Tonight at 7:30 PM is this week’s installment of the Oxford American Local Live concert series. The music tonight is provided by Steve Suter and Friends.

Presented by the Oxford American magazine, Local Live showcases the best of local and regional music talent and is always free and open to the public. Call ahead to South on Main to make your reservations and ensure a table: (501) 244-9660.

Steve Suter and Friends will bring with them a beautiful night of jazz, standards, and some surprises! Presented by Steve Suter, formerly with the Gatemouth Brown Big Band, Bonerama, and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Rompin’ New Orleans-style trombone will be joined by Chris Parker and his beautifully sophisticated Arkansas piano. Friends will stop by as the night progresses…

Steven Michael Suter is a native of New Orleans and currently resides in Hot Springs. He is a graduate of Loyola University of New Orleans (B.M.), and Northwestern University of Chicago (M.M.). Joining him for this performance, among others, is Little Rock pianist Chris Parker.

Having played with such diverse and varied groups such as the Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown Big Band, the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maxim Shostakovich, Bonerama, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Millar Brass Ensemble, and the Al Belletto Big Jazz Band, it is quite evident that Suter’s expertise crosses all musical genres.

Suter has also played with Pete Fountain, Natalie Cole, Rita Moreno, Bobby Vinton, Bob Hope, Ray Charles, the Temptations, the O’Jays, Gladys Knight, Johnny Mathis, Don Rickles, and Mel Torme to name a few.

He has recorded with Bonerama, Jill Scott, Solomon Burke, Al Martino, Barry Manilow, Al Belletto, Gatemouth Brown, The New Orleans Nightcrawlers, and the Millar Brass Ensemble. He’s has made television appearances on MSNBC with the “Mississippi Rising” telethon for Katrina victims, and on NBC withExtreme Makeover: Home Edition. He played in the house band for HBO’s Comic Relief in ’06, was featured at the ’07 Sugar Bowl, and performed on Late Night with David Letterman with Bonerama and Damien Kulash.

He was a member of Bonerama when the group received awards from Offbeat magazine and the Big Easy Awards, both of New Orleans, for outstanding performance. Suter received special recognition by NAJE for jazz education in 2000, and in 2006 Steven was named one of New Orleans Magazine‘s “Jazz All-Stars.”

In addition to a busy schedule of performing, teaching, and writing music, Steven is currently the Programs and Services Counsel for The Muses Creative Artistry Project, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preservation of classical art and music through performance and education.