Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University announces Fall 2019 schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series of free concerts at Washington University has announced their schedule for Fall 2019.

The series will get underway next Thursday, September 12 with a concert by pianist Ptah Williams at Holmes Lounge on the Wash U campus. Following the pattern of recent years, the Fall 2019 schedule will present a mix of local/regional jazz and creative music talent with some visiting performers.

Drawing on Wash U faculty member and series programmer William Lenihan's connections to the jazz scene in Europe, the Fall 2019 schedule will include a performance by Italian vibraphonist Marco Pacassoni (pictured) on Halloween night.

The complete lineup in chronological order is:

Thursday, September 12: Ptah Williams
Thursday, September 19: Carolbeth True & Two Times True
Thursday, September 26: Harvey Lockhart Quintet

Thursday, October 17: Trio de Cordes De Bonarense with Ken Kehner, William Lenihan & Joseph Lepore
Thursday, October 24: Brian Vaccaro Quartet
Thursday, October 31: Marco Pacassoni with William Lenihan, Joseph Lepore & Steve Davis

Thursday, November 7: Vehachi (Vincent Varvel, Joel Vanderheyden & Joe Pastor)
Thursday, November 14: "The Bridge 2.2" (at 560 Music Center)
Thursday, November 21: Jim Hegarty Ensemble

Thursday, December 5: Kim Portnoy/William Lenihan Quartet
Thursday, December 12: Wash U Jazz Combo Students

All concerts are free and open to the public. Concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. and except where noted, are presented in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall, which is located on Washington University’s campus at the west end of the Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives.

Edited 9/5/19 to correct the description of the November 14 program.

Jazz this week: Marilyn Maye, "Kind of Blue" at 60, St. Louis Record Show, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features a celebration of one of the most influential and best-selling jazz albums in history, a singer known mostly for her intimate cabaret performances stepping out in front of a brassy big band, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, March 6
Singer and grande dame of cabaret Marilyn Maye (pictured), who most frequently works with a trio or solo pianist, will change things up by performing with a 17-piece big band for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis.

At this writing, only a handful of tickets remain for Maye's performances, but as usual, the sets will be live-streamed on video and can be viewed for free in the first-floor lounge adjacent to the Bistro at JSL HQ. 

Also on Wednesday, this week's "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features multi-instrumentalist T.J. Muller and Friends at The Stage at KDHX, along with the jam session hosted by bassist Bob DeBoo at the Kranzberg Arts Center and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Thursday, March 7 
Vincent Varvel and William Lenihan will play guitar duets in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; pianist Adam Maness leads a trio at Thurman's in Shaw; and pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Darrell Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes will revisit their jazz fusion days as Tracer at The Dark Room.

Friday, March 8
In celebration of 60 years since the recording of Kind of Blue, saxophonist Kendrick Smith leads a sextet performing music from Miles Davis' landmark album (pictured) for the first of two nights at Jazz St. Louis.

Elsewhere around town, the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom, and the Funky Butt Brass Band plays for the first time at a new spot downtown, the Rhone Rum Bar.

Also on Friday, Jazz St. Louis will hold their $500-per-person annual benefit gala, with music from drummer Herlin Riley's band, and for which some tickets still remain, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Saturday, March 9
The St. Louis Jazz Club presents their monthly jam session matinee at J P's Corner, hosted by keyboardist Bob Row and drummer John Gillick, with trumpeter Brian Casserly as special guest.

Then on Saturday evening, pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True with saxophonist Larry Johnson will play at the house concert venue KindaBlue Club; and keyboardist Mo Egeston performs at The Dark Room.

Sunday, March 10
Miss Jubilee is back for brunch at Evangeline's, while trumpeter Jim Manley will be making his debut at The Dark Room with a quartet at their brunch. 

Also on Sunday, the St. Louis Record Show presents their spring event at the American Czech Center, and Sunday evening, the local students in Jazz St. Louis educational programs who make up the Jazz U Big Band will perform for the public at the Bistro.

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 at Holmes announces Fall 2017 schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University has announced their schedule of free concerts for the Fall 2017 semester.

The series will begin on Thursday, September 14 with British bassist Tony Grey (pictured), who's probably best known as a member of pianist Hiromi's working band.

Grey will be accompanied by Jay Oliver on keyboards; Wash U faculty member and Jazz at Holmes series director William Lenihan on guitar; and Roger Guth on drums.

In addition to Grey and various shows featuring a selection of St. Louis performers, the Fall 2017 series also will include themed programs exploring Italian film music; the intersection of experimental jazz and contemporary classical; and folk and protest songs of the 1960s.

Here's the entire schedule in chronological order:

Thursday, September 14; Tony Grey
Thursday, September 21: Freddie Washington Quartet
Thursday, September 28: Montez Coleman/Eric Slaughter Quartet

Thursday, October 5: Kim Fuller
Thursday, October 19: "From Torino - Music of Italian Film Composers: Morricone, Gaslini, Rota, Umiliani, Giordano" with Filippo Cosentino, William Lenihan, and the Sogni D'Alba String Trio.
Thursday, October 26: "Streams of Extremity II" with Ptah Williams, William Lenihan, Steve Davis, Amy Greenhalgh, and Marcia Mann

Thursday, November 2: "Voices of Freedom, Songs of Social Justice" with R. Scott Bryan, Rick Schuler, and band.
Thursday, November 9: Joe Mancuso Organ Trio
Thursday, November 16: Arc of Light Ensemble with Paul DeMarinis, Randy Holmes, Wayne Coniglio, William Lenihan, and band
Thursday, November 30 - Vincent Varvel Quartet

Thursday, December 7: Holiday concert featuring Wash U singers & musicians TBA.

All concerts are free and open to the public. Concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. and are presented in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall, which is located on Washington University’s campus at the west end of the Brookings Quadrangle, near the intersection of Brookings and Hoyt drives.

Jazz this week: Danilo Pérez, Jay Oliver, Denise Thimes, a big band Sunday, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes a visit from a top touring jazz pianist, the return of a favorite local singer to the city's showcase club, and one day that may seem like a time warp back to the big band era.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, February 24
Singer Denise Thimes (pictured, top left) returns to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of three evenings, continuing through Friday.

Also tonight, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra plays at Riverbend Restaurant & Bar.

Thursday, February 25
Keyboardist and St. Louis native Jay Oliver is back in town for a visit and will team up with guitarist/bassist William Lenihan and drummer Steve Davis to play a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

Elsewhere on Thursday, singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black perform at Thurman Grill; and the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Open Improv Night" with live improvised music.

Friday, February 26
Singer Tim Schall does his cabaret show "1961" at The Stage at KDHX; singer Chuck Flowers performs at Tavern of Fine Arts; and The Sidemen play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom

Saturday,
February 27
Pianist Danilo Pérez (pictured, lower left) plays the Sheldon Concert Hall, featuring music from his 2014 recording Panama 500, a sort of world-fusion concept that posits the music of that nation as part of a continuum of styles stretching around the globe. For more about that, and to see and hear Pérez performing some of the music from the album, check out the video showcase post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Also on Saturday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to Thurman Grill, and singer Eve Seltzer will perform at Evangeline's.

Sunday, February 28
While the "big band era" is supposed to have ended officially more than 60 years ago, you wouldn't necessarily know that by looking at the calendar for Sunday, which features four different big band performances in St. Louis on the same day.

For starters, the students in the McKinley High School Goldbug Jazz Band will be celebrating their first recording as a group with a matinee concert & CD release party at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Meanwhile, just a few blocks to the south, The Big Little Big Band will present a free concert at the Scottish Rite Cathedral Auditorium on Lindell.

Then on Sunday evening, the Dave Dickey Big Band will present their monthly performance at Jazz at the Bistro, with the North County HS Jazz Ensemble playing at intermission, while the Jazz Edge Big Band
returns to the Kirkwood Station Brewing Company (where Dickey's band played until the opening of the expanded Ferring Jazz Bistro in 2014).

Monday, February 29
Saxophonists Christopher Braig and Paul DeMarinis will join forces for a concert at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium; Dizzy Atmosphere plays swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck; and pianist Ptah Williams continues his Monday night residency at Thurman Grill.

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 at Holmes series announces Fall 2014 schedule

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

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

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

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

The complete schedule for the semester is:

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

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

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

Thursday, December 6: Wash U Student Jazz Combo

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

Jazz at Holmes series announces Fall 2013 schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University has announced their schedule of free concerts for Fall 2013.

The series begins on Thursday, September 12 with trumpeter Randy Holmes performing the music of saxophonist, composer and St. Louis native Oliver Nelson.

Other highlights of the semester will include an appearance by Italian pianist Antonio Figura (September 12); a tribute to St. Louis drummer Joe Charles (October 24); and a collaborative event involving choreographer Ashley Tate and company (November 14), which was rescheduled after a postponement this past spring.

Though born in Sicily, Figura (pictured) actually is something of a Wash U veteran, presenting seminars there from 2003 to 2007 and performing in 2005 on the Jazz at Holmes series with the band Cyclo.

Here's the complete lineup of concerts:

Thursday, September 12:  Randy Holmes plays the music of Oliver Nelson
Thursday, September 19:  Chad Evans Quartet
Thursday, September 26:  Antonio Figura Trio with William Lenihan and Steve Davis

Thursday, October 3:  Eric Slaughter/Tom Byrne Quartet
Thursday, October 10:  Three Tenors of St. Louis: Freddie Washington, Willie Akins & Paul DeMarinis
Thursday, October 24: A Tribute to Joe Charles

Thursday, November 7:  Jeff Anderson Quartet
Thursday, November 14:  Freedom Jazz Dance - Ashley Tate Dance Company
Thursday, November 21:  Carolbeth True Trio

Thursday, December 5: Washington University Jazz Students Performance

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The organizers of last weekend's Nevermore Jazz Ball have posted a YouTube playlist compiling video highlights from the four-day event. Also, the Post-Dispatch/STLtoday has posted online a set of pictures from the NJB's Cherokee Street Jazz Crawl.

* Saxquest has posted on Facebook photos from last Saturday's appearance at the shop by trumpeter Terell Stafford and Sunday's performance and workshop featuring the Oasis Saxophone Quartet.

* Guitarist William Lenihan was profiled by Terry Perkins for the St. Louis Beacon.

* The annual musical instrument drive conducted by the not-for-profit organization Music for Lifelong Achievement wrapped up this week, and this year's efforts yielded a record number of donated instruments. More than 100 used instruments were collected, which will be repaired and refurbished as needed and donated to local schools and music programs. Although the drive only happens once a year, MFLA accepts donations of instruments and cash any time. For more information or to make a donation, call The Sheldon at 314-533-9900 or visit the website.

* The UK newspaper the Guardian this week has republished a lengthy 1985 interview with Miles Davis (pictured).

Jazz this week: Jim Manley, Christopher McBride CD release tour, "ArtSounds" with Sylvia McNair, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features the debut of a St. Louis trumpeter's new band; a mini-tour through the area from a Chicago saxophonist; tributes to the music of Nancy Wilson, Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix; and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, singer Denise Thimes will take the stage at the Sheldon Concert Hall with the aforementioned "Tribute to Nancy Wilson" (meaning the Nancy Wilson who recorded jazz for Capitol and Blue Note, and not the lead singer of rock band Heart). Proceeds from the event benefit the Mildred Thimes Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Also tonight, saxophonist Christopher McBride will showcase music from the new CD by his band Quatuor de Force in a gig at Robbie's House of Jazz. McBride, who studied under Ronald Carter at Northern Illinois University and now lives in the Chicago area, also will be playing at the Cigar Inn in Belleville on Friday and at Bugsy's in Union on Saturday.

And if that's not enough for one evening, guitarist William Lenihan on Thursday night will front a event billed as "Turning Point: Electric Miles and Hendrix Confluence" for a free concert presented by the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

On Friday, trumpeter Jim Manley will play the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, presenting the debut performance of his new group Mad Brass & Rhythm. In addition to Manley, the lineup of musicians includes Larry Johnson on saxophones, Jim Owens on trombone, Chris Miller on trumpet and flugelhorn, and a rhythm section of Arthur Toney (piano), Jeremy Pffefer (bass), and Joe Weber (drums). Manley hasn't released a lot of details on what they'll be playing, though he's said the band has all-new arrangements, and the Bistro is touting the gig as "straight-ahead jazz."

Update - 11/9/12, 10:30 a.m.: Manley checked in via email with details on the songlist, which will include new takes on familiar standards including "Take The 'A' Train," "In a Mellow Tone," "Angel Eyes," "Tin Tin Deo," "Softly as a Morning Sunrise," and "Caravan" as well as some blues.

Also Friday, the Sheldon presents its annual ArtSounds benefit, raising money for its educational programs with a cabaret-style performance from singer Sylvia McNair; and guitarist Tom Byrne and singer John Robinson will be at Robbie's House of Jazz.

On Saturday, Sandy Weltman and Hot Club Caravan will play Gypsy jazz and swing at Robbie's, and funk/fusion band Soul Cafe is at Jazz on Broadway in Alton.

Then on Sunday evening, saxophonist Tim Cunningham will perform at the Signature Room; and guitarist John Farrar will be playing solo at the Schlafly St. Louis Brewery & Tap Room.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday the Sessions Big Band will be back for their monthly gig at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups; and the Webster University student jazz combos will perform at Webster's Community Music School.

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 at Holmes series announces Fall 2012 schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series of free concerts at Washington University will kick off its Fall 2012 series at 8:00 p.m. this coming Thursday, September 13, with a performance by the Freddie Washington Quartet.

Washington, a local favorite from the late 1960s through the early 1990s, recently reemerged on the St. Louis scene after a hiatus from performing and some time spent out of town. Though his concert will basically be just a straight-up showcase Washington's hard-bop influenced work on tenor and soprano, most of the other Jazz at Holmes concerts this semester seem to have at least a nominal theme, with several including collaborations with other artistic disciplines or University departments.

Here's the complete Jazz at Holmes schedule for Fall 2012:

Thursday, September 13: Freddie Washington Quartet

Thursday, September 27: "Intimacy in Improvisation" with guitarist Vince Varvel and bassist Eric Stiller;

Thursday, October 4: "Stories: The New Beat Generation" featuring poet Eileen Gsell reading with music from guitarist William Lenihan (pictured) and his trio;

Thursday, October 11: "Tin Pan Alley and the Music of Jerome Kern" with trumpeter Bob Ceccarini's group and an introduction by Todd Decker, assistant professor and head of musicology at Wash U;

Thursday, October 25: "New Jazz" featuring saxophonist Ron Goff's quartet;

Thursday, November 1: "Music of Cannonball Adderley and Nancy Wilson" featuring saxophonist Rob Nugent and vocalist Kim Fuller with Kara Vandiver (piano), Zeb Briskovich (bass) and Miles Vandiver (drums);

Thursday, November 8: "Turning Point: Electric Miles and Hendrix Confluence," a celebration of the 70th birthday of Jimi Hendrix, featuring "an all-star lineup" led by William Lenihan;

Thursday, November 15: "Freedom Jazz Dance" featuring dancer/choreographer Ashley Tate with the St. Louis Creative Artists Jazz Ensemble;

Thursday, November 29: "Songs of Love and Other Difficulties: Work and Protest Songs" featuring the Kim Fuller Quartet, with an introduction by Patrick Burke, associate professor of ethnomusicaology; and

Thursday, December 6: Washington University jazz studies student groups, directed by William Lenihan.

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

Washington University to honor Pat Martino at free symposium this Thursday, December 2

The Jazz at Holmes series and the Washington University Department of Music will present guitarist Pat Martino (pictured) in a public symposium honoring his work from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. this Thursday, December 2, at Graham Chapel on the Wash U campus.

Martino will be in St. Louis to perform Wednesday, December 1 through Saturday, December 4 at Jazz at the Bistro. He will be joined at Thursday's symposium by music professors William Lenihan of Wash U and Steve Schenkel of Webster University, who are both working jazz guitarists, and Patrick Burke, director of undergraduate studies and professor of musicology for Wash U.

The symposium is free and open to the public, with no tickets or advance reservations required. For more about Pat Martino, see this post.

Jazz this week: Count Basie Orchestra, John Patitucci, Jeff Beck, Curtis Roads & Bryan O'Reilly, Steve Tyrell, and more

It's going to be another busy weekend for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with shows on tap ranging from classic big-band swing to experimental electronics, along with several stops in between. Let's go to the highlights:

Starting tonight, bassist John Patitucci (pictured) leads his trio for two sets per night through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Considered one of the top bass players in jazz since the mid-1980s, Patitucci has played St. Louis before, most recently as part of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's Guitar Festival in the fall of 2008, but the chance to see him up close and leading his own band undoubtedly will bring out legions of fellow bass players and music students, so advance reservations are suggested.

On Thursday, guitarist Jeff Beck brings his current tour to the Fox Theatre. While I don't care for some of the material Beck chooses to do, and wish he'd spar a bit more with his band instead of just using them as a backdrop, there's no denying the man's skills. Since it's the first time he's been to St. Louis is something like 15 years, expect a packed house.

On Friday, there are three noteworthy free concerts featuring St. Louis-based musicians. Over at Washington University, bassist Tom Kennedy and guitarist William Lenihan will co-lead a group in a free performance at the Danforth Center. Meanwhile, that same evening keyboardist Jim Hegarty, bassist Willem von Hombracht and drummer Kyle Honeycutt will give a free performance at Three Sinks Gallery in Webster Groves in conjunction with the opening of a show of paintings by Firmin Puricelli. Also on Friday, guitarist Matthew Von Doran, bassist Bob Deboo and drummer Steve Davis will play a free show at the Broadway Bean coffeehouse in the Carondelet neighborhood.

On Saturday morning, former St. Louisan Bob Koester, proprietor of Chicago's Delmark Records label and Jazz Record Mart, will speak about Delmark's history at the Sheldon Art Galleries. For more on Koester, see this post.

Then on Saturday evening, the Count Basie Orchestra, which features former East St. Louisan Tony Suggs on piano, will perform at SIUE's Meridian Ballroom for the university's "Arts & Issues" series. Though the Basie band certainly needs no extended introduction here, StLJN had some choice 1960s video footage of them a post last Saturday, which serves as a pretty good primer on their sound and style.

Also on Saturday, singer Steve Tyrell will appear at the Sheldon Concert Hall in a show that's been sold out for at least a couple of weeks now. (If you're really desperate to get a ticket, I suppose you could go to the Sheldon and hope someone cancels and turns their tix back in to the box office. Otherwise, given the Sheldon's propensity for re-booking acts that do well there, you can take solace in knowing that it likely won't be long until Tyrell is back again.)

For something completely different on Saturday, check out electronic composer Curtis Roads and multi-media artist and musician Brian O'Reilly, who will perform "Flicker Tone Pulse" at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park's Mildred E. Bastian Center for the Performing Arts.

Presented by New Music Circle, the performance will consist of "a set of new electronic compositions with visual accompaniment. These works explore a multiscale approach to composition, and are designed to be spatialized live by the composer, with simultaneous video projection on multiple screens." Roads is considered a leading practitioner of granular synthesis, and you can find out more about him and his techniques in a video profile done a couple of years ago for a Dell Computers promotion, available in three parts here, here and here.

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

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

Jay Oliver adds concert on Wednesday, March 3 at 560 Music Center

Already scheduled to perform this Saturday for Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series, pianist Jay Oliver (pictured) has added more events to his trip home this week.

According to an email sent out by the Jazz at Holmes series, Oliver, a St. Louis native now living in Los Angeles, also will give a clinic/masterclass Monday, March 1 on the Wash U. campus and perform in a concert at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 3 at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave in University City.

Oliver will work with a different combination of musicians at each concert. For the Jazz at Holmes show on Saturday, Oliver will be play a solo set, then a second set backed by William Lenihan (guitars and bass) and Miles Vandiver (drums). The concert begins at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, February 27 in Holmes Lounge on the Washington University campus. Unlike most Jazz at Holmes shows, Oliver's concert will have an admission charge: $10 for the general public, $5 for Washington University students and staff, and $5 for seniors.

For the show at the 560 Music Center, Oliver and Lenihan will be joined by bassist Tom Kennedy and drummer Roger Guth. There's no ticket information on this show available yet, but we'll have an update here when details are released.

For information on Oliver's clinic and master class, contact William Lenihan via email at wlenihan (at) wustl.edu.

Jazz this week: Shaun Robinson, a tribute to Miles Davis, student big bands, and more

While there are no major touring jazz musicians visiting St. Louis this weekend, and a relatively light schedule overall, there are some noteworthy events featuring local musicians coming up over the next few days. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, guitarist William Lenihan will lead a tribute to the electric music of Miles Davis, drawing on compositions from In A Silent Way and Filles de Kilimanjaro in a free concert for Washington University's Jazz at Holmes series

On Friday and Saturday, guitarist Shaun Robinson (pictured), best known as a member of Good 4 The Soul, will bring his own band to Jazz at the Bistro for the weekend. I've not heard Robinson's own group yet, and they've released no recordings; however, the advertised ingredients - a mix of jazz, funk, rock and R&B - are similar to those employed by G4TS, and presumably the guitarist has his own personal recipe for combining them.

Also on Friday and Saturday, trombonist Robert Edwards and his ensemble will take the stage at Robbie's House of Jazz, offering a mix of hard bop, soul/jazz and more.

Looking beyond the weekend, there are two free concerts early next week featuring up-and-coming talent from local jazz studies programs. On Monday, the Webster University Big Band will perform at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus, and on Tuesday, the SIUE Big Band will play at Dunham Hall on campus in Edwardsville.

For information on more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check out the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar, or by clicking here. Also, you can follow St. Louis Jazz Notes on Twitter at http://twitter.com/StLJazzNotes and become a "fan" by signing up 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.)

Washington University concert to explore chance via music from Cage, Riley

Musicians and dancers affiliated with Washington University will explore the use of chance in contemporary music in a concert at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 7 at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave. in University City.

The concert program will begin with "Music of Changes Book IV: New York, December 13," a piece for solo piano composed by John Cage by consulting the I Ching, as performed by pianist Peter Henderson. Next on the program will be "The Oracle," an improvisation featuring guitarist William Lenihan, percussionist Henry Claude, cellist Tracy Andreotti and dancers Mary-Jean Cowell, David Marchant and Ting Ting Chang.

The program will conclude with a performance of Terry Riley's "In C" by an ensemble including Claude, Lenihan and Andreotti, plus cellist Elizabeth Macdonald, guitarist Vince Varvel, pianist Amanda Kirkpatrick, saxophonist Adrianne Honnold, violist Laura Reycraft, and clarinetist Dana Hotle.

The performance is held in conjunction with the current "Chance Aesthetics" exhibit at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, and will preceded by introductory remarks by Meredith Malone, assistant curator of the Kemper Art Museum, who organized the Chance Aesthetics exhibition; and Bruce Durazzi, assistant professor of music theory.

Admission is free and open to the public. A reception will immediately follow the concert in the Music Center's Ballroom Theatre. For more information, call 314-935-5566.

Jazz this week: A jazz tribute to Woodstock; music at the St. Louis Art Fair; a new book about the St. Louis blues; and more

While this weekend in St. Louis offers no shows featuring big name jazz musicians - think of it as a chance to save up a bit for next weekend's concerts by Sonny Rollins, Trio 3 and/or Chris Botti - there are still some jazz-related events over the next few days that may merit your attention. Here's a look at some highlights:

Tonight, the fall series of free weekly Jazz at Holmes concerts at Washington University begins with guitarist William Lenihan leading "a jazz tribute to Woodstock" outdoors on the Brookings Quadrangle.

Presumably, it's not a concert featuring jazz versions of songs that were played at Woodstock and/or written by musicians who performed there, or they would have just described it as such. (You can read Wash U's rather uninformative blurb on the show, and my initial reaction to it, here. ) Still, with a lineup of very capable musicians including Lenihan, Jason Swagler (who's listed in the show's promotional email as playing guitar, rather than his more usual alto sax), pianist Ptah Williams, drummer Kyle Hunnicutt, percussionist Henry Claude, and bassist Zeb Briskovich, there's certainly plenty of potential for some good music, even if the concept is a bit vague.

On Friday, St. Louis artist and writer Kevin Belford will be at Mad Art Gallery, signing copies of his new book Devil at the Confluence: The Pre-War Blues Music of St. Louis and showing his original paintings of St. Louis blues musicians that illustrate the tome. The free event also will include a performance from singer/guitarist Tom Hall, vintage film footage of St. Louis blues legends, and a spin of the book's companion CD. .

Friday night is also the beginning of the official "grand opening" weekend for Robbie's House of Jazz, which is located in the old Cookie's Jazz and More space at 20 Allen Ave. in Webster Groves. The featured performers this weekend will be the 16-piece Robert Edwards Big Band, which delves into a variety of big band jazz styles and includes trombonist Lamar Harris and pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson among its members. (For more about Robbie's, see this previous post. I've also got a new post about the club scheduled to go online today at the Riverfront Times music blog, A to Z; when it goes live, I'll post a link here.)

The annual St. Louis Art Fair also gets underway on Friday, but there's not much music of interest to jazz fans until Saturday, when the event will feature performances from the Funky Butt Brass Band and the Sheldon Jazz Quintet, comprised of Rick Haydon (guitar), Mardra Thomas (vocals), Reggie Thomas (piano), Miles Vandiver (drums) and Zeb Briskovich (bass).

Jazz St. Louis executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford's band the Blues Inquisition also will perform on Saturday, and Sunday's musicians of interest include pianist Monika Herzig's group, and trumpeter/vocalist Dawn Weber (pictured) and her band Electro Funk Assembly.

On Sunday, there will be a benefit performance for singer Elaine Donahue from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups, 700 S. Broadway. Performers will include Willie Akins, Marty Abdullah and members of the Soulard Blues Band, Denise Thimes, Skeet Rogers, the Bosman Twins, Mae Wheeler, Jeanne Trevor, Roland Johnson, Wendy Gordon, Marsha Evans, Eugene Johnson, Renee Smith and more. All proceeds will go to medical and living expenses for Donahue, who has been fighting cancer and has been unable to work as a singer or at her day job in the treasurer’s office for the city of East St. Louis. In addition to leading her own group, Donahue has worked with Akins, pianist Ed Nicholson’s trio, and many others.

For more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar or by clicking here.

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

(Edited 9/10/09 to fix problems with tags & add additional tags. Edited again on 9/11/09 to restore a paragraph accidentally dropped during the editing process.)

Jazz at Holmes series sets schedule for Fall 2009

The Jazz at Holmes series of free Thursday night concerts at Washington University in St. Louis has announced its schedule for Fall 2009.

The series kicks off with what seem like a couple of odd musical choices: a jazz tribute to Woodstock, led by guitarist and Wash U director of jazz performance William Lenihan and held outside on Brookings Quadrangle on Thursday, September 10; and the rock/funk/hip-hop band Fresh Heir on Thursday, September 17.

Regarding the former, the news release announcing the series' Fall schedule quotes Lenihan as saying, "The connections between rock music and jazz of the era of Woodstock are many, and not just that which the sonic possibilities of electric and electronic musical instruments brought to the stage. Breaking stylistic boundaries, creating new expressions and symbols of musical thought, whether through Coltrane, Hendrix or Dylan, American popular music had freed itself from its commercial limitations, with audiences fully participating in it's creation. Jazz at Holmes Series is celebrating the music in this spirit of performance."

Color me puzzled. While there's really no disputing the points about the music of the 1960s extending sonic possibilities and going beyond commercial limitations, this statement doesn't really make a connection between Woodstock and jazz, nor does it attempt to describe what the music that's going to be played that night will sound like...so at this point, your guess is as good as mine.

As for Fresh Heir, an energetic young group that mixes 1970s-style funk and contemporary hip-hop, their music doesn't seem to contain much of a jazz influence beyond the occasional background riff played by trumpet and tenor sax. While they may be popular with college students, and for all I know they're probably a nice bunch of fellas, to these ears they seem out of place on the Jazz at Holmes series. (That said, if someone can point me to some examples of their music that shows more of a jazz influence than the selections on their MySpace page, I'd be glad to take a listen...)

Here's the complete Jazz at Holmes Fall 2009 schedule:

Thursday, September 10: William Lenihan leads a tribute to Woodstock's 40th anniversary. (Concert to be held outdoors on Brookings Quadrangle.)

Thursday, September 17: Fresh Heir

Thursday, September 24: Utter Chaos performs music of Gerry Mulligan

Thursday, October 1: Clarinetist Scott Alberici plays music of the swing era

Thursday, October 8: William Lenihan leads a Miles Davis tribute recreating music from Birth of the Cool

Thursday, October 22: Trumpeter Danny Campbell and drummer Maurice Carnes

Thursday, October 29: Ptah Williams

Thursday, November 5: Willie Akins Quartet

Thursday, November 12: William Lenihan leads a Miles Davis tribute featuring "Petit Machins" and selections from In a Silent Way

Thursday, December 3: Drummer Steve Davis, Willian Lenihan and friends

Note that with the concert featuring Davis (pictured), the Jazz at Holmes series continues its recent practice of booking at least one touring musician each semester. Davis is the author of six books about playing drums; has performed and recorded with musicians including Bill Evans, Lynne Arriale, Benny Golson, Richie Beirach and John Pattitucci; and served as visiting professor of jazz studies at the Berlin Conservatory of Music. He'll play with a group of St. Louis musicians led by Lenihan, who, with major roles in four of the semester's concerts, will once again be a frequent presence on stage in the series as well as an important one behind the scenes.

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

Emmy nomination in hand, Don Wolff's I Love Jazz is ready for a second season on HEC-TV

An episode of the HEC-TV series I Love Jazz, hosted by longtime St. Louis DJ and jazz advocate Don Wolff, has been nominated for a local Emmy Award in the category of "Special Event Coverage (other than news or sports) Live or Edited" by the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The nominated episode, "I Love Jazz Live," was a combined production of I Love Jazz and HEC-TV LIVE and originally was cablecast last October from the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum on the campus of Washington University.

Using the Museum's then-current "Birth of the Cool" exhibit as a jumping-off point, the episode explored the interactions of jazz music, art and architecture during the 1950s via an interview with Michael Murawski of the Kemper Museum and music from an ensemble led by guitarist and Wash U faculty member William Lenihan. As host, Wolff shares the Emmy nomination with John Baker (Producer/Director), Kim Sturm (Technical Director), Dennis Riggs (Executive Producer), Tim Gore (Producer/Co-Host) and Madeline Dames (Associate Producer).

NATAS Mid-America is one of 19 regional chapters of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and includes television markets in Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois, plus neighboring cities in Kentucky, Iowa and Louisiana. This year's Emmy winners will be announced at a banquet to be held Saturday, October 3 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel downtown.

In addition to the Emmy nomination, I Love Jazz recently received four Telly awards, which recognize local, regional, and cable television programs and commercials; video and film productions; and work created for the Web. The "I Love Jazz Live" episode won two Silver Telly awards (the competition's top honor) in the categories of Cultural and Live Event, while an earlier episode featuring singer Jeanne Trevor and Dave Venn won Silver Tellys in the Cultural and Entertainment categories.

Associate producer Madeline Dames said I Love Jazz will kick off its second season on Thursday, September 3 with a program featuring pianist Carolbeth True and Two Times True and pianist/singer Curt Landes.

Other episodes in the new season will feature singer Denise Thimes (pictured with Don Wolff), taped in June at the Sheldon Concert Hall; guitarist/singer John Pizzarelli, who was recorded in April at the Touhill Performing Arts Center; and performances from "A Night of Jazz Greats," the benefit concert for the Wolff Jazz Institute featuring Clark Terry and an all-star band that will be held this coming Saturday at Harris-Stowe State University.

In addition, Dames said the I Love Jazz team also has produced another program called A Conversation with... that features an hour-long interview between Wolff and pianist Peter Martin. This show, recorded last summer at Jazz at the Bistro, also will premiere during September.

I Love Jazz can be seen on HEC-TV at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays and 8:00 a.m. Saturdays; HEC-TV is found on Channel 26 on Charter Cable and Channel 99 on AT&T's U-Verse network. Episodes of the program also can be downloaded for free by visiting http://www.hectv.org/ or from Apple's iTunes U. (Look under the "Beyond University" tab, then go to "H" for HEC-TV).

Regarding the latter, Dames said that I Love Jazz is the HEC-TV program most frequently downloaded from iTunes. In July, the show was featured in the "Hot News Headlines" section of the home page at Apple.com, resulting in more than 47,000 Web visitors and more than 15,000 free downloads of I Love Jazz episodes and its companion curriculum.

(Edited after posting to fix a typo.)

Jazz this week: Sara Gazarek, Gino Robair, the St. Louis Stompers, and more

With warmer weather in the offing for St. Louis this weekend, it should be a good time to get out and hear some live music. Here's what's going on in jazz and creative music over the next few days in St. Louis:

We've got two touring artists of note in town this week, one of whom is the delightful singer Sara Gazarek (pictured), who's back to perform at Jazz at the Bistro through Saturday. Gazarek is a standout in the crowded field of young female jazz singers, an exemplary vocal technician who swings effortlessly and brings a fresh, unaffected approach to the tunes she chooses and/or co-writes with her pianist, Josh Nelson. For more on Gazarek, check out StLJN's past coverage here and here.

The other headliner is improvising percussionist and composer Gino Robair, who's in St. Louis under the auspices of New Music Circle for a couple of events at St. Louis Community College - Forest Park's Mildred E. Bastian Performing Arts Center. Robair will do a free percussion workshop on Friday afternoon, and then a performance of his improv opera "I, Norton" on Saturday night.

In addition to these two well-known visitors, we've got some noteworthy shows featuring local musicians, too. This evening, guitarist William Lenihan, pianist Kim Portnoy and drummer Roger Guth team up for a free concert at Washington University as part of the Jazz at Holmes series, while the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center has a four-band bill of musicians working in various aspects of the free improv/electronics/ambient/noise genre with EXTRA LIFE, Ghost Ice, Exercise, and 7th epicycle.

On Friday, saxophonist Tim Cunningham brings his smooth jazz sound to Peppertini's in Chesterfield, and on Saturday, Jazz Renaissance does their monthly gig at Riddle's in University City.

Then on Sunday afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club will presents the St. Louis Stompers in a concert of traditional jazz at the Moolah Shrine Center, and a whole bunch of local blues and jazz musicians will put on a benefit for bassist Gus Thornton at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

The Sessions Big Band is back at BB's on Monday for another of their recurring gigs there, and on Tuesday, the Jazz St. Louis CD Listening Club has its meeting at Borders in Brentwood, this month featuring the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's Shawn Weil and Jazz St. Louis executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford discussing Charlie Parker With Strings. Afterwards, saxophonist Bennett Wood and his group will be playing at The Gramophone as part of the free Tuesday night jazz series the club co-sponsors with Jazz St. Louis.

For more jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar.

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

Jazz this week: Bruce Barth Quintet, Sometime Then and Again, and more

After a couple of very busy weeks, it looks like there's a bit of a post-Mardi Gras lull with regard to jazz and creative music in St. Louis, at least in terms of the number of shows this weekend.

Still, in addition to the various ongoing weekly gigs by local musicians (which you can find listed on the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar), there are a few other noteworthy events happening over the next few days, starting with three nights of performances by the Bruce Barth Quintet.

Barth (pictured) and his group, which also features the well-regarded trumpeter Terell Stafford, have been in town since Monday for an educational residency under the auspices of Jazz St. Louis. Tonight, they'll play at The Gramophone as part of a Young Friends of Jazz St. Louis benefit for JSL's educational programs, an event that also will include an opening set from the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars student ensemble. Then on Friday and Saturday, Barth and band will be at Jazz at the Bistro, where they'll play the customary two shows each night. For more on this versatile pianist and some video samples of his playing, see this post from last Saturday.

Also this evening, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University will present a free concert by Sometime Then and Again, a quartet featuring a couple of well-known local musicians, guitarist William Lenihan and saxophonist Dave Stone. Though Lenihan and Stone are both known quantities, this particular configuration seems to be a comparatively recent development, and Wash U. hasn't provided a lot of information about what sort of music they'll be playing. Given Stone and Lenihan's respective ranges of experience, it could be anything from completely composed music to totally free improv, but, considering the known level of talent there, the gig seems worth checking out regardless.

On Friday, you can catch some Latin jazz at Brandt's courtesy of Clave De Sol, featuring Farshid Etniko on guitar plus the pianist Phil Gomez, an interesting and accomplished player I've always liked for his ability to consistently do the unexpected. And on Sunday night, the crowd-pleasing soul/jazz/funk band Good 4 the Soul plays the early shift at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

UPDATE, 2:30 p.m. 2/26/09 - Two more events worth mentioning, gleaned from late night/early morning emails: My esteemed colleague Terry Perkins dropped a note to say that trumpeter and East St. Louis expat Russell Gunn will be in the backup band for pop/R&B singer Ne-Yo's concert at the Fox Theatre on Sunday. I don't know how much solo space there is for Gunn in the show - probably not that much, I'd suspect - but he's doing the entire tour with Ne-Yo and presumably making some nice money in the process.

Also, the SIU-Edwardsville jazz program will present its annual concert Tuesday night at The Sheldon, featuring the University's big band and vocal jazz ensembles as well as appearances from faculty members and alumni including Rick Haydon, Reggie Thomas, Jason Swagler, Miles Vandiver, Andy Tichenor, Brett and Kim Stamps, Bennett Wood and Zeb Briskovich. The program will include two compositions from Brett Stamps, "Cajun Cookin’" and "Let’s Samba," as well as Thomas' arrangements for the vocal jazz ensemble on "Revelation" (done in the style of Take 6), Lambert, Hendricks and Ross' "Centerpiece" and "Smilin’ Faces."

Of course, as mentioned above, these are just a few select highlights of the weekend's musical offerings. For more jazz-related events this weekend and beyond, please visit the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar. As usually happens at the beginning of a month, there will be a series of updates to the Calendar over the next several days as band and club information trickles and/or straggles in, so stay tuned.

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

Jazz at Holmes announces spring 2009 schedule

The Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University has announced the rest of its spring 2009 schedule of concerts.

Two Jazz at Holmes shows, featuring the Poor People of Paris and Randy Holmes and Hard Bop Heritage, have already taken place this semester. Also, according to the news release sent out today, the February 13 concert by pianist Marc Copland's trio, previously announced as a presentation of the Wash U. Department of Music, is now being co-sponsored by Jazz at Holmes as well.

The Copland concert, also featuring bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Bill Stewart, will be a departure from the usual Jazz at Holmes formula. It is being held on a Friday, it's off campus at the 560 Music Center in University City, and it is not a free show; tickets are $20 for the public, $15 for Wash. U faculty and staff, and $5 for students.

As for the rest of the schedule of free Thursday night performances announced today, other noteworthy shows for spring 2009 include appearances by the Wee Trio (pictured), an NYC-based group featuring former St. Louisan Dan Loomis on bass, and singer Jan Shapiro, another St. Louis expat who now teaches at Berklee College of Music. This spring's concerts also will feature a whole lot of Wash U. faculty member and Jazz at Holmes series coordinator William Lenihan, who will be wielding his guitar with various combinations of players on four of the gigs. Here's the schedule:

Thursday, February 19: Todd Mosby Group

Thursday, February 26: Sometime Then and Again - quartet with guitarist William Lenihan and saxophonist Dave Stone

Thursday, March 5: Pianist Kim Portnoy, drummer Roger Guth, and Lenihan

Thursday, March 19: Portnoy and Lenihan

Thursday, March 26: Guitarist Chris Burchett and his quartet

Thursday, April 2: Jan Shapiro with Lenihan

Thursday, April 9: Wee Trio

Thursday, April 16: vocalist Anita Rosamond

All of these concerts are free and open to the public, and begin at 8:00 p.m. in Holmes Lounge, Ridgley Hall on the Washington University campus.