Music:
Member Since: 1/31/2008
Band Website: kwur.com
Band Members: The Jazz at Holmes series of free concerts at Washington University is presenting a summer schedule again this year.
The lineup for summer 2008 is:
Friday, August 8 - Trumpeter Randy Holmes and his sextet
Thursday, August 14 - Pianist Ptah Williams (outdoors in Brookings Quadrangle.)
All performances are free and open to the public and take place from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. in Holmes Lounge, unless otherwise noted. Holmes Lounge is located in Ridgley Hall, on the western side of Brookings Quadrangle. For more information, you can call 314-862-0874 or send an email to [email protected].
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Zimbabwe Nkenya Performance
On Tuesday, August 19th the Gramophone, 4243 Manchester in St. Louis, will feature an evening of music by Zimbabwe Nkenya inspired by the traditions of the original Black Artists Group (BAG).
The performance will feature compositions by Zimbabwe Nkenya from his CD The New Jazz (available at the concert) as well as pieces dedicated to St. Louis trumpeters Bata Rutlin and Floyd Leflore, saxophonist Maurice Malik King and poet Arthur Brown.
Zimbabwe will be accompanied by recent high school graduates Jack Callahan on drums and Clayton Chandler VonDras on saxophones. Callahan and VonDras participated in a series of workshops facilitated by Nkenya at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center earlier this summer. Student participants had the opportunity to learn about the composition and performance of original creative music influenced by BAG.
Zimbabwe has performed with Frank Morgan, Anthony Braxton, Julius Hemphill, Warren Smith, William Parker, Daniel Carter, and many others. He was a recipient of a Meet the Composer grant from The Western States Arts Federation and wrote an original musical score for the play For Black Boys Who Have Considered Homicide, among other composition credits.
Join Zimbabwe and young St. Louis musicians as they share, in the BAG tradition, a passing on of BAG's important legacy and contributions to our local and national culture. For more information, contact the Gramophone at 314-531-5700.
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News from St. Louis Jazz Notes
The St. Louis-based label Freedonia Music, which specializes in free jazz and improvisation, has just added five new CD titles to its catalog. The new releases are:
* Autonomous Oblast from The James Marshall Human Arts Ensemble, which originally was recorded in 1975 and has been digitally remastered from the original studio tapes. The disc is described as "big band old school free-blown' free jazz. Featuring rare performances by Maurice Malik King, James Marshall, Luther Thomas, Thurman Thomas, Jim Miller, Carl Arzinia Richards, Papa Glen Wright, and others."
* Esfoma, a 1984 set of solo improvisations by pianist Greg Mills, also digitally remastered.
* Dave Stone Solo, featuring newly recorded improvisations from Stone on tenor, soprano and baritone saxes and alto, soprano and bass clarinets.
* Kokopilau, from poet Michael Castro and multi-reedman J.D. Parran, described as "a ceremony of the ancient future celebrating a 30 year collaboration...Retelling mythic tales of life, death & rebirth with voice, tenor sax, indigenous hand crafted instruments and postmodern techniques."
* Endless Root, a 1996 live performance recording of performance poetry with music, from Michael Castro and multi-instrumentalist Joe Catalano.
The label, which is headed by saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Jay Zelenka, also has a revamped Web site with a new look, improved functionality and more information about the various products and artists. Listeners can hear numerous short excerpts from each CD on the home page, and download full length MP3s of selected tunes. All Freedonia Music releases are available from the site for $10 each, which includes shipping in the USA and Canada.
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Big Muddy Blues Festival 2008 Headliners
Saturday -- August 30th
* Dona Oxford Band 3pm - 4:15pm
* Big George Brock & The Houserockers 5pm - 6:15pm
* Kenny Neal 8pm - 9:15pm
* Coco Montoya 10pm - 11:15pm
Sunday -- August 31st
* Sonny Rhodes 3pm - 4:15pm
* Ruthie Foster 5pm - 6:15pm
* Michael Burks 8pm - 9:15pm
* Bettye LaVette 10pm - 11:15pm
Influences: KWUR 90.3 FM is Washington University's student run radio station, broadcasting 24 hours a day for the surrounding community.
KWUR DJs spin a wide variety of musical programming and broadcast news, public information, and Washington University sporting events. Since its foundation in 1976, KWUR's goal has been to supply listeners with otherwise unavailable programming in St. Louis radio.
Sounds Like: Please check out the very fine blog St. Louis Jazz Notes, which features news, reviews, commentary and links related to jazz, improvisation and creative music in St. Louis, Missouri, plus assorted other music-related items.
Here's what they said about "The Scientific Method:"
Renner brings "Scientific Method" to KWUR
Local music scene veteran Tony Renner sends word that he's now a hosting a jazz radio program from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday mornings on KWUR (90.3 FM). The program is called "The Scientific Method" and features a mix of vintage and modern sounds; for example, the playlist for this week's installment ran the gamut from bebop tracks by Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke to more recent recordings from the likes of Ernest Dawkins' New Horizon Ensemble and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
Renner's been involved in various aspects of the St. Louis music scene since the 1980s; his activities have included writing for the seminal local rock fanzine Jet Lag, working at community radio station KDHX, and playing guitar with various experimental/ ambient/ post-rock groups such as Tiger Mountain, Cenozoic and his current project learn, artist.
KWUR is the low-power radio station operated by Washington University. If you're close to the Wash U. campus and get decent FM reception on your radio of choice, you may be able to pick it up over the air; in other areas, your best bet probably is to access the online stream at the station's Web site.
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: None
