Album Review: The Wild Women of Kansas City- Live at Pilgrim Chapel 9/26/2010

A delightful blast from the past hit the internet without any fanfare last week.  The mystery project with decidedly slapdash album art might be linked to the filmmaker Ben Meade, but background information and recording credits aren't available.

Live at Pilgrim Chapel 9/26/2010, a concert at the 75-capacity Kansas City room best known for weddings, documents a typically lighthearted set by the Wild Women of Kansas City.  The vocal quartet of Myra Taylor (1917-2011), Millie Edwards, Geneva Price and Lori Tucker was a popular attraction at the time.

The Wild Women’s repertoire belied its billing as a jazz group.  The 55-minute recording includes readings of the disco anthem “I Will Survive,” Ray Charles’ earthy hit “Night Time Is the Right Time” and the proto-rock gem “Don’t Let Go.”

Backed by an unidentified organist, bassist and drummer, the crowd-pleasing entertainers also perform familiar warhorses like “Sentimental Journey,” “Stormy Weather” and the inescapable “Kansas City.”  Edwards sings lead on “What a Wonderful World” and Taylor does her playful Louis Armstrong impression during “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”

The women assert their intent on “Let the Good Times Roll”: “Tell everybody: Wild Women are in town/Sometimes we’re serious, sometimes we got to clown/ We don’t let nobody play us cheap/We got heart, soul- ooh, listen to the beat.”  Thanks to the invaluable Live at Pilgrim Chapel 9/26/2010, their vital beat plays on.

Now's the Time: Aryana Nemati

Aryana Nemati, the intrepid Kansas City saxophonist who may be better known for her work in reggae contexts than as a jazz musician, plays a Pepper Adams composition in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Laura Spencer reports on the American Jazz Museum’s current fundraising initiative for KCUR.

*Pat Metheny was interviewed by The Kansas City Star.

*Evan Verploegh chatted with Joe Dimino.

*Hermon Mehari promotes his new weekly program on KCUR’s Up To Date show.

*Tweet of the Week: The Kansas City Star- Historic House of Hits building in Kansas City’s 18th & Vine Jazz District collapses. (link)

Album Review: Cowboys & Frenchmen- Our Highway

Our Highway, the latest album by the New York based quintet Cowboys & Frenchmen, could be Exhibit A in a trial assessing the impact of jazz education.  The frequent target of disparaging essays, institutional jazz academia is said to produce precise but bloodless musicians who more often than not, resemble the five bespectacled men in Cowboys & Frenchmen.

The topic should also be of interest to anyone with a stake in area jazz programs such as the UMKC Conservatory.  Cowboys & Frenchman’s place in the debate is of particular interest to area observers because Addison Frei, the ensemble’s pianist, was raised in Lawrence, Kansas.  Frei’s bandmates are saxophonist and flautist Ethan Helm, saxophonist Owen Broder, bassist Ethan O'Reilly and drummer Matt Honor.

In making a case against jazz education, the prosecution might insist Our Highway exemplifies the stilted rigidity drilled into students in high school and collegiate programs.  The cerebral album is neither freewheeling nor funky.  Our Highway is better suited to formal concert halls than neon-lit music venues.

The defense might reply that Our Highway is deeply melodic, immaculately performed and unflaggingly interesting.  The band has completely absorbed the compositional structures of Oliver Nelson and Charles Mingus and displays the technical rigor demanded by Duke Ellington.  My vote?  Not guilty.

Now's the Time: Brian Scarborough

Brian Scarborough’s debut album Sunflower Song took sixth place in Plastic Sax’s ranking of the Top Kansas City Jazz Albums of 2020. The trombonist and his band perform the present-day Kansas City jazz standard “The Owl” in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Logan Richardson recommends “six albums of endless transformative influence” at the conclusion of an interview with Chris May.

*Gambit checks in with Mike Dillon.

*Tweet of the Week: American Jazz Museum- We've experienced a deep loss in the jazz community, and this one breaks our heart. On Friday, March 6th, Kansas City keyboardist/saxophonist Joe Miquelon passed away. He was in many music ensembles in addition to being an instructor in our Kansas City Jazz Academy program.

*The man behind Plastic Sax has a new podcast.  The first episode of In My Headache includes a discussion of the latest album by the Robert Glasper-led band R+R=Now.

*From KCUR: We're so excited to let you know about our new show! Hermon Mehari, world-renowned jazz musician from the Kansas City area, is bringing his voice and record collection to KCUR's airwaves. The Session with Hermon Mehari is an hour long show that will feature jazz, hip-hop, soul, R&B and beyond. In each episode, Hermon will explore the musical roots of the African diaspora with a curated playlist of songs that influence and inspire him. Jazz fans will feel at home, and the "jazz curious" feel invited. The Session will premiere this Saturday, March 13, at 7 p.m. on KCUR 89.3 We hope you'll tune in!

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