So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Last weekend's production of "Such Sweet Thunder" by Jazz St. Louis, St. Louis Shakespeare Company, Big Muddy Dance Company, and Nine Network was reviewed by Mark Bretz of Ladue News.

* The artwork that will be featured in "The Shape of Abstraction Trumpet and Voice, Call and Response," tonight's performance by trumpeter Keyon Harrold and writer Quincy Troupe at the St. Louis Art Museum, is the subject of a feature story by St. Louis magazine's Samantha Stevenson.

* Stanley Nelson, director of the new documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, was interviewed by AllAboutJazz.com's Victor L. Schermer. 

* The Sheldon Concert Hall has posted to Facebook an album of photos from last Saturday's performance by singer Cecile McLoran Salvant.

* When saxophonist and composer Benny Golson was in town last weeks to appear for Jazz St. Louis' "Whitaker Jazz Speaks" series, he also went to the University of Missouri-St. Louis to give a master class to jazz students, which was covered in an article on the UMSL Daily website.

* Radio host, photographer and author Dennis Owsley's new book St. Louis Jazz: A History was reviewed by Repps Hudson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

* In related news, Owsley (pictured) last week announced via social media and emails to friends and colleagues that he and his wife Sara are moving to the Phoenix, AZ area to be close to their grandchildren.

The move already is underway, but Owsley says he'll be continuing his radio program "Jazz Unlimited," which airs Sunday nights on St. Louis Public Radio. Since he's been recording the program on his home computer for more than 10 years and submitting it either on disc or by email, the only change will be "that it goes 1500 miles to St. Louis Public Radio rather than 15 miles," he said.

Dennis Owsley to discuss, sign new book Thursday, July 18 at UMSL at Grand Center

Radio host, jazz historian and photographer Dennis Owsley will discuss and sign copies of his new book St. Louis Jazz: A History at an event at 7:00 p.m. this Thursday, July 18 at UMSL at Grand Center, 3651 Olive St.

At the event, Owsley will discuss the book (pictured), which recounts the history of jazz in St. Louis, with St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jeremy Goodwin.

A reception and book signing will follow, and copies of St. Louis Jazz: A History will be available for purchase from Left Bank Books.

Owsley, whose radio program "Jazz Unlimited" is broadcast weekly on Sunday nights by St. Louis Public Radio, previously authored another history of local jazz, City of Gabriels; The History of Jazz in St. Louis, 1895-1973, which came out in 2006.

In an email to StLJN, Owsley said that singer Jeanne Trevor and singer/percussionist Don Cunningham, both veterans of St. Louis' storied Gaslight Square era, plan to attend Thursday's event and will offer a brief acapella performances.

The event is free and open to the public, but because space is limited, online registration at St. Louis Public Radio's website is required.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The University of Missouri-St. Louis Department of Music and the David and Thelma Steward Institute for Jazz Studies at UMSL have named pianist and educator Adaron "Pops" Jackson as the university's new director of jazz studies. Jackson succeeds the program's founder, bassist Jim Widner, who retired at the end of the 2018-19 academic year.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn was interviewed by John Carney on Monday's episode of "The Carney Show" on KTRS (550 AM).

* Singer and multi-instrumentalist Tonina Saputo (pictured) was interviewed about her new album St. Lost by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. Saputo is promoting the release with a performance tonight at Sophie's Artist Lounge and Cocktail Club. St. Lost this week also was the subject of a short promotional feature on BassMagazine.com

* Inventor and audio engineer Bob Heil was profiled in a story by KSDK's Art Holliday.

* WSIE (88.7FM) will celebrate Miles Davis' birthday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. this Sunday, May 26 with a two-hour special about his life and music. Listeners outside the St. Louis area can catch the program via the station's online stream.

* The Black Rep's production of Nina Simone: Four Women was reviewed by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn. The play with music, which includes singer Denise Thimes in the cast, continues through Sunday, June 2 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre.

* Vaughn also filed a story for the American about the funeral service for Shirley Bradley LeFlore, former St. Louis poet laureate who worked with many jazz and creative musicians.

* Pianist Phillip Graves will play the title role in Next to Normal: The Thelonious Monk Story, a play by Mariah L Richardson that will be performed at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 12 and Thursday, June 13 at Jazz St. Louis.

The production, which is presented by A Call to Conscience, Inc. and directed by Fannie Belle Lebbie, will celebrate Monk's music and career while also examining "issues of mental illness as it relates to disparities in health care, police interaction, education, and social acceptance."

The performance on June 12 will be followed by a talk and Q&A about Monk led by Washington University professor Gerald Early, and a panel discussion on living with and overcoming the challenges posed by mental illness. Admission to both performances is free, but RSVPs are requested via EventBrite.

* Remember the lawsuit filed by seemingly-defunct-music-festival LouFest against their former sound contractors? Well, per new reporting on Thursday by St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin, the suit has been dropped.

2019 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival set for Friday, April 12 & Saturday, April 13

The Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival this week announced its dates for 2019, with public concerts set for 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Friday's concert will feature the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, the all-woman big band led by drummer Sherrie Maricle. Based in NYC, DIVA (pictured) celebrated 25 years as a band earlier this year with the album 25th Anniversary Project.

Saturday's show will feature the "Ultimate Jazz All-Stars Big Band," an ad hoc assembly directed by drummer Gregg Field, and will serve as a tribute to bassist and UMSL director of jazz studies Jim Widner, who founded the GSLJF and is retiring from teaching next year.

Although a complete lineup of musicians isn't available yet, players mentioned in the promotional email as participants on Saturday include saxophonists Tom Scott and Eric Marienthal, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Gordon Goodwin, bassist Carlitos del Puerto, pianist Shelly Berg, and drummer Scotty Barnhart.

Tickets for the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival are $35 per night, $33 for seniors, $15 for students, and are on sale now via the Touhill box office.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The St. Louis International Film Festival has posted on Facebook a photo album from the fest's screening of the documentary Mr Handy's Blues and accompanying musical performance.

* Tomorrow night's performance by singer Cécile McLorin Salvant (pictured) at the Sheldon Concert Hall is previewed by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

* Yaqui's on Cherokee, which frequently features The Gaslight Squares and other local performers of vintage jazz, was featured in an article on the Regional Arts Commission website.

* The jazz program at UMSL, directed by bassist Jim Widner, has produced a new fund-raising video.

* The Funky Butt Brass Band's "Holiday Brasstravaganza" and new album are previewed in a St. Louis magazine article by Thomas Crone.

* Also in St. Louis magazine, another article by Thomas Crone previews this Sunday's debut performance by cornetist TJ Muller's Arcadia Jazz Orchestra.

* Singer Katie McGrath's Gaslight Cabaret Festival show was reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* Reaching back for some history about a St. Louis native, a new article in The Daily Beast looks back at "When Jazz Age Superstar Josephine Baker Spied on the Nazis."

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist, composer, independent record label owner, and St. Louis native Greg Osby (pictured) was featured on a recent episode of trumpeter Dave Douglas' podcast A Noise from the Deep.

* Jazz St. Louis' Ferring Jazz Bistro is the winner of the Commercial Restaurant Space category in the the St. Louis Architect and Designer Awards 2017. The space, which opened in October 2014 as part of Jazz St. Louis' renovated HQ in Grand Center, was designed by Jamieson Design.

* Also from Jazz St. Louis, education director Phil Dunlap's music business class at the University of Missouri-St. Louis was featured in a story on the university's website about entrepreneurial courses.

* The application period is open for the Regional Arts Commission's 2017 Artist Support Grants, which provide up to $3000 per grant to St. Louis artists in all disciplines for special creative projects, professional opportunities, or equipment needs. Two application workshops will be held in March, and are free and open to the public. To find out more, go to http://racstl.org/grant/artists-support-grants/.

* New music ensemble Alarm Will Sound's performances this weekend of Steve Reich's "The Cave" are previewed in stories by Sarah Bryan Miller in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris King in St. Louis magazine, and St. Louis Public Radio's Kelley Moffitt.

* A recent article on Mapquest.com about "20 St. Louis stops every music fan should have on their tour schedule" recommends several local destinations of particular interest to jazz enthusiasts, including Saxquest's Saxophone Museum, the Miles Davis statue in downtown Alton, Jazz at the Bistro, the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, and BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Webster University will host the Audio Engineering Society's 11th Annual Central Regional Student Summit from Friday, March 24 through Sunday, March 26 on the main Webster campus.

The event will include presentations from audio experts on recording techniques and related topics such as technical ear training, sound system design, and psychoacoustics, plus a mix competition for students and a recording critiques panel. For more information, go to http://www.websteraes.org/.

* Saxophonist and St. Louis native Eric Person (pictured) will join forces with fellow saxophonist (and unrelated namesake) Houston Person for two nights of "Person2Person" next Wednesday, March 8 and Thursday, March 9 at Dizzy's Club in NYC's Jazz at Lincoln Center.

* Guitarist Todd Mosby has posted online a new video of his song "Western Sky."

* Pianist Peter Martin's company Open Studio Network is looking for looking for interns to help with video editing, social media, and curating and annotating musical content. Get the details via OSN's website.

* The video of Martin's version of "Another Day of Sun" from the soundtrack of Oscar-nominated film La La Land was featured on the website ClassicFM.com as part of a compilation of the best cover versions of music from the film.

* The online station UMSL Radio aka "The U" is now airing "Jazz on the U" from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. every Monday through Saturday. Check out the live stream, programmed by Steve Engelmeyer, at http://umslradio.com/.

* For his work as artistic director of the Sopot Jazz Festival in Sopot, Poland, saxophonist and St. Louis native Greg Osby has been named the city's "Cultural Personality of 2016."

Music Education Monday: Summer 2016 jazz camps in St. Louis

While the official start of summer is still a couple of months away, it's not too early for aspiring young jazz musicians in the St. Louis area to make plans to enroll in one or more of the jazz camps being presented this year by local universities and organizations. Here are brief summaries of four programs:

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will hold its annual camp for students at "all levels, grades 8-12" from Tuesday, May 31 through Friday, June 3 on the SIUE campus. Classes are taught by members of the SIUE jazz faculty. For details or to sign up, go to https://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/music/community/jazz-camp.shtml.

Bassist Jim Widner's big band will serve as the faculty for the annual University of Missouri - St. Louis jazz camp, with instructors including Widner, Mike Vax, Scott Whitfield, Dave Scott, Ken Kehner, Chip McNeill, Kim Richmond, Gary Hobbs, and others. The camp for middle school, high school and college students will be held Sunday, June 5 through Friday, June 10 on the UMSL campus. For more information or to enroll, visit http://gsljazzfest.com/JazzCamp.html.

Webster University's annual camp for "beginning, intermediate and advanced level jazz improvisers and instrumentalists" will take place from Monday, July 11 through Friday, July 15 on the Webster U campus, with instruction from the university's jazz faculty. You can find more information and a signup form at http://www.webster.edu/fine-arts/departments/music/summer-programs/jazz-camp.html.

St. Louis Children's Choirs will present a vocal jazz camp for "singers entering grades 9 – 12 and class of 2016 graduates" on weekdays from Tuesday, July 5 through Friday, July 15.

The camp will be led by Brian Parrish, director of SLCC's Chamber Singers, and held at the choirs' offices at 2842 North Ballas Road in Des Peres. For audition dates and more information, visit http://www.slccsing.org/vocaljazzcamp/.

Roger Ingram to present master class Saturday, March 3 at UMSL

Trumpet player Roger Ingram (pictured) will be in St. Louis to present a trumpet clinic and master class at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, March 3 at the Villa Annex on the South campus of the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL).

Ingram is a noted jazz educator and clinician whose performing resume includes tours and recordings with the big bands of Louis Bellson, Quincy Jones, Woody Herman, Frank Sinatra and Harry Connick Jr. as well as the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. The clinic at UMSL is open to the public and admission is $10, with no advance registration required.

Ingram also will be offering a limited number of private lessons that day, with a special rate to high school and middle school students of $75 for a one-hour lesson; his usual charge is $200 for a two-hour lesson. Advance registration is required; for more information, visit his website at http://rogeringram.com/lessons.php, or send an email to Vic @ RogerIngram.com.

Jazz Education Network to hold first conference next May in St. Louis

The Jazz Education Network (JEN) has announced that the organization will hold its first-ever conference from May 20 - 22, 2010 at the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL).

JEN is a not-for-profit organization of music teachers, musicians, students and others formed in 2008 not long after the collapse of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE). Their Web site says the group is "dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance and developing new audiences." St. Louisan Jim Widner, the bassist, bandleader and noted jazz educator who directs the jazz studies program at UMSL, was elected to JEN's first board of directors this past summer.

Registration is now open for the conference in St. Louis, and JEN also is soliciting suggestions and ideas for conference programming on its online member forum. For more information about membership in JEN or to register for the conference, you can visit their Web site.

Jim Widner receives award from Down Beat magazine

Bassist, bandleader and educator Jim Widner (pictured), who directs the jazz studies program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, is featured in the June edition of Down Beat magazine.

The issue spotlights the mag's 32nd annual Student Music Awards, and Widner is one of just three recipients nationwide of an Achievement Award for jazz education. (Alas, DB doesn't put most of their content online, so there's no link to the story about Widner.)

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's gossip columnist Deb Peterson even took note of the honor with a short item today, which you can read online here.

Steve Schankman gives $50,000 to UMSL jazz program

According to a story in this week's St. Louis Business Journal, local music mogul Steve Schankman of Contemporary Productions has pledged a gift of $50,000 to the jazz program at his alma mater, the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The story says UMSL will use the gift for equipment, scholarships and to support the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, which is scheduled for April 16 - 18, 2009 on the UMSL campus. Read the whole article here.