Faddis, Pizzarelli to perform at Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival
With the St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival looking as if it’s a thing of the past, it’s good to know that the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival will be returning in April. And its headliners will include two of the biggest names in the music: trumpeter Jon Faddis and singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli. The three-day event will also feature performances by drummer Peter Erskine, saxophonist Lou Marini and the UMSL Jazz Ensemble directed by Jim Widner.
Held at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, the festival will include clinics as well as performances. Erskine (best known for his stint in Weather Report) and Marini take the stage on April 17; Faddis and Pizzarelli are the April 18 attractions. The Jazz Ensemble will perform both nights.
Faddis came to fame as a protege of the late, great Dizzy Gillespie. Pizzarelli’s popular albums include ”After Hours,” “Dear Mr. Cole” and “Dear Mr. Sinatra.”
Performance are at 8 p.m. at the Touhill Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. Tickets are $10-$25. Clinics will be held 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 16 and 8 a.m. to 5.m. April 17 and 18; admission is free. For more information, call 314-516-4949 or go online to www.gsljazzfest.com.
Thanks for sharing information on this exciting jazz event. If this and the videos do not energize you, I don’t know what will! Watch history in the making as jazz musicians perform in rare combinations (often not seen or heard previously). Saxophonist and culture icon Lou Marini is most well known for his role as a Blues Brother. He plays nine instruments with fluency in jazz, rock, blues! And don’t forget 2-time Grammy Award winning drummer Peter Erskine.
I had the great pleasure of seeing John Pizzarelli in New York City last year - it was the highlight of our trip. I have his new CD, With A Song in My Heart and it is really something special. Can’t wait to see him in April!
Prior to his gig with Weather Report, Peter Erskine was an original member of Steps Ahead, and in the ’70s gained his first national exposure as the drummer for the always touring, hard driving Stan Kenton Orchestra. Anyone who saw the Kenton Band always remembers the experience, & Pete’s driving of that band were unforgettable. He alone is worth the price of admission.