From the time I was in high school, Reggie was someone I’ve looked up to.  I’d see him at the SIUE jazz festival and summer jazz camp, and when I decided to study at SIUE, he became an integral part of my development as a musician, and a hugely influential person in my life.  By pushing me to go outside of my “comfort zone” as a player, I discovered new music and learned to appreciate things much more than I ever had before.  Reggie opened my eyes to so many different things that have now become such a part of my musical life that I can’t imagine what I’d do without them.

A deep appreciation of the work of Nat King Cole’s trio came straight from Reggie Thomas.  When I listen to old recordings of the King Cole Trio, I smile because the music gives me such an enormously positive feeling and I often think back to Reggie hipping me to “Solid Potato Salad” and “Little Joe from Chicago.”  When I started working in radio at WSIE, Reggie & Rick Haydon were my first live guests in the studio and kept me constantly supplied with great music to play on the air.  If I remember correctly, Reggie was getting back in town late on a Sunday afternoon and rushed to SIUE to grab some King Cole Trio discs so I’d have them in time for a feature I was doing on Nat.

As brilliant a performer as Reggie is, he is just as brilliant an educator.  Reggie has a way of inspiring students and getting the very best out of them.  If you look at the most in-demand and respected young musicians in St. Louis, many of them have been students of Reggie Thomas and the SIUE program at one time or another.  Many of the younger faculty members at colleges and universities in the area have also come by way of SIUE.  Alongside Brett Stamps & Rick Haydon, Reggie Thomas helped build a world class program that is widely respected in the jazz community.

Upon leaving SIUE and coming to work for Jazz St. Louis, Reggie continued to be a source of advice and inspiration for me.  As our education programs expanded, so did the involvement of Reggie Thomas.  He has worked with our students since the first incarnation of the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars seven years ago and continues to work with them today.  He’s worked with our adopted schools and residency programs and students always look forward to an opportunity to learn from him.

Of course, since coming to work for Jazz St. Louis, I have had countless opportunities to listen to Reggie’s playing in a variety of contexts.  No matter what the situation, the groove is always killer and the show always swings.  Really, words cannot due justice to the talent Reggie Thomas posseses as a performer AND an entertainer.  I dstinguish between the two because not all performers are great entertainers.  Reggie has a way of communicating with an audience that brings the show to that next level, where everyone feels as if they’re all in his living room amongst old friends.  As a performer, he simply excels at a level that is rarely heard and does so with versatility that I can honestly say I’ve never experienced in another musician. Name another musician who is known for being an incredible pianist AND organist.  Usually you get one or the other, but never both.  And for those that don’t know, the man is pretty killer on trumpet, bass and guitar as well.

To say that Reggie Thomas has been influential would be a vast understatement.  Everywhere you look, there’s someone he’s touched…someone he’s made a better musician, a better person.  I feel truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn and work alongside Reggie for so many years.  I expect to continue to do so no matter where the future may take him.

Michigan State University has some new “magic” coming their way.  I wish both Reggie and Mardra the very best in this new chapter in their lives.

Bob Bennett

Director of Operations & Artistic Administration

Jazz St. Louis

Until then, we are pleased to announce the performers we have booked for our 2011 Summer Series.  All performances will be at regular set times of 8:30 p.m. & 10:15 p.m. and are at Jazz at the Bistro, with the exception of The Jazz Crusaders, which is at The Touhill.  Tickets for all shows will go on sale to the general public on Monday, May 16, 2011 at 10 a.m. through Metrotix at 314.534.1111, online at http://metrotix.com or via the Jazz St. Louis box office at 314.289.4030.

Jim Manley’s Wild, Cool & Swingin’ Orchestra
Sponsored by Tim & Debbie Callihan of The Spectrum Band
June 3-4, 2011
$20 Fri/Sat | $10 students w/ID

Coco Soul
June 10-11, 2011
$20 Fri/Sat | $10 students w/ID

* The Jazz Crusaders featuring Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson & Wilton Felder (ON SALE NOW!)
Sponsored by World Wide Technology, Inc. and Centene Corporation
June 11, 2011, 8:00 p.m. at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center
$100(Gold Circle, includes post concert reception with artist) | $50 | $35
For tickets: The Touhill Ticket Office at 314.516.4949 or purchase online here

Tim Cunningham & Jim Stevens
June 17-18, 2011
$20 Fri/Sat | $10 students w/ID

Denise Thimes
June 24-25, 2011
$20 Fri/Sat | $10 students w/ID

Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra
June 27, 2011
$10 Mon | $5 students

Eric Slaughter Trio with special guest Jason Swagler

July 1-2, 2011
$15 Fri/Sat | $10 students w/ID

Legacy Jazz Quintet: the music of Miles Davis, 1959-1968
In cooperation with the Center for the Humanities Summer Institute at Washington University
July 8-9, 2011
$20 Fri/Sat | $10 students w/ID

Reggie Thomas with Mardra Thomas: The Farewell Performance, the music of Stevie Wonder
In cooperation with the Center for the Humanities Summer Institute at Washington University
July 15-16, 2011
$20 Fri/Sat | $10 students w/ID

Willie Akins Quartet: the music of the John Coltrane Quartet
In cooperation with the Center for the Humanities Summer Institute at Washington University
July 22-23, 2011
$20 Fri/Sat | $10 students w/ID

Good 4 The Soul
July 29-30, 2011
$20 Fri/Sat | $10 students w/ID

A couple things I just couldn’t fit but wanted to make mention of:  The Who’s Quadrophenia, Bruce Springsteen’s Tracks and Born in the U.S.A. and Van Halen II

15. Lewis Black – The White Album

Hey, who said it has to be only MUSIC on this list?  I thank guitarist Travis Mattison for hipping me to Lewis Black many years ago and his stuff always kills me.  This album, one of his earliest, always makes me smile no matter how many times I listen to it.  And with all respect to The Beatles, if I had to pick only ONE White Album, this one wins….

14. Jim Croce – 50^th Anniversary Collection

It’s unbelievable to me the amount of quality music that Jim Croce recorded in such a short time.  He only had a couple studio albums released prior to his death, so there really isn’t much to choose from.  For this reason, I’m going with this collection which actually doesn’t cover everything but does grab most of it.  Jim Croce was an incredible storyteller whose songs paint a vivid picture every time you hear them.

13. The Rolling Stones – Some Girls

The most soulful Stones record ever.  “Beast of Burden” is one of my all time favorite tunes, and I was thrilled to see them start throwing it back in the live show.  Just as general commentary, it also seems to me that Mic Jagger’s voice continues to sound incredible regardless of his age.  There’s a reason these guys have been pulling in huge crowds for decades.

12. Sam Cooke – Portrait of a Legend: 1951-1964

How do you select one record from the man who invented soul?  Although I was familiar with Sam Cooke, it wasn’t until my brother let me listen to this album that I really began to appreciate his incredible talent.  Simply an amazing collection here.

11. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II

Here’s another instance of “where do I start?”  When you have a band who never recorded a sub par album, which one do you pick?  Everything these guys did was incredible.  For me, LZ II stands out because of the power of the record as a whole.  It flows seamlessly and just never stops.  But Led Zeppelin’s entire body of work could be described that way.  For this, really, you could just say “pick one”….

10. Richard Pryor – …Is It Something I Said?

“We are gathered here today….”  The word is overused, but here it’s applicable: Richard Pryor was a genius.  Perhaps the most influential comedian in history, you can walk into a room, say that first line and nothing else…and everybody will crack up.  This album starts with one of my all time favorite routines, Pryor’s “preacher” delivering a eulogy.

9. AC/DC – Live: Collector’s Edition

The two disc version, not the single disc version they put out.  These guys haven’t changed a thing about their music in over 30 years…and I hope they never do.

8. Stevie Wonder – Innervisions & Songs in the Key of Life

Nothing needs to be said here.  If you don’t own these records, go buy them…NOW!

7. KISS – Double Platinum

Yes, you read correctly.  I’ll pause a moment so that everyone can collect themselves….

I’m not really crazy about the whole “no compilations” rule that Devin put out there, and since I have seniority here, I’ll just ignore it for this particular album.  As you can tell from the other albums on this list, I make no bones about being a huge classic rock fan.  And yes, I’m a big KISS fan.  It’s actually hard for me to pick an album of theirs because there’s a lot of stuff I love strung out over multiple albums.  For me, the first six studio albums these guys did are pretty standard listening.  Most KISS fans would list Alive here, and while I’m always a fan of live over studio, with this band I prefer the opposite because of one thing: Paul Stanley.  I’m sorry, as big a KISS fan as I am, I would be forever grateful if Gene were the only one allowed to talk.  Stanley is right there with Kevin Cronan of REO Speedwagon & Ted Nugent as the most annoying front men in rock history.

So for this reason, I’m taking Double Platinum.  I’m also taking just the one KISS record to make room for the multiple Springsteen records that will be listed in a moment….

6. Van Halen – Van Halen

This was an incredibly close call between Van Halen’s first and second albums.  It’s kind of a toss-up, but I chose the inaugural release because it has my all time favorite VH tune, “Feel Your Love Tonight”.  From 1989 until probably 1995, I listened to Van Halen constantly.  I was a Van Hagar guy when I was younger, and a Van Roth guy as I got older.  Better singles with Dave, better albums with Sammy.  Regardless, they’ll always be a favorite for me.  With the early Van Halen albums, I always thought that Eddie’s intro riffs were incredible.  “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” the aforementioned “Feel Your Love Tonight,” “Runnin’ With the Devil” and “ Jamie’s Cryin”” all exemplify that on this album.

AND NOW, MR. BENNETT WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU TO THE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN PORTION OF OUR PROGRAM

5. Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town

This album didn’t make my original list, but I must have been suffering from head trauma that day.  With the recent release of The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, I was reminded just how incredible this record really is.  Also, I was fortunate enough to be in the audience at Giants Stadium when Springsteen & the E Street Band performed this record in its entirety as part of the Stadium’s final concerts.  I continue to be amazed when I think this was the follow up to Born to Run.  How do you follow up a masterpiece?  With another masterpiece.

4. Bruce Springsteen – The River

Although Darkness is incredible, my #2 Springsteen studio record is without question The River.  This is really two independent records woven together.  On one hand, you have the follow up to Darkness that continues telling those stores, with mid-tempo tunes that paint an exceptionally vivid picture of family and blue collar life.  Also found within is a completely opposite, pop-driven, “party” record that evokes good times.  The latter is how I’ve always seen this album.  “Sherry Darling,” “Hungry Heart,”  “I’m a Rocker,”  “Crush on You,” “Out in the Street” and “Ramrod” are all here, and are all some of my favorite Springsteen rockers.  If those don’t put you in a good mood, nothing will.

3. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run

You didn’t actually think I’d leave this off, did you?  Listening to the album in its entirety gives you an unbelievable appreciation for everything that went into it.  When you think of the songs included here: “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” “Backstreets,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “She’s the One,” “Jungleland”…they’re all remarkable in and of themselves.  To think they all came from one record…that they were put together as one piece of work?  To me, that’s pretty astonishing.  If you’re ever inclined, watch Wings For Wheels: The Making of Born to Run, Thom Zimmy’s documentary that was included in the 30^th Anniversary edition box set.  It will give you an even deeper appreciation for the album.  This is by far my all-time favorite studio record of Springsteen’s.  But it’s not my all-time favorite record…those would be….

2. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Hammersmith Odeon, London ‘75

Released thirty years after being recorded, this was Springsteen’s first gig overseas.  The album was initially released in DVD format only, with the Born to Run 30^th Anniversary box set.  A short time later, they put the concert DVD out as a double CD, thankfully for all.  I won’t go into the history behind the date (you can read up on it if you’re so inclined, it’s a pretty good story), but the band’s performance is absolutely electric.  They had just finished recording Born to Run, so most of that album is performed here.  There are also incredible versions of Springsteen live staples like “Rosalita” & “Kitty’s Back”, which simply burn the house down.  To top things off, the band throws in “Detroit Medley” and “Quarter to Three”, great covers of classic soul music.

1. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Live 1975-85

I know, you were patiently waiting to see exactly WHICH Springsteen album would make the top for me.  No Devin, I’m not cheating on this one by selecting a “Best of” compilation like I did with the KISS listing.  This may be compiled from live performances over a decade, but it was a single release and none of the material was previously available.  What’s great about this one is you get to hear Bruce & the band develop over the course of a decade.  From the early club dates to the stadium shows on the “Born in the U.S.A.” tour, this has everything.  When this thing first came out (Christmas 1985) my brother and I wore out the cassettes (it initially was release on 3 cassettes, 5 LPs or 3 CDs).  We played the first cassette so much that it took us a week or more to realize that Columbia had screwed up and included two copies of one cassette and we were actually missing one-third of the set.  Luckily for us, even though we had opened it and played it non-stop, the store took it back and gave us a new one.  This was my first introduction to “Rosalita”, Springsteen’s long-time closing tune that he actually stopped playing live from 1984 until 2003.  For years, my brother and I listened to that version, hoping that one day we’d finally get to hear it live.  When we did (at Comisky Park in Chicago in the summer of 2003), it brought everything full circle.  50,000 people singing along made it a very memorable moment.

Lou Rawls – “Merry Christmas HO! HO! HO!”

A lot of people forget that when he first started, Lou Rawls was primarily a jazz signer. This is perhaps one of the hardest swinging vocal Christmas records ever. Recorded in 1967, it features an incredible version of “The Little Drummer Boy.” If you can find a copy of this, pick it up. I believe it’s been remastered and reissued, but under the title “Lou Rawls Swingin’ Christmas”.

Ray Charles – “The Spirit of Christmas”

Ray’s only Christmas album has been on a lot of people’s shelves for years and for good reason. “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” are among the highlights here, and the remastered version includes a duet Charles did with Betty Carter on “Baby It’s Cold Outside” from 1961.

Freddy Cole – “I Want a Smile For Christmas”

Unfortunately, this one is out of print, but you may be able to find a used copy online or in your favorite record shop. Freddy puts that magical Cole touch on everything from “Blue Christmas” to “Jingle Bells”, the latter being my favorite version of the song.

Now obviously, I can’t list Freddy’s record without listing one of the definitive Holiday albums of all time…

Nat King Cole – “The Christmas Song”

If you’ve only heard one version of “The Christmas Song” (aka “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”), there’s a 99.9% chance that it was Nat’s version.

Plas Johnson – “Christmas in Hollywood”

This one most people may not know about, but it’s an absolutely fantastic album that Los Angeles based saxophonist Plas Johnson did a few years back. Plas is a fantastic tenor player and goes in a soul-jazz direction here with an organ trio and special guest, vocalist Ernie Andrews. Andrews tears it up on “Merry Christmas Baby”, as one would expect.

Houston Person & Etta Jones – “Together at Christmas”

The last Christmas album Houston made with Etta before her passing features some things that the two had done before on various Christmas sides (but new recordings), plus some new material recorded here for the first time. Together, these two always deliver a soulful, swignin’ time.

Jimmy Smith – “Christmas ‘64″

Didn’t think I’d have a list without another organ record did you? This one has been around for, well, 45 years to be exact. However, Verve has reissued it under the new title “Christmas ‘64″. Past incarnations have always been “Christmas Cookin’ “. Regardless the title, Jimmy is on point here, both in small group settings and with a full big band.

Now I’m sure there are dozens of other very worthy Holiday albums, but these are the ones that I’ve always got on in my house during the season.

OH…WAIT JUST ONE MINUTE! How could I forget the three MOST played Holiday tunes of all time in my house…

Have a happy, safe and swingin’ Holiday season!

15. George Benson – Breezin’ (extended version)

Most everyone is familiar with this album in one way or another.  If you’re not familiar with the album by name, you’re familiar with Benson’s version of “This Masquerade.”  I’ve always loved the album, but when the extended version came out, I learned of an additional cut that blew me away.  Benson’s performance of “Down Here On The Ground” from his Weekend in LA album is actually nothing close to the version he originally recorded.  That version was included on the extended edition of “Breezin’ ” and for me, is the best cut on the record.  It’s one of those tunes you can put on repeat and never tire of.  It’s more up-tempo than the live version, Benson’s solo is flawless and the ending, where George scats with his guitar, gets me every time.

14. Joe Williams – Live

Joe Williams was always killer, but his live performances were even more so.  Joe had a way of connecting with his audience that very few performers ever achieve.  Add to that Cannonball Adderley’s band, and it takes on a whole other level.  This album was done in the studio, but with a live audience so it felt like a club set.  Amazing performances from everyone involved make this one of my favorite jazz vocal records of all time.

13. John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman

No arguing, no debating, no disagreeing of any kind allowed: this is the greatest jazz vocal record ever made…period.  Johnny Hartman’s treatment of the six standards found here is the DEFINITIVE version of each of those tunes.  Nobody can sing “My One and Only Love” and not think of this version.  Anyone who sings “Lush Life” is immediately judged by the version Hartman did with Coltrane.  And then there’s Trane, whose quartet provides the perfect accompaniment here.  People often wonder why I’m so hard on vocalists.  Listen here…you’ll get it eventually.

12. Chris Potter Quartet - Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard

Hands down, this is my favorite record of the last decade.  Potter literally burns down the Vanguard on this record, a live set from the same quartet that appeared at the Bistro many years ago.  The band’s renditions of Bill Stewart’s “7.5″ and Charles Mingus’ “Boogie Stop Shuffle” are incredible.

11. Stan Getz & Kenny Barron – People Time

Stan Getz’s final album, recorded with longtime collaborator Kenny Barron, in a very intimate club setting.  Here, Getz returns to the Montmartre in Copenhagen, where he had previously recorded two outstanding albums in 1987 (one of which won a Grammy).  I’m a particular fan of the music Getz made near the end of his life.  A constant in his final years was Barron, whose trio backed Getz on the earlier Montmartre recordings.  Here, it’s just piano and saxophone and the performance from both men is phenomenal.  I’ve always felt this was Stan Getz’s finest album.

10. Gene Harris – Live at Otter Crest

Recorded in 1981, you’d never know Gene Harris had taken a major break from playing.  This is definitive Gene Harris: soulful, swinging and steeped in the blues.  “Shiny Stockings” alone will literally swing the doors off your house, so be careful….

9. Jimmy Smith – House Party & The Sermon

You can’t have one without the other.  Jimmy Smith assembled an all-star cast for two “rally” albums that became landmarks for jazz organ.  Alongside Lou Donaldson, Tina Brooks, Lee Morgan, George Coleman, Curtis Fuller, Eddie McFadden, Kenny Burrell, Donald Bailey & Art Blakey, Smith had two sessions that eventually made up these albums.  With that roster (or list of characters may be more appropriate), how could anyone go wrong?  Everybody’s given ample time to blow, making the tune “The Sermon” itself twenty minutes long.  However, no listener will ever get bored with what’s happening here.  These records also hold a special place for me in that I shared a love of Jimmy Smith’s music with my late mentor, the “Man in the Red Vest,” Leo Chears.  These albums were on both of our playlists often.  Try to find the original CD issues, not the re-mastered versions, they have a ton of extra material on them that for some reason was left off the reissue.

8. Lou Donaldson with The Three Sounds – LD + 3

Before his legendary hits like “Alligator Boogaloo” and “Midnight Creeper,” Lou Donaldson cut some of the best straight-ahead sides in the history of Blue Note Records.  It’s difficult to select a favorite album of Lou’s (or Jimmy Smith’s for that matter), so I’m not even going to attempt (there will be other albums listed by Lou & Jimmy).  This one though, I discovered amongst a collection of vinyl I acquired about ten years ago.  It was never available on CD, until Mosaic put out “The Complete Lou Donaldson Blue Note Small Group Sessions, 1957-1960.”  Killer hard bop laid down by Sweet Papa Lou and Gene Harris’ trio The Three Sounds.  I’m not sure if the single disc ever was released (it looks like it’s out of print), but if you can find a copy of Lou’s Mosaic Box, pay double for it if you have to!

7.  Dizzy Gillespie – Sonny Side Up

Dizzy Gillespie.  Sonny Rollins.  Sonny Stitt.  1957.  THE END.  Really, what else need be said here?  Although it only has four tunes on it, those four tunes make an incredible statement.  Dizzy’s vocal rendition of “On The Sunny Side of the Street” is actually a nod to an early version that Nat King Cole, with a twist on the chorus (which coincidentally appears a few albums down on this list).  You can’t listen to this record and NOT be put in a good mood.

6 & 5. Miles Davis – The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions & The Complete Columbia Recordings with John Coltrane, 1955-1960

I know Devin asked us not to include any box sets or compilations but hey, this is my list.  AND I CAN’T PICK ONE RECORD!  Actually, I can’t even pick five.  How is it possible to include “Cookin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet” and not include “Steamin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet?”  How do you list “Round About Midnight” and not list “Milestones” or “Kind of Blue.”  And while most people would just list “Kind of Blue” and be done with it, if I HAD to take one Miles Davis record with me on an island (or in my case, to Alaska), that wouldn’t be it.  Nothing wrong with it, but I’m gonna need SOME version of “Bye, Bye Blackbird” with me, sorry.  So I’m cheating here and basically saying “Look, if it has Miles and it has Trane, it’s a favorite of mine.”

4. Jimmy Smith – Rockin’ the Boat

One of Jimmy Smith’s final albums for Blue Note Records before making the jump to Verve in the mid-60’s is a soulful, blues influenced, magnificent set featuring Smith with Lou Donaldson (imagine that, Lou Donaldson on my list again…), Quentin Warren & Donald Bailey.  Where as the earlier albums were all-star collaborations for Jimmy Smith, this one is just the trio plus one horn, putting more emphasis on Smith’s organ right out of the box.  The whole thing has a great groove and Donaldson’s alto alongside the trio seems to be a match made in heaven, although I’m sure Lou would say differently!

3. Nat King Cole – The MacGregor Years: 1941-1945

When it comes to Nat King Cole, where do I start?  During my college years at SIUE, professors Reggie Thomas & Rick Haydon introduced me to music of the King Cole Trio and I was hooked immediately.  Everybody forgets about Nat King Cole the pianist.  They remember Nat as the guy who sang “Unforgettable” and “Mona Lisa.”  With no disrespect to the later part of his career, for me, Nat’s best stuff was with the trio.  Of those recordings, my favorites actually don’t come from Capitol Records, but from old radio transcripts in the mid-1940’s.  This set is comprised mainly of those sessions, and was originally released by Laserlight back in 1991 as The Jazz Collector’s Edition: The Trio Recordings.  They’ve since been reissued under the name above, with the quality being a bit better.  The original version of “Straighten Up and Fly Right” is found here, with a completely different chorus halfway through the tune (which I mentioned Dizzy Gillespie drawing from on his version with Sonny Rollins & Sonny Stitt).  Make sure to check out “Solid Potato Salad,” “Little Joe From Chicago” and “I Wanna Turn Out My Light” too, all killer sides.

2. Lou Donaldson – The Natural Soul

Just the opening groove on “Funky Mama” is enough to take this one to an Alaska for me (I can’t do the island thing, too hot and too much sun).  Before the horns even come in, Grant Green, John Patton & Ben Dixon have the groove locked solid.  This is one of those “good feeling” records, that no matter what’s going wrong, you’re instantly uplifted when you put it on.  The only thing this record is missing is “Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman!”

1. Dexter Gordon – Live at the Montmartre Jazzhus

My favorite tenor player of all time, without question, is Long Tall Dexter.  It’s hard to pick which Dexter Gordon album to list here, but I’ll go with this three disc set recorded in Copenhagen in 1967 at the famed Montmartre Jazzhus.  One of my favorite things about Dexter’s live sets is the sheer amount of music he played.  You’ll hear musicians say “play until you’ve said what you need to say, then stop.”  For Dexter Gordon, that could take ten minutes…or twenty.  However, where a lot of people couldn’t hold a listener’s attention that long, Gordon tears it up and the listener is still left wanting more.  Another added dimension of a live set from Dexter is the way he introduces tunes, particularly ballads.  He would recite the lyrics as an intro to a tune, in a gruff, soulful voice that let you know something magical was about to happen.  It always did.  These recordings represent the best of Dexter Gordon to me.

Sponsored by AT&T

SPECIAL SET TIMES AT 7:30PM & 9:30PM

Renowned and revered the world over as one of the greatest saxophone players of all-time, David Sanborn is an artist whose music has inspired countless other musicians while creating a body of work that spans the genres of rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, pop and jazz. A naturally gifted performer, Sanborn has helped define the saxophone’s modern sound while influencing a generation.

David Sanborn’s Official Website

Tables are still available in the first two rows at the $1,000 sponsorship level ($800 is tax deductible).  Contact Melissa Jones immediately at 314.289.4037 or melissa@jazzstl.org for more information or to purchase tickets.

Additional show sponsors include:

- Ameren

- Jim and Cathy Berges

- Dan Bishop and his son, Matthew

- Cervantes and Associates

- James Clanahan

- Bradley Currey and Julie Farrar

- Sharon and Dale Fiehler

- Flooring Systems, Inc.

- Garden View Care Centers

- Warren and Susan Gelman

- Greensfelder, Hemker, and Gale P.C.

- Higley Law Group LLC

- Michael Lazaroff of Jazz Cruises, producer of The Jazz Cruise and The Smooth Jazz Cruise

- Moneta Group LLC

- Senior Scripts

- Barbara and David Ware

AT THE BLANCHE M. TOUHILL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER ON THE CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS

Sponsored by World Wide Technology, Inc.

Al Jarreau’s unique vocal style is one of the world’s most precious treasures. His innovative musical expressions have made him one of the most exciting and critically-acclaimed performers of our time with five Grammy Awards, scores of international music awards and popular accolades worldwide.

Al Jarreau’s Official Website

Tickets for this event are only available via the Touhill Ticket Office at 314.516.4949, toll free at 866.516.4949 or online here.

One of the post-millennial jazz world’s foremost vocalists, Jane Monheit has been garnering praise from critics and fans across the globe for the depth of her interpretations.  Monheit has quickly become one of the most beloved interpreters of song anywhere.

Jane Monheit’s Official Website