StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Remembering David "Red" Lehr

This week, StLJN salutes the memory of tuba and sousaphone player David "Red" Lehr, who passed away on Tuesday at age 83.

Beginning in the early 1960s, Lehr enjoyed a long and prolific career playing traditional jazz, both here in St. Louis and for fans around the USA and the world. Although there's not much video online from the first several decades of his career, fortunately there's plenty of video documentation of Lehr performing with various bands from the past 15 years or so, amply demonstrating both his musical skills and his showmanship.

So let's take a look at a small but representative selection of those videos, starting with the first clip above, which features Lehr's Powerhouse Five performing "Tiger Rag" in November 2009 at the Suncoast Dixieland Jazz Classic in Clearwater, FL. Along with Lehr, who uses the number for one of his signature walkabouts through the audience, the band includes Noel Kaletsky (clarinet), Steve Lilley (cornet), Ray Templin (piano, vocals) and Jack Tartar (drums).

After the jump, you can see the St. Louis Rivermen playing "Running Wild" and "Royal Garden Blues," both recorded in November 2010 at the Arizona Classic Jazz Festival in Chandler, Arizona. The band's lineup includes Lehr, Kaletsky, and Lilly, along with Bobby Grimm (banjo), Jim Maihack (trombone), Don Schroeder (drums), and John Sheridan (piano).

The fourth video features the same lineup of the Rivermen performing "Clarinet Marmalade" and "Black Bottom Stomp" as part of two different shows at the 2011 Glacier Jazz Stampede in Kalispell, MT.

In the penultimate clip, recorded in 2011 at the Central Illinois Jazz Festival in Decatur, IL, Lehr and the band are joined by his longtime collaborator (and original leader of the Rivermen), Jean Kittrell, who steps up to the mic for a bit of banter and then sings "I Aint Got Nobody."

The final video, also recorded at the 2011 Central Illinois Jazz Festival, documents a brief ceremony dedicating the festival and paying tribute to Red Lehr.

For more about the life and career of David "Red" Lehr, read the feature story about him published in 2019 in the Monroe County, IL Republic Times.

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

David "Red" Lehr 1937 - 2021

Tuba and sousaphone player David "Red" Lehr, a mainstay of traditional jazz in St. Louis since the early 1960s, died Tuesday, January 5 at his home in New Athens, IL. He was 83 years old.

Lehr (pictured) first became known to local jazz fans in 1963, performing with Don Scherr’s Banjo Band in Gaslight Square. He formed his own group, the Old St. Louis Levee Band, in 1965 and worked regularly in the St. Louis area. Then in 1978, the group teamed up with pianist and singer Jean Kittrell, going on to perform on the Robert E. Lee riverboat in St. Louis for the next 13 years.

Known for his showmanship as well as his musical skills, Lehr also worked with Kittrell in the Jazz Incredibles trio (along with banjo player John Becker) and the St. Louis Rivermen. After Kittrell retired. Lehr took over leadership of the Rivermen, and also led his own group, the Powerhouse Five. Over the course of his long career, he performed at traditional jazz festivals all across the USA; toured in Europe, Canada, and Japan; and played on more than 25 recordings.

When not working as a musician, Lehr with his wife Carolyn ran Lehr’s Market in New Athens, passing on the business to his son Jeff upon retirement. Survivors in addition to his wife and son including a daughter, Lori (Thomas) Knapp of Smithton, IL; sisters Vera Robb of Belleville, IL and Fern Frick of Mt. Vernon, IL; three grandchildren; and various nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements will be handled by Kurrus Funeral Home in New Athens. Visitation will be from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday, January 8, 2021 and from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 9 at St. John UCC in New Athens. COVID-19 restrictions will be followed, with masks and social distancing required. Funeral services will be private, but will be live-streamed at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 9 at https://www.facebook.com/KurrusFH.

StLJN will present a tribute to David "Red" Lehr as this week's Saturday Video Showcase.

Jazz this week: Glenn Miller Orchestra, Chicago Cellar Boys, Funky Butt Brass Band, "Django Guitar Summit," and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis has a definite retro vibe, with shows coming up featuring one of the Swing Era's best-known bands, several performances by traditional jazz groups, and even a look back at local music history by a currently popular group. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, August 14
The Glenn Miller Orchestra (pictured, top left) brings their deep catalog of Swing Era hits to the Sheldon Concert Hall. You can see some videos of the present-day version of the Miller band in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Wednesday, this week's "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes at The Stage at KDHX, the jam session hosted by bassist Bob DeBoo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and bassist Ben Wheeler's band Solid Ghost at The Dark Room at the Grandel Theatre.

Thursday, August 15
Saxophonist Larry Johnson and guitarist Randy Bahr will play duets at Rendezvous Cafe & Wine Bar; keyboardist Ryan Marquez brings his trio to The Dark Room; and singer Robert Nelson returns to the Chase Club in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

Friday, August 16
The Funky Butt Brass Band performs for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis. It's the first official gig for the band's newest member, saxophonist Bryan Fritz, and reportedly will feature cover versions of songs by famous St. Louis bands and musicians.

Also on Friday, guitarists Joe Park, Gary Hunt, Paul Davis and Eric Slaughter will be featured in the  "2nd Annual Django Guitar Summit" at Focal Point.

Elsewhere around town, the Hard Bop Messengers return to Evangeline's; Schlafly Tap Room has a triple bill of experimental music including Temporal Marauder, John Wiese, and Flanger Magazine; and fusion trio 3XGroove plays at Troy's Listening Room.

Saturday, August 17
On Saturday afternoon, Dennis Owsley, host of the "Jazz Unlimited" program airing Sunday nights on St. Louis Public Radio, will sign copies of his new book St. Louis Jazz: A History at the Book House in Maplewood.

Then on Saturday evening, traditional jazz band Chicago Cellar Boys (pictured, bottom left) with singer Roya Naldi will play at Focal Point, and guitarist Todd Mosby leads his World Fusion Ensemble in a performance at First Congregational Church of Webster Groves.

Also on Saturday, singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina will headline a show at Delmar Hall, and pianist Carolbeth True and singer Kim Fuller will perform music associated with Billie Holiday at the Ozark Theatre.

Sunday, August 18
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents Red Lehr and the St. Louis Rivermen playing traditional jazz at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis - Westport, and Cornet Chop Suey plays a free concert at Carondelet Park.

Monday, August 19
The Dark Room introduces "Monday Night Mix-Up," a new event aimed at music and hospitality industry workers, this week featuring sounds from bassist and beatsmith Tristaño.

Tuesday, August 20
Nashville-based quintet The Cosmic Collective returns to Evangeline's, and guitarist Tom Byrne leads a trio in a concert at the Gaslight Theater.

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: Nels Cline 4, Tower of Power, free outdoor concerts, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis is somewhat busier than usual for late summer, with a couple of significant touring acts in town as well as a number of noteworthy shows from the hometown contingent.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, August 8
This week's free "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" will feature bassist Guy Cantonwine and Willem von Hombracht doing duets at The Stage at KDHX; the jam session led by bassist Bob DeBoo at the Kranzberg Arts Center; and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's band at The Dark Room.

Thursday, August 9
Miss Jubilee and The Gaslight Squares will play traditional jazz and swing on a double-bill at Joe's Cafe, and Dean Christopher will bring his "Rat Pack and More" show to 50/Fifty Kitchen.

Also on Thursday, saxophonist Dave Stone's plays at Element Restaurant and Lounge, and trumpeter Keith Moyer's quartet returns to The Dark Room.

Friday, August 10
The Nels Cline 4, featuring Cline (pictured, top left) and fellow guitarist Julian Lage, performs at Delmar Hall. Touring in support of their recent Blue Note album Currents, Constellations, they're getting good notices both for the recording and for their live shows, which feature plenty of interplay between the two star guitarists. You can see some samples of recent performances on video in this post from two Saturdays ago.

Also on Friday, drummer Montez Coleman will celebrate his birthday with the first of two nights of performances at Jazz St. Louis, and you can take in one of three free outdoor concerts, as the Funky Butt Brass Band plays for the "Ferguson CityWalk" at Plaza At 501; The Bosman Twins perform at the Dellwood Recreation Center, and Miss Jubilee will provide the music for the St. Louis Zoo's "Jungle Boogie".

Saturday, August 11
Celebrating 50 years of the "Oakland Stroke" and supporting a new album release with a summer tour, the singular funk band Tower of Power (pictured, bottom left) stops in St. Louis for a show at the River City Casino Event Center. 

You can see some previous performances from the 50th anniversary tour and more in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, keyboardist Marvin Cockrell and Focus play smooth jazz, R&B and more at the Grandel Theatre, and the Joe Bozzi Band returns to Evangeline's.

Elsewhere around town, The Wire Pilots wll play original jazz, fusion and world music at the Ozark Theatre, and percussionist Herman Semidey and his Orquestra son Montuno will make their debut at Club Diamonds.

Sunday, August 12
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents Red Lehr & the St. Louis Rivermen playing traditional jazz at the  DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis - Westport.

Monday, August 13
Dizzy Atmosphere performs Gypsy jazz and swing for diners at The Shaved Duck.

Tuesday, August 14
Multi-instrumentalist and singer Tonina Saputo and her band host "The Tuesday Night Hit" 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.)

Jazz this week: Holiday shows from Kirk Whalum, Jim Manley, and more

This week's schedule of jazz and creative music in St. Louis is highlighted by a lot of holiday-themed performances and several tributes marking Frank Sinatra's centenary, but there's also traditional jazz and swing, an evening of solo free improvisations, and much more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, December 9
The Route 66 Jazz Orchestra plays a Christmas concert at the Ozark Theatre, and funk quartet The Service will take the stage for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Also tonight, singer Eve Seltzer and Franglais will play Gypsy jazz and swing at Nathalie's , and pianist Brock Walker performs at Evangeline's.

Thursday, December 10
As the name implies, "Soliloquy III" at the Tavern of Fine Arts will feature a set of solo improvisations from players including pianists Greg Mills and James Hegarty, percussionist Henry Claude, cellist Tracy Andreotti, flute players Colleen O’Shea Jones and Fred Tompkins, poets Michael Castro and Ruth Garnett, and more. In the second set, the participants will combine into duos and trios for more freely improvised sounds.

Also on Thursday, singer Feyza Eren will be celebrating "A Bossa Nova Christmas" at The Emerald Room at The Monocle (a new cabaret venue at 4510 Manchester in the Grove neighborhood); and students from Washington University's jazz performance program will show off what they've learned this term in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Wash U.

Friday, December 11
Trumpeter Jim Manley (pictured, top left) and a full band will revisit his holiday show "A Very Manley Christmas" for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, while singer Tony Viviano offers a "Happy 100th Birthday Tribute to Frank Sinatra" at Patrick's in Westport Plaza.

Elsewhere around town, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; trumpeter and vibraphonist Joe Bozzi and his band return to Evangeline's; and guitarist Tom Byrne and singer Erika Johnson will perform at Thurman Grill.

Saturday, December 12
In two more tributes to the "Chairman of the Board," singer and impressionist Dean Christopher will present a "Holiday Rat Pack & Frank Sinatra Birthday Celebration" as a matinee at the Wildey Theatre, while the St. Louis Big Band and singer Joe Scalzitti reprise their show "Sinatra at 100" at the Maryland Heights Community Center.

Sunday, 
December 13
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents Red Lehr and the St. Louis Rivermen playing traditional jazz, swing, and probably a holiday song or two in a matinee performance at the DoubleTree Hotel at Westport.

That evening, saxophonist Kirk Whalum (pictured, lower left) brings his "Gospel According To Jazz Christmas" to the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church, with a cast including his brother, singer Kevin Whalum, along with saxophonist Gerald Albright, guitarist Norman Brown, singer Shelea, and keyboardist and singer John Stoddart, plus Tiffany Mosley, Leslie Johnson, Darius Bradford, the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church Mass Choir, and the R.F. Specials Choirs.

Also on Sunday, jazz/fusion band Common Time teams up with singers Joe Mancuso, Debby Lennon, and Arvell Keithly Jr for a Christmas show at Blueberry Hill, with proceeds going to benefit a family from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's "100 Neediest Cases" list.

Monday, December 14
Dizzy Atmosphere will play for diners at The Shaved Duck, and trumpeter Keith Moyer and his band return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, December 15
The Chicago-based new music group Ursa Ensemble performs at 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.)

Jazz this week: Holiday jazz continues, Doug Lawrence, St. Louis Rivermen, and more

The rush to the holidays is on, and if you're looking for some seasonal jazz this weekend in St. Louis, there's plenty to be had, along with an assortment of other jazz and creative music events. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, there's a trifecta of big band shows, as the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra plays at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company; the St. Charles Community College Jazz Big Band and Jazz Faculty Sextet perform a free concert at the Shook Fine Arts Building on the SCC campus, and the new Jazz St. Louis Big Band will offer a program centered on Duke Ellington's "Nutcracker Suite" in a sold-out show at Jazz at the Bistro.

Tomorrow, Jazz St. Louis' JazzU student ensemble will play for early evening shoppers at Whole Foods Market in Brentwood, and multi-instrumentalist Sandy Weltman will share some of his harmonica knowledge in another workshop at Mozingo Music.

On Friday, the parade of holiday-themed shows continues as the Latin jazz group Musica Slesa returns to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of two nights of a "Feliz Navidad" celebration. Also in keeping with the holiday theme, the Webster Groves High School Jazz Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra will present a free performance of Ellington's "Nutcracker Suite" and Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker at the St. Louis Art Museum.

Elsewhere around town on Friday, singer Tony Viviano pays tribute to Frank Sinatra's birthday at the Four Seasons Winery in Chesterfield; singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will duet at the Tavern of Fine Arts; and vocal group Java Jived takes the stage at Robbie's House of Jazz. On the instrumental side, the St. Louis Big Band will play for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom, pianist Ptah Williams leads a trio at Cigar Inn, and guitarist Tom Byrne will mix holiday songs with music from Pat Metheny at the house concert venue KindaBlue.

On Saturday afternoon, the veteran saxophonist Doug Lawrence will be in town for a free performance and workshop at Saxquest. Lawrence (pictured) currently is the featured tenor saxophonist with the Count Basie Orchestra, and has an extensive list of credits that includes work with Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Roy Eldridge, Buck Clayton, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Wild Bill Davis, Hank Jones, Mel Lewis, George Cables and many others.

On Saturday evening, Three Central will perform in a holiday concert at Blessed Hope Bible Church; violinist David McNair leads a quartet at Robbie's House of Jazz, and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to the Venice Cafe.

On Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club will present their final concert of the year, featuring traditional jazz from the St. Louis Rivermen at the Doubletree Hotel in Westport.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the eclectic acoustic music group The 442s will be at the Tavern of Fine Arts, and the Sessions Big Band will play at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

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: Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Oikos Ensemble, Craig Pomranz, St. Louis Rivermen, Andy Coco's Rhythm Section Road Show, and more

If you feel like combining jazz and Christmas this weekend, you're in luck, as there are several holiday themed performances by local and touring musicians coming up over the next few days around the St. Louis area. And if you're not quite ready to go the full-on holiday music route just yet, you can also find funky soul-jazz, traditional New Orleans and swing music, cabaret, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, Washington University's student jazz ensembles will perform a free concert as part of the Jazz at Holmes series. This will be the final JAH presentation of the semester; the winter/spring lineup for the series usually is announced toward the end of the break between semesters.

Also tonight, jazz-rock/fusion band Steizuello are downtown at Plush; and funk organ trio Downstereo are playing at Atomic Cowboy, where they'll be doing a regular Thursday gig until further notice.

On Friday, bassist Andy Coco's Rhythm Section Road Show opens a two-night gig at Jazz at the Bistro. This will be the Bistro debut for the Road Show, who offer up soul-jazz and funk from a variable cast of players drawn from several local bands, including Hip Grease (who originally were scheduled to play the Bistro this weekend, but bowed out a couple of weeks ago), The Feed, Gumbohead, and others.

Friday night also offers a couple of home-for-the-holidays gigs, as singer and St. Louis native Craig Pomranz will be back from NYC to present the cabaret production "The Break-Up Show" at Kranzberg Arts Center, with an encore performance on Saturday.

That same evening, drummer Montez Coleman, bassist Chris Thomas and pianist Tony Suggs will join forces at Cigar Inn in Belleville. This gig is particularly noteworthy because all three musicians are locals who have "made good" touring with internationally known performers - Coleman with Roy Hargrove and McCoy Tyner; Thomas with Dianne Reeves and Josh Redman, and Suggs with the Count Basie Orchestra.

On Saturday afternoon, the Oikos Ensemble will present their Christmas program “Follow That Star: A Jazz Nativity” at First Congregational Church United Church of Christ, 10 W. Lockwood in Webster Groves.

The production features saxophonist Rev. Cliff Aerie; his daughter, vocalist Arianna Aerie; and a cast of St. Louisans that includes singer Kim Massie, trumpeter Danny Campbell, pianist Carolbeth True, bassist Dave Troncoso, and drummer Kevin Gianino. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to benefit the St. Louis Back Stoppers Inc., Joplin Relief Tornado Fund, Webster‐Rock Hill Ministries Food Pantry and the Bi‐State Pet Food Pantry. "Follow That Star" will be repeated on Saturday night and again on Sunday afternoon.

Also on Saturday night, singer Erin Bode and her band will give a holiday-themed performance at New Covenant Church in Weldon Spring; and singer Becky Alexander and saxophonist Sammy Hag's trio will be at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Sunday, there's a double dose of New Orleans-style traditional jazz, starting in the afternoon as the St. Louis Jazz Club presents a matinee featuring longtime local favorites Red Lehr and the St. Louis Rivermen at the Doubletree Hotel at Westport.

Then on Sunday evening, New Orleans' own Preservation Hall Jazz Band (pictured) will present their "Creole Christmas" show at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Thought the PHJB has played in St. Louis several times in recent years, this will be the first time they've done "Creole Christmas" here, and this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the band's founding. For more about that, and some video samples of them in action, check out this post from a couple of weeks ago.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band will be at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups for their final appearance there this year; and vocal students from Webster University will present their annual cabaret showcase and benefit at the Kranzberg Arts Center, with a repeat performance on Tuesday.

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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Stages St. Louis' production of the Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin' came under the scrutiny of the show's creator during its final weekend, as Richard Maltby Jr, who directed the original, Tony Award winning Broadway production, visited St. Louis to catch Friday's performance.

Calling the Stages production "Broadway level work (or higher)" and "one of the best productions this show has ever received," Maltby Jr. schmoozed with theater patrons and staff, and posed for photos with the show's cast and band (pictured). Seen in the photo here, from left, are saxophonists Kendrick Smith and Jason Swagler, drummer Bernard Long Jr, Maltby, trombonist Cody Henry, bassist Jahmal Nichols, and trumpeter Matt Bittles.

* Jazz St. Louis this week announced a $50,000 gift from the Monsanto Fund to support their JazzU program during the 2012-13 academic year. The gift will let JSL continue to offer JazzU at no cost to students, and to reimburse them for transportation costs when necessary. JazzU provides weekly private instruction in ensemble playing, improvisation, music theory, and listening strategies to middle school and high school students from all over the St. Louis area.

* There's also good news this week for saxophonist and St. Louis native Greg Osby, who's one of thirteen recipients of a 2012 Pew Fellowship in the Arts worth $60,000. The awards go to Philadelphia artists from a variety of disciplines; the only other jazz musician to win one this year is saxophonist and Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen.

* Another saxophonist and St. Louis expat, Eric Person, has a new album out this week. The new CD from TrioKinesis, with Person, bassist Joseph Lepore and drummer Shinnosuke Takahashi, is available on iTunes, Amazon and CDBaby.com.

* Blues historian, author, illustrator and preservationist Kevin Belford is the latest local artist to take part in Feast magazine's "Booze Doodles" series.

* The St. Louis Rivermen played the annual Greater Olympia Dixieland Jazz Festival in Washington last weekend, and got a shout-out from the local paper.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band has posted online an album of photos from their show last week for the St. Louis Zoo's "Jungle Boogie" concert series

* The US Air Force is downsizing its band program, and the ensembles based at Scott AFB in metro east are among those being discontinued. The Post-Dispatch's Sarah Bryan Miller has a story about the last days of the 571st Air Force Band here.

* Condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and students of Matthew "Matt" Rice, band director at Fox High School in Arnold, who died Thursday of what news accounts say were natural causes. Rice, who was 37, directed several different ensembles at the school, including the jazz band.

Visitation is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday, July 9 at First Baptist Church, 2012 Missouri State Rd in Arnold. The funeral will take place at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 10 at the church, and Fox HS will hold a candlelight vigil at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening.

David Sanborn interview now online

I got a chance earlier this week to talk with saxophonist and St. Louis native David Sanborn about his current tour with keyboard player George Duke and and bassist Marcus Miller, which will be in St. Louis this Sunday, August 7 at the TouPAC. You can read the resulting article that I wrote for the Riverfront Times' A to Z music blog here.

St. Louis Jazz Club to celebrate 60th anniversary on Saturday, May 14

The St. Louis Jazz Club will celebrate its sixtieth anniversary on Saturday, May 14 with a pair of performances at the Concord Farmers Club.

The venerable presenters of monthly concerts of traditional jazz and swing will feature Red Lehr and the St. Louis Rivermen (pictured) from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., followed that evening by a dance/concert with music from the Michael Lacey Band from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

The Concord Farmers Club, located at 10140 Concord School Rd in South County, has been the site of the SLJC's summer picnic in recent years. Tickets for all SLJC shows, including the the 60th anniversary fete, are $10 for members, $15 for non-members, with students getting in free.

Jazz this week: Zappa Plays Zappa, Good 4 The Soul, Sinatra Songbook, Montez Coleman, St. Louis Rivermen, and more

This week's post may be somewhat minimal, thanks to a bad head cold that's knocking yr. humble StLN editor for a loop, but the jazz and creative music offerings in St. Louis over the next few days are plentiful. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, Zappa Plays Zappa performs at The Pageant. This year's show features the band playing Frank Zappa's 1974 album Apostrophe(') in its entirety. I wrote a short preview of the concert for last week's Riverfront Times, which you can read online here. Also, you can read my review of ZPZ's first St. Louis show back in 2006 here. And to see some video of ZPZ playing various songs from Apostrophe(') earlier this year, see this post from last Saturday.

Tomorrow night, the University of Missouri-St. Louis big band, under the direction of Jim Widner, will play at Robbie's House of Jazz,

On Friday and Saturday, Good 4 the Soul (pictured) returns to Jazz at the Bistro with their crowd-pleasing mix of jazz, funk and more.

Also on Friday, the Steve Schankman Orchestra and singer Tom Heitman will reprise their "Sinatra Songbook" show at the Mirowitz Performing Arts Center at the JCC; singer Erin Bode performs at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles; and bassist Daryl Mixon's trio plays at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday afternoon, singer Carmen Emborski and pianist Heather Bosshardt, aka Les Filles des Jazz, and Emborski's quintet will be the featured entertainment at an event called "Jazz For Change" to be held at The Annex at Cafe Ventana, 3919 West Pine Blvd. Proceeds benefit the Christian Foundation for Education.

That evening, drummer Montez Coleman is the nominal leader of a trio gig at Robbie's that also will feature Peter Martin on piano and Chris Thomas on bass. Though all three both are originally from St. Louis, they've all established themselves on the national scene as well, making this gig, with a cover of just $10, the likely "sleeper" show of the week.

UPDATE, 6:25 p.m., 12/8/10: Just got an email from Dan Martin of Peter Martin Music, who says that the pianist is NOT part of Saturday's gig at Robbie's; the erroneous info came from the club's website. The gig may indeed still be a worthy one, but Martin won't be there, so please consider our editorial expectation to be adjusted accordingly.

Also on Saturday, saxophonist Jason Swagler and guitarist Rick Haydon will duet at the Bossanova Restaurant & Lounge in Alton, IL.

On Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents the St. Louis Rivermen at the Doubletree Hotel & Conference Center in Chesterfield. That evening, guitarist Tom Byrne's trio plays at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday singer Brian Owens will appear in a "Notes From Home" performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and Robbie's House of Jazz will host their weekly Tuesday night jam session.

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.)

Cornet Chop Suey, St. Louis Rivermen to play Central Illinois Jazz Festival

St. Louis bands Cornet Chop Suey and the St. Louis Rivermen (pictured) are headed up the road this weekend to perform at the Central Illinois Jazz Festival, which will take place Friday, February 5 through Sunday, February 7 at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel in Decatur, IL.

This is the 35th year for the Central Illinois Jazz Festival, which presents traditional New Orleans and Chicago-style jazz, swing, ragtime and Gypsy jazz. Other groups performing at this year's event will include Vince Giordano's Nighthawks from NYC, New Jersey's Midiri Brothers, the Titan Hot Seven, the all-female band Mighty Aphrodite, and the Side Street Strutters from California. For more information, visit the festival's website.

St. Louis Jazz Club sets 2009 schedule

The St. Louis Jazz Club has announced its schedule of events for 2009, with a lineup of Sunday matinee concerts featuring local and regional talent, including multiple performances by some of St. Louis' favorite traditional jazz and swing ensembles.

The SLJC will kick off 2009 with a show next Sunday, January 18 by Cornet Chop Suey (pictured) at the Moolah Shrine Center, 12545 Fee Fee Rd in Maryland Heights. The Farmington High School Jazz Band will open the show at 1:00 p.m., followed by the headliners at 2:00 p.m. On Sunday, February 8, it's pianist Pat Joyce and his All-Stars at the Moolah. Then on Sunday, March 8, the St. Louis Stompers will perform at the same venue, with Irish tenor Jeffrey Gonder doing an opening set at 1:15 p.m.

Next up, it's the Dixie Daredevils from central Illinois, who will play on Sunday, April 19 in the Panorama Banquet Room of Bel-Air Bowl, 200 South Belt West in Belleville, IL. Then on Sunday, May 31, it's an encore performance for Cornet Chop Suey back at the Moolah, followed by Michael Lacey's New Orleans Swing on Sunday, June 14 at Bel Air Bowl.

On Sunday, July 12, the SLJC has tentatively scheduled what's being billed as a "piano battle of the best ragtime players in the country" featuring the St. Louis Ragtimers with special guest Dr. Dave Majchrzak performing at the Moolah. Cornet Chop Suey will be back at the the Moolah on Sunday, August 9, and then on Sunday, September 6 the Club will have its annual picnic at the Concord Farmers Club, with musical entertainment TBA.

On Sunday, September 20, the St. Louis Rivermen will perform at Bel-Air Bowl, and on Sunday, October 11, it's Bud Shultz and the You Can't Beat Experience Jazz Band at the Moolah, with an opening set from the Lewis & Clark College Jazz Band at 1:00 p.m. The year wraps up with the St. Louis Stompers on Sunday, November 8 at the Moolah and the club's annual Christmas Party on December 13, also at the Moolah and featuring music from Cornet Chop Suey.

The doors for all events open at 1:15 p.m., with music from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. except as noted otherwise. Tickets for all St. Louis Jazz Club events are $10 for members and $15 for non-members, and students get in free. For more information, see the Club's Web site or call 636-305-0285 or 618-235-0478.

In the embedded video window below, you can see and hear Dave Majchrzak playing "St Louis Rag" at the 2008 Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, MO.



(Edited 2/8/09 to fix an incorrect date for the August concert.)

St. Louis bands to perform at Central Illinois Jazz Festival

The St. Louis-based traditional jazz and swing bands Cornet Shop Suey and the St. Louis Rivermen will be among the featured attractions at the 2009 Central Illinois Jazz Festival, which will be held Friday, January 30 through Sunday, February 1 in Decatur, Illinois.

Other performers at the fest will include the Borderline Jazz Band, Crescent City Jazz Band, We 3 + 4, Dixie Daredevils, Midiri Brothers, Titan Hot Seven, SideStreet Strutters, Your Father's Mustache and pianist Bob Seeley.

For more about the festival, see their Web site and this article from Decatur Herald and Review columnist R.B. Fallstrom.

Jazz this week: Harry Connick Jr, Nnenna Freelon, Steve Schenkel & Ashley Mason, Kim Portnoy Trio, St. Louis Rivermen and more

It's a potentially busy week for fans of jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with two major touring headliners in town, a lot of activity from local musicians, and holiday-themed concerts a-plenty, too.

Let's go to the highlights, starting with singer Nnenna Freelon, (pictured) who's in town to perform at Jazz at the Bistro tonight through Saturday. For more about Freelon and some video clips of her in action, see this post from last Saturday.

The other major name in town this week is ever-popular singer and pianist Harry Connick Jr., who will brings his big band's holiday show to the Fox Theatre on Sunday. Connick Jr. has a new Christmas CD out this year, so look for Sunday's concert to draw heavily on that material as well as from his previous holiday albums.

On the local front, guitarist Steve Schenkel and singer Ashley Mason will perform material from their new Christmas CD A Midnight Clear in a free concert Thursday night for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. Also on Thursday, singer Jeanne Trevor and pianist Dave Venn headline a holiday-themed show at the Black Cat Theatre in Maplewood.

On Friday night, keyboardist Mo Egeston and trombonist Lamar Harris bring their new collaborative band The Urban Groov Project to Brandt's. And on Saturday, trumpeter Randy Holmes and his Quintet featuring singer and flute player Margaret Blanchetta will perform a tribute to the music of Cannonball Adderley and Nancy Wilson at Cookie's Jazz and More.

On Sunday, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents the traditional jazz sounds of the St. Louis Rivermen in a matinee concert at the Moolah Shrine Center, 12545 Fee Fee Rd. That evening, the Kim Portnoy Trio, featuring the leader on piano, Ric Vice on bass and Kevin Gianino on drums with Steve Schenkel as special guest guitarist, will perform a program of original compositions at Eliot Chapel, 216 E. Argonne in Kirkwood. (A portion of proceeds from the show will go to benefit the Eliot Music Fund.)

Monday finds the Sessions Big Band back at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups, and there are three noteworthy events on Tuesday, starting in the morning when Swing Set plays a 10:00 a.m. "Coffee Concert" at the Sheldon Concert Hall. (The same program will be repeated at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday.)

Tuesday evening, the Jazz St. Louis CD Listening Club has its monthly meeting, this time to discuss the Louis Armstrong CD from the series of albums issued in conjunction with Ken Burns' PBS series "Jazz." Radio and television personality/jazz advocate Don Wolff and jazz journalist Terry Perkins will host and moderate the event, which takes place at the Brentwood location of Borders, 1519 S. Brentwood Blvd. That same night, the Gerry Mulligan/Bob Brookmeyer-inspired band Utter Chaos returns to The Gramophone.

On Wednesday, Squid Choir Orkestra brings their mix of free jazz and "power electronics" back to the Way Out Club, 2525 S. Jefferson, as the middle act on a bill that includes electronic improv group Worm Hands and avant-rockers Skarekrau Radio.

You can find more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond by visiting 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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Two from the St. Louis Rivermen

This week, let's take a look at a couple of videos featuring the traditional jazz band the St. Louis Rivermen. These two clips are from the 37th annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival held in July 2008 in Davenport, Iowa.

First up is a video of the Rivermen playing the standard "I Can't Get Started," which was penned by Ira Gershwin and Vernon Duke, first popularized in the 1930s by trumpeter Bunny Berigan, and has since been recorded hundreds of times by musicians ranging from Billie Holiday to Maynard Ferguson. Down below, the Rivermen offer their version of "Dans Les Rues d'Antibes," which was composed by saxophonist Sidney Bechet and translates roughly as "On The Streets of Antibes."

Following the recent retirement of their former pianist and bandleader Jean Kittrell, the St. Louis Rivermen also have set up a new Web site of their own, which can be found here. Here's hoping that the group, now under the leadership of sousaphonist David "Red" Lehr, will continue their work of preserving and presenting traditional jazz for a good long while.

St. Louis Rivermen play McComb festival

The St. Louis Rivermen were one of the featured attractions at the Al Sears Jazz Festival held this past weekend in McComb, IL, and were quite the crowd pleasers according to the local paper's account of the event, which you can read here. The festival also included performances from the Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project, who were in St. Louis earlier this month to play Jazz at the Bistro; Chicago jazz violinist Diane Delin; and five other bands.

St. Louis Jazz Club sets fall 2008 schedule

The St. Louis Jazz Club has set its concert schedule for fall 2008, beginning (as described in the previous post) with this Sunday's annual picnic at Concord Farmer's Hall. The Club's season continues on Sunday, September 21 with a performance by the St. Louis-based jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey (pictured) at Bel-Air Bowl, 200 South Belt West in Belleville.

Then on Sunday, October 12, the SLJC will present the traditional jazz sounds of Peoria, Illinois' Dixie Daredevils at the Moolah Shrine Center, 12545 Fee Fee Rd. in Maryland Heights, followed on Sunday, November 16 by Connecticut-based Ivory and Gold, featuring pianist Jeff Barnhart and flutist Anne Barnhart, also at the Moolah. The fall season wraps up with a show on Sunday, December 7 by the St. Louis Rivermen at the Moolah Shrine Center.

Doors open for all concerts at 1:15, with music from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Admission to each concert is $10 for St. Louis Jazz Club members, $15 for non-members, and students get in free.