St. Louis has had a uniquely bluesy and sassy revival jazz scene for going on 70 years. I'm happy to say the younger generation, led by Valerie Kirchoff of Miss Jubilee and the Yas Yas boys, has fully embraced the home town style.Kirchoff is the dynamic voice of Miss Jubilee, a name that has been synonymous with hot jazz in St. Louis for a decade. The seven piece band has made multiple appearances at the Davenport Bix fest and other events, but more importantly they've anchored a thriving jazz and swing scene that now includes several hot bands at least two annual festivals.Valerie Kirchoff and Ethan Leinwand are at the core of the group and with her singing and him on piano they have another bluesy project called the St. Louis Steady Grinders. TST covered the Grinders appearance at a California house concert with Carl Sonny Leyland back in April.Other members of the group are less likely to be known to out-of-towners. Kenneth Cebrian, trumpet and Ryan Calloway, clarinet, make a smoking front line. Either could sail down the river and find work in New Orleans, but someone needs to stay home and keep top flight music available in the STL. I've seen Calloway's name associated with other local bands and Cebrian really drives the point home on several of the 14 tracks on their new album. Both are excellent.Still the piano/vocal core of the group is what drives the sound. Leinwand is an
