Album Review: Pat Metheny- Road to the Sun

I recently revisited and ranked 46 Pat Metheny albums.  The rewarding process acted as a reminder of the Lee’s Summit native’s steadfast commitment to change.  Even for discerning Metheny fans who know to expect the unexpected, Road to the Sun may come as a shock.  The classical orientation of the new album is unlike anything else in his catalog.

The first of Road to the Sun’s three distinct segments is guitarist Jason Vieaux’s rendering of Metheny’s suite “Four Paths of Light.”  Vieaux’s assured mastery of the technically imposing composition evokes the brilliant legacy of the esteemed guitarist Julian Bream.

Metheny’s six-part title track is performed by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet.  The album’s most conventionally Metheny-esque moments transpire in the second passage.  The gonzo conclusion to the fourth segment will appeal to fans of the bold Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela.

Road to the Sun closes with Metheny playing his arrangement of Arvo Pärt’s “Für Alina” on a 42-string guitar.  The ruminative quality of the piece is enhanced by ECM-esque reverb.  All 57 minutes of Road to the Sun are extraordinary, but Metheny’s stunning version of “Für Alina” places the typically atypical album among his most significant works.

Now's the Time: Deborah Brown

A seasick-green filter hardly detracts from the divine version of “Save Your Love for Me” performed by the impeccable Kansas City vocalist Deborah Brown and the New York City based pianist Bruce Barth in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*A television station created a brief video feature about the colorful history of the building that houses The Majestic.

*A virtual version of Johnson County Community College’s annual jazz series is underway.  (Tip via PF.)

*The Beacon reports on the economic hardships faced by Kansas City’s jazz musicians during the pandemic.  (Tip via Tony’s Kansas City.)

*Tweet of the Week: American Jazz Museum- For the #jazz community, it's the start to #WomenInJazz month! We've got two in-person, socially distant shows by saxophonist @tiafullerand vocalist Denise Thimes. (link)

Album Review: Carol Duboc- Restless

The brutal cold snaps that made much of January and February unbearable caused many Midwesterns to wonder why they live in such an inhospitable place.  Carol Duboc wised up decades ago with a move from Kansas City to California.

Her good judgment extends to a talent for networking.  The singer-songwriter maintains rewarding relationships with smooth jazz and adult R&B standouts.  Restless, her latest and most appealing album, was produced by longtime associate Jeff Lorber and features guest appearances by friends including flautist Hubert Laws.

Restless recalls the breezy, commercially-minded artists like Basia and Gino Vannelli who dominated a now-defunct network of smooth jazz terrestrial radio stations.  Warm weather will soon return to Kansas City.  Until then, Restless provides listeners in Duboc’s hometown with a shimmering burst of California sunshine.

Now's the Time: Hermon Mehari

The embedded video is among my favorite visual efforts by a musician associated with Kansas City in recent years. Hermon Mehari’s merger of “A Conversation with My Uncle” and “Eritrea,” tracks from his 2020 EP A Change for the Dreamlike, is a stirring testament to familial bonds.

Museum Piece

The National Museum of African American Music opened in Nashville last month.  Billed as “the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans,” the institution is bolstered by corporate support including a million dollar donation from Amazon and gifts totalling $1,650,000 from HCA Healthcare.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony in Music City included performances by country artists Kane Brown and Willie Jones. A feature in The New York Times explains the new museum contains “six interactive sections covering 50 genres of music with a focus on gospel, blues, jazz, R&B and hip-hop.”  Meanwhile, The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame filed for bankruptcy last month.

What impact, if any, will these divergent events have on jazz-based institutions including Kansas City’s American Jazz Museum, The National Jazz Museum in Harlem and The New Orleans Jazz Museum.  Are other music museums including Clarksdale’s Delta Blues Museum, Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Detroit’s Motown Museum, Memphis’ Stax Museum and Tulsa’s Woody Guthrie Center at risk?

How will genre-specific entities respond to this changing environment?  And is the cultural marketplace oversaturated or will public interest and financial support for the National Museum for African American Music revive enthusiasm in established entities?  There are more questions than answers in a moment that may prove to be a decisive inflection point, but it’s certain that adapting to the evolving landscape is essential to the future success of institutions like the American Jazz Museum.

Now’s the Time: City Light Orchestra

The scarcity of footage of the late Kansas City jazz musicians Ahmad Alaadeen and Laverne Barker makes City Light Orchestra’s appearance on a wacky 1986 television program invaluable. The band appears at the 2:00, 16:16 and 20:26 marks in the embedded video. David Basse and Tim Whitmer remain among Kansas City’s most prominent musicians.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*A blogger recalls the late Chick Corea’s final appearance in Kansas City.

*Tweet of the Week: Rep. Emanuel Cleaver- This one will have to be filed among Kansas City’s most persistent urban legends! No question that Clint Eastwood loves all things jazz, especially the Yardbird, but the second place bidder was actually a businessman from Japan. The whole world wanted that saxophone!

Marooned Five

A handful of Kansas City-affiliated jazz-oriented albums released in recent months received little or no previous attention at Plastic Sax.  This post partly remedies the omissions.

1. Joanna Berkebile- Love Me or Leave Me

What: The vocalist interprets standards.

Recommended if you like: Diana Krall

2. Bill Crain- Bill Crain

What: The veteran saxophonist documents his ongoing vitality. 

Recommended if you like: The Brecker Brothers

3. Sylwester Ostrowski- Jammin' with KC

What: The Polish saxophonist collaborates with area standouts including Bobby Watson.

Recommended if you like: freewheeling jam sessions

4. E.E. Pointer- Dialogues

What: River Cow Orchestra’s leader howls at the moon. 

Recommended if you like: Moondog

5. Rob Scheps- Live at the Churchill School

What: The hard-charging multi-instrumentalist regularly hangs his hat in Kansas City.

Recommended if you like: Phil Woods

Now's the Time: Norman Brown

Norman Brown is one of the most prominent musicians to emerge from the Kansas City area in the past three decades. The guitarist’s velvety rendition of the Earth, Wind & Fire hit “After the Love Has Gone” was released in 1996.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Ben Leifer, Herman Mehari and Logan Richardson are among Tony Tixier’s collaborators on the pianist’s new album I Am Human.

*A virtual performance of “Black in America” created by the Marcus Lewis Big Band for the Jazz Education Network streams at YouTube.

*Max Groove spoke to Joe Dimino.

*Tweet of the Week: DerekM07- I’m rooting for the chiefs just cause all the Jazz documentaries I been watching go Kansas City

*From a press release: Charlie "Bird" Parker's Grafton saxophone, one of Kansas City's most treasured jazz artifacts, will embark on a journey to Lake Buena Vista, Florida today for an extended stay at EPCOT® Theme Park at the Walt Disney World Resort. On Monday, Walt Disney Imagineering unveiled “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure,” a salute to cities across America that had a major impact on jazz music: Los Angeles, New Orleans, Chicago, New York City, and San Juan. And the American Jazz Museum and Mayor Lucas recently offered the crown jewel from the museum's collection to be added to the exhibit… This addition to the exhibit puts a national spotlight on Kansas City and is a huge opportunity for the American Jazz Museum at a critical time. Despite many public challenges throughout the museum's history, a refreshed board and new staff leadership have ushered in a new era of growth and transformation, after just one year with new Executive Director Rashida Phillips at the helm… The Grafton saxophone is scheduled to remain at EPCOT for six months.

Project Pat: Ranking Every Pat Metheny Album

I listened to all but one Pat Metheny album in chronological order last month.  (I couldn’t track down the 1996 soundtrack of Passaggio per il paradiso.)  Beginning with Bright Size Life from 1976 and ending with last year’s From This Place, the process deepened my appreciation of the extraordinary multi-instrumentalist, composer and bandleader from Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

The time-consuming endeavor was anything but routine.  Very few musicians possess Metheny’s astounding range.  His sonic palette includes straight-ahead swing, avant-garde freakouts, smooth jazz, dauntless jazz-rock, delicate ambiance and aggressive noise.  The Orchestrion is among the bold innovations further distinguishing his inventive genius.

Metheny’s creative restlessness is astounding.  His first 11 albums bear little resemblance to one another.  A reluctance to repeat himself is in keeping with a longstanding embrace of extremes.  He’s best known in popular culture for playing pretty music with delicate sensitivity, but harsh bursts of cacophony remain an integral element of his repertoire.

The albums are sorted into four groups of comparable size based entirely on my personal preferences.  The listing in each set is alphabetical.  My methodology is an easy way out, but for the record, my top Metheny album is the (mostly) straight-ahead trio masterpiece Rejoicing.  The Pat Metheny Group’s (mostly) smooth We Live Here is my least favorite effort.

The rankings reflect my admiration for Metheny’s recent recordings.  It’s entirely possible his best work is yet to come.  Road to the Sun, an album featuring collaborations with the classical guitarist Jason Vieax and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet as well as an interpretation of Arvo Pärt’s “Für Alina,” will be released on March 5.  

Top Tier

Pat Metheny- 80/81 (1980)

Pat Metheny- Bright Size Life (1976)

Pat Metheny- Kin (2014)

Pat Metheny Group- Offramp (1982)

Pat Metheny Group- Pat Metheny Group (1978)

Pat Metheny- Question and Answer (1990)

Pat Metheny- Rejoicing (1984)

Pat Metheny Group- Secret Story (1992)

Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman- Song X (1986)

Pat Metheny- Tap: John Zorn’s Book of Angels, Volume 20 (2013)

Pat Metheny- Tokyo Day Trip (2008) 

Pat Metheny Trio- Live (2000)

Second Tier

Pat Metheny- A Map of the World (1999)

Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays- As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (1981)

Cuong Vu and Pat Metheny- Cuong Vu Trio Meets Pat Metheny (2016)

Pat Metheny- Day Trip (2008)

Pat Metheny and John Scofield- I Can See Your House from Here (1994)

Jim Hall and Pat Metheny- Jim Hall and Pat Metheny (1999)

Pat Metheny- Orchestrion (2010)

Pat Metheny- The Orchestrion Project (2013)

Pat Metheny Group- Quartet (1996)

Pat Metheny- The Unity Sessions (2016)

Pat Metheny- Watercolors (1977)

Third Tier

Pat Metheny Trio- 99-00 (2000)

Pat Metheny Group- American Garage (1979)

Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden- Beyond the Missouri Sky (1997)

Pat Metheny- From This Place (2020)

Pat Metheny- New Chautauqua (1979)

Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau- Quartet (2007)

Pat Metheny Group- The Road to You (1993)

Pat Metheny Group- Travels (1983)

Pat Metheny- Unity Band (2012)

Pat Metheny Group- The Way Up (2005)

Pat Metheny- What’s It All About (2011)

Bottom Tier

Pat Metheny Group- The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)

Pat Metheny Group- First Circle (1984)

Pat Metheny Group- Imaginary Day (1997)

Pat Metheny Group- Letter From Home (1989)

Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau- Metheny/Mehldau (2006)

Pat Metheny- One Quiet Night (2003)

Pat Metheny Group- Speaking of Now (2002)

Pat Metheny Group- Still Life (Talking) (1987)

Pat Metheny and Anna Maria Jopek- Upojenie (2008)

Pat Metheny Group- We Live Here (1995)

Pat Metheny- Zero Tolerance for Silence (1994)

Now's the Time: Charles Williams

The versatile Kansas City pianist Charles Williams interprets “Betcha by Golly, Wow” in the embedded video. He’s assisted by guitarist Rod Fleeman, bassist James Ward and drummer Mike Warren.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Gary Sivils, a trumpeter and bandleader whose integral role in Kansas City’s jazz scene included a mentorship of the teenage Pat Metheny, has died.

*Stan Kessler is teaching a virtual class in jazz appreciation through the auspices of Village Presbyterian Church.

*Tweet of the Week: Marc Myers- Friday at JazzWax, a little-known 3.5-hour documentary on Charlie Parker produced in Norway in 1989 with amazing interviews. Go here

Urban Renewal: The Lost Bobby Watson Album

I consolidated and alphabetized my scattered music collection in an ambitious quarantine project last summer.  The result was satisfying, but I was disappointed by the confounding absence of Urban Renewal amid the Bobby Watson recordings.

The oddest release in Watson’s catalog recently turned up in a misplaced box previously hidden by holiday decorations.  I thought it might be fun to goof on what I’d long considered his sole recorded misstep.  After all, most everything else about Watson is perfect.

Kansas City’s most admirable cultural ambassador, Watson is Plastic Sax’s two-time Person of the Decade.  In addition to being one of the most soulful musicians alive, Watson is among jazz’s great sages.  He’s strikingly handsome to boot.  Watson’s unconditional superiority causes one to sometimes wonder if he’s even human.

That’s why I was eager to revisit the suspect Urban Renewal.  I braced for the worst when I tossed the out-of-print 1995 album into a CD player for the first time in more than 20 years.  What once seemed like a disappointing sellout now sounds… well, pretty darn good.

Victor Lewis’ drums are artificially inflated with hot studio air and the sheen occasionally applied to Rachel Z’s electric keyboards is similarly dated.  But unsurprisingly, Watson is his usual superlative self.  As the photo on the back cover implies, he doesn’t stick to alto saxophone. The protest poetry voiced by Dejáh on “Hi-Tech Trap” remains all-too relevant.  And “If” is one of Watson’s signature heart-rending ballads.

Urban Renewal could be mistaken for a solid David Sanborn album in its slickest moments.  But most of the album confirms Watson’s reputation as one of the most indispensable artists in jazz.  It would seem Watson really is something more elevated than a mere mortal.

Now's the Time: Bob Bowman, Danny Embrey and Brian Steever

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

*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

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

*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.