Vocalist Bukeka Blakemore, flautist Amber Underwood, saxophonist Aryana Nemeti and keyboardist Angela Ward perform jazz and jazz-related music in a four-song set filmed at the Kansas City Museum in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A television news broadcast reports that streets in the Jazz District will be blocked on weekends this summer.
*Downbeat published a review of Tony Tixier’s I Am Human. The French pianist’s album features duets with Ben Leifer, Hermon Mehari and Logan Richardson.
*Tweet of the Week: Dr. K Goldschmitt- Something I think about every time I teach History of Jazz is Altman’s Kansas City. He got a group of ridiculously talented musicians in the mid-1990s to meticulously re-enact a style from 60 years prior. Can you imagine this happening in any other genre?
Modern(a) Jazz
Original image by Plastic Sax.
I attended my first concert in 14 months on Thursday, April 29. Three vocalists and a pianist representing the Lyric Opera of Kansas City competed with the yaps of agitated lap dogs, the shouts of playful toddlers and the pings emanating from nearby pickleball courts at the free recital at Meadowbrook Park in Prairie Village.
Two days after my second vaccination jab, the experience left me conflicted. Maybe I should quash my notorious compulsion to spend several nights every week listening to live music. I once took pride in attending more than 365 performances every year. Thursday’s concert indicated I should consider becoming less indiscriminate.
First and most essentially, the somber shadow of the deadly virus continues to loom large. Even though I claimed I was “ready to rage” on the most recent episode of my podcast, I’m still squeamish every time I enter an enclosed public space. I’ll need to overcome my fear when I take my first post-quarantine ride on a flying germ tube in a couple weeks.
The pandemic changed me. After listened to recorded music in optimum conditions for 15 months, I’m less willing to accommodate people who treat music as obtrusive background noise. Discovering sonic paradises amid serious music enthusiasts at festivals including Cropped Out and Big Ears and at big city nightclubs in recent years, I’ve learned obtrusive audiences aren’t inevitable at performances of improvised music.
That’s why Raj Ma Hall is among the jazz-friendly Kansas City venues I intend to visit first in coming weeks. The outdoor space is an alluring alternative to the region’s established rooms for jazz and unconventional music. Here’s hoping patrons of the grassroots initiative live up to my persnickety standards and fussy sense of decorum.
Now’s the Time: The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra
The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra will perform Clint Ashlock’s arrangement of Mary Lou Williams’ “Zodiac Suite” in a virtual concert on Thursday, May 6. The embedded video is an appealing preview of the performance.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The 2021 edition of Prairie Village’s jazz festival is scheduled for September 11.
*The Kansas City Star and KCUR share details about the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s 2021-22 season.
*A report in The Kansas City Star suggests live jazz will be featured at the former Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at 1400 Main Street when B&B Theatres takes over operations at the location.
*In an account of a new round of bloodshed in the Jazz District, a man employed on the block of the deadly quadruple shooting tells The Kansas City Star “people can’t come out to have a good time at night without fearing a shooting.”
*Anita Dixon and Jakob Wagner will remind participants in a virtual forum of Kansas City’s status as a UNESCO City of Music.
*Tweet of the Week: Regan Porter TV- UPDATE: One person dead, three others injured following a shooting near 19th and Vine. @kcpolicesaid another person showed up to the hospital with a broken leg, possibly received while running away from the gunfire. @fox4kc
Album Review: John Pizzarelli- Better Days Ahead: Solo Guitar Takes on Pat Metheny
I didn’t think I cared for the music made by John Pizzarelli. I’ve long dismissed the guitarist as an eager-to-please showman. The stunning Better Days Ahead: Solo Guitar Takes on Pat Metheny forced me to revise my bias. Not only are Pizzarelli’s unadorned arrangements of thirteen Pat Metheny compositions entirely devoid of ostentation, his interpretations instill an even greater appreciation of the Missouri native.
Praising Metheny’s compositional skill in a livestream on the day of Better Days Ahead’s release, Pizzarelli called the Lee’s Summit native “a modern-day Aaron Copeland.” The comparison is apt. Pizzarelli’s ravishingly beautiful and inspiring renditions on seven-string guitar further affirm the assessment.
A discriminating editor, Pizzarelli reduces each song to its melodic essence, no simple task given the complexity of many of the compositions. Pizzarelli’s ingenious arrangement of the intricate Pat Metheny Group track “Last Train Home” retains the essence of the original without resorting to flash or gimmicks.
Pizzarelli doesn’t limit his reappraisals to familiar favorites like “Last Train Home,” “James” and “Phase Dance.” The title track of the 2020 album From This Place is among the lesser known selections lovingly spotlighted by Pizzarelli. Liberated from its original smooth jazz trappings, “Spring Ain’t Here” is given a sorely-needed renovation.
Created in quarantine, Better Days Ahead is an implausible but entirely welcome by-product of the pandemic. The album affirms Metheny’s brilliance and reveals Pizzarelli to be much more than a corny huckster. Not only are better days ahead, Pizzarelli’s profound detour reinforces the notion that happy days are here again.
Now's the Time: Shades of Jade
Shades of Jade’s blend of throwback R&B and contemporary jazz elicited enthusiastic reviews at Plastic Sax several years ago. The Kansas City ensemble imploded soon after the embedded music video for “That One” was released in 2015. The presence of a few mainstays of Kansas City’s music scene enlivens the production.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Two recent Bobby Watson shows in Columbia, Missouri, stream on YouTube. The saxophonist performed with Roger Wilder at Murray’s. He also dedicated a virtual concert to children.
*Laura Spencer of KCUR checks in with Mark Lowrey.
*Gerald Dunn represents Kansas City at the 85-minute mark of a video honoring recipients of the Jazz Journalist Association’s Jazz Heroes awards.
*Podcast update: James McGee of the Mutual Musicians Foundation appeared on the Center Cuts podcast. The man behind Plastic Sax observes the 60th anniversary of Ornette Coleman’s Free Jazz album on his In My Headache podcast.
*Tweet of the Week: Charlie Parker KC- Spring into the season with a fresh new look from Bird! Add this signature Blue Charlie Parker Tie to your wardrobe! GET YOURS TODAY!
*From a press release: Kansas City Area Youth Jazz has announced its 2021 Season Auditions for Fellowships will occur on Sunday, April 25th at BRC Audio Productions, studio A beginning at noon. 2021 Auditions are open to any youth jazz artist in high school or college. In addition to the strategic partnership and alliance with BRC Audio Productions, Kansas City Area Youth Jazz has partnered with The Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts to present its program model.
Opera Review: Pittsburgh Opera’s Charlie Parker’s Yardbird
Original image of Gary Giddins’ Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker by Plastic Sax.
Productions of an opera dedicated to the turbulent life of the jazz icon Charlie Parker have been staged in cities including Atlanta, London, Seattle, Chicago and Madison. The failure of a Kansas City organization to present “Charlie Parker’s Yardbird” in his hometown in the years since the 2015 premiere of the opera in Philadelphia is a shameful travesty.
Pittsburgh Opera is currently staging the work. The company offered a livestream of the opera by composer Daniel Schnyder and librettist Bridgette A. Wimberly on Friday, April 16. It currently streams on YouTube. Even though a microphone dropped out on the magnificent tenor Martin Bakari for about a third of the production, I’m now able to confirm it’s a civic disgrace the consequential opera has never played in Kansas City.
Schnyder resists the temptation to rely on allusions to Parker’s music. While George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” is the obvious reference point, I detect influences of other 20th century composers including Alban Berg. The opera depicts Kansas City as a hostile place for musicians who flaunt societal and cultural norms. The de facto embargo of “Charlie Parker’s Yardbird” in Kansas City suggests little has changed.
Now's the Time: Jerry Hahn
In spite of playing on Paul Simon’s eponymous 1972 album, collaborating with jazz luminaries and releasing a series of impressive albums as a leader, guitarist Jerry Hahn remains relatively unknown. The Nebraska native has lived in the Kansas City area off and on for decades. The embedded video captures Hahn overcoming technical glitches as a member of Gary Burton’s band in 1968.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reviews Pittsburgh Opera’s production of “Charlie Parker’s Yardbird.”
*The Kansas City Star reports on art installations in the new airport dedicated to Bennie Moten and Charlie Parker.
*Aarik Danielsen previews a Bobby Watson concert for The Columbia Daily Tribune.
*Tweet of the Week: WQED- Tune in tonight at 7 for a preview of @PittsburghOpera's production of Charlie Parker's Yardbird. You'll hear musical excerpts and interviews with cast members, conductor Antony Walker and stage director Tome Cousin. Listen at 89.3 or stream it online via our website or app.
Album Review: Florian Arbenz, Hermon Mehari and Nelson Veras- Conversation #1: Condensed
Hermon Mehari fully realizes his enormous potential on the unconventional Conversation #1: Condensed. The magnificent collaboration between Mehari, Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras and Swiss drummer Florian Arbenz is the trumpeter’s most consistently impressive outing.
Beginning with the 2009 debut album of his Kansas City band Diverse, Mehari’s extensive discography is sprinkled with glimmers of greatness. His superlative performance on Conversation #1: Condensed should elevate Mehari into the top tier of living jazz trumpeters.
The playful adventurousness and generous spirit of his partners allows Mehari to shine. While Arbenz is the leader of the date, Mehari sounds like the first among equals. His maturation is showcased in his elegant composition "Let's Try This Again". The old-school bop of “Race Face” finds him squarely in his wheelhouse.
Yet Conversation #1: Condensed (the first of twelve albums Arbenz intends to release in 2021) is far from commonplace. In spite of his nationality, Veras plays with the unorthodox approach associated with the Benin-born guitarist Lionel Loueke. Nor will Arbenz be mistaken for a traditionalist. The title of the speculative “Vibing with Morton” is almost certainly a reference to the avant-garde classical composer Morton Feldman.
The album closes with an invigorating interpretation of Miles Davis’ “Freedom Jazz Dance.” Mehari summons the essence of the jazz giant even as he explores new terrain. Davis subtitled his composition “Evolution of the Groove.” The sentiment is precisely what Mehari, Arbenz and Veras achieve with their forward-thinking- and reputation-making- work on Conversation #1: Condensed.
Now's the Time: Harold O'Neal
The elegant side of pianist Harold O'Neal is captured in the gorgeous embedded video. Raised in Kansas City, O’Neal is currently based in New York City.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Gerald Dunn, the Senior Manager of Entertainment at the American Jazz Museum, was named a 2021 Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Association.
*The Standards, Vol. 1, the 2021 release from the Christopher Burnett Quartet, was reviewed at All About Jazz.
*Tweet of the Week: popsike.com- archived! $ 358 | 78 Rpm -- Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, Okeh 8277, E-v+ Jazz #vinyl (link)
Album Reviews: Mike Dillon- 1918, Shoot the Moon and Suitcase Man
Mike Dillon, the peripatetic musician who has long shuttled between Kansas City and New Orleans, released four albums during last year’s lockdown. His hushed instrumental effort Rosebud was Plastic Sax’s #3 Kansas City Jazz Album of 2020. The other albums- Shoot the Moon, 1918 and Suitcase Man- are substantially rowdier.
The incoherently political and decidedly druggy Shoot the Moon is credited to Mike Dillon and Punkadelic. The musicians channel an unfiltered id component of Tom Waits’ brain. “Apocalyptic Daydreams” sounds like a doomsday collaboration between Isaac Hayes and Steve Reich. The heretical “Open Up” is a grown-up version of the controversial Lil Nas X hit “Montero (Call Me by Your Name).” The accomplished trumpeter Nicholas Payton contributes astringent textures to “What Tony Says.”
1918 is tailored to fans favoring the jam-band side of Dillon’s repertoire. He often shares stages with the likes of Galactic, Karl Denson and Garage A Trois. “Pelagic” is a dance floor groove for end times. “Quarantine Booty Call” reflects the album’s pervading sense of pent-up frustration while “Super Spreader” sounds like a meth-era version of Bobby Hutcherson.
Dillon’s gruff vocals on Suitcase Man dominate the nine concise and economical tracks he crafted with the Bad Decisions. He growls about childhood trauma on “Tiny Pink Asses” and laments life on the road on “989 Miles” and the title track. The late-night, bad-trip atmosphere of Suitcase Man is recommended to fans of outsider art-rock artists like Captain Beefheart, Roky Erickson and Elliott Smith.
Recordings can’t capture the whirlwind aspect of Dillon’s performances. The manic energy, extreme volume and incorrigible personality he exhibits on stage makes the serene Rosebud all the more remarkable. Rosebud may be the superior album, but all four projects affirm Dillon’s standing as one of Kansas City’s most audaciously distinctive artists.
Now's the Time: Jeff Shirley
An imminent appearance by guitarist Jeff Shirley is among the listings on Green Lady Lounge’s reloaded performance calendar. I’m looking forward to returning to the venue in about six weeks.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Logan Richardson is the subject of an ingratiating profile at All About Jazz.
*The Kansas City Star expands on Plastic Sax’s 2014 field trip to the gravesite of Julia Lee.
*Joe Dimino documents what some people might characterize as irresponsible behavior.
*Tweet of the Week: André Wahala- What I'm reading. No, I know nothing about Jazz apart from the sounds, the names and occasional visits to Pizza Express Jazz and Ronnie Scott's (privilege of London life). Totes outside my comfort zone but learning. Had no idea Kansas City MO was such a hot spot.
Catalytic Conversion
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Spotify, the dominant music streaming service, recently revealed it paid $5 billion to rights holders in 2020. Even so, many musicians in Kansas City continue to gripe about the remuneration they receive from the company. Those complaining loudest are usually among the least popular artists. Yet their frustration isn’t entirely unreasonable. Kansas City is an inhospitable market for non-commercial sounds.
The latest Nielsen Audio Ratings for the Kansas City radio market reflect the limited local appetite for alternative and refined forms of music. Every radio station with even a smidgen of jazz programming garnered a market share of less than one percent. Tellingly, the six-month-old 91.9 Classical KC didn’t even register as a blip.
Meanwhile, fans willing to buy MP3s or vinyl are uncommon exceptions. Streaming is the preferred medium for the foreseeable future. I’d rather invest in a jazz-themed NFT than attempt to make room on my hard drive for more digital music or add another slab of vinyl to my neglected LP collection. What’s the solution for nonconforming artists eager to find a different way to monetize recordings of their music?
Pitchfork’s profile of Catalytic Sound points to a possible way forward. The boutique streaming service specializing in avant-garde music is supported by 141 subscribers who commit $10 a month for exclusive access to a few dozen albums. It’s a blueprint for obstinate members of Kansas City’s jazz community. I’d pay $10 a month for access to otherwise unavailable new music by Kansas City’s finest musicians. How many would join me?
Now's the Time: The Marcus Lewis Big Band
Engaging visuals aside, my favorite moments of the Marcus Lewis Big Band’s newly uploaded virtual performance of “Ghetto Heaven” occur during the back-to-back solos of trombonist Jason Goudeau and saxophonist Stephen Martin.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The American Jazz Museum’s Rashida Phillips was interviewed by Northeast News and KC Studio.
*Ken Lovern remembers the late Joe Miquelon in a conversation with Joe Dimino.
*The New York Times notes the ongoing interest in Mary Lou Williams’ “Zodiac Suite.”
*Tweet of the Week: Pat Metheny- Today @librarycongress @LibnOfCongress Carla Hayden named ‘Bright Size Life’ among 25 selections as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage. #NatRecRegistry