the New Orleans brass band tradition but hailing from Richmond, Virginia, the No BS! Brass Band (pictured, lower left) will perform at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Also on Sunday, the Dave Dickey Big Band plays their monthly gig at Jazz at the Bistro, with an intermission performance by the Ft. Zumwalt North HS Jazz Band.

Monday, February 9
While saxophonist Branford Marsalis' one-nighter at Jazz at the Bistro has been sold out for some time now,  there are several other jazz performances happening on Monday, including pianist Kim Portnoy's trio at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium; singer Dean Christopher's "Rat Pack & More" at One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar; and Animal Children at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, February 10
The Sheldon Concert Hall will be presenting jazz both morning and night, with the St. Louis Stompers playing a "Coffee Concert" in the morning, and vocal group Java Jived teaming up with the Midwest Jazz-tette for a "Notes From Home" concert in the evening.

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: Regina Carter, a trio of big bands, a benefit for Tony Simmons, and more

This week's notable jazz and creative music performances in St. Louis include the return of the premier violinist in jazz; concerts by three different local big bands; and more. Let's go to the highlights...

The violinist in question is, as you might suspect,  Regina Carter, who opens a four-night engagement this evening continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Carter (pictured) was here last in 2010, touring with a band that included accordion and kora players in support of her album Reverse Thread, which featured compositions by musicians from Kenya, Mali, and Senegal. This time, she'll be accompanied by a more conventionally configured trio, including Xavier Davis on piano, Gayelynn McKinney on drums, and Jesse Murphy on bass, and presumably will be drawing on her repertoire of straight-ahead, swing and funk tunes as well. For more about Carter plus a video sample of her current band and some retrospective clips, please see this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Also tonight, Cabaret Project St. Louis presents their monthly Open Mic Night at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Tomorrow night, pianist Carolbeth True and her trio will play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and pianist/singer Jesse Gannon performs in a showcase at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

On Friday, pianist and Jazz St. Louis education director Phil Dunlap finally gets to bring his new quintet to the Saint Louis Art Museum, playing a free concert for their "Art After 5" series to make up for an outdoor show back in June that was canceled due to bad weather. In addition to Dunlap, the group features Danny Campbell (trumpet), Ben Reece (tenor sax), Jahmal Nichols (bass), and Montez Coleman (drums).

Also on Friday, singer and actress Liz Murphy will present the first of two performances of her cabaret show "The Best Is Yet To Come" at the Kranzberg Arts Center; Miss Jubilee performs at The Wine Press; bassist Darrell Mixon leads a trio at Cigar Inn; and drummer Chuck Kennedy will debut a new ensemble featuring saxophonist Jerry Greene, pianist Arthur Toney and bassist Marc Torlina, plus some special guest performers, at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday, trumpeter Randy Holmes brings his quintet to Robbie's, while a couple of blocks away, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play at C.J. Muggs. Also on Saturday, singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will duet at Candicci’s Italian Restaurant in Ballwin, and singer Ann Dueren's trio performs at Il Bel Lago.

Then on Sunday afternoon, a number of local musicians and singers will team up to present a benefit performance for keyboardist Tony Simmons at Union Memorial United Methodist Church, 1141 Belt Ave. The show will raise money toward Simmons' medical expenses, incurred earlier this year when his legs had to be amputated due to complications from diabetes. Scheduled performers announced so far include Denise Thimes, Joe Mancuso, Anita Jackson, Tim Cunningham, Jeremiah Allen, Cheryl Brown and Joy Bryant.

On Sunday evening, the Dave Dickey Big Band plays their monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, with an intermission performance by the Lindbergh High School jazz band; and pianist Tony Suggs and drummer Montez Coleman will co-lead a quartet for two sets at the Bistro at Grand Center, the first of which already is sold out.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday Dizzy Atmosphere will play at The Shaved Duck, and saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Tuesday, there's a double dose of big band action, as the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by Jim Widner, performs as part of the "Notes From Home" series at the  Sheldon Concert Hall, while the Genesis Jazz Project, under the baton of Bob Waggoner, will play a concert at Midwest Music in Ballwin. 

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: Legacy Jazz Quintet, LNAC's 9th annual Noisefest, TKT Scholarship Concert, St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, and more

Although this weekend's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis doesn't include any major touring headliners, there's plenty of activity from local and regional performers in a variety of styles from big band to free improv. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, saxophonist Ron Goff plays a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and the Tavern of Fine Arts presents its monthly "Avant-Garde Arts Night" featuring live improvised music.

On Friday, the Legacy Jazz Quintet will settle in for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro. Led by Jazz St. Louis education director Phil Dunlap on piano, the group offers interpretations of classic jazz compositions, concentrating on the material from the hard-bop and post-bop eras.

Friday also is the first night of Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center's ninth annual "Noisefest/Festival of Mid-Western Contemporary Experimental Music." The event continues on Saturday and Sunday and will include a performance of Cage's "Imaginary Landscapes No. 4", sets from Jason Zeh, Kevin Harris, NNN Cook, Tony Renner and others; a modular synthesis workshop, and more.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Jim Manley will take the stage at Robbie's House of Jazz; saxophonist Tim Cunningham is at Jazz on Broadway in Alton; and the Willie Akins/Montez Coleman group plays at Cigar Inn in Belleville. If you're more in the mood for vocals on Friday, Joe Mancuso will be performing in concert at City Music & Education Center, while Al Fischer will open a two-night run of his cabaret show "Breaking The Rules" at the Kranzberg Arts Center under the auspices of the Presenters Dolan.

On Saturday, the Bosman Twins (pictured) will team with pianist Don Carson (Atlanta), bassist J. Michael Kearsey (Portland), and drummer Mike Scavatto for one of their semi-annual "Reunion Jazz Band" performances at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups. Also on Saturday, guitarist Dave Black does an early evening solo set at the Broadway Oyster Bar, and fellow plectrist Bryan Vaccaro leads a trio at the Wine Press.

On Sunday, there are big bands on both sides of the river, starting with the Tommy Money Orchestra playing a matinee concert at the Olin Theater on the campus of Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey. Then that evening, the Dave Dickey Big Band plays their monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company. Also on Sunday evening, guitarist Eric Slaughter leads a trio with singer Erika Johnson at Herbie's Vintage in the Central West End.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the annual TKT Scholarship Concert will take place at Wesbter University. The concert raises money for music scholarships in the names of Terry Jackson, Tony Saputo and Kirk Cappello, three Webster alumni who in 1991 were killed in a plane crash while touring with singer Reba McEntire. This year's theme is "A Centennial Celebration: Jazz Interpretations of the Music of Jimmy Van Heusen," with Van Heusen's compositions to be performed by the Webster jazz faculty and special guests including singer Erin Bode and bassist and St. Louis native Steve Kirby, who now heads the jazz program at the University of Manitoba in Winnepeg.

On Tuesday the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra under the direction of bassist Jim Widner will present "A Night of Duke Ellington" at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Also Tuesday, Steve Kirby will stay in town for a gig at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups, teaming with saxophonist Willie Akins, guitarist Tom Byrne and drummer Montez Coleman as the "St. Louis Legends Jazz Quartet."

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: Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Jon Cleary, St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, the Bosman Twins, and more

This week's jazz and creative music menu in St. Louis features all sorts of sounds, from big band to cabaret to New Orleans roots music to several different flavors of modern jazz. Let's go right to the highlights...

On Thursday evening, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by bassist Jim Widner, performs at the Touhill Performing Arts Center; and pianist Ptah Williams and guitarist William Lenihan team up to do a free duo concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

On Friday, the multi-instrumentalist Bosman Twins return to Jazz at the Bistro for the first night of a two-night stand; singer and pianist Carol Schmidt will do the first of her two cabaret shows this weekend at the Kranzberg Arts Center for the Presenters Dolan; and Ptah Williams will lead his group at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday, New Orleans' Dirty Dozen Brass Band will be back in town, with singer/pianist Jon Cleary opening, for a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall. For a preview, you can see the DDBB in several performance videos included in this post from last Saturday.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday bassist Stanley Clarke and pianist Hiromi will be back in town for one more night at the Bistro, making up the sets canceled earlier this month due to travel delays caused by the inclement weather. Also on Monday, the SIUE student jazz combos directed by Rick Haydon and Reggie Thomas and the SIUE Guitar Ensemble will perform in the theater at Dunham Hall on the SIUE campus; and pianist Dave Becherer's trio plays at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

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 this week: Joshua Redman Trio, Tierney Sutton, Rebirth Brass Band, Nicole Johänntgen, Bee vs. Moth, and more

It's another busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with several touring acts in town offering a variety of musical styles. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, saxophonist Joshua Redman begins a four-night stand with his trio, featuring bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, at Jazz at the Bistro. For more about Redman and some video samples of the trio in action, see this post from last Saturday.

Thursday night offers several interesting choices, with the Rebirth Brass Band at the The Gramophone; saxophonist Nicole Johänntgen performing a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; and the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by bassist Jim Widner, doing what's being billed as their first concert at their new home, the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Also on Thursday, bassist David Certain will play a solo set at the The Vine to help kick off the south side cafe's "Felafel Fest," then return on Friday and Saturday with his CertainBeat WorldBop group.

On Friday, Robbie's House of Jazz has the Kaleb Kirby Trio with Charles Clements on bass and Jo-el Williams on saxophone; and on Saturday, singer and actor Roland "Bob" Harris takes the Robbie's stage. Also on Friday, the eclectic instrumental rock band Bee vs. Moth will play at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.

Saturday will bring saxophonist Dick Oatts, a veteran of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, doing a mid-day performance and master class at Saxquest, and singer Tierney Sutton (pictured) returning to the Sheldon Concert Hall. (Sutton superfans take note: After her St. Louis date, the singer heads to Columbia, MO on Sunday to perform for the We Always Swing series at Murry's.)

UPDATE - 4:00 p.m., 10/6/10: The Sheldon and Metrotix are offering a "buy one, get one free" deal on ticket's to the Tierney Sutton concert. To get the discount, go here and enter the promo code SUTTON10.

On Sunday, guitarist Tom Byrne's trio does the early set at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups. Then on Monday, singer Debby Lennon and friends will perform at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium, while the Next Generation Jazz Band plays 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 this week: A tribute to Maynard Ferguson, Erin Bode, St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, and more

While this weekend isn't as jam-packed with jazz activity as some we've had lately, there are still several good reasons for fans of jazz, improvisation or creative music to get out and hear some live music.

The biggest event of the weekend is the 80th birthday tribute to the late trumpet player and bandleader Maynard Ferguson on Sunday night at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Organized by St. Louis music impresario Steve Schankman, who was Ferguson's last personal manager, and the trumpeter's friend and former road manager Ed Sargent, the event will feature a video tribute to Ferguson before the performance by a group of alumni from his big band.

Among the musicians to be featured are trumpet soloists Eric Miyashiro from Japan and Walter White from NYC, along with saxophonists Chip McNeill, Denis DeBlasio, Matt Wallace and Tim Ries (pictured). The band also will include Steve Wiest on trombone and Scott Engelbright on trumpet, along with a rhythm section comprised of Chip Stephens on piano, Brian Stahurski on bass and Dave Throckmorton on drums.

That's not your only chance to hear a big band this weekend, though, because the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by bassist and educator Jim Widner, also is performing tonight at Jazz at the Bistro. The Bistro's email newsletter for this week calls it their last performance of the season, so if you've been wanting to go check out the StLJO but haven't made it yet, this could be your last chance for a while.

On Friday and Saturday, singer Erin Bode returns to the Bistro. Bode has been spending a fair amount of time out of town in recent months, and on previous gigs at the Bistro she's worked with an expanded version of her band. I don't know what specific plans, if any, they may have for this gig, but if you're a fan, this would seem to be a good opportunity to catch up with Bode and her group before they head out on the road again.

In addition, here are a few more noteworthy shows happening over the next few days: Guitarist Dave Black brings his group to Pop's Blue Moon this evening, and the St. Louis Public Library's central branch downtown has two free concerts coming up - one on Saturday afternoon by Dizzy Atmosphere, and another on Monday night by the Jeff Lash Trio. Also, on Sunday percussionists Tom Zirkle and Matt Henry, a.k.a HaZMat, will do a concert sponsored by New Music Circle at St. Louis Community College - Forest Park's Mildred E. Bastian Performing Arts Center, 5600 Oakland Ave..

For more jazz-related local events this weekend and beyond, please visit 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.)

Jazz this week: Jeanne Trevor, Kim Portnoy Jazz Orchestra, "Cool Art & Hot Jazz," Audrey Chen and Frederic Blondy, and more

Although there are no huge marquee names performing in St. Louis this weekend, the next several days nevertheless are packed with a variety of events that will appeal to fans of jazz and creative music. Let's go to the highlights:

On Thursday night, saxophonist Jerry performs a free concert featuring the music of John Coltrane at Washington University as part of the Jazz at Holmes series, while the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by bassist Jim Widner, does its regular monthly gig at Jazz at the Bistro.

During the day on Saturday and Sunday, there's "Cool Art & Hot Jazz", a festival sponsored by the Greater St. Louis Art Association at the Greensfelder Recreation Center in Queeny Park. The event features 125 visual artists from across the country and a children's art discovery program as well as live music. Saturday's performers include the John Chiecsek Trio, Dave Black (pictured) playing solo guitar and with his Quartet, and the duo of singer Al Oxenhandler and keyboardist Curt Landes. Sunday will feature smooth jazz from the Readus Miller Project and something called Curtis Blackstar - Music Extravaganza, about which neither the GSLAA's site nor Google has much to say.

Saturday evening features a couple of events that fall into the "creative music" category, starting with cellist Audrey Chen and pianist Frederic Blondy, who will perform at Open Lot, the arts collective and performance space at 1320 S. 18th St. For more about Chen and Blondy, see this post from last Saturday.

That same night, New Music Circle presents a multimedia performance at the Mildred E. Bastian Performing Arts Center at St. Louis Community College - Forest Park. The event will feature spoken word artist Chris Mann and the 2007 edition of composer Rob Voisey’s "60x60," with video by St. Louis multimedia artist Zlatko Cosic. Mann is described as a "pioneer in the field of compositional linguistics" who has performed with Thomas Buckner, Annea Lockwood, and Larry Polansky and received commissions from the BBC, NPR, John Cage, and Ars Electronica. "60x60" is a recorded music project directed by Voisey that showcases 60 electronic works of 60 seconds or less in length, each by a different composer, that are played in succession to create a one-hour concert.

If you're more in the mood for something mainstream on Saturday, singer Jeanne Trevor is having a CD release party at Cookie's Jazz and More. I wish I could tell you more about the event and/or the CD, but neither Trevor nor Cookie's has sent out any details, at least not to me. Suffice it to say that Trevor has been one of St. Louis' most esteemed and most reliable performers over the past four or five decades, and I'd expect the show and the CD both to be up to her usual standards.

And let's not forget that Saturday is also when Jazz St. Louis has its annual fundraising benefit gala and auction, featuring a performance by singer and pianist Tony DeSare. I don't know if there are still tickets available for this event, but if you've got the dough - $500 per person - and want to go, I'd suggest that you get in touch with JSL development director Melissa Jones and see if they can squeeze you in.

On Sunday, guitarist Todd Mosby brings his group to BB's Jazz Blues and Soups to perform his signature blend of jazz, fusion and Indian classical music. Also on Sunday, BAG presents a spoken word event titled "Rivers of Women, a National Poetry Month Tribute to Women" that will feature performance poetry from Shirley Bradley LeFlore, Marsha Cann, Blue-Mashibini and others. The event is free and takes place in the Rosebud Café at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday pianist and composer Kim Portnoy and his Jazz Orchestra are doing a show for the "Notes From Home" series at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Portnoy has assembled an impressive lineup of musicians to play his original compositions, including bassist Ric Vice, drummer Kevin Gianino, guitarist Tom Byrne, trumpeters Randy Holmes and Paul Hecht, saxophonists Paul DeMarinis, Mike Karpowicz and Rob Hughes, and trombonists Brett Stamps and Jim Martin. The program will feature all of the music from their CD Wash Away The Dust of Everyday Life, plus some newer work. Also on Tuesday, singer Valerie Tichacek performs Brazilian-influenced jazz at The Gramophone, and Brandt's features the swinging mainstream sounds of Trio Trés Bien.

That ought to be enough choices to hold all but the most voracious music fan for a little while, but if you're still looking for more, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar for additional listings of jazz events this weekend and beyond.

(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.)

St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival announces 2008 lineup

The St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival has announced that singer Cassandra Wilson (pictured) will headline the 2008 edition of the event, which will take place in Clayton's Shaw Park on Saturday, May 31. Other touring acts on the bill will include ex-Crusaders keyboardist Joe Sample with singer Randy Crawford, Latin percussionist Tito Puente Jr., and smooth jazz/fusion keyboardist Lao Tizer with guitarist Chieli Minucci and violinist Karen Briggs.

Local groups and musicians appearing at the festival will include pianist Ptah Williams, doing a set of music composed by Stevie Wonder; jam band singer-guitarist Teddy Presberg; the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra; singer Brian Owens; and Two Times True featuring pianist Carolbeth True and her son, drummer David True.

At the risk of sounding repetitive to long-time StLJN readers, once again I am underwhelmed by the festival lineup. Wilson is a fine singer with a distinctive approach to interpreting contemporary songwriters, but she relies quite a bit on quiet, downtempo material and thus seems an odd choice for a show closer. Sample and Crawford are capable performers who may pull in some older smooth-jazz fans, but given that their one radio hit was 30 years ago, they won't do much to draw younger listeners.

As for the others, although Puente certainly comes from good stock, he has yet to create any truly memorable music on his own, and seems mostly to be trading on his family name. There are many other Latin jazz acts out there making better, more interesting, and more original music, and I doubt if they're all more expensive to book than is Puente Jr. And while I'm not familiar enough with the music of Lao Tizer to offer any intelligent commentary, the presence of Briggs, whose usual gig is working for easy listening schlockmeister Yanni, inspires fear and loathing rather than confidence or interest.

The lineup of local acts seems better balanced, though I'm puzzled by the selection of Presberg, whose music, from what little I've heard of it, bears only a vaguely tangential relationship to jazz. With only five slots open for local musicians, it's a curious choice.

Overall, I'm struck once again by the lack of any headliners playing mainstream straight-ahead jazz, bebop, or hard bop. Older, pre-war jazz styles and any music that might plausibly be called avant-garde, experimental or even adventurous are also noticeably absent. Other than Williams' tribute set, there's no thematic programming, and no programming created especially for the event. It adds up to a stylistically incoherent "festival" with no discernible artistic direction or point-of-view, no unique programming, and no real connection to the institutions, music history or traditions of the city it purports to celebrate.

At $25 for a general admission ticket, the StLJ&HF does offer an entire day of music at a bargain price, but it's only a bargain if you're actually interested in seeing any of the acts being presented. As a pleasant day of diversion in the park, the event may succeed in drawing enough paying customers to ensure its continued existence, but based on the booking choices they've made over the past couple of years, it would seem that the organizers are not really trying for much beyond that. The StLJ&HF's 2008 lineup might be acceptable for a town with no existing or historic ties to jazz, but given St. Louis' rich musical history, its knowledgeable jazz fans, and the many fine musicians who have called the area home over the years, our city deserves better.

So, dear readers, what do you think? Are you excited about the chance to see Wilson, Sample or any of the others? Is St. Louis getting the jazz festival it deserves? Am I being a big meanie by insisting that festival organizers could do better? Feel free to use the comments to express your thoughts and opinions...

Jazz this week: Cyrus Chestnut, Frank Vignola, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, and more

Due to some technical difficulties here at StLJN HQ, I was unable to get this post up in time to note the appearance of singer Michael Buble on Wednesday evening at the Scottrade Center. Sorry 'bout that - if you're a big fan of Mr. Buble's, here's hoping you already knew he was coming to town, and planned appropriately. If not, well, either you don't care, or there's always next time. Buble and/or said technical difficulties notwithstanding, there are still a few worthy musical events this weekend that I want to call to your attention before any more time elapses.

On Thursday night, Jazz at the Bistro presents two sets by the the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra under the direction of bassist and bandleader Jim Widner. This big band is stocked with some fine St. Louis musicians and has been doing monthly gigs at the Bistro for nearly a year now. Given the precarious economics of presenting such a large ensemble, they probably can use all the in-person support they can get from big band fans to help bolster their case for continuing their regular date there on into the future. .

Also on Thursday, Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series presents a free concert by singer Anita Rosamond, who draws from a repertoire that includes jazz, R&B, soul and pop. In addition to her vocal stylings, Rosamond also will play piano, and she'll be accompanied at the gig by Nathan Jatcko on second keyboard, Chris Turnbaugh on bass and Jerry Mazucca on drums.

On Friday, guitarist Frank Vignola returns with his quintet to St. Louis for a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall that also will serve as a live recording session for a DVD to be released by Mel Bay Records. For more on Vignola, see this post from a couple of weeks ago.

And speaking of encore appearances, this weekend also marks the return of pianist Cyrus Chestnut (pictured) to Jazz at the Bistro, where he'll be playing on Friday and Saturday. Chestnut's most recent CD is a collection of songs associated with Elvis Presley, given a jazz interpretation by the prodigious piano player and his group. I'd expect some of the Presley material to show up during his sets this weekend, but with Chestnut's deep roots in blues and gospel, classically trained chops, and discography that encompasses everything from standards and hard bop to covers of songs by the rock band Pavement, he's capable of going in almost any musical direction.

Looking beyond the weekend, singer Denise Thimes will perform at the Sheldon next Tuesday in a concert to benefit the the St. Louis chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA). (Note: The "benefit" link goes to a .pdf file.)

As always, this is just a sampling of what's happening around town; for more local jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit 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.)

Jazz this week: Bob Dorough, Brian Owens, BAG Trio, St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, and more

Due to various deadlines and some Blogger balkiness, this will be a rather terse chronological summary of this weekend's most noteworthy jazz-related events:

Tonight, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, directed by Jim Widner, will do their monthly gig at Jazz at the Bistro, and pianist Kim Portnoy does a free concert at Washington University's Holmes Lounge as part of the Jazz at Holmes series

On Friday and Saturday, soul/jazz singer Brian Owens (pictured) performs at the Bistro. For a brief sample of Owens' singing style, see the video window at the bottom of this post.

On Sunday, the BAG Trio featuring Zimbabwe Nkenya, Gary Sykes and Mike Nelson will be featured in a free concert at the Scott Joplin State Historic Site.

Also on Sunday, singer and pianist Bob Dorough returns to St. Louis for the first time in 47 years - no, that's not a typo; he last performed here in 1960 - to do a one-nighter at the Bistro. For a bit more about Dorough, whose long career has included everything from guesting on two Miles Davis albums to writing many of the songs for the educational cartoon series Schoolhouse Rock, see the story about him that I wrote for this week's Riverfront Times. (Note also that the phone number appended to the RFT story is incorrect. The correct phone number for advance tickets for Dorough's show is 314-961-1898.)

For more local jazz 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 after posting to add more tags.)

Jazz this week: Eric Person, Musica Slesa, Thomas Buckner and Dave Wessel, and more

There's a nice variety of jazz and creative music in St. Louis this weekend, in ranging in styles from traditional to modern, as performed by ensembles varying in size from a duo to a big band.

Perhaps the most highly anticipated performance of the weekend takes place on Saturday, when saxophonist and St. Louis native Eric Person and his band Meta-Four take the stage at Finale Music and Dining in Clayton. Person's got a fine new CD, Rhythm Edge, that's just come out, and he's in the midst of a four-week DIY tour to promote the new release. Look for a interview with Person here on StLJN later today or tomorrow.

Heading east to the Grand Center district, Jazz at the Bistro has the monthly performance by the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra tonight and the brand new St. Louis-based Latin jazz group Musica Slesa (pictured) on Friday and Saturday.

For those inclined toward more avant-garde sounds, on Sunday New Music Circle presents the improvising duo of vocalist Thomas Buckner and electronic musician Dave Wessel at Christ Church Cathedral downtown. Also on Sunday, the St. Louis Jazz Club is sponsoring a concert featuring the traditional jazz of Bud Shultz and the You Can't Beat Experience Jazz Band at the Moolah Shrine Center in West County.

Other noteworthy sounds this week: Guitarist Vince Varvel will do a free concert on Thursday at Washington University as part of the Jazz at Holmes series. On Friday, singer Erin Bode performs at Missouri Baptist University, and on Saturday, trumpeter Randy Holmes will head up a tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers at Cookie's Jazz and More.

If all that's still not enough for you, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar to see a more extensive list of local jazz-related events.

(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: Norah Jones, Linda Presgrave, Erin Bode, St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, and more

While last week's calendar was dominated by distinguished gentlemen such as Ahmad Jamal and Freddie Cole, this week's lineup of jazz-related events in St. Louis finds the spotlight shining on some talented female musicians.

It all starts this evening, when pop-jazz-country vocalist and pianist Norah Jones (pictured) and the Handsome Band take the stage at the Fox Theatre in Grand Center. If you're a big fan of Jones, you've probably already got your tickets, but if not, it appears as if Metrotix still has at least a few seats available.

Just across Grand Avenue, Jazz at the Bistro is featuring some homegrown musicians this week, starting with the monthly appearance by Saint Louis Jazz Orchestra directed by Jim Widner and featuring vocalist Mardra Thomas on Thursday night. Then on Friday and Saturday, the seemingly ever-more-popular Erin Bode returns to the Bistro once again for two shows each night.

But not all the musical action is in Midtown this weekend, as pianist, composer and St. Louisan-turned New Yorker Linda Presgrave returns to her hometown to perform on Saturday night at Cookie's Jazz and More in Webster Groves. Over in University City, Brandt's has Gaslight Square veterans Hugh "Peanuts' Whalum on Thursday and Mae Wheeler on Sunday, plus the R&B-flavored duo of vocalist Anita Jackson and keyboardist Jeremiah Allen (a fine singer in his own right) on Saturday.

Beyond the weekend, saxophonist Tim Cunningham will play next week's Twilight Tuesday show at the History Museum in Forest Park. (No word yet as to when Denise Thimes' Twilight Tuesday show, originally set for yesterday but postponed due to rain, will be rescheduled. Watch this space for further updates.)

As usual, you can see a more extensive list of the week's jazz-related events by visiting the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar. And, as is also usual during the first week of the month, schedule information is still coming in from various bands and venues, so the calendar likely will be getting several updates over the next few days. If you don't see a current listing for your favorite venue or musician, you'll find direct links to dozens of local jazz-related sites over on the sidebar.

(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. No attachments, please.)