One of the most important aspects of Jazz St. Louis’s Residency program is the work that takes place during the day with local students. During the week (April 1-5), this trio will participate in nearly 30 concerts, clinics, and master classes at area high schools, middle schools, and universities. This level of impact is rare and not seen in many other areas of the country.

On the weekend, you can check out this super-group (known as the Triumph of Trumpets) on the Jazz at the Bistro stage both Friday (4/5) and Saturday (4/6) nights with sets at 7.30 and 9.30 pm. For the Bistro performances, they will be joined by pianist Adaron “Pops” Jackson’s trio, which features Jahmal Nichols (bass) and Marty Morrison (drums). For more information, click HERE.

“This annual celebration of education and performance is the only festival of its kind in St. Louis,” said Jim Widner, director of the Jazz Studies program at UMSL and artistic director of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival. “That is because in addition to celebrating professional jazz musicians in our headline concert performances, we focus on nurturing the talent of young musicians with jazz student performances and clinics.”

The goal of the festival is to encourage the musical education and growth of the 800 participating students by interaction with internationally acclaimed jazz artists. These students perform on the same stages as the biggest names in professional jazz.

“Jazz St. Louis is proud to once again partner with UMSL and the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival,” said Gene Dobbs Bradford, executive director of Jazz St. Louis. “We all share a strong commitment to providing excellent educational opportunities for young people.  In addition, the festival allows us to share some of the world’s greatest jazz musicians with our community.”

The big jazz performances in 2013 begin with Anat Cohen and Matt Wilson at Jazz at The Bistro on Thursday and continue at the Touhill with Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour and Doc Severinsen and His Big Band on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both concerts at the Touhill feature opening-act performances by the UMSL Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jim Widner.

2013  FESTIVAL  HEADLINERS:

Thursday, April 18:

Virtuosic reed artist Anat Cohen and New York-based drummer and Grammy-nominee Matt Wilson open the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival. Jazz St. Louis presents two shows on Thursday, April 18, at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at Jazz at the Bistro.

Cohen, who will be playing both clarinet and tenor saxophone says, “The music we perform…comes from the jazz tradition, but it’s very playful – we have fun with sounds and melodies, following our instincts, without over-analyzing. Matt Wilson is like a kid onstage, and that’s what I like to be – it’s great to have a partner in crime like him. Matt gets these incredible sounds from the drums…”

Tickets are $32 and are available through the Jazz St. Louis Box Office at 314-289-4030, MetroTix at 314-534-1111, or online at www.metrotix.com.

Friday, April 19:

Jazz St. Louis presents the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour 55^th Anniversary Celebration on Friday, April 19, at the Touhill. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall with an opening set by the UMSL Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jim Widner.

Featuring critically acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning jazz artists, this all-star band consists of bassist and musical director Christian McBride, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, saxophonist Chris Potter, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, pianist Benny Green and drummer Lewis Nash. Embracing the past, present, and future of jazz, the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour will perform an assortment of classic jazz repertoire as well as original compositions.

The Monterey Jazz Festival, the longest continuously-running jazz festival in the world, has presented nearly every major jazz star—from  Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong to Esperanza Spalding and Trombone Shorty—since it was founded in 1958.

Tickets for Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour, sponsored by Worldwide Technology, Inc., are $35, or $75 for VIP tickets which include a backstage post-concert reception to which the musicians have been invited. They are available through the Touhill Performing Arts Center Ticket Office, online at www.touhill.org, or by phone at 314-516-4949.

Saturday, April 20:

Doc Severinsen and His Big Band will close out this exciting weekend of jazz on Saturday, April 20, at the Touhill.  The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall with an opening set by the UMSL Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jim Widner.

“The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson bandleader Doc Severinsen is best known as the legendary horn player who welcomed millions of viewers with the familiar theme song for nearly three decades.  The Doc Severinsen repertoire includes Ellington and Basie standards, pop, jazz, ballads, big band classics and, of course, “The Tonight Show” theme. Severinsen can blow the roof off with a trumpet solo, and his band members get their well-deserved turns in the spotlight.

Tickets are $35. They are available through the Touhill Performing Arts Center Ticket Office, online at www.touhill.org, or by phone at 314-516-4949.

About the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival:

The goal of the four-day festival is to encourage the musical education and growth of the participating students by interacting with internationally acclaimed jazz artists.  Now in its 10^th year, the festival has grown to accommodate as many as 800 students from more than 30 schools from across Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Texas. For two days, students participate in adjudicated performances and clinics. The clinics include one-on-one sessions and critique from jazz’s finest. In past years, budding musicians learned from such jazz greats as Clark Terry, Lou Marini, John Pizzarelli, Ron Carter, Russell Malone, Marilyn Maye, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Buddy DeFranco, Tom Scott, Mulgrew Miller, Jon Faddis, Conrad Herwig, Shelly Berg, Peter Erskine, Chris Vadala, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and many others. Daytime performances and artist clinics are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.touhill.org/jazzfestival.

Auditions will take place June 3-6, between 4 and 9 pm on the 4th floor of the Centene Center for Arts and Education, located at 3547 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103.

Important Dates/Deadlines

Application Deadline
applications must be postmarked by Friday, May 3, 2013. Once the application materials have been received, students will be assigned an audition time on the date which corresponds with the applicant’s instrument (see below). Audition times will be sent via standard US mail.

Auditions
Monday, June 3 – saxophones
Tuesday, June 4 – trumpets and trombones
Wednesday, June 5 – rhythm section
Thursday, June 6 – rhythm section

Audition Results
Results of the auditions will be announced during the first part of July.

Application Materials and Resources

You can download the 2013-14 JazzU application by clicking HERE.

The application is an editable .pdf. You can type directly into the application and sign electronically (you must save the application to your desktop before you can type into the fields). Applications and answers to questions can be submitted via email to phil@jazzstl.org or mailed to the address listed on the application. The teacher recommendation (for NEW students only) can be sent separately, via standard US mail.

Audition Tunes
Below are lead sheets in concert pitch for each audition tune. Only pick one from each category and REMEMBER, they are in concert pitch, which means that you will have to transpose if you do not play a concert-pitched instrument. Also listed with each tune is a suggested reference recording. Use the reference recording to help learn the tunes, phrase the melody, and improvise.

BLUES
All of the blues melodies are on one sheet and can be downloaded by clicking HERE.

Now’s the Time, Charlie Parker, The Essential Charlie Parker
C-Jam Blues, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, The Great Summit (recorded as “Duke’s Place)
Sonnymoon for Two, Sonny Rollins, A Night at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 2

STANDARDS
All the Things You Are, Johnny Griffin, A Blowin’ Session
Autumn Leaves, Cannonball Adderly, Something Else
Beautiful Love, Bill Evans, The Best of Bill Evans on Victor Verve

LATIN
Black Orpheus, Black Orpheus, The Motion Picture Soundtrack
Blue Bossa, Joe Henderson, Page One
Song for my Father, Horace Silver, Song for My Father
St. Thomas, Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus

Questions can be directed to Phil Dunlap, Director of Education at phil@jazzstl.org or 314.289.4033.

For the Residency that takes place during the week of March 4, we have put together an all-star cast of some of the country’s best musician/educators featuring Andre Hayward (trombone), Reggie Thomas (piano), Tim Warfield (saxophones) and Rodney Whitaker (bass). You will not find this amazing group of musicians outside of the Jazz St. Louis Residency program, which is a unique aspect of what we do. This program allows us to bring these artists to area schools at no cost to the schools or students. Many, if not all, of these schools do not have the resources to bring such artists to work with their students. Bringing professional artists into the classroom is an integral component in the development of young musicians. Ultimately, our goal is to help support area school music programs through our resources and the generosity of our supporters.

While the education activities at area schools are not open to the public, there are four chances to catch this super-group during their  Friday (3/8) and Saturday (3/9) performances at Jazz at the Bistro. Tickets can be purchased through the usual channels (metrotix or the Jazz St. Louis offices). For the weekend performances, the group will be joined by area drummer, Marty Morrison.

If you like this concept, check out our April Residency (April 1-6), featuring Jon Faddis, Terell Stafford, and Sean Jones!

2013 MO All-State jazz band final performance

Every January for the past 35 years, (this year 1/23-26) thousands of Missouri students, teachers, parents, organizations, and institutions come together to celebrate music education at the Missouri Music Educators Association Conference (MMEA), held at the Tan-Tar-A resort in Lake of the Ozarks. Four days of concerts, master classes, and clinics are the draw, and while not the most compelling location for a state-wide festival, it is always a fun hang. This is also the place where the Missouri All-State ensembles rehearse and perform, including the All-State jazz band – of which, nine of the 19 members are participants in our JazzU program.

Over the course of a year, Jazz St. Louis has cultivated a meaningful partnership with the organization responsible for the All-State jazz band, the Missouri Association for Jazz Education (MOAJE). Together with Jeff Melsha (MOAJE president) and Chris Miller (MMEA VP for Jazz) we set about trying to figure out ways to make the jazz experience at the conference the best it could be. We decided to start with the All-State jazz clinician, settling on Terell Stafford as our first pick. Terell was agreeable and finished his stint as the MO All-State jazz clinician on January 26.

Terell Stafford performs at the MOAJE Jam Session

Over the course of the four days, Terell led rehearsals and clinics, performed for students and teachers at the MOAJE jam session, and sat in with Jim Widner’s big band for their annual Friday evening concert. The week ended with a performance by the 2013 MO All-State jazz band, conducted by Mr. Stafford. In all, approximately 5000 people were reached over the four day festival.

JazzU student, Ben Steger with Terell Stafford

Reflecting on the week, I was struck by the buzz created by our partnership. The idea was to be able to have an impact on students and teachers state-wide as we are currently only able to offer programs in and around the St. Louis area. Working with MOAJE and MMEA was a way that Jazz St. Louis could elevate its visibility in ways not normally possible. People from the western and southern parts of the state see what we are doing, and they want to be a part of it.

This venture also demonstrates how creative collaborations between organizations can have a positive impact on students. When we work together, great things can be accomplished. This year at MMEA, we were able to create an amazing educational experience for thousands of students and teachers. Mission accomplished!

Join the Young Friends groups of the Saint Louis Science Center, Jazz St. Louis and St. Louis Public Radio for a night of incredible music under a dome of 9,000 brilliant stars. This year’s program Fly Me to the Moon celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium.

Enjoy the flare and flavors from local restaurants, hometown brews, and area distilleries while listening to live performances by the Eric Slaughter Trio featuring Marty Morrison and Bob DeBoo with Special Guests Willie Akins, veteran jazz saxophonist, and Jesse Gannon. Véronique LaCapra, science reporter for St. Louis Public Radio, will serve as the evening’s emcee.

The evening festivities also include an entertaining and informative Planetarium Show, a silent auction with gift baskets from the St. Louis Cardinals, the Gateway Grizzlies, California Pizza Kitchen, and more, plus a 50/50 raffle. There will also be a photo booth from Pic Me Pictures and chair massages from Massage Envy.

Dressy Casual attire is preferred. Valet parking is available.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit slsc.org or call 314.289.4424.

Upcoming Shows

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Dawn Weber

We are pleased to announce several additional concerts scheduled for the 2012-13 Season. Tickets for all of these shows go on sale to the general public on Saturday, December 1, 2012. All shows are at Jazz at the Bistro with two sets at 7:30 & 9:30 pm except where noted. To purchase Jazz at the Bistro tickets, call the Jazz St. Louis Box Office during normal business hours (M-F, 9-5) at  314.289.4030 or Metrotix at 314.534.1111 or visit www.metrotix.com. To purchase Touhill tickets, call the Touhill Ticket Office at 314.516.4949 or visit www.touhill.org.

Javier Mendoza’s Latin Jazz Experiment – January 11-12

Lamar Harris with Dawn Weber - January 25-26

Wee Trio (live CD recording) – February 8-9

Willie Akins / Montez Coleman Group CD Release Party for The St. Louis Connection - February 23

Funky Butt Brass Band – March 22

Anat Cohen & Matt Wilson – April 18
Part of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival

Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour 55th Anniversary – April 19
featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Benny Green       
Lewis Nash, Chris Potter, & Ambrose Akinmusire
Sponsored by World Wide Technology, Inc.
Part of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival
7:30 pm at the Touhill Performing Arts Center
- opening set by UMSL Jazz Ensemble, Directed by Jim Widner

Doc Severinsen & His Big Band – April 20
Part of the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival
7:30 pm at the Touhill Performing Arts Center
- opening set by UMSL Jazz Ensemble, Directed by Jim Widner

There is no charge for this event but reservations are required. Call 314.444.1827 and reserve a spot today.

The John Pizzarelli Quartet will be performing at Jazz at the Bistro from Wednesday, November 28th – Saturday, December 1st. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 314.289.4030 or click here.

Subscriptions:

All subscriptions come with complimentary valet parking and discounts off the regular ticket price. Subscriptions are pro-rated for the shows that have already passed. For more information or to purchase a subscription, download the packet here or call Bob Bennett at 314.289.4032.

Tickets:

Not ready to make a multiple show commitment? You can still buy tickets for that show your cousin has been eyeing all season. Call the Jazz St. Louis box office at 314.289.4030 or view upcoming shows and purchase tickets online.

Gift Certificates:

Jazz at the Bistro gift certificates offer greater flexibility for the recipient and never expire! Call 314.289.4030 to purchase over the phone or buy online below.

Jazz St. Louis recently held a private season preview party for 2012-13 season subscribers on August 7.

“We were pleased to offer our most loyal patrons and subscribers a first look at the 2012-13 Season and answer any questions they might have about artist choice or process,” said executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford.  “And now we’re pleased to provide the same opportunity to single ticket buyers or anyone that is interested in learning more about Jazz St. Louis and the outstanding artists appearing on our performance calendar.”

The preview event will be held at the nationally-recognized Jazz at the Bistro venue which was recently named one of “212 Great Jazz Rooms” in DownBeat Magazine’s International Jazz Venue Guide published in February 2012.

“So interested patrons not only get an inside look at Jazz St. Louis’s upcoming season, but they also get a feel for the Bistro venue” added artistic director Bob Bennett.  “It’s a great ‘try before you buy’ opportunity.”

Details

What: Jazz St. Louis 2012-13 Season Preview Party

Where: Jazz at the Bistro 3536 Washington Ave., St. Louis, MO  63103

When: Thursday, September 6, 2012 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

RSVP: By Tuesday, September 4 to Devin Rodino, Jazz St. Louis communications and operations manager 314-289-4030 or devin at jazzstl dot org.

Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, water and tea provided.  Cash bar available.