Pat Arana, trombonist of the St. Louis Stompers, dies at age 72

Trombonist Joseph Patrick "Pat" Arana of the St. Louis Stompers died of cancer last Wednesday, August 22 in St. Charles, MO. Arana (pictured) was 72 years old and was retired from teaching music in the Ritenour School District.

He performed locally and at festivals all over the country with the Stompers, worked with many other jazz and popular music groups in St. Louis, and was an original member of Jean Kittrell and Red Lehr’s Old St. Louis Levee Band.

Services were held Tuesday at Baue Funeral and Memorial Center in St. Charles, with interment at St. Charles Memorial Gardens.

Pat Arana is survived by his wife Marilyn, children Matt Arana and Betsy (Bruce) Nelson, and brothers Gerald (Kathy) Arana and Donald (Jean) Arana, as well as grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends. The family has requested memorials in his name be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or the Stepping Stones Program in the Ritenour School District.

Jazz this week: Gateway Jazz Festival, celebrating Dennis Owsley, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes a multi-artist bill of contemporary jazz and R&B, a celebration of a longtime local jazz radio personality, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, July 18
The Ambassadors of Swing return to Tin Roof St. Louis, and singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will perform at Parkside Grille.

Also on Wednesday, Cabaret Project St. Louis presents their monthly "Broadway Open Mic" at Sophie's Artist Lounge & Cocktail Club, and Wright's Project plays jazz/fusion and funk at Al's Lounge.

Thursday, July 19
St. Louis Public Radio will celebrate broadcaster, author and photographer Dennis Owsley and his 35 years of service to the station and the local music community with a free, public event - including live music from saxophonist Paul DeMarinis, guitarist Eric Slaughter, bassist Jeff Anderson and drummer Steve Davis - at UMSL at Grand Center.

Also on Wednesday, Chicago saxophonist Greg Ward, out on the road with his trio for a brief tour, stops off for a performance at The Dark Room; guitarist Vince Varvel plays a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; and singer Feyza Eren returns to Evangeline's.

Friday, July 20
Singer/songwriter Emily Wallace (pictured, bottom left) and friends, including members of the Funky Butt Brass Band, perform for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis; and Ken Haller reprises his popular cabaret performance "The Medicine Show" for the first of two nights at the Kranzberg Arts Center

Saturday, July 21
The Gateway Jazz Festival returns for its second year at the Chesterfield Amphitheater. This time, the bill includes saxophonist Boney James, trumpeter Cindy Bradley, and singer and guitarist Jonathan Butler (pictured, top left), plus singer Will Downing, keyboardist Alex Bugnon, and two of St. Louis' own, saxophonist Tim Cunningham and keyboardist Mike Silverman of Bach to the Future. 

You can check out videos of all these performers in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, The Gaslight Squares play traditional jazz at Das Bevo, and keyboardist Mo Egeston and friends hold down the late night slot at The Dark Room.

Sunday, July 22
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents the St. Louis Stompers at the  DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis - Westport, and Miss Jubilee plays a free concert at Oak Knoll Park,

Monday, July 23
Dizzy Atmosphere plays vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck.

Tuesday, July 24
Bassist, guitarist 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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Greg Osby was interviewed for a feature story on the website Jazz in Europe.

* Singer Denise Thimes' Mothers Day show last Sunday at the Touhill is the subject of a photo gallery on STLtoday.com.

* A new article by professor Gerald Early in Washington University's Common Reader looks at "Horns On Film - Five notable dramatic films about jazz trumpeters, with 15 grace notes."

* DownBeat magazine reviewed the CD reissue of Esoteric, an album (pictured) by the late drummer and St. Louis native Phillip Wilson with trumpeter Olu Dara that originally was released in 1979 on the hatHut label.

* Also in DownBeat, a review of Revive Music's recent 10th anniversary celebration in NYC, which included a performance by trumpeter Keyon Harrold.

* KDHX has posted to Flickr an album of photos from Tortoise's show Monday night at the Ready Room.

* The St. Louis Stompers are headed to Fox Lake, WI this weekend to play in the 44th annual Bunny Berigan Jazz Jubilee.

* Musical instrument distributor St. Louis Music set a quarterly record for sales in the first three months of 2016. The company distributes more than 10,000 music-related products, and owns instrument brands including Alvarez, Austin and Sigma guitars, Knilling stringed instruments, E.K. Blessing brass, and Zonda reeds and woodwinds.

* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accounts for the Arts will present their Accidental Arts Administrator and Strategic Planning Fundamentals workshops next Monday, May 16 and Tuesday, May 17 at the offices of the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar.

Fall festivals spotlight diverse styles

While St. Louis currently may lack a large-scale annual jazz festival with the scope and diversity of those found in Chicago, Detroit, Rochester, or even Indianapolis, over the past decade a number of smaller events have come along to at least partially fill the void.

This fall, three of those smaller-scale festivals will spotlight three different sub-genres from within the jazz and improvised music universe:

* This coming Sunday, September 6 and Monday, September 7, the St. Louis Jazz Club's Gateway Jazz Festival will feature a variety of local acts playing traditional, pre-WWII jazz and swing at the DoubleTree Hotel in Westport.

Performers will include Cornet Chop Suey (pictured, top left),  Michael Lacey's New Orleans Swing, Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi, Pat Joyce and Friends, the St. Louis Stompers, Red Lehr's Powerhouse 5, and the Funky Butt Brass Band. Bands will play in three separate sessions, on Sunday afternoon, Sunday night, and Monday afternoon, with every group except the Funky Butt Brass Band playing at least two sets over the two days.

Tickets are $35 per session or $80 for an all-events pass. For more details, call 314-972-8298 or visit http://stlouisjazzclub.org/

* Later this month, the Tavern of Fine Arts will host "3 Nights in September," an event organized by cellist Tracy Andreotti that will feature St. Louis musicians presenting free improv and experimental sounds on Tuesday, September 22; Wednesday, September 23; and Thursday, September 24.

Tuesday's scheduled performers include Brain Transplant, NNN Cook, Michael Williams, and the Hess/Cunningham Duo. Wednesday's concert will feature Ghost Ice & Mister Ben; Dave Stone with Henry Claude, Glenn "Papa" Wright & Joe Hess; and the Perhelion Ensemble. The Experimental Arts Ensemble STL, Vernacular String Trio, and the STL Free Jazz Collective (pictured, center left) will wrap things up on Thursday.

Admission to "3 Nights in September" is just $5 per night, payable in cash only, at the door.

* Last but not least, singer Eve Seltzer and her husband, guitarist Ben Wood - both of the Gypsy jazz band Franglais - have organized a Gypsy Jazz Festival that's scheduled to take place Friday, October 23 through Sunday, October 25 at Evangeline's.

All three nights will feature evening performances and late-night jam sessions, with brunch-time performances also set for Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to Franglais (pictured, lower left) the musical lineup will include accordionist Dallas Vietty, singer Miles Griffith, bands Swing '39, Bedlam Swing, and Coco Rico, and more.

Admission prices and ticket info for the event are TBA; watch this space for more details.

Edited 9-3-15 to fix a typo.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake (pictured) was interviewed by the website Revive Music in advance of his big band gig this Sunday at Aljira Gallery in Newark, NJ.

* Lake's recent duo album with bassist William Parker, To Roy, was reviewed by the website Music and More.

* A new article on the Blue Note Records website looks back at saxophonist Greg Osby's 2000 album The Invisible Hand.

* Pianist and former St. Louisan Tom McDermott, now a mainstay on the New Orleans music scene, has a new duo album, City of Timbres, with clarinetist, saxophonist and singer Aurora Nealand.

* The St. Louis Stompers are on the road this weekend playing the Bunny Berigan Jazz Jubilee in Fox Lake, WI.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band has posted to Facebook an album of photos from their performance in March at the World Chess Hall of Fame

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, Calvin Wilson's program “Somethin’ Else” will feature music from young vocalists including Becca Stevens, Rebecca Martin and Gretchen Parlato. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Then, on Sunday's episode of "Jazz Unlimited" on St. Louis Public Radio, host Dennis Owsley will highlight the music of saxophonist Joe Lovano. The program can be heard from 9:00 p.m. to midnight over the air at 90.7 FM and online at http://www.stlpublicradio.org/listen.php.

Jazz this week: Carmen Bradford, New York Voices, Ramsey Lewis, and more

This week's lineup of jazz and creative music in and around St. Louis includes a couple of shows by touring jazz vocalists that require a bit of a trek from the city, but should be worth the trip, plus the usual variety of musical styles closer to home. Let's go to the highlights...

Thursday March 12
Tonight, Jefferson College presents their "Spring Jazz Showcase," featuring special guest vocalist Carmen Bradford (pictured, upper left), a veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra, and pianist Ken Kehner with the Jefferson College big band and jazz combos.

Bradford, the daughter of trumpeter Bobby Bradford and singer Melba Joyce, toured with the Basie band for nine years and performed with them on two Grammy winning albums before launching her solo career in 1992. Since then, she's performed and/or recorded with the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, Shelly Berg Big Band, John Clayton and the Clayton Hamilton Orchestra, George Benson, Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the National Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, and many more.

Also tonight, longtime local favorite actress/singer Linda Kennedy will make her cabaret debut for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, presenting her show "Melody/Movement" at the Gaslight Theater; and singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will play at Bar Louie in Chesterfield.

Friday, March 13
If you don't have tickets yet to see Ramsey Lewis' one-nighter at Jazz at the Bistro, you're out of luck, as the show has been sold out for some time. (However, you still can catch Lewis' performance on big-screen video in the Bistro's adjacent first-floor lounge, which has no cover charge.)

Elsewhere around town, singer Wendy L. Gordon and pianist Carolbeth True have added saxophonist Kendrick Smith as a guest for their duo gig at the Tavern of Fine Arts; singer and actor Ben Nordstrom will present the first of two performances of his show "Living The Moment" at the Gaslight Theater; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes play hot jazz and jump blues at Nathalie's; and trumpeter Keith Moyer and his trio return to Thurman Grill.

Saturday, March 14
The annual Mineral Area College Jazz Festival features a headlining performance from vocal group New York Voices (pictured, lower left) with the Mineral Area College Jazz Ensemble and Kicks Band.

Formed in 1988, New York Voices are a quartet in the tradition of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Singers Unlimited, and the Manhattan Transfer. They've released seven studio albums mixing jazz with pop, R&B, Brazilian and classical influences, as well as a 2013 live recording with the WDR Big Band. They're also known for their work in jazz education, and here, in addition to working with the members of the MAC bands, they'll also be presenting a public master class at noon.

Also on Saturday, singer Dean Christopher presents his "Rat Pack and More" show at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville; and trumpeter Jim Manley and guitarist Randy Bahr will duet at Thurman Grill.

Sunday, March 15
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents traditional New Orleans-style jazz and swing from the St. Louis Stompers in a matinee performance at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel at Westport; and that evening, electronic musician Adult Fur will be joined by members of Alarm Will Sound for a performance of contemporary compositions and experimental music at Off Broadway

Monday, March 16
Webster University's jazz faculty presents the annual Shepard and Davis Scholarships Concert, themed this year as "Birth of the Cool Revisited," at Winifred Moore Auditorium on campus.

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:

* There's a new entry on Clark Terry's blog, in which the legendary trumpeter and St. Louis native - who at 93 is physically frail but remains indomitable in spirit - details his recent efforts to "keep on keepin' on."

Said blog post also alerted us to a nice feature story about Terry published earlier this year in Allegro, the magazine of Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians.

* Tomorrow is the annual Record Store Day, and St. Louis music purveyors including Euclid Records, Apop Records, and Vintage Vinyl will celebrating variously with live music, in-store guest DJs, food and drink, special limited edition releases, and more. You can get a good overview of the goings-on around town via this article by the Riverfront Times' Mike Appelstein.

Also, as mentioned (or, depending upon your point of view, threatened) in this space last week, once again this year I'll be a guest DJ at Vintage Vinyl, spinning jazz, blues, funk, soul and who-know-what-else inside the store for an hour starting at 4:00 p.m.. Don't say you haven't been warned.

* Modern dance company MADCO's premiere production of "Liquid Roads," which incorporated live jazz and blues from a band led by trumpeter Brian Casserly, was reviewed by Chris Gibson of Broadway World and by UMSL's student paper The Current.

* One of singer Storm Large's sold-out performances last weekend for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival was reviewed by Chuck Lavazzi of KDHX.

* The Route 66 Jazz Orchestra has posted on Facebook an album of photos from their most recent performance at First Unity Church of St. Louis.

* Also on Facebook, the Sidney Street Shakers have posted an album of photos from their performance at Schlafly's Repeal of Prohibition Festival 2014.

* Want to win free tickets to see Harry Connick Jr. on Saturday, May 3 at the Peabody Opera House? The Post-Dispatch's GO! section is doing a giveaway on Facebook; see their page for details.

* Trumpeter Steve Lilley of the St. Louis Stompers is going this weekend to Fox Lake, WI to pay tribute to legendary trumpeter Bunny Berigan as part of the annual Bunny Berigan Jazz Jubilee.

* As predicted, the controversial bill granting a Los Angeles company exclusive rights to produce music festivals in downtown St. Louis on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends was passed this week by the St. Louis board of aldermen. Get the details in stories from from Nick Pistor of the Post and Kris Wernowsky of the RFT.

* The Jazz Journalists Association has announced the winners of its 2014 award in the musician and recording categories, and although several have performed in St. Louis during the past year, the only award tied to a local musician is the Historical Record of the Year, which went to Miles Davis' Miles Davis Quintet Live in Europe 1969 on Columbia Legacy (pictured). You can see the complete list of JJA award winners here.

* The Goldenrod Showboat, which for decades hosted jazz, ragtime and theater performances on the St. Louis riverfront, has gotten one more reprieve from the scrapyard, as the not-for-profit group trying to save the boat has reached an agreement to regain ownership from the Illinois River dock owners who bought it at auction last year. Paul Schankman of Fox 2 News also covered the story here.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, Calvin Wilson's program "Somethin' Else" will feature the songs of Jerome Kern, as interpreted by musicians including Keith Jarrett, Jackie McLean and Bill Frisell.

After that on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church promises spins of Cindy Bradley, Vincent Ingala, Bob Baldwin,Freddie Hubbard, Larry Carlton, Candy Dulfer, B.D. Lenz, as well as St. Louis' own Grant Green, Tommy Halloran, Elliott Ranney, Jim Stevens, and Dawn Weber, plus more.

Wilson's program airs at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by Church at 9:00 p.m., on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen. 

Elsewhere on the HD dial, longtime local radio veteran Rick Sanborn has joined the on-air staff at Hip 96.3 HD-3. Sanborn has been heard on several different St. Louis broadcast outlets including yesteryear smooth jazz station WSSM, and for several years also lent his name to a summer series of smooth jazz concerts at the Pageant. Fans can hear him on the new gig from noon to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Jazz this week: Cyrus Chestnut & Russell Malone, Claire Chase & ICE, St. Louis Stompers, and more

This week's jam-packed calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis offers something for listeners of just about any stylistic preference, from ragtime and traditional New Orleans style to straight-ahead modern jazz to free improvisation and contemporary chamber music. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, pianist Cyrus Chestnut and his trio will team up with guitarist Russell Malone for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro. Revisiting an alliance forged a couple of years ago at the Bistro, Chestnut and Malone both are technically accomplished musicians who also swing hard and usually manage to incorporate elements of blues and/or gospel into their playing. For some video samples and interviews with both men, see this post from last Saturday.

Tomorrow night, Claire Chase - flute player, founder of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" - will give a talk and take questions in an early evening event presented by New Music Circle at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar Blvd.

Chase (pictured) and ICE then will perform in an NMC-sponsored concert on Friday at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. For more about her and ICE, see this video showcase post from a couple of weeks ago. 

After Chase's talk, you should be able to get to the Washington University campus in time to hear trumpeter Anthony Wiggins lead a quartet in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series entitled "Mandela: Improvisation & The Music of Social Justice."

Also tomorrow night, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival resumes with Morgan A. Faulkner performing her show "I Got It All From My Mother" at the Gaslight Theater; and guitarist Dave Black and singer Feyza Eren will play at Nathalie's.

On Friday, after the Claire Chase and ICE concert, cornetist Rob Mazurek of the Chicago Underground Duo/Trio/Quartet and/or Orchestra will join bassist Darin Gray for a late set of improvised music at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Also on Friday: For those in the mood to hear a vocalist, Katie McGrath will be performing her show "Love in the Desert: Romance in an Age of Scarcity" for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival; Tony Viviano will return to Talayna's of Chesterfield; and Wendy Gordon will be back at DeLeo's Cafe & Deli.

Meanwhile, swing dancers can check out Miss Jubilee at Lindy Hop St. Louis' monthly "West End Stomp" at the Mahler Ballroom, or the Knights of Swing at Casa Loma Ballroom, while those looking for some straight-ahead jazz may enjoy saxophonist Kendrick Smith's trio at Cigar Inn or pianist Brad Ellebrecht "Little Quartet" at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday evening, trumpeter Scott Vignassi's big band will perform at Robbie's; the Coleman Hughes Project will play smooth jazz and R&B at Troy's Jazz Gallery; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will swing the Venice Cafe; and the Funky Butt Brass Band returns to the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday afternoon potentially has a bit of a throwback feel, as the Metro South Arts Council will showcase the young winners of their 14th Annual Scott Joplin Ragtime Competition in a performance at Robbie's House of Jazz, while the St. Louis Jazz Club will present the traditional jazz sound of the St. Louis Stompers at the Doubletree Hotel in Westport.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday pianist Jim Hegarty and bassist Paul Steinbeck will play improvised music at the Tavern of Fine Arts; Webster University's student jazz combos will give a free performance at the Community Music School on the Webster campus; and guitarist Tom Byrne plays 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: Red Baraat, Gateway Jazz Festival, Tom McDermott, and more

This Labor Day weekend in St. Louis offers fans of jazz and creative music an eclectic mix of sounds from traditional to experimental, with numerous gradations in between. Let's go to the highlights...

On Thursday, "bhangra funk" band Red Baraat (pictured) returns to St. Louis to take the stage at The Gramophone. Led by drummer Sunny Jain, the group's instrumentation resembles a New Orleans brass band, but their music blends in a variety of other sounds, including funk, go-go, and elements from Indian popular music. You can see some videos of them in action in this post from last Saturday.

Also Thursday, the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Avant-Garde Arts Night" with live improvised music; and pianist and St. Louis native Tom McDermott, who now lives in New Orleans, will be back home to do a show at the house concert venue Joe's Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury in the Central West End. McDermott is wrapping up a 22-city tour, and for more about that and his latest album, check out the preview story from Terry Perkins in the St. Louis Beacon.

On Friday night,  the available choices include three different male vocalists, as singer Nicholas Brooks offers a "Rat Pack"-themed performance at Robbie's House of Jazz; Joe Mancuso is at Chasers Lounge in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel; and Charlie B and his trio with trumpeter Jim Manley are at Thurman Grill.

Meanwhile, over on the east side, saxophonist Kendrick Smith will lead a trio at Cigar Inn in Belleville, while Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform at the Granite City Elks Lodge, 4801 Maryville Rd.

On Saturday, steel guitar players from around the country will be gathering for the annual International Steel Guitar Convention at the Millennium Hotel, where the "Maurice Anderson Jazz Room" will feature free public performances from a half-dozen steel guitarists playing jazz, backed by guitarist Dave Black, bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Kyle Honeycutt.

Also on Saturday, the annual Big Muddy Blues Festival begins on Laclede's Landing. The event continues on Sunday, with local bands playing on two free stages, plus headliners including Anthony Gomes, Walter Trout, the Rev. Horton Heat, and David Clayton-Thomas on the main stage, which requires a ticket purchase.

On Sunday, in lieu of the end-of-summer picnic they've done in recent years, this Labor Day weekend the St. Louis Jazz Club is presenting the Gateway Jazz Festival at the DoubleTree Hotel - Westport. The event will feature two sessions on Sunday and a daytime session on Monday, with music from Cornet Chop Suey, St. Louis Stompers, Funky Butt Brass Band, St. Louis Ragtimers, Utter Chaos, St. Louis Rivermen, Miss Jubilee, Pat Joyce, and Banjos & Brass.

Also on Sunday, the Friends of Scott Joplin present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" at Dressel's, 419 N Euclid Ave; and the St. Charles Big (Jazz) Band plays a free concert in Frontier Park on the riverfront in St. Charles.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday, in addition to the second day of the Gateway Jazz Festival, guitarists Eric Slaughter and Tom Byrne will lead a quartet 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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* With a little more than 24 hours to go, KDHX (88.1 FM) yesterday met their Kickstarter campaign goal of $50,000 to build a 125-seat performance space at the station's new headquarters on Washington Ave in the Grand Center district.

The campaign's final days were marked by a social media push on Facebook and Twitter involving local music fans and bloggers, and also got some coverage from reporter Heidi Glaus of local NBC affiliate KSDK. The various premiums still are available to anyone who pledges before the campaign ends at noon on Friday.

* Metrotix and Tap Heritage, Inc. are offering a $5 discount on tickets for "All That Tap XXII," this year's installment of the annual tap dance festival to be held Saturday at the Edison Theater on the Washington University campus.

The event features tap stars of movies, Broadway and TV performing in tap dance styles from jazz to hip-hop, with live music from pianist Carolbeth True's trio. The regular ticket price is $25, so the discounted price is $20 per ticket. To access the offer, go to the Metrotix site and enter promo code ATT.  The offer ends at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

* Quartette Humaine, the new album from David Sanborn and Bob James, was reviewed by Chris Parker for London Jazz News.

* Jim Widner (pictured)  - bassist, bandleader, educator and head of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival - was the subject of a profile by Ruth Ezell of local PBS affiliate KETC's Living St. Louis, as well as a feature story by the UMSL Daily.

* And speaking of profiles, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes this week were the subjects of one written by Terry Perkins for the St. Louis Beacon.

* Perkins this week also wrote for the Beacon a preview of the upcoming St. Louis Cabaret Festival.

* And on the same subject, singer Jason Graae, who will be appearing at the Cabaret Festival and accompanying conference, was interviewed by KDHX's "Break A Leg" podcast.

* The St. Louis Stompers are headlining this weekend at the 21st annual Lakeside DixieFest in Clear Lake, IA.

* Jazz St. Louis this week announced that the organization posted double-digit percentage increases in subscription and single ticket sales revenues this past season, with total revenue for all Jazz at the Bistro activity up 17% over the previous year.

Subscription revenue grew by 13% to $151,417, with total subscription seats sold rising 8% to 5,755. New subscription seats sold for Jazz at the Bistro increased 26% over fiscal 2012, and average per-set attendance increased 7% compared to the previous year. In a press release, Jazz St. Louis' Bob Bennett attributed the growth to a record number of new subscription seats purchased, an 85% renewal rate, and an overall increase in the number of shows subscribers are purchasing.

JSL also announced this week that Wells Fargo Advisors will contribute $100,000 to be "presenting sponsor" of the 2013-14 Jazz at the Bistro season, marking the third year the company has made a "leadership gift" to the organization.

* Jazz radio update: This week at Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, saxophonist Joe Henderson's  achievements as a bandleader, composer and accompanist will be the subject of this week's episode of Calvin Wilson's "Somethin' Else." In addition to music from Henderson, the program also will feature sounds from saxophonist Marcus Strickland and singer Holly Cole. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2 and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen. 

Elsewhere on the radio dial, Dennis Owsley's "Jazz Unlimited" program this Sunday will feature the music of Fats Waller, as interpreted by Waller himself and pianists James P. Johnson, Earl Hines and Dick Hyman, plus St. Louis’s own Ralph Sutton and his sister Barbara Sutton Curtis.

Owsley also will spin new music from Ralph Alessi, Melton Mustafa, the Joel Harrison 19, Mark Gross, Oliver Jones, Fred Hersch, Laszlo Gardony, Kenny Barron, Jacky Terrasson, Edward Simon, Scott Newman, Ben Monder, and RJ and the Association. "Jazz Unlimited" can be heard from 9:00 pm to midnight Sundays on KWMU (90.7 FM) or online at http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org.

Jazz this week: Kapsalis & Ivanovic, St. Louis Stompers, and more

We're now officially in the "dog days" of August, and though the start of the fall season for most of the local not-for-profit jazz presenters is a few weeks away, there still are some noteworthy performances in the next several days that may be of interest to St. Louis area jazz fans. While some temporary time constraints here at StLJN HQ may prevent any extended explications of impending events, here's a brief look at what's coming up...

Tonight , guitarists Andreas Kapsalis and Goran Ivanovic are in town from Chicago for a last-minute performance at Pop's Blue Moon. Ivanovic has played St. Louis a number of times before, both solo and with the group Eastern Blok, and he and Kapsalis play a mix of styles including jazz, flamenco, classical and more.

On Friday, saxophonist Harvey Lockhart, who's studying at Northern Illinois University with the noted jazz educator Ronald Carter, will bring his band to Robbie's House of Jazz. That same evening, guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio with bassist Nick Jost and drummer Marty Morrison will return to the Cigar Inn in Belleville, and the Original Knights of Swing will play big band swing the Casa Loma Ballroom.

On Saturday, Robbie's has Latin jazz from percussionist Herman Semidey Jr. and his Orquestra Nitro Son Montuno Salsa.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents a matinee concert of traditional jazz by the St. Louis Stompers (pictured) at Bel-Air Bowl in Belleville.

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: Sean Jones, Glendale Jazz Festival, a Miles Davis birthday celebration, and more

Want to listen to some live jazz this Memorial Day weekend in St. Louis? Here's what's on tap for for the next few days:

The best-known musician visiting town this week is trumpeter Sean Jones (pictured), who will perform tonight through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. A technically accomplished and versatile player, Jones probably is best known for his five years as lead trumpeter for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, a position he left last year to devote more time to his solo career and other musical ventures.

This is shaping up to be an eventful week for the trumpeter, as No Need for Words, his latest CD on Mack Avenue Records, was released officially yesterday, and he'll celebrate his 33rd birthday on Sunday. For more about Jones and some videos of him in action, check out this post from last Saturday. Also, you can read my Riverfront Times Critic's Pick about Jones here.

Elsewhere around town, jazz bookings are a bit scarce as many other not-for-profit presenters have ended their seasons, and even some commercial establishments, such as Robbie's House of Jazz and Casa Loma Ballroom are taking the holiday weekend off. Still, in addition to the usual weekly gigs (which you can find listed on the StLJN calendar), there are a few other noteworthy jazz-related events happening around town.

At noon on Thursday, the city of East of St. Louis will hold birthday celebration for Miles Davis, the city's most famous native son, at City Hall. The event will feature several live performances, including music from Reggie Thomas.

On Friday evening, the city of Glendale presents the 12th annual Glendale Jazz Festival at Glendale City Hall, 424 N. Sappington Rd. The free event will feature music from the St. Louis Stompers, Terry Thompson's Swing Alive Band, and blues/rock guitarist Billy Peek, with Don Wolff as MC.

Also on Friday, guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio with drummer Marty Morrison and bassist Nick Jost will play the Cigar Inn in Belleville.

This also is the weekend for the annual African Arts Festival at the World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park. The event features a variety of musical offerings, including blues, reggae, African drumming, and jazz from the Bosman Twins on Sunday and the group Le Jazz Hot, with pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Daryl Mixon, drummer Ben Thigpen and saxophonist Chad Evans, on Monday.

Also on Sunday, BB's Jazz Blues & Soups will present "A Night of Jazz" from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., though there's no indication on their site as to who the players are. (Alas, calls to BB's attempting to ascertain the musicians' identities were not returned by publication time.)

On Tuesday, the Poor People of Paris will bring their jazz-inflected French cabaret sound to the Sheldon Concert Hall as part of the Sheldon's Notes From Home series.

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.)

Sheldon Concert Hall to present benefit for tornado relief on Wednesday, May 18

A diverse lineup of local musicians will donate their time to raise money for St. Louis area victims of the recent tornadoes and floods in a concert to be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 18 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

The event will feature performances from traditional jazz band the St. Louis Stompers, pianist Carolbeth True with harmonica player Sandy Weltman, guitarist Rick Haydon, and pianist Stephanie Trick (pictured), as well as folk musicians John Higgins and Charlie Pfeffer, Beatles tribute band Pepperland and the gospel group Reborn.

All proceeds from the concert will go to the American Red Cross "to help local victims of the recent tornadoes and floods, and future disasters that impact our community." Tickets are $15 for general admission, and will go on sale 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 10 via Metrotix and www.thesheldon.org.

Glendale Jazz Festival scheduled for Friday, May 28

The city of Glendale will present the eleventh annual Glendale Jazz Festival from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 28 on the lower parking lot of the Glendale City Hall complex, 424 N. Sappington Rd.

Performers will include the St. Louis Stompers (pictured) and Terry Thompson's Swing Alive Band, with jazz broadcaster Don Wolff serving as MC. Admission is free, and local vendors will be selling food and beverages on site.

For more information, contact Glendale City Hall at 314-965-3600.

St. Louis Stompers headed to Iowa for Bix Fest

The St. Louis Stompers once again will be one of the featured bands at the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, which is scheduled this year for Thursday, July 23 through Sunday, July 26 in Beiderbecke's hometown of Davenport, Iowa.

The event is one of the longest-running and best-known traditional jazz festivals in the country, and the Stompers even merited mentions in preview stories about the event in both the local Quad Cities paper and the Chicago Tribune. For more information on BixFest, check the event's Web site.

Sheldon Concert Hall producing concerts in downtown St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve

Continuing its recent trend of producing concerts in other locations, the Sheldon Concert Hall organization is sponsoring two different concert series this summer: a set of free Thursday afternoon outdoor performances in downtown St. Louis during June, and a series of concerts at the historic Orris Theatre in Ste. Genevieve, MO.

The downtown St. Louis series will take place starting at 5:30 p.m. for four consecutive Thursdays at the Old Post Office Plaza at 801 Locust between 8th and 9th streets. At least a couple of the shows look to be of interest to jazz listeners, starting with a performance on June 4 by the Jeff Anderson Trio. Then there's a June 11 show by the Boneheads, an all-trombone quartet that does blues, jazz, classical, ragtime and doo-wop. Concerts featuring Los Flamencos (June 18) and the "acoustic folk-blues-swing" of Mayor Taylor (June 25) round out the series.

The series at the Orris Theater in Ste. Genevieve starts on Friday, June 5 with traditional jazz from the St. Louis Stompers. Other jazz shows in the series include
performances by vibist Jonathan Whiting's trio on July 10 and Gypsy jazz/swing group Hot Club Caravan on July 17. The Boneheads, Mayor Taylor and Los Flamencos also will perform in the Ste. Genevieve series, as will chamber music group Trio D'Anches and the Confluence Chamber Ensemble brass quintet.

Tickets for the Orris Theater shows are $10 each, and can be purchased in advance from the Ste. Genevieve Area Chamber of Commerce, 251 Market Street. For more information call the Chamber at 573-883-3686 or send email to stegenchamber@sbcglobal.net

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.

Jazz this week: Sara Gazarek, Gino Robair, the St. Louis Stompers, and more

With warmer weather in the offing for St. Louis this weekend, it should be a good time to get out and hear some live music. Here's what's going on in jazz and creative music over the next few days in St. Louis:

We've got two touring artists of note in town this week, one of whom is the delightful singer Sara Gazarek (pictured), who's back to perform at Jazz at the Bistro through Saturday. Gazarek is a standout in the crowded field of young female jazz singers, an exemplary vocal technician who swings effortlessly and brings a fresh, unaffected approach to the tunes she chooses and/or co-writes with her pianist, Josh Nelson. For more on Gazarek, check out StLJN's past coverage here and here.

The other headliner is improvising percussionist and composer Gino Robair, who's in St. Louis under the auspices of New Music Circle for a couple of events at St. Louis Community College - Forest Park's Mildred E. Bastian Performing Arts Center. Robair will do a free percussion workshop on Friday afternoon, and then a performance of his improv opera "I, Norton" on Saturday night.

In addition to these two well-known visitors, we've got some noteworthy shows featuring local musicians, too. This evening, guitarist William Lenihan, pianist Kim Portnoy and drummer Roger Guth team up for a free concert at Washington University as part of the Jazz at Holmes series, while the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center has a four-band bill of musicians working in various aspects of the free improv/electronics/ambient/noise genre with EXTRA LIFE, Ghost Ice, Exercise, and 7th epicycle.

On Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham brings his smooth jazz sound to Peppertini's in Chesterfield, and on Saturday, Jazz Renaissance does their monthly gig at Riddle's in University City.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club will presents the St. Louis Stompers in a concert of traditional jazz at the Moolah Shrine Center, and a whole bunch of local blues and jazz musicians will put on a benefit for bassist Gus Thornton at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

The Sessions Big Band is back at BB's on Monday for another of their recurring gigs there, and on Tuesday, the Jazz St. Louis CD Listening Club has its meeting at Borders in Brentwood, this month featuring the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's Shawn Weil and Jazz St. Louis executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford discussing Charlie Parker With Strings. Afterwards, saxophonist Bennett Wood and his group will be playing at The Gramophone as part of the free Tuesday night jazz series the club co-sponsors with Jazz St. Louis.

For more 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.)

Missouri Botanical Garden announces 2009 Whitaker Music Festival lineup

The Missouri Botanical Garden has announced the 2009 lineup of free concerts for the annual Whitaker Music Festival, which this year will take place on ten consecutive Wednesdays starting June 3 and ending August 5.

As is customary, the 2009 schedule includes a number of artists of interest to jazz enthusiasts, but unlike some past years, those shows are spread throughout the schedule instead of all taking place during June.

Pianist Peter Martin (pictured), a St. Louis native known internationally for his work with singer Dianne Reeves, trumpeter Chris Botti and others, will open the 2009 series on Wednesday, June 3. On June 10, the St. Louis Stompers will perform traditional New Orleans style jazz, followed on June 17 by clarinetist Scott Alberici, whose skills range from swing to bop to modern jazz. Then on June 24, guitarist Todd Mosby and his group will present their fusion of jazz, rock, classical and Indian styles.

Next up, it's the string-band swing and Gypsy jazz of Dizzy Atmosphere on July 1, then jazz/R&B keyboardist Tony Simmons on July 8, and the 1960s-flavored folk-rock of Rogers, Nienhaus and Crawford on July 15.

Jazz/Latin/world music band Farshid Etniko will take the stage on July 22, followed by pop crooner Ralph Butler on July 29, and singer/pianist Anita Rosamond, making up a 2008 date that was rained out, wrapping up the series on August 5.

The concerts are held outdoors on the lawn of the Garden's Cohen Amphitheater, just west of the Climatron, and concertgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Admission to the Garden is free after 5:00 p.m. on concert nights, with music beginning at 7:30 p.m. Free parking is available on site and at lots two blocks west at the corner of Shaw and Vandeventer. For more information, visit the Garden's Web site or call the recorded hotline at 314-577-9400. In the event of inclement weather, tune in to WSIE (88.7 FM) for updates.

(Edited 3/1/09 to fix a typo.)

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.)