Sonny Rollins, Chris Botti, Trio 3, Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival, St. Louis Rivermen, and more

There's lots going on in St. Louis over the next few days, as it's the busiest weekend of the fall so far for jazz and creative music. Let's go to the highlights: Tonight, local funk/hip-hop band Fresh Heir does a free concert for the Jazz at Holmes series at Washington University. On Friday, trumpeter Chris Botti returns to town to perform at the Fox Theatre, making good on a date that was postponed from last year. (You can read a brief preview of Botti's show that I wrote for the Riverfront Times here.) Also on Friday, drummer Stan Hale's new group debuts at Robbie's House of Jazz, featuring Hale, bassist David Certain, saxophonist Ben Reece, singer Renee Smith, and yr. humble StLJN editor on keyboards. We'll be playing a mix of straight-ahead and soul/jazz with occasional Latin touches. Saturday features three major events worthy of your time and attention, starting with the long-anticipated performance by saxophone legend Sonny Rollins (pictured) in a concert sponsored by Jazz St. Louis at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. For more about Rollins, check out StLJN's previous coverage here, and also this short preview piece from this week's Riverfront Times.

Also on Saturday, the Nu-Art Series presents Trio 3 with Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille at Luna Bar in the Central West End. For more about Trio 3, see these two posts, as well as this recent interview done with Lake before a solo gig in Sacramento, CA. As if choosing between those two shows wasn't enough of a dilemma, Saturday is also the day of this year's Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival, a free, all-day event held in the business district near Lockwood and Gore in Webster Groves. Jazz acts in this year's lineup include Two Times True, with pianist Carolbeth True; Standard Time, with guitarist Rick Haydon, singer Mardra Thomas and pianist Reggie Thomas; the Matthew Von Doran Trio; Webster University Faculty Jazz Band; Webster Groves High School Jazz Band; Wild, Cool & Swingin'; and the Funky Butt Brass Band. There's also the St. Louis Jazz & Blues Revue, a group assembled for the festival that includes Anita Rosamond (vocals/keyboard), Rich McDonough (guitar), Jesse Gannon (keyboard, vocals), Phil Burton (bass, vocals), Joe Meyer (drums), Lew Winer III (saxophones, vocals) and Rob Endicott (trumpet, flugelhorn). The Revue will pay tribute to St. Louis musical legends including Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, Fontella Bass, Ike & Tina Turner, Jimmy Forrest and Albert King.

Also note that just down the street from the festival's Allen Avenue stage, the Robert Edwards Big Band will hold forth Saturday evening at at Robbie's House of Jazz. For more about Robbie's and Edwards' big band, see this piece I did for the Riverfront Times "A to Z" music blog. On Sunday, the St. Louis Jazz Club presents the St. Louis Rivermen in a concert of traditional New Orleans style jazz at at the Panorama Banquet Room of Bel-Air Bowl in Belleville. Looking beyond the weekend, on Tuesday guitarist Todd Mosby will give a free concert and clinic at the Music Center of Kirkwood. (See this post for details.) For more jazz and creative music events this weekend and beyond, check the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, available for viewing on the left sidebar or by clicking here.
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