All That Jazz

Armed with Spotify, Youtube, Shazam and, of course, good ol' record-store employees, it's easier than ever to dive head-first into a new band or even a new genre. And while there are some musical species that most will never truly understand (seriously -- what is dubstep?) others simply require a thoughtful guide to ease new listeners in, beginning with the accessible hits and swimming slowly out into the obscure deep end. Jazz certainly falls into that category, with its rapidly changing improvisational tracks that are two, three, four times the length of the standard pop song. Blue Note Records, arguably the most noteworthy jazz record label since its 1939 inception, has introduced millions to some of the genre's biggest names, from Miles Davis to Jimmy Smith to Thelonious Monk. The Webster University Jazz Faculty pays homage to this label's legacy with Cool Struttin': Soulful Sounds from Blue Note Records, an overview of some of the "more blues and groove-oriented hard bop fare" from Blue Note's expansive catalog. The performance will flood Webster University's Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood) with pieces by Lee Morgan, Horace Silver, Bobby Timmons and Herbie Hancock, and admission to this Jazz 101 course is only $5. For more information, visit webster.edu/news/releases/coolstruttin_12135.shtml.
Mon., Sept. 10, 7 p.m., 2012