POP UP project seeks musicians for experimental jam session this Friday

This just in: The POP UP project, co-curated by local artists Kate King and Sam Davis, is looking for musicians to participate in an "Experimental Music Jam" starting at 6:30 p.m. this Friday, June 22 at 7411 S. Broadway in the Carondelet neighborhood.

King tells StLJN that the POP UP project "was created to stimulate a cultural community in underserved areas through the use of emerging talent and unoccupied space." The jam session is one of a series of events the group is hosting on Fridays in June at the space on S. Broadway. "All noise makers and instruments are welcome," said King. "We are looking particularly for anyone with recording equipment and for anyone who plays a horn/wind instrument. Please tell your friends who play unusual instruments, or who play usual instruments in an unusual way. "

Admission is free, but those attending are encouraged to "please bring cash for donations or at the very least, bring cash for the bar." For more information, see the POP UP project's Facebook page, or call King at 636-248-3600.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* PBS' Newshour ran a story this week about Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington competition that included brief appearances by East St. Louis High School's Carlos Brown, Jr. and ESLHS jazz band director Delano Redman. See it online here.

* And while we're on the subject of East St. Louis, the Belleville News-Democrat has coverage of last week's Miles Davis birthday celebration at ESL City Hall.

* With everything else going on this week, there hasn't been time until now to tell you about the first Float Yr Face festival of experimental music being held this weekend at Floating Laboratories on the south side. (It also didn't help that organizers somehow neglected to send any info on the event our way.) Fortunately, the Riverfront Times' Diana Benanti has the scoop and a schedule of events here.

* St. Louis native and jazz trumpet legend Clark Terry (pictured) has finally penned his autobiography, which will be released October 1. Amazon currently is offering a substantial discount on pre-orders placed now, selling the book at $23.07 when it eventually will list for $34.95.

Titled simply Clark: The Autobiography of Clark Terry, it tells the story of Terry's life and his long and storied career, which, among many accomplishments, has included work with both Duke Ellington and Count Basie as well as helping to break the network TV color barrier when he joined the band of NBC's Tonight Show in 1960. The book also includes a preface from Quincy Jones and a forward from Bill Cosby, as well as jacket blurbs written by famous names ranging from Dave Brubeck to Snoop Dogg.

(If you place your pre-order using this link, you'll not only get the discount, but a few pennies from the purchase will accrue to yr. humble StLJN editor; I promise the funds will be used for the purchase of blogging essentials such as tacos, caffeinated beverages, and bandwidth.)

(Edited 6/4/11 to fix a garbled sentence.)

Brian Ransom in concert Thursday, April 12

This just in: Artist, musician and instrument maker Brian Ransom will perform in concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12 at Christ Church Cathedral, 13th and Olive in downtown St. Louis.

Ransom teaches ceramics at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida and has been exhibiting and performing on his original ceramic musical instruments, such as the ceramic harp (pictured), and sound sculptures throughout the U.S. as well as internationally for 25 years. For this performance, he will be accompanied by guitarist Matt Fagen and percussionists Henry Claude & Sean Anglin. Poet Jane Ellen Ibur will open the show.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, and the flyer I received said "Reservations Appreciated - Please call Lydia at 314-255-1636."

BAG II announce spring concerts

The Black Arts Guild aka BAG II has announced a series of free performances this spring at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site. From their news release:

As promised BAG II (Black Arts Guild) has confirmed its lineup and proudly presents the spring season April 6 – June 20th with a dynamic lineup of creative artists – mark your calendars now!

Friday, April 6th: The Group* featuring Thomasina Clarke- the spontaNubian/vocals
Friday, April 20th: Poetry Month Celebration – host Shirley LeFlore
Saturday, May 12th: The Group featuring poet Michael Castro
Saturday, May 26th: The Group featuring Ariel Kenyatta, tenor saxophone
Friday, June 1st: The Group and an exhibit of visual art featuring paintings and collages
Saturday, June 30th: The Group and Open Mike – Express Yourself Night!

* The Group features Zimbabwe Nkenya/Bass & Mbira; Jerome “Jay Dubz” Williams/ Saxophones, and Glen “Papa” Wright/ drums.

All events are from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at the Scott Joplin House Rosebud Cafe, 2658 Delmar Blvd , St. Louis and admission is free.

Zimbabwe Nkenya is back in the St. Louis area following a 20-year career in New York and the southwest where he became known as New Mexico ’s foremost jazz bassist. Glenn ‘Papa’ Wright tours throughout the country as an artist-in-residence presenting percussion and multi-media performance work for school and community audiences. J-Dubbs is one of the St. Louis area’s premiere saxophonists, long known for his ability to produce the big sound and tone, with a blues edge and beyond...

...Shirley Leflore is considered to be the queen mother of performance poetry in St. Louis. From her work with BAG in the 1960’s and 70’s Shirley went on to present her work at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, on tour in Europe, and as a successful performance artist on the New York scene. Shirley is putting together a line-up of stellar poets that will truly honor and celebrate National Poetry Month. Included will be a reunion reading by Blue-Mashibini, a duo active in St. Louis in the early 1980’s, reunited and in the process of putting together a collection of their work for print.

For more information call Scott Joplin House at 314-340-5790; Thomasina Clarke at 314-535-8824; or email: bag_blackartistsgroup@yahoo.com

52nd City to explore St. Louis' "Sound"

Aficionados of audio esoterica may want to keep an ear out for the next issue of 52nd City, the quarterly St. Louis arts magazine run by Andrea Avery, Thomas Crone and Stefene Russell. That's because this time the magazine, which organizes each issue around a single topic, will actually be a CD, themed "Sound".

The CD will feature an eclectic mix of contributions from performers drawn from St. Louis' music, art and literary communities, albeit with something of a lean toward the white, South Side hipster set. "The piece overall, is a mix of music, experimental noise assemblages, spoken word, the one interview and a piece of a live "radio play," says Crone (via email).

Saxophonist Dave Stone appears twice - once as part of "a long sound collage by Eric Hall," also featuring Jeremy Brantlinger, Fred Friction, Brett Underwood, Jeremy Kannapell, Sunyatta Marshall, Jason Hutto and Derek Mosely; and again backing poet K. Curtis Lyle on "Nut Check". "Also of note is a Josh Weinstein recording of Ornette Coleman, which is an interview on the notion of Sound, which runs about five minutes," adds Crone.

Other contributors include KWMU reporter Tom Weber, doing a spoken word piece; Tony Renner's latest ambient music project, Learn, Artist; Cloister; Julie Dill; Cold War; Robert Goetz; the Mad Art Radio Hour; Heidi Dean; James Weber Jr.; MC401(k); Aaron Belz; and the Private Sector.

52nd City is throwing a release party for the "Sound" issue from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 at the Royale, 3132 S. Kingshighway. The event is free, and copies of the CD will be on sale for $8. After that, you can order one through the magazine's Web site, or pick up a copy at Vintage Vinyl, Euclid Records, Dunaway Books, Left Bank Books, Subterranean Books or various other independent retailers and businesses around town.