Ally Hany celebrating release of first CD Sunday, November 22 at Ferring Jazz Bistro

Trumpeter Ally Hany will celebrate the release of her first CD with a performance at 6:00 p.m. this Sunday, November 22 at Ferring Jazz Bistro.

Released by the indie label Armored Records, the album (pictured) is titled Journeys Ahead, and features six original compositions by Hany, performed with a backing band including saxophonists Devin Eddleman and Jon Mones, pianist Damian Garcia, bassist Jake Greenburg, and drummer Connor Kent.

At the Bistro show, her first local performance since moving last year to New York City, Hany will be joined by Jason Swagler (alto sax), Nathan Pence (bass), Adam Maness (piano), and Jharis Yokley (drums).

A native of Webster Groves, Hany played locally during her teen years with the Webster Groves High School jazz band, Jazz St. Louis All-Stars, Missouri All-State High School Jazz Band, and St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, as well as in Colorado with the Telluride Jazz Festival All Stars.

She then enrolled in the famed jazz studies program at the University of North Texas, where she performed, toured and recorded with the One O’Clock Lab Band and was featured on the their recording Lab 14, as well as on the Two O’Clock Lab Band's recordings Two’s Two and Kind of Two.

After graduating last year, Hany moved to NYC, where she's been teaching, gigging with the Seth Weaver Big Band and other local groups, and plans to begin graduate studies this fall at the Manhattan School of Music. While she's back home, Hany also will be taking part in the WGHS jazz program's annual fundraising concert on Tuesday, November 24 at Highway 61 Roadhouse.

Tickets for Ally Hany's CD release show are $16.50 and are on sale now via the Jazz St. Louis website and box office.

Jazz this week: Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O, "A Very Manley Christmas," Cornet Chop Suey, Alarm Will Sound, and more

As you might expect, this week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis features plenty of seasonal sounds, but there also are a variety of other offerings, ranging stylistically from traditional jazz to free improv, for those seeking an audio alternative.
Let's go to the highlights...

Thursday, December 11 
New music ensemble Alarm Will Sound* performs their final show of 2014 at the Sheldon Concert Hall, presenting the world premiere of the complete score of Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy's The Hunger.

While this concert version of the extended work about the great Irish famine doesn't have all of the planned multimedia features in place yet, it will have Iarla Ó Lionáird, of The Gloaming and Afro Celt Sound System, and mezzo-soprano Rachel Calloway, a last-minute substitute for Dawn Upshaw, who's ill, as guest vocal soloists.

Also on Thursday, the Funky Butt Brass Band returns to the Blues City Deli for an early evening show; and Franglais, a Gypsy jazz group fronted by singer Eve Seltzer and her husband, guitarist Ben Wood, and newly arrived in St. Louis, will make their local debut at Evangeline's.

Friday, December 12
Drummer Matt Wilson and his Christmas Tree-O wrap up a week-long educational residency with a public concert at Webster Groves High School, performing expanded arrangements of holiday favorites back by student big bands from WGHS.

Also on Friday, trumpeter Jim Manley (pictured) will be in the holiday spirit as he convenes his Mad Brass and Rhythm for the first of two nights of "A Very Manley Christmas" at Jazz at the Bistro.While the material from Manley's newest album Funk Factory doesn't really fit the format for this particular gig, fans no doubt will be able to purchase copies of the just-issued CD at the merch table.

Elsewhere around town, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform at Nathalie's; and Second Generation Swing plays for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, December 13
On Saturday afternoon, there's one more chance to hear the Oikos Ensemble's "What Child is This? A Jazz Nativity," which will be performed this week at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Belleville.

Then that evening, singers Mary Dyson and Diane Vaughn will return to Troy's Jazz Gallery; the Kevin Mitchell 4 will be playing seasonal songs at Evangeline‘s; and Miss Jubilee performs at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Sunday, December 14 
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents their final concert of the year, a matinee with trad jazz and swing band Cornet Chop Suey performing at the DoubleTree Hotel at Westport; and the Jazz Edge Orchestra, featuring singers Ron Wilkinson and Marsha Evans, will return to Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Monday, December 15 
The Sessions Big Band will check in for their last gig of the year at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups; singer Dean Christopher bring his "Rat Pack and More" show back to One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar; and Off Topic II, an improvising trio featuring pianist Jim Hegarty, bassist Paul Steinbeck and drummer Gary Sykes, will take the stage at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Tuesday, December 16
The Tavern of Fine Arts will offer what should be another noteworthy evening of improvised music as the Society for Creative Survival, a new venture spearheaded by pianists Greg Mills and David Parker, presents "Soliloquy - An Evening of Solo Performances," featuring brief solo sets by Mills, Parker, trumpeter George Sams, cellist Tracy Andreotti, percussionist Henry Claude, and more.

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.)

* Full disclosure: StLJN's editor is paid by the firm Slay & Associates to assist Alarm Will Sound with publicity for their gigs in Missouri. However, given our editorial focus, I'd be writing about their shows regardless. So, rather than not telling you about something that might be of interest, you get this disclosure instead. 

Webster Groves HS jazz bands playing with Matt Wilson on December 12, at the Pageant on January 23

Webster Groves High School jazz band director Kevin Cole sends word of two upcoming events involving the WGHS bands:

* Drummer Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O will take part in a week-long residency at WGHS starting Monday, December 8. They'll work with students on big band adaptations of the Tree-O material as arranged by the group's saxophonist Jeff Lederer, WGHS freshman Jack Snelling, and Cole.

The Tree-O and students from the school's Jazz I ensemble will "tour" Webster Groves schools during the day on Friday, December 12, followed by a public concert that evening with all the school's jazz bands at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium at WGHS, 100 Selma Ave. Admission is $10 at the door.

While they're in town, the Christmas Tree-O, which includes bassist Paul Sikivie along with Wilson (pictured) and Lederer, also will play a concert without their student accomplices on Monday, December 8 at Joe's Cafe.

* The WGHS bands will play their annual concert at The Pageant at 7:00 p.m. Friday, January 23. Also on the bill will be the jazz ensemble from Hixson Middle School and "special guests" the WGHS Alumni Jazz band, with a roster of musicians including Dan Smith, Ally Hany, Ben Steger, Isaac Helton, Kevin Killeen, Andrew Meyer, Jamie Burchett, Will Patton, Tara Bray, Robert Frye, Michael Neu, Dirk Downing, Blake Deibel, Michael Powers, Jack Popper, Bo Bray, Sam Fruend, Andrew Gurney, Holly Mead, Gus Knobbe, Jharis Yokley, Joseph Winstein-Hibbs, and Eric Grumke.

"The band will be playing original compositions by members, new arrangements, and even a commission for the occasion," writes Cole. "I don't even have to tell you how proud I'll be to see all of these guys again." Tickets will be priced at $15 for adults, $10 for children.

Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival set for Saturday, September 20

The Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival has announced their musical lineup for the 2014 fest, which will take place from noon to 10:00 p.m., Saturday, September 20 in the Old Webster business district, near the intersection of Lockwood and Gore.

This will be the 14th year for the event, and as in the past, it will feature live music on two stages and is free and open to the public.

The Webster University stage on Gore Ave will be the site for sets from the Funky Butt Brass Band, Big Brother Thunder and the Master Blasters, Gene Dobbs Bradford Blues Experience, Webster University Jazz Ensemble, and Marquise Knox with Big George Brock.

Music on the Allen Ave stage begins with the winner of this year's "Webster's Got Talent" contest, followed by The 442s with Erin Bode; a made-to-order jazz ensemble featuring Ptah Williams (piano), Bob DeBoo (bass), Montez Coleman (drums), Danny Campbell (trumpet), Freddie Washington (saxophones), and Joe Mancuso (vocals); the Webster Groves High School Jazz Band; and Jim Manley (pictured) and Wild, Cool and Swingin'.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Drummer Kimberly Thompson is keeping busy with her duties with the house band for NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, even participating in some on-camera comedy bits, like the one pictured here with Michelle Wolf and Alison Agosti of the Late Night writing staff. However, Thompson did manage to find time this week to post on SoundCloud an excerpt from her band's performance last month at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

* Jazz students from Webster Groves High School are in New York City this week, and band director Kevin Cole has a full schedule planned for his young charges. The trip will include visits to NYC venues to hear Ambrose Akinmusire, Maria Schneider, Ulysses Owens, Charles Turner, Walter Smith III, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra; and a clinic at Queens College with Michael Philip Mossman, Antonio Hart, Paul Bollenbeck, and Luis Bonilla.

In addition, the WGHS Jazz 1 group will perform Sunday at St. Peters Jazz Vespers with pianist Kenny Werner, and then serve as the opening act that evening at Birdland for Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.

* Also on the education front, Jazz St. Louis has announced a $35,000 gift from the Arthur & Helen Baer Foundation in support of the 2014-15 season of their JazzU program. Applications to audition for next year's JazzU are due by Friday, May 2, with auditions beginning on Monday, June 2. For more details, see the Jazz St. Louis website.

* Writing for the website NextStL, Kevin Belford has an update on recent wind damage to the historic Palladium Building in Grand Center and the possible effects on efforts to save the structure.

* Via Miles Davis Online, here's a video interview from IRockJazz with Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr., who helps administer his uncle's estate, in which Wilburn discusses the forthcoming movie about the trumpeter and various other Miles-related topics. MDO blogmaster Jeffrey Hyatt also has created a new site, Kill The Trumpet Player, to track news of the Davis film.

* Singer Connie Fairchild's show last Saturday for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival was reviewed for KDHX by Chuck Lavazzi.

* The late ragtime pianist and historian Trebor Tichenor was the subject of a tribute episode of KWMU's "CityScape" program.

* Galactic's performance last week at The Pageant was reviewed by KDHX's Amy Burger.

* A set from the Funky Butt Brass Band's gig last month at The Gramophone has been posted to archive.org.

* And speaking of The Gramophone, they're celebrating the venue's sixth anniversary this week with the announcement that their Sandwich and Bottle Shop will be open for regular daytime business offering food, drink and free wi-fi to the growing Grove neighborhood starting April 1.

* Also on the culinary tip, the Post-Dispatch's Ian Froeb is the latest to review the Louisiana-style menu at the new Central West End spot Evangeline's.

* HEC-TV last night debuted a new episode of I Love Jazz, featuring previously unseen archived performances by singer Marlena Shaw, trumpeter Dawn Weber, singer Marilyn Maye and pianist Billy Stritch, saxophonist Willie Akins and drummer Montez Coleman, and jazz faculty and students from Webster University. Check your TV provider's program guide for channels, dates and times, or watch online at http://www.hectv.org.

* Jazz radio update: On this Saturday's episode of Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis' "Somethin' Else," host Calvin Wilson spotlights New Orleans trumpeters including Louis Armstrong, Derrick Shezbie, Joe Newman, Terence Blanchard and Wynton Marsalis. You can listen at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

(Edited after posting to add the KWMU "CityScape" link.)

Webster Groves student jazz ensembles to perform this Friday, January 17 at The Pageant

The jazz ensembles from Webster Groves High School and Hixson Middle School in Webster Groves will present their annual fund- raising concert at 7:00 p.m. this Friday at The Pageant.

All proceeds from the concert will go toward paying for instruments, sheet music, and trips for WGHS jazz students, and to help defray the costs of bringing in guest artists throughout the year to teach and perform with the bands.

WGHS jazz band director Kevin Cole tells StLJN that the top students from the program will be traveling again this year to NYC, where they'll perform saxophonist Donald Harrison. (You can read Cole's account of the band's 2011 NYC trip here.)

A number of students from the WGHS program have been included in Jazz St. Louis' JazzU and Jazz St. Louis All-Stars ensembles, and in the all-state jazz band for Missouri. The school's flagship Jazz 1 ensemble has appeared in performances with well-known musicians including Bob Mintzer, Wycliffe Gordon, and Byron Stripling, and learned from clinicians including Cyrus Chestnut, Lawrence Fields, Jeff Hamilton, Conrad Herwig, Tom 'Bones' Malone, Delfeayo Marsalis, The Yellowjackets, Chip McNeill, Jeff Hamilton, Mike Stern, Marcus Strickland, Tim Warfield, Esperanza Spalding, Steve Wiest, and the United States Air Force Airmen of Note.

Tickets for the Webster Groves student jazz ensembles at The Pageant are $15 for adults, $10 for students and will be available at the door.

Webster Groves HS jazz bands to perform Christmas show on December 12, at The Pageant on January 11

The Webster Groves High School jazz bands have announced two upcoming public concerts.

Getting in the holiday spirit, WGHS' Jazz I big band will perform Stan Kenton's 1961 album A Merry Christmas in its entirety at 7:00 p.m. this Wednesday, December 12 at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church, 45 W. Lockwood Ave. The concert is free and open to the public, but donations will be accepted.

The Jazz I big band and other WGHS jazz ensembles also will be featured in the program's annual concert at The Pageant, which will take place at 7:00 p.m. Friday, January 11. The WGHS bands will be joined by MetroBones, the all-star student trombone ensemble directed by Dave Dickey, and bands from Hixson Middle School.

Trombonist and jazz educator Michael Dease (pictured), who's played with the big bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Jimmy Heath, Charles Tolliver and others and teaches at Michigan State University, will be the concert's guest artist. Tickets are $20 at the door.

WGHS director of bands Kevin Cole also reports that four members of the Jazz I ensemble made it into this year's Missouri All-State jazz band, with 3 more recognized as alternates.

Chris Vadala to perform with bands from Western Illinois U, Webster Groves HS on November 7 at Jazz at the Bistro

Saxophonist Chris Vadala is coming to St. Louis to perform with student jazz groups from Western Illinois University and Webster Groves High School at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 7 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Vadala, who teaches at the University of Maryland and also is a clinician for Selmer saxophones, still is perhaps best known among jazz fans for his long association with trumpeter Chuck Mangione, during which he toured all over the USA and the world and performed on five gold and two platinum albums.

He also has played live or on recording sessions with many other well-known musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Chick Corea, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Placido Domingo, Sarah Vaughn, Natalie Cole, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Henry Mancini, Doc Severinsen and Joe Lovano.

Vadala (pictured) will perform as a guest soloist with the Western Illinois University Jazz Studio Orchestra, directed by John Cooper, and the Webster Groves High School Jazz I ensemble, directed by Kevin Cole. Both bands will perform short sets, separated by a brief intermission. Tickets for the performance, which is presented by Jazz St. Louis, are just $5 and on sale now via Metrotix.

Jazz this week: Chris Botti, Byron Stripling, Bill Watrous, UNT One O'Clock Lab Band, St. Louis Rivermen, and more

If there's a keyword for this weekend's schedule of jazz and creative music in St. Louis, it's "brass." The next few days will see three stellar touring brass players - two trumpeters and a trombonist - playing here as soloists or bandleaders, plus a somewhat larger-than-usual number of big band performances, and some other noteworthy shows, too. Let's go the highlights:

On Thursday evening, the University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band will be in town for a concert at Webster Groves High School, 100 Selma Ave. The One O'Clock band, which gets its name from the time of day the ensemble meets for class, is the top big band at one of the most storied and long lived collegiate jazz programs in the country; WGHS's jazz groups will open the show.

Also on Thursday, pianist Ptah Williams will play the music of Herbie Hancock in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; and singer Erika Johnson and guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio will perform at Robbie's House of Jazz.

Friday night is when local music fans have a choice among among those three stellar brassmen. The popular trumpeter Chris Botti will be in town that evening for what has become an annual visit, playing this time at the Peabody Opera House. No doubt he'll draw a good crowd, but given that Botti's next local appearance has already been booked, for next year at Powell Hall with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, anyone on the fence about going might want to consider skipping it in favor of one of the other shows happening the same night.

That same evening, trumpeter Byron Stripling will open a two-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. He's been in town all week doing an educational residency for Jazz St. Louis, and as is the custom, will cap it off with some public performances, fronting a quartet. Though not nearly as well known as Botti, Stripling is a versatile and highly accomplished player and a polished entertainer who can hit the high notes, solo with feeling, and even sing the blues. For more about him and some video clips showing off various aspects of his talents, check out this post from last Saturday.

And as if that weren't enough for one night, Friday also is when the virtusoso trombonist Bill Watrous will be here for a concert at the Scottish Rite Cathedral Auditorium, accompanied by trumpeter Scott Vignassi and the Big Little Big Band. A veteran of the big bands of Quincy Jones, Maynard Ferguson, Johnny Richards and Woody Herman, Watrous is capable of some truly astounding stuff, so if you're specifically a trombone aficionado - as opposed to a brass fan in general - this one's got to be your pick for the weekend, especially since Stripling is playing at the Bistro for two nights.

Update - 3:00 p.m, 2/24/12: Just got an email from trumpet player/educator Adam Hucke, who teaches at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, saying that Bill Watrous also will be playing at SWIC on Saturday night. The concert starts at 7:00 p.m. in the main auditorium on campus (directions at the link above) and will feature Watrous performing with both the SWIC Big Band and The Big Little Big Band. Best of all, it's free and open to the public.

On the other hand, if you'd rather dance to a big band than listen to one in concert, the relatively new group that calls themselves the St. Louis Big Band, made up primarily of younger musicians in their 20s and 30s, has worked their way into the rotation at the Casa Loma Ballroom and will be playing there on Friday. And if brass isn't your thing, or you're just not in the mood (sorry!) that evening, you can hear guitarist Dave Black's trio at the Cigar Inn in Belleville or saxophonist Tim Cunningham at Jazz on Broadway on Alton.

On Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Rivermen will play traditional jazz and ragtime in a concert presented by the St. Louis Jazz Club at the Doubletree Hotel at Westport. Not long after that event wraps up, trombonist Dave Dickey's big band will return to Kirkwood Station Brewing Company for the first time after securing a monthly slot at the venue with their initial appearance there in January. The Webster Groves HS big band will play at intermission.

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.)

UNT One O'Clock Lab Band to play Thursday, February 23 at Webster Groves High School

The University of North Texas' One O'Clock Lab Band (pictured) is coming to St. Louis to perform at 7:00 p.m. , Thursday, February 23 in the main auditorium at Webster Groves High School, 100 Selma Ave. The Webster Groves High School jazz bands will open the show.

The One O'Clock Lab Band is directed by Steve Wiest and is considered the top band of the nine large jazz ensembles at UNT, which has one of the most famous and long-running collegiate jazz programs in the nation.

Their concert on February 23 at Webster Groves High School will be open to the public, with a $5 donation requested at the door.

Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival set for Saturday, September 17

The Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival has announced the lineup for its 2011 event, which is scheduled from noon to 11:00 p.m., Saturday, September 17 in and around the intersection of Lockwood and Gore in the old business district of Webster Groves.

The free festival's two stages will feature ten bands, with a roughly equal split between jazz and blues. Acts returning for this year's event will include an ensemble of jazz faculty members from Webster University and the jazz big band from nearby Webster Groves High School, as well as the Funky Butt Brass Band (pictured), who this year will be on the Allen Ave. stage instead of marching around the festival site, and blues singer/guitarist Marquise Knox.

The Latin-pop-rock singer/songwriter/guitarist Javier Mendoza will make his debut at the festival, closing the night on the Allen Ave. stage with a version of the expanded ensemble he debuted last season at Jazz at the Bistro. Others playing the OWJ&BF for the first time include R&B-oriented saxophonist Jim Stevens (who also has worked with Mendoza); blues singer and guitarist Alvin Jett and Phat noiZ; guitarist Tom Byrne's Pat Metheny tribute Have You Heard?, including pop/R&B singer Ralph Butler (on a bit of a busman's holiday); and the Rum Drum Duo, from the old-timey blues band Rum Drum Ramblers.

The winner of something called the "Old Webster's Got Talent Contest" will kick off the day on the Gore Ave. stage, a slot which in years past usually has been filled with something that might most charitably be described as "budget-friendly." No word yet on who's involved with that contest or when it will take place, but presumably more details will follow.

At first glance, this could be a somewhat stronger musical lineup than last year's fest, although how much stronger obviously depends on one's opinions of the individual acts. I can't claim to be a fan of Mendoza's at all, as what I've heard of his music always has seemed rather bland to me, but he does have a fan base and his gig at the Bistro was well-received enough to merit a repeat performance, so I may be of a minority opinion there.

As for the rest, your mileage may vary. Last year, festival head Jennifer Bellm (who also runs Webster Records) took exception to StLJN's criticisms of the lineup, in particular our decrying the deployment of a blues band fronted a local television personality whose musical dues-paying remains highly suspect. At least this year's lineup doesn't repeat that misstep, so that's a plus. It'd be nice if the event also included some older jazz styles, which predominated in its first years, but I suppose tastes do change and no one event can be everything to everyone.

(Edited to add: To her credit, after our exchange last year Bellm also asked me if I had any suggestions as to who she should book this year. I sent her a list of musicians and bands, at least a couple of whom seem to have wound up on this year's lineup, though whether my recommendations played a role remains unknown. She also made a public effort to solicit demos from interested musicians, and I don't know the end result of that. Though I'm not all that enamored with one of this year's headliners, that's an issue of personal musical taste. In terms of opening up the process and being willing to try some new acts along with the tried-and-true, the OWJ&BF has moved in the right direction.)

On the positive side, the Webster faculty ensemble contains some very fine jazz musicians, and the WGHS big band is one of the stronger student groups in the area. Moreover, the Funky Butt Brass Band, Byrne, Stevens, Knox and Jett also are all pretty good at what they do, so as long as your expectations are calibrated properly - this is, after all, a free festival with a rather modest budget - in total there should be plenty of enjoyable musical moments at this year's Old Webster Jazz & Blues Festival.

Edited after posting.

Webster Groves HS band visits NYC, part 2

Editor's note: As mentioned here earlier, the jazz band from Webster Groves High School is in New York City this week to perform, take part in workshops and master classes, and hear some live music. WGHS jazz band director Kevin Cole is reporting in from the road via email; you can read part one of his report here, and here's part two:

"Good morning from rainy New York. We've had a truly amazing 48-hour span, during which we have not only walked around lower Manhattan and toured Central Park, Riverside, and Harlem, but also witnessed some of the most soulful, proficient playing on the planet.

Saturday night's itinerary took us to the Blue Note, where Kenny Werner, Randy Brecker, David Sanchez, Scott Colley, and Antonio Sanchez were performing songs from Werner's fabulous new album Balloons. Trombonist Michael Dease and saxophonist Sharel Cassity joined our bands in clinic and concert yesterday afternoon, and we were treated again to Dease's astounding work last night at Dizzy's as he joined the legendary Heath Brothers' Quintet. I actually heard multiple students call it "the best night of our lives."

This morning, Jazz at Lincoln Center bassist Carlos Henriquez is conducting a clinic with our younger bands, after which we'll tour Lincoln Center and then the UN. Tonight's gig takes us across the Hudson as we perform at Cecil's in West Orange, NJ with Mike Lee and the Cecil's Big Band. Don't be surprised if we stay in New York for a few more...weeks!"

Webster Groves HS jazz band visits NYC

As noted here earlier this month, the jazz band from Webster Groves High School is traveling to New York City this week to perform, take part in workshops and master classes, and hear some live music. WGHS jazz band director Kevin Cole is reporting in from the road via email, and here's what he had to say about their first day in NYC:

"Our first day in NYC was just outstanding. After a day-long bus ride, we arrived in Manhattan at about midnight on Thursday night. A 9:30AM call time at Lincoln Center didn't afford the kids (and adults) much sleep, but trumpeter/composer Michael Philip Mossman predictably managed to grab their attention during a two-hour clinic (pictured). While Michael is beyond knowledgable in all jazz styles, we chose to focus on our tunes that played to his specialty, latin jazz.

After the clinic students and parents teamed up to roam about the Times Square/Hell's Kitchen areas, eating at distinctly-New York restaurants and shopping and some of the stores for which Times Square is known.

Our first evening in the city found us at The Garage, a Greenwich Village jazz club, where we saw Harlem gospel pianist Enoch Smith and his trio. Tomorrow is the day during which we have the most freedom, spending a good portion of the day walking in lower Manhattan. We're all looking forward to the students' first visit to the famed Blue Note Jazz Club tomorrow night, where we'll see Kenny Werner, Randy Brecker, David Sanchez, Scott Colley, and Antonio Sanchez. What a great city!"

Photo courtesy of Kevin Cole.