Jazz St. Louis adds shows to Bistro's winter/spring schedule, including Keyon Harrold, Ken Page, and more

Jazz St. Louis has announced additions to the winter/spring 2018 schedule for the Ferring Jazz Bistro, filling out the previously announced slate of touring acts with more than a dozen shows featuring St. Louis musicians and singers

Most notably, trumpeter Keyon Harrold (pictured, top left) will return home to perform Wednesday, February 7 and Thursday, February 8, and singer and actor Ken Page will make his debut at the Bistro with performances on Wednesday, April 4 and Thursday, April 5.

Harrold, a native of Ferguson now living in NYC, has gained considerable career momentum in the last two years, thanks to his participation in the soundtrack for Don Cheadle's film Miles Ahead and the recent released of The Mugician, his highly anticipated second album as a leader.

Page (pictured, bottom left) is a St. Louis native famed for his Broadway roles in the original casts of Ain't Misbehavin' and Cats (as well as in many other musicals including The Wiz and Guys and Dolls), and for his voice acting in Tim Burton's animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas.

He's been developing a cabaret show for the last several years, and presented a version of it in 2014 at the Gaslight Theatre as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival.

Also of note, the "Whitaker Jazz Speaks" series will continue with a program called "Harlem�s Renaissance" on Wednesday, April 18. The free event will begin with a discussion led by Gerald Early of Washington University, followed a performance of music from the period by Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Bessie Smith, and Louis Armstrong.

As for the rest of the schedule, keyboardist Nathan Jatcko will make his Bistro debut as a leader with a standalone date on Thursday, April 19, and The Peoples Key and guest multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris will reprise their "Jazz Memories of Michael Jackson," first staged in 2014 at the Kranzberg Arts Center, on Friday, February 9 and Saturday, February 10.

Other local performers getting return engagements include the Funky Butt Brass Band "and Friends" (Friday, March 9 & Saturday, March 10), singers Brian Owens (Wednesday, March 21 & Thursday, March 22) and Denise Thimes (Friday, March 23 & Saturday, March 24), drummer Kevin Bowers (Friday, April 20 & Saturday, April 21), the JazzU Big Band student ensemble (Sunday, April 29), the Route 66 Jazz Orchestra (Thursday, May 17) and trumpeter/vocalist Dawn Weber and Friends (Friday, May 18 & Saturday, May 19).

Lastly, there's a new program called "Juice Box Jazz" for kids in pre-K through elementary school. It will be presented on three Sunday afternoons - January 21 with members of the Funky Butt Brass Band, March 4 with keyboardist/guitarist Adam Maness, and April 8 with trumpeter Riley Mulherkar - and will include musical performances, snacks, and jazz-themed activities that "will have the whole family learning and loving what jazz music is all about."

Tickets for all these performances will go on sale at !1:00 a.m. this Friday, December 15 via the Jazz St. Louis website or by phone at 314-571-6000.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Citing his ongoing treatment for prostate cancer, trumpeter Hugh Masekela has cancelled all of his upcoming appearances, including his scheduled performance in St. Louis on Saturday, April 14 at The Sheldon as part of the Jazz Epistles reunion with pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya.

A statement released by The Sheldon said the concert still will go on as scheduled, with a replacement trumpeter to be announced at a later date.

* In advance of their show with Douglas Ewart this Saturday, STL Free Jazz Collective members Jim Hegarty and "Baba" Mike Nelson talked with writer Thomas Crone for a feature story in the Riverfront Times.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold's new album The Mugician (pictured) was reviewed favorably by Jazz Times and PopMatters.com.

* Drummer Mark Colenburg has released a new instructional book and video, The Beat Matrix Unlocked, which is described as creating "a new template for the art of hip-hop drumming."

* The subscription service Vinyl Me Please has made an LP reissue of Miles Davis' 1967 album Sorcerer their "record of the month" for December 2017.

The reissue was remastered from the original tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl colored "orchid purple," and includes an eight-page booklet with liner notes by former New York Times scribe Ben Ratliff plus a 12" x 12" original art print by Santiago Carrasquilla.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* This weekend's Nevermore Jazz Ball, which features performances by several traditional jazz and swing bands including Asheville, NC's Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders (pictured), was previewed in an article in St. Louis magazine and on KSDK's Show Me St. Louis.

* New York theater impresario (and former St. Louisan) Scott Siegel, who created the �Broadway�s Greatest Hits of All Time!� musical revue that's playing tonight and tomorrow night at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, was interviewed by the St. Louis Jewish Light's Bill Motchan.

* Saxquest will present their 2017 Woodwind Musical Instrument Expo next Saturday, November 11 at the Sheraton Westport. The free, all-day event will feature representatives showing off the latest from major manufacturers of saxophones, flutes, clarinet and double-reed instruments, with private test rooms available by appointment.

They'll also be offering door prizes, discounts and free set-ups with instrument purchases, and more. You can register in advance online, by calling Saxquest at 314-664-1234, or by sending an email to info@saxquest.com.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold continues to get publicity surrounding the release last month of his latest album The Mugician, most recently on the latest episode of Jazziz magazine's podcast.

* "SongDay Afternoon," a web video series of solo performances produced by KDHX host Wil Wander and musician Tommy Halloran, is the subject of a St. Louis magazine feature story written by Thomas Crone.

* The Sheldon has shared on their Facebook page some photos from last Saturday's performance by guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli.

* St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts is sponsoring two "Every Artist Insured" informational sessions offering one-on-one, in-person guidance to artists (including musicians!) on how to purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchange. Trained counselors will be available to guide you through the enrollment process, help you find out if you qualify for subsidies, and compare plan prices and coverage details.

The sessions are scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Thursday, November 16 and 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 9 at Regional Arts Commission, 6238 Delmar. The sessions are free, but you must reserve a spot in advance by sending an email (including a phone number) to vlaa@stlrac.org.

* Keyboardist Jim Hegarty has put online another "Secret Sessions" recording available for free download or streaming on BandCamp, featuring improvisations from a group including Hegarty, clarinetist Eric Paul Mandat, keyboardist Greg Mills, flute player Fred Tompkins, and guitarist Steven Thomas. 

* And speaking of Fred Tompkins, he's added more free audio to his personal BandCamp page, most recently a piece called "Timeline."

Edited 11/8/17 to fix typos.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Tonight's 7:30 p.m. set by Sammy Miller and the Congregation at Jazz at the Bistro will be streamed live online by Jazz St. Louis. You can see it on JSL's website, their Facebook page, or on UStream.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was named one of "10 New Artists You Need To Know" in the October issue of Rolling Stone magazine.

Harrold (pictured) also was featured on a recent episode of B-Side, a web series produced and curated by the BRIC arts and media nonprofit in Brooklyn, NYC.

* A recent show by saxophonist Dave Sanborn, and his kindness to a young fan, are the subjects of a feature story on AllAboutJazz.com.

* New Music Circle will present a free program of short films by composer and electronic musician John Wiese at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, November 9 at the Moolah Theatre & Lounge. Wiese will be in town for a concert presented by NMC on Saturday, November 11 at St. Louis University's Xavier Hall.

* In conjunction with a talk this week at Washington University, bassist, author and educator Paul Steinbeck was interviewed about Message to Our Folks, his book about the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

* Saxophonist Greg Osby was interviewed on a recent episode of the Neon Jazz podcast.

* The Sheldon has posted to Facebook a set of photos from the Hudson concert earlier this month.

* Euclid Records has released a free smartphone app, with a barcode scanner that provides access to sound samples, plus info on new releases and store events, and more. The app is available for both Android and iPhone via Google Play and the iTunes app store.

* Actor and singer Alice Ripley's show last weekend for the Gaslight Cabaret Festival was reviewed by KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi.

* The remains of the hull of the Goldenrod Showboat - which for decades on the St. Louis riverfront served as the site for performances of traditional jazz and ragtime - were destroyed in a fire last week in Calhoun County, IL.

* The Regional Arts Commission is surveying the St. Louis arts and culture community in conjunction with EVOKE, a new initiative described as "a cultural planning process that seeks to elicit, inspire and explore how the arts can become more relevant in addressing St. Louis�s cultural challenges...The outcome of the conversations, studies, data gathered and ideas shared will be a regional cultural plan designed to guide RAC�s work and evolve our vision for a more vibrant and equitable future for St. Louis." You can weigh in by taking the survey online here.

* Chasing Trane, the documentary about saxophonist John Coltrane that briefly played in movie theaters earlier this year, will be broadcast as part of the PBS series Independent Lens and will air in St. Louis at 10:00 p.m. Monday, November 6 on Nine PBS (aka KETC).

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trombonist Steve Swell will present a free, public "artist's talk" at 4:00 p.m. today (Friday October 6) in Room 102 of Washington University's music classroom building.

Swell (pictured) is in St. Louis to lead his quintet in New Music Circle's season-opening concert on Saturday night at The Stage at KDHX.

* Speaking of Washington University, bassist, educator and author Paul Steinbeck will discuss Message To Our Folks, his book about the history of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, as part of Wash U's library faculty book talk series at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 24 in room 142 of the Olin Library on the Wash U campus. The event is free and open to the public.

* Saxophonist and singer Grace Kelly is the subject of a photo feature on the website Sound of STL, and her performance Wednesday night at Jazz at the Bistro was briefly reviewed on the website of Sophisticated Living magazine. Kelly continues at the Bistro through Saturday night.

* The Wee Trio's upcoming concert on Tuesday, October 17 at SIU Edwardsville was previewed by the Edwardsville Intelligencer.

* KDHX's Magnolia Cafe, which serves as one of the sites on the weekly "Grand Center Jazz Crawl," is getting a new menu, a new operator, and a new name. According to reports published this week by Feast magazine and others, chef Rob Connoley will take over the restaurant, renaming it Squatter's Cafe, on Wednesday, November 1.

* The annual musical instrument drive sponsored by Music for Lifelong Achievement was the subject of a feature story on KTVI-Fox 2's morning news.

* "Wayfaring Traveler," a track from trumpeter Keyon Harrold's new album The Mugician that features guest performances from Jermaine Holmes, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Robert Glasper, this week made it onto Apple Music's jazz playlist "The A List."

* Singer Debby Lennon will star in the upcoming production of the musical comedy Souvenir being staged by Max & Louie Productions from Thursday, December 14 through Sunday, December 31 at The Marcelle in Grand Center.

The show tells the story of the notoriously tone-deaf Florence Foster Jenkins, "a real-life socialite who set elite eardrums in Manhattan a-trembling in a series of notorious private concerts during the 1930s and 1940s...Her flamboyant costumes and uninhibited love of music was as much her trademark as her inability to sing on key."  Jenkins' story also was the subject of an eponymous 2016 feature film starring Meryl Streep in the title role.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* The "TAP Dynamics" show this Saturday and Sunday at the Grandel Theatre, which features dancers performing to live music from a jazz trio led by drummer Allison Miller, was previewed by Kenya Vaughn of the St. Louis American, and by Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

* Wilson also has a story in the Post previewing next week's appearances by saxophonist/singer Grace Kelly (pictured) at Jazz at the Bistro.

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold's new album The Mugician is being released today, and as part of the roll-out, the entire album was previewed on AllMusic.com and Harrold was interviewed by Salon.com.

* Music for Lifelong Achievement's annual musical instrument drive was featured in a report on local CBS affiliate KMOV (Channel 4).

* The deadline for applications for Regional Arts Commission's Artist Support Grants for this year is Thursday, October 12. RAC is presenting a free workshop on how to apply on Monday, October 2; for more on that, and details on the grant program, go to https://racstl.org/grant/artists-support-grants/.

* Composer and flute player Fred Tompkins is offering free downloadable and streamable music, both previously unreleased and from his back catalog, via a new Bandcamp page.

* The Gateway Jazz Festival, a day-long smooth jazz event that debuted this July at Chesterfield Amphitheater, has announced a date for 2018. The fest will return for a second year on Saturday, July 21, 2018, and discounted "early bird" tickets are on sale now at http://www.gatewayjazzfest.com/.

* The Riverfront Times' annual "Best of St. Louis" issue is out this week, and the winners in the annual Readers' Choice poll include the Broadway Oyster Bar for "Best Restaurant" and Record Exchange for "Best Record Store". You can see all the results of the RFT's Readers Choice poll here.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was interviewed about his forthcoming album The Mugician by Billboard magazine.

* Last Saturday's Alton Wine and Jazz Festival, which was headlined by Harrold, was the subject of a feature story from the Alton Riverbender's Steven Spencer.

* In other Harrold family news, drummer Emanuel Harrold (pictured), who's Keyon's younger brother, was interviewed by Tony Minvielle of the UK online radio station Jazz FM. 

* The Brothers Lazaroff promoted their gigs this weekend at Jazz at the Bistro with an appearance on the morning news at KTVI - FOX 2.

* Multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris was interviewed about his score for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis� presentation of Blow, Winds by the St. Louis American's Kenya Vaughn.

The production, a re-imagining of King Lear written by Nancy Bell, will be performed at 8:00 pm nightly starting Friday, September 15 through Sunday, September 17 outside of the St. Louis Public Library�s Central Library Branch downtown.

* Saxophonist Donny Piela of the St. Louis Big Band was profiled by the Washington Missourian.

Jazz this week: Alton Jazz and Wine Festival, Koplant No, a Horace Silver tribute, and more

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features the return of a rising jazz star with local roots, a tribute to an iconic pianist and composer, and more. Let's go to the highlights...

Wednesday, September 6
The "Grand Center Jazz Crawl" presents guitarist/vocalist Jeremy Jacobs at KDHX's Magnolia Cafe;  a jam session with bassist Bob Deboo and friends at the Kranzberg Arts Center;  and trumpeter Kasimu Taylor and band at The Dark Room.

Also on Wednesday, trumpeter Jim Manley plays his weekly gig at Sasha's Wine Bar.

Thursday, September 7
Saxophonist Ben Reece's Unity Quartet returns to the The Dark Room, and pianist Adam Maness' trio will be back at Thurman's in Shaw.

Friday, September 8
The annual St. Louis Art Fair opens in downtown Clayton, running through Sunday afternoon with free live music from singer Wendy Gordon, Feyza Eren, and Erin Bode; guitarist Dave Black; the  Jazz St. Louis All-Stars, Jim Widner Big Band, and more. (Check the fair's website or the StLJN calendar for days and set times.)

Also on Friday, electronic jazz-fusion band Koplant No begins a two-night gig recording a live album at Jazz at the Bistro, and singer-guitarist Tommy Halloran promotes his latest release with a show at Focal Point.

Elsewhere around town, singer Tony Viviano returns to Fortel's Pizza Den in Creve Coeur, singer Ralph Williams is back at Cigar Inn and the St. Louis Big Band plays for dancers at the Casa Loma Ballroom.

Saturday, September 9
The free Alton Jazz & Wine Festival at the Alton Amphitheater will feature a headlining set from trumpeter and Ferguson native Keyon Harrold (pictured, top left), plus music from pianist Ptah Williams, the Funky Butt Brass Band, and trumpeter Dawn Weber.

Also on Saturday, Carolbeth True will be on the piano bench for a "Tribute to Horace Silver" at the Webster Groves Concert Hall, joined by trumpeter Randy Holmes, saxophonist Larry Smith, bassist Eric Warren and drummer Kevin Gianino; and the University of Missouri's ZouM New Music Ensemble, featuring members of the school's music faculty, will play a free concert at 560 Music Center.

Sunday, September 10
The St. Louis Record and CD Collector's Show will take place at the American Czech Educational Center in south St. Louis, and trumpeter/vibraphonist Joe Bozzi and band will present a matinee performance at the St. Margaret Mary Alacoque parish hall.

Monday, September 11
Jazz faculty from Webster University will join forces for "The Jazz Legacy of Atlantic Records 1955-1975" at Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster campus. The performance will feature music from the label's roster of jazz artists during that period, which included Ornette Coleman, John Lewis and the Modern Jazz Quartet, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Charles Lloyd, Mose Allison, Chris Connor, Eddie Harris, and Les McCann.

Tuesday, September 12
The Missouri History Museum's "Twilight Tuesdays" series will present a free concert featuring singer Anita Jackson and guitarist Eric Slaughter.

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

* Want to help musicians who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey? The Jazz Foundation is providing assistance to Houston-area musicians who have been displaced or suffered losses due to the storm, as they did for more than 1,000 New Orleans musicians after Hurricane Katrina.

You can find out more and contribute, if you like, via their website.

If you're a musician in need of help due to the storm (or know of one), the organization MusiCares, an affiliate of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (best known for the Grammy Awards), also is inviting calls for assistance at 1-877-626-2748.

* On a much happier note, Jazz St. Louis is now enrolling children for the fall session of WeBop, an early-childhood education program first developed by Jazz at Lincoln Center that "invites families to stomp, strut, and swing to the rhythms of jazz." You can find out more and register at https://jazzstl.org/education-outreach/webop/.

* Keyboardist Reggie Thomas and singer Mardra Thomas (pictured) - spouses and former St. Louisans - will be among the performers at this weekend's Chicago Jazz Festival. The Thomases will take the stage Friday afternoon at the Jazz and Heritage Pavilion, accompanied by drummer Montez Coleman, saxophonist Geof Bradfield and bassist Ivan Taylor. Reggie Thomas currently heads the jazz program at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL.

* Speaking of festivals, trumpeter Keyon Harrold is writing a new work for the 15th annual Festival Of New Trumpet Music (aka FONT Music) happening later this month in NYC. The work is part of the festival's Roy Campbell, Jr. Commissioning Project, which began in 2014 to honor the organization's co-founder who died that year. You can find out more, and if you like, contribute to Harrold's commission, via an IndieGoGo page set up by the fest.

On a related note, Harrold this week previewed "Wayfaring Traveler," another track from his forthcoming album The Mugician, on the website OkayPlayer. He'll be back in the St. Louis area next weekend to headline the free Alton Jazz and Wine Festival on Saturday, September 9 at Riverfront Amphitheater in Alton.

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Fall 2017 jazz preview

As the end of August approaches, it's time once again for StLJN's fall jazz preview, offering some video samples of the most noteworthy jazz and creative music performers who will be visiting St. Louis in the next few months.

Since Rebirth Brass Band's Labor Day weekend show at Atomic Cowboy got a post of its own a couple of weeks ago, let's get started with a video from trumpeter and St. Louis native Keyon Harrold, who will be coming home on Saturday, September 9 to headline the first-ever Alton Jazz and Wine Festival at the Riverfront Amphitheater in Alton.

You can see Harrold up above in a full set recorded in June 2016 for Revive Music's 10th anniversary "Blue After Dark" event at the Boiler Room in NYC.

After the jump, you can check out the current lineup of the British jazz-fusion band Brand X, who will be back in St. Louis to perform on Wednesday, September 13 at the Old Rock House. The clip - recorded by an audience member, so it's not quite what you'd call "broadcast quality" - shows them performing "And So to F" in June of this year at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA.

Next, it's Yellowjackets, who will return to St. Louis to perform Wednesday, September 20 through Saturday, September 23 at Jazz at the Bistro. The third video shows their set from Java Jazz Festival 2016 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and features their current/latest bassist Dane Alderson, who had just joined the band before their last St. Louis gig in 2015, also at the Bistro.

The fourth clip features saxophonist and vocalist Grace Kelly, who will make her St. Louis debut performing Wednesday, October 4 through Saturday, October 7 at Jazz at the Bistro. Kelly is seen here doing the title track from her latest album, "Trying To Figure It Out," in April of this year at KNKX Public Radio in Tacoma, WA.

Today's penultimate video features trombonist Steve Swell, who will lead an all-star quintet with bassist William Parker, saxophonist Jameel Moondoc, pianist Dave Burrell and drummer Chad Taylor in a concert presented by New Music Circle on Saturday, October 7 at The Stage at KDHX.

While this quintet set from the 2012 Vision Festival in NYC features a completely different band from the one Swell will have in St. Louis (which seems to be unrepresented in online videos), it's the same instrumentation, and so at least should provide some idea of Swell's trombone sound, compositions, and approach as a bandleader.

Last but not least, it's Moon Hooch, who will return to perform Friday, October 13 at Old Rock House. The saxophones-and-drums trio is seen here in a full set recorded February 4, 2017 at Otus Supply in Ferndale, MI.

Look for part two of StLJN's fall 2017 jazz preview next week. You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* St. Louis was named one of "5 Unexpected Cities Experiencing a Live Music Renaissance" by Eventbrite.com.

* After teasing the audience by putting out a couple of advance tracks earlier this month, trumpeter Keyon Harrold announced that his new album The Mugician will be released on Friday, September 29.

Harrold will promote the release with shows on September 24 & 25 at the Blue Note in NYC, and he'll be back in the St. Louis area next month to headline the inaugural Alton Wine and Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 9 at the Riverfront Amphitheater in Alton.

* Keyboardist David Garfield (pictured) has released a new instrumental version of the Stevie Wonder tune "Go Home" featuring saxophonist Kirk Whalum, guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. You can see a video teaser with in-studio footage here, and listen to the entire track here.

* Trumpeter and Webster Groves native Ally Hany was profiled by the Peninsula Pulse newspaper in Door County, WI. 

* Violinist Alex Cunningham of the Vernacular String Trio was the subject of a brief feature from St. Louis magazine's Joseph Hess.

* Rev. Cliff Aerie and Tim Osiek of Worship Jazz have published a sixth volume in their series of jazz arrangements of sacred music. The book Worship in a New Key, Volume 6 is available only as a download from their website.

* Trumpeter Jim Manley is set to release a new album called Funk Factory 2 at the end of the month, and you can hear a sample track online here.

* Former WSIE disc jockey Eric Bueneman, known professionally as E.B. Stevenson, has a new podcast called The Jazz Mixer.

* Keyboardist Jim Hegarty has released Crossroad, a download-only session of freely improvised music recorded last month in Brooklyn, NYC with famed bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Shane Del Robles.

So What: Local News, Notes & Links

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

* Saxquest will celebrate the grand opening of their new second location in Maryland Heights from noon to 4:00 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, August 12).

The free event will include guided tours of the new facility, free food, giveaways and door prizes, and live music from the Pyle Driver Saxophone Quartet, Renegade Saxophone Quartet, and Al Holliday and The East Side Rhythm Band. The original Saxquest store on Cherokee St. will close for the day so all staff members can help out with the grand opening.

* Trumpeter and Ferguson native Keyon Harrold (pictured) this week released two new songs commemorating the anniversary of the killing of Michael Brown three years ago in his hometown. You can hear �MB Lament� and �When Will It Stop� and see the accompanying videos via this YouTube playlist.

* Thurman's in Shaw was the subject of a short article on the website NearSay.com, highlighting the bar's weekly Thursday night jazz gigs featuring pianist Adam Maness' trio.

* Drummer and St. Louis native Marcus Baylor and his wife, singer Jean Baylor will bring their group The Baylor Project to NYC's Jazz Standard for the first time on Sunday, August 20 in support of their album The Journey. Along with the Baylors, the Project includes trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, tenor saxophonist Keith Loftis, pianist Terry Brewer, and bassist Corcoran Holt.

* Singer and former St. Louisan Marcella Hooks, now living in California, was the subject of a feature story in the Solano Daily Republic newspaper.