I intend to hop on an airplane the first day I feel comfortable resuming post-inoculation life. Should my return flight to Kansas City land in the evening, I’ll drop in at the Green Lady Lounge on my way home. The embedded video captures the sound and atmosphere I so dearly miss.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Entries about jazz musicians including Milt Abel, Charlie Parker and Mary Lou Williams are included in the free new 44-page book Kansas City Black History.
*Robert Castillo chatted with Joe Dimino.
*Tweet of the Week: Clint Ashlock- Listening to this album by @KCTrumpeter on vinyl is the kind of aural refresh I needed today. Just some of the most lyrical, creative improvisations I’ve heard recently, and the storytelling is deep. Thanks for your music, Hermon!
Booster Shots
Original image by Plastic Sax.
I’ve been holding out on readers of Plastic Sax. According to the website of a locally based musician, there are “forty working jazz clubs in the Kansas City area” and the city hosts “twenty jazz festivals a year.” Transport me to this magical oasis immediately! Alas, the actual count is much different.
Five “working jazz clubs” operated in the Kansas City area prior to the quarantine twelve months ago. Several other music-oriented venues in Kansas City featured at least one jazz performance every week. And about 20 restaurants and cocktail lounges regularly hired solo pianists or small combos to provide background ambience. Precisely one jazz festival was held in the Kansas City area in 2019. The Prairie Village Jazz Festival featured six hours of music by locally based artists.
Can the musician’s utopian vision be made a reality? And if so, how? The creative initiatives of many Kansas City jazz musicians during the pandemic point to a viable way to dramatically expand the slate of jazz performances.
Upon receiving the vaccine injections, I hope to supplement my patronage of conventional jazz clubs with a rich slate of legally dubious guerrilla showcases by unestablished or artistically rebellious musicians. It may not consist of 40 working jazz clubs and 20 festivals, but the prospective scenario would represent a healthy form of headway.
Now’s the Time: Mike Dillon
The energetic Kansas City based multi-instrumentalist Mike Dillon is joined by pianist Brian Haas and bassist James Singleton in the embedded video. Additional information about the benefit performance is here.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Lonnie McFadden promotes Lonnie’s Reno Club at Kansas City magazine.
*Tweet of the Week: Peter Sokolowski- RIP to the great big-band arranger/composer Sammy Nestico, who wrote many albums for Count Basie and charts for Sinatra and nearly every other singer who can swing.
*From a press release: ...Recently relocating to Kansas City after spending 15 years in New Orleans, (Mike) Dillon and producer Chad Meise would track a trilogy of albums: 'Shoot The Moon,' 'Suitcase Man' and '1918.' In collaboration with his longtime record label Royal Potato Family, they would offer the records exclusively via Bandcamp just days after they were mixed and mastered. In 2021, those albums now receive the full vinyl treatment, as well as complete digital release across all streaming outlets.
Elections Matter
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The election cycle didn’t end with Georgia’s pivotal vote on January 5. The results of The 2020 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll were published nine days later. While 505 albums were recognized by the 148 participants, more than 300 of those releases received just a single vote. The vast quantity of new jazz recordings issued every year is staggering.
How did jazz musicians from the Kansas City area fare? Not great. Votes from ten critics positioned Pat Metheny’s From This Place at #26. Bobby Watson’s two albums for Smoke Sessions- Keepin’ It Real and Bird at 100, his 2019 collaboration with Vincent Herring and Gary Bartz- received one vote each, placing the latest editions to the saxophonist’s catalog in the mid-#300s. No other releases by Kansas City artists were given a nod.
Who are the monsters responsible for these villainous calculations? Well, my ballot represents a circumspect case of head over heart. I rated about 75 of the hundreds of new jazz albums I critiqued in 2020 as very good or excellent. Watson’s Keepin’ It Real- my favorite Kansas City jazz album of last year- is in the middle of that grouping.
I also seriously considered naming Brian Scarborough’s very fine Sunflower Song the top debut album of 2020. I repeatedly listened to the Kansas City trombonist’s release and Immanuel Wilkins’ Omega back-to-back before reluctantly verifying my preference for Wilkins’ effort. I’d rather be a truthful dissident than a deceitful flatterer.
Now’s the Time: Steve Cardenas
The subdued nature of Steve Cardenas’ music is almost certainly correlated to his relatively low profile. The guitarist who once called Kansas City home is among the most underappreciated artists in improvised music.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Karrin Allyson participated in Dowbeat’s blindfold test.
*The Missourian reports a piano once owned by John William “Blind” Boone’s was recently discovered. (Via St. Louis Jazz Notes.)
*Tweet of the Week: American Jazz Museum- We're bringing you another Jazz @ Noon livestream this coming Friday at 12:00 pm! Head to http://americanjazzmuseum.org/support to make a suggested donation of $10. Be sure to mark your calendars and tell your friends about this Kansas City talent who's gracing The Gem Theater stage!
EP Review: Blob Castle- La Tierra Se Está Doblando
Complicated editorial calculations must be made when artists associated with jazz create entirely different forms of music. Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny are among jazz giants who repeatedly veer from the form. The peripatetic Kansas City musician Robert Castillo follows in their footsteps. Among Friends, the nearly two-hour epic Castillo’s band The Sextet released in 2019, was Plastic Sax’s favorite Kansas City jazz album of that year. I feel obliged to expound on Castillo’s new EP La Tierra Se Está Doblando even though it bears only a tangential relationship to jazz. Castillo describes the 22-minute EP he released under the banner of Blob Castle as electronic music. Still, there’s plenty of interest to fans of improvised grooves. The non-jazz tracks are buoyant ear-ticklers. “Inhale the Dust” is compelling nu-jazz in the vein of Nils Petter Molvær. And Castillo’s bass feature “2020” sounds as if the fusion standout Stanley Clarke joined the prog-metal band Tool. Purists of every stripe should avoid it at all costs, but La Tierra Se Está Doblando is the rewarding work of one of Kansas City’s most liberated musical minds.
Now’s the Time: We The People
We The People’s invocation of the United States Constitution and the Kansas City band’s emphasis on social justice makes “Misunderstood” particularly timely at this decisive moment in American history.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Wynton Marsalis will discuss Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rock Chalk Suite project with Derek Kwan of the Lied Center on Thursday, January 7.
*Beau Bledsoe and Joe Dimino chatted about Alaturka’s new live album.
*Tweet of the Week: American Jazz Museum- We’re honored to be closing out 2020 with some joyful news. Kansas City cover band Holes In Socks hosted a livestream benefit for us last night and raised almost $650 for the museum! Thanks to @jackhancock1776& the band for giving us hope and inspiration for 2021
Album Review: Christopher Burnett Quintet- The Standards, Vol. 1
January is a month of new beginnings. Polite music ill-suited to the turbulent societal and political chaos of four months ago can be properly appreciated with fresh ears. That’s partly why The Standards, Vol. 1, the new album by the Christopher Burnett Quintet, acts as a restorative balm.
Burnett, one of the most industrious figures on Kansas City’s music scene, treats jazz as refined chamber music in his capacities as a saxophonist, bandleader, educator and record label executive. His genteel sensibilities are beautifully showcased on The Standards, Vol. 1.
The core band of Burnett, pianist Roger Wilder, bassist Bill McKemy and drummer Clarence Smith perform five standards and one Burnett composition with seasoned reverence. Even though the quintet and several guest artists maintain a consistently gracious tone, several moments stand out.
An imaginative arrangement breathes new life into “Corcovado.” Stan Kessler’s shimmering trumpet solo elevates “Dolphin Dance.” “Freedom Flight,” a sprightly original Burnett composition, features a sterling guitar solo from Charles Gatschet. Burnett soars throughout.
Burnett’s tactfulness extends the album’s length. At just 39 minutes, the album leaves the appreciative listener wanting more. That’s why the Vol. 1 addendum in the album’s title is an early ray of hope in the new year.
Now’s the Time: Michael Pagán
Steady snow transformed Kansas City on New Year’s Day. The locally based pianist Michael Pagán conveys an analogous sense of delight on his interpretation of “Winter Wonderland,” a standout track on his very fine 2012 album Keyboard Christmas.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Gerald Dunn of The American Jazz Museum encourages The Kansas City Star to make amends in the wake of the newspaper’s admission of decades of insufficient jazz coverage.
*I included tracks by Flutienastiness and Bobby Watson in a survey of The 10 Best Songs To Come Out of Kansas City in 2020 on a Christmas Eve broadcast on KCUR’s Up To Date program. In an adjacent segment titled The 10 Best Holiday Songs by Kansas City Artists, I shared selections by Charlie Parker, Oleta Adams, Ida McBeth, Jay McShann and The Count Basie Orchestra.
*Stan Kessler chatted with Joe Dimino.
*Tweet of the Week: Sharon Hoffman- Do you know how many times @KCStarinterviewed hometown jazz legend Charlie Parker? Zero. @eadler writes of a culture ignored, part of our “Truth in Black and white” series. (link)
A Reopening Register
Original image of the site of Stephen Martin’s jam session by Plastic Sax.
You don’t miss your water ‘til your well runs dry. A list of jazz-oriented experiences I’m eager to resume in a post-vaccine Kansas City during the second half 2021 follows.
1. Reboot Even as I lament the loss of jazz-friendly venues that didn’t survive the pandemic, I’m intent on investigating the new landscape for live jazz. Taking in Stephen Martin’s lively jam session in a humble room near the UMKC campus (pictured above) in March was one of the most satisfying experiences I had in the weeks prior to the lockdown. I expect to find many more examples of the DIY ethos.
2. Double-dipping One of the most advantageous aspects of being a jazz fan in Kansas City is the ease of club-hopping. Because free parking is usually plentiful and cover charges tend to be low or nonexistent, hitting two or three venues on any given night is a piece of cake.
3. Organism I’m lukewarm on organ jazz. Yet in recent years I’ve discovered that sitting immediately next to the speaker cabinet of a Hammond B3 organ can provide a thrilling psychedelic experience. Save my seat.
4. Carousing Because I’m a penny-pincher and a responsible citizen based in the suburbs, I haven’t had an alcoholic beverage in a Kansas City jazz venue in years. It’s high time for an unhinged, rideshare-enabled blowout.
5. Friends and Foes It’s a good thing my social life doesn't revolve around Kansas City’s jazz community. I’m not particularly popular. Yet I miss bumping into pals and detractors in and around jazz venues.
6. Hit the Highway I rarely bother driving to nearby Lawrence, Topeka and Columbia for jazz gigs. It’s time for that negligence to end.
7. Consumerism I own more albums and CDs than can be counted. Even so, I still love digging through the racks at record stores. Holding physical copies of rare albums by the likes of Jerry Hahn never fails to thrill me.
8. The In Crowd I relish attending big concerts by jazz artists with crossover appeal. Occasional appearances by touring musicians such as Kamasi Washington, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall and Flying Lotus is always thought-provoking.
9. In My Solitude I put a pause on my occasional strolls through the Jazz District, Lincoln Cemetery and other historically significant sites for fear that a friendly soul might unintentionally infect me. I pine for my meditations in these musically sacred spaces.
10. Fingers Crossed My list closes with a wish. Desperate to bask in performances by favorite jazz musicians who pass over Kansas City, I took music-based trips to New York City, Knoxville and Chicago in 2019. I long for the Kansas City debut of at least one eminent adventurous improviser in 2020.
Now's the Time: Jay McShann
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Kansas City Star acknowledges the "short shrift" The Star and The Times gave to Kansas City jazz giants including Charlie Parker during the city’s jazz heyday.
*KCUR’s Gina Kauffman relates the story of the creation of Andrea Lewis’ new Christmas album.
*I shared tracks by Mike Dillon and Flutienastiness on an episode of Eight One Sixty on 90.9 The Bridge.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Chris Burnett and Bill Crain.
*Ça Va, a Kansas City establishment that often hosted live jazz, has closed.
*Tweet of the Week: Mayor Q- While we talk reconciliation here, also note something The Star mentioned as an oversight—not telling the positive stories of the Black experience in Kansas City over a decades. To share and repeat a tale of pain alone is to miss the greatness of our community.
Album Review: Alaturka- In Concert with KU Jazz Ensemble I
Alaturka was one of one of Kansas City’s most auspicious bands during the quartet’s most active period in the first half of the previous decade. Beau Bledsoe (guitar, oud and primary musicologist), Rich Wheeler (saxophone), Jeff Harshbarger (bass) and Brandon Draper (percussion) combined the classical music of Turkey with American jazz.
Augmentation from a big band seemed like an unnecessary and excessive proposal. Yet a surprise release reveals that Alaturka’s 2013 collaboration with Dan Gailey’s KU Jazz Ensemble 1 at the Lawrence Arts Center resulted in an entirely tasteful concert.
Each member of Alaturka is in peak form and almost all of the textures the big band adds to selections like “Leyla” on In Concert with KU Jazz Ensemble I are appealing evocations of Gil Evans’ arrangements for Miles Davis’ 1960 album Sketches of Spain. While a bit of momentum is lost on “Dar Hejîrokê/Fig Tree,” the superlative document inspires hope for a resumption of activity in the Alaturka camp.
Now's the Time: Charlie Parker
May your days be merry and bright.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Not
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*From a press release: Acclaimed Ailey dancer and Resident Choreographer Jamar Roberts’ A Jam Session for Troubling Times was unveiled yesterday, inspired by saxophonist and composer Charlie “Bird” Parker as part of the Bird100 centennial celebration. At a time in our world rife with chaos and uncertainty, Jamar Roberts uses the energy, nuance, and virtuosity of the ‘bebop’ sound as a vehicle to lift our spirits and demonstrate that we are stronger than our circumstances in an upbeat, quirky, and accessible work filmed by Emily Kikta and Peter Walker... Film can be viewed now through December 21.
*Tweet of the Week: PopMatters- Steve Cardenas - Blue Has a Range (@SunnysideRec) is one of the 20 Best Jazz Albums of 2020 Cardenas' latest is witty and fun and playful in the extreme.