Karrin Allyson will be backed by the University of Nebraska-Omaha Jazz Ensemble at the Gem Theater on Friday, November 6. She appeared with Houston Person at the Jazz District venue in 2015.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image of Brussels Airport by Plastic Sax.
The author of Plastic Sax has been traveling abroad. The garish typos in a recent review have been corrected. A compilation of recent newsworthy items follows.
*Bobby Watson made an appearance on KCUR.
*Nick Hmeljak is featured in Kansas City magazine.
*A travel feature in The New York Times highlighted attractions including the American Jazz Museum and Black Dolphin.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Ernest Melton.
*The Kansas City Star noted the passing of Claude Alvin Ford.
*An editorial in The Voice considers promotional efforts for the Jazz District.
Album Review: Cory Weeds- Hip to be Square: Plays Huey Lewis & the News
Official verification of the "soul-jazz miracle" that transpired at Westport Coffee House last November has arrived. The release of Hip to be Square: Plays Huey Lewis & The News, proves that the doubtful act of musical divination was real.
Thanks in large part to the wondrous arrangements of Kansas City organist Chris Hazelton, Cory Weeds’ new album featuring Hazelton, guitarist David Rourke and drummer Rudy Petschauer redeems an absurdly unpromising premise.
The transformation of the gooey 1982 pop hit “Do You Believe in Love” into a riveting ballad is the most stunning revelation, but most of the covers supplant the tackiness of MTV staples like "I Want a New Drug" with the robust swing associated with the Canadian saxophonist Weeds.
Jazz purists who refuse to succumb to pop pleasures can stick to the original material on the back half of the 74-minute album. They’ll be missing out on a lot of fun. It turns out that it is, in fact, hip to be square.
Album Review: Mike Dillon- Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo
The rock and roll outsiders Danny Elfman and Mark Mothersbaugh have found unlikely late-career success as composers for television and film. After rising to fame with the rock band Oingo Boingo, Elfman became an elite film composer. Mothersbaugh, the primary artistic force of Devo, is a similarly accomplished composer for popular television and film productions.
Kansas City’s Mike Dillon demonstrates that he’s capable of creating equally auspicious incidental music on his new album Mike & Beignet Go to the Zoo. Having successfully fused punk and jazz for decades, Dillon has created a string of subtler recordings in recent years.
The latest effort consists of eleven lively vignettes with titles like “Lola the Orangutan” and “Skippy the Giraffe.” The cinematic scope of Dillon’s percussive exotica is extremely evocative. The powers that be in entertainment hubs like Hollywood would be well served by employing the Kansas City version of Elfman and Mothersbaugh.
Gig Review: Loren Broaddus’ Aquarius at the Bad Cat
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Moments before purchasing a $25 online reservation for Loren Broaddus’ Aquarius at The Bad Cat on Friday, October 2, I received an unsolicited offer for a free pass from the new jazz venue in a south Kansas City strip mall. Shortly after taking a seat near the door of the small room, I overheard an exchange between the owner and a patron.
“I object to such a high cover,” a woman said. “It’s the highest in the city.”
Twenty dollars at the door and $25 for online bookings is indeed pricey by Kansas City standards. Ten dollar cover charges- and, as is more often the case- no cover charges for jazz performances by locally based musicians are the rule. Does the Bad Cat’s premium price reflect a premium experience? My initial thoughts follow.
The good: The location in what’s long been a jazz desert could be an asset. A diverse community of more than 100,000 people live within five miles of the club. The bookings are arguably the most interesting of any jazz-oriented room in the city. It shouldn’t be necessary to applaud the absence of televisions and screens, but the Bad Cat is thankfully free of the all-too-common vibe-killers.
The in-between: The lone server on October 2 was green, but an enthusiastic and talented bartender compensated for the shaky service.
The bad: The formidable door charge isn’t accompanied by a corresponding no-talking policy. Half of the eighteen people who heard Aquarius shamelessly babbled over the music. And Broaddus’ French horn occasionally overwhelmed the sound system, resulting in unintended distortion.
What about the performance? Broaddus is among Kansas City’s most exciting young musicians. His band Aquarius consists of the similarly brash keyboardist Elliot Chael, bassist Truman Methena and drummer Blu Noyes. The mix of strong original compositions and covers is rendered with wild abandon.
Ardent jazz enthusiasts will marvel at the esoteric outside material Aquarius’ chose to interpret: Joe Zawinul’s “Directions,” Charles Tolliver’s “Lynnsome,” Clifford Jordan’s “The Highest Mountain,” Gerald Wilson’s “In the Limelight,” Harold Land’s “Deliberation” and Stanley Cowell’s “Abscretions.”
Aquarius’ performance was so good that I’d consider paying significantly more than $20 to hear the quartet at the Bad Cat again. There is, of course, one condition attached to this hypothetical scenario: the deleterious chatter that often spoils jazz performances in Kansas City jazz clubs would need to be muted.
Now’s the Time: Linda May Han Oh
Linda May Han Oh’s inclusion in the 2026-27 season of the Folly Jazz series received Plastic Sax’s highest grade. The esteemed bassist will be joined by vocalist Sara Serpa, saxophonist Mark Turner, keyboardist Fabian Almazan and drummer Obed Calvaire on Saturday, October 10. The lineup is featured in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Nick Hmeljak.
EP Review: Blue Devil Revival- Birth of a Revival
The tautological title of Birth of a Revival- a new four-track EP issued under the auspices of the Mutual Musicians Foundation- is dubious. The summit of five prominent musicians produces the established sound of Kansas City jazz in 2026.
Trumpeter Chalis O'Neal, saxophonist Ernest Melton, keyboardist Desmond Mason, bassist DeAndre Manning and drummer Tyree Johnson play with their usual hip-hop-informed panache as Blue Devil Revival.
Listeners are encouraged to disregard the nonsensical marketing tagline in the project’s social media advertisements: “This is not a reenactment. It is a revival.” The energetic Birth of a Revival is a worthwhile reiteration.
Now’s the Time: Norman Liggins
A band led by Norman Liggins is featured at the American Jazz Museum’s Blue Room on Friday, October 2. The embedded music video for “I Cannot Think” features scenes filmed at Jazz District landmarks.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*KCUR is among the outlets amplifying a Green Lady Lounge social media post.
*Kemet Coleman extols Kansas City’s jazz history in an editorial for Startland.
*Eboni Fondren ran down a few jazz events on a local television talk show.
Album Review: Aaron Osborne and Kelley Gant- New Midnight
Aaron Osborne helmed an event at Charlotte Street Foundation in July in which Kelley Gant was at the literal center of the proceedings. The pairing has followed up one of the year’s most notable performances with the similarly cosmic album New Midnight.
Osborne is a core member of the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society. Gant has been one of the regional improving music community’s most valuable components for more than a decade. Her 2019 initiative as a promoter, for instance, was sorely needed at the time.
Gant’s balmy vocals and ballyhooed whistling provide a flesh-and-blood counterpoint to the electronic maneuvers of New Midnight. From serene ambient noise akin to the low rumble of traffic on a distant highway to gothic industrial clatter that might accompany the application of dark arts, New Midnight contains an impressive range of textures.
New Midnight is likely to strike jazz purists as alien and sterile. Yet while the “(l)ong form improvised sounds captured live in studio” aren’t necessarily jazz, the sounds are precisely the type of bold experiment that’s a necessary catalyst for advancing the form.
Now’s the Time: Paganova
Paganova, the Kansas City band overseen by pianist Michael Pagán, closes the primary stage of the Plaza Art Fair on Sunday, September 27.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*From a press release: On Saturday morning, October 10, saxophonist Adam Larson spends two hours in the Blue Room teaching improvisation, composition, and the music business… He’ll demonstrate improvisation, have participants play for him and with him, and leave room for questions, so bring your instrument. Participants also receive a PDF covering the material he goes over… The workshop is open to musicians on any instrument and in any style, from middle school students to working players. Band directors and teachers are encouraged to bring their students… $20 students and educators, $35 general admission.
Gig Review: Alden Hellmuth at The 1905
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Smitten with the innovative attack of Tether, the latest album by Alden Hellmuth, I purchased a $39 seat at the bar of the fifty-person capacity Portland jazz venue The 1905 to hear the New York based saxophonist’s band on Thursday, September 10. I was disappointed to subsequently learn that Hellmuth wouldn’t be accompanied by the musicians featured on Tether.
Only one selection from Tether was performed in a 65-minute set, and even it was rendered in a comparatively conventional form by Hellmuth and a Portland based ensemble of trumpeter Noah Simpson, pianist Kerry Politzer, bassist Garrett Baxter and drummer Ken Mastrogiovanni.
Aside from the single Tether track, the setlist included several unrecorded new compositions, a Coltrane cover and an appearance by vocalist Lo Steele on “Save Your Love for Me.” I may not have heard what I paid for, but I received an insightful clinic on the formidable talents of five Portland artists.
Now’s the Time: Marilyn Maye
The indefatigable Marilyn Maye returns to the Folly Theater on Friday, September 25. Plastic Sax reviewed her 2025 appearance at the same venue.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Kansas City Star reports that the Bad Cat, a new jazz venue in Watts Mill with a $20 cover charge, opens this week.
*Kevin Morris surveys Kansas City’s jazz calendar for KC Studio.
*Joe Dimino captured footage of the rain-shortened Prairie Village Jazz Festival and interviewed Michael Pronko.
*From a press release: More than 20 of the area’s top women jazz musicians will gather Wednesday evening, Sept. 30, at Ted’s Taproom… to kick off the 50th anniversary edition of the Women's Jazz Festival… which will take place… March 17-19, 2028. There will be three concerts at the Music Hall featuring 12 groups in all, clinics led by featured performers, jam sessions and a free showing of the acclaimed 2011 documentary film “The Girls in the Band,” in which the Women’s Jazz Festival is featured.
Seven Hours at the Montavilla Jazz Festival
Original image of Sherry Alves’ tribute to Nancy King by Plastic Sax.
I recently accepted a dream job in Portland, an engagement necessitating an expansion of the geographical focus of Plastic Sax. My first serious investigation of the town’s jazz scene consisted of spending $43 for a one-day pass at the three-day Montavilla Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 5.
During the seven hours I spent in the Montavilla neighborhood I heard a pleasing array of sounds. I was compelled to leave before the more popular acts performed at the biggest and most prestigious stages, but I was amid about 200 revelers and dozens of festival staff and volunteers during my abbreviated time at the event.
Portland seems capable of holding its own with Kansas City as a jazz town. Its large-scale jazz festivals and constant influx of appearances by touring jazz acts certainly put Kansas City to shame. Excluding the student bands I caught in cafés and breweries, a summary of what I heard follows in order of my personal preference.
The Collective: Curated by Dae Bryant
An emcee introduced a set by Dae Bryant’s The Collective by suggesting the ensemble would pay tribute to Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders. Instead, I detected the influence of new-school improvisers like Flying Lotus, Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey. The electro-acoustic attack, spoken word proclamations and Darrell Grant’s extended gospel riffs were precisely my thing.
Four for King: The Life, Spirit, and Music of Nancy King
Longtime readers of Plastic Sax know I’m allergic to vocalese and scat. I chose to catch Sherry Alves’ homage to the late Portland vocalist Nancy King on a hunch that it just might be something special. The bet paid off. Bolstered by former King accompanists Randy Porter and Todd Strait, Alves’ passionate advocacy of a neglected artist won me over.
Wen’ipt
It’s my understanding that Oregon, much like Oklahoma, has a large Indigenous population. Orion White, the bandleader and baritone saxophonist of Wen'ipt, gave voice to his people’s struggles and hopes in a ferocious outing. Although the band played a couple Jim Pepper covers, Wen’ipt’s unique sound is entirely fresh.
W4RP Trio
W4rp Trio, the only band I heard that isn’t based in the Pacific Northwest, played a hybrid style reminiscent of Yo-Yo Ma’s collaborations with progressive bluegrass musicians such as Béla Fleck and Chris Thile. A selection fusing compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and Craig Taborn exemplified W4rp Trio’s approach.
Shelly Rudolph’s Orfea Rising: A Jazz Myth Suite
Greek mythology! Aerialists! The premiere of Shelly Rudolph’s ambitious new song cycle Orfea Rising was an impressive spectacle.
Now’s the Time: Nick Hmeljak
The exciting young Kansas City trumpeter Nick Hmeljak leads a band at The Prairie Village Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 12.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Ken Lovern chatted with Joe Dimino.
*Organizers of the 18th & Vine Arts Festival would like Plastic Sax readers to consider attending the “multidisciplinary arts” event later this month.
Album Review: Alex Abramovitz & His Swing'n Kansas City Jazz Band- Jumpin’ on Grand: Live at Black Dolphin
The nation seems to be divided by citizens who long to return to “the good old days” and people eager to accelerate ongoing change. Accordingly, nostalgic recreations of sounds of the past often seem fraught with associated social tension. Yet the atmosphere of Jumpin’ on Grand: Live at Black Dolphin, an Alex Abramovitz album released in May, is lively enough to eradicate political divisions for its fifty-minute duration. Joined by saxophonist Jacob Schwartzberg, trombonist Asa Martin, pianist Drew Madden, bassist Jeff Schwartz and drummer Kenneth E. Davis, trumpeter, vocalist and emcee Abramovitz effectively reconstructs the atmosphere of a 1940s radio broadcast during the session recorded at Black Dolphin on October 18, 2025. Listeners of every persuasion may be won over by the peppy spunk of Abramovitz’s good-time jazz.