By Terry Perkins
Like most cities throughout the country, you can find some amazing jazz talent in St. Louis if you know where to look -- and listen. This is the first in a series of profiles of jazz musicians currently performing on the local scene. Check 'em out when you're in town.
The St. Louis area has a tradition of producing great trumpet players -- from the legendary Miles Davis, the great Clark Terry and early pioneer Dewey Jackson to underappreciated Harold "Shorty" Baker, the always unpredictable Lester Bowie, and rising star Russell Gunn.
But St. Louis sax players have made their mark as well -- from Jimmy Forrest, Ernie Wilkins, Oliver Nelson and David Sanborn to Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett and Greg Osby. Although contemporary talents like Lake, Bluiett and Osby are now based in the New York City area, there are still plenty of fine sax players to be heard on the local scene.
Freddie Washington and Paul DeMarinis are acknowledged masters on the local scene, and John Norment works hard to keep the avant-garde sax style going strong. Talented younger jazz players like David Stone, James Warfield and Syd Rodway are forging strong, individual voices as well.
But when you're talking jazz sax in STL, the conversation always comes around to Willie Akins. Born in the adjoining suburb of Webster Groves, Akins moved away in his late teens to work in New York City jazz scene. He played with the likes of Roy Haynes, Jack McDuff and McCoy Tyner, and based his approach to the tenor sax on the styles of Coltrane and Hank Mobley. Akins moved back to St. Louis about three deacdes ago -- and he's been a strong, continual presence on the local jazz scene.
Akins is best known for his bold, straight-ahead tone on tenor, but he's also capable mixing things up with subtle, complex musical touches as well. And although he doesn't play soprano sax nearly as often as his tenor, Akins is a master of that instrument as well.
These days, Akins performs at clubs and concert venues all around St. Louis. But the best place to catch him on a weekly basis is at Spruill's, (2625 Stoddard, 533-8050) a mid-city club just off Jefferson Avenue that's become THE place to be for hardcore jazz fans when Akins and his Quartet perform from 4-7 p.m. Saturdays. The place may seem a bit forbidding from the outside -- it's not in the best neighborhood in St. Louis -- but there's secure parking and there's plenty of friendly faces inside.
Best of all is the chance to catch Akins in an intimate club setting, one in which he's relaxed and at the top of his musical game. And even though he's working with his regular Quartet, Akins always seems to find the right spots in his sets for young musicians to sit in and gain invaluable experience. Singer Erika Johnson has been a mainstay recently, and you're likely to hear other up-and-coming talent as well.
Akins cut a long overdue debut recording as a leader in 1998.
Titled Alima, it's on the Catalyst label and is a fine showcase for Akins' versatility on sax. (Check out these two reviews at All About Jazz by Mike Neely and Dave Nathan.)
But the best way to hear Akins perform is still live in a local club. Catch
Willie Akins live and the music you'll hear is a highly enjoyable reminder that St. Louis jazz tradition is alive and vital.
