Jazz this week: David Sanborn, U City Jazz Festival, two Miles Davis tributes, and more

It's a week to celebrate St. Louis' hometown jazz heroes, as the calendar of upcoming jazz and creative music performances includes the return of the best-known living jazz musician who grew up here; a couple of tributes to the most famous St. Louis-area jazz musician of them all; plus plenty of other noteworthy gigs featuring local players. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 6
Saxophonist David Sanborn (pictured, top left) is back home with his new quintet for the first of four nights of performances at Jazz St. Louis.

You can see some videos of Sanborn's new band and find out more about what he's be up to recently in this post from last Saturday.

Also on Wednesday, multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris is the featured performer this week at Missouri Botanical Garden's Whitaker Music Festival.

Thursday, June 7
Eclectic instrumental quartet The 442s will play at Joe's Cafe & Art Gallery; saxophonist Vince Sala leads a trio at The Pat Connolly Tavern; and saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet continues their month-long residency at The Dark Room.

Friday, June 8
Trumpeter Randy Holmes will lead a quintet for the first night of the "3rd Annual Miles Davis Festival" at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, expanding the group to a sextet for Saturday's performance.

Elsewhere around town, the Brooklyn, NY-based jam band Ikebe Shakedown plays "cinematic instrumental soul" at the Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, and the Funky Butt Brass Band will perform at Beale on Broadway.

Over on the east side, saxophonist Freddie Washington leads a trio at Cigar Inn, and Eckert's in Belleville presents a free outdoor concert from "Trombonanza," featuring trombonists Mark Kellogg, Jim Martin, Aaron Eckert and Brendan Lanighan,

Saturday, June 9
The U City Jazz Festival runs from mid-afternoon through the evening at Heman Park, with a lineup that includes a tribute to Stanley Clarke from the Fusion Warriors, plus sets from Bach to the Future, Joe Mancuso, Soul Cafe, Mo Egeston (pictured, bottom left), Maurice Carnes and the Avant Gardians, and Morphelonious.

Also on Saturday, Alton's annual "Miles Davis Jazz Festival" will feature music from saxophonist Fred Walker, guitarist Tim Jarden, singer Saman Swanson, and Retro Boogie at the Jacoby Arts Center; and the Jazz Edge Orchestra and guest trombonists Steve Turre, Steve Davis and Andre Hayward will present a "Tribute to J.J. Johnson" at Harris-Stowe State University's Emerson Performance Center.

Sunday, June 10
The Arcadia Dance Orchestra will perform a matinee at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, and Miss Jubilee plays a free outdoor concert at Carondelet Park.

Monday, June 11
Dizzy Atmosphere plays swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck.

Tuesday, June 12
Pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True will be joined by singer Joe Mancuso for a "Notes From Home" concert at The Sheldon.

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: "Songs of Freedom," Ramsey Lewis, Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya, and more

It's another jam-packed week of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with two esteemed pianists appearing back-to-back at one of the city's best-sounding halls; a retrospective of music from three of the 1960s' most provocative female vocalists, starring a St. Louis native; a couple of events raising scholarship money for local music students; and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, April 11
Drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. presents his show "Songs of Freedom," with featured vocalists Joanna Majoko and St. Louis' own Alicia Olatuja, for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro. Developed by Owens for Jazz at Lincoln Center, the production explores the 1960s through the music of Joni Mitchell, Abbey Lincoln, and Nina Simone.

Also on Wednesday, trumpeter Jim Manley is back at Sasha's Wine Bar, and the weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features saxophonist Andy Ament at The Stage at KDHX, a jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's band at The Dark Room.

Thursday, April 12
Saxophonist Ben Reece’s Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room and pianist Adam Maness' trio will be back at Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, April 13
Pianist Ramsey Lewis (pictured, top left) is the headline attraction at the Sheldon Concert Hall's annual benefit gala. The concert is billed as Lewis playing the music of the Beatles,  but don't be surprised if he slips in a couple of his own hits like "The In Crowd" or "Sun Goddess" along with his interpretations of the Fab Four.  As usual with their benefit performances, the Sheldon is offering a limited number of concert-only tickets; contact their box office for availability.

Also on Friday, the Webster Groves Concert Hall reopens for the spring with "Take the "A" Train Cabaret," featuring storyteller and comedian Bobby Norfolk, pianist Tom George, and singer Beverly Brennan; saxophonist Tim Cunningham plays smooth jazz and R&B at Troy's Jazz Gallery; and singer Anita Jackson will be working the late shift at The Dark Room.

Saturday, April 14
On Saturday afternoon, Miss Jubilee will perform at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe as part of the Friends of Scott Joplin's new monthly series there.

Saturday evening, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim (pictured, bottom left) and his band Ekaya, featuring trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, will present "Jazz Epistles - The Story in Concert" at the Sheldon Concert Hall. 

The Jazz Epistles were one of Ibrahim's first bands, bringing a hard bop sound modeled on Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers to his native South Africa in the late '50s, and he's been touring this tribute show since last year with various trumpeters standing in for the late Hugh Masekela, who was part of the original Jazz Epistles and had planned to . For more about Ibrahim and this retrospective show, plus a video from this current tour and more, check out this post from last Saturday.
 
Also on Saturday, pianist Greg Mills will present original improvisations in a free concert at St. Louis University's Xavier Hall; the Midwest Jazz-tette plays West Coast jazz at the Webster Groves Concert Hall; and Acoustik Element will be joined by percussionists Baba Mike and Matt Henry for a show at Joe's Cafe & Art Gallery.

Sunday, April 15
There's more matinee action on Sunday , as singer Joe Mancuso brings his organ trio to the house concert venue The Judson House, and drummer Chuck Kennedy, pianist Curt Landes, bassist Glen Smith, and singers Valerie Tichacek, Trish Richardson and Tom Kozlowski will present their take on Liverpool's most famous hitmakers, "The Beatles Go Jazz," at the Webster Groves Concert Hall.

Also on Sunday, Jazz St. Louis presents "Swing For The Scholars," a benefit raising money for music scholarships for local students with entertainment provided by Denise Thimes, Good 4 The Soul, members of the Funky Butt Brass Band, and more.

Monday, April 16
The music department at Webster University will present their annual Suzy Shepard and Donald O. Davis Scholarship Concert, featuring students, faculty and perhaps even some alumni performing music associated with Ella Fitzgerald, at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus. 

Tuesday, April 17
Improvisational keyboardist Thollem, violinist Alex Cunningham, and singer/pianist Ellen the Felon will perform on a triple bill at Foam; and drummer Montez Coleman and guitarist Eric Slaughter will host "The Tuesday Night Hit" jam session at The Dark Room.

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: Jeremy Davenport comes home, Althea Rene & Elan Trotman's "Holiday Winds," and more

If you'd like some jazz and creative music to go with this year's Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings, here's what's happening on local stages over the next few days...

Wednesday, November 22
The weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" will feature guitarists Jake Weisman and Eric Slaughter at Squatters Cafe/The Stage at KDHX, along with the weekly jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor and band at The Dark Room.

Friday, November 24
Trumpeter and singer Jeremy Davenport, who grew up in U City and now resides in New Orleans, will be back in his hometown for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Davenport (pictured, top left) has a regular house gig at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New Orleans, and generally only makes it home once a year to do these shows, so they should be well-attended, with advance reservations a must. 

Also on Friday, Miss Jubilee will promote the release of a new CD, Throw Me In The Alley, with a show at  Focal Point; singer Chuck Flowers does the late show at The Dark Room; and Samba Bom will provide some Brazilian music to go with the Spanish cuisine at Barcelona Tapas Restaurant.

Saturday, November 25
Cornetist Bill Mason of the St. Louis Ragtimers will sit in with The Gaslight Squares for a matinee at Blues City Deli.

Saturday evening, flute player Althea Rene (pictured, bottom left) and saxophonist Elan Trotman will headline two performances of "Holiday Winds" at the Emerson Theater at Harris Stowe State University, with St. Louis'  Coleman Hughes Project as the opening act.

Sunday, November 26
The Webster Groves Concert Hall will host the musical equivalent of what used to be called a "day/night doubleheader" in baseball, with singer Wendy Gordon performing in the afternoon and drummer Chuck Kennedy and friends presenting "The Beatles Go Jazz" in the evening.

Also on Sunday, the Folk School of KDHX presents their monthly "Traditional Jazz Jam Session," and Wright's Project plays jazz-fusion and funk at Troy's Jazz Gallery.

Monday, November 27
Dizzy Atmosphere will play Gypsy jazz and swing for diners at The Shaved Duck, and trumpeter Jim Manley will does his weekly gig at Momo's Greek Restaurant.

Tuesday, November 28
Erin Bode, Arvell Keithley, Brian Owens and Alan Ox will sing music by Al Hammerman in a benefit for the organization "Kids Rock Cancer" at the Ferring Jazz Bistro.

Also on Tuesday, "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups downtown, while out in St. Charles County, saxophonist Larry Johnson, pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True will play The Rack House Kitchen Wine Whiskey.

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: Russell Gunn's "Blackhawk Revisited," Cécile McLorin Salvant, and more

There's some interesting jazz and creative music on local stages this week in St. Louis, including only the second local performance ever by a highly acclaimed young singer, and a re-examination of music from an oft-overlooked period of Miles Davis' career, courtesy of a trumpeter raised in Davis' hometown.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, November 15
Trumpeter Russell Gunn, who grew up in East St. Louis and now lives in Atlanta, will be back home with his "Blackhawk Revisited" project for the first of four nights, continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

"Blackhawk Revisited" is dedicated to exploring the music of Miles Davis in the early 1960s, post-Kind of Blue and before the formation of his "Second Great Quintet." To lend authenticity and elder wisdom to the proceedings, Gunn (pictured, top left) has enlisted 88-year-old drummer Jimmy Cobb, who played with Davis during those years (and is the last participant from Kind of Blue still living) . You can find out more about the project, and see some videos of them in action, plus an interview with Cobb, in this post from last Saturday.

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, this week's "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features guitarist Eric Slaughter and bassist Glen Smith at Squatters Cafe, the new name for the front half of The Stage at KDHX, plus the weekly jam session hosted by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor and band at The Dark Room.

Thursday, November 16
The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University presents a free concert featuring the "Arc of Light Ensemble," which includes guitarist and series curator William Lenihan, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis, trumpeter Randy Holmes, trombonist Wayne Coniglio, pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Paul Steinbeck, and drummer Montez Coleman.

Also on Thursday, the UMSL Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band, and choral group Vocal Point will give a free concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, trumpeter Jim Manley plays The Pat Connolly Tavern, and percussionist Joe Pastor returns to The Dark Room

Friday, November 17
Drummer Steve Davis' "Super Band" featuring singer Feyza Eren returns to the Webster Groves Concert Hall, while just down the street, The 442s will be back to perform at Cyrano's.

Elsewhere around town, the Sentimental Journey Big Band will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom, and Miss Jubilee returns to the Moonshine Blues Bar in St. Charles.

Saturday, November 18
Singer Cécile McLorin Salvant, one of the most talked-about jazz vocalists to emerge in the last decade, returns for a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

With one Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Vocal Album" already in her trophy case at age 28, Salvant (pictured, bottom left) has a distinctive sound that is both rooted in the tradition and quite contemporary. You can find out more about her and see some videos of recent performances in this post from a couple of weeks ago.

Also on Saturday, saxophonist Jeanette Harris will play smooth jazz and R&B in two shows at .ZACK; Thaxton Speakeasy will celebrate ten years in business with an event aptly named "A Decade of Decadence," featuring music from Annie & the Fur Trappers; and saxophonist Dave Stone and his trio are performing at Thurman's in Shaw.

Sunday, November 19
It's a Sunday made for matinees, as the St. Louis Jazz Club presents the Funky Butt Brass Band at the DoubleTree Hotel in Westport, while the Midwest Jazz-tette will bring their West Coast sound to the Webster Groves Concert Hall.

If you're looking to make it a full day of music, you can catch either one of those gigs and probably still make it to the debut performance of the Arcadia Dance Orchestra, a new 11-piece vintage jazz group fronted by cornetist and singer TJ Muller, at The Stage at KDHX.

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: Alton Jazz and Wine Festival, Koplant No, a Horace Silver tribute, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features the return of a rising jazz star with local roots, a tribute to an iconic pianist and composer, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, September 6
The "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" presents guitarist/vocalist Jeremy Jacobs at KDHX's Magnolia Cafe;  a jam session with bassist Bob Deboo and friends at the Kranzberg Arts Center;  and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor and band at The Dark Room.

Also on Wednesday, trumpeter Jim Manley plays his weekly gig at Sasha's Wine Bar.

Thursday, September 7
Saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet returns to the The Dark Room, and pianist Adam Maness' trio will be back at Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, September 8
The annual St. Louis Art Fair opens in downtown Clayton, running through Sunday afternoon with free live music from singer Wendy Gordon, Feyza Eren, and Erin Bode; guitarist Dave Black; the  Jazz St. Louis All-Stars, Jim Widner Big Band, and more. (Check the fair's website or the StLJN calendar for days and set times.)

Also on Friday, electronic jazz-fusion band Koplant No begins a two-night gig recording a live album at Jazz at the Bistro, and singer-guitarist Tommy Halloran promotes his latest release with a show at Focal Point.

Elsewhere around town, singer Tony Viviano returns to Fortel's Pizza Den in Creve Coeur, singer Ralph Williams is back at Cigar Inn and the St. Louis Big Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, September 9
The free Alton Jazz & Wine Festival at the Alton Amphitheater will feature a headlining set from trumpeter and Ferguson native Keyon Harrold (pictured, top left), plus music from pianist Ptah Williams, the Funky Butt Brass Band, and trumpeter Dawn Weber.

Also on Saturday, Carolbeth True will be on the piano bench for a "Tribute to Horace Silver" at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, joined by trumpeter Randy Holmes, saxophonist Larry Smith, bassist Eric Warren and drummer Kevin Gianino; and the University of Missouri's ZouM New Music Ensemble, featuring members of the school's music faculty, will play a free concert at 560 Music Center.

Sunday, September 10
The St. Louis Record and CD Collector's Show will take place at the American Czech Educational Center in south St. Louis, and trumpeter/vibraphonist Joe Bozzi and band will present a matinee performance at the St. Margaret Mary Alacoque parish hall.

Monday, September 11
Jazz faculty from Webster University will join forces for "The Jazz Legacy of Atlantic Records 1955-1975" at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus. The performance will feature music from the label's roster of jazz artists during that period, which included Ornette Coleman, John Lewis and the Modern Jazz Quartet, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Charles Lloyd, Mose Allison, Chris Connor, Eddie Harris, and Les McCann.

Tuesday, September 12
The Missouri History Museum's "Twilight Tuesdays" series will present a free concert featuring singer Anita Jackson and guitarist Eric Slaughter.

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: Herbie Hancock, Louis Armstrong Festival, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features the return of one of the most important living jazz musicians for one night only, a two-night tribute to the first superstar soloist in jazz, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Thursday, 
August 10
Keyboardist Herbie Hancock will perform in a concert presented by Jazz St. Louis at Powell Hall.

With a new album reportedly in the works, Hancock (pictured) also has a new addition to his live band, with saxophonist/keyboardist Terrace Martin joining guitarist Lionel Loueke, bassist James Genus and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta in the group.

Some tickets for the concert still remained on sale as of end of business on Wednesday, but if you haven't gotten seats yet and want to go, you'll probably want to call ahead rather than just walk up to the box office.

To promote his St. Louis show, Hancock did brief interviews with St. Louis magazine's Erin Williams, St. Louis Public Radio's David Cazares, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson. Also, you can see some videos spanning Hancock's 50+ years in the music business in this StLJN post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Also on Thursday night, bassist and singer Tonina Saputo leads a quartet at The Dark Room, and guitarist Dave Black and singer Tony Vivano will perform at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, August 11
The second annual "Louis Armstrong Festival of St. Louis" will be presented for the first of two nights at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, featuring music associated with Armstrong performed by a band featuring trumpeters Randy Holmes and Robert Souza, trombonist Brett Stamps, clarinetist Scott Alberici, pianist Mary Ann Schulte, drummer Kevin Gianino, bassist Bob Lowe and guitarist/banjoist Dan Stevens. 

You can see StLJN's video tribute to the 116th anniversary of Armstrong's birth in this post from last Saturday.  

Also on Friday, guitarist Eric Slaughter and bassist Glen Smith will duet at Parkside Grille in Ballwin, and the Ambassadors of Swing will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, August 12 
Guitarist Stuart Johnson will play a matinee show at The Shaved Duck, and then on Saturday evening, Dizzy Atmosphere will perform for the "Garden of Glass" event at Missouri Botanical Garden, singer Joe Mancuso returns to Bartolino's South and trumpeter Jim Manley is back at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar.

Sunday, August 13
Miss Jubilee returns for the weekly jazz brunch at Evangeline's, Red Lehr and the Rivermen will play a matinee for the St. Louis Jazz Club at the DoubleTree Hotel in Westport, and saxophonist Tim Cunningham will perform at Mount Pleasant Winery.

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: Happy birthday, Louis Armstrong!

This week, StLJN is celebrating the legacy of the iconic trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong with some vintage videos, for a couple of reasons.

First, yesterday (Friday, August 4) was the 116th anniversary of Armstrong's birth. During his lifetime, he claimed to have been born on July 4, 1900, but years after after his death, researchers uncovered information showing that Armstrong's true date of birth was in fact August 4, 1901. As a result, fans now celebrate on both days.

Second, there's an Armstrong-related event coming up next week in St. Louis, as a band led by trumpeter Randy Holmes will be presenting the second annual "Louis Armstrong Festival of St. Louis" next Friday, August 11 and Saturday, August 12 at the Webster Groves Concert Hall.

Holmes will be joined by fellow trumpeter Robert Souza, Brett Stamps (trombone), Scott Alberici (clarinet), Mary Ann Schulte (piano), Kevin Gianino (drums), Bob Lowe (bass) and Dan Stevens (banjo, guitar) for two nights of performances of music associated with Armstrong.

To commemorate both occasions, here's a selection of Armstrong videos, starting up above with a 1964 show from Australia that recently surfaced online.

Continuing after the jump with some "editor's picks" of personal favorites, the second video represents one of Armstrong's earliest filmed appearances, as he performed "I Cover The Waterfront", "Dinah" and "Tiger Rag" in 1933 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

That's followed by performances of "Up A Lazy River," "Old Rockin' Chair," and "When The Saints Go Marching In" from the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, as filmed for the popular documentary Jazz on A Summer's Day.

Below that, there's a clip from 1959 that may be the only footage of Armstrong in the recording studio, re-discovered and made available last year by the Louis Armstrong House Museum, the official repository of the trumpeter's archives and keepers of his legacy. It was shot while Armstrong was recording the album Satchmo Plays King Oliver, and shows him and the band recording the master take of "I Ain't Got Nobody," plus silent footage of them listening to the playback.

The penultimate video is from 1962, and was made as an episode of "Goodyear Jazz Concert," a series of short films for television produced by the Goodyear tire company. Since it originally was shot on 35mm film and recorded in stereo, it offers a more high fidelity look and sound than a lot of the available video of Armstrong.

The final clip features Armstrong and Mahalia Jackson teaming up to perform "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" at the 1970 Newport Jazz Festival.

For more about Louis Armstrong, check out the Louis Armstrong House Museum official site, Armstrong's page at RedHotJazz.com and the tribute site Satchmo.net. For an historic appreciation of his musical and cultural significance, there's also "The Artistry of 'Pops': Louis Armstrong at 100", a presentation put together back in 2000 by the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University that features trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and critic Stanley Crouch.

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

Jazz this week: Shawn Maxwell's New Tomorrow, The People's Key, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features a couple of multi-artist performances of experimental music, an up-and-coming new contemporary jazz quintet from Chicago, plus some local favorites. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, August 2
This week's "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" has trumpeter T.J Müller at KDHX's Magnolia Cafe; the jam session with bassist Bob Deboo and friends at Kranzberg Arts Center; and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Also on Wednesday, The Luminary has a quadruple bill of experimental music, with the sampler/turntable duo Colin Andrew Sheffield & James Eck Rippie; Alex Keller & Sean O’Neill, who combine modified field recordings with vintage electronics; and St. Louis' own electronic musicians Raglani and NNN Cook.

Thursday, August 3
Drummer Marty Morrison leads a trio at The Dark Room, and there's another interesting experimental music bill, this time at the combination live music venue/recording studio Gaslight, featuring the Andrew Weathers Ensemble, Tree branch Twig, Eric Hall, and NNN Cook.

Friday, August 4
The "sleeper" show of the week involves Chicago-based saxophonist, flutist and composer Shawn Maxwell's quintet New Tomorrow (pictured, top left), who will be in town Friday to perform at the Webster Groves Concert Hall.

In a review last year, the Chicago Tribune's Howard Reich praised Maxwell's "intricately detailed scores bristling with surprises" and called him "a composer not content to settle into predictable musical patterns," and based on a sampling of the group's performances on YouTube, they're definitely worth checking out.

Elsewhere around town, The People's Key (pictured, bottom left) will bring their contemporary spin on the jazz organ combo sound to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of two nights; and the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra pays tribute to the big band era with a program called "Swing, Swing, Swing" at Queeny Park.

Saturday, August 5
If you're looking for some live jazz during the day on Saturday, the Liberation Organ Trio is playing for brunch at Evangeline's.

Then on Saturday evening, keyboardist Marvin Cockrell is promoting a new music video release called St. Louis Bounce with a show at the Grandel Theatre; singer Danita Mumphard will interpret songs associated with the late Whitney Houston at the Jacoby Arts Center; and singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will head to West County to perform at Benedetto's On Main.

Sunday, August 6
Jazz brunch opportunities proliferate on Sunday, as the Jazz Troubadours play at The Dark Room, Miss Jubilee performs at Evangeline's, and trumpeter Jim Manley and pianist Dave Venn return to Scarlett's Wine Bar.

Later that afternoon, the Friends of Scott Joplin will present their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe.

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: Tony Bennett, two Miles Davis tributes, U City Jazz Festival, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes the return of a legendary vocalist; two different events paying tribute to this city's most influential jazz musician ever; several free outdoor events featuring live jazz, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, June 7
Singer Tony Bennett (pictured, top left), who remarkably is still touring regularly as a nonagenarian, returns to perform at the Fox Theatre. Some tickets are still available as of this writing; for details, visit the "rush" section of the Fox's website. To when your appetite with some live performance videos of Bennett, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Wednesday, the weekly Grand Center Jazz Crawl continues with live music at four different venues in the district; and the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra performs at First Unity Church of St. Louis.

Thursday, June 8
Pianist Adam Maness returns with his trio to Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, June 9
Keyboardist Adaron Jackson, guitarist Eric Slaughter, saxophonist Ben Reece (pictured, center left) and drummer Montez Coleman, doing business as Jackson, Slaughter, Reece & Coleman, will revisit the sounds of some of the classic organ/tenor soul-jazz combos of 1950s and '60s for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Randy Holmes leads his quintet in the first of two nights of the "St. Louis Miles Davis Festival," performing music associated with Davis at the Webster Groves Concert Hall (formerly the Ozark Theatre).

Elsewhere around town, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; ; and saxophonist Paul DeMarinis and guitarist Dave Black, collaborators in several past bands, will debut a new group called Breathtet, also featuring bassist Mark Wallace and drummer Kevin Cheli, in a show at The Focal Point,

Saturday, June 10
It's a good day to hear some jazz at a free outdoor festival, with three different events happening in the afternoon and evening.

Starting in mid-afternoon, the U City Jazz Festival will feature music from drummer Demarius Hicks, pianist Ptah Williams (pictured, bottom left), guitarist Dave Black, Bach to the Future, and the St. Louis Jazz All-Stars, continuing through the evening at Heman Park,

A little later in the afternoon and just a few miles away, the City of Clayton Music + Wine Festival will include performances from The Gaslight Squares, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes, and Miss Jubilee as part of a free outdoor concert at Carondelet Plaza.

At the same time a little further to the east, the Central West End Cocktail Party will include a stage at Euclid and McPherson with live performances from bands including the Twin Cities' Gatsby Gang and St. Louis' own Funky Butt Brass Band.

Also on Saturday, the Alton Museum presents the 12th annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival in the town where the iconic trumpeter was born, featuring music from blues singer Big George Brock Jr. and the NGK Band, piano/vocal duo Bob and Me, guitarist Tim Jarden, and saxophonist Fred Walker at the Jacoby Arts Center.

Sunday, June 11
The St. Louis Symphony presents a "Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and the Ladies of Swing" featuring singer Dee Daniels at Powell Symphony Hall; the St. Louis Jazz Club's monthly show will feature John Gillick and the Impacts with pianist Bob Row at the DoubleTree Hotel; and the Ambassadors of Swing return to Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Monday, June 12 
Trumpeter Jim Manley will play his weekly gig serenading diners and drinkers at Momo's Greek Restaurant.

Tuesday, June 13
Saxophonist Adam Larson will be in town to present a free masterclass and performance at Saxquest, backed by guitarist Matt Sewell, bassist Bob DeBoo, and drummer Matt Wilson.

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: Antonio Hart, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Norah Jones, St. Louis Piano Festival, and more

With spring winding down and summer just ahead, this week's calendar of jazz and creative music is a bit back-loaded, with several of the more noteworthy musicians visiting our town scheduled to perform early next week rather than over the weekend.

Fortunately, St. Louis' local musicians and singers also have a few things planned between now and then. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 31
With Jazz at the Bistro now on its weekends-only summer schedule, there's no live music there this Wednesday, but the weekly Grand Center Jazz Crawl will include music from Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes at KDHX's Magnolia Cafe, pianist Phil Dunlap at the Curtain Call Lounge, the jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Elsewhere around town, trumpeter Jim Manley will be playing his weekly gig at Sasha's Wine Bar, and guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran will entertain diners at The Shaved Duck.

Thursday, June 1
Pianist Adam Maness' trio returns to Thurman's in Shaw, and pianist Ptah Williams and guitarist Eric Slaughter will hold forth at at The Dark Room.

Friday, June 2
On Friday morning, Jazz St. Louis will celebrate the annual observance of "National Donut Day" with an event featuring free donuts, live music from students in the JazzU program, and more, at Jazz at the Bistro.

That evening, the JazzU students will be back on stage for the first evening of their annual weekend of performances at the Bistro, with alto saxophonist Antonio Hart (pictured, top left) as guest soloist. Hart, who first gained notice as a collaborator with trumpeter Roy Hargrove, bassist Dave Holland, and others, has recorded nine albums as a leader and also teaches jazz studies at Queens College City University of New York.

Saturday, June 3
The Funky Butt Brass Band will be playing at two different faux-New Orleans events in one day, providing the music for "Crawfish Fest 2017" in late afternoon at Ballpark Village, then heading a few blocks over to the Old Rock House to wrap up their "Summer Gras," an afternoon-into-evening affair also featuring music from Al Holliday and the The East Side Rhythm Band, The Grooveliner, The Provels, and Big Mike Aguirre and The Blu City All Stars.

Also on Saturday, pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with saxophonist Larry Johnson will perform at the Parkside Grille.

Sunday, June 4
Following up on the weekend's Scott Joplin Festival, an annual event held in Joplin's birthplace of Sedalia, MO, the Friends of Scott Joplin will present an "Afterglow Party" featuring festival performers and St. Louis players at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's New Rosebud Cafe.

Monday, June 5
Also capitalizing on the aftermath of the Joplin festival, the second year of pianist Ethan Leinwand's St. Louis Piano Festival will pay tribute to a famed St. Louis ragtime pianist and historian with the "Trebor Tichenor Ragtime Concert," featuring Tichenor's daughter Virginia Tichenor, Marty Eggers, Terry Parrish and John Reed-Torres, at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Tuesday, June 6
Singer/songwriter, pianist and guitarist Norah Jones will perform at the Peabody Opera House. 

Jones (pictured, bottom left) is touring in support of her most recent album Day Breaks, which was released in October of last year on the Blue Note label and offered something of return to the jazz-influenced sound featured on her first album 15 years ago.

Day Breaks features guest performances from well-known jazz musicians including drummer Brian Blade, bassist John Patitucci, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, and includes Jones' interpretations of Horace Silver's "Peace" and Duke Ellington's "African Flower," both of which seem like good candidates for her set list at the Peabody.

Also on Tuesday, the Glenn Miller Orchestra "ghost band" will perform a "Salute to the Heroes of D-Day" at the Webster Groves Concert Hall (formerly the Ozark Theatre); and the St. Louis Piano Festival wraps up with an evening of blues pianists including Silvercloud, Carl "Sonny" Leyland, Gene Taylor, Ethan Leinwand and Christopher Parrish, at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

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: Route 66 Jazz Orchestra, "Miles Ahead" in concert, Bosman Twins, Vernacular String Trio, and more

There's not much going on this week in terms of well-known touring jazz and creative musicians visiting St. Louis, but fortunately, our town's plentiful contingent of local players has some noteworthy things planned.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 17
The Route 66 Jazz Orchestra (pictured, top left) returns to Jazz at the Bistro, the Sidney Street Shakers will play traditional jazz and swing at their monthly gig at Foam, and trumpeter Jim Manley will be back at Sasha's Wine Bar.

Thursday, May 18
The Jazz St. Louis Big Band, directed by pianist Phil Dunlap, will celebrate the upcoming birthday of iconic trumpeter Miles Davis with "Miles Ahead: Miles Davis, Gil Evans and the Birth of Cool," a free lecture/concert program featuring re-creations of arrangements from Davis' famed collaboration with arranger/pianist Evans, at Jazz at the Bistro.

Also on Thursday, Cabaret Project St. Louis marks the five-year anniversary of their monthly "Broadway Open Mic" night in the event's latest location, the Curtain Call Lounge, next to the Fox Theatre.

Friday, May 19
The Bosman Twins (pictured, center left) will return for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, and drummer Steve Davis's band, featuring vocalist Feyza Eren, will perform in a free concert at the Webster Groves Concert Hall (formerly the Ozark Theatre).

Also on Friday, singer Ann Dueren's trio will perform for diners and drinkers at Gerard's in Des Peres.

Saturday, May 20
The Funky Butt Brass Band will play their monthly gig at Broadway Oyster Bar, and trumpeter and vibraphonist Joe Bozzi and his band return to Evangeline's.

Sunday, May 21
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents The Gaslight Squares with guest trumpeter Bill Mason at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, and the Vernacular String Trio (pictured, bottom left) will promote the release of their album Parlance with a free in-store performance at Vintage Vinyl.

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.)

Glenn Miller Orchestra performing Tuesday, June 6 at Webster Groves Concert Hall

The Glenn Miller Orchestra is coming to St. Louis to perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 6 at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, formerly known as the Ozark Theatre.

The venue at 103 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves, originally a neighborhood movie house known for decades as the Ozark Theatre and then as the Webster Groves Cinema, was refurbished in the 2000s as an event space and had been operating once again under its original name.

The recent decision to re-brand as the Webster Groves Concert Hall is intended to clarify "who we are and where we are located," said Maugy Stevens, one of the hall's proprietors, in an email to StLJN. 

As it happens, June 6 marks the 73rd anniversary of the D-Day invasion that ultimately led to the Allied victory in World War II, and so the Glenn Miller Orchestra's program at the WGCH will commemorate that event with a "salute to the heroes of D-Day."

Miller and his music are associated closely with World War II, as he reached his greatest popularity during the early years of the war, then enlisted to lead an army band, only to have his plane disappear over the English Channel in December 1944 while traveling to entertain US troops in France.

After Miller's death, his band soldiered on, in the process pioneering the now-common concept of a "ghost band" that continues to perform the well-known repertoire of a deceased bandleader. Though there have been a couple of brief hiatuses, the Glenn Miller Orchestra (pictured) has continued into the present day, with licensed versions touring frequently in both the USA and Europe. 

Tickets for the Glenn Miller Orchestra at the Webster Groves Concert Hall are $45 and can be purchased by phone at 314-962-7000 or online at http://www.websterconcerthall.org.