Jazz this week: Brad Mehldau Trio, Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, Victor Wooten, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes the long-awaited return of a critically acclaimed pianist; an all-woman big band headlining a local festival; a couple of free events examining the music of John Coltrane; and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, April 10
Pianist Brad Mehldau returns to St. Louis for the first time since 2011 for the start of a five-night engagement at Jazz St. Louis.

Though Mehldau has a new album of electric music recorded in collaboration with drummer Mark Guiliana coming out next month, this gig will be with his long-running acoustic trio (pictured, top left), which includes drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier.

Their most recent recording is Seymour Reads the Constitution!, which came out in 2018, and given how long it's been since Mehldau's last appearance here, it seems likely that this week's run at the Bistro will feature some of that material, as well as selections from 2016's Blues and Ballads.

Also on Wednesday, writer Ashley Kahn will give a presentation for Jazz St. Louis' "Whitaker Jazz Speaks" series on "A Love Supreme: The Music and Message in John Coltrane's Magnum Opus."  The free event will take place at the St Louis Public Library's Schlafly Branch in the Central West End.

Thursday, April 11
There's more Coltrane content on tap for Thursday night, as the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present a free concert featuring saxophonist Paul DeMarinis playing a program of the saxophonist's compositions. DeMarinis will be joined by pianist Nick Schlueter, bassist Jeff Anderson, and drummer Steve Davis, with Ashley Kahn also on hand to deliver some pre-concert remarks.

Also on Thursday, singer Erin Bode will celebrate the release on vinyl of her 2016 album Here and Now with a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall; and guitarist Dave Black and friends return to The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, April 12
The 2019 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival will present the DIVA Jazz Orchestra (pictured, center left) in concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.


The NYC-based, all-woman big band led by drummer Sherri Maricle last year celebrated their 25th anniversary with an album featuring all-original compositions and arrangements by members of the group.

For more about that, plus some videos of DIVA in action, as well as videos of musicians who will be featured in Saturday's GSLJF concert, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Friday, Second Generation Swing Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom, and singer Anita Jackson returns to The Dark Room.

Saturday, April 13
The 2019 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival's final concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center will be a tribute to UMSL jazz studies director Jim Widner featuring the "Ultimate Jazz All-Stars," an ad hoc group assembled for the occasion by drummer and producer Gregg Field and featuring musicians such as saxophonist Tom Scott, trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, pianist, saxophonist and arranger/composer Gordon Goodwin, bassist Carlitos del Puerto, pianist Shelly Berg, and more.

Also on Saturday, the Midwest Jazz-tette plays West Coast "cool" jazz at Evangeline's.

Sunday, April 14
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents the St. Louis Stompers playing traditional jazz in a matinee at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis - Westport

Then on Sunday evening, multi-instrumentalist Sandy Weltman and pianist Carolbeth True will revisit some of the music from their 1998 album New World Harmonica Jazz at the house concert venue Judson House.

Monday, April 15
Students and faculty of Webster University will perform the music of Cole Porter at the annual "Shepard/Davis Scholarship Concert" at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.

Tuesday, April 16
Bassist Victor Wooten (pictured, bottom left) returns with the Wooten Band for a show at Old Rock House. Along with the leader, the Wooten Band includes his brothers Regi and Joseph Wooten on guitars and keyboards and Derico Watson on drums.

The show also will feature the "Wooten Woods Experience," which involves an audience participation segment; guest musicians/educators drawn from a roster including bassist Steve Bailey and saxophonists Bob Franceschini and Bob Hemenger; and "a select group of students from his music and nature camps, an immersive educational program focusing on the relationship between music, nature, and life."

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.)

Béla Fleck & The Flecktones to perform Thursday, June 27 at Powell Hall

The original lineup of Béla Fleck & The Flecktones (pictured) is reuniting for a 30th anniversary tour that will include a performance at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 27 at Powell Hall in St. Louis.

The group - Fleck on banjo, Howard Levy on piano and harmonica, percussionist Roy "Future Man" Wooten, and bassist Victor Wooten - today announced a total of 19 dates, beginning May 31 at Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver and continuing through July 1, with more shows expected to follow.

Tickets for the shows announced today, including St. Louis, are on sale now. For more information and a complete list of dates, see Fleck's website.

Victor Wooten Band to perform Tuesday, April 16 at Old Rock House

Bassist Victor Wooten is returning to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 16 at the Old Rock House.

The show is billed as "The Wooten Band and the Wooten Woods Experience," the latter referring to the bassist’s Center for Music and Nature, an educational retreat located near Nashville.

Along with music from Wooten, his brothers Regi and Joseph Wooten on guitars and keyboards, and Derico Watson on drums, the evening apparently will include an "audience participation demonstration" related to the educational programs offered at the Center.

Wooten (pictured) most recently played St. Louis with drummer Dennis Chambers and saxophonist Bob Franceschini in March of last year at the Old Rock House.

Tickets for Wooten Band's all-ages show in April are $32 for general admission, and are on sale now via all Metrotix outlets.

Jazz this week: The Thing, Denise Thimes, Charlie Hunter, Victor Wooten Trio, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features several stellar singers; the local debut of an esteemed free jazz trio; some straight-up bebop; funky sounds from New Orleans, California, and beyond; and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, March 21
Singer Brian Owens performs for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, revisiting some of the jazz material he did earlier in his career, with backing from pianist Adam Maness' trio.

(Thursday's show will features Owens' current working band, the Deacons of Soul, with an emphasis on songs recorded for his most recent album The Soul of Cash, an R&B-flavored re-imagining of songs associated with country music legend Johnny Cash.)

Also on Wednesday, the Ambassadors of Swing return to Tin Roof St. Louis downtown; and singer Joe Mancuso is back at Taha'a Twisted Tiki in The Grove.

Thursday, March 22
New Music Circle presents the Scandinavian free-jazz trio The Thing (pictured, top left) at Off Broadway. Saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love have been working together since the turn of the century, touring and recording frequently as a trio and also playing with musicians such as Peter Brötzmann, Ken Vandermark, Thurston Moore, Joe McPhee, James "Blood" Ulmer, and singer Nenah Cherry.

This is their St. Louis debut, and there seems to be a good deal of interest in the show, so if you're planning on going, don't be late. For more about The Thing and some videos of their live performances, see this post from Saturday before last.

Also on Thursday, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present a free concert featuring trumpeter Randy Holmes' quintet playing 1940s and '50s bop in the style of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, and guitarist/violinist Christopher Voelker of Dizzy Atmosphere leads a trio at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, March 23
Singer Denise Thimes (pictured, center left) who recently moved from St. Louis to Chicago and got a rave review from the Chicago Tribune for her first shows there, will be back home to present a tribute to Nina Simone in the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

A few blocks away, Jeanne Trevor - another longtime favorite St. Louis female vocalist who, unfortunately, gigs infrequently these days - will perform with guitarist Dave Black and bassist Willem von Hombracht at The Judson House.

Also on Friday, pianist Ptah Williams will be in his usual spot at The Dark Room; the Gateway City Big Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran does the penultimate gig in his winter residency at Das Bevo Underground.

Saturday, March 24
Guitarist Charlie Hunter (pictured, bottom left) returns to lead a trio with singer Dara Tucker and drummer Damon Grant at Off Broadway; the New Orleans Suspects are back for another performance at the Broadway Oyster Bar; and trumpeter Jim Manley is playing at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar.

Sunday, March 25
Miss Jubilee performs for brunch at Evangeline's; pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with singer Kim Fuller and saxophonist Larry Johnson play a late-afternoon concert at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, and singer Mary Dyson is back with an early evening show at Troy's Jazz Gallery.

Monday, March 26
Webster University's Student Jazz Combos will show off what they've learned this semester with a concert at the Community Music School.

Tuesday, March 27
Bassist Victor Wooten and his trio with drummer Dennis Chambers and saxophonist Bob Franceschini will perform at the Old Rock House.  Wooten, who played the Chesterfield Jazz Festival here last summer with his family band, the Wooten Brothers, currently is touring in support of his most recent album Trypnotyx, which was released last fall and features Chambers and Franceschini.  For more about that, and some videos of recent live performances of material from the album, see this post from last Saturday.

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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Victor Wooten Trio's Trypnotyx

Today, let's check out some videos of the Victor Wooten Trio, who are coming to St. Louis to perform Tuesday, March 27 at the Old Rock House.

Featuring Wooten on bass, Dennis Chambers on drums, and Bob Franceschini on tenor sax, the group is touring in support of their latest album Trypnotyx, which was released last September. The album feature 14 tracks of original material, with Wooten and Franceschini augmenting their instruments with various electronics to expand the sound, plus some guest contributions from singer Varijashree Venugopal and actor/comedian/"voicetrumentalist" Michael Winslow.

You can see Wooten, Chambers and Franceschini getting into something from the bassist's back catalog in the first video up above, which shows them playing "Zenergy" from his 1999 album Yin-Yang in a version recorded in January of this year at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco

After the jump, you can see live versions of some of the material from Trypnotiyx, starting with "Take Off" from that same Regency Ballroom gig; "DC10," recorded last October at the C2G Music Hall in Fort Wayne, IN; "The 13th Floor," from a gig in May 2017 at the Joy Theater in New Orleans; and "Funky D," recorded in January 2017 during the halftime of an NBA game at NYC's Madison Square Garden.

The sixth video is a full show, recorded on December 12 of last year at Brooklyn Bowl in NYC.

That's followed by a recording of Wooten's solo spot from the Joy Theater show, in which he touches on tunes including "You Can't Hold No Groove," "Sex In A Pan," and "Amazing Grace"; and a one-on-one interview with the the bassist, recorded in July of last year for the YouTube channel Scott's Bass Lessons.

For more on Victor Wooten and Trypnotyx, check out Wooten's interviews from December 2017 with the Boston music website RedLineRoots.com and the website For Bass Players Only

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Winter/spring 2018 jazz preview, part 4

This week, StLJN's winter/spring 2018 jazz preview continues with part four of a series of posts featuring videos of the jazz and creative music performers who will be coming to St. Louis in the first few months of the new year. (If you missed the previous installments, you can see part one here, part two here, and part three here.)

Continuing in chronological order from where part three left off, today's first video features singer Marilyn Maye, the grande dame of cabaret who will perform Wednesday, March 7 and Thursday, March 8 at Jazz at the Bistro. She's seen here singing a medley of "Secret of Life" and "Here’s to Life," recorded June 5, 2017 at the fifth anniversary celebration of Feinstein's/54 Below in New York City.

After the jump, you can see a clip of Melissa Aldana, who will lead her quartet in shows starting Wednesday, March 14 continuing through Saturday, March 17 at the Bistro. The video shows the Chilean-born, Berklee-educated saxophonist with pianist Sam Harris, bassist Pablo Menares and drummer Craig Weinrib playing "Turning & Over There" in November 2017 at the venue musig im pflegidach in Muri, Switzerland.

That week also features two more concerts of interest to StLJN readers on Thursday, March 15, when New Orleans jazz/funk band Galactic will be playing at Delmar Hall while saxophonist Ben Wendel performs at The Ready Room.

Galactic can be seen in the second video after the jump, playing a full set recorded in February 2017 at the Music Box in San Diego, CA, followed by Wendel, a founding member of Kneebody, playing "Song Song" from his album What We Bring in a undated video with Gerald Clayton, Joe Sanders, and Henry Cole.

Next up, it's The Thing, the avant-jazz trio of saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, bassist Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, and drummer Paal Nilssen Love. They'll be in St. Louis on Thursday, March 22 for a concert presented by New Music Circle at Off Broadway, and can be seen here playing a full set recorded November 27, 2017 at Blue Tomato in Vienna, Austria.

the penultimate clip features bassist Victor Wooten's trio with drummer Dennis Chambers and saxophonist Bob Franceschini. They're set to perform on Tuesday, March 27 at the Old Rock House, and are seen here playing "Love is My Favourite Word" in February 2016 at the Blue Note in Milano, Italy.

Last, but certainly not least, it's The Baylor Project, fronted by the husband-and-wife team of drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and singer Jean Baylor, who are performing Wednesday, March 28 through Saturday, March 31 at the Bistro.

The Baylors, who are nominated in for 2018 Grammy Awards in both the "Best Traditional R&B Performance" and "Best Jazz Vocal Album" categories, can be seen in today's final video performing their Grammy-nominated song "Laugh and Move On," in a version recorded live last year at the studios of radio station WERS in Boston.

Look for part five of StLJN's winter/spring 2018 jazz preview next week in this space. You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Victor Wooten Trio returning to perform Tuesday, March 27 at Old Rock House

Bassist Victor Wooten's trio, featuring drummer Dennis Chambers and saxophonist Bob Franceschini, is coming back to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 27 at the Old Rock House.

Interestingly, the gig will come exactly 364 days after their last performance here at the Old Rock House, on Tuesday, March 28, 2017.

Since then, Wooten in September of this year released TRYPNOTYX, which is his first new recording in five years and features the trio (pictured).

Wooten also played here in June with his family band, the Wooten Brothers, headlining the Chesterfield Jazz Festival at the Chesterfield Amphitheater.

Tickets for the all-ages show are $32 and will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Friday, November 30 via the Old Rock House's website and all Metrotix outlets.

Jazz this week: Chesterfield Jazz Festival, "Ballad of Atlantis," Denise Thimes, and more

For the first official week of summer, the calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features some noteworthy free outdoor concerts; shows paying tribute to a jazz guitar giant and some old-school soul/funk favorites; and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 21
Though there's no live music at Jazz at the Bistro until the weekend, the weekly Grand Center Jazz Crawl proceeds as usual, with live music at four different venues within the district.

Also on Wednesday, guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran will play the Venice Cafe, and singer Feyza Eren will be among the performers taking part in an observance of "Make Music Day St. Louis" at Evangeline's.

Thursday, June 22
Saxophonist Ben Reece’s Unity Quartet will perform at The Dark Room; the Gateway City Big Band plays a free outdoor concert at the Chesterfield Amphitheater; and singer Erin Bode returns to Cyrano's.

Friday, June 23
The Jazz Edge Big Band will offer a "Tribute to Wes Montgomery" featuring guest guitarists Eric Slaughter, Rick Haydon and Gregg Haynes at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Over on the other of Grand, multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris (pictured, center left) will be presenting "Ballad of Atlantis: The Music of The Isley Brothers" for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Saturday, June 24
The free, outdoor Chesterfield Wine and Jazz Festival will feature performances from the Wooten Brothers (pictured,top left), Bach to the Future with violinist Tracy Silverman, singer Anita Jackson, Soul Cafe, and singer Kim Fuller-Barnes at the Chesterfield Amphitheater.

For more about the Wooten Brothers - bassist Victor Wooten and drummer Roy "Futureman" Wooten, of Bela Fleck's Flecktones, plus their siblings Regi on guitar and Joseph on keyboards - plus some video of them in action, see this post from last Saturday.

Sunday, June 25
The St. Louis Record and CD Collector's Show will present their summer event at the American Czech Educational Center; the Folk School of KDHX hosts their monthly traditional jazz jam session; and singer Denise Thimes (pictured, bottom left) will perform in a free outdoor concert at Ivory Perry Park.

Monday, June 26
Singer and impressionist Dean Christopher returns with his "Rat Pack and More" show to One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar

Tuesday, June 27
Saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, and saxophonist and singer Cary Colman's trio plays at Evangeline'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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The Wooten Brothers keep it in the family

This week, let's check out some videos featuring the Wooten Brothers, who are coming to St. Louis to perform next Saturday, June 24 at the Chesterfield Jazz Festival, headlining a bill that also will include Bach to the Future with Tracy Silverman, Anita Jackson, Soul Cafe, and Kim Fuller & Maurice Carnes.

The band includes bassist Victor Wooten, the youngest of the four brothers, and drummer Roy "Futureman" Wooten, who are best known as half of banjo player Béla Fleck's group, the Flecktones; keyboardist Joseph Wooten, who's released solo albums with his own group, Hands of Soul, and toured in recent years with the Steve Miller Band; and guitarist Regi Wooten, the oldest sibling, who teaches and gigs in the brothers' adopted hometown of Nashville. (A fifth brother, saxophonist Rudy Wooten, died in 2010.)

They've been playing together nearly all their lives, drafting Victor into the family band when he was just six years old, and later honing their chops while in high school by playing in a country music review at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. Although as adults their careers have taken them in different directions, the brothers have continued to work together when the opportunity has arisen, teaming up since the early 90s on what's nominally Regi's weekly gig at the Nashville club 3rd and Lindley when they're all off the road, and squeezing in occasional tour dates between their other obligations.

In their last extended tour in 2013, they visited the studios of radio station WMMR in Philadelphia to record the version of "Sex in a Pan" - one of Victor's tunes, first heard on the Flecktones' 1992 album UFO Tofu - seen in the first video up above.

After the jump, you can see the Wooten Brothers' take on Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" during a 2013 gig in Virginia, followed by another clip with some more footage from the 2013 tour.

The fourth video is from 2014 at a jazz festival in Bratislava, Slovakia, and though it's billed as the Victor Wooten Band, the ensemble also includes Reggie and Roy on guitar and drums, plus keyboardist Karlton Taylor and saxophonist Bob Francheschini (who was here In St. Louis with Victor's trio earlier this year at the Old Rock House).

While Joseph missed out on that festival gig, you can see plenty of him in the final two clips, which are taken from the brothers' performance at his wedding reception this past February in Franklin, TN.

The penultimate clip picks up in mid-song with Victor showing off some bass thumping before the rest of the brothers come back in on what turns out to be version of the 1970s hit "Play That Funky Music." (Apparently even musicians as famous as the Wootens have to play some cover-band standards if they're doing a wedding gig...)

In the final clip, Joseph sings the soulful ballad "We Are All In This Together" with his son Jessie Wooten on drums, Victor on bass, and, eventually, everybody on background vocals.

For more about the Wooten Brothers, check out this brief interview with Victor, Roy and Joseph and this longer interview with Joseph, both from 2013.

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The 10th annual Record Store Day celebration will be held this year on Saturday, April 22, and yr. StLJN editor once again will be playing a small part in the festivities at Vintage Vinyl in University City, serving as a "guest DJ" spinning tunes on the in-house sound system for an hour starting at 4:00 p.m.

In addition to this year's special RSD releases, VV's all-day event will feature live bands outside, guest DJs inside, and free Schlafly beer. Other St. Louis stores participating in RSD 2017 include Euclid Records, Planet Score Records, Music Record Shop, and Kismet Creative Center.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn talked about his friendship with the late drummer and fellow former St. Louisan Phillip Wilson for an interview published on Do The Math, the blog of The Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson.

* Trumpeter and vibraphonist Joe Bozzi was profiled on KSDK's Show Me St. Louis in a segment by reporter Heidi Glaus highlighting his decades of service as a music teacher for schools in the St. Louis Archdiocese.

* Drummer Kimberly Thompson, back home this week for an educational residency at Jazz St. Louis and gigs this weekend at Jazz at the Bistro, is also back online in animated form, as the second episode of her children's program "Music Time with Kimberly Thompson" has been posted to YouTube. As part of that educational residency, Thompson returned to her alma mater Pattonville High School for a clinic with the school's jazz band. 

* Bassist, Washington University faculty member, and now, author Paul Steinbeck went to Chicago last month for a concert and book signing to promote Message To Our Folks, his new history of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and DownBeat magazine was there to cover the event.

* The weekly Wednesday night jam sessions at @Nesby's are the subject of a brief feature in St. Louis County Arts, a new blog started by Valerie Tichacek and writer/photographer Bill Motchan.

* Drummer and St. Louis native Andre Boyd, now living in New Orleans after leaving Cirque du Soleil's road show Quidam last year, was profiled by the New Zealand magazine elocal..

* Pioneering bassist Jimmy Blanton, who played his first professional gigs in the late 1930s with the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra in St. Louis before going on to fame with Duke Ellington's band, is one of 10 musicians eligible this year for election to Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz Hall of Fame. You can see a list of all the candidates and cast your vote by April 30 here.

* The 2017 Chesterfield Jazz Festival has announced this year's date and musical lineup. The free concert will be held Saturday, June 24 at the Chesterfield Amphitheater and will feature music from the Wooten Brothers, with bassist Victor Wooten, drummer Roy "Futureman" Wooton and siblings, along with Bach to the Future with Tracy Silverman, Anita Jackson, Soul Cafe, and Kim Fuller & Maurice Carnes.

Jazz this week: Emmet Cohen, Madeleine Peyroux, Victor Wooten, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes the local debut of a promising young pianist, a festival of student big bands, return appearances from a jazz-influenced singer and a virtuoso electric bassist, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, March 22
The NYC-based pianist Emmet Cohen will perform at the Curtain Call Lounge with his trio, which customarily features bassist Russell Hall, of the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and drummer Kyle Poole.

Praised by DownBeat for his “kaleidoscopic sense of musical narrative,” Cohen (pictured, top left) has played at jazz festivals including Monterey, Newport, North Sea, Bern, and Edinburgh, and performed, recorded or collaborated with Christian McBride, Herlin Riley, Kurt Elling, Billy Hart, Jimmy Heath, Brian Lynch, Lea DeLaria, and many others. His most recent album Masters Legacy Series, Vol. 1 features legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb, the only surviving musician from Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.

Note also that in addition to his free gig Wednesday as part of the Grand Center Jazz Crawl, Cohen and his trio also will perform in a ticketed concert on Thursday night at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Also on Wednesday, pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with saxophonist Larry Johnson will open a two-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro.

Thursday, March 23
With Washington University students back on campus after spring break, the Jazz at Holmes series will present a free concert featuring pianist Ken Kehner, accompanied by William Lenihan on bass and Montez Coleman on drums.

Friday, March 24
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will host the "Essentially Ellington" Regional Festival at Dunham Hall on the SIUE campus. Affiliate with the similarly named annual event at NYC's Jazz at Lincoln Center. The day-long festival will culminate in a public concert featuring performances from the participating high school bands; clinicians Zeb Briskovich, Rick Haydon, Adaron Jackson, Garrett Schmidt, Jason Swagler, and Miles Vandiver; and the SIUE Concert Jazz Band.

Also on Friday, the Funky Butt Brass Band will open a two-night gig at Jazz at the Bistro; the Midwest Jazz-tette returns to Evangeline's; and singer and impressionist Dean Christopher brings his "Rat Pack & More" show to the Kinda Blue Club.

Saturday, March 25
Pianist James Matthews plays an early-evening show at the Palomino Lounge, and singer Joe Mancuso, guitarist Dave Black and multi-instrumentalist R. Scott Bryan will team up for a concert at Focal Point.

Sunday, March 26
Miss Jubilee plays for brunch at Evangeline's, and the Folk School of KDHX will present their monthly matinee Traditional Jazz Jam Session.

Then on Sunday evening, singer and guitarist Madeleine Peyroux returns for two shows at the Old Rock House.

Squeezing this date into a brief break in her joint tour with singer Rickie Lee Jones, Peyroux (pictured, center left) will be accompanied by Steely Dan guitarist Jon Herington and Israeli-born bassist Barak Mori, performing a variety of music from her catalog including songs from her most recent release, 2016's Secular Hymns.

Also on Sunday evening, the Williams Brothers - trumpeter Joshua, saxophonist Jo-e’l, and pianist Jaydon - will perform together for a one-nighter at Jazz at the Bistro.

Monday, March 27
Dizzy Atmosphere plays Gypsy jazz and swing for diners at The Shaved Duck, and Webster University's student jazz combos will show off what they've learned so far this year in a free concert at Webster's Community Music School.

Tuesday, March 28
Bassist Victor Wooten (pictured, bottom left) returns for a performance with his trio, featuring the great drummer Dennis Chambers and saxophonist Bob Franceschini, at the Old Rock House.

The bass virtuoso, who made his name as a member of banjo player Bela Fleck's band the Flecktones, has been touring with this lineup since the end of last year, so they should be in fine form by the time they reach St. Louis.

Also on Tuesday, the Washington University Jazz Band, directed by Chris Becker, performs at Jazz at the Bistro; and BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups has a jazz double-header, with percussionist Joe Pastor's Legacy Jazz Ensemble playing in the early evening, followed by saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective.

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.)

Victor Wooten Trio set to play Tuesday, March 28 at Old Rock House

Bassist Victor Wooten is returning to St. Louis to perform at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 28 at the Old Rock House.

Wooten, known for his work with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones as well as for his solo career as a bandleader and educator, will be playing in a trio with drummer Dennis Chambers and saxophonist Bob Franceschini. He last visited St. Louis in 2012, playing with the Flecktones at The Sheldon and later with his own band at ORH.

Although Wooten (pictured) made headlines last fall with a hired-gun guest appearance on a track by the prog metal band Octavision, his next album, set to be released this year, will be a trio effort featuring Chambers and Franceschini. The trio toured Europe last fall and will be supporting the album release with U.S. dates this year.

The Victor Wooten Trio at the Old Rock House will be an all-ages show. Tickets are $30, and will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. this Thursday, January 19 via the venue website and all Metrotix outlets.

Jazz this week: Victor Wooten, Reggie and Mardra Thomas, and more

Though many StLJN readers may be getting time off for Independence Day, and some even enjoying a bit of additional vacation this week, the business of live jazz and creative music goes on. Here are few of the highlights happening in and around St. Louis for the next few days:

With regard to tonight, while there are a number of regular weekly gigs that usually happen around town on Wednesdays, remember that holiday schedules can be unpredictable in the bar/restaurant business. So while StLJN hasn't received any cancellation notices, we suggest that if you're setting out for a particular destination it would be a very good idea to call ahead first to make sure they're open (and that live music is going on as scheduled).

Tomorrow night, bassist Victor Wooten will be back in town to perform at the Old Rock House. Wooten (pictured) was here earlier this year with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, but this time around, he'll be promoting the upcoming release of his latest solo project, set for release in September. For more about that and Wooten, and to see some video clips of him in action, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Thursday, singer Jeanne Trevor, saxophonist Willie Akins, pianist and singer Curt Landes, and bassist Willem von Hombracht will team up for a show at Joe's Cafe, the house concert space and gallery operated by artist Bill Christman at 6014 Kingsbury Ave. in the Central West End.

On Friday and Saturday, pianist Reggie Thomas and singer Mardra Thomas will be at Jazz at the Bistro, returning to St. Louis for their first performances here since moving to Michigan last year so that Reggie could teach at Michigan State University. Look for the Thomases to be accompanied on the gig by some of Reggie's former musical colleagues from the SIUE jazz faculty, and for a good turnout at the Bistro to welcome the couple back home.

Also on Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham will be back at Jazz on Broadway; retro swing band Wack-A-Doo will perform at the Map Room; and pianist James Matthews will lead a trio at the Wine Press.

On Saturday, swing and jump blues band Miss Jubilee at the Humdingers will play in a free outdoor concert at Benton Park, which is at the intersection of Jefferson and Arsenal on the south side. They're second on the bill, following the Johnny Cash tribute act One More Round.

Then on Sunday, there are a couple more free outdoor shows, as the St. Louis Ragtimers perform in a concert at Carondelet Park, and the St. Charles Community Big Band will play at Frontier Park on the river in old St. Charles.

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.)

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Victor Wooten

This week, we're putting the bass right in your face, as we look at some video clips featuring bassist Victor Wooten, who's returning to St. Louis to perform this coming Thursday, July 5 at the Old Rock House.

Born in 1964 in Virginia, Wooten grew up as one of five brothers in a musical family. As an aspiring musician, he learned from the electric bass innovators of the 1970s, such as Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius and Larry Graham, and picked up on and developed their ideas and techniques successfully enough that as a mature player, he's now often mentioned alongside his influences as being one of the top electric bassists of the post-fusion era.

Wooten was in St. Louis most recently in March at the Sheldon Concert Hall, playing with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones; his last show here under his own name was in 2009 at the Pageant in a duo gig drummer J.D. Blair. And while he's still known for being a founding member of the Flecktones, Wooten also has been putting out solo albums since 1996, with a half-dozen releases so far as a leader.

His next effort, which comes out in September, actually will be two CDs offering different versions of the same group of original songs; Words & Tones will feature female singers interpreting Wooten's material, while Sword & Stone offers all-instrumental versions of those same songs, with alternate arrangements, solos and personnel. Besides his solo work and the Flecktones, Wooten also has been involved in various other projects over the years, playing with pianist Chick Corea's Elektrik Band, Vital Tech Tones and Bass Extremes, and touring and recording with fellow bassists Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller under the moniker SMV.

Given the opportunity, though, Wooten's technique is such that he can sound almost like a whole band all by himself, playing bass notes, chords and melodies at more or less the same time. In some ways, it's similar to what guitarist Charlie Hunter does, and like Hunter, Wooten often works in a duo format, the better to show off his chops without having to worry about sharing space with other musicians.

For next Thursday's show, the Old Rock House website specifically mentions the Victor Wooten Band, another of the bassist's projects that featuring his brothers Regi and Joseph Wooten on guitar and keyboards, respectively, plus Derico Watson on drums. However, that same blurb also makes reference to a 2010 tour, which suggests that it may have been taken from some older press material. Meanwhile, a recent wire story about Wooten's current activities lists the band's personnel as including both Watson and J.D. Blair, plus bassists Anthony Wellington, Steve Bailey and Dave Welsch, all of whom contributed to Wooten's upcoming CDs.

Today, however, we're going to concentrate on Wooten himself, starting in the first video up above, where you can see a half-hour's worth of one of his duo gigs with J.D. Blair in an clip that's undated (but fairly recent) and was recorded in Lucerne, France.

Down below, we've got four clips of Wooten playing solo. There's a version of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely," taped in April during a master class at a Virginia music school. Below that is Wooten's take on the gospel standard "Amazing Grace," recorded in 2010 at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show. Then there are two videos of Wooten doing some more free-form jamming, first in a video demo for EMG pickups and then at a gig in Budapest.

Finally, for those who may have wondered about the specifics of some of Wooten's techniques, our last clip today is an hour-long, in-depth instructional video featuring him demonstrating and discussing a number of his technical ideas and musical concepts.

Victor Wooten, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks coming in July to Old Rock House

The Old Rock House on Friday announced two shows scheduled for July that may be of potential interest to local jazz listeners:

* Bassist Victor Wooten (pictured), who was just here last month to play the Sheldon with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, will perform at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, July 5 at ORH. Wooten's most recent CD as a leader, Palmystery, came out back in 2008. He last played St. Louis with his own group in 2009 at The Pageant.

* The following week, singer/guitarist Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, known for blending swing, folk, Gypsy music, blues and rock with wry humor, will play at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 11. Hicks' most recent recordings are 2009's Tangled Tales and 2010's Crazy for Christmas.

Tickets for Wooten are priced at $25 in advance, $30 day of show, while tix for Hicks are $25. Tickets for both shows will go on sale at 5:00 p.m. next Friday, April 27.

Notes from the Net: Kind of Blue as business case study, Osby on tour, Brubeck recovering, plus news, reviews, interviews, and more

Delayed for a day because StLJN HQ was temporarily buried under an avalanche of chocolate eggs apparently left by a giant anthropomorphic bunny rabbit, here's the latest weekly compilation of 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:

* Starting, as we often do, with some Miles Davis-related links, the Wall Street Journal this past week had an interesting essay by John Edward Hasse, curator of American Music at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and the author of Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington, re-evaluating Kind of Blue on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

KoB now also has become a case study for Harvard Business School, in which the authors, HBS professor Robert D. Austin and Carl Størmer, praise Davis' "radical simplicity" as a means of reinvention that could work as well for business as it did in music. Lastly, here's a recent video interview with hip-hop producer Easy Mo Bee, in which he discusses, among many other subjects, his work producing Davis (pictured) on some of the trumpeter's final recording sessions.

* Saxophonist and St. Louis native Greg Osby, who was back home this past weekend to play at Jazz at the Bistro, is headed out on tour later this month with jam-band guitarist Jimmy Herring in support of Herring's new CD Lifeboat. Herring's tour band also includes drummer Jeff Sipe, keyboardist Scott Kinsey and bassist Oteil Burbridge.

* From the "coming attractions" file, here's the Associated Press' review of trumpeter Chris Botti's new CD/DVD, Chris Botti in Boston. Botti was here last month to do a benefit performance for St. Louis Children's Hospital, and will return in September to play the Fox Theatre. The trumpeter also was featured in a video for Newsweek magazine's Friday arts video series, "7 Things You Didn't Know About Chris Botti," which can be seen here.

* From the "recent visitors" file, there's some good news about pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, who's back home recovering after a two-week hospitalization for a viral infection. Brubeck's illness forced him to miss the premiere in California last week of a new orchestral work inspired by Ansel Adams. (His son Darius Brubeck performed in his place.) Before the concert, NPR recorded an interview with Brubeck about the new work, which you'll find here. Brubeck was in St. Louis most recently last fall to perform at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

* NPR also had a feature about drummer Matt Wilson's band Arts & Crafts and their new CD, The Scenic Route. Wilson was in St. Louis with his Quartet last week for a concert at the Black Cat Theatre.

* Here 's a review of bassist Victor Wooten's new book, The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth through Music. Wooten's most recent St. Louis gig was last month at The Pageant.

* If you're a fan of Return to Forever, you may be interested in this post over at Howard Mandel's blog Jazz Beyond Jazz about RTF's Al Di Meola, in which the guitarist "let it be known that he agrees that some of Return to Forever's music is bombastic -- and over-long! He describes 2008 RTF juggernaut as a nostalgia trip, fun for a while, but eventually not so much," and adds that "Chick Corea, despite his vaunted interest in communication, didn't pay attention to di Meola's opinion that audiences didn't want 20 minute unaccompanied solos and two-song second halves of concerts." RTF's reunion tour included a stop at St. Louis' Fox Theatre.

* Finally, a couple of items of more general interest, starting with a new issue of the fine jazz and creative music 'zine Point of Departure, which is now available online here.

* And, for those mulling the future of the music business in the digital era, Dave Allen, formerly of the rock band Gang of Four, recently wrote a blog post that provides a thought-provoking examination of "the end of the music album as an organizing principle" here.

Jazz this week: Victor Wooten, Rachael Price, Funky Butt Brass Band, and more

There's plenty of interesting stuff on tap for jazz fans in St. Louis over the next few days, including visits from two touring musicians and a couple of free concerts featuring two of the area's talented jazz pianists.

The first of those free shows is tonight, when keyboard player Adaron "Pops" Jackson performs in a free concert at the newly renovated Soulard Preservation Hall as part of Jazz St. Louis' Whitaker Community Concerts series. Jackson, who also plays with Good 4 The Soul, and members of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra will perform the music of legendary alto saxophonist and bebop progenitor Charlie Parker.

On Friday, bass virtuoso Victor Wooten, best known for his work with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, takes the stage at The Pageant. In general, Wooten's solo projects seems to be a bit more funk-oriented than the Flecktones, but the bassist also displays a similarly wide range of musical influences, and of course, he's got the sort of chops that bring out the guitar-magazine-reading, bass-fanboy contingent in droves. Depending on your point of view, this may or may not be a good thing, but there's no doubt Wooten can flat out play.

Also on Friday, the Funky Butt Brass Band opens a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. The six-member group draws on jazz, funk and the New Orleans brass band tradition, mixing in some unexpected song choices and interpretations of their own. After a busy Mardi Gras season, they should be well-lubricated for their debut appearance at the Bistro.

On Saturday, singer Rachael Price (pictured) performs at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The 23-year-old Price, born in Australia and raised in Nashville, is considered by some critics to be one of the more promising new female jazz vocalists of the last few years. For example, writing in the Los Angeles Times, the respected veteran jazz critic and producer Don Heckman said that "she is clearly a talent with extraordinary potential."

However, from what (admittedly little) I've seen and heard of her so far, Price still seems a little green to be a major headliner, a talented youngster trying a bit too hard to mimic the sound and persona of an older, wiser and more world-weary woman. For my money, she sounds most natural on the country/jazz/bluegrass recording she made with the group The Tennessee Terraplanes, but Price seems determined to try to be another Ella Fitzgerald or Nancy Wilson.

As is always the case in such subjective matters, your mileage may vary, and I suppose if nothing else, it's good that the Sheldon is taking a chance on a new talent. (Price fans, if you're out there, please feel free to try to turn me around by pointing me to any online audio or video that showcases her jazz singing in a better light. )

On Sunday, there's another free concert, featuring the Ptah Williams Trio with singer Marsha Evans at Second Baptist Church in Richmond Heights as part of the church's St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers series. Williams' combination of harmonic sophistication and sheer pianistic force is always impressive, and it should be fun to hear Evans, a shrewd and gutsy singer and entertainer who's usually heard around town singing blues, soul and R&B with her own group, the Marsha Evans Coalition, go to work on some jazz material.

As always, these are just a few of the highlights happening around St. Louis over the next few days; to see listing for more jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

(If you have calendar items, band schedule information, news tips, links, or anything else you think may be of interest to StLJN's readers, please email the information to stljazznotes (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you have photos, MP3s or other digital files, please send links, not attachments.)

Victor Wooten coming to The Pageant on Friday, March 13

Victor Wooten, best known for his virtuoso electric bass playing with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, is coming to St. Louis with drummer J. D. Blair to perform at The Pageant on Friday, March 13.

Tickets for the show go on sale at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, January 9, and can be purchased online, at The Pageant Box Office and at all Ticketmaster outlets. For the first week, there's a special "buy three, get one free" deal; see the Web site or inquire at the ticket outlet for details.