Miles Davis

Here is the Difference Between "Good" Music and "Cool" Music

The comment that a band is "good at what it does" is a polite attempt to acknowledge the talents of a group outside of one's wheelhouse. But the phrase tends to come off as a dismissive, backhanded compliment, the type of statement a person makes to avoid actually forming an opinion. The underlying ... More >>

The Six Best Jazz Records For People Who Hate Jazz

I love jazz but completely understand why somebody would not. Roughly 95 percent of music in the genre is self-indulgent, regressive crap, but that other 5 percent rules hard enough to possibly convert haters. Here are the six best jazz records for people who hate jazz.

Miles and the Duke

The Six Strangest Crossover Attempts By Jazz Musicians

About a week ago, our Northwest sister paper Seattle Weekly ran a post about the diminishing popularity of jazz. Watch for a lengthy reply by RFT Music's devilishly handsome resident jazz guitar school dropout later this week. In the meantime, here are the six most bizarre crossover attempts by jazz ... More >>

The Six Best Bass Lines Of All Time

Bass has many forms -- electric, upright, synthesized. Whatever its shape, it is a crucial element to popular music. Most songs don't need good bass lines, but the ones that have them are propelled into greatness. Here are the six best bass lines. Please note that bass parts that parrot guitar par ... More >>

Miles Davis' East St. Louis Childhood Home Is Falling Apart

Andrew TheisingMiles Davis' East St. Louis childhood home in October 2011.​There was a deep puddle the width of the entire dirt road, so Dr. Andrew Theising, a political science professor at Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville, wheeled his car over the gravel shoulder instead. He was taki ... More >>

Miles Davis' Childhood Home Is Falling Apart In East St. Louis

Andrew TheisingMiles Davis' East St. Louis childhood home in October 2011.​There was a deep puddle the width of the entire dirt road, so Dr. Andrew Theising, a political science professor at Southern Illinois University -- Edwardsville, wheeled his car over the gravel shoulder instead. He was ta ... More >>

Miles to Go Jazztet Carries on East St. Louis' Music Tradition

Albert SamahaEast St. Louis Senior High's Miles to go Jazztet had the crowd bouncing at BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups.​The trumpet slipped in as a whisper, simmering below the bouncing bass and rattling drums, before Brady Lewis leaned back an inch and filled BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups with thick sou ... More >>

The Miles Davis Festival to Debut This Year in St. Louis

wikimedia commons​The estate of the late jazz trumpeter Miles Davis will team up this summer and fall with several St. Louis area organizations and venues to present the Miles Davis Festival, a series of concerts, exhibits and celebrations of Davis' musical legacy that organizers hope will bec ... More >>

Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet

7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 13. 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Avenue.

East St. Louis commemorates Miles Davis' 84th birthday

East St. Louis Celebrates Miles Davis' Birthday with Jazz, Poetry -- and Cake

Christian SchaefferMiles Davis on a cake!​Earlier this afternoon, East St. Louis Mayor Alvin L. Parks threw a party to commemorate the 84th birthday of Miles Dewey Davis III, known to most as Miles Davis. The event, which took place in Parks' office, honored the jazz legend and paid tribute to ... More >>

The 5th Dimension receives a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame

Mr. Holland's Opus: An ex-bassist in Miles Davis' quintet brings his own band to the Sheldon

Review Preview: Monarch

A sneak peek at this week's review of Monarch in Maplewood.

Hard-Edged Boplicity

Twelve by Tony

So Cool, It's Hot!

Mid-century modern is back

Chicago Afrobeat Project

9 p.m. Saturday, May 17. Lucas School House, 1220 Allen Avenue

Smooth Operators

Schoolhouse Rock's songwriter celebrates a few special birthdays in St. Louis while we pit Kenny G vs. Trans-Siberian Orchestra in a fight to the holiday death.

Jam Session, Part 1

(Cookie's Jazz & More, Webster Groves)

Jazz in Motion!

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Saturday, March 18, at 8 p.m. Sheldon Concert Hall (3648 Washington Boulevard)

Nomeansno with Corbeta Corbata

Thursday, April 21; Creepy Crawl (612 North Tucker Boulevard)

Arch Madness

A rough guide to St. Louis

Miles to Miles

Jason Miles (Narada Jazz)

Russell Gunn

Wednesday, December 1, through Saturday, December 4; Jazz at the Bistro

Can We Kick It?

Old-school hip-hop is ready for revival

Tunes in June

The Dave Holland Big Band is just one of the highlights of the 2003 U.S. Bank St. Louis Jazz Festival

Debt Rehearsal

Vacant buildings abound in St. Louis, but local bands are finding practice space hard to come by

John Scofield

Friday, March 8; Mississippi Nights

Paperback Writers

The latest music books struggle to demystify pop culture's greatest enigmas

Best Gallery Exhibition

Lezley Saar at the Forum for Contemporary Art

Best Radio Station For Music

WSSM (106.5 FM)

Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove, John Patitucci and Brian Blade

Friday, Sept. 28; Powell Symphony Hall

Juneteenth Jazz & Heritage Festival

Thursday-Tuesday, June 14-19; various locations

Miles Davis Arts Festival

Saturday, May 26; Casino Queen, East St. Louis riverfront.

Aisles of Miles

The Missouri History Museum pays tribute to East St. Louis legend Miles Davis

The 2001 RFT Slammies

Homeboy superstar Nelly tops the list of readers' favorite local musicians

Ultimate Milestone

One of St. Louis' most famous (but least-celebrated) exports is honored on the 75th anniversary of his birth

Miles from Home

Local apathy over one of St. Louis' most noted exports, Miles Davis, isn't stopping his fans from organizing a bang-up commemoration of what would have been his 75th birthday

Isotope 217 and the Chicago Underground Duo

Friday, Dec. 15; Galaxy

Gunn-Play

St. Louis native Russell Gunn returns home for a much-anticipated gig at Bistro Europa

Bring Us Mingus

Fans of the late jazzman will find an upcoming Webster University concert to their liking

Prince A. Wells III

Saturday, Feb. 19; Vaughn Cultural Center

SQUAREPUSHER

Presents Maximum Priest E.P. (Nothing/Interscope)

NEEM THE THING

The Neem offer up 29 songs on their self-titled debut

Gunn Play

Former east St. Louis trumpeter Russell Gunn appears at the Sheldon as his major-label debut, Ethnomusicology, Volume 1, hits the shelves

1998: The Year in Music, Part 2

All That Jazz

There's live jazz in St. Louis -- you just have to know where to look for it