StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Swingin' St. Louis

Last week in this space, we served up a six-pack of videos from St. Louis-based musicians working in the experimental and free improv genres. This week, we journey to the polar opposite end of the musical spectrum with a sampler of six local groups working in early, pre-WWII swing and jazz styles.

Up top, you can hear Cornet Chop Suey playing an arrangement combining "When My Dreamboat Comes Home" and "Westmoreland Weave" in March, 2010 for the Great River Jazz Society in Hannibal, MO. The group includes Brian Casserly (trumpet), Tommy Tucker (trumpet), Jerry Epperson (reeds), Brett Stamps (trombone), Steve Hoover (piano), Al Sherman (bass), and John Gillick (drums).

Down below, it's Sarah Jane & The Blue Notes, caught live in May of this year at Jumpin' Jupiter playing "Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't My Baby?". Sarah Jane is on vocals, with a band including Jerry Greene (soprano sax), Doug Burns (trombone), Ben Osborne (guitar), Gian Vianello (banjo & harmonica), and Mike Major (drums).

That's followed by Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers doing "Minnie the Moocher," recorded last October at Rue Lafayette. That's Lew Winer III on soprano sax and Dan Conner on drums backing Miss Jubilee on vocals; the rest of the musicians are uncredited, but if you know who's who, please chime in via the comments.

In the fourth spot, you'll find the St. Louis Ragtimers performing "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" in a concert last July for Saint Louis Jazz Club. Al Stricker is the banjo player and vocalist, joined by Trebor Tichenor (piano), Bill Mason (cornet), Eric Sager (clarinet), Don Franz (bass saxophone), Steve Hoog (tuba), and Joe Thompson (trombone).

Sager pops up again in the next clip, this time as part of the Sidemen, a group that also features Carl Pandolfi (piano), Rich Tralles (bass), and John Marshall (drums). They're shown here playing "China Boy" at Rue Lafayette during a gig in May of this year.

Last but not least, it's Swing Deville, offering a take on the string-driven "hot club" sound with their version of "Limehouse Blues." The band members include Justin Branum (violin), Clint Hasse (guitar), Gary Hunt (guitar) and Glenn Meyers (bass), and the undated clip was recorded at the Schlafly Bottleworks.











(Edited after posting to correct the name of Cornet Chop Suey's piano player and the name of the tune they're playing in the clip.)

Jazz this week: Victor Wooten, Reggie and Mardra Thomas, and more

Though many StLJN readers may be getting time off for Independence Day, and some even enjoying a bit of additional vacation this week, the business of live jazz and creative music goes on. Here are few of the highlights happening in and around St. Louis for the next few days:

With regard to tonight, while there are a number of regular weekly gigs that usually happen around town on Wednesdays, remember that holiday schedules can be unpredictable in the bar/restaurant business. So while StLJN hasn't received any cancellation notices, we suggest that if you're setting out for a particular destination it would be a very good idea to call ahead first to make sure they're open (and that live music is going on as scheduled).

Tomorrow night, bassist Victor Wooten will be back in town to perform at the Old Rock House. Wooten (pictured) was here earlier this year with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, but this time around, he'll be promoting the upcoming release of his latest solo project, set for release in September. For more about that and Wooten, and to see some video clips of him in action, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Thursday, singer Jeanne Trevor, saxophonist Willie Akins, pianist and singer Curt Landes, and bassist Willem von Hombracht will team up for a show at Joe's Cafe, the house concert space and gallery operated by artist Bill Christman at 6014 Kingsbury Ave. in the Central West End.

On Friday and Saturday, pianist Reggie Thomas and singer Mardra Thomas will be at Jazz at the Bistro, returning to St. Louis for their first performances here since moving to Michigan last year so that Reggie could teach at Michigan State University. Look for the Thomases to be accompanied on the gig by some of Reggie's former musical colleagues from the SIUE jazz faculty, and for a good turnout at the Bistro to welcome the couple back home.

Also on Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham will be back at Jazz on Broadway; retro swing band Wack-A-Doo will perform at the Map Room; and pianist James Matthews will lead a trio at the Wine Press.

On Saturday, swing and jump blues band Miss Jubilee at the Humdingers will play in a free outdoor concert at Benton Park, which is at the intersection of Jefferson and Arsenal on the south side. They're second on the bill, following the Johnny Cash tribute act One More Round.

Then on Sunday, there are a couple more free outdoor shows, as the St. Louis Ragtimers perform in a concert at Carondelet Park, and the St. Charles Community Big Band will play at Frontier Park on the river in old St. Charles.

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: Nicholas Payton, Stanley Jordan, Kahil El'Zabar, Salty Dogs Jazz Band, and more

It's a busy weekend for jazz in St. Louis, with shows coming up from four touring ensembles in styles ranging from modern to traditional, plus plenty of activity from our local contingent of musicians. Let's go straight to the highlights:

Tonight, guitarist Stanley Jordan opens a four-night engagement that continues through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Jordan is no stranger to St. Louis audiences, having performed here in recent years at Finale Music and Dining, but if you'd like to see and hear some samples of his playing, check out the video post from last Saturday here.

On Thursday, saxophonist Willie Akins and his group will perform a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. That same evening, KWMU DJ and and jazz historian Dennis Owsley will begin his three-week class on "The Great Jazz Soloists" at the Ethical Society.

On Friday and Saturday, Chicago-based percussionist Kahil El'Zabar and his Ritual Trio return to take the stage Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday, New Orleans-born trumpeter Nicholas Payton (pictured) performs at the Sheldon Concert Hall, with piano phenom Taylor Eigsti as part of his band. You can see some videos of Payton in action here, read an interview with him here, and find information on how to get tickets for the show at half-price here.

On Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club welcomes the long-running Salty Dogs Jazz Band for a concert of traditional jazz at the Sheraton Westport Hotel. Then on Sunday evening, New Music Circle presents composer and producer Rob Voisey's 60 x 60 Project at Mad Art Gallery. The event will feature 60 one-minute performances from local dancers and choreographers set to 60 different pieces of music created by 60 different composers and curated by Voisey.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday morning the St. Louis Ragtimers will do the first of two "Coffee Concerts" at the Sheldon, with the program repeating on Wednesday morning. And on Tuesday night, Jazz St. Louis' CD Listening Club will meet at Borders in Brentwood, with singer Erin Bode and JSL executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford leading the discussion of the featured CD for the month, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.

For information on more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check out the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar, or by clicking here. Also, you can follow St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes and become a "fan" by signing up 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: The Cunninghams, Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, St. Louis Ragtimers, Dawn Weber, Erin Bode, and more

Though summer vacation season is officially underway, the next few days will offer St. Louis jazz fans a pretty fair number of musical choices during what's usually a relatively slow time of year.

Tonight, the Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Jazz Orchestra (pictured at left), a select ensemble of mostly teenage musicians from the West Coast that's touring the country this summer, stops in St. Louis for a performance at Jazz at the Bistro. The East St. Louis High School Jazz Band will open the show.

There are also a couple of noteworthy free concerts tonight, as trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber plays for the at Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and singer Erin Bode takes the stage for the Whitaker Urban Evenings concert series at St. Louis Place Park, located at St. Louis and Rauschenbach Avenues on the near North Side. Rounding out the musical menu for Thursday is drummer Joe Pastor's trio at the St. Louis Jazz Cafe.

On Friday and Saturday, Jazz at the Bistro will feature keyboardist Reggie Thomas' jazz-organ trio OGD, augmented for the occasion by the great tenor saxophonist Willie Akins, while the St. Louis Jazz Cafe has the Usual Suspects Quartet on Friday and smooth jazz saxophonist Tim Cunningham on Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club will present a concert featuring the St. Louis Ragtimers plus special guest pianist Dr. Dave Majchrzak. Note that while yhis show originally had been announced as playing at one of the SLJC's longtime venues, the Moolah Shrine Center in Maryland Heights, it's been moved to a new location, the Doubletree Hotel in Chesterfield.

Then on Sunday night, the jazz vocal duo The Cunninghams (pictured at right) , featuring multi-instrumentalist and former St. Louisan Don Cunningham and his wife, singer and pianist Alicia Cunningham, will perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Now a resident of Las Vegas, Don Cunningham got his start in the music business in St. Louis' Gaslight Square, and this show is being billed as "Coming Home One Mo' Time," perhaps in recognition of the reduced touring schedule he and Alicia have adopted in recent years after spending the previous couple of decades criss-crossing the U.S., Asia and Europe as headliners of their own show and special guests with the Count Basie Orchestra.

I won't reiterate all of StLJN's previous coverage of the Cunninghams, because, hey, that's what links are for. Suffice it to say that they are fine musicians and old-school entertainers in the best possible sense, the sort of jazz veterans who should be heard and celebrated while the opportunity is still there, so go check 'em out.

As always, these are just some of the notable performances happening over the next several days; for more listings of jazz-related events in St. Louis 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.)

The Sheldon's "Coffee Concerts" to feature local jazz artists

Although we covered the announcement of the Sheldon Concert Hall's 2009-10 jazz series here a couple of weeks ago, at the time yr. humble StLJN editor did not have access to next year's schedule of the Sheldon's "Coffee Concerts," a series of late-morning performances that typically features a number of local St. Louis jazz musicians. The Sheldon subsequently sent along a news release with details on all of the various season series, and so, here's the schedule for the 2009-10 series of "Coffee Concerts":

Tuesday, October 6 & Wednesday, October 7: Singer Debby Lennon (pictured) and pianist Carolbeth True in a tribute to George Gershwin

Tuesday, November 10 & Wednesday, November 11: St. Louis Ragtimers

Tuesday, December 8 & Wednesday, December 9: The Clarion Brass Ensemble performs Christmas songs

Tuesday, March 9 & Wednesday, March 10: Trumpeter Bob Ceccarini and pianist Pat Joyce (of the St. Louis Rivermen) mix jazz and Irish favorites in a pre-St. Patrick’s Day show

Tuesday, April 6 & Wednesday, April 7: St. Louis Stompers

All of the Sheldon's "Coffee Concerts" begin with complimentary coffee and pastries at 9:00 a.m. in the Louis Spiering Room, followed by a one-hour concert at 10:00 a.m. in the main concert hall. Subscriptions are $55 for orchestra seats, $45 for balcony seats. Current subscribers can renew now, while new subscriptions will go on sale Wednesday, May 13. (Single tickets will be priced at $12 and $10, but won't be available for purchase until later this year.) To order a subscription, call the Sheldon at 314-533-9900 or visit their Web site.