Sunday Session: January 10, 2021

Yellowjackets

Here's this week's roundup of various music-related items of interest:

* Rare find: Foundation has its eye on piano that belonged to 'Blind' Boone (Columbia Missourian)
* Exam board drops only black composer from music A-level syllabus (The Guardian)
* AFM Lambasts Metropolitan Opera for Hiring Non-Met Musicians for Virtual New Year’s Gala (OperaWire.com)
* Music Predictions for 2021: Adele and Rihanna Will Be Back… But Summertime Festivals Probably Won’t (Variety)
* Birdland Jazz Club, A Marquee NYC Venue, Sounds the Alarm to Raise Vital Funding (WBGO)
* What would a music streaming minimum wage look like? (AudioOxide.com)
* Yellowjackets Take Expansive Approach (DownBeat)
* Grammy Awards Postponed (Variety)
* The Real Swinging London: The Legacy of Brit Jazz (Bandcamp.com)
* A midsummer night's sax comedy: the return of the lost Shakespeare jazz musical (The Guardian)
* Celebrated musician finds new 'best friend' to replace smashed piano (The Guardian)
* Gibson Buys Mesa/Boogie (Reverb.com)
* Kid Ory Finally Gets the Encore He Deserves (Smithsonian)
* Posi-Tone Perseveres, Despite Pandemic (DownBeat)
* Everything’s a Drum: Percussion Hits Its Stride (San Francisco Classical Voice)
* 'A legend in her own right': Carolyn Franklin, Aretha's forgotten sister (The Guardian)
* The Institute for Composer Diversity: White Leadership, DEI Initiatives, and Ethical Advocacy (ICareIfYouListen.com)
* An Archival George Coleman Date Details Baltimore History (DownBeat)
* John Beasley Reflects on Miles, Herbie, and (of Course) Monk (Jazz Times)
* Blue Bird Inn in Detroit spared from demolition after historic designation (Detroit Free Press)
* Beloved L.A. jazz club Blue Whale shuts doors for good due to COVID-19 (Los Angeles Times)
* Discovering Flaws In The 1,000 Fan Theory [Video] (HaulixDaily.com)
* Giant steps: Why Soul is the film that finally got jazz right (The Independent)

Jazz this week: The Bad Plus v 2.0, Storm Large, "Winter Jazz Fest," and more

It's a big week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with one performance that's literally drawing international attention, the debut of a new festival, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...


Wednesday, January 17
The gig making headlines all over the globe is the live debut of the revised lineup of The Bad Plus, who will be doing their first-ever performances with new pianist Orrin Evans starting Wednesday night and continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Evans, who replaces founding member Ethan Iverson, already has recorded an album with the group, which is being released this week and was spotlighted last week by NPR's "First Listen" feature. (NPR also will be recording The Bad Plus during their stay in St. Louis for a future episode of the network's "Jazz Night In America" program.)

While that live stream of the new album may have expired by the time you read this, those who are curious about The Bad Plus v 2.0 (pictured, top left) but can't make it to the Bistro this week can watch a live online stream of Friday night's first set for free, starting at 7:30 p.m. on Jazz St. Louis' Facebook page.

Also on Wednesday, singer Storm Large returns, this time with her band Le Bonheur, for a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall. While her several previous appearances here in recent years have been in a cabaret setting and with the dance orchestra Pink Martini, this show will offer Large a chance to show off more of her rock-oriented material with a full band.

Thursday, January 18
Guitarist Todd Mosby's New Horizons Ensemble performs at Sky Music Lounge; The People’s Key will play at the Chase Club; and saxophonist Ben Reece‘s Unity Quartet returns to The Dark Room.

Friday, January 19
Saxophonist Kendrick Smith begins a new weekly residency, leading a trio every Friday starting this week at Thurman's in Shaw; and the Ambassadors of Swing play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday,
January 20
The first-ever "Winter Jazz Fest," headlined by jazz/fusion band Yellowjackets, will take place at the Grandel Theatre.

Unlike the long-established, week-long, multi-venue New York City event with which it shares a name, this fest is a single-night, single-location concert, with an emphasis on electric contemporary jazz.

In addition to Yellowjackets (pictured, bottom left), the show also will feature saxophonist Eric Marienthal, Bach to The Future, Tracer (aka pianist Ptah Williams' trio in fusion mode), pianist Royce Martin, and the adjacent Dark Room's regular Saturday night performer, keyboardist Mo Egeston.

If you're thinking about going but don't yet have tickets, Metrotix is offering a "buy one ticket, get the second at half-price" discount to online buyers. To access the offer, go to this page and enter the promo code WINTERJAZZ.

Also on Saturday, saxophonist Dave Stone's begins a new weekly gig at Thurman's in Shaw; Miss Jubilee returns to the Casa Loma Ballroom; and the Funky Butt Brass Band will do their monthly performance at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday, January 21
The Dave Dickey Big Band performs in the first of a projected series of gigs this year at the Grandel Theatre, with the Lindbergh HS Jazz Ensemble as opener and intermission act.

Monday, January 22
Dizzy Atmosphere plays swing and Gypsy jazz for diners at The Shaved Duck, and singer and impressionist Dean Christopher will present his "Rat Pack and More" show at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar.

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

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Winter/spring 2018 jazz preview, part 2

This week, it's part two of StLJN's winter/spring 2018 jazz preview, featuring videos of the jazz and creative music performers who will be visiting St. Louis in the first few months of the new year. (You can see part one here.)

Picking up in mid-January where last week's installment ended, the first video up above features singer Storm Large, who will be returning to perform on Wednesday, January 17 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Large has presented her cabaret show here a couple of times before, but this concert will feature her band Le Bonheur, who back her up in this 2014 performance of "I've Got You Under My Skin."

That same week, The Bad Plus will return to St. Louis to present their first-ever live shows featuring their new pianist Orrin Evans, starting Wednesday, January 17 and continuing through Saturday, January 20 at Jazz at the Bistro.

With founding pianist Ethan Iverson' departure from the trio being a long-planned event, Evans already has recorded an album, Never Stop 2, with TBP, but will be making his live-performance debut with group during their St. Louis run.

Given those circumstances, there's really no way to "preview" their shows here, but after the jump, you can see a performance by the original TBP lineup from this year's Moers Festival in Germany, followed by a clip of Evans, rethinking the standard "Autumn Leaves" with bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Obed Calvaire, in 2012 at NYC's Jazz Standard.

The same night TBP concludes their run, Grand Center also will be the site of a "Winter Jazz Fest" at the Grandel Theatre, featuring a headlining performance by Yellowjackets, plus saxophonist Eric Marienthal performing with St. Louis' own Bach to the Future, and more.

The next clip, shot by the prolific St. Louis videographer James Ross, shows Yellowjackets performing "Civil War" during their last visit here in September of this year at Jazz at the Bistro.

After that, there's a video of Marienthal playing Eddie Harris' "Cold Duck Time" at Vandojam 2017, an event presented by the reed and mouthpiece manufacturer Vandoren at the 2017 NAMM show in Los Angeles.

Next up is saxophonist Maceo Parker, who's playing Wednesday, January 24 through Saturday, January 27 at the Bistro, making his long-awaited debut at that venue. Parker can be seen in today's sixth clip performing "Pass the Peas" in August 2017 at the Music Box in San Diego, CA.

While Parker is funking up the Bistro on Saturday night, a couple of blocks away the Kranzberg Arts Center will present "Come Together - Barb Jungr & John McDaniel Perform The Beatles" on Saturday, January 27.

This is the St. Louis debut of a show that Jungr, a British-born cabaret singer, and McDaniel, the pianist, singer and Kirkwood native who gained national celebrity as musical director for Rosie O'Donnell's talk show, have been doing for a couple of years now. In the penultimate video, a promotional clip featuring excerpts from several songs, you can get an idea as to how they go about reinterpreting the Fab Four's catalog.

Last but not least, today's final video features pianist Cyrus Chestnut, who will be back with his trio to perform starting Wednesday, January 31 through Saturday, February 3 at the Bistro.

Chestnut, a familiar visitor to St. Louis who last played here in May, 2016 at The Sheldon, can be seen in fine form with bassist Michael Hawkins and drummer Neal Smith, playing a whole set recorded in August 2017 at the Montclair Jazz Festival in New Jersey.

Look for part three of StLJN's winter/spring 2018 jazz preview next week in this space. You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Jazz St. Louis will be live-streaming video of tonight's 7:30 p.m. set by Yellowjackets at Jazz at the Bistro.

The gig is the first of four this season at the Bistro that will be live-streamed to the public for free, and you can tune in via the Jazz St. Louis website, their Facebook page, or UStream.

* The Playhouse at Westport Plaza has booked the show An Unforgettable Nat "King" Cole Christmas for the 2017 holiday season. The musical, which stars Chicago actor Evan Tyrone Martin (pictured) and features "a festive cocktail of signature songs and yuletide favorites" associated with Cole, will run from Thursday, December 7 through Sunday, December 17.

* To help promote his upcoming release The Mugician - due out next Friday, September 29 via Legacy Recordings/ Mass Appeal Records - trumpeter Keyon Harrold created a playlist of favorite tracks for the music streaming service Tidal.com.

* Improvising trombonist Steve Swell will present a lecture to the Washington University department of music at 4:00 p.m. Friday October 6 in the Music Classroom Building, room 102 on the Wash U campus.

Swell and his quintet, with pianist Dave Burrell, bassist William Parker, saxophonist Jameel Moondoc, and drummer Ches Smith, will perform in a concert sponsored by New Music Circle the next evening, Saturday, October 7, at The Stage at KDHX.

* Registration is open now for Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation's 8th annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition. The competition is open to all high school students in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and offers more than $30,000 in college scholarships, cash awards, and prizes, plus performance opportunities for the participating teens.

The entry deadline for 2018 is December 1, 2017. For more information or to register, go to http://www.foxpacf.org/programs/teen-talent-competition/.

* And speaking of local students, Music for Lifelong Achievement's annual drive gathering musical instruments for school and community music programs serving disadvantaged young people in St. Louis starts next Monday, September 26. For more information about MFLA and how to donate, go here.

Jazz this week: Yellowjackets, Pangea, Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features the return of a jazz-fusion favorite; a weekend of Latin jazz and salsa at a free outdoor festival, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, September 20
Jazz-fusion band Yellowjackets (pictured, top left) opens a four-night engagement continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

Although Jazz St. Louis at this writing is describing the shows as "almost sold out," a few tickets remain; call the box office for availability.  For those that can't make it in person, video of the set at 7:30 p.m. Friday will be streamed live on the Jazz St. Louis website and Facebook page and on UStream.

Thursday, September 21
Saxophonist Freddie Washington leads a quartet in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, and saxophonist Harvey Lockhart will perform at The Dark Room.

Friday, September 22
Percussionist Herman Semidey and Orquestra Son Montuno will play salsa, Latin jazz, and more at the Greater St Louis Hispanic Festival, a free event running through Sunday at Soulard Park; and the Funky Butt Brass Band returns to the Broadway Oyster Bar

Saturday, September 23
Pangea,"a contemporary world music band" featuring composer/multi-instrumentalists Hong Wang and Albert Chang, plays at the Touhill Performing Arts Center; singer Erin Bode will perform at Missouri Baptist University's Pillsbury Chapel Fine Arts Center; and Chicago Latin Groove (pictured, bottom left) provides the soundtrack for the evening at the Hispanic Festival.

Sunday, September 24
Jazz brunch possibilities for the day include Miss Jubilee at Evangeline's and drummer Montez Coleman and friends at The Dark Room; and later that afternoon, the Folk School of KDHX will present their monthly "Traditional Jazz Jam Session." 

Monday, September 25
Bassist Ben Wheeler leads a quartet in a concert at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium.

Tuesday, September 26
Farshid Etniko will present their brand of multi-ethnic fusion in a free outdoor concert for the Missouri History Museum's "Twilight Tuesdays" series

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

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Fall 2017 jazz preview

As the end of August approaches, it's time once again for StLJN's fall jazz preview, offering some video samples of the most noteworthy jazz and creative music performers who will be visiting St. Louis in the next few months.

Since Rebirth Brass Band's Labor Day weekend show at Atomic Cowboy got a post of its own a couple of weeks ago, let's get started with a video from trumpeter and St. Louis native Keyon Harrold, who will be coming home on Saturday, September 9 to headline the first-ever Alton Jazz and Wine Festival at the Riverfront Amphitheater in Alton.

You can see Harrold up above in a full set recorded in June 2016 for Revive Music's 10th anniversary "Blue After Dark" event at the Boiler Room in NYC.

After the jump, you can check out the current lineup of the British jazz-fusion band Brand X, who will be back in St. Louis to perform on Wednesday, September 13 at the Old Rock House. The clip - recorded by an audience member, so it's not quite what you'd call "broadcast quality" - shows them performing "And So to F" in June of this year at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA.

Next, it's Yellowjackets, who will return to St. Louis to perform Wednesday, September 20 through Saturday, September 23 at Jazz at the Bistro. The third video shows their set from Java Jazz Festival 2016 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and features their current/latest bassist Dane Alderson, who had just joined the band before their last St. Louis gig in 2015, also at the Bistro.

The fourth clip features saxophonist and vocalist Grace Kelly, who will make her St. Louis debut performing Wednesday, October 4 through Saturday, October 7 at Jazz at the Bistro. Kelly is seen here doing the title track from her latest album, "Trying To Figure It Out," in April of this year at KNKX Public Radio in Tacoma, WA.

Today's penultimate video features trombonist Steve Swell, who will lead an all-star quintet with bassist William Parker, saxophonist Jameel Moondoc, pianist Dave Burrell and drummer Chad Taylor in a concert presented by New Music Circle on Saturday, October 7 at The Stage at KDHX.

While this quintet set from the 2012 Vision Festival in NYC features a completely different band from the one Swell will have in St. Louis (which seems to be unrepresented in online videos), it's the same instrumentation, and so at least should provide some idea of Swell's trombone sound, compositions, and approach as a bandleader.

Last but not least, it's Moon Hooch, who will return to perform Friday, October 13 at Old Rock House. The saxophones-and-drums trio is seen here in a full set recorded February 4, 2017 at Otus Supply in Ferndale, MI.

Look for part two of StLJN's fall 2017 jazz preview next week. You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Sunday Session: April 24, 2016

Henry Threadgill

Some interesting music-related items that have landed in StLJN's inbox over the past week:

* Artist's Choice: Linda Oh on Duo Tracks Featuring Bassists - Jaco/Don Alias, Tim Berne/Michael Formanek & more (Jazz Times)
* Embrace Everything - The Big Ears Festival, in Knoxville (The New Yorker)
* 48% Of People Who Buy Vinyl Don’t Even Listen To It, Study Finds (DigitalMusicNews.com)
* Hear Now: 5 New Jazz Albums You Need to Check Out (Billboard)
* Museum Concerts Capture Iyer, Taylor, Smith in Peak Artistic Form (DownBeat)
* Henry Threadgill wins 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Music (New Music Box)
* Henry Threadgill on his Pulitzer prize win for music: 'I just try to stay hopeful' (The Guardian UK)
* Jazz bands capture youthful attention at Coachella (Palm Springs Desert Sun)
* A Remembrance For Chicago's Jazz Record Mart (NPR)
* REWIND: The Meters, Fire on the Bayou (Offbeat)
* Why Pitchfork Made a Magazine About Jazz (Pitchfork.com)
* Sonny Rollins: The Saxophone Colossus (Pitchfork.com)
* Upcoming Amazon series is based on the music of Bob Dylan (DigitalTrends.com)
* Two Turntables and a Saxophone (Pitchfork.com)
* Incredibly Clear Duke Ellington Recording Surfaces Online (Offbeat)
* Jazz funeral to commemorate Shakespeare’s life (Tulane University)
* When Music Pirates Used Pirate Ships (The Daily Beast)
* Can’t We Honor James Brown’s Last Wish? (The Daily Beast)
* Only known film of Louis Armstrong in studio discovered in storage facility (The Guardian UK)
* Depending On Who You Talk To, Jazz Is Alive And Well In San Francisco - Or It's Dead And Never Coming Back (SF Weekly)
* How the orchestra is arranged by the biology of the brain (Aeon.co)
* Trip celebrates Monk's birthplace (Rocky Mount Telegram)
* Thelonious Monk: So Plain Only the Deaf Can Hear (Pitchfork.com)
* Philly 'Real Book' would collect local jazz compositions under one cover (Philadelphia Inquirer)
* Cuban-born musician who wrote to Obama says White House confirmed his participation in upcoming event (InCubaToday.com)
* The Beach Girl Behind the Beach Boys (Vulture.com)
* What's old is new: MTV plots a major return to music (Los Angeles Times)
* Prince, Musician And Iconoclast, Has Died At Age 57 (NPR)
* Maybe We Should Just Leave Prince’s Vault Closed (UltimateClassicRock.com)
* Yellowjackets Showcase New Bassist, Fresh Material at Birdland (DownBeat)
* Photos: Jazz Fest Opens with Steely Dan, Gov’t Mule, Grace Potter and So Much More (Offbeat)
* Mason Ruffner, Aya Takazawa Shine on Day One of Jazz Fest (Offbeat)
* Are Algorithms Ruining How We Discover Music? (FiveThirtyEight.com)

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* If you feel like catching a buzz - musically and metaphorically speaking, that is - at lunchtime, Yellowjackets will be presenting a brief performance and Q&A session that's free and open to the public at noon today (Friday, October 9) at Jazz at the Bistro.

As with previous "brown bag" events hosted by Jazz St. Louis, there will be no food or beverage service available, but audience members are welcome to bring their own food and drink. You can RSVP or direct any questions to Jazz St. Louis' Andy Ament via an email to andy(at)jazzstl.org.

* The death of saxophonist Willie Akins was noted by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the St. Louis American.

* On a related note, saxophonist Greg Osby posted to Instagram a collage of photos of him and Akins together over the years.

* All Night, the just-issued solo debut album of keyboardist Matt Villinger, was reviewed by Bill Brownlee of the Kansas City jazz blog Plastic Sax. Villinger recently moved from St. Louis to KC.

* Saxophonist Oliver Lake has posted to Facebook some photos from last week's Trio 3 gig featuring guest pianist Vijay Iyer at Blue Note in NYC

* Also on Facebook, Saxquest has posted photos from last Saturday's performance and workshop by Jeffrey Collins.

* The Nine Network's "City of Music" has won this year's Mid-America Emmy award for "Arts/Entertainment – Program/Special." Based on recordings made at a concert last October at the Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries (pictured), the program pays tribute to 250 years of St. Louis music history with performances from local musicians and singers including Peter Martin, Denise Thimes, Billy Peek, the St. Louis Ragtimers, and many more. You can watch both parts of the two-hour special online here.

* The music streaming service Pandora has opened an ad sales office in St. Louis.

Jazz this week: Yellowjackets, Peter Martin, Dave Bennett, Tatsuya Nakatani, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis offers an album release event from one of the city's favorite homegrown piano players, plus funk and fusion, free improv, cabaret, swing, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, October 7
The popular fusion band Yellowjackets (pictured, top left) return to St. Louis to begin a four-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro, with a new member, bassist Dane Alderson, as part of the swarm.

Alderson, who's originally from Australia, replaces Felix Pastorius, who played with the group during their last visit to St. Louis in June 2014. Pastorius had replaced co-founder Jimmy Haslip as a touring member in 2012.

Thursday, October 8
The Gaslight Cabaret Festival begins its fall series with New Hampshire-based singer Wendee Glick performing her show "Moon Over The Mississippi" at the Gaslight Theater.

Meanwhile, this week's free Jazz at Holmes concert at Washington University will feature a tribute to saxophonist John Coltrane's early years on the Blue Note label, with the lineup of musicians still TBA at post time.

Update, 2:15 p.m., 10/7/15: The band for the Jazz at Holmes Coltrane tribute will be Paul DeMarinis (saxophones), Danny Campbell (trumpet), Kara Baldus (piano), Jeff Anderson (bass), William Lenihan (guitar), and Steve Davis (drums).

Friday, October 9
The Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues with singer Maxine Linehan in the first of two performances of "An Immigrant’s Journey From Ireland To America" at the Gaslight Theater.

Elsewhere around town, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to Nathalie's; The Sidemen play for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; the Midwest Jazz-tette will perform West Coast-style "cool" jazz at Cigar Inn; and the Funky Butt Brass Band will be back for their monthly outing at Broadway Oyster Bar.

Saturday, October 10
Pianist Peter Martin (pictured, center left) will resume his eponymous concert series and celebrate the release of his new album What Lies Ahead with a performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

For much more about the album - which features Martin, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Gregory Hutchinson, and various guests - plus video samples of a couple of tracks, see this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, guitarist Tom Byrne leads a trio at the house concert venue Kinda Blue; and Franglais will bring some late-night Gypsy jazz to Mangia Italiano.

Sunday, October 11
Keyboardist Mo Egeston's trio will be substituting for Tommy Halloran's band this week for Jazz at the Bistro's Sunday brunch.

That afternoon, the St. Louis Jazz Club will present clarinetist Dave Bennett in a matinee performance at the DoubleTree Hotel at Westport. Bennett is a 31-year-old Michigan native who "brings to life the classic sound and music of Benny Goodman with incredible technique, style, beauty of tone and naturalness."

Shortly after that, saxophonist Harvey Lockhart will kick off a late-afternoon quintet performance at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Then on Sunday evening, percussionist and improvisor Tatsuya Nakatani (pictured, lower left) once again will convene his Gong Orchestra at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, enlisting up to ten local musicians in his quest to draw unexpected sounds from an array of gongs of all sizes.

Monday, October 12
Bassist Ben Wheeler leads a quartet of musicians who all played with Willie Akins in a concert paying tribute to the late saxophonist at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium.

Tuesday, October 13
The Saxquest Jazz Orchestra will hold another open rehearsal and performance at the Tavern of Fine Arts; and Miss Jubilee plays for the weekly "Tuesday Night Swing" event presented by Lindy Hop St. Louis at Grandel Theatre.

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

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Fall 2015 jazz preview, part 2

Today, it's part two of StLJN's fall 2015 video preview of touring jazz and creative music performers coming to town over the next several months. Part one last week covered the month of September, so today's installment picks up in the first week of October with a video featuring saxophonist Evan Parker and trumpeter Peter Evans.

Parker and Evans will kick off New Music Circle's 2015-16 season with a concert on Friday, October 2 at Joe’s Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave. The clip up above, recorded in September 2013 at the Stone in NYC, shows a full set of improvised music from the two of them, plus cellist Okkyung Lee, who did a solo concert here for NMC last year.

After the jump, you can see Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, who will be back in St. Louis to headline the "Friends of the Sheldon" benefit gala on Saturday, October 3 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The video shows a full set of Marsalis and JaLCO playing arrangements of material from the Blue Note catalog in a gig earlier this year at the Harrogate International Festival in England.

Next, there's a clip of the band Yellowjackets, who will be returning to St. Louis to play Wednesday, October 7 through Saturday October 10 at Jazz at the Bistro. For this visit, the group once again will have a new bass player, Dane Alderson, who hails originally from Australia.

Alderson replaces Felix Pastorius, who had a relatively short tenure in the band, having replaced founding member Jimmy Haislip back in 2012. In this clip, recorded in July at the North Sea Jazz Club in, you can hear Alderson's bass solo on "Dreamland." (For more Yellowjackets, see this video showcase post that ran before their appearance here last year.)

Today's fourth video clip features is Wendee Glick, the New Hampshire-based singer who will kick off the fall edition of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival on Thursday, October 8 at the Gaslight Theater. Unfortunately, there aren't many videos online of Glick performing, but this excerpt from her version of "No Moon At All," recorded at the Colonial Inn in Concord, MA, provides at least a small sample of her work.

Glick will be followed at the festival the next evening by singer Maxine Linehan, who will perform on Friday, October 9, also at the Gaslight Theater. Linehan is seen here singing "What'll I Do?" in 2014 at Metropolitan Room in NYC.

The sixth video is the electronic press kit for saxophonist Adam Larson's upcoming album "Selective Amnesia", which should be out by the time he arrives in St. Louis to perform Wednesday, October 14 and Thursday, October 15 at Jazz at the Bistro.

Today's final clip features MarchFourth!, who will perform on Monday, March 19 at the Old Rock House. They're seen here in an audience-shot video playing "The Limit" in a gig in April 2015 at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, FL.

Look for part three of StLJN's fall 2015 jazz preview here next week. You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

Jazz this week: Chesterfield Jazz Festival, Patrice Rushen, Andre Delano, Wine Dine & Jazz Festival, and more

It's jazz festival time across North America, with major events taking place in a number of cities including Montreal, Vancouver, Minneapolis -St. Paul, Washington DC, and more.

And though our town no longer has a large-scale, multi-day fest since the unfortunate demise of the St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival a few years back, local jazz fans can take some solace in two smaller festivals plus many other jazz-related events happening around town this weekend. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight is the final show at Robbie's House of Jazz in Webster Groves, as the club ends its five-year run with New Hampshire-based singer Wendee Glick fronting pianist Dave Venn's sextet. (Robbie's co-owner and GM Dorothy Edwards has said she's looking for a new location with greater visibility; StLJN will have more information on that as it becomes available.)

Also tonight, the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Experimental Arts Open Improv Night" with live improvised music; and Dizzy Atmosphere and Coco Rico offer a double dose of string band swing and Gypsy jazz at Thaxton Speakeasy.

Tomorrow, saxophonist and East St. Louis native Andre Delano is back home to perform a one-nighter at the Rustic Goat; and The People's Key, with special guests multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris and saxophonist Matt McKeever, will present "Never Can Say Goodbye: Jazz Memories of Michael," their tribute to the music of Michael Jackson, at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Also on Friday, singer Joe Mancuso's quartet will perform at Nathalie's; keyboardist Matt Villinger leads a trio at Cigar Inn; trumpeter Jim Manley plays at Thurman Grill; and Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will be at C.J. Muggs in Webster Groves.

On Saturday, the second Chesterfield Wine and Jazz Festival will take place at Chesterfield Amphitheater. Unlike last year's ticketed show, this year's event is free and open to the public, and will feature a lineup topped by the electric jazz group Yellowjackets (pictured).

Also on the bill are Bach to the Future with special guest saxophonist Eric Marienthal; a group fronted by saxophonist Freddie Washington and drummer Maurice Carnes; pianist Ptah Williams' tribute to Chick Corea, and saxophonist Christopher Braig's band with singer Erika Johnson. For a closer look at a recent Yellowjackets show, check out this post from a couple of Saturdays ago.

Also on Saturday, the second day of the Wine, Dine & Jazz Festival in Belleville will feature keyboardist Pete Ruthenburg interpreting the music of Herbie Hancock, plus sets from singer Zena; Latin jazz band Son Montuno; and Soul Cafe.

Elsewhere around town, trumpeter Keith Moyer's quartet will play at Evangeline's; saxophonist Sam Hargadine's group with guitarist Tom Byrne and singer Feyza Eren will be at Bar Italia; and the Gateway City Big Band will play a free outdoor concert at Kirkwood Park Amphitheater.

On Sunday, the summer edition of the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will take place at the American Czech Hall on the south side.

Later that afternoon, keyboardist and singer Patrice Rushen, who lately has been doing more teaching and film scoring than performing, will be in town for a rare appearance at the Sheldon Concert Hall. For more about Rushen and some video samples from recent performances, see this post from last Saturday.

Also on Sunday, the Missouri Association for Jazz Education will present a jam session at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, and on Tuesday, Miss Jubilee will play a free outdoor concert at Fanetti Park.

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.)

Edited after posting to fix an incomplete sentence.  

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: An evening with Yellowjackets

This week, let's check in on the contemporary jazz group Yellowjackets, who will be back in St. Louis on Saturday, June 28 to headline the Chesterfield Wine and Jazz Festival at the Chesterfield Amphitheater.

Now featuring co-founder Russell Ferrante on keyboards, longtime members Bob Mintzer on saxophones and Will Kennedy on drums, plus the latest addition to the band, bassist Felix Pastorius, Yellowjackets have appeared at Jazz at the Bistro several times during the past decade, most recently in September 2013.

That was their first St. Louis gig with Pastorius, son of famed bassist Jaco Pastorius, who first subbed for founding member Jimmy Haslip on tour in 2012 and subsequently was named his permanent replacement. Their most recent album, A Rise In The Road, was released a year ago and was Pastorius' recorded debut with the band.

Given Yellowjackets' extensive performance history in St. Louis, we'll skip any further introductory material, and simply note that today's clips all were recorded at a gig in April of this year in Catania, Italy, with saxophonist Bob Franceschini subbing for Mintzer.

(While Mintzer is scheduled to be on the St. Louis gig, another of his occasional subs, saxophonist Erik Marienthal, also will be on hand for the event, making a guest appearance with organizers Mike and Rob Silverman's band Bach to the Future.)

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

Jazz this week: The Wee Trio, Yellowjackets, Ronnie Burrage, Dianne Reeves & Peter Martin, Diana Krall, Ahleuchatistas, and more

It's a jam-packed week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, so much so that there's no time to even attempt a clever opening paragraph for this post. So let's go straight to the highlights...

Tonight, the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra presents "A Tribute to Maynard Ferguson" with guest soloist Jim Manley on trumpet at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Also tonight, The Wee Trio, featuring St. Louis native Dan Loomis on bass, is in town to support the release of their new album Live at the Bistro, and will perform at Jefferson College's Fine Arts Theatre, 1000 Viking Dr in Hillsboro.

However, if you can't make it to Jefferson County tonight, there's another chance to hear The Wee Trio on Wednesday night, as they're playing at the Viragh Center for the Arts, Chaminade College Prep, 425 S. Lindbergh Blvd.

Also on Wednesday, Yellowjackets will open the 2013-14 Jazz at the Bistro season with the first of four nights of performances at the club. The celebrated contemporary jazz group is touring in support of their new album A Rise In The Road and features a new member, bassist Felix Pastorius, son of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius.

On Thursday, drummer and U. City native Ronnie Burrage, back in town to be inducted into the University City High School Hall of Fame, will perform at Robbie's House of Jazz in the first of his three gigs here this week.

That same evening, singer Dianne Reeves and pianist Peter Martin are the headliners for "Divas For a Cause 3," a benefit for the local not-for-profit organization Beyond Housing that will take place at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Fulfilling the event name's promise of multiple divas, St., Louis' own Denise Thimes and Erin Bode also will perform.

Also on Thursday, Italian pianist Antonio Figura will perform a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University, supported by locals William Lenihan on bass and Steve Davis on drums.

On Friday, singer and pianist Diana Krall (pictured) returns to St. Louis for the first time since 2007, bringing her "Glad Rag Doll" tour to the Fox Theatre. The concert will feature music from Krall's latest album, which offers her interpretations of early jazz and pop music from the 1920s.

Also on Friday, Ronnie Burrage and Band Burrage will play the first of two nights at the Kranzberg Arts Center; singer Tony Viviano performs at Fortel's in Creve Coeur; and singer Feyza Eren will be at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

On Saturday afternoon, Yellowjackets saxophonist Bob Mintzer will present a free saxophone clinic and workshop at Saxquest.

Then on Saturday evening, the experimental/noise music duo Ahleuchatistas will headline a show at Schlafly St. Louis Brewery & Tap Room celebrating the fifth anniversary of the KDHX program "Wrong Division."

Also on Saturday, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes perform at the Venice Cafe; singer and flute player Erika May and Friends will play at Robbie's House of Jazz; and singer Joe Mancuso and pianist Nick Schlueter will duet at the house concert venue KindaBlue Club, 6101 1/2 Idaho.

On Sunday, Miss Jubilee will be doing back-to-back shows in St. Charles, performing in the afternoon at Magpie's and in the evening at the Moonshine Blues Bar.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday The Bad Plus will take part in a free lunchtime presentation and discussion at the Tavern of Fine Arts, previewing their performance next week of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring; and "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective will play their monthly gig at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups.

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

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

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Fall 2013 jazz preview

Today, we offer part one of StLJN's 2013 fall jazz preview, with a look at some of the touring jazz and creative music performers who will be coming to St. Louis to perform in September.

First up is singer Roseanna Vitro, with an interpretation of "Mama Told Me Not To Come," the Randy Newman song that was a major pop hit in 1970 for Three Dog Night. She recorded it a couple of years ago as part of an entire album of Newman songs; this version comes from a performance in June 2011 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC, with pianist Mark Soskin, violinist Sara Caswell, bassist Dean Johnson, and drummer Tim Horner. Vitro will perform with pianist Kim Portnoy's trio next Saturday, September 7 at Robbie's House of Jazz, and on Sunday, September 8 at SIUE's Meridian Ballroom as part of a concert paying tribute to the late DJ Ross Gentile.

Down below is singer Michael Buble, seen in full-on Rat Pack mode with an uptempo version of "Come Fly With Me" recorded a few years ago for a live DVD. Though Buble's new album moves more in the direction of pop and rock material, it seems likely that he'll still deliver a few swinging numbers along the same lines when he performs on Saturday, September 14 at the Scottrade Center.

Next, we see saxophonist Jeff Coffin and his band the Mu'tet performing "Move Your Rug" in May of this year at the Loveless Cafe in Nashville. Coffin will return to St. Louis on Friday, September 20 to play at The Gramophone.

Also on Friday, September 20, Johnny Boyd will perform for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom. The former lead singer of Indigo Swing is seen here crooning "My Baby Just Cares For Me" in a performance from December, 2012 in Pasadena, CA.

Below that, it's The Wee Trio with "Ranthem," recorded last year at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, CA. The composition by bassist and St. Louis native Dan Loomis is included on Live at the Bistro, the group's new album recorded in February here in St. Louis and set for release in September on their Bionic Records label. The Wee Trio's tour supporting the album's release will include two public performances in St. Louis, on Tuesday, September 22 at Jefferson College and Wednesday, September 23 at Chaminade College Prep.

Wednesday, September 23 is also when Yellowjackets will open Jazz St. Louis' 2013-14 season, performing two sets nightly through Saturday, September 27 at Jazz at the Bistro. Since their last visit here, the group has a new bassist, Felix Pastorius, and a brand new album, A Rise In The Road, that features their newest lineup. The clip seen here in the sixth position is a full set recorded in May 2012 for something called MüpArt, and though Pastorius at that point was still technically a substitute, rather than an official member, he can be heard in the video along with material from the new album.

Last but not least, it's singer Dianne Reeves, who's been a relatively frequent visitor here in recent years, thanks in part to her music director and pianist, St. Louis native Peter Martin. Reeves, Martin, Erin Bode and Denise Thimes all will perform on Friday, September 26 as part of the "Divas For A Cause 3" benefit for Beyond Housing at the Sheldon Concert Hall. This clip features Reeves doing a wordless piece dubbed "Tango Du Jour" that was recorded on International Jazz Day 2013 in Istanbul, backed by Hüsnü Şenlendirici (clarinet), Bilal Karaman (guitar), Zakir Hussain (tabla), James Genus (bass), and Terri Lyne Carrington (drums).

Look for part two of StLJN's fall 2013 jazz preview right here next week.

Bob Mintzer to present free saxophone clinic Saturday, September 28 at Saxquest

Saxophonist Bob Mintzer will present a free clinic at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, September 28 at Saxquest. The event is open to the public, with no admission charge or reservations required.

Mintzer (pictured) is best known as a longtime member of the jazz-fusion group Yellowjackets and as the leader of his own big band, but also has performed and recorded with Buddy Rich, Jaco Pastorius, James Taylor, Queen, and many others. In addition to touring and recording, the Los Angeles resident teaches saxophone and jazz composition at the University of Southern California.

He'll be in town to play with Yellowjackets, who are opening Jazz at the Bistro's 2013-14 season with performances starting Wednesday, September 25 and continuing through Saturday, September 28. Single tickets for the Yellowjackets' shows will go on sale Tuesday, August 13 via Metrotix and the Jazz St. Louis office.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Residents of Alton will get their first look this weekend at what the proposed statue of Miles Davis may look like when it's installed downtown.

Artist Preston Jackson will give a presentation to the community tomorrow, Saturday July 20, to help kick off the Alton Block Party, showing renderings of the Davis statue (pictured) situated on its eventual site.

The event takes place in the 200 block of W. 3rd St., starting with an hour of music by trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's quartet at 4:00 p.m., followed by Jackson's presentation at 5:00 p.m..

* And speaking of Miles Davis, CBC Music takes note of the 50th anniversary of the release of Davis' album Seven Steps to Heaven with a post on the "7 Passions of Miles Davis."

* The new Yellowjackets album Rise In The Road was reviewed for Jazz Times magazine by Philip Booth. The group will be in St. Louis the last week in September to kick off the fall season at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Trumpeter Kermit Ruffins had a few words with the Post-Dispatch's Calvin Wilson for a brief story found online here. Ruffins plays at The Gramophone next Wednesday and Thursday.

* Lindy Hop St. Louis continues its series of Saturday dance workshops next week with "Pirating: Enrich Your Lindy Hop with Stolen Dance Steps" from noon to 4:00 p.m., Saturday July 27 at Studio Forte in Maplewood.

* After being washed out by rainy weather a couple of weeks ago at the St. Louis Art Museum, pianist Phil Dunlap's new quintet will make their debut as part of the "American Music Showcase", a multi-band, multi-genre event to be held from 6:00 p.m. to midnight Saturday, August in seven different locations in the Grand Center district.

* For the vinyl lovers out there, Euclid Records now is marketing their own brand of record-cleaning solution called Euclid Juice. It's $10 for a spray bottle, $5 for a refill, and available at the store.

* The independent St. Louis based jazz label MAXJAZZ has announced that their catalog now will be distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Naxos of America, the largest independent distributor of classical music in North America.

* Voting is open in Down Beat magazine's 78th annual Readers Poll. You can cast your ballot for your favorite musicians, bands and recordings online here.

* Jazz radio update: WSIE (88.7 FM) reports that they purchased and on July 18 successfully installed a new backup generator, enabling to them to stay on the air even if the power grid goes down.

Over at Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, this Saturday's edition of Calvin Wilson's "Somethin' Else" will feature fresh tracks from present-day artists including Gretchen Parlato, the Bad Plus and James Farm, featuring saxophonist Joshua Redman. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2 and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen. 

A bit farther up the dial, the subject of Dennis Owsley's "Jazz Unlimited" program at 9:00 p.m. this Sunday on KWMU (90.7 FM) is "Music from the Newport and Monterey Jazz Festivals, Part 2.” The episode will feature the sounds of Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, The Donald Byrd-Gigi Gryce Jazz Lab Quintet, Dave Brubeck, the Don Ellis Big Band, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Horace Silver, Charles Lloyd with Keith Jarrett, the Thelonious Monk nonet, Max Roach, John Handy, The Charles Mingus Octet and the Monterey 50th Anniversary All-Stars.

Illustration of Miles Davis statue via the Alton Telegraph.

(Edited after posting to add the radio update & item on Kermit Ruffins.)

Pollstar: Yellowjackets returning to Jazz at the Bistro in September 2013

As St. Louis' non-for-profit jazz presenters head into the final few weeks of their seasons, some information about next year already is beginning to trickle out in advance of 2013-14 season schedule announcements.

For example, the touring information service Pollstar has added a listing showing the jazz-fusion group Yellowjackets performing at Jazz at the Bistro from Wednesday, September 25 through Saturday, September 28.

Yellowjackets have appeared at the Bistro several times during the past decade, most recently in April 2011, but this will be their first St. Louis gig with new bassist Felix Pastorius, who first subbed for founding member Jimmy Haslip on tour last year and subsequently was named his permanent replacement.

That leaves keyboardist Russell Ferrante as the group's only remaining original member, along with saxophonist Bob Mintzer (who came on board in 1991) and drummer Will Kennedy (who played with them from 1987 to 1999 and rejoined the band in 2010).

The new Yellowjackets lineup (pictured) also has a new album, A Rise In The Road, scheduled for release in June on Mack Avenue Records. Their second for the label, the album marks Pastorius' recorded debut with the band and also features a guest appearance on three tracks by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire.

As always, listings on Pollstar should be considered unconfirmed until officially announced by the presenter or venue, but given that these dates also are already listed on the Yellowjackets website, they seem like an almost-sure bet to happen.

Jazz this week: Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival, Yellowjackets, Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Del McCoury Band, Vanessa Rubin, and more

It's another busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with a number of touring musicians and groups performing here over the next several days in styles ranging from traditional New Orleans jazz to big band to fusion to free improv. Let's go to the highlights:

Tonight, the electric jazz/fusion group Yellowjackets returns to St. Louis to open a four-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro. The 'Jackets have been regular visitors to St. Louis, though this will be their first time here since former drummer Will Kennedy returned to the fold last year to replace St. Louis native Marcus Baylor, who spent ten years with them. Given their substantial local fan base, they should draw a good-sized crowd even with everything else going on this week, so advance reservations definitely are recommended.

Also tonight, the highly anticipated tour featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and bluegrass star Del McCoury's band comes to the Family Arena. (The show originally was scheduled for last fall, then postponed until this week.) If you're curious as to what this combination of roots music talent sounds like, the collaborative CD American Legacies featuring both groups has just been released this week, and you can listen to it stream online for free here. Local music freelancer Dan Duchholz also wrote a nice preview story about the show for the Post-Dispatch, and you can read that online here.

Rounding out tonight's musical offerings is percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani, who will organize and perform with a "Gong Orchestra" comprised of local improvising musicians at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center. Nakatani also will teach a free master class on improvisation and extended percussion techniques at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon at LNAC.

Tomorrow night, the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University wraps up its spring 2011 series with the music of the Crusaders performed by a group billed as Scratch (which is the title of one of the Crusaders 1970s recordings.) Oddly, JaH has released no information about the specific lineup of players, other than the so-vague-as-to-be-useless description of "some of St. Louis' best musicians," so there's not much more to say about this show.

Update, 10:50 a.m., 4/14/11 - Just got a Facebook invite to the Scratch gig from one of the musicians involved, and it looks like the band is made up mostly of musicians associated in some way with SIUE: Ben Reece (tenor sax), Cody Henry (trombone), Phil Ring (guitar), Adaron "Pops" Jackson (keyboards), Nick Jost (bass) and Miles Vandiver (drums).

Also on Thursday, Simon Shaheen will play at SIUE's Meridian Ballroom. Shaheen, a Palestinian-American oud and violin player and composer who mixes Arabic music with Western sounds and has performed with Bill Laswell, Henry Threadgill and the Klezmatics, is appearing as part of SIUE's Arts and Issues series.

On Friday, the public portion of the 2011 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival begins with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra playing at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Descended from the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, the VJO has been a Monday night fixture at NYC's Village Vanguard for more than 40 years, serving as a proving ground for several generations of players and arrangers. The UMSL Jazz Ensemble will open the festival's shows on both Friday and Saturday, and they'll by joined onstage by the legendary Clark Terry, who, though no longer able to play trumpet due to health issues, will pick up the mic to sing his famously mushmouthed blues "Mumbles."

Also on Friday, guitarist Brian Vaccaro's trio plays at Robbie's House of Jazz; and guitarist Eric Slaughter's trio will hold forth at the Cigar Inn in Belleville.

The GSLJF continues on Saturday as bassist Ron Carter (pictured) returns to St. Louis for the first time since the mid-1980s to perform at the TouPAC. One of the most recorded and most influential bassists of the past 50 years, Carter will play with his Golden Striker trio, featuring pianist Mulgrew Miller and guitarist Russell Malone. For more about them and the VJO, and some video samples of both groups, please see this post from last Saturday.

Also on Saturday, New Music Circle present the premiere of its Laptop Orchestra Project at the William A. Kerr Foundation, which is at 21 O'Fallon St on the riverfront, just north of Laclede's Landing. The event will feature musicians Jim Hegarty, Steven Thomas, Joseph Potthoff, James S. Hegarty and Thomas Zirkle using laptop computers to perform improvised works and original compositions, as well as pieces by the Princeton Laptop Orchestra, which originated the laptop ensemble concept.

On Sunday, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis will lead his group in an early evening performance at Second Baptist Church for the St. Louis Jazz and Blues Vespers series, and the Northern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble, directed by saxophonist Ronald Carter, will perform at Robbie's.

Robbie's web site this week also added a note that trumpeter Randy Brecker will appear a guest artist with the NIU band, but StLJN has been unable to verify that information as of this writing.

Update - 8:30 p.m., 4/13/11: The itinerary on Brecker's website shows Sunday, April 17 as the final day of a five-performance tour with the NIU Jazz Ensemble, but identifies the venue as the Sheldon Concert Hall. The Sheldon's website makes no mention of the show, so it would appear that Robbie's somehow wound up as a substitute venue, and Brecker will indeed be there.

Update - 10:50 p.m., 4/13/11: Just heard from Dorothy Edwards, the co-owner/general manager of Robbie's, who confirmed that Randy Brecker will be in the house on Sunday night. Spread the word...

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday singer Vanessa Rubin will be at SIUE for two free events sponsored by the university's Singer's Society. She'll lead a master class for vocalists at 3:00 p.m., then perform in concert that night with the SIUE Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Both events are open to the public, and will take place at Dunham Hall on the SIUE campus.

Also on Monday, pianist Peter Martin and singer Erin Bode are performing at Roberts Orpheum Theater as part of benefit kicking off St. Louis Design Week 2011; and the Sessions Big Band returns to BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

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

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

(Edited after posting to add info about Clark Terry's appearance and to fix a couple of typos. Updated to include more details on Randy Brecker's appearance with the NIU Jazz Ensemble.)