Jazz this week: Grégoire Maret & Alicia Olatuja, Peter Evans Septet, Steve Tyrell, Liberation Music Collective, and more

It's a busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with an eclectic selection of visiting performers offering something for listeners with tastes ranging from vintage jazz to mainstream to experimental.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, April 12
Harmonica player Grégoire Maret, with singer and St. Louis native Alicia Olatuja as his featured guest, opens a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

One of a scant handful of headlining jazz performers on his chosen instrument, Maret (pictured, top left), may be making his St. Louis debut as a bandleader, but he already has quite a thriving career, having played with Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller and many other well-known musicians before releasing his first album as a leader in 2012. You can find out more about him and see and hear some samples of his virtuoso technique in this post from last Saturday.

Thursday, April 13
In a relatively last-minute addition to their previously announced season schedule, New Music Circle will present trumpeter Peter Evans' new electro-acoustic septet at the new performance space and "arts incubator" .ZACK (aka the Cadillac Building, recently the site of the nightclub Plush).

This band is an expanded version of Evans' long-running quintet, described as "a 21st century chamber ensemble dedicated to a broad range of creativity, drawing on dense notated scores, free improvisation, novel combinations of acoustic and electronic sounds, the seamless incorporation of electronic instruments into live improvised textures, and a performance energy channeling both intensity and sincerity."

The event also will feature music from DJ Jeff Michael and a video and art installation created by Elizabeth Moore, Chad Eivins, Kevin Harris, Matthew Kelly Debbaudt, Jeremy Kannapell, and Stan Chisholm

Also on Thursday, singer Steve Tyrell (pictured, center left) will offer his jazz- and funk-tinged interpretations of standards and pop favorites at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and the New Orleans Suspects are back for another visit to the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Friday, April 14
The Oikos Ensemble offers a pre-Easter program called "Good Friday Blues" at the First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, and Nashville-based swing and jump blues band Eight O'Five Jive plays at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Also on Friday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform at Thurman's in Shaw, and the Funky Butt Brass Band will make their monthly appearance at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Saturday, April 15
The Liberation Music Collective returns to the Center for Social Empowerment in Ferguson.

Based in Bloomington, IN, Liberation Music Collective (pictured, bottom left) is a self-described "socially conscious big band" made up of past and present students at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music who are "dedicated to performing original compositions about contemporary social issues." LMC's visit will include an afternoon workshop for young musicians, followed by an early evening "Jazz for Justice" concert.

Sunday, April 16
Miss Jubilee will perform for brunch at Evangeline's.

Monday, April 17
The Webster University Jazz Collective, made up of faculty members from the university's jazz program, will present their last concert of the semester at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.

Tuesday, April 18
The SIUE Concert and Alumni Jazz Bands will take the stage at Jazz at the Bistro, and the Handsome Devils Trio, in from New Orleans for a weeknight show without their lead singer Naomi, will perform for "NOLA Swing Night" at HandleBar in the Grove.

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.)

Steve Tyrell to perform Thursday, April 13 at Sheldon Concert Hall

Singer Steve Tyrell is returning to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, April 13 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Tyrell (pictured) last played St. Louis in April 2012 at The Sheldon. His most recent album That Lovin’ Feeling, which came out in 2015, features his interpretations of material from 1960s rock and pop songwriters including Carole King, Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber, and more.

Tickets for Steve Tyrell at The Sheldon are $100 for VIP seating, which includes a post-concert "meet & greet"; $45 orchestra; $40 balcony; and will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Friday, March 17 via MetroTix and the Sheldon box office.

Jazz this week: Tia Fuller, Steve Tyrell, an International Jazz Day jam, and more

As Jazz Appreciation Month winds down, there are plenty of opportunities to get out and hear some live jazz and creative music this weekend in St. Louis. So without further ado, let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, saxophonist Tia Fuller (pictured) and her quartet open a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. This is the St. Louis debut as a bandleader for Fuller, who may be best known as a member of pop singer Beyoncé's backup group, but also has been building some serious jazz cred of her own over the past decade.

For more about Fuller and some video clips of her in performance, check out this post from last Saturday. (I also interviewed Fuller for a piece that should go online later today at the RFT Music Blog; when it's up, there'll be a link to it here. )

Also tonight, the Meramec Jazz Lab Band will play a concert at the Black Cat Theatre in Maplewood, and singer Erin Bode will be at Porter's in Collinsville.

On Thursday, singer Steve Tyrell returns to town for a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall to benefit Hope Happens, which raises money for research at Washington University's Hope Center for Neurological Disorders. Though at last word the show was approaching a sell-out, you can find out if any patron tickets are left by calling Hope Happens at 314-725-3888; for concert-only tickets, check with Metrotix.

Also on Thursday evening, saxophonist Jim Stevens plays at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups, and guitarist Tom Byrne will lead a jam session at Highway 61 Roadhouse.

On Friday, pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson will perform at Robbie's House of Jazz; singer Dean Christopher is at Frontenac Grill; hot jazz/jump blues band Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes are playing at the Venice Cafe; and guitarist Dave Black leads a trio with drummer Kevin Gianino and bassist Willem von Hombracht at the Cigar Inn

Then on Saturday night, saxophonist Jerry Greene leads a trio at Robbie's; guitarist Brian Vaccaro plays at the Map Room; and singer Joe Mancuso will perform at the BYOB house-concert venue Kinda Blue, located at 6101 Idaho on the south side.

On Sunday, Erin Bode will perform at Moulin, located inside Vin de Set at 2017 Chouteau Ave, in a benefit for Lutheran Senior Services Benevolent Care.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday Jazz St. Louis will celebrate the inaugural International Jazz Day with a jam session at Jazz at the Bistro, hosted by Adaron "Pops" Jackson's trio; and drummer Joe Pastor's group will play at BB's.

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.)

Steve Tyrell to perform in benefit concert on Thursday, April 26 at The Sheldon

Singer Steve Tyrell (pictured) is returning to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m., Thursday, April 26 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The event is a benefit for Hope Happens, which raises money for research at the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders at Washington University.

Tyrell, a former record company and film executive turned performer who's become popular for his versions of well-known jazz and pop standards, last played in St. Louis in May, 2011 at the Sheldon.

Tickets for the "Evening of Hope" benefit are priced from $40 to $250, and go on sale at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, January 11. Patron tickets include cocktails, dinner, the concert and a dessert reception with Tyrell and his band, and are available only through Hope Happens at 314-725-3888; other tickets will be sold via Metrotix.

Jazz this week: Bill Frisell, Houston Person, Tower of Power, Steve Tyrell, Marvin Horne, Reptet, St. Louis Jazz Club picnic, and more

It's going to be a busy few days for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, and time is short, so let's go to the highlights without further preamble...

Tonight, tenor saxophonist Houston Person is back to open a four-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. Equally adept at blues, bop and ballads, Person has played in St. Louis several times in recent years, most recently at Jazz St. Louis' benefit gala in February 2010, and before that, at the Bistro and at Harris-Stowe State University in 2009. In conjunction with those 2009 gigs, Person did an interview for Jazz St. Louis' now-defunct podcast series, which you can still listen to online here. (.MP3 file)

Tomorrow night, guitarist Bill Frisell makes a rare St. Louis appearance at Old Rock House. He'll be playing with a quartet including bassist Tony Scherr, drummer Kenny Wollesen, and trumpeter Ron Miles. You can read more about Frisell and see some video clips of him in this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

On Friday, drummer Paul Shaw's trio with pianist Ptah Williams and bassist Bob Deboo will play at the Cigar Inn in Belleville, while yr. humble StLJN editor will be playing some blues piano at Robbie's House of Jazz with drummer Stan Hale's band, featuring singer Renee Smith and bassist Phil Burton.

On Saturday afternoon, guitarist and St. Louis native Marvin Horne returns home to wrap up this spring's schedule of concerts from the Nu-Art Series, performing the music of Grant Green at Metropolitan Gallery.

Also on Saturday, the St. Louis Jazz Club will hold their annual picnic at the Concord Farmers Club, with music from Red Lehr & the St. Louis Rivermen in the afternoon and the Michael Lacey Band in the evening.

That same night, a little bit of Oakland comes to downtown St. Louis, as the legendary funk band Tower of Power is back here for the first time in five years to play at Lumiere Place Casino. (I've got a Critic's Pick on the TOP show in this week's Riverfront Times; look for the link here as soon as it's online.)

Meanwhile, for those in the mood from something a bit more intimate on Saturday evening, Robbie's will present pianist Carolbeth True's trio with singer Christi John Bye.

Last but not least on Saturday, Trio Kinsella, featuring flute player Jonathan Borja, cellist Ben Gitter and pianist Brendan Kinsella, performs at the Kranzberg Arts Center for New Music Circle. The program will include music by George Crumb, John Corigliano, Thailand’s Narong Prangcharoen and former St. Louis Symphony composer in residence Joseph Schwantner, as well as the world premiere of “Falling Through Infinity” by Nicholas Omiccioli.

UPDATE - 5/14/11: Terry Perkins previews the Trio Kinsella concert for the St. Louis Beacon here.

On Sunday, singer Steve Tyrell returns to the Sheldon Concert Hall for a performance benefiting education programs at the Sheldon. Tyrell's previous show at the same venue sold out, and at last word tickets for this one were almost gone, but if you're interested in going it may be worth a call to the Sheldon to see if any seats are released at the last minute.

Also on Sunday, the clever, eclectic Seattle sextet known as Reptet (pictured) will be here to play at 2720 Cherokee. I've enjoyed their most recent CD At The Cabin and was prompted to write more about them in this video post from last Saturday.

That same evening, there will be a benefit for bassist Gus Thornton at Beale on Broadway. Thornton is an East St. Louis native who's best known for playing blues with Albert King, Katie Webster and others, but also has done his share of local jazz gigs. He recently had a heart transplant and although his prognosis is said to be good, the operation has left him with huge medical bills and no income while he recovers.

Sunday's event will help raise some cash to assist the universally well-liked Thornton with those bills and living expenses. There's been no information released on the lineup of performers, but given that Thornton seems to have played with at least half the musicians in town at some point, I'm sure it'll be well worth the $10 requested donation at the door.

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.)

The Sheldon, Metrotix offering presale of tickets for Steve Tyrell

The Sheldon Concert Hall and Metrotix are offering giving online buyers a one-day head start in purchasing single tickets to hear singer Steve Tyrell, who will perform Sunday, May 15 at the hall in a benefit for the Sheldon's educational programs.

Single tickets go on sale to the general public at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, April 16, but online buyers can purchase tickets starting at 10:00 a.m. Friday, April 15. To access the offer, go to www.metrotix.com and use the promo code TYRELL11.

Steve Tyrell to perform Sunday, May 15 at the Sheldon

Singer Steve Tyrell is coming back to St. Louis to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, May 15. The event is a benefit for the Sheldon's educational programs.

Tyrell last played St. Louis in April 2010, when he sold out the Sheldon. He's also performed here in recent years at Jazz at the Bistro and at the now-defunct Finale Music and Dining.

Patron tickets for the event are on sale now for $150 and $125, and include preferred seating, complimentary parking, pre-concert cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception, and a tax deduction. To purchase patron tickets, call The Sheldon at 314-533-9900.

Single tickets will be $45 for orchestra seats, $40 for the balcony, and go on sale Saturday, April 16 via Metrotix and the Sheldon box office.

(Edited after posting.)

Notes from the Net: the Miles Davis mega-box; music genres defined; plus news, reviews, interviews and more

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

* There are big doings on the Miles Davis front this week, with the imminent release of the boxed mega-set The Complete Miles Davis Columbia Collection, which brings together in one deluxe package the trumpeter's total output for the label, plus unreleased material, on 72 discs.

Meanwhile, the museum of the Cité de la Musique in Paris currently is featuring "We Want Miles," an exhibition celebrating Davis' life and work. If you're lucky enough to be in Paris, you can see the exhibit through January 17; if not, console yourself with this review from the Web site SoulCulture.co.uk.

In other Miles-related news, for the past week satellite radio customers have been able to tune into a temporary channel devoted to Davis. Hosted by the trumpeter's son, Erin Davis; his nephew, drummer Vince Wilburn Jr.; and bassist/producer Marcus Miller, Miles Davis Radio is featuring music from Davis' catalog, never-before-heard soundtrack music recorded by Davis for the 1986 film Wise Guys, and interviews with former Davis band members and various guests. The channel went on the air Friday and will continue until Wednesday, November 25, temporarily replacing Real Jazz on Sirius channel 72 and XM channel 70.

Davis' album Birth of the Cool was the subject of a program held in late October at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, with music by the Don Wilson Trio and a lecture by Bob Perkins. Read the AllAboutJazz.com review of the event by Victor L. Schermer here.

Long considered a jazz landmark, Birth of the Cool was one of three Davis albums on the London Telegraph's recently published list of the 100 best jazz recordings of all time. (Composer and saxophonist Oliver Nelson's Blues and the Abstract Truth was the only other St. Louis-related entry on the list.)...And here's another review of the recent reissue of Davis' 1950s sessions with Sonny Rollins for the Prestige label, written from AllAboutJazz.com by Chris May

* Moving on to news of other St. Louisans past and present, Marc Myers just wrapped up a multi-part interview for his JazzWax blog with saxophonist and composer/arranger Lennie Niehaus, who was born in St. Louis, helped establish the West Coast "cool jazz" sound and went on to a very successful career scoring films, most notably for director/actor Clint Eastwood. Read part one here, and follow the links therein for the rest.

* Here's a review of Femina, saxophonist and composer John Zorn's recent tribute to female artists, written for AllAboutJazz.com by Mark Corroto.

* Saxophonist and St. Louis native David Sanborn and singer/guitarist (and frequent visitor to our town) John Pizzarelli will headline the eighteenth annual “All That Jazz" weekend in January at The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa in Asheville, North Carolina.

* Speaking of coming attractions, here's a review from the Hartford Courant's Richard Kamins of Snap Shot: The Original Trio, a new CD from organist Joey DeFrancesco, who returns to St. Louis in March to play at Jazz at the Bistro.

* And here are two reviews of Vijay Iyer's new CD Historicity - one from AllAboutJazz.com's Chris Kompanek here, and one from Pitchfork here. Iyer (pictured), who will play the Bistro in January, also recently was featured on NPR's "Song of the Day."

* Singer Steve Tyrell, who will perform here in May at the Sheldon Concert Hall, just began an eight-week stand at NYC's Cafe Carlyle. Read the review of his show by the New York Times' Stephen Holden here.

* As we head for the exits of this installment of NftN, here's another review of Larry Ochs Sax & Drumming Core's recent CD Stone Shift, written for AllAboutJazz.com by Kurt Gottschalk. Ochs and the Core performed at the Sheldon in September.

* Last but not least, are you a music fan who is confused, amused and/or appalled by the continual proliferation of ever-more-specific nomenclature for musical genres, micro-genres and nano-genres? If so, check out NPR Music's "Genre Dictionary 2009," and perhaps you too will be able to comprehend the difference between "crabcore" and "grime."

(Edited after posting to add tags. Edited again 11/24/09 to fix a typo.)

Sheldon jazz concerts to feature pre-show talks from Dennis Owsley

The Sheldon Concert Hall has announced that jazz DJ, historian and photographer Dennis Owsley will present a series of pre-concert talks before each performance in their 2009-2010 jazz series. The talks will begin at 7:10 p.m. before each 8:00 p.m. concert, and are "designed to introduce new audiences to jazz and deepen the impact of the touring artists’ appearances."

The Sheldon's 2009-10 jazz series concert dates, performers and lecture topics will be:

Saturday, October 3 - Dee Dee Bridgewater - "The Triumph of Billie Holiday"
Saturday, November 7 - Nicholas Payton - "The New Orleans and St. Louis Trumpet Tradition”
Saturday, January 23 - Eliane Elias - “The Lure of Latin Jazz"
Saturday, April 10 - Cyrus Chestnut - "Jazz Piano Giants"
Saturday, May 1 - Steve Tyrell - "The Great American Songbook"

Owsley's talks are funded through a new Mid-America Arts Alliance grant to support “Community Engagement with Touring Artists” (CETA). The grant will also fund visits by Owsley to visit three towns (yet to be selected) in Missouri and Illinois to give talks on jazz to community groups.

Sheldon Concert Hall announces 2009-10 season

In an article written for the Post-Dispatch by pop critic Kevin Johnson, the Sheldon Concert Hall has announced the schedule of performers for its various 2009-10 season series. As outlined in the story, the Sheldon's 2009-10 jazz series looks like this:

Saturday, October 3: Singer Dee Dee Bridgewater in a tribute to Billie Holiday
Saturday, November 7: Trumpeter Nicholas Payton
Saturday, January 23, 2010: Pianist and singer Eliane Elias
Saturday, April 10: Pianist Cyrus Chestnut plays the music of Elvis Presley
Saturday, May 1: Singer Steve Tyrell

The Sheldon's Web site has a brief announcement on the front page directing current season subscribers to Metrotix for renewals, but currently has no other information about the 2009-10 season. New subscriptions to the Sheldon's 2009-10 jazz series will go on sale May 13, with single ticket sales beginning in August.

While overall this seems like a solid lineup of mainstream jazz performers, it strikes me as being, once again, a bit too familiar and risk-averse. The only one of these musicians who hasn't already played St. Louis in recent years is Elias, and none of them can be considered innovative, cutting-edge or even particularly involved in any significant current developments in jazz.

And, once again, I'd question the booking of two singers - three, if you count Elias - into a five-concert series, as it seems an excessive concession to commerical considerations. The Sheldon is a great place to hear a concert; I just wish they'd show a bit more imagination and yes, perhaps even some guts, in their season series booking policies.