So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* St. Louis-based luthier Chris Kroenlein and his K-Line Guitars were the subjects of a feature story in Guitar magazine.

* As part of the recent series of shows by Pink Floyd tribute act El Monstero, The Pageant, St. Louis-based sound and lighting contractor Logic Systems, and other vendors tested out new procedures and techniques for putting on shows with reduced COVID risk, and writer Kevin Mitchell reported on their efforts for the trade magazine Production Lighting and Sound News.

* Electronic musician and DIY promoter Josh Levi was the featured guest on the first episode of the new podcast "Dynanics Of."

* Saxophonist Greg Osby (pictured) in October did a live-streamed performance with pianist John Chin and bassist Lonnie Plaxico for the online Woodwind Fest 2020, which now has been archived on YouTube.

* Ending a year that already has seen more than the usual share of death and tragedy, St. Louis lost two more veterans of the local music scene in the latter half of December.

On Tuesday, December 15, cellist Tracy Andreotti died at age 55. She was the principal cellist for Union Avenue Opera and a founding member of the Vernacular String Trio, the Perihelion Trio, and the Trinity Piano Trio. Andreotti also performed with the St. Louis Philharmonic, the New City Chamber Orchestra, the Gateway Festival Orchestra, and various string quartets and chamber music groups, including a seven-year stint with the contemporary music ensemble Synchronia. In addition to playing notated music, she also was an improvisor, frequently performing in various events presented by New Music Circle and the Nu-Art Series, and collaborating with visual artists, dancers, poets, and many other musicians. No cause of death was disclosed; arrangements were handled privately by Hutchens Funeral Homes.

Then on Friday, December 25, pianist Charles Creath died at age 68 after what his St. Louis Post-Dispatch obituary called "a short illness." The grandson of famed 1920s and 30s multi-instrumentalist Charlie Creath, Creath played all sorts of music in his long career, but was best known for his work as musical director for the St. Louis Black Rep and as pianist and artistic director of touring group The Gospel People. Creath's passing also was noted by an obituary in the St. Louis American. Funeral arrangements are pending at this time.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Russell Gunn (pictured) has launched a crowd-funding campaign to finance the debut recording of his Royal Krunk Jazz Orkestra, which he describes as an "ultra modern contemporary Jazz Big Band from the U.S.A." featuring vocalist Dionne Farris.

You can find out more about the project and pledge your support here.

* The latest album from Trio 3, featuring saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake, was reviewed by the Free Jazz Blog.

* A 100th birthday tribute to Buddy Rich at Ronnie Scott's in London, featuring drummer and St. Charles native Dave Weckl driving a group of alumni of Rich's big band for half the show, was reviewed by Jazz Journal.

* Jazziz magazine has published a download-only article detailing "what they think are the five absolute essential Miles Davis albums that any jazz lover must have in their collection." (Spoiler: Their picks are Kind of Blue, Miles Ahead, 'Round About Midnight, Nefertiti, and In A Silent Way.) The download is available (in exchange for an email address) here.

* Speaking of Miles, the SFJAZZ Collective's latest album featuring their new arrangements of Davis' compositions was reviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's John Kelman.

* The website Best of American Towns has included St. Louis' Vintage Vinyl on their list of "15 of the Best Record Stores in America."

* After a hiatus of several months, pianist Peter Martin has a new blog post up at Medium.com, offering his thoughts on the ballad comping style of pianist Wynton Kelly.

* Gene Dobbs Bradford of Jazz St. Louis is one of seven winners of the Arts and Education Council's St. Louis Arts Awards for 2018. Bradford will receive his award, which is for "Excellence in the Arts," at A&E's gala event on January 22 at the Chase Park Plaza hotel.

* Keyboardist James Hegarty, cellist Tracy Andreotti, and flute player Fred Tompkins have released more new improvised music under Hegarty's "Secret Sessions" imprint, now available as a free download from Bandcamp.

Freedonia Music releases three new albums

The St. Louis-based indie label Freedonia Music, which documents free improv, experimental, and creative music from the city's past and present, has three new releases out this month, all featuring pianist Greg Mills.

Mosaique is a solo effort from Mills described as "improvised classical music" that was "created in the spirit and practice of free improv utilizing a language of musical possibilities based in Modern Classical," with each of the nine improvised compositions dedicated to a different 20th century composer.

Duets features the pianist in a series of improvised partnerships with musicians including cellist Tracy Andreotti, saxophonist/clarinetist Dave Stone, percussionist Henry Claude, and flute player Fred Tompkins.

Circle pairs Mills once again with multi-instrumentalist and Freedonia Music proprietor Jay Zelenka. The two worked together in the 1980s as the duo Exiles, and this album features studio recordings from that period, originally released on various cassette projects and now remastered for CD, plus an unreleased live performance from a 1997 New Music Circle concert featuring Mills, Zelenka, Dave Stone, and bassist Eric Markowitz.

All three albums are available now from download and streaming sites, and in CD format from the Freedonia Music website.

Freedonia Music issues three new albums; CD release event set for Tuesday, December 20

Freedonia Music, the St. Louis based independent label specializing in adventurous jazz, free improv, and related sounds, has released three new albums this month:

Described as "a celebratory cycle of free improvisations deriving and departing from the euro-classical avant-garde," A Day at the Circus! is the new release from pianist Greg Mills' Perhelion Quartet, which also includes cellist Tracy Andreotti, percussionist Henry Claude, and saxophonist Dave Stone.

Mills and the group will celebrate the release of the CD (pictured) with a performance and "avant garde holiday party" starting at 8:00 p.m. this Tuesday, December 20 at Jackson Pianos. The event is free and open to the public.

The Free Jazz Posse's CONSPIRE features saxophonist and label founder Jay Zelenka, trombonist Jeremy Melsha, and saxophonist Dave Stone, plus "a changing line-up of guitar and synth players" and wordless vocals on three tunes by singer Lika Shubitidze.

Illumination by the James Marshall Human Arts Trio is a remastered recording from 1980 now including an additional, never-before-released 18-minute bonus track. Marshall, a co-founder of the Human Arts Ensemble who died last winter, is featured on alto, tenor and soprano saxophones with drum set and percussion accompaniment. Marshall also was a visual artist, cartoonist and poet, and his artwork is used on the covers of both CONSPIRE and Illumination.

You can hear sample tracks from all three albums and purchase them directly from Freedonia Music's website.

"New Music/Free Improv" CD release event reset for Tuesday, July 12 at Jackson Pianos

The release party for New Music/Free Improv Live at the Tavern of Fine Arts, a new CD collecting improvised performances by 14 different St. Louis musicians, has been rescheduled for 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 12 at Jackson Pianos, 4354 Olive St in the Central West End.

(The event originally was scheduled to take place at the album's titular Tavern of Fine Arts, but had to be moved after that venue closed on Saturday, June 25.)

Produced by flute player/composer Fred Tompkins and pianist Greg Mills, the album (pictured) contains ten tracks recorded at a half-dozen different events held between March 2014 and March 2016 at the now-shuttered tavern. Performers include Tompkins, Mills, cellist Tracy Andreotti, poet Michael Castro, percussionist Henry Claude, violinist Alex Cunningham, keyboardist James Hegarty, clarinetist Eric Mandat, trombonist Jeremy Melsha, guitarist Lee Scott Price, trumpeter George Sams, saxophonist Dave Stone, bassist Josh Weinstein, and percussionist Thomas Zirkle.

Pressed in a limited edition of 100 CDs, the album will be available to buy for $10 at the CD release event, and also is now on sale at local retailers Euclid Records and Vintage Vinyl.

The CD release event is free and open to the public, and will feature performances from most of the musicians who appear on the album, plus "free drinks and snacks."

New CD release showcases St. Louis free improvisors

A loosely organized collective of St. Louis improvising musicians is releasing a CD documenting their live performances over the past two years.

New Music/Free Improv Live at the Tavern of Fine Arts contains ten tracks recorded at a half-dozen different events held between March 2014 and March 2016 at the Central West End restaurant and bar referenced in the album's title.

With production overseen by flute player/composer Fred Tompkins and pianist Greg Mills (both of whom also perform on some of the tracks), the album compiles music from monthly jam sessions at the ToFA; last fall's "3 Nights In September" festival; and more, all recorded live to two-track by Tompkins.

In addition to the two producers/project managers, performers include cellist Tracy Andreotti, poet Michael Castro, percussionist Henry Claude, violinist Alex Cunningham, keyboardist James Hegarty, clarinetist Eric Mandat, trombonist Jeremy Melsha, guitarist Lee Scott Price, trumpeter George Sams, saxophonist Dave Stone, bassist Josh Weinstein, and percussionist Thomas Zirkle.

To help promote the album (pictured), the various musicians involved will stage a CD release event at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 13 at the ToFA. Admission is free.

Update, 12:00 a.m., 6/17/16: The proprietors of the Tavern of Fine Arts announced late yesterday that they'll be closely permanently on Saturday, June 25, meaning that the CD release event on Wednesday, July 13 is canceled. If it is rescheduled at another venue, depending on the timing there will be either another update or a new post here on StLJN.

Pressed in a limited edition of 100 CDs, the album will be available to buy for $10 at the event on July 13, and also will be available for purchase from the participating musicians and soon, at local retailers Euclid Records and Vintage Vinyl. Plans for a digital release are pending, said Tompkins.

Freedonia Music returns with new album from Tracy Andreotti, Greg Mills & Dave Stone

Freedonia Music, the St. Louis-based label run by multi-instrumentalist Jay Zelenka and devoted to free jazz and improvised music, is back in action with a new release.

Triopolis features cellist Tracy Andreotti, pianist Greg Mills, and saxophonist Dave Stone performing "on the edge, where the euro-classical avant-garde meets free improv."

The album (pictured) includes 13 tracks and was recorded last March at Clayton Studios in St. Louis. You can hear excerpts by clicking on the individual track titles on Freedonia's home page, and copies also are available for purchase through the website.

Andreotti, Mills and Stone also are gigging together now under the name Perihelion Trio, and they'll be performing to celebrate the release of the new CD on Tuesday, January 26 at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

The trio is a subset of the larger Perihelion Ensemble, which also includes percussionist Henry Claude (Andreotti's husband) and flute player Fred Tompkins, sometimes augmented by trombonist Jeremy Melsha and Zelenka himself. Most of the other Perihelion Ensemble members will be sitting in for the second set on January 26, Zelenka said.

Founded in 2007, Freedonia Music's last releases before this were back in March 2013, when Zelenka put out albums featuring Squid Choir Orkestra; the Human Arts Ensemble; and a series of improv duets and trios featuring himself, Stone, and vocalist Lika Shubitidze; plus Ghost Machines, a sampler album including tracks from a number of the label's releases. In total, Freedonia's catalog includes seventeen albums of improvised music made in St. Louis going back to the 1970s. All remain in print and available via the label's website.

As for the nearly three-year hiatus between releases, chalk it up mostly to the financial vagaries of running a small niche record label in the age of free streaming and downloading, though Zelenka said he's also had to deal in recent years with some personal health issues that now, thankfully, are resolved. Given his distinctive work in documenting the sounds of St. Louis, fans of free improv and avant jazz should be glad to have him and Freedonia Music back in the record-biz game.

Greg Mills' Esfoma to perform Wednesday, October 22 at Tavern of Fine Arts

From the late 1970s through the 1990s, pianist Greg Mills was a frequent public participant in the St. Louis creative music scene, performing and recording as a solo artist and as part of the duo Exiles with multi-instrumentalist Jay Zelenka.

More recently, Mills has been much less visible, but now he's scheduled a return to the stage as a leader with a gig at 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday, October 22 at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Performing under the name Esfoma (after his 1984 solo release of the same name), Mills will be joined by saxophonist Dave Stone, cellist Tracy Andreotti, percussionist Henry Claude, poet Michael Castro, and fellow pianist David Parker.

You can hear samples from the album Esfoma and from Mills' other recordings, both solo and with Exiles, via the website of Zelenka's label Freedonia Music.

Admission to the performance on October 22 at Tavern of Fine Arts is free.

Tribute to Floyd LeFlore set for Monday, October 6 at Tavern of Fine Arts

Musical colleagues and friends of Floyd LeFlore will pay tribute to the late trumpeter with a performance at 7:00 p.m. next Monday, October 6 at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

LeFlore, a co-founder of St. Louis' Black Artists Group and a former board member of New Music Circle, died on September 6 at age 74.

The tribute will feature the improvising ensemble Numbers, whose pianist David Parker and drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw both performed and recorded with LeFlore - Parker during the 1980s and 1990s, and Shaw at various times going all the way back to the founding of BAG in the 1960s. Numbers trumpeter George Sams also has history with LeFlore, from occasional gigs to presenting him in concert as part of the Nu-Art Series to serving together on the New Music Circle board.

Also performing will be poet Shirley Bradley LeFlore, percussionist Henry Claude, cellist Tracy Andreotti, and pianist Greg Mills.

Admission to the Floyd LeFlore tribute is free, but donations will be accepted for the performers (who also get a portion of the Tavern's food & drink sales during the show.)