Jazz this week: Artemis, Keyon Harrold & Quincy Troupe, "Jazz Heaven" and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes the local debut of a buzzworthy new band, a homecoming for a couple of native sons, the latest chapter in a series of tributes to famous figures in jazz, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...


Wednesday, October 9
The all-star band Artemis (pictured, top left) will make their St. Louis debut with the first of five nights of performances at Jazz St. Louis.

Formed a couple of years ago at the instigation of pianist Renee Rosnes, Artemis features a lineup of musicians who all are bandleaders in their own right, including tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, clarinetist Anat Cohen, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Noriko Ueda, and drummer Allison Miller.

Given the difficulties of juggling six busy schedules, Artemis has had only occasional chances to work together a unit, but their five-night run here should give them ample opportunities to dig into their catalog, which includes original compositions from the various members as well as familiar material ranging from Thelonious Monk to the Beatles. In the meantime, you can get idea of what to expect by checking out the videos in this post from last Saturday.

Thursday, October 10
Singer Robert Nelson performs at the Chase Club, and drummer Stephen Haake leads a trio at The Dark Room.

Friday, October 11
Trumpeter Keyon Harrold and writer Quincy Troupe (pictured, center left) will team up for a program called "The Shape of Abstraction: Trumpet and Voice, Call and Response" at the St. Louis Art Museum.

Both St. Louis natives, Troupe and Harrold also are connected through Miles Davis. Troupe co-authored the trumpeter's autobiography and later wrote his own memoir about their relationship, while Harrold supplied music for the soundtrack of Don Cheadle's 2016 film Miles Ahead, a semi-fictionalized account of Davis in the 1970s, and also has been involved in several tributes to Davis.

Along with poetry by Troupe and music by Harrold, the event will feature images of works of art by black artists currently on view at the museum as part of the exhibition "The Shape of Abstraction: Selections from the Ollie Collection."

Also on Friday, the Jazz Troubadours will perform at Evangeline's, and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, October 12
On Saturday afternoon, singer Wendy Gordon (pictured, bottom left) presents the latest production in her "Jazz Heaven" series, "Gone But Not Forgotten," at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre, with a cast of singers including Kim Fuller-Barnes, Joe Mancuso, Robert Nelson, Roland Johnson, Michael Chatman, and the Legend Singers Chorale Ensemble.

Saturday night, singer and bassist Janet Evra performs in concert at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton; local and regional electronic musicians and bands will gather for Synthfest IV at The Heavy Anchor; and the Funky Butt Brass Band returns to the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday, October 13
Singer Chuck Flowers returns to BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups, and saxophonist Chad Evans and singer Felica Ezell-Gillespie will perform in a matinee concert at the Ozark Theatre.

Also on Sunday, percussionist Joe Pastor leads a trio at Evangeline's, and Orchestrated 9th will reprise their "Tribute to Herbie Hancock" at Troy's Listening Room.

Monday, October 14
Dizzy Atmosphere plays vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck.

Tuesday, October 15
Cabaret Project St. Louis will present their monthly "Singers Open Mic" at Sophie's Artist Lounge & Cocktail Club, and Arvell Keithley, Jim Manley and the Wild Cool & Swingin' Horns return for an encore performance at the Gaslight Theater.

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: JazzU with Antonio Hart, St. Louis Piano Festival, Wendy Gordon & Friends "Honoring Our Own," and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes a showcase for some of the city's top student musicians, a gathering of pianists representing a variety of musical styles, a tribute to three of our town's esteemed veteran performers, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 29
The "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" seems to have stopped announcing in advance who's playing at The Stage at KDHX each week, but the event continues to include various duos or trios performing there, as well as the jam session hosted by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Elsewhere around town, Miss Jubilee performs at Schlafly Bottleworks, and trumpeter Jim Manley plays his weekly duo gig in at Sasha's Wine Bar.

Thursday, May 30
It's a night for jazz guitarists, as Josiah Joyce leads a group at The Dark Room, and Carol Eder and Joe Park play duets at The Pat Connolly Tavern.

Friday, May 31
This year's top students from Jazz St. Louis' JazzU program will perform for the first of two nights at the Bistro, joined by special guest saxophonist Antonio Hart (pictured, top left).

Also on Friday, the Funky Butt Brass Band plays a free show for the "Jungle Boogie" series at St. Louis Zoo's Schnucks Family Plaza; drummer Demarius Hicks' quartet with singer Anita Jackson plays two shows at .ZACK; the Second Generation Swing Band performs at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and drummer Kyle Honeycutt leads a trio for the late night/early morning gig at Mangia Italiano

Saturday, June 1
Saxophonist Matt McKeever leads a quartet in a free matinee performance at Saxquest; percussionist Herman Semidey and Son Montuno play salsa, Latin jazz and more at the Ozark Theatre; and keyboardist Mo Egeston and friends play a late show at The Dark Room.

Sunday, June 2
Pianist Adam Maness performs for brunch at Thurman's in Shaw and the Jazz Troubadours play their monthly first-Sunday gig at Evangeline's.

Monday, June 3
Pianist Ethan Leinwand has gathered eight other pianists from around the country, including St. Louis' own Ptah Williams and former St. Louisan Tom McDermott (pictured, bottom left), for the fourth annual St. Louis Piano Festival at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Tuesday, June 4
Singer Wendy Gordon and a stellar lineup of St. Louis singers and musicians will pay tribute to local performers Jeanne Trevor, Fred Walker and Linda Kennedy with a show called "Honoring Our Own" at the Sheldon Concert Hall

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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold this week was on NPR as a guest performer on singer Erykah Badu's Tiny Desk Concert.

* The latest episode of the cable TV series STL Live previewed Saturday's Hermann Wine & Jazz Festival.

* Saxophonist and educator Harvey Lockhart's HEAL Center for the Arts is one of several local organizations getting a grant for 2018-19 from the Arts and Education Council's Monsanto Creative Impact Fund.

* Singer and producer Wendy Gordon (pictured), saxophonist Kendrick Smith, and other cast members appeared on FOX 2's Thursday morning newscast to promote the latest installment of Gordon's "Jazz Heaven" series, happening this Saturday at the Florissant Civic Center Theater.

* Flute player and composer Fred Tompkins has reissued his late 1970s album Cécile on CD. The re-release includes all the tunes from the LP version, which feature performances from notable musicians such as bassist Anthony Jackson, guitarist Chuck Loeb, and others, plus some bonus tracks of more recent material.

* Thurman's in Shaw is adding a Sunday brunch, which will debut with a "soft opening" on Sunday, August 26. The venue also will celebrate two years of operations under the current ownership with an all-day event on Saturday, September 1 featuring live music, drink specials, and more.

Jazz this week: Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Hermann Wine & Jazz Festival, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes a diverse lineup of shows featuring female vocalists, plus a free festival out in Missouri wine country, a return appearance from saxophonist/vocalist Karl Denson and band, and more.


Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, August 15
Cabaret Project St. Louis presents this month's edition of what they're now calling the "Singers Open Mic" at Sophie's Artist Lounge & Cocktail Club in the .ZACK building in Grand Center.

Also on Wednesday, guitarist Joe Park leads a trio at Yaquis on Cherokee; Wright's Project returns to Al's Lounge; and the weekly, free "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features guitarist Travis Lewis leading a trio at The Stage at KDHX, the jam session hosted by bassist Bob DeBoo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter  Kasimu Taylor's band at The Dark Room.

Thursday, August 16
Singer Anita Jackson performs at 50/Fifty Kitchen; singer Cheri Evans and CEEJazzSoul are back at the Chase Club, and bassist Chano Cruz leads a trio at The Dark Room.

Friday, August 17
Saxophonist and singer Karl Denson brings his band Tiny Universe (pictured, top left) back to the Atomic Cowboy Pavilion, with opening sets from locals The Grooveliner and Brother Francis & The Soultones.

In addition to some funky favorites from their back catalog, you can expect to hear some material from KDTU's soon-to-be-released next album, as well as a few Allman Brothers covers. For more about the Allmans connection and some video samples from recent shows, check out this post from last Saturday.

Also on Friday, singer Denise Thimes, who relocated to Chicago earlier this year, is back home for the weekend and will sing the music of Roberta Flack for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis.

Elsewhere around town, the Hard Bop Messengers will spread the gospel of Art Blakey at Evangeline's; trumpeter Jim Manley returns to One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar; and Focal Point begins a several-weeks-long slate of vintage jazz shows with at "Django Reinhardt Tribute" featuring guitarists Joe Park, Eric Slaughter, Gary Hunt, Paul Davis and John Miller.

Saturday, August 18
Singer and impresario Wendy Gordon presents "Jazz Heaven: Under The Rainbow II," the latest installment in her long-running series of tribute shows, with a cast including Jeanne Trevor (pictured, bottom left), Kim Fuller-Barnes, Dean Christopher, Eugene Johnson, and more, at the Florissant Civic Center Theater.

Also on Saturday, you can head west to wine country for the annual Hermann Wine & Jazz Festival, a free, day-long event featuring music from drummer Montez Coleman's quartet, SpaceShip, Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7, the Joe Mancuso Organ Trio, Bach to the Future and more at the Hermann Amphitheater.

Elsewhere around town, singer Feyza Eren will perform at Evangeline's; singer Mary Dyson returns to Troy's Jazz Gallery; and the Chicago Cellar Boys will be in town to play their brand of traditional jazz and swing at the Focal Point.

Sunday, August 19
Although Sunday's concert by trumpeter Herb Alpert and his wife, singer Lani Hall, at the Grandel Theatre has been sold out for several weeks now, you can catch guitarist and singer Tommy Halloran playing for brunch at The Dark Room, then check out an exhibit of some of Alpert's visual art in the Grandel lobby.

Elsewhere on Sunday, the Genesis Jazz Project returns to BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups; or if you're on the east side (or can get there), Miss Jubilee is playing a free, all-ages show at Bobby's Frozen Custard in Maryville.

Monday, August 20
Drummer Keith Bowman and his quartet continue their Monday night residency 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: Dawn Weber, Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective, "Honoring Our Own" with Wycliffe Gordon, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features plenty of brass, with performances headlined by one local trumpeter and singer; one visiting trumpeter who's become quite familiar to local listeners; one star trombonist who's helping pay tribute to some St. Louisans; and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 16
Cabaret Project St. Louis has found a new home for their monthly "Broadway Open Mic," which starting this week will take place at Sophie's Artist Lounge & Cocktail Club on the second floor of the .ZACK building at 3224 Locust St.

Also on Wednesday, the weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes at The Stage at KDHX, the jam session led by bassist Bob Deboo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor and his band at The Dark Room.

Thursday, May 17
The Route 66 Jazz Orchestra with singers Valerie Tichacek and Dean Christopher performs at Jazz at the Bistro; saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room; and singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will celebrate Mancuso's birthday with a show at Parkside Grille in West County.

Friday, May 18
Trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber and friends will perform for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, and the St. Louis Big Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Also on Friday, saxophonist Kendrick Smith's trio continues at Thurman's in Shaw, and bassist Darrell Mixon leads a trio at Cigar Inn in Belleville.

Saturday, May 19
The Friends of Scott Joplin present the string band Mound City Slickers in a matinee concert at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site's Rosebud Cafe.

Then on Saturday evening, percussionist Herman Semidey and Orquesta Son Montuno will play salsa, latin jazz, and more at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, and the Funky Butt Brass Band returns to the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday, May 20
Trumpeter Terence Blanchard and his band, the E-Collective (pictured, top left), will perform at the Grandel Theatre.

Blanchard and company currently are touring in support of their most recent album Live, which came out earlier this year. For more about that, and Blanchard's ongoing relationship with St. Louis, see this post from last Saturday. 

Also on Sunday, singer Wendy Gordon and friends -  including special guest star, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon (pictured, bottom left) - will present "Honoring Our Own," a tribute to St. Louis trombonist and educator Robert Edwards and actor/singer J. Samuel Davis, at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

That same evening, saxophonist Rev. Cliff Aerie and the Oikos Ensemble are offering another of their "Inner Jazz" programs at the First Congregational Church in Webster Groves.

Monday, May 21
While we haven't heard the band yet and thus cannot offer an informed recommendation, this seems like as good a place as any to note that The Dark Room has started offering live music on Mondays, presenting a quartet led by the young drummer Keith Bowman, a recent graduate of Webster University. 

Tuesday, May 22
Pianist "Ragtime" Jack Radcliffe, a specialist in pre-war jazz, blues, and, yes, ragtime, who's from Massachusetts, performs 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.)

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: Joey DeFrancesco, George Benson, Denise Thimes, and more

As the not-for-profit presenting season and the spring academic semester both approach their ends, this week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis nevertheless features performances from two major touring headliners, plus a number of other noteworthy shows.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 10
Organist Joey DeFrancesco returns to Jazz at the Bistro
for the first of four nights, continuing through Saturday.

DeFrancesco (pictured, top left) recently expanded his band from a trio to a quartet, and has just released an album, Project Freedom, featuring the new lineup. For more about that, and some recent videos of him in performance, see this post from Saturday before last.

Also on Wednesday, new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound closes out their St. Louis season with a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall; and NOiSETTE 2017: Spring Edition! will present a slew of experimental, improvisational and/or noise performers, including Alex Cunningham, Bitchfit, Brain Transplant, Chelsea Gray, Corrigan Brothers, Dave Stone Ensemble, Eric Donte, Grain and NNN Cook, in a free show at Blank Space.

Thursday, May 11
Singer Jenna Bauer and guitarist Dave Black return to The Pat Connolly Tavern; percussionist David A. N. Jackson will be sitting in with the Ptah Williams/Eric Slaughter Quartet at The Dark Room; and pianist Adam Maness and his trio will be back at Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, May 12
Guitarist and singer George Benson will headline the annual benefit gala raising funds for the Sheldon Concert Hall. 

It's been nearly six years since Benson (pictured, center left) last played here (in October 2011 at the Touhill), and judging from the more recent performances caught on video in this post from last Saturday, he's still delivering the goods both vocally and instrumentally. While the long gap since his last show here should spur the demand for seats, there may be some concert-only tickets still available; contact the Sheldon box office for the latest information.

Also on Friday, the City of Clayton's "Music in the City" event will feature free happy-hour performances at various restaurants and bars in the area, including Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes at Morton's and Tommy Halloran at Remy's Kitchen & Wine Bar.

Saturday, May 13
New Music Circle closes out their 2016-17 season with a bill of solo electronic-music performers from the Midwest, including Louisville's Robert Beatty, Matchess (aka Chicago's Whitney Johnson), Hylidae (St. Louis' Jon Burkhart), and Nadir Smith, aka Biggie Stardust (Thomas Olanrewaju Osunsami, also of St. Louis) at the William A Kerr Foundation on Laclede's Landing.

Sunday, May 14
Singer Denise Thimes (pictured, bottom left) presents her annual Mother's Day show raising money to fight pancreatic cancer at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Thimes' guest performers this year will include St. Louis singer and pianist Theo Peoples, who formerly toured with latter-day versions of both the Temptations and the Four Tops, and New Jersey-born teenage phenom Matthew Whitaker, a blind multi-instrumentalist who's drawn comparisons to a young Stevie Wonder.

Also on Sunday, Israeli composer and improviser Ofir Klemperer will perform at Kismet Creative Center, with opening sets from Chelsea Gray and Alex Cunningham.

Monday, May 15
Trumpeter Jim Manley continues his weekly residency at Momo's Greek Restaurant.

Tuesday, May 16
Singer Wendy Gordon presents her latest production, "Remembering the Legends," at the Sheldon Concert Hall, with guest performers including Linda Kennedy, Jeanne Trevor, Rosemary Watts-Dreyer, Joe Mancuso, Jerome Davis and Marty Abdullah.

Also on Tuesday, the twice-monthly St. Louis Gypsy Jazz Jam, hosted by guitarist Paul Davis of Wack-A-Doo, has a new night of the week and a new home at Stone Spiral Coffee House & Gallery.

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: Catherine Russell, Mardra Thomas, Brooke Michael Smith, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis features a pleasing variety of female vocalists, both visiting and local, as well as a tribute to saxophonist Dexter Gordon's work in the 1986 film Round Midnight, and more. Let's go the the highlights...

Wednesday, November 16
Singer Catherine Russell (pictured, top left) will perform for the first of four nights continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Russell, the daughter of pianist and bandleader Luis Russell and singer/guitarist Carline Ray, is known for interpreting vintage jazz and blues material, and recently released her sixth solo album Harlem On My Mind. For more about that, and some videos of Russell performing some songs from the album, see this post from last Saturday.

Thursday, November 17
The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present a free program called "Jazz and Film: 30th Anniversary of Bernard Tavernier's Round Midnight." The event features multi-instrumentalist Jeff Anderson on tenor sax, with Adam Maness on piano, Darrell Mixon on bass, and Maurice Carnes on drums. They'll interpret some of the music from Round Midnight that originally was performed on the soundtrack by Dexter Gordon (who also gave an Academy Award-nominated starring performance in the film.) .

Also on Thursday, students in the UMSL Jazz Combos will give a free concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Friday, November 18
Former St. Louisan Mardra Thomas (pictured, bottom left) will be back in town to perform a free concert at St. Peter's United Church of Christ, and singer Wendy Gordon, pianist Carolbeth True, and friends will present an "Ebony and Ivory Tribute to Divas of Song" at the Ozark Theatre.

Elsewhere around town, Second Generation Swing will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; saxophonist Austin Cebulski leads a trio at Cigar Inn; and San Francisco-based cabaret singer Brooke Michael Smith will perform for the first of two nights at The Emerald Room at The Monocle. While Smith's Friday show is already sold out, as of this writing some tickets remain for Saturday.

Saturday, November 19
The vintage swing and Americana band Wack-A-Doo return to Evangeline's, and percussionist Herman Semidey and Orquesta Son Montuno will play salsa, Latin jazz, and more at Club Viva.

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: The Motet, St. Louis Art Fair, Wendy Gordon's "Cafe Society" and more

As yr. StLJN editor is still recovering from a hand injury, this post is both a bit late and necessarily on the terse side. The good news is that, barring any unforeseen complications, I should be sufficiently recovered that things will be back to more-or-less normal around here in a week or two.

For now, better late than never, let's go to this week's live jazz and creative music highlights in and around St. Louis...

Friday, September 9
The St. Louis Art Fair begins its annual three-day run, with one of the entertainment stages devoted to local jazz acts booked with help from Jazz St. Louis; see the website fora complete schedule.

Also tonight, the Denver-based funk-jazz band The Motet (pictured, top left) returns for a performance at The Ready Room; the Coleman Hughes Project begins a two-night engagement at Jazz at the Bistro; trumpeter Randy Holmes and his quintet offer a tribute to the music of Horace Silver at the Ozark Theatre; and guitarist Tom Byrne plays at Thurman's in Shaw, the new name for the recently renovated South Side spot formerly known as Thurman Grill and Provisions.

Saturday, September 10
LouFest, the two-day rock festival held this weekend in Forest Park, will feature the Preservation Hall Jazz Band as its token jazz act, performing on Saturday afternoon. (Also of potential interest: blues guitarist Buddy Guy's set on Sunday afternoon.)

Elsewhere on Saturday afternoon, the Twin Cities-based jump blues and swing band Davina and the Vagabonds will be in town for a matinee at the Blues City Deli.

On Saturday evening, the Midwest Jazz-tette will perform at Evangeline's; the Wire Pilots play at 1900 Park Creative Space; and the Funky Butt Brass Band will do their monthly show at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday, September 11
The St. Louis Record & CD Collector Show will present their Fall 2016 event at the American Czech Hall.

Also on Sunday, Wendy Gordon (pictured, bottom left) and a diverse lineup of local singers and musicians will present "Cafe Society: Where Entertainers Met," the latest installment in Gordon's annual "Jazz Heaven" series, at the Florissant Civic Center Theater.

Monday, September 12
Webster University's jazz faculty will present "A Tribute to Verve Records" at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus.

Tuesday, September 13
The St. Louis Legacy Ensemble, percussionist Joe Pastor's project that puts student jazz musicians and professionals side-by-side on stage, will perform as part of the "Notes From Home" series at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

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: Femi Kuti and Positive Force, "Jazz in July" begins, and more

As mid-summer weekends go, this isn't an especially busy one for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, but there still are a number of noteworthy performances worth seeking out over the next few days, including the return of a popular free summer concert series and a rare visit from one of the best-known Afrobeat musicians in the world. Let's go the highlights...

Thursday, July 7
The Liberation Organ Trio will open this year's Jazz at Holmes series of free "Jazz in July" concerts at Washington University. (Note that the summer series will be presented in a different location, the Tisch Commons in Danforth University Center, with an earlier start time than the Jazz at Holmes shows presented during the school year.)

Also tonight, guitarist Dave Black, singer Feyza Eren and friends perform at Nathalie's, and pianist Ptah Williams and guitarist Eric Slaughter will be holding forth in their usual Thursday night spot at The Dark Room.

Friday, July 8
Singer Eve Seltzer returns to Evangeline's; the Original Knights of Swing will play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and roots-rock/Americana band the Brothers Lazaroff will make their debut at Jazz at the Bistro in the first of two nights of performances at that venue. They'll be offering new arrangements of their material that have been expanded to accommodate a roster of guest soloists including saxophonist Ben Reece and trumpeter Adam Hucke.

Saturday, July 9
On Saturday afternoon, singer Wendy Gordon and friends will return for another matinee performance at J&C BBQ & Blues, and saxophonists Jeffrey Collins and Jessica Knopf, aka the Atlas Saxophone Duo, will present a free performance and workshop at Saxquest.

Saturday night, singer and actor Ben Watts, who's moving to NYC, will give his final cabaret performance locally before departing at The Emerald Room at The Monocle; and multi-instrumentalist Femi Kuti (pictured), the son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, and his band Positive Force will be in town for a performance at The Ready Room. For some video samples of Kuti and Positive Force in action, see this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Sunday, July 10
Miss Jubilee returns to perform for brunch at Evangeline's; and Sound Unlimited continues their Sunday night residency at Frederick’s Steakhouse and Pizzeria.

Monday, July 11
Percussionist Joe Pastor and the St. Louis Legacy Ensemble will perform at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, July 12
The loosely organized collective of musician involved with the the new CD New Music/Free Improv Live at the Tavern of Fine Arts will hold a CD release event for the album at Jackson Pianos in the Central West End.

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: Pat Martino, Snarky Puppy, a tribute to Mae Wheeler, and more

This week's notable jazz and creative music shows in St. Louis include return appearances from a top guitarist and one of the hottest young bands in jazz, plus a rare visit from some prog-rock veterans and a tribute to a fondly remembered local vocalist and mentor. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, May 11
Guitarist Pat Martino (pictured, top left) returns to St. Louis for the first of four nights continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Martino's guitar/organ/drums trio continues to capture the classic sound and feel associated with that instrumentation, but the leader's harmonically adventurous playing also adds another dimension beyond the blues-based fare that's often a staple of the format. For some recent samples on video of Martino in action, see this post from last Saturday.

Also tonight, the band Stick Men, featuring former King Crimson members Tony Levin on Chapman Stick and Pat Mastelotto on drums, plus Stick player and guitarist Markus Reuter, performs at the Old Rock House; and pianist Pat Joyce plays at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Thursday, May 12
Trumpeter Jim Manley continues his regular Thursday night gig at Momo's Greek Restaurant, and the quartet Danbury Street plays at Nathalie's.

Friday, May 13
Pianist Carolbeth True's trio will team up with singer Kim Fuller to interpret material associated with Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Nancy Wilson, and more in "Songs from the Ladies," the first of two shows featuring True this weekend at the Ozark Theatre.

Also on Friday, singer Joe Mancuso and Dave Black play at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel's newly renamed Sidecar Lounge (formerly Chaser's Lounge); The Sidemen return to Evangeline's; and Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, May 14
Carolbeth True and Two Times True will be joined by singer Debby Lennon for "Mercer, Mancini and Mandel" at the Ozark Theatre, while singer Erin Bode will provide the music for "A Night In The Stacks at SIUE,", a fundraiser held at the Lovejoy Library on the SIUE campus.

Sunday, May 15
The Oikos Ensemble will present "Earth Walk: A Concert for Mother Earth" at the First Congregational Church of Webster Groves.

Monday, May 16
The jazz/funk/world music ensemble Snarky Puppy returns to St. Louis to perform at The Ready Room,
with guitarist Charlie Hunter as opening act.

Now touring in support of the albums Family Dinner, Vol. II, which was released in February, and Culcha Vulcha, which came out a couple of weeks ago, Snarky Puppy (pictured, bottom left) has been moving up to larger venues in many cities they've played before, so this chance to see them here in a relatively small space may be the last for a while if their star continues to rise. In any event, even though the show is on a Monday, advance purchase of tickets is highly recommended.

Also on Monday, saxophonist Jerry Greene's Greene Jazz Project will play at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Tuesday, May 17 
Singer Wendy Gordon has recruited an eclectic lineup of St. Louis vocalists including longtime local favorite Jeanne Trevor for "A Tribute to Mae Wheeler" at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Also joining Gordon and Trevor for the "Unforgettable Legends" show will be singers Linda Kennedy, Diane Vaughan, Mary Dyson, Marty Adbullah, Jeff Hardin, 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.)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

Miles Ahead opens today in St. Louis

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

* Miles Ahead, actor/director Don Cheadle's film about Miles Davis, opens nationwide this weekend and will play in St. Louis starting today at the AMC Creve Coeur 12 and Tivoli theaters.

The film's local opening has occasioned reviews from Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kenya Vaughn of the St. Louis American and a short feature story from the Alton Telegraph's Mary Cox. For complete Miles Ahead coverage, see StLJN's ongoing series of "Miles on Monday" posts.

* Saxophonist David Sanborn, who was back home in St. Louis last week to play at Jazz at the Bistro, has been announced as one of the performers for the February 2017 edition of The Contemporary Jazz Cruise, along with Pat Metheny, Gregory Porter, Terence Blanchard, and others.

* The St. Louis Black Rep is taking a dramatic look at the life of the late keyboardist, singer/songwriter and former St. Louisan Donny Hathaway with Twisted Melodies, a play written by and starring St. Louis native Kelvin Roston Jr.  The production continues through Sunday, May 1 at the Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University.

* Drummer Kimberly Thompson was interviewed by Nylon magazine in conjunction with the official release last Saturday of her new album, Treasures Abound. Thompson also may have broken some news about her next appearance in her hometown with a recent Tweet listing upcoming concert dates, one of which was "Kim Thompson & Mike Stern at the Bistro Feb 14 - 18 2017". (Jazz St. Louis usually announces the next season's schedule in May.)

* Last Saturday's Record Store Day festivities in St. Louis were featured in stories on the local newscasts of KSDK and KTVI/Fox 2.

* Singer Wendy L Gordon announced that the Leevert & Wendy Gordon Scholarship Fund will grant another $1000 scholarship this year to a yet-to-be-selected Sumner High School senior attending Harris Stowe State University in the fall.

The scholarships are funded with proceeds from Gordon's series of "Jazz Heaven" tribute concerts, the next of which is scheduled for Sunday, September 11 at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre, and from special events like the upcoming tribute to singer Mae Wheeler by Gordon and fellow vocalist Jeanne Trevor set for Tuesday, May 17 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Jazz this week: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Evan Parker & Peter Evans, Ronnie Burrage's RoBu Big Band, and more

This week's schedule of jazz and creative music in St. Louis is jam-packed, with three notable big band performances, two shows benefiting an ailing elder statesman of the local jazz scene, an evening of free-form music from two intriguing improvisors, and much, much more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, September 30
The eclectic acoustic ensemble The 442s perform for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, and pianist Greg Mills plays free improv and contemporary compositions at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Thursday, October 1
Guitarist Tom Byrne will lead a quartet in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, serving up "original compositions, some Pat Metheny tunes, some Jobim" and more.

Elsewhere on Thursday night, there are a couple of opportunities for some short-distance road-tripping for those so inclined. In DeSoto, MO, the fourth annual Mel Bay Jazz Festival begins with a show from guitarist Larry Bay and Sugar Moon at the Fountain City Grille on Main St.

The festival continues for two more nights with music from singer Joe Mancuso, guitarists Eric Slaughter and Dave Black, singer Lena Seikaly, and pianist Chris Grasso on Friday at the Fountain City Grille and on Saturday at The Arlington Inn event space, also on Main St.

At the same time across the river in Lebanon, IL, the Count Basie Orchestra will be performing for the first of two nights at McKendree College's Hettenhausen Center for the Arts. Friday's show is sold out, but some tickets apparently still remain available for Thursday's concert.

Friday, October 2
New Music Circle opens their 2015-16 season with  an evening of free improvisation from saxophonist Evan Parker and trumpeter Peter Evans (pictured, center left) at Joe’s Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave.

For more about Parker and Evans, see this video post from last Saturday. (While they're here, both men also will take part in a free workshop and Q&A session on Saturday morning at Foam on South Jefferson.)

Also on Friday, the Italian pianist Roberto Magris will be in town to lead a quartet in a performance at Ozark Theatre; the New Orleans Suspects return to St. Louis to play at Broadway Oyster Bar; and Feyza Eren offers a "Tribute to Billie Holiday" at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

And as if all that weren't enough for one evening, Jazz St. Louis education director Phil Dunlap will bring his quintet to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of two nights showcasing material from his forthcoming album. Along with the leader on piano, Dunlap's group features trumpeter Danny Campbell, saxophonist Ben Reece, bassist Nathan Pence, and drummer Montez Coleman.

Saturday, October 3
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by famed famed trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, return to serve as the featured performers at the "Friends of the Sheldon Benefit Gala" at Sheldon Concert Hall. (For availability of concert-only tickets, check with the Sheldon's box office.)

Marsalis and JaLCO (pictured, top left) have just released Live in Cuba, a two-disc set recorded earlier this year, and the first album on Jazz at Lincoln Center's new in-house imprint Blue Engine Records.

Also on Saturday, drummer/multi-instrumentalist and U City native Ronnie Burrage will be back home from his current residence in Pennsylvania to reactivate his RoBu Big Band (pictured, lower left) for the first of two performances at Voce, 212 S. Tucker.

The group will include Burrage and fellow St. Louis expat, guitarist Kelvyn Bell, plus saxophonists Jeff Anderson, Stanley Coleman, Chad Evans, and Jerome "JDubz" Williams; trumpeter Khamali Cuffie-Moore; bassist Darrell Mixon; pianist Ptah Williams; percussionist Henry Claude; and vocalist Charisse Swan.

The RoBu Big Band also will play a matinee on Sunday afternoon, and both gigs will be recorded on video for what promo material for the shows describes as "a larger film documentary initiative to explore the rich cultural history of St. Louis and to tell the stories of numerous artists that have come from the region." You can read more about that at the GoFundMe page that Burrage has set up for the film project.

Sunday, October 4
Tom Byrne and friends will present a "Tribute/Benefit Event for Willie Akins" at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, raising funds for the veteran St. Louis saxophonist who's now ailing from heart disease and unable to work.

Along with Byrne on guitar, the list of prospective performers includes drummers Montez Coleman and Kyle Honeycutt, bassists Bob DeBoo, Ben Wheeler, and Willem von Hombracht; trumpeters Danny Campbell and Randy Holmes, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis, guitarist Eric Slaughter, singer Erika Johnson, and, crossing over from Ronnie Burrage's matinee gig, Jeffrey Anderson, plus sit-ins and/or special guests TBA.

Also on Sunday, the Dave Dickey Big Band returns for their monthly show at Jazz at the Bistro, with the Ft. Zumwalt North HS Jazz Band performing during intermission.

Monday, October 5
Dizzy Atmosphere plays Gypsy jazz and swing at The Shaved Duck.

Tuesday, October 6
In another fund-raiser for the saxophonist, singers Wendy Gordon, Jeanne Trevor and friends will offer "Music for Willie Akins"at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

In addition to Gordon and Trevor, the announced list of performers includes singers Marty Abdullah, Elaine Donahoe, Marsha Evans, Chuck Flowers, Linda Kennedy, Joe Mancuso, Diane Vaughn, and Ron Wilkinson, along with keyboardists Arthur Toney and Pauline Stark, bassists Jimmy Hinds and Willem Von Hombracht, saxophonist Kendrick Smith, trumpeter Adrian Bowers, guitarist Eric Slaughter, and drummer Alfred Barnes.

Also on Tuesday, the Spiritual Revolution Ensemble plays free jazz at Tavern of Fine Arts; and the First Tuesday Composers Club will have their monthly meeting 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.)