We are the STL Free Jazz Collective.  We are Baba Mike Nelson playing shells, trumpet, and vocals, Jerome “Jay Dubz” Williams on alto saxophone.  Paul Steinbeck is our electric bassist, Gary Sykes is our percussionist/drummer and Jim Hegarty plays piano, keyboards, and electronics.

Since our founding and until his passing in December 2018, Michael Castro was our poet.  His wonderful verbal expression was integral to our music.  Now we are carrying on and plan to continue the tradition of standing up for unity, justice, and brother- and sister-hood that is our mission.

We were founded in early 2015 and played our first performance at the Tavern of Fine Arts in St. Louis on March 24.  Since then we have presented shows on a somewhat regular basis each fall and each spring.

STL, free jazz collective, features some of the area’s best players and improvisers carrying on a free music tradition, sometimes called “the St. Louis thing.”

Read our manifesto for more info on our band and music: http://www.StlFreeJazz.com/media/AboutSTLFreeJazzCollective.pdf

Thank you for visiting our site!  Contact us at jhhegarty (at) gmail (dot) com

https://www.facebook.com/stlfreejazz

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNIplVHc21j-sGUx9N1ZLhg