StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: The funky cosmos of Galactic

This week, we've selected for your viewing and listening enjoyment some recent videos of Galactic, who will be back in St. Louis to perform on Thursday, March 6 at The Pageant.

Comprised of Stanton Moore (drums), Jeff Raines (guitar), Robert Mercurio (bass), Rich Vogel (keyboards), and Ben Ellman (saxophone), the New Orleans-based funk/jazz/hip-hop band has been making an annual St. Louis appearance in close proximity to Mardi Gras for a number of years now, often bringing at least a couple of guest stars with them.

This time, they'll have along singer Maggie Koerner, a recent transplant to New Orleans from her native Shreveport, as their special guest, with the Mike Dillon Band as opening act. (Given Galactic's proclivity for jamming with others featured on the same bill, it seems a safe bet that they'll all end up on stage together at some point, too.)

In the first clip, you can see them performing "Go Go" at the 2013 Gathering of the Vibes Music Festival, held last July in Bridgeport, CT. Down below, there's a multi-song performance recorded last year during their visit to the studios of KEXP in Seattle.

Below that, you can see a full set from Galactic's show last August at the Telluride Jazz Festival in Colorado, including some vocals from their former lead singer Theryl DeClouet, who left the band in 2004 but recently has been making some appearances with them.

That's followed by the first half of their show from the 2013 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which includes guest performances from Mike Dillon on percussion as well as Cory Henry (trombone), Corey Glover (vocals), Jazz Henry (trumpet), and David Shaw (vocals).

The final two embeds are parts one and two of a complete show from last April at the Vogue in Indianapolis, also with Shaw as guest vocalist.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxophonist David Sanborn is performing through Sunday at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco with an all-star band including vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, organist Joey DeFrancesco, and drummer Billy Hart.

Of particular interest for those of us who can't make it to the West Coast: "We just completed an album together that was produced by Don Was," wrote Sanborn on his Facebook page. "The album will be released on Blue Note Records later this year."

* The IndieGoGo campaign to crowd-fund the debut recording by drummer Marcus Baylor's Baylor Project ends at midnight tonight.

* Drummer Dave Weckl (pictured) is the featured guest on the latest episode of the online video program DrumsmackTV.

* Drummer Andre "Dre" Boyd, currently playing in London with one of the touring companies of Cirque du Soleil, explains and demonstrates his kit in a video for UK music retailer Soundattak.

* Someone at New Music Circle unearthed and linked to an audio recording of a 2012 gig in Los Angeles by Joshua Abrams' Natural Information Society. Abrams and NIS will play here in St. Louis tomorrow night in a concert presented by NMC at Joe's Cafe.

* The Touhill Performing Arts Center is ranked as #10 on BestCollegeReviews' list of "The 25 Most Amazing College Campus Theaters."

* According to a story this week in the Post-Dispatch, the local building that once housed the Castle Ballroom (and hosted performances by Miles Davis, Count Basie and many other jazz greats) has suffered serious damage from weather and neglect, and may have to be demolished soon.

* And speaking of weather damage to local music venues, last night's high winds tore the sign and part of the facade right off the Kranzberg Arts Center on Grand Blvd, as documented by a witness in this YouTube video. Fortunately, there are no reports of injuries or damages inside, and performances at the venue this weekend should be able to go ahead as scheduled.

* Jazz radio update: This Saturday night on Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis' "Somethin' Else," host Calvin Wilson will spin tracks featuring legendary bandleader and composer Duke Ellington in his role as small-group pianist with saxophonists Johnny Hodges and Coleman Hawkins and others.

Then on "The Jazz Collective," host Jason Church will play music from Ahmad Jamal, Nathan East, Paolo Rustichelli, Bob James and David Sanborn, U-Nam, Herbie Hancock, Chuck Mangione, Joe Sample, Herb Alpert, Funky Butt Brass Band, Michael and Robert Silverman, Al Hammerman, Miss Jubilee, and more

Wilson's program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by Church at 9:00 p.m., via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.

Nu-Art Series returning with three concerts this spring

After more than a year of dormancy following the closing of its primary venue, the Metropolitan Gallery, the Nu-Art Series will return to presenting music starting next month with a series of concerts at the Scott Joplin House Historic Site, 2658 Delmar.

As frequently was the case in the series' past, the first set of performances in 2014 will present musicians wth a connection to the Black Artists Group and St. Louis' avant-jazz scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, the series' organizer, trumpeter George Sams, is taking a slightly different approach this time around, participating directly as a performer in all three concerts as well as producing them.

On Saturday, March 1, Sams will team with baritone saxophonist and clarinetist Hamiet Bluiett (pictured) for a duo performance. Then on Saturday, March 15, drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw and pianist David Parker will be featured along with Sams.

The spring series wraps up on Saturday, April 12 with another duo concert featuring multi-instrumentalist J.D. Parran and Sams.

All concerts start at 3:00 p.m., and admission is $10 at the door. For more information, call 314-340-5790.

Jazz this week: Christian McBride Trio, Gaslight Cabaret Festival, Joshua Abrams' Natural Information Society, and more

Has the dreadful winter of 2014 finally released its icy grip on the St. Louis area? We can only hope so, because there's a lot of interesting jazz and creative music to hear around town over the next few days. Let's go to the highlights...

Tonight, bassist Christian McBride begins a four-night stand at Jazz at the Bistro, this time with the latest iteration of his trio, featuring drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. and the up-and-coming pianist Christian Sands.

Their first album together, Out Here, was released last August as McBride's fifth recording for Mack Avenue Records. With a sound firmly "in the tradition," it's gotten generally positive reviews, as has their live show, which the New York Times' Ben Ratliff called "constant sleek fun, organized and coordinated."

Elsewhere around town tonight, the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra returns to Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, and Cabaret Project St. Louis will present their monthly open mic night at the Tavern of Fine Arts.

Tomorrow night, actor/singer Ken Page, a St. Louis native who starred in the original companies of Ain't Misbehavin', Cats, and other Broadway hits, opens the Gaslight Cabaret Festival with the first of two performances of his show "Old, New, Borrowed & Blue" at the Gaslight Theater. The festival continues through April 26, and you can hear more about that and Page's show during this interview he did last week with KWMU's "Cityscape" program.

Also on Thursday night, the Rainbow Band, a quartet with guitarists William Lenihan and Vincent Varvel, bassist Eric Stiller, and drummer Steve Davis, will play a free concert for Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University.

On Friday, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb leads a trio at Robbie's House of Jazz; keyboardist Matt Villinger brings his group to The Engine Room; Second Generation Swing plays for dancers at Casa Loma Ballroom; Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes will perform at CJ Muggs in Webster Groves; and pianist Peter Schankman will present a trio concert at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

On Saturday, New Music Circle will present multi-instrumentalist Joshua Abrams’ Natural Information Society at Joe’s Cafe, 6014 Kingsbury Ave. in the Central West End. As a bassist, Abrams is a mainstay of Chicago's improvised music scene, but the Natural Information Society is something a bit different, as it's built around his work on the guimbri, a three-string acoustic bass from west Africa.

The band's lineup for this concert will include drummers Frank Rosaly and Mikel Avery, Emmett Kelly on electric guitar, Ben Boye on autoharp and Lisa Alvarado on harmonium. For more about Abrams and some video footage of the band in action, check out this post from last Saturday. Abrams also was interviewed for a preview story by St. Louis magazine's Stef Russell, and the show even is the subject of a full-page cartoon in this month's issue of Eleven magazine.

Also on Saturday, the Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues with St. Louis' own Tim Schall performing his show "1961" at the Gaslight Theater; singer Feyza Eren and pianist Scott Sheperd will duet at The Wine Press; saxophonist Mike Fitzgerald returns to Jazz On Broadway; and the Funky Butt Brass Band headlines an evening of funk at The Gramophone

On Sunday, the Coleman-Hughes Project will play smooth jazz, R&B, and more at Nathalie's; and the Dave Dickey Big Band will be back for their monthly gig at Kirkwood Station Brewing Company.

Looking beyond the weekend, on Monday faculty members from Webster University will join together as the Webster Jazz Collective for a concert at  Winifred Moore Auditorium on the main campus in Webster Groves; and saxophonist "Blind" Willie Dineen and the Broadway Collective will return to BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.

Then on Tuesday, guitarist Dave Black will be featured in a "Notes From Home" show at the Sheldon Concert Hall, aided and abetted by violinist Asako Kuboki, saxophonist Paul DeMarinis, singer Joe Mancuso, bassist Willem von Hombracht, and drummer Steve Davis.

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: Joshua Abrams' Natural Information Society

This week, let's get better acquainted with Joshua Abrams, the Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist whose group Natural Information Society will perform in a concert presented by New Music Circle at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 22 at Joe's Cafe, the gallery and "house concert" venue at 6014 Kingsbury Ave in the Central West End.

As a bassist, Abrams has worked with many musicians well-known in Chicago's jazz and improv communities, including the David Boykin Expanse, Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble, Jeb Bishop, Hamid Drake, and dozens more. He's released six albums as a leader - including two using the alias Reminder - and has contributed to dozens more as a sideman.

Abrams' ensembles over the years have included the "back porch minimalist" band Town and Country; the trio Sticks and Stones, with Mantana Roberts and Chad Taylor; and a trio with guitarist Jeff Parker and drummer John Herndon of Tortoise.

Then there's Natural Information Society, which was was formed to spotlight Abrams' work on the the guimbri, "a three-stringed animal hide bass traditionally used by the Gnawa of north africa in healing ceremonies." Usually configured as a trio or quartet, the group's sound might be described as a sort of psychedelic tribal music, incorporating contemporary electronics and drones along with folk instruments and free improv.

You can start to get the idea by viewing the first video up above, recorded at a gig in October 2013 and featuring Abrams, harmonium player Lisa Alvarado, trumpeter Artur Majewski, and drummer Kuba Suchar.

Down below, you can see two more excerpts from Natural Information Society performances in 2012 and in 2010 at Chicago's Lincoln Hall, followed by a short video of Abrams playing a guimbri solo on a Chicago rooftop.

In the fifth clip, you can see Abrams teamed with the prolific percussionist Michael Zerang in an excerpt from a 2012 concert at a venue called Comfort Station in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood.

Lastly, today's final video, which shows Abrams with saxophonist Avreeayl Ra and drummer Dave Rempis at a gig in Chicago last May, offers an "contrast and compare" opportunity to hear a bit of his playing on a conventional acoustic bass.

For more about Joshua Abrams and Natural Information Society, check out this brief interview with Phawker.com; and this review of his 2012 album Represencing.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard's Champion, which premiered last summer at Opera Theatre St. Louis, has been named a finalist in the "World Premiere" category of the 2014 Opera Awards. Blanchard is back in St. Louis this weekend to perform on Saturday night at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

* Jazz St. Louis' Gene Dobbs Bradford and Bob Bennett described their favorite releases from the late Richard McDonnell's MAXJAZZ label for an article by the Post-Dispatch's Kevin Johnson.

* Bassist Christian McBride's trio shows next week at Jazz at the Bistro are previewed in a Post-Dispatch article by Terry Perkins.

* The "Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60" tour, which features an all-star band including St. Louis' Peter Martin on piano, kicked off this past week with dates in Atlanta and Boston. The tour will play a total of 17 cities, ending here in St. Louis on Sunday, March 30 at The Sheldon. The band (pictured, from left) is comprised of singer Karrin Allyson, drummer Clarence Penn, bassist Larry Grenadier, clarinetist/saxophonist and musical director Anat Cohen, guitarist Mark Whitfield, trumpeter Randy Brecker, and Martin.

* St. Louis record stores Vintage Vinyl, Euclid Records and Record Exchange all got shout-outs in a recent post from the blog Vinyl Record Collector.

* Greg Osby, in conjunction with St. Louis retailer Saxquest, has put online a series of videos in which he demonstrates his new signature alto sax by P. Mauriat.

* Singer Tony Viviano makes an appearance at the end of a promotional video released this week by StL 250, the organization coordinating this year's celebration of St. Louis' 250th birthday.

* NPR this week had a story about how one difficult night for Miles Davis and his mid-1960s quintet resulted in two classic albums.

* In more Davis-related news, the legendary trumpeter is one a number of entertainment and sports figures whose portraits are featured in "American Cool," a new exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.

* Meanwhile, Miles Davis Online's Jeff Hyatt takes another look at the official Davis website, and still finds room for improvement.

* Online retailer Sheet Music Plus is offering a 20% discount on all Mel Bay products through next Tuesday, February 18. (When you use the link provided, StLJN gets a small commission on the sale.)

* Jazz radio update:  On this Saturday's episode of Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis' "Somethin' Else," host Calvin Wilson spotlights contemporary jazz musicians based in New York City, including trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, violinist Jenny Scheinman and the trio Dawn of Midi.

Right after that, Jason Church's "The Jazz Collective," will feature a musical menu including tracks by Down To The Bone, Average White Band, Brian Bromberg, Cindy Bradley, Jeremy Davenport, Miles Davis, Al Caldwell, Tracy Heaston, Robert Silverman, and Dawn Weber.

Wilson's program can be heard at 8:00 p.m. Saturdays, followed by Church at 9:00 p.m., via 107.3 FM, 96.3 HD-2, and online at http://www.rafstl.org/listen.      

(Edited after posting.)

Jazz this week: Terence Blanchard, Erin Bode, Valentine's Day jazz around town, and more

With a slight warmup in the weather coinciding with  Valentine's Day, it should be a good weekend in St. Louis to get out and celebrate your love of live jazz and creative music. Let's see what's happening around town over the next few days...

Tonight, pianist Kara Baldus will play solo in a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University; and songwriter Al Hammerman will joined by singers Alan Ox, Kim Fuller and Arvell Keithley plus other special guests for "I Got A Song - The Words and Music of Al Hammerman," a benefit for the charity Kids Rock Cancer at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Tomorrow night, singer Erin Bode returns to Jazz at the Bistro for the first of two evenings. The Valentine's Day weekend shows, established by Mardra and Reggie Thomas and then taken over by Bode after the Thomases moved to Michigan, usually have been strong sellers at the Bistro, so advance reservations are a must. Update - 2:30 p.m. 2/13/14: Jazz St. Louis is reporting via social media that the only tickets remaining are standing room for the 9:30 p.m. shows.

Also on Friday, Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center continues their Quiet Concert Series with a performance of Mark Sarich’s new work “Book of Songs” plus more new music from Greg Farough.

Elsewhere around town, Miss Jubilee will be swinging it at the Schlafly Bottleworks; trumpeter and singer Dawn Weber will play two shows at Nathalie's in the Central West End; singer Feyza Eren brings a quartet Tavern of Fine Arts; Herman Semidey plays Latin jazz at Robbie's House of Jazz; and the St. Louis Big Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

On Saturday,  trumpeter Terence Blanchard returns to the Sheldon Concert Hall, filling in for pianist Chuco Valdes, who had to cancel his tour due to a knee injury.  You can see some videos of recent performances and interviews featuring Blanchard here, and the trumpeter also was interviewed by Terry Perkins of St. Louis Public Radio for an article you can find online here.

Also on Saturday, singer Danita Mumphard performs at Jazz On Broadway; singer Tony Viviano will headline a Valentine's dinner/dance at Four Seasons Winery in Chesterfield; singer Ann Dueren's trio returns to Il Bel Lago;  trumpeter Keith Moyer leads a trio at Thurman Grill;  and way out west, Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes return to John G's Tap Room in Washington, MO.

On Sunday night, The People's Key will take the stage at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups. And looking beyond the weekend, on Monday singer Joe Mancuso and guitarist Dave Black will be at BB's, while guitarist John Farrar's Park Avenue Jazz trio continues their weekly Monday night gig at Evangeline's Bistro and Music House.

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.)

Kimberly Thompson to drum with house band for NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers

Former St. Louisan Kimberly Thompson has been chosen to fill the drum chair in the house band for NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers.

Known as The 8G Band (after the studio where the show will be taped), the group will perform on the program Monday through Friday starting on Monday, February 24, when Meyers, former head writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live, takes over NBC's late-night slot from Jimmy Fallon.

Thompson is perhaps best known as the former drummer in the all-female backing band for pop singer Beyonce. Since leaving that gig a couple of years ago, Thompson has been working on songwriting and production, teaching, and doing jazz gigs with guitarist Mike Stern and others.

The 8G Band will be led and "curated" by Fred Armisen, formerly of SNL and currently working on the IFC comedy series Portlandia. Though he's known more as a comic actor, Armisen also is an experienced drummer and guitarist who, before turning to comedy, played drums in the punk band Trenchmouth and worked as a backing musician for the Blue Man Group.

After joining SNL, Armisen also contributed to NYC rock band Les Savy Fav’s 2007 album Let’s Stay Friends and performed live in 2011 with singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom. He created numerous musical spoofs and parodies for SNL, including the character Ian Rubbish, a send-up of Sex Pistols singer Johnny Rotten, and is expected to do more as part of the Meyers version of Late Night.

Shown here with Meyers (fourth from left), the members of the 8G Band will be (from left) guitarist Seth Jabour, also a member of Les Savy Fav; Thompson; keyboardist Eli Janney, from the band Girls Against Boys; Armisen; and bassist Syd Butler of Les Savy Fav.

Late Night With Seth Meyers will air at 12:35 a.m. Eastern, 11:30 p.m. Central on NBC affiliates across the country.