Jazz this week: Bruce Barth, Erin Bode, Victor Goines, Lynne Fiddmont, and more

With some relatively mild weather in the forecast and a nice variety of performances happening over the next several days, the weekend leading up to Valentine's Day should be a good time for jazz lovers in St. Louis. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, February 8
Pianist Bruce Barth returns for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, leading a trio with bassist Dave Baron and St. Louis' own Montez Coleman on drums.

Barth (pictured, top left) is a jazz veteran who first gained wide attention nearly thirty years ago working with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. Since then, in addition to a solo career yielding more than a dozen albums as a leader - the most recent being 2014's Daybreak - he's racked up a long list of credits accompanying well-known musicians and singers such as Terence Blanchard, Tony Bennett, Terell Stafford, Karrin Allyson, and many more.

Longtime local jazz fans will remember Barth as a fairly frequent visitor to St. Louis and the Bistro in the early 2000s, when he cut a couple of albums for the locally based label MAXJAZZ. More recently, he took part in the memorial concert in 2014 at the Bistro honoring Richard McDonnell, the late founder of MAXJAZZ, but it's been a few years since he's actually headlined here with his own band. St. Louis is the fourth of six cities that Barth, Baron and Coleman will visit on this winter mini-tour, so they should be firing on all cylinders when they get here.

Elsewhere around town, the new weekly jam session hosted by pianist Curt Landes, bassist Glen Smith and drummer Chuck Kennedy continues at @Nesby's in South County.

Thursday, February 9
In honor of Black History Month, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present a free concert program called "A Celebration of the Blues: From Oxford, Mississippi to Chicago" featuring Memphis-based "avant soul" singer Candice Ivory, pianist Charles Creath, guitarist Dennis Brock, bassist Paul Steinbeck, and series curator William Lenihan on guitar and/or bass.

Also on Thursday, the Jazz Troubadours perform at the Venice Cafe, and pianist Adam Maness and his trio continue their new weekly Thursday night residency at Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, February 10
Singer Erin Bode will perform for the first of three Valentine's-themed nights at Jazz at the Bistro, with shows on Friday, Saturday and next Tuesday. Bode's most recent release Here and Now came out last summer, and features her interpretations of songs from writers including Irving Berlin and Frank Loesser, Rickie Lee Jones, and Gerry Rafferty. While some of that material should fit neatly into a Valentine's show, Bode likely will be reaching into her catalog of original songs as well.

Also on Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham will play the first of two nights this weekend at Troy's Jazz Gallery, and saxophonist Freddie Washington will lead a trio with with drummer Jon-Marc Dale and bassist Simon Evans at Cigar Inn

Saturday, February 11
If you're up for a bit of a drive, you can catch saxophonist and clarinetist Victor Goines (of Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra fame) and his quintet performing at the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, IL, about an hour east of St. Louis.

A bit closer to home, singer Tony Viviano will be presenting a Valentine's Day show at Patrick's Westport Grill, and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will be playing hot jazz, blues and swing at Venice Cafe.

Sunday, 
February 12
Singer and St. Louis native Lynne Fiddmont (pictured, bottom left) will be back home from the West Coast for a matinee performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall, showcasing material from her forthcoming album Power of Love.

Also on Sunday, the Ambassadors of Swing will play at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Monday, February 13
Pianist Carolbeth True and her band Two Times True plus guest vocalist Erika Johnson will perform while jazz photos by St. Louis author, historian and DJ Dennis Owsley are projected overhead in Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium.

Also on Monday, Dizzy Atmosphere will serenade diners at the Shaved Duck, and Chicago-based saxophonist Shawn Maxwell and his band New Tomorrow will play at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

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: New Year's Eve and more

As usual for the week between the year's last two major holidays, there are no major touring jazz or creative music performers visiting St. Louis in the next few days. However, there is a pretty good selection of local music options for New Year's Eve, plus a few other noteworthy shows.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, December 28
Trumpeter Jim Manley will be doing his weekly gig at Sasha's Wine Bar, and the "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" will proceed with live music TBA at KDHX's Magnolia Cafe, bassist Bob Deboo's weekly set and jam session at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's trio at The Dark Room.

Thursday, December 29
Jazz/funk/R&B quartet Good 4 The Soul will play the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, and the latest installment of the monthly "Bruxism" experimental music series at the Schlafly Tap Room will feature electronic musician Joseph Raglani's "Cyborg karaoke project" Temporal Marauder, PaperKite, and Joe Hess.

Friday, December 30
Bassist Darrell Mixon leads a trio at Cigar Inn, and saxophonist Dave Stone's trio will be playing late at Mangia Italiano.

Saturday, December 31
Although two of the city's most prominent jazz venues, Jazz at the Bistro and The Sheldon, will be closed on New Year's Eve, there still are a number of options available for those looking to hear some jazz to ring out the old year and ring in the new. (Many of these events are package deals involving dinner and drinks, so be sure to check online or call ahead for details and/or reservations.)

In alphabetical order, singer Erin Bode will be doing two shows at Cyrano's; trumpeter/vibraphonist Joe Bozzi and band will play for diners at Talayna's in Chesterfield; and saxophonist Tim Cunningham and singer Trunessia Combs will headline the show at Troy's Jazz Galllery.

Also on NYE, the Mo Egeston Trio plays at The Dark Room; Funky Butt Brass Band will perform at Broadway Oyster Bar; and Miss Jubilee headlines an "NYE Speakeasy Dance Party" at Focal Point.

Elsewhere around town, guitarist Brian Vaccaro and bassist Marc Torlina will play duets at Grapeseed; singer and burlesque performer Lola Van Ella and her band will present "A Spectaculaire New Year's Speakeasy!" at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and singer Tony Viviano will entertain at Patrick's at Westport.

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: A tribute to 1970s fusion, trad jazz from Red Lehr, and more

With summer winding down and the fall presenting season yet to begin, it's not a particularly busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, but there still are some performances worth noting that are happening over the next few days.

Let's go to the highlights....

Thursday, August 25
Dizzy Atmosphere will play swing and Gypsy jazz as part of the "Sensational Summer Nights" series at Missouri Botanical Garden; and the Bruxism experimental music series continues at the Schlafly Tap Room, this month featuring Wiggpaw, Brett Williams, and UFO vs USA. 

Friday, August 26
An ad hoc quintet of St. Louis musicians will join forces to present "Weather Forever: The Music of Weather Report & Return to Forever," featuring music from two of the most popular jazz-fusion groups of the 1970s, for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

The ensemble attempting to bridge the disparate styles of these two iconic bands will include bassist Zeb Briskovich, drummer Montez Coleman (pictured, top left), keyboarist Adaron “Pops” Jackson, guitarist Eric Slaughter, and saxophonist Jason Swagler.

Also on Friday, singer Joe Mancuso brings a quartet to Nathalie's, and the Midwest Jazz-tette will play cool jazz in the West Coast style at Cigar Inn

Saturday, August 27 
Pianist Phil Dunlap's trio will play an early evening show at The Dark Room; trumpeter Danny Campbell returns with his Jazz Collective to Troy's Jazz Gallery; and Franglais will perform at Evangeline's

Sunday, August 28
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents sousaphonist Red Lehr's Powerhouse Five (pictured, lower left) playing traditional jazz and swing at the Doubletree Hotel St. Louis at Westport.

Monday, August 29
Trumpeter Jim Manley continues his Monday night residency at Momo's Greek Restaurant.

Tuesday, August 30
The Sidemen return to Evangeline's, and saxophonist Joe Bayer has a new weekly duo gig at Scarlett's Wine Bar in the Central West End, teaming up this week with bassist Glen Smith.

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: New Year's Eve jazz in St. Louis, and more

This week's list of jazz and creative music performances in and around St. Louis is relatively short, in part because some presenters are still on holiday, and in part because several local venues that regularly present jazz have yet to publish their schedules for the new month beginning on Friday.

So, while the StLJN calendar will be updated with new information as soon as it comes in, there still are some noteworthy performances to talk about, including a list of jazz-related options for New Year's Eve. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, December 30
Bassist Bob Deboo and friends will perform and host the weekly jam session at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and then just down the street, trumpeter Kasimu Taylor plays his regular weekly gig at The Dark Room.

A short distance away in the Central West End, guitarist Eric Slaughter and bassist Glen Smith will play duets at Evangeline's, and Danbury Street performs at Nathalie's.

Thursday, December 31
Looking at new Year's Eve offering by geogrpahy, starting with downtown, the Funky Butt Brass Band will perform at the Broadway Oyster Bar, and the Coleman Hughes Project with singer Adrienne Felton will be the featured New Year's Eve entertainment at Voce.

In Grand Center, The Dark Room will present a jazz jam involving musicians featured in regular weekly gigs there, including guitarist Slaughter, bassist Darrell Mixon, pianist Adam Maness, and more.

In the CWE, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play for the "1930s Speakeasy Soiree New Years Eve Dinner and Dance" at Evangeline's; and saxophonist Tim Cunningham (pictured, lower left) and singer Trunessia Combs will perform at Troy's Jazz Gallery.

On the south side, guitarist Brian Vaccaro and keyboardist Ryan Marquez will play music for diners at Grapeseed. In Webster Groves, Erin Bode will perform for two seatings at Cyrano's, and out at Westport Plaza, Tony Viviano will provide the music for NYE celebrants at Patrick's.

Friday January 1
Drummer Marty Morrison starts the New Year leading a trio at the Cigar Inn.

Saturday, January 2
Jazz at the Bistro will host a one-night-only reunion of former members of the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars student ensemble, featuring saxophonist Carlos Brown, Jr., trumpeter Brady Lewis, drummer Everette Benton, pianist Eliot Courtois, and bassist Nathan Pence.

Sunday, January 3
The St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show kicks off 2016 with their first event of the year at the American Czech Educational Center.

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: Andre Delano, Denise Thimes, Cornet Chop Suey, and more

This week's lineup of jazz and creative music shows in and around St. Louis includes a well-known expat back home for a couple of "summer vacation" shows, showcase performances for one of the city's reigning vocals divas and one its top traditional jazz bands, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Thursday, July 9
Saxophonist and former East St. Louisan Andre Delano (pictured, top left), who now lives in California, is back home this week for a pair of shows, performing Thursday at Bistro Six Eighteen in East St Louis and Friday at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Also on Thursday, guitarist Vincent Varvel's trio will get Jazz at Holmes "Jazz in July" summer series started with a free concert at Holmes Lounge in Ridgley Hall on the Washington University campus; and bassist Willem von Hombracht will play duets with guitarist Chip Katz at Thurman Grill.

Friday, July 10
Singer Denise Thimes (pictured, center left) returns to Jazz at the Bistro to headline a weekend of shows; and pianist Greg Mills will play solo and improvise freely at Tavern of Fine Arts.

Also on Friday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes perform at Nathalie's; and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, July 11
Saturday morning, TrailNet and Jazz St. Louis will present the first-ever St. Louis jazz history bike tour, led by JSL executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford and starting at Jazz St. Louis HQ on Washington Ave.

That evening, saxophonist Tim Cunningham begins a series of summer Saturday performances at Troy's Jazz Gallery; and singer Tom Kavanaugh and pianist Tim Garcia will perform at Tavern of Fine Arts.

Sunday, July 12
The St. Louis Jazz Club present presents traditional jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey (pictured, lower left) in a matinee at the Doubletree Hotel in Westport; while the Friends of Scott Joplin will hold their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous"at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

On Sunday night, the St. Louis Big Band will play a free outdoor concert at Zion United Methodist Church in South County.

Monday, July 13
Singer Dean Christopher offers an encore of his "Rat Pack and More" show at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar ; and trumpeter Keith Moyer's group plays at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, July 14
Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris perform jazz and French pop music at Nathalie'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.)

Jazz this week: Kurt Elling, Zappa Plays Zappa, SIUE big bands, and more

As Jazz Appreciation Month 2015 reaches the halfway point, St. Louis gets a visit from one of the top male singers in jazz, a tribute to a memorable moment in 1970s jazz/fusion, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, April 15
Tonight, singer Kurt Elling returns to St. Louis to begin a four-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro

A regular visitor here for the past decade-plus, Elling (pictured, top left) has won the DownBeat Critics Poll for male vocalist each year for the last fourteen years; has been named “Male Singer of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association eight times during that same period, and had had every one of his ten albums nominated for a GRAMMY.

Since parting with longtime pianist and music director Laurence Hobgood a couple of years ago, Elling has gigged with several different keyboardists, including the German pianist Mads Baerentzen and Gary Versace, known for his work with Carla Bley, John Scofield and many others. This week, his ensemble will feature the 24-year-old NYC pianist Emmet Cohen, along with longtime guitarist John McLean, bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Bryan Carter.

While listeners at the Bistro over the course of the week may hear some selections from Elling's last album, 1916 Broadway: The Brill Building Project, and from his recently developed touring show, "Elling Swings Sinatra," the word from other recent tour stops suggests that there also will be a lot of music from his forthcoming album Passion World, which features "ballads of love and loss from across the globe" and is scheduled for release at the end of May.

Elsewhere around town, trumpeter Keith Moyer brings his group back to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups; Cabaret Project St. Louis presents their monthly open mic night at Tavern of Fine Arts; and keyboardist Bob Werner and singer Ellen Martinez are hosting a new weekly open mic night at Shakers, which took over the former location of Jazz on Broadway at 554 W. Broadway in Alton.

Thursday, April 16
Guitarist Dave Black, singer Feyza Eren (pictured, center left) and friends perform at Nathalie’s, and guitarist Tom Byrne and his Pat Metheny-inspired project Have U Heard will play a concert at Lewis and Clark Community College.

Friday, April 17
The Gateway City Big Band plays for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom, and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play swing, hot jazz and blues at the Backstreet Jazz & Blues Club in Westport.

Saturday, April 18
Trumpeter Jim Manley leads a band including singer Charlie B, keyboardist Arthur Toney, guitarist Randy Bahr and trumpeter Joe Weber in a gig at Nathalie's, while Wack-A-Doo plays swing and Americana at Evangeline's.

Also on Saturday, singer Joe Mancuso and Dave Black will duet at Element STL; bassist David Certain will celebrate his birthday with an afternoon jam session and an evening gig with his CertainBeat WorldBop, both at Thurman Grill; and Miss Jubilee performs at Casa Loma Ballroom.

Sunday, April 19
Drummers Montez Coleman and Brandon Jones will co-lead a quintet with keyboardist Adam Maness, saxophonist Kendrick Smith and bassist Jahmal Nichols at Troy's Jazz Gallery

Monday, April 20
Repertory band Zappa Plays Zappa, led by Dweezil Zappa, guitarist and son of Frank, will play at The Ready Room, at 4195 Manchester Ave in the Grove district.

For this show, relocated from the now-closed Plush STL, ZPZ will mark the 40th anniversary of Frank Zappa's 1975 album One Size Fits All by performing the entire record, as they did last year with Apostrophe (').

Also on Monday, the Webster University Jazz Collective and student jazz singers will play at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus, and drummer/percussionist Joe Pastor and band will perform at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, April 21
The SIUE Concert Jazz Band and SIUE Alumni Jazz Band will return for another one-show-only evening at  Jazz at the Bistro.

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: "A Night In Treme," William Parker's In Order To Survive, Harry Connick Jr., TKT Scholarships Benefit, and more

No doubt about it, St. Louis this week definitely is in the grip of World Series fever. And with the first game of the fall baseball classic tonight, StLJN is getting word of some gigs featuring local jazz musicians being canceled or postponed to avoid conflicts with either the televised games tonight and tomorrow or this weekend's home games at Busch Stadium.

Touring acts seem unaffected so far, and any cancellations we get here at StLJN HQ will be noted on the calendar. But if you're planning to go hear a local band this weekend at a time when the Series is happening, you may want to call ahead first. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, saxophonist Donald Harrison brings his "A Night In Treme" tour to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of four evenings, continuing through Saturday. Harrison, a New Orleans native who's a Big Chief for the Congo Square Nation of Mardi Gras "Indians," made his reputation playing more-or-less straight-up hard bop, first with Art Blakey and then with his own bands.

In recent years, however, he's incorporated a more direct influence from the traditional sounds of his hometown, resulting in his records being used by the HBO series Treme to represent the old-meets-new music of its fictional trumpeter Delmond Lambreaux, played by actor Rob Brown. While Harrison likely won't be busting out his Big Chief outfit, which customarily is seen only once a year at Carnival time, it seems a safe bet that he'll be playing some of his original numbers that have been featured on Treme as well as some traditional sounds.

Tomorrow night, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a tribute to the late St. Louis drummer Joe Charles, featuring saxophonist Freddie Washington, bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Maurice Carnes. The concert is free and open to the public.

Also on Thursday, New Music Circle will present two free events featuring multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore. He'll be at Northside Workshop, 1306 St. Louis Ave, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to present a free community workshop about instrument-building, and then head south for an  hour-long solo performance  at Foam, 3359 S. Jefferson, starting at 7:30 p.m.. Both events are free and open to the public.

On Friday, New Music Circle will present bassist William Parker's In Order To Survive quintet, featuring Cooper-Moore on piano, at Mad Art Gallery. For more about Parker (pictured) and In Order To Survive, and some video samples of the band members in action, see this post from last Saturday. Also, Parker was interviewed for a preview story about the concert by the St. Louis American's Chris King.

Also Friday, singer Joe Mancuso's quintet, with special guests singer Sarah Jane and trumpeter Jim Manley will perform at The Deco Fortress, 3622 S. Broadway near the Lemp Brewery.  Elsewhere around town, pianist Tony Suggs, back in town briefly after concluding a long stint as pianist with the Count Basie Orchestra, leads a trio at the Cigar Inn; and Miss Jubliee plays at the Wine Press.

On Saturday, singers Mary Dyson and Diane Vaughn return to Troy's Jazz Gallery; singer Danita Mumphard performs at Jazz on Broadway; and Bob DeBoo continues his new late-night series at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Then on Sunday, singer and pianist Harry Connick Jr. returns to St. Louis for the first time since 2010 to perform at the Fox Theatre. Connick Jr., who's touring in support of his new album Every Man Should Know, did talk to the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson for a story, which, unfortunately turns out to be more about his being a judge for the upcoming season of American Idol than his own music.

Also on Sunday, BB's Jazz Blues and Soups has jump blues and swing from Minneapolis' Davina and The Vagabonds; and Troy's Jazz Gallery will present a combination "grand opening" and birthday celebration for owner Troy Williams. The event will feature music from drummer Montez Coleman, pianist Tony Suggs, guitarist Eric Slaughter and bassist Darell Mixon, plus guest performers including pianist Ptah Williams, saxophonist Kendrick Smith, trumpeter Delano Redmond and singer Denise Thimes.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the jazz department at Webster University will present their annual TKT Scholarship Benefit Concert, raising money for music scholarships in memory of Terry Jackson, Kirk Cappello and Tony Saputo, three former Webster students who in 1991 were killed in a plane crash while touring with country singer Reba McIntyre.

This year's theme is "Jazz Interpretations of the Music of Irving Berlin,” and the featured performers will include vocalists Erin Bode, Debby Lennon, Peter Ayres and the Webster University Jazz Singers; 2013 TKT Scholars Juan Acosta, Dre Concepcion and Jacob Stergos; and a backing band drawn from the Webster jazz faculty.

On Tuesday,  The 442s will perform in a "Notes From Home" concert at the Sheldon. The concert also will begin the band's Kickstarter campaign to fund production of an album.

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.)

(Edited after posting to correct the information about The 442s' performance on Tuesday.)  

Troy's Jazz Gallery "grand opening" set for October 25 - 27

The Central West End venue Troy's Jazz Gallery will hold a "grand opening" celebration this weekend featuring a Sunday night performance from a specially assembled band of local jazz performers.

The weekend also will serve as an extended birthday celebration for club owner Troy Williams, with keyboardist Matt Villinger's trio getting it started with a performance at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 25.

Next up are singers Mary Dyson and Diane Vaughn, who will reprise their "Ladies Sing The Bluezz" show with a 5:00 p.m. performance on Saturday, October 26. After Dyson and Vaughn, saxophonist Tim Cunningham (pictured) and his band will take the stage at 8:00 p.m.

The main event is Sunday, October 27. The group for that evening, dubbed "Troy's All-Star Jazz Ensemble," will feature drummer Montez Coleman, pianist Tony Suggs, guitarist Eric Slaughter and bassist Darell Mixon, along with guest performers including pianist Ptah Williams, saxophonist Kendrick Smith, trumpeter Delano Redmond and singer Denise Thimes. They'll play from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with tickets priced at $20 each.

The club first had its "soft opening" nearly 11 month ago. Williams, who formerly operated Filter and Troy's on the Park, says that the long interval between opening and "grand opening" wasn't necessarily planned that way, but he's happy with the result. "I'm glad I'm doing it like this, because I've learned a lot," he said.

As for future plans, Williams says he's re-booked Ptah Williams' trio for Thursday, October 30 - his actual birthday - with the "All-Star Jazz Ensemble" set to return (but without the special guests) on Sunday, November 3.

He said he hopes to bring back Dyson and Vaughn as a recurring act, probably twice a month, and also will presenting a series of "Jazz Sunday Funk' shows featuring Mixon, Slaughter and drummer Chuck Smothers. Finally, Williams said he wants to establish a recurring Saturday afternoon jam session in the near future, and is looking for a musician to serve as organizer and host.

Jazz this week: Rick Haydon Quartet, Terence Blanchard, ragtime at Scott Joplin's house, Oikos Ensemble, and more

If you're looking to get out hear some live jazz in St. Louis, there's there's plenty of local music on tap over the weekend, with some new weekly gigs getting underway, plus some visiting players coming to town to play free concerts next week. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, singer Joe Mancuso and his band begin a new weekly Thursday gig at Cafe Eau in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, and Miss Jubilee performs downtown at Thaxton Speakeasy.

On Friday, guitarist Rick Haydon will take the stage for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro. Haydon, who plays a seven-string guitar not unlike those used by Bucky and John Pizzarelli, is a longtime member of the jazz faculty at SIUE, and just wrapped up his first year heading the jazz studies program there. He'll be backed at the Bistro by Kara Baldus Vandiver on keyboards, Roger Guth on drums and Jim Mayer on bass.

Also Friday, the Funky Butt Brass Band is doing a free outdoor show for the annual Art & Air Festival, held on the grounds of Eden Seminary in Webster Groves; Lindy Hop St. Louis presents their monthly West End Stomp swing dance at the Mahler Ballroom, with music from The Sidemen; and the Ambassadors of Swing will play for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom.

On Saturday, saxophonist Willie Akins and his quartet will bring Akins' long-running Saturday matinee to a new location, the Cigar Inn in Belleville. As longtime local jazz fans know, Akins played Saturdays at the now-defunct Spruill's for many years before the venue closed last year. Since then, he's tried several different venues for the gig before landing now at Cigar Inn, which is going smoke-free for Akins' performances.

Then on Saturday night, guitarist Randy Bahr and pianist Carolbeth True will duet at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes are at Thurman Grill; and singer-guitarist Tommy Halloran plays at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Sunday, singer Danita Mumphard teams up with saxophonist Rev. Cliff Aerie and the Oikos Ensemble for another concert in the "Inner Jazz' series at Kirkwood United Church of Christ.

Also on Sunday, trumpeter Delano Redmond, who spends his work weeks directing the acclaimed jazz band program at East St. Louis High School, is stepping out front to lead a quartet in a new weekly gig at Troy's Jazz Gallery. UPDATE - 8:30 p.m., 6/6/13: A few minutes after this post went up, Redmond posted on Twitter that there's no show this week, and the new Sunday gig now will commence on June 16. More as we get it...

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band will return to BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

Then on Tuesday, the "Election Tour for A Stranger America," a politically themed music and performance piece by Jeffrey Young and Paul Pinto, comes to the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center. LNAC's Marc Sarich and the Dave Stone Trio also are on the bill; for more, see this post.

On Wednesday, the Friends of Scott Joplin and the Scott Joplin State Historic Site will present a free ragtime concert at the Joplin site, 2658 Delmar at Beaumont. The late-afternoon event will feature pianists Andrew Barrett, Max Keenlyside, John Reed-Torres, William McNally and more.

Then on Wednesday evening, trumpeter Terence Blanchard (pictured), who will be in town for the premiere next week of his opera Champion at Opera Theatre St. Louis, will play a free concert for the Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden. He'll follow up that up on Thursday with another free show for the Whitaker Urban Evenings series at St. Louis Place Park.

Given that local audiences have repeatedly paid good money to hear the New Orleans native perform here at the Bistro, The Sheldon and elsewhere, these two shows definitely qualify as the best deals of the week. For more about Blanchard and some samples of his music, see this post from last Saturday.

And if that weren't enough, there's also a new weekly gig happening on Wednesdays, as bassist Willem von Hombracht and his New St. Louis Jazz X-Tet will be holding forth at midweek until further notice at the aforementioned Cafe Eau at the Chase Park Plaza.

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:

* The Funky Butt Brass Band (pictured) was profiled by Terry Perkins for the St. Louis Beacon in advance of their gig tonight at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Also in the Beacon, a look at how the re-opening of the Wildey Theatre has affected downtown Edwardsville.

* Over at the Post-Dispatch, Kevin Johnson notes the "official" opening of Troy's Jazz Gallery in an article that otherwise mostly rehashes information already covered months ago here at StLJN and last week in the Beacon.

* Legacy Recordings has announced that they'll re-release original mixes of Miles Davis' albums Round About Midnight, Milestones, and Someday My Prince Will Come on 180-gram vinyl for Record Store Day 2013 on Saturday, April 20.

* The St Louis Low Brass Collective has posted on YouTube some videos from last month's concert featuring trombonist Jim Pugh at Maryville University. You can see Pugh and an ensemble of local trombonists playing "Cogent Caprice" here, and Pugh, the trombonists, and a rhythm section performing "Sea Song" here.

* From publicist Dawn DeBlaze comes word that singer and pianist Alicia Cunningham of vocal duo The Cunninghams currently is battling cancer, and would welcome cards and letters from friends and fans. Alicia and her husband, multi-instrumentalist and St. Louis native Don Cunningham, live in Las Vegas but have performed here several times in the past few years, most recently in September 2012 at the U City Jazz Festival. You can send mail to Don and Alicia Cunningham at 3740 S. Garden Drive, Las Vegas, NV, 89121 or contact them via email at thecunninghamsda @ hotmail.com.

* Lastly, just a reminder that if you haven't voted yet to elect St. Louis' own Clark Terry to Jazz at Lincoln Center's Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame, you've got until March 31 to cast your ballot at http://jalc.org/2013-jazz-hall-of-fame-vote.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Euclid Records has put together a blog documenting everything that's going into the store's move next month to a new location on Gore Ave., about a mile west of their current home in Webster Groves.

* Saxquest has added to their Facebook page photo albums documenting recent visits from Tim Warfield and Adam Larson.

* Also on Facebook, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra has posted an album of photos from last week's performance at First Unity Church of St. Louis.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake's big band has a new album called Wheels just out on his own Passin' Thru label. You can hear samples from the album (pictured) by clicking on the link.

* Troy's Jazz Gallery is the subject of a feature story by Terry Perkins published this week by the St. Louis Beacon, while, on a related note, saxophonist Tim Cunningham talked with the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson about his new regular gig on Friday nights at the club.

* Keyboardist Mike Silverman of Bach to the Future has released on iTunes a sampler album of musicians with recordings on the band's Autumn Hill Records lable.

Jazz this week: Dan Hicks, John Clayton & Gerald Clayton, Lotte Anker Trio, Danny Fox, and more

With a bit of spring in the air this week in St. Louis, there's also plenty of live jazz and creative music happening around town to get out and enjoy over the next few days. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, singer-guitarist Dan Hicks returns to the St. Louis area for a performance at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville.  Hicks' mix of Gyspy jazz, swing, country, blues and folk has been entertaining audiences for nearly fifty years now, and continue to draw appreciative crowds even when he doesn't have a new recording to promote. For more on his colorful career and some video samples of him and the the current edition of his band, the Hot Licks, in action, see this post from last Saturday.

Also tonight, the father-son team of bassist John Clayton and pianist Gerald Clayton (pictured, with drummer Jeff Hamilton) returns to open a four-night stand of duo gigs at Jazz at the Bistro. The two last appeared here in October 2011 as part of Clayton Brothers Quintet, which also includes John's sax-playing sibling Jeff Clayton. Since then, Gerald Clayton's star has continued to rise. He's now signed to Concord Records, and the label will release his debut for them, Life Forum, next month. The younger Clayton also can be heard on Cover Art, Concord's recently released album by the Next Collective, which is an eclectic group of 20-something musicians assembled by label exec Chris Dunn.

Tomorrow night, New Music Circle presents Danish saxophonist Lotte Anker in a concert at 560 Music Center. Teamed for this show with keyboardist Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver, Anker is known here in the USA mostly as an improvisor, but also has a compositional sensibility that helps provide a sense of structure to many of her improvised flights. For more about Anker, and some video samples of her performing, check out this post from a couple of weeks ago.

Also tomorrow night, singer Erin Bode and band return to Crave coffeehouse on the south side.

On Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham will settle in for what's projected as a recurring weekly gig at Troy's Jazz Gallery,  saxophonist Jay Hutson is at Robbie's House of Jazz; singer Joe Mancuso performs for the first of two nights at Chaser's Lounge in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel; and saxophonist Austin Cebulski's quartet is at the Cigar Inn.

Then on Saturday, the trio of NYC-based pianist Danny Fox will be in town for a performance at Robbie's. Fox, a Harvard grad, has toured with drummer Max Weinberg's big band and the Tommy Dorsey "ghost band," among others. The trio's debut album The One Constant was released in 2011, and you can hear samples on Fox' website.

Also on Saturday, Two Times True with pianist Carolbeth True will perform at the south side house-concert venue Kinda Blue, 6101 1/2 Idaho; and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes bring their swing and jump blues sound back to Venice Cafe.

On Sunday, a group billed as the SIUE Jazz Faculty Ensemble, led by guitarist Rick Haydon and saxophonist Jason Swagler, will play a free concert presented by St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers series at Second Baptist Church.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday pianist Kim Portnoy's ensemble will perform at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium; and on Tuesday, the weekly swing dance presented by Lindy Hop St. Louis at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center will feature live music from The Sidemen.

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.)

Troy's Jazz Gallery owner says club will showcase St. Louis musicians

If there's any truth to the old saying that "the third time's a charm," Troy Williams is hoping it applies to running a jazz club.

Williams, whose past ventures into presenting live music included Troy's on the Park near Lafayette Square and Filter in the Central West End, recently re-entered the business with the opening of Troy's Jazz Gallery, 4519 Olive. "This is my third space doing jazz," he told StLJN in a phone conversation last week. "You learn, and you try not to make the same mistakes."

Responding to previous posts here about the club, Williams reached out to offer some additional information on what he's got planned for his new space. Regarding the venue's soft opening and relative lack of marketing to date, he said that plans for a grand opening and accompanying advertising campaign are in the works. "I wanted to get the kinks out first," he said. "The most important thing was trying to line up the right bands for the different nights."

For Williams, that means emphasizing local talent, and as 2013 begins, he said he's booked four St. Louis musicians for weekly appearances. Vibraphonist Peter Schlamb (pictured) will perform from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays, with up-and-coming saxophonist Kendrick Smith's quartet slotted in from 9:00 p.m. to midnight Fridays. Williams said East St. Louis High School jazz band director and trumpeter Delano Redmond, who taught Smith at ESL HS, will be performing with Smith's group.

Saturdays will feature saxophonist Willie Akins and his group playing from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., as a sort of successor to Akins' long-running Saturday matinee gig at the now-defunct Spruill's. "I've wanted to work with Willie for five years," said Williams. Saturday evenings will feature bassist Darrell Mixon leading a group from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Williams hopes that presenting the same bands each week will help both the club and the musicians to get repeat business. "We all agreed to three to six months to try to build a following over time," he said. However, he's also continuing to talk about possible bookings with other local musicians, mentioning singer Erin Bode and guitarist Dave Black as two performers of interest.

As for the rest of the week, Williams said that by February, he hopes to be open on Wednesdays, presenting a weekly poetry night, and on Thursdays with a DJ spinning, presumably jazz, soul and other compatible music. Watch this space for more info on that, and on the "grand opening" of Troy's Jazz Gallery.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Singer and St. Louis native Lynne Fiddmont has just released a new holiday CD, Spirit of Christmas, featuring guest performances from singer Kevin Whalum, Yellowjackets' pianist Russell Ferrante, saxophonist Everette Harp and more. Fiddmont will celebrate with two CD release events this month in Los Angeles. The album (pictured) can be purchased online from iTunes and CDBaby.com.

* Jazz St. Louis has uploaded to their Facebook page a photo set from singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli's performance at Francis Howell North HS. While in town last week to play at Jazz at the Bistro, Pizzarelli also did an interview with KWMU's "Cityscape."

* St. Louis native Ronnie Burrage's show next Thursday, December 13 at NYC's Shapeshifter Labs will be viewable via an online stream for just $3. The gig by the drummer's ensemble Band Burrage will feature his regular collaborators Rick Tate on saxophone and Michael Stark on guitar, as well as special guests Wallace Roney (trumpet), Frank "Kuumba" Lacy (trombone), Essiet Essiet (bass), Benito Gonzalez (keyboards), and Curtis Stewart (violin).

* The London Jazz blog has a review of the recent re-issue of five late-career albums that Miles Davis recorded for Warner Brothers.

* The new band Sound Prints, fronted by saxophonist Joe Lovano and trumpeter Dave Douglas and including up-and-coming Berklee grad and St. Louis native Lawrence Fields on piano, made their debut last week at NYC's Village Vanguard. NPR recorded the gig for broadcast, and it also was reviewed by the New York Times' Nate Chinen.

* The Sheldon Concert Hall now has limited edition t-shirts celebrating the Hall's 100th anniversary for sale online.

* The new CWE venue Troy's Jazz Gallery, written about previously on StLJN here and here, apparently now is up and running, as documented by this photo from last night's performance by guitarists Eric Slaughter and Tom Byrne.

* Josh Weinstein, host of the Sunday night program All Soul, No Borders, is profiled on the KDHX website.

* HEC-TV is readying for telecast a new episode of I Love Jazz, featuring excerpts from saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett's performance last summer at the Missouri Botanical Garden's Whitaker Music Festival. The December episode also includes a feature on the south side woodwind retailer/museum Saxquest. Check your TV provider's program guide for a schedule, or watch online at hectv.org/programs/series/i-love-jazz.

The cable network also has put together a new special, St. Louis on Stage: Music for the Holidays, compiling past performances from various local musicians including some jazz performers. In addition to playing on cable and online, the program will get a broadcast airing at 6:00 p.m. this Sunday, December 9 on Fox channel 2.2 (aka Antenna TV).

* While he's in town next week to play at The Pageant, guitarist Dweezil Zappa will present a master class at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 12 at Blueberry Hill's Elvis Room. Sponsored by Fazio's Frets & Friends, the event has a very limited seating capacity; to reserve a spot, contact Fazio's Jim Holt at 636-227-3573 or jholt @ faziosmusic.com.

More on two new jazz venues

Following up on last week's post about the new Central West End jazz venue Troy's Jazz Gallery, we can tell you now that more information was added over the weekend to the club's website.

Among the additions were an "About" page, a map that suggests patrons will have access to a gated parking lot across the street from the club, and a beverage menu with a long list of cocktails and coffee drinks named after jazz musicians. The venue will not offer food service; a note on the drinks page says "We suggest you eat before coming to the jazz gallery."

The band schedule shows live music booked five times a week. Wednesday will feature the Soul Thump Chronicles, with a trio led by bassist John King backing performances by local poets. Guitarist Eric Slaughter will be fronting a group on Thursdays, with vibraphonist Peter Schlamb on Fridays, Tommy Holland and Friends on Saturday afternoons, and saxophonist Willie Akins' quartet on Saturday nights.

According to the "reservations" page, cover charges will range from $5 to $10, depending on the night of the week, with a two-drink minimum and advance reservations required on weekend evenings.

As no dates are listed, it's not clear yet exactly when this schedule will begin. (I also checked the Facebook page for Troy's Jazz Gallery, but it hasn't been updated since last week.) Slaughter and guitarist Tom Byrne last week had announced they'd be playing a gig there last Thursday, then a day later announced that it was postponed until this Thursday, December 6. We'll be checking back to see if that comes off as planned, and as soon as more information becomes available, we'll have it for you here.

In related news, Voce, a bar, restaurant and live music venue located downtown at 212 N. Tucker (at Pine St) and described on its Facebook page as "jazz themed," will open this weekend.

The pertinent question here is, of course, what exactly is meant by "jazz themed"? A graphic elsewhere on the Facebook page says "Voce invites all styles of music and comedy," and the club's opening on Friday, December 7 will feature rock/pop acts Billy Schuh, Foxing, and The Breaks.

On the other hand, the handful of other bookings listed on the page include dates for singers Kim Massie on Saturday, December 15 and Erin Bode (pictured) on Saturday, December 29. Voce's website sheds no additional light, however, as it's mostly empty right now.

Suffice it to say then that the venue's policy with regard to musical genres to be featured seems a bit unclear at this point. Again, yr. humble editor will be looking into this further, with updates here as warranted.

New jazz venue opening in Central West End

A new venue for live jazz in St. Louis is opening in the Central West End.

Located at 4519 Olive - a bit east of Kingshighway, and not far from what once was Gaslight Square - Troy's Jazz Gallery is the latest venture from Troy Williams, who from 1999 to the early 2000s operated a live music spot near Lafayette Square called Troy's on the Park. After that, Williams ran the bar Filter, located in the CWE where the Tavern of Fine Arts is now, and later, a cafe called Breakfast Tools in the Lindenwood neighborhood.

This new spot apparently has been in the works for a while; the business name was registered with the state a year ago, and the website says "Coming Spring 2012." Whenever the official opening date, the location may present a challenge for the proprietor, since it's on a block that currently has few other bars, restaurants or retail stores to draw foot traffic to the area. The closest similar business looks to be the Wine Press, which is to the east at 4436 Olive and features live music several nights a week, so perhaps the two rooms will benefit from proximity to one another.

Though neither the website for Troy's Jazz Gallery nor its Facebook page have a whole lot of information yet, we can tell you that guitarists Eric Slaughter and Tom Byrne (pictured) are promoting a gig there from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. this Thursday, November 29. The notice posted on Facebook says they'll be joined by bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Marty Morrison, and there's a $5 cover. UPDATE - 10:00 p.m., 11/28/12: The Byrne/Slaughter gig has been "postponed" for one week to next Thursday, December 6.

Also, the club has been running paid ads on Facebook, promoting regular Saturday night performances by the "Jazz Session Quintet," with sets at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and a "$5-10 cover (reservation required)." Other than a phone number - 314-932-1120 - there are no further details.

StLJN's call to that number today was not answered, and that band name is unfamiliar to yr. humble editor, so there's not much more to tell you right now. (In case you were wondering, an online search for "jazz session quintet" yields only a half-dozen results in total, none related to St. Louis.) I'll be trying over the next several days to track down more details, and will either update this post or add a new one as more information becomes available.