Please join us on Saturday, May 11 at 2pm for a spectacular performance from the cinematic, electro-jazz ensemble, Koplant No.

This event is FREE and open to the public!

Koplant No is a forward-thinking, cinematic electro-jazz ensemble that fuses intricate compositions and jazz improvisation with electronica, progressive rock, and hip-hop.

Called “one of the most innovative ensembles in the Midwest” by Minnesota Public Radio’s David Cazares, they are the recipients of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and have performed at venues across the country in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., St. Louis, and at the 2015 World Saxophone Congress in Strasbourg, France.

Their potent music has the rare ability to satiate the most discriminating jazz aficionados, while completely disarming the anti-jazz crowd, and has been described as “a textural feast for the mind’s eye.”

Koplant No is: Joel Vanderheyden (tenor saxophone), Brian Lewis Smith (trumpet, laptop, keys), Drew Morton (bass, synth), and Rob Baner (drums, loops, vibes).

Join us this Saturday, March 30 from 2-4 pm as Paul DeMarinis plays the music of Elvin Jones, the famous drummer from the John Coltrane quartet. This event will also feature Steve Davis on drums and Chris Turnbaugh on bass.

More info on Paul below:
Paul DeMarinis is a native of St. Louis. His early musical training included private study as a clarinetist with St. Louis Symphony members Carlos Camancho, Robert Coleman, and Leland Munger. He then attended Indiana University and studied jazz improvisation extensively with the well known jazz education pioneer David Baker while playing lead alto saxophone in the IU big band. During this time he also studied improvisation with famed saxophonist/educator Jamey Aebersold. He received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Jazz Studies from Webster University in 1982 and 1987.

He began teaching as an adjunct faculty member at Webster in 1980. By 1988 he was the full-time Director of the Jazz Studies Program, a position he still holds. At Webster he teaches saxophone, jazz improvisation and jazz history, oversees the ensemble and academic jazz program, coordinates the faculty jazz ensemble, and directs the Webster Jazz Series and the Webster Summer Jazz Camp.

He is a well known performer, educator, and clinician and has been active in the St. Louis jazz scene for thirty-five years. He was cofounder of the original music cooperative Brilliant Corners which recorded for the MAX JAZZ label in 1997, and has written extensively for his own trio, quartet, and sextet. A CD of his original jazz compositions, The Sun…The Stars featuring his sextet and vocalist Debby Lennon was released in 2009. He enjoys long term musical relationships with the Kim Portnoy Jazz Orchestra and the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra and was a faculty member of Jamey Aebersold’s Summer Jazz Workshops for ten years. He has also been a faculty member of the International Summer Jazz Academy in Poland.

Prof. DeMarinis has a long association as a saxophonist with the St. Louis Symphony; in addition to many performances at Powell Hall he has performed with the SLSO overseas and at New York’s Carnegie Hall. He has performed with many jazz notables including Count Basie Orchestra, Dave Liebman, Louie Bellson, Gary Foster, and Bobby Shew. In a supportive role he has been a member of ensembles accompanying a wide range of popular artists including Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Nancy Wilson, Doc Severinson, Johnny Mathis, Sammy Davis Jr., Gladys Knight, the Temptations, and the Four Tops.

Clarinetquest is delighted to announce a re-scheduled performance featuring the nationally-renowned Lake Effect Clarinet Quartet on Friday, March 29. This event is FREE and open to the public!! It will be at our store on Cherokee St Friday evening from 7pm – 9pm.

Established in 2011, Lake Effect Clarinet Quartet (LECQ) is committed to the performance of high quality chamber music, unbounded by style or instrumentation, that showcases the unique capabilities and versatility of the clarinet family. Comprised of voices similar to a string quartet, LECQ’s repertoire is focused on translating music originally written for other instrumentation into relevant listening experiences.

As Vandoren artists, LECQ concertizes and presents clinics throughout the Midwest. Lake Effect has performed at the International Clarinet Association’s Clarinetfest (2017), Vandoren Clarinet Ensemble Festival (2013), presented at the Vandoren booth at the Midwest Band Clinic (2013, 2014), and was invited to compete in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in South Bend, Indiana. Additionally, the quartet is in residence with Chicago Composer Jonathan Hannau at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute (2017).

Members Nora Shaffer (Clarinet, E-flat Clarinet), Erin Miesner (Clarinet), Cally Laughlin (Clarinet), and Joseph Sanchez (Bass Clarinet) met while students at DePaul University. In addition to giving clinics and performances with Lake Effect, they are each active freelancers and teachers in the Chicago area.

Please join us on Saturday, March 9 to hear the unbelievably talented saxophonist, Stephen Martin, perform at the shop. This event is free and open to the public. Also featuring local musicians Bob DeBoo and Joe Hibbs!

Stephen Martin has established himself as a uniquely gifted, and intensely spirited jazz saxophonist. Born in Champaign, IL and raised in St. Louis, MO, Martin began playing saxophone at age 10 and thrived in a community with a musically rich tradition, particularly in jazz. He has been recognized early in his career for his excellence in music, most recently being named a finalist for the 2018 Carinthian International Jazz Award.

The formal musical training Martin received is highlighted by having completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance while studying under Grammy-Nominated jazz legend Bobby Watson, and world-renowned classical saxophonist Tim Timmons at the Conservatory of Music & Dance at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. He then earned a Master’s Degree in Music studying with the great saxophonist and educator Paul DeMarinis at the private fine arts school in St. Louis, MO, Webster University.

Martin has developed a personal sound on saxophone characterized by a relentless energy and adventurous ideas. His music achieves distinct emotions ranging from sensitive and inviting to thunderous and enraged. Martin’s debut album, Vision, was released under his independent artist label SubtleStreet Records on July 27th, 2018. It debuted in the top 40 of the iTunes Jazz Charts, and as an Amazon best-seller. It was also featured as a Top 10 album by a Kansas City artist in 2018.

Based in Kansas City, Martin maintains a regular performance schedule, contributing to a thriving, exceptional local music scene as well as performing throughout the country and abroad. Check below for upcoming performances.

Join us for an afternoon filled with talented musicians and awesome tunes. This Saturday event is from 2-4 pm and is free & open to the public.

Saxophonist and composer Tim AuBuchon lived in the Chicago area for six years where he was an active performer and educator. His groups performed at such venues as the Velvet Lounge, the Empty Bottle, and the Chicago Cultural Center. He was selected to attend the David Liebman Saxophone Masterclass in 1997. He was a finalist in the 1998 North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Solo Competition. Professor AuBuchon received his master’s degree from Northwestern University, where he was a graduate assistant in jazz. He received his bachelor of music degree in composition from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is a former faculty member at Benedictine University and Moraine Valley Community College and has performed with Randy Brecker, John Abercrombie, and Tim Hagans, and numerous others. The debut CD of the Tim AuBuchon Quartet, Bluz fer Mo, received favorable reviews including the following from Marshall Vente on the Jazz Institute of Chicago web page: “In a world of a thousand tenor players Tim stands out with a mature sound and an exceptional concept for improvising….The program is as exciting and personal. (Tim’s compositions) show great depth and imagination.” Professor AuBuchon has also performed and recorded with Radio Improved, a collective jazz and improvised music group. David Liebman, master saxophonist who performed with Miles Davis and Elvin Jones, had this to say about their album Jump In: “This is really a wonderful two horn group, with intelligent compositions and a well rehearsed rhythm section. In this rather difficult instrumentation, Radio Improved is making some real music. Highly recommended.”

Tim is joined by Ken Kehner on piano, Marty Morrison on drums and Bob DeBoo on bass.

Adam Larson’s in St. Louis! He’s offering an intimate clinic on improvisation and introducing his new book, Leaps and Sounds.

Adam Larson, who holds BM and MM degrees in Jazz Performance from The Manhattan school, has been described by Nate Chinen of the New York Times as “the sort of jazz musician who gets flagged early on as a promising talent and then hustles to meet every requirement for success.” Larson has released four albums, and his most recent recording “Second City” received a four-star rating from DownBeat Magazine and was listed as one of the best releases of 2017 by Downbeat and Jazziz Magazine The artist keeps an active schedule, having performed at many prominent venues across the U.S. including The Blue Note, The Village Vanguard, The Jazz Standard, The 55 Bar, Jazz at the Bistro, The Jazz Showcase, and many others.

Larson maintains an impressive portfolio of commissioned ensemble writing from school jazz ensembles, having written more than thirty original works to date. He was recently commissioned by the Illinois Music Educators Association to compose the All-State composition for the 2020 convention, and continues to be a sought after clinician and master class presenter at several high schools and universities across the Midwest and beyond. You can learn more about this talented musician here: http://adamlarsonjazz.com/