Album Review: Matt Otto- Ephemeral

I swooned the first time I heard Matt Otto showcase his new composition "Rachel". The second time felt equally momentous. Having spent three weeks with Otto’s sublime new album Ephemeral, “Rachel” now plays on repeat in my head.

Ephemeral’s other seven selections are almost as insinuating. “Twilight,” a track with an exquisite guitar solo by Alex Frank, is similarly gorgeous. Frank, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer John Kizilarmut sound like world-beaters on “Elliot” and “Wadada.”

Andrew Ouellette’s dreamy keyboards help make “Scroll” sound anything but doom-laden. Eddie Moore’s freaky keyboard work enhances the haunting “Sobule.” Amid a large cast of Kansas City and Los Angeles musicians, Otto, as always, plays impeccably.

Yet it’s the addition of Peter Schlamb’s plugged-in vibraphone on the title track and “Dune Town” that makes Ephemeral the probable Kansas City album of the year. Far from ephemeral, Otto’s tour de force is a permanent marker of the best Kansas City has to offer in 2026.

Now’s the Time: David Lord

David Lord returns to Farewell on Tuesday, July 14. The iconoclastic guitarist’s 2014 performance at the venue was astounding.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*KCUR’s feature about the 515 Music Hub merits a close reading.

*Loren Broaddus was interviewed by Joe Dimino.

*Nina Cherry highlighted the whistling of Kelley Gant.

*A television news outlet showcased the Kansas City Jazz Academy.

Concert Review: Gerald Spaits’ Sax & Violins at Greenwood Social Hall

Charlatans, do-gooders, civic boosters and business people spent months organizing entertainment for the scores of visitors to the area during the World Cup. Perhaps inevitably, what may have been the best outing by locally based talent in recent weeks had no apparent ties to the global event.

Seventy-five in-the-know locals attended a concert by Gerald Spaits’ Sax & Violins at Greenwood Social Hall on Wednesday, July 1. The free show was underwritten by a musicians union. 

The veteran bassist’s endeavor isn’t just another jazz-with-strings ensemble. Equally conversant in classical and jazz idioms, the members of Sax & Violins’ string quartet- Adam Galblum, Marvin Gruenbaum, Ezgi Karakus and Joanna Metsker- possess a natural sense of swing.

Two of Kansas City’s most exciting saxophonists, Charles Perkins and Rich Wheeler were born to swing. Brian Steever, Plastic Sax’s reigning Person of the Year, powered the 75-minute performance that flowed between vintage bop, classic rock, chamber music and Americana.

Exceptional moments included a cutting contest between Galblum  and Gruenbaum, a vigorous reading of Frank Zappa’s “Peaches en Regalia” and an intriguing arrangement of Thelonious Monk’s “We See.” 

Perhaps sensing that Sax & Violins had just won the artistic equivalent of the World Cup after the concert closed with a thrilling reading of the Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus,” Spaits invoked the famous John Lennon quip “I hope we’ve passed the audition.”

Now's the Time: Brian Culbertson

The 2026 edition of The Missouri Wine & Jazz Festival takes place in the Jazz District on Friday, July 11, and Saturday, July 12. Brian Culbertson is the first day’s headliner. The festival closes with Najee on Sunday.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*James McGee gave The Kansas City Star a tour of the Jazz District.

*The rollout for Ken Lovern’s forthcoming album Blind Boone the Musical includes a music video.

Album Review: Steve Swallow- Winter Songs

The Kansas City musicians who regularly interpret Steve Swallow compositions including “Ladies in Mercedes” aren't merely playing standards written by the veteran bassist and composer. The selections are also a nod to Steve Cardenas, the Kansas City guitarist with a longstanding association with Swallow.

As on the 2013 album Into the Woodworks, Cardenas makes elegant contributions to the new ECM Records release Winter Songs. The ensemble is rounded out by saxophonist Chris Cheek, trumpeter Mike Rodriguez, pianist Gil Goldstein and drummer Adam Nussbaum on the session recorded in New York last September.

Primacy is given to conveying the emotional resonance of the stately compositions rather than soloing. Cardenas’ quiet sophistication is ideally attuned to the contemplative chamber jazz setting. His colleagues in Kansas City may already be working on arrangements of Winter Songs.

Now’s the Time: Chalis O’Neal

Chalis O'Neal performs at The Shop Cigar Lounge on Friday, June 26. The trumpeter leads a trio at the Plaza Art Fair in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Matt Otto was interviewed by  Joe Dimino.

*A man was killed and five others were injured in a shooting in the Jazz District last week.

Album Review: Loren Broaddus- Blackout!!

First things first: yes, Loren Broaddus plays French horn, and no, the instrument doesn’t sound like a freakish novelty in a jazz context. Instead, the sonic texture is akin to a trombonist employing an unusual embouchure. Yet only the most accomplished trombonists play with the adventurous conviction Broaddus displays on Blackout!!. Joined by bassist Andrew Voggesser and drummer Matt Robertson, Broaddus proves he’s a top-tier talent. Released eleven days after the death of Sonny Rollins, Blackout!! can be heard as a tribute to the jazz giant’s groundbreaking trio albums such as 1958’s Freedom Suite. Not only does Broaddus convey the boldness of Rollins, Voggesser and Robertson uphold the legacies of Oscar Pettiford and Max Roach on the excellent recording.

Now’s the Time: Vine Street Rumble

Vine Street Rumble, the longstanding big band led by Kent Rausch, returns to Shawnee Town 1929 on Wednesday, June 24.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Musicians at the Mutual Musicians Foundation are included in an ArtsKC video roundup.

KC’s Cup Runneth Over

England’s national football team has taken over a hotel complex that houses my favorite neighborhood café. I’ll try not to hold the inconvenience against the squad during the World Cup this summer. The following guide is designed to inspire athletes and affiliates of Three Lions to break away from their base in Prairie Village for a sampling of Kansas City’s jazz scene. I’ve created four itineraries wheeled around venues unique to Kansas City. Several good rooms aren’t mentioned, and it’s worth noting that catching elite musicians in a lousy setting is preferable to hearing unexceptional artists in an excellent room. Start here if you’re looking for a list of Kansas City’s most accomplished jazz musicians.

Itinerary #1: Mutual Musicians Foundation
The modest appearance of The Mutual Musicians Foundation (1823 Highland Avenue) belies its importance. The site is the most authentic link to Kansas City’s jazz heyday. Hitting the 1:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. weekend jam sessions is a rite of passage. Night owls can pre-game at The Blue Room (1600 E. 18th Street), a music venue operated by The American Jazz Museum.

Itinerary #2: Knuckleheads
Jazz bands rarely perform at Kansas City’s best music venue. The blues, country and roots-rock oriented Knuckleheads (2715 Rochester Avenue; rideshare recommended) should be on the itinerary of jazz fans anyway. The J. Rieger & Co. distillery is a short but perilous walk across the train tracks.

Itinerary #3: Black Dolphin/Green Lady Lounge
Kansas City’s premier jazz club Green Lady Lounge (1809 Grand Boulevard) is temporarily closed due to fire damage. Its similarly swanky sister club Black Dolphin (1813 Grand Boulevard) features live jazz seven nights a week. Ted’s Taproom (1829 McGee Street) is strategically located nearby. The old-school showman Lonnie McFadden is the featured entertainer seven blocks away at Lonnie's Reno Club (1111 Grand Boulevard).

Itinerary #4: The Ship
Located in the Stockyards District, The Ship (1221 Union Avenue; rideshare recommended) offers live jazz on Thursdays. Plenty of cocktail lounges are promoted as throwbacks to the speakeasy era, but the Ship is the real deal. Youthful hipsters congregate at the nearby In the Lowest Ferns (1105 Hickory Street), a space specializing in underground dance music. The outdoor concert venue Lemonade Park is several blocks south of the Ship.

Don’t trust me? Try these alternatives:

*FIFA recommends Green Lady Lounge and the Blue Room.

*Kansas City’s official guide suggests the town is home to “more than 40 jazz and fine-dining venues.”

*A British tabloid namechecks Green Lady Lounge and Prairie Village.

*Scuzzy pop-up ads aside, a soccer-themed guide is worth a look.

Now’s the Time: The Glenn Miller Orchestra

The Glenn Miller Orchestra returns to Muriel Kauffman Theatre on Thursday, June 11. The ghost band battles the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra announced its 2026-27 season. Details are available here.

*Nick Hmeljak is among the artists selected for Charlotte Street Foundation’s two-year studio residency program.

Album Review: Jason Stein, Seth Andrew Davis and Kevin Cheli- Forge

Bandcamp’s new download feature is wreacking havoc on my Bluetooth systems. Instead of resuming where I left off listening on streaming services, I’m regularly confronted with bursts of improvised sound from the recently released Forge. Familiarity via involuntary heavy rotation has made the recording by Chicago’s Jason Stein, Kansas City’s Seth Andrew Davis and Kevin Cheli of St. Louis, seem as breezy as a Sabrina Carpenter hit. I’ve come to love being walloped by Forge. While the title track is a titanic roar, much of Forge contains ample space. The contrast between the analog sound of Stein’s woodwinds and Cheli’s rattling percussion with Davis’ electric guitar is pleasing. Far from being nuisances, the ghosts in my machines favoring Forge have done me a great service.

Now’s the Time: Loren Broaddus

Loren Broaddus leads a band at Quality Hill Playhouse on Friday, June 5. The French horn specialist and three of Kansas City’s most accomplished musicians pay tribute to Ornette Coleman in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*KCUR reports on a fire that has temporarily closed Green Lady Lounge. The live music schedule at the adjacent venue Black Dolphin has expanded accordingly.

*From a press release: Kansas City jazz has a story worth celebrating, protecting, and continuing to grow. That story lives in our musicians, our neighborhoods, and in the spaces where people come together to experience the music. Today, we’re excited to share a new chapter in that story. Kansas City Jazz ALIVE, in partnership with Music Across Borders, is proud to help welcome 515 Music Hub, a new creative space dedicated to live music, collaboration, and community in the heart of Kansas City. Together, we are expanding access, supporting artists, and building connections that extend beyond our city, ensuring the Kansas City sound continues to thrive for generations to come.

One That Got Away

A locally based musician recently tipped me off to a 2024 release featuring Kansas City vibraphonist Peter Schlamb. The recommendation was the first I’d heard of the recording. I wouldn’t ordinarily feature an album released 25 months ago, but Quintet Music is a brilliant distillation of much of what I love most in contemporary improvised music.

Thrillingly ferocious, guitarist Travis Reuter’s self-released album is imbued with uncommon musicianship, vision and recklessness. Hearing Schlamb’s gonzo solo over the first-call rhythm section of bassist Harish Raghavan and drummer Tyshawn Sorey on “Interlude 1 (Schlamb)” is thrilling. Saxophonist Mark Shim matches Schlamb’s energy elsewhere.

Quintet Music received a handful of rave reviews from in-the-know writers at secondary outlets a couple years ago. It also received a nod from one voter in the 2024 Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll. The figure would have doubled had I heard it as a new release. Schlamb’s characteristic reticence has rarely been more frustrating.

Now’s the Time: Pete Fucinaro

Pete Fucinaro leads a band at the Ship on Thursday, May 28. The saxophonist’s Little Windows was among Plastic Sax’s Favorite Albums of 2025.