Jazz this week: Jeremy Davenport and more

As often happens here around major holidays, it's a slow week for touring jazz and creative music performers, but there still are a number of noteworthy performances by locals (plus one returning St. Louis expat) happening around town.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, November 21
This week's "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" features singer Jenna Bauer and guitarist Dave Black at The Stage at KDHX; the jam session hosted by bassist Bob DeBoo at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor's band at The Dark Room.

Also on Wednesday, Cabaret Project of St. Louis presents their monthly "Singers Open Mic" at Sophie's Artist Lounge & Cocktail Club; and bassist/singer Janet Evra performs at Evangeline's.

Friday, November 23
Trumpeter, singer and U City native Jeremy Davenport (pictured) is back home from New Orleans for the first night of his annual Thanksgiving weekend gig at Jazz St. Louis.

Also on Friday, Miss Jubilee plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; saxophonist Tim Cunningham returns to Troy's Jazz Gallery; and percussionist Herman Semidey and Son Montuno will play Latin jazz, salsa and more at The Dark Room.

Saturday, November 24
The St. Louis Jazz Club is presenting what's intended as the first in a series of monthly Saturday matinee jam sessions, hosted by pianist Bob Row, drummer Jon Gillick and & Scott Alberici, at J P's Corner in South County.

Saturday night, trumpeter Jim Manley and band return to Evangeline's; guitarist Dan Rubright will perform in a concert at .ZACK; and the Funky Butt Brass Band plays their monthly show at the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Sunday, November 25
Drummer Montez Coleman and friends play for brunch at The Dark Room; the Folk School of KDHX hosts their monthly traditional jazz jam session; and DJ Pockets will be behind the turntables for his monthly "1950s/60s Jazz Record Spin" at The Royale.

Monday, November 26
Dizzy Atmosphere plays vintage swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck.

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

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

Jazz this week: Kneebody, a tribute to Scott Joplin, "Sculptures in Sound," and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis offers a century-spanning variety of sounds, ranging from a tribute to legendary composer who helped lay the foundation for jazz to a group offering their own contemporary version of a musical melting pot.

Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, March 29
The eclectic electro-acoustic fusion quintet Kneebody performs for the first of four nights continuing through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro.

The group (pictured, top left) is touring in support of their latest recording Anti-Hero, their eighth studio album, released earlier this month. For more about Kneebody, plus videos featuring performances of some of the music from Anti-Hero, see this post from Saturday before last.

Elsewhere in Grand Center, the weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" proceeds with guitarist/singer Tommy Halloran at KDHX's Magnolia Cafe, Farshid Etniko at the Curtain Call Lounge, the jam session with bassist  Bob Deboo and friends at the Kranzberg Arts Center and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor at The Dark Room.

Also on Wednesday, the weekly jam session with pianist Curt Landes, bassist Glen Smith and drummer Chuck Kennedy continues at @Nesby's in South County.

Thursday, March 30
The Jazz at Holmes series presents a free concert by students from Washington University's jazz studies program; the Schlafly Tap Room hosts the March edition of the Bruxism experimental music series, this month featuring music from Ice, Catholic Guilt, and Beauty Pageant; and pianist Adam Maness' trio plays at Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, March 31
Trumpeter Jim Manley returns to One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar, and singer Tony Viviano will perform at @Nesby's.

Saturday, April 1
Paying tribute on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of Joplin's death, the Friends of Scott Joplin will present "Scott Joplin: A Centennial Reflection" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

The event will feature music by pianist John Reed-Torres (pictured, bottom left), members of the Confluence Chamber Orchestra, and vocalists from the University of Missouri St Louis, plus  speakers from UMSL's history department.

Saturday night, the St. Louis Artists' Guild's "Sculptures in Sound" series resumes with a concert from trumpeter Keith Moyer's quintet.

Sunday, April 2
The Friends of Scott Joplin continue their observance of the centennial of Joplin's death with their monthly "Ragtime Rendezvous" at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, and the Jazz Troubadours will perform and host a jam session at Evangeline's.

Monday, April 3
Student from the jazz program at Webster University will present a free concert at Webster's Community Music School.

Tuesday, April 4
Singer Kim Fuller performs "A Tribute to Nancy Wilson" in the first of two late-morning "Coffee Concerts" - there's a second show on Wednesday morning - at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

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

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Riverfront Times is rethinking its annual Music Showcase this year. The paper has changed the name of the event to ShowcaseSTL, discontinued the accompanying annual music poll, and is asking readers for their suggestions as to who should perform. ShowcaseSTL will take place Saturday, June 17 at various locations in The Grove.

* On Fillmore, bassist Darin Gray's duo project with Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, is preparing to release a new album, Happiness of Living.

* Saxophonist Roland Clark, a busy performer on the St. Louis scene from the 1970s into the 90s with his band Sound Exchange, passed away on February 23 at his home in Highland, IL. He was 82.

* Music Record Shop's new location in Grand Center is the subject of a short feature from the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Organizers of the weekly jazz jam at @Nesby's have posted on Facebook a photo album from this week's session. 

* Keyboardist Jim Hegarty (pictured) has a new solo piano release, One Question, available as a pay-what-you-will download from Bandcamp.

* The late jazz critic, author, and essayist Nat Hentoff, who died in January at age 91, is being honored here in St. Louis tonight with an event raising funds for his daughter Jessica's not-for-profit organization Circus Harmony, which teaches circus skills to St. Louis students of all ages.

* The Piano Technicians Guild will hold their 2017 Annual Convention & Technical Institute in St. Louis from July 12 through July 15 at St Louis Union Station Hotel.

Jazz this week: Branford Marsalis & Kurt Elling, Denise Thimes, and more

This week's calendar of jazz and creative music in St. Louis includes a early-week visit from two well-known jazz performers touring together for the first time, plus a couple of new jam sessions providing musical workout opportunities for local players, and more.

Let's go to the highlights...

Tuesday, January 24
Tonight, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, his quartet, and singer Kurt Elling will perform for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Marsalis and Elling (pictured, top left) are touring together in support their collaborative album Upward Spiral, which came out last summer. While their shows here likely are sold out by now, you can check with the Jazz St. Louis box office for returns or cancellations, or get to the Bistro early enough to grab a spot in the adjacent first-floor lounge and catch the video simulcast for free.

Also on Wednesday, percussionist Joe Pastor and the Legacy Jazz Ensemble play the late show at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups, and the Jazz Troubadours perform at Evangeline's.

Wednesday, January 25
As mentioned above, there are a couple of new jam sessions starting up this week, the first featuring pianist Curt Landes, bassist Glen Smith and drummer Chuck Kennedy as the house group for a new weekly Wednesday night jam at @Nesby's in Sunset Hills.

Thursday, January 26
The Jazz at Holmes series of free concerts at Washington University gets underway for the semester with a reunion performance by Tracer, the jazz-fusion project of pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Darrell Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes.

Also on Thursday, pianist Adam Maness, bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Montez Coleman join forces for a one-off gig at Jazz at the Bistro; and the Chamber Jazz Project plays at Joe's Cafe.

Friday, Jan 27
Singer Denise Thimes (pictured, bottom left) will sing music associated with the late Nancy Wilson in the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro.

Also on Friday, the Fleur De Lou All-Stars play swing and Gypsy jazz at Evangeline's; and singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will duet at Edgewild Restaurant and Winery.

Sunday, January 29
The other new jam session happening for the first time this week is aimed at musicians interested in traditional jazz of the 1920s and 30s, and will take place on the last Sunday afternoon of the month at the Folk School of KDHX.

Also on Sunday , Chicago-based jazz/rock band Marbin returns for a performance at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups.

Monday, January 30
Guitarist Tom Byrne and his quartet will perform (in a concert rescheduled from this week, due to a heating system failure) at Webster University's Winifred Moore Auditorium.

Tuesday, January 31
Saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective return to BB's Jazz, Blues & 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.)

Jazz this week: Ronnie Burrage, a trio of local festivals, Fred Lonberg-Holm, and more

It's another busy weekend for live jazz and creative music in and around the St. Louis area, with homecoming visits from a couple of distinguished expats, local festivals taking place in three different parts of the metro area, a performance from a notable participant in Chicago's thriving improvised music scene, and more.  Let's go to the highlights...

Thursday, June 25 
The Gateway City Big Band plays a free outdoor concert at Chesterfield Amphitheater, and the Tavern of Fine Arts presents their monthly "Experimental Arts Open Improv Night," this month featuring live improvised music performed with video art.

Also on Thursday, singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Tom Byrne perform at Thurman Grill; and yr. humble StLJN editor also has been meaning to mention that there's now an open jam session every other Thursday at The Night Owl, the bar upstairs above the vegetarian restaurant Tree House, 3177 S Grand Blvd.

Friday, June 26
Drummer and U. City native Ronnie Burrage, who's currently living in Pennsylvania, will be back home for a weekend of performances at Voce, 212 S. Tucker. Burrage (pictured, top left) will lead a small group with guitarist Eric Slaughter, bassist Nathan Pence and singer Kendra Mahr, plus trumpeter Danny Campbell on Friday, and Jeff Anderson on tenor sax on Saturday. For more about Burrage and some video samples of him performing, see this post from last Saturday.

Also on Friday, the annual Wine, Dine & Jazz Festival, held in the public square in downtown Belleville, kicks off its first night with sets from trumpeter Jim Manley, the Usual Suspects, and singer Anita Rosamond. Saturday's lineup will feature saxophonist Jim Stevens, trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber (pictured, center left), the Christian blues band Kingdom Brothers, and Soul Cafe.

Elsewhere around town, Tavern of Fine Arts will host "Soliloquy II," a program of solo and duo improvised performances featuring cellist Tracy Andreotti, percussionist Henry Claude, violinist Alex Cunningham, pianist Greg Mills, saxophonist Dave Stone, and flute player Fred Tompkins. 

A bit further south, pianist and singer Carol Schmidt, multi-instrumentalist and singer Michele Isam, and singers Debbie Schuster and Katie McGrath team up to perform as "Women Under the Influence" at Soulard Preservation Hall, 1921 South Ninth St.

And back in midtown at Grand Center, Jazz at the Bistro is trying something a bit different this weekend, on Friday pairing a group of local burlesque dancers billed as the Randy Dandies with live music from the Funky Butt Brass Band for "Babes in Brassland." A similarly themed program titled "Tassles 'n Tunes," with music from Tommy Halloran’s Guerrilla Swing, is set for Saturday night.

Saturday, June 27
The Miles Davis Jazz Festival celebrates its tenth year with performances from drummer Montez Coleman's trio, trumpeter Danny Campbell's quartet, and saxophonist Fred Walker at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton.

Also on Saturday, Chicago-based cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm will be in town to headline a show at the Schlafly Tap Room. Lonberg-Holm, who's collaborated with well-regarded improvisors such as Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee, and Peter Brötzmann, will perform in a duo with percussionist Ståle Liavik Solberg. The Vernacular String Trio and DJ Ghost Ice also are on the bill.

Saturday also is the day for this year's edition of the Chesterfield Jazz Festival, a free event at the Chesterfield Amphitheater that will feature a headlining performance from saxophonist and St. Louis native Eric Person, backed by pianist Ptah Williams, bassist Darrell Mixon and drummer Gary Sykes, plus sets from Bach to the Future, singer Feyza Eren, bassist Bob DeBoo, and singer Tony Viviano.

Elsewhere around town, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will return to the Venice Cafe; Miss Jubilee performs for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom; and singer Eve Seltzer and band will host a late-night jam session at Evangeline's.

Sunday, June 28
The summer edition of the St. Louis Record Collector and CD Show will take place at the American Czech Hall, 4690 Lansdowne (at Kingshighway).

Also on Sunday, Ronnie Burrage leads his RoBu Big Band in a matinee performance at Voce. The ensemble will feature Danny Campbell and Jeff Anderson from the drummer's small-group shows, along with saxophonists Chad Evans, Jerome "JDubz" Williams, Stanley Coleman, and Willie Akins; pianist Ptah Williams; bassist Darrell Mixon; percussionist Henry Claude; singer Charisse Swan, and other special guests.

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

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

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Pianist Reggie Thomas, who left St. Louis a couple of years ago to teach at Michigan State University, has a new job a bit closer to home this fall. Thomas (pictured) is the new head of the jazz studies program at Northern Illinois University, taking over after the retirement of the program's former director, saxophonist Ronald Carter (who also was Thomas' former high school band director in East St. Louis).

* The September edition of HEC-TV's I Love Jazz, hosted by Don Wolff, is available now for viewing on the cable network and online. The episode includes video of Miss Jubilee performing at Casa Loma Ballroom, a "day in the life" feature about trumpeter Sean Jones, and more. Check your TV provider's listing for days, times and channel, or watch online here.

* The Tuesday jazz jam sessions formerly held at Robbie's House of Jazz, which ended earlier this year when the club closed, have returned to Webster Groves at the Ozark Theatre, where former Robbie's GM Dorothy Edwards now is presenting jazz performances on the weekends. The newly revived jam sessions will begin at 7:30 p.m. each Tuesday, with no admission or cover charge.

* Six St. Louis area classical music organizations are teaming up to offer a program for students called the Concert Pass Collaborative (CPC). For a $15 annual fee, students with a valid ID can purchase the pass, which is good for admission to any event produced by the six participating organizations (as long as there's a seat available). Groups taking part include the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis, The Sheldon's classical series, St. Louis Classical Guitar Society, Chamber Project St. Louis, St. Louis Women’s Hope Chorale, Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, and you can get more information on the offer here.

* The Kranzberg Arts Center will present a screening of the new film Finding Fela, a documentary about Afrobeat musician and bandleader Fela Kuti, next Friday, October 3.

* In conjunction with the label's 65th anniversary, Prestige Records is giving away a set of 20 CDs reissue of albums remastered by famed engineer Rudy Van Gelder. Get details and enter to win here.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday on Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis' “Somethin’ Else,” host Calvin Wilson will feature the music of saxophonist, composer and former St. Louisan Julius Hemphill via Hemphill's recordings asa  leader and as a member of the World Saxophone Quartet, plus interpretations of his work by others including saxophonist Tim Berne. The program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. on 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Happy International Jazz Day!

In addition to being the final day of Jazz Appreciation Month 2013, Tuesday, April 30 is the second-ever International Jazz Day, a worldwide celebration of jazz presented by UNESCO, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, the Republic of Turkey and the city of Istanbul, which will host a "Global Concert" featuring an lineup of top jazz talent.

The extravaganza will be streamed live on the Internet, with scheduled performances featuring Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding, Joss Stone, Marcus Miller, John McLaughlin, Terence Blanchard, Ruben Blades, Ramsey Lewis, Hugh Masekela, Eddie Palmieri, Al Jarreau, Dianne Reeves, George Duke, Lee Ritenour, Jean-Luc Ponty, Milton Nascimento, John Beasley, Igor Butman, Anat Cohen, Vinnie Coliauta, Imer Demirer, James Genus, Bilal Karaman, Pedrito Martinez, Keiko Matsui, Terri Lyne Carrington, Hüsnü Şenlendirici, Joe Louis Walker, Ben Williams, Liu Yuan and others.

It all begins at 1:00 p.m. St. Louis time, and you can watch the live stream in the embedded video window down below. (For readers elsewhere, that time translates to 9:00 p.m. in the host city of Istanbul, 7:00 p.m. in London, 2:00 p.m. in NYC and 4:00 a.m. the next day in Sydney.)

Here locally in St. Louis, tonight's live performances will include a free International Jazz Day jam session, hosted by pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson's trio, at Jazz at the Bistro; a revue of Billie Holiday songs by Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes at the Sheldon Concert Hall; and a free concert by the fusion band Steizuello and the Lindbergh High School orchestra at Lindbergh HS.

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.



(The video of the 2013 International Jazz Day concert will be available on YouTube until midnight on May 2.)

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:

* On June 12, postal services in the United States and France will issue stamps honoring Miles Davis and French singer Édith Piaf. Designed by Greg Breeding, the stamps (pictured) use a photo of Davis with his trumpet in 1970 by David Gahr and a photo of Piaf from the Michael Ochs Archives. The 45-cent stamps will will be available for purchase nationwide.

* Bassist Willem von Hombracht today reported on Facebook that the Sunday jazz jam session at Johnny Gitto's restaurant that he's been co-hosting since the beginning of March has been discontinued.

* The St. Louis-based HD radio station Smooth 96.3 HD-3 has changed its name to Hip 96.3 HD-3, and has modified its playlist "to have the freedom to add some stuff that will totally fit, but might not be entirely Jazz." The station has set up a new Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/Hip963.

* The Regional Arts Commission this week announced that they'll award nearly $2.9 million in grants (.pdf file) to St. Louis area arts organizations for 2012-13. That's a 6.7% increase percent over last year's total.

The money is collected from a hotel sales tax in St. Louis and St. Louis County, and will go to fund 186 not-for-profit dance, theater, music and literary organizations in the area. Local presenters of jazz and creative music that received grants for next year include the Sheldon Arts Foundation ($61,523), Jazz St. Louis ($19,656), New Music Circle ($9,000) and the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center ($1,030).

For some perspective, consider that the two largest grants for 2012-13 went to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra ($533,353) and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis ($182,868). The amount received by these two organizations represents about 25% of the total of $2,863,111 that was allocated by RAC for this granting period.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* If you're a musician, artist or other creative type in the St. Louis area, the Regional Art Commission really, really wants you to complete their "Artists Count" survey.

You can register to win an iPad upon completing the 20-minute version of the survey, which does require a fair amount of detail regarding hours worked, income earned, and so on. There's also a five-minute version for the time-challenged. You'll find both survey forms online at http://www.artistscount.com/

* Next Monday, April 30 is the first-ever International Jazz Day, with celebrations in various cities around the globe including concerts from some big-name musicians streaming for free online at the link above. Locally, Jazz St. Louis will celebrate the occasion with a jam session at Jazz at the Bistro, with pianist Adaron "Pops" Jackson's trio as host musicians.

Unfortunately, saxophonist Willie Akins, who had been announced as a special guest for the jam session, will be unable to appear, as he's been told by his doctor to rest and refrain from playing for a while after a recent hospital stay. Here's hoping for a full recovery and a quick return to action...

* Speaking of Jazz St. Louis, they've just posted online a setlist from the recent two-night gig at the Bistro by pianist Brad Mehldau and saxophonist Josh Redman.

* The Meramec Jazz Band (pictured), who apparently now have dropped the word "Lab" from their name, have a new promotional video up on YouTube.

* Vintage Vinyl and Euclid Records both have posted photo albums on Facebook documenting last Saturday's Record Store Day festivities at their respective locations.

* When StLJN reached its seventh birthday this week, yr. humble editor got a nice congratulatory email from Michael Ricci, founder and head of the website AllAboutJazz.com, which, along with its original reviews, features, and interviews, republishes StLJN's content and that of many other jazz blogs.

In the message, Ricci passed along word that StLJN recently took over first place in pageviews among the blogs featured on AAJ. While there's no telling if, or how long, we might retain that lofty ranking, it's good to know that people are checking out the news about jazz in St. Louis, and I'm grateful to Ricci and everyone at AAJ for their continued interest and support.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Jazz St. Louis will celebrate the first-ever International Jazz Day with an open jam session from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Monday, April 30 at Jazz at the Bistro. Pianist Adaron “Pops” Jackson’s trio will host. Admission is free and open to the public, though seating is limited. Musicians who want to participate are encouraged to sign up starting at 7:00 p.m. that night at the Bistro.

* Trumpeter Clark Terry's recently published autobiography was reviewed by The Australian newspaper.

* Trumpeter, singer and St. Louis native Jeremy Davenport (pictured) recently was featured in a photo essay in New Orleans magazine about the French Quarter. Davenport and his band are the house group at New Orleans' Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

* Last Thursday's performance by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones at the Sheldon Concert Hall was reviewed by KDHX's Jared Corgan.

* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts has three more "Business Edge" workshops for artists and musicians coming up this month, starting with a "Copyright Clinic" next Monday, April 9. Next up is "Inside the Music Business: Legal Essentials," which was rescheduled for Monday, April 16 after an earlier date was canceled due to inclement weather. The series wraps with "Is It Okay? Fair Use for Filmmakers" on Monday, April 23.

All workshops take place from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar (across from The Pageant). The cost is $10 in advance, $15 at the door, with advance registration recommended. For more information, visit the website or call VLAA at 314-863-6930.

* The Post-Dispatch's Sarah Bryan Miller reported this week that St. Louis may be getting a new classical radio station this summer. "The Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis, which provided considerable financial support to the old "Classic 99," KFUO-FM, hopes to be on the air with a new FM station in early June, pending FCC approvals. The new station, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, will broadcast over a combination of regular analog radio, an HD-2 channel and live streaming over the Internet."

Initial funding is coming from The Centene Foundation, which gave $200,000 to get things started and has promised another $1 million, and a fundraising drive that will begin this month. The total cost, including operating expenses, is expected to be $5 million to $6 million over two years. Of particular interest to local jazz fans is a quote in the story from station manager Jim Connett, who said that the new station will feature "everything — chamber music, vocal music, choirs, opera, symphonic, jazz" and what he called "cultural programming." More on this story as it develops...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The Post-Dispatch's Deb Peterson reports that Jazz St. Louis's benefit gala last Friday night at the Hilton at the Ballpark raised nearly $280,000, which will be used for the organization's education programs.

* Saxophonist and former St. Louisan Oliver Lake talked with Terry Perkins for a story in the St. Louis Beacon about the exhibit of Lake's artwork opening tonight at the Metropolitan Gallery.

* Updating StLJN's recent story on local jazz jam sessions, guitarist Tom Byrne will take over hosting duties for the Thursday night jams at Hwy 61 Roadhouse starting next Thursday, March 22. No word as to why the band Nu-Element bowed out of the gig, but Byrne, who also teaches at nearby Webster University, will carry on with assistance from bassist Bob DeBoo.

* Saxophonist, composer and St. Louis native Greg Osby (pictured) has a thought-provoking guest post this week on the Open Sky Jazz blog about how the deliberate complexity of some modern jazz can reduce the music's appeal to general audiences.

* Jazz Times' Evan Haga has a review of Herbie Hancock's recent concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Hancock will play in St. Louis with the same band, and likely the same setlist, this Sunday at the Touhill Perfomring Arts Center.

* The RFT's Ryan Wasoba goes "all in" covering this week's shows by Vijay Iyer at Jazz at the Bistro, with a feature story, blog post, and review of Wednesday's performance. Iyer continues at the Bistro through tomorrow night. For a slightly more nuanced view of Iyer's new album Acclerando, read this review by the New York Times' Nate Chinen.

* According to an article in the Alton Telegraph, the Alton Symphony Orchestra "is in desperate need of funds to finish out the 2012 season." The piece by the Telegraph's Dan Brannan says the Orchestra "must raise $6,000 or be forced to dissolve," according to the terms of its own bylaws.

* Bassist, jazz educator and Kirkwood native Kris Berg has released his first CD as a leader, This Time/Last Year. Berg has been director of jazz studies at Collin College near Dallas for nearly 20 years. The CD features Berg's original material and arrangements, as played by Dallas' Metroplexity Big Band and guest stars including Wayne Bergeron, Delfeayo Marsalis, Clay Jenkins and Chris Vadala. Berg will celebrate the release with a concert on Friday, March 30 at Collin College's 20th annual jazz festival; for more on that and the CD, visit his website.

Three new jams added to local musical menu

The jam session has proved to be a durable institution in jazz for a number of reasons. For musicians, a jam session can be a proving ground, a laboratory and a networking opportunity. For listeners, it's a source of novel, spontaneous entertainment. And for bar, restaurant and club owners, a jam session can be a way to vary their musical offerings and perhaps attract additional patrons at times when business otherwise might be a bit slack.

No surprise then, that even as the rest of the music business has changed drastically, the jam session has remained something of a staple over the years. One current local example of the format is the weekly Tuesday night session at Robbie's House of Jazz, a venue that also hosts a "jam" expressly for vocalists on Wednesday nights. Certain other regular gigs, such as the Voodoo Blues Band's weekly Sunday matinees at Hammerstone's, may not be billed specifically as jam sessions, but have developed a reputation as being open to sit-ins from visiting musicians.

Now, whether it's a sign of impending Spring or just a coincidence, it looks like the local jam session scene is about to enjoy a growth spurt, with three recurring events being added to the musical menu:

* The group Nu-Element, which previously has been involved with jam sessions at a couple of different local venues, now will hold forth from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. every Thursday at Hwy 61 Roadhouse in Webster Groves. Trumpeter/leader Keith Moyer says the band, which also includes Grant Krener (guitar), Charlie Brown (piano), Rich Mendoza (bass) and Ron Carr (drums), will welcome sit-ins on the gig - and with thriving jazz programs nearby at both Webster University and Webster Groves High School, there's already a good-sized pool of potential jammers right in the neighborhood.

* The Tavern of Fine Arts, located in the Central West End at 313 Belt Ave. (near Pershing), now is sponsoring a monthly "Avant-Garde Arts Night" starting at 7:30 p.m. the last Tuesday of every month, with the next one scheduled this coming Tuesday, February 28. While it's not quite an open jam per se, percussionist Thomas Zirkle leads a core group of players - some associated with presenting organization New Music Circle - in a free form improv session, with guest musicians joining in and painters or sculptors creating new works on the spot.

* Starting on Sunday, March 4, bassist Willem von Hombracht, a mainstay of Tuesday nights at Robbie's, will add another session to his portfolio with "Willem's Sunday Jazz Jam," a weekly event at Johnny Gitto's bar and restaurant, 6997 Chippewa (just inside the city limits). Singer Joe Mancuso, who's organizing the sessions with von Hombracht, says the bassist will anchor a three-piece rhythm section for an open jam from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. each week. Gitto's also will be offering specials on food and drink during the weekly sessions, said Mancuso.