Jazz at Holmes series announces Fall 2014 schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University has announced their schedule of free concerts for the Fall 2014 semester.

The series begins this Thursday, September 11, with a reunion performance by Tracer, the jazz-fusion trio featuring keyboardist Ptah Williams (pictured), bassist Darrell Mixon, and drummer Gary Sykes.

As has been the custom in recent years, the series also includes a couple of themed programs. The first, a look back at the Gaslight Square entertainment district of the late 1950s and early '60s, will take place on Thursday, September 25 and will be preceded by a short panel discussion featuring pianist Dave Venn, trumpeter Bob Ceccarini, and saxophonist Freddie Washington, who all gigged at various establishments in Gaslight Square, and Wash U professors Pat Burke and William Lenihan.

The second, "Freedom Summer '64: A Love Supreme" will take place on Thursday, October 9, and will feature the music of John Coltrane as performed by Washington, Lenihan, Paul DeMarinis, Maurice Carnes, Steve Davis, Kara Baldus, and others.

The complete schedule for the semester is:

Thursday, September 11: Tracer
Thursday, September 18: Vince Varvel
Thursday, September 25: "Gaslight Square" with Bob Ceccarini, Scott Alberici, Wayne Coniglio, William Lenihan, Eric Stiller and Steve Davis.

Thursday, October 2: Brian Vaccaro Trio
Thursday, October 9: "Freedom Summer '64: A Love Supreme"
Thursday, October 23: Bob DeBoo plays the music of Charles Mingus
Thursday, October 30: Adam Schefkind

Thursday, November 6: Mike Buerck Orchestra
Thursday, November 20: Jeff Anderson Quartet

Thursday, December 6: Wash U Student Jazz Combo

Presented most Thursday evenings when school is in session, the Jazz at Holmes concerts are free and open to the public. Concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall, located on Washington University’s campus at the west end of the Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives.

So What: Local News, Notes and Links

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

* Trumpeter Jim Manley's recently released album Chilled Brass was reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello of AllAboutJazz.com.

* Meanwhile, Fast Friends, the new recording from trombonists Wayne Coniglio and Scott Whitfield, got a review from AAJ's Jack Bowers.

* Marty Ehrlich's most recent album Trumpet In The Morning, for which the multi-instrumentalist put down his various horns to conduct his original compositions arranged for big band, was reviewed by Troy Dostert of The Free Jazz Collective blog.

* Drummer Kimberly Thompson (pictured) of The Late Show with Seth Meyers has posted a new recording, A Child's Eyes, on iTunes. It features 14 of Thompson's original compositions performed by a quartet that also includes Eden Ladin (piano), Aaron Burnett (tenor sax), and Nick Jozwiak (bass).

* The June episode of HEC-TV's State of the Arts, which offers a look at the current local popularity of swing dancing and vintage jazz bands, is available for viewing online.

* A story by Allison Babka of the Riverfront Times this week revealed that the main location of the St. Louis Public Library downtown has a basic but functional recording studio available for library patrons to use for free.

* In this week's update from actor/director Don Cheadle on his forthcoming Miles Davis film, which is scheduled to begin shooting this month in Cincinnati, here's the latest as told by Cheadle to Down Beat magazine, the Times of India, and on a recent episode of The Queen Latifah Show. The IndieGoGo campaign to raise an additional $325,000 for the film ends on July 10.

* Hip 96.3 HD-3 has posted on Facebook a photo album from last Saturday's Chesterfield Jazz Festival.

* Speaking of photo sets, here's one from St. Louisan and Cirque du Soleil drummer Andre Boyd's recent drum clinic at Sound Attak in London.

* Also on the promotional tip, Bob Walther of Strictly Audio STL was quoted extensively in a news release from Soundcraft about his use of the company's Si Expression mixing console.

* Jazz St. Louis has posted their 2014-15 season brochure online.

* Jazz radio update: On this week's episode “Somethin’ Else” on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis, host Calvin Wilson pays a virtual visit to the Village Vanguard with live recordings made at the famed NYC club by musicians including pianist Geri Allen, trumpeter Woody Shaw, guitarist Marc Ribot, and more. "Somethin' Else" can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Elsewhere on the radio dial, Dennis Owsley's "Jazz Unlimited" program will begin re-broadcasting Owsley's ten-part audio documentary on "The Jazz History of St. Louis"  starting this Sunday. "Jazz Unlimited" airs from 9:00 p.m. to midnight Sundays on KWMU/St. Louis Public Radio (90.7 FM), and also can be heard online at http://www.stlpublicradio.org/listen.php.

Jazz this week: Tim Cunningham and Jim Stevens, Oleta Adams, Wayne Coniglio's live recording, Larry Brown Jr., and more

While St. Louis no longer has a major jazz festival in June since the demise a couple of years ago of the St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, that doesn't mean the local scene is completely devoid of jazz and creative music activity this time of year. Here's what's going on around town this weekend...

Tonight, trombonist (and sometimes bassist) Wayne Coniglio will perform with his band and guest trombonist Scott Whitfield for a live CD recording session at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Whitfield is perhaps best known for his ten years as lead trombonist for NYC's Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra; the band also will include Ken Kehner (piano), Eric Warren (bass) and Kevin Gianino (drums).

On Thursday, singer Erin Bode and her band will perform a free outdoor concert in downtown Kirkwood as part of the city's annual summer concert series.

On Friday and Saturday, St. Louis gets its own local version of one of those contemporary jazz package shows, as the R&B-oriented saxophonists Tim Cunningham (pictured) and Jim Stevens will team up for the first time to perform at Jazz at the Bistro.

Also on Friday, Michael Silverman's Classical Jazz Quartet (basically the Downtown Trio plus one) will perform at the Focal Point; Chicago-based guitarist Larry Brown Jr. is playing at Robbie's House of Jazz; guitarist Dave Black's trio, with drummer Kevin Gianino and bassist Willem von Hombracht, will perform at the Cigar Inn in Belleville; and the Original Knights of Swing will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

That same evening, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra will present "Vegas and the Rat Pack," with orchestral versions of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr featuring singer and conductor Matt Catingub and singer Anita Hall.

Also on Saturday, Swing Set will perform in the afternoon at Montelle Winery, and that evening Robbie's has drummer Brian Sullivan's trio, with Dave Becherer on keyboards and Darrell Mixon on bass.

On Sunday, the jazz-influenced singer Oleta Adams will perform at the Missouri History Museum as part of a Juneteenth commemoration.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday drummer Joe Pastor's trio will play at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups, and on Tuesday, Robbie's will present their weekly open jam session.

For more jazz-related events in St. Louis this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found on the left sidebar of the site or by clicking here. You also can keep up with all the latest news by following St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes or clicking the "Like" icon on the StLJN Facebook page.

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

(Edited after posting to add details on Erin Bode, SLSO and Swing Set.)

The Sheldon adds jazz to summer schedule

The Sheldon has added three performances to its summer schedule that may be of interest to StLJN readers:

* Singer Sylvia McNair will present a cabaret performance in the Sheldon's upstairs ballroom at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14.

McNair is known primarily for her work in classical music, but in recent years also has performed selections from "the Great American Songbook" and Broadway in cabaret settings like this one. (In fact, she did a similar program at the Sheldon last year at this time.) Tickets are $45 and are available now via Metrotix.

* Multi-instrumentalist Wayne Coniglio will perform with his band and guest trombonist Scott Whitfield for a live CD recording session at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 15 in the Sheldon's concert hall.

Whitfield is based in NYC and has extensive experience with both small groups and big bands, including the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, for whom he was lead trombonist for a decade. Coniglio, who plays both trombone and bass, will concentrate on the 'bone for this outing, and the band also will include Ken Kehner (piano), Eric Warren (bass) and Kevin Gianino (drums). Tickets are $10 at the door.

* Vocal duo The Cunninghams (pictured) will be "coming home one mo' time" for a performance at 8:00 p.m. Friday, August 5 in the concert hall.

Multi-instrumentalist Don Cunningham, a veteran of the Gaslight Square era in St. Louis, and his wife, singer and pianist Alicia Cunningham, currently live in Las Vegas but have returned to St. Louis to perform and reunite with old friends several times in recent years.

(The picture accompanying this post was taken at one of those previous shows at the Sheldon, and borrowed from the Cunninghams' MySpace page. They are standing at left, and also out front are, from left to right, singer Mae Wheeler, saxophonist Chuck Tillman and percussionist Percy James.)

For more about Don Cunningham and his history in St. Louis, see this post. Tickets for The Cunninghams' August 5 concert at the Sheldon are $25 and are on sale now via Metrotix.

Jazz this week: Peter Martin, Jim Manley, Tim Cunningham, and more

While there are no major touring jazz headliners passing through St. Louis this week, there are several noteworthy shows from locally based musicians coming up over the next few days.

Tonight, trombonist/bassist Wayne Coniglio will do a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, while guitarist Tom Byrne's trio performs at the St. Louis Jazz Cafe.

Tomorrow, pianist Peter Martin, a St. Louis native who has worked with jazz luminaries such as Dianne Reeves, Chris Botti and Christian McBride, will play a free solo piano concert in the Grigg Gallery of the Saint Louis Art Museum as part of SLAM's "Art After Five" series. For more on Martin and a couple of video samples, see this post from last Saturday

Also on Friday, the hard-swinging trumpeter Jim Manley (pictured) returns to Jazz at the Bistro to open a two-night stand. I quite enjoyed Manley's latest CD, Eight, and though he gigs around town frequently in a duo setting and with various other ensembles, this weekend should give him a good chance to stretch out a bit playing straight-ahead jazz with a full rhythm section.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Jazz Cafe this weekend will emphasize smooth jazz, with the band 3 Central on Friday night and two shows from the popular saxophonist Tim Cunningham on Saturday.

As always, these are just some of the notable performances coming up around town; for more listings of jazz-related events in St. Louis 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.)

Jazz at Holmes annnounces summer schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University has announced its schedule of free concerts for summer 2009.

Pianist and former St. Louisan Linda Presgrave and her quintet will kick off the series at 8:00 p.m., Thursday, June 11, with concerts to follow on subsequent Thursdays through July 23 (except July 2). .

Other performers for summer 2009 will include pianist Curt Landes, the Legacy Jazz Quintet, trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber (pictured), trombonist Wayne Coniglio and pianist Nathan Jatcko. Here's the complete schedule:

Thursday, June 11: Linda Presgrave Quintet
Thursday, June 18: Curt Landes
Thursday, June 25: Legacy Jazz Quintet
Thursday, July 9: Dawn Weber
Thursday, July 16: Wayne Coniglio
Thursday, July 23: Nathan Jatcko Quartet

All Jazz at Holmes concerts are free and open to the public. Holmes Lounge is located in Ridgley Hall, on the west side of Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives. For more information, call Sue Taylor at 314-862-0874 or send email to staylor@wustl.edu.

Jazz this week: Support your local jazz musicians

With a record-setting heat wave in St. Louis this week, just about anyone who can is hunkering down somewhere air-conditioned and/or moving about as little as humanly possible.

And though these dog days of mid-August find our town once again devoid of touring jazz musicians for the weekend, our stalwart locals will be performing as always for your edification and entertainment. Should you dare to brave the infernoesque temperatures and soupy humidity long enough to transport yourself to a local nightspot, there's a good chance you'll enjoy one or more of the following:

Tonight, Jeff Anderson's Positive Energy Quartet is playing at Brandt's.

On Friday, trombonist (and bassist) Wayne Coniglio teams up with multi-woodwind player and singer Elsie Parker (pictured), best known for her work with the French-accented musical group The Poor People of Paris, to perform at Cookie's Jazz and More.

Then on Saturday, the very fine pianist Ptah Williams brings his trio to Cookie's, while singer Anita Rosamond returns to Finale Music and Dining, this time with a show focused on 1960s and 1970s pop and soul.

And last, but certainly not least, singer Mae "Lady Jazz" Wheeler will be at Brandt's on Sunday for another of her late afternoon/early evening performances.

These are your jazzmen and jazzwomen, St. Louis (and you can find a few more local jazz-related events any time you like simply by visiting the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar).

These hard-working men and women are out there doing their best, even in this undeniably blistering weather, to bring some cool music to our collective ears - so get on out this weekend and show some support, OK? (Reliable sources tell me that not only are the aforementioned nightspots air-conditioned, they also serve cold beverages along with the music. So seriously, the heat is no excuse not to go. )

(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.)