The intrepid Kansas City drummer Arny Young is featured in an entertaining KCPT video profile that first aired in 2017.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Everette DeVan, Kansas City’s foremost jazz organist for decades, has died.
*Pat Metheny says the quiet part out loud in an interview with In Kansas City magazine. Asked why Kansas City is no longer included in his tour itineraries (Plastic Sax lamented the issue in 2018), Metheny cites the town’s limited audience for improvised music. He says the “intense listening… that is found all over Europe, New York, LA, those kinds of places, for this kind of music has always been elusive for Kansas City musicians.”
*Tweet of the Week: Duane A Daughtery- I am heartbroken to learn of the passing of my friend and KC jazz legend, Everette DeVan. A man of serious artistic and personal integrity. Go in grace. You are already missed.
Concert Review: Second Nature Ensemble at Westport Coffee House
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Second Nature Ensemble’s revelatory performance at Westport Coffee House on Sunday, June 27, provided a glimpse into a possible future of a viable form of jazz in Kansas City and acted as a reminder of the significance of a couple of long-standing components of the scene. Four takeaways follow.
1. Plugged in
Second Nature Ensemble is hardly the first band to fuse electronic-generated sounds with analog avant-garde improvisations, but no locally based ensemble executes the concept with more cultivated acumen. The music created by Michael Eaton (tenor saxophone), Dwight Frizzell (EWI), Seth Davis (electronics and guitar), Ben Tervort (acoustic and electric bass) and Evan Verploegh (drums) was worthy of comparison to the work of innovative stalwarts like Evan Parker. The distinctive talent of each of the five men prevents the group from being mere copycats. Here’s a brief sample.
2. The Reverend
A founding member of BCR, Frizzell is the grand doyen of left-of-center improvised music in Kansas City. Yet I hadn’t heard Frizzell perform in an improvisational context in years. Wielding an electronic wind instrument with enthusiastic abandon, Frizzell displayed more boyish energy than his younger collaborators. I almost expected him to achieve levitation at any moment.
3. Beatdown
Verploegh, a recent Kansas City transplant, is an exciting addition to the local scene. Intense and unpredictable, he often resembled an angry version of the cheerful Kansas City drummer Brian Steever.
4. Caffeinated
The approximately 25 people who passed through the doors during the two-hour performance were silent. Their reverent appreciation and the superlative amplification resulted in the most pristine sound I’ve encountered at a post-quarantine concert. The refreshed layout of the theater below Westport Coffee House and adjacent to Green Room Burgers & Beer indicates the space is still the most advantageous small listening room in Kansas City.
Now's the Time: Blair Bryant
The Kansas City bassist and bandleader Blair Bryant performs at an event in the Jazz District presented by the American Jazz Walk of Fame on Saturday, July 3. The organization’s new inductees are the late Al Jarreau and the Mutual Musicians Foundation.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Kansas City magazine includes Black Dolphin, Green Lady Lounge and Mutual Musicians foundation in a clickbait listing of the city’s best bars.
*St. Louis Jazz Notes runs down Jazz St. Louis’ recently announced 2021-22 season.
*The Tulsa World published a lengthy examination of the depressing decline of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, an institution beset with “financial mismanagement and scandal.”
*Tweet of the Week: American Jazz Walk of Fame- We're back! Join us in one week.July 3rd, It's the annual American Jazz Walk of Fame. Music and Walk of Fame induction, Plus, this year it wraps with the big fireworks display! All on 18th & Vine.
Concert Review: Bird Fleming and Bill Summers’ “Voyage of the Drum” at Dunbar Park
Original image by Plastic Sax.
At the conclusion of a freewheeling concert at Dunbar Park on Monday, June 21, percussionist, bandleader and emcee Bird Fleming told the audience that “you will never listen to music the same way again.” The free performance almost substantiated Fleming’s audacious assertion. The unlikely blend of percussion demonstrations, swing-based jazz and star power in the form of Bill Summers made for a glorious afternoon on Make Music Day.
In addition to earnest attempts to explain what he called the “Africa to jazz tradition,” Fleming repeatedly ushered various configurations of musicians on and off the portable stage. The percussion ensemble Soundz of Africa, saxophonist Doug Talley, keyboardist Charles Williams, bassist James Ward, percussionist Pat Conway and Summers made frequent use of the stairs on either side of the stage.
Summers was the primary attraction for many attendees. He amplified Flemings’ educational emphasis by offering insights into the tradition of pouring one out as an homage to ancestors, the commendable culture of the Forest People of Central Africa and the European origin of the ritual of applause. He also participated in a percussion workout and recreated his hook from Herbie Hancock’s 1973 hit version of “Watermelon Man.”
Talley, Williams and Ward responded intuitively to Summers’ cues while enlivening standards including “Caravan,” “Afro Blue” and the inescapable “Kansas City.” After one of Fleming’s attempts to engage listeners received a tepid response, he asked the approximately 100 people on hand to “just humor me.” Fleming deserved far more than polite encouragement. He and everyone involved in the singular UNESCO Cities of Music event merited a standing ovation.
Now's the Time: Lonnie McFadden
Lonnie McFadden delivers a high-energy, audience-pleasing approach to jazz and popular music at his namesake room Lonnie's Reno Club this weekend.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A few moments of Bill Summers’ performance at Dunbar Park were captured by Joe Dimino.
*The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s new rendition of Mary Lou Williams’ the “Zodiac Suite” streams on the ensemble’s YouTube channel.
*Tweet of the Week: Mayor Q- Spring-like weather and my man, Desmond Mason, at the top of the @TheWWImuseumtower playing some jazz. How can you not love Kansas City?!? #MakeMusicKC #HappyMonday
Concert Review: Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie at the 1900 Building
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The duo of Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie operated as a miniature drumline at the 1900 Building on Thursday, June 10. A few dozen people heard the audaciously unconventional percussionists perform uncharacteristically restrained cadences. Dillon is a longtime jazz insurrectionary. Glaspie is best known for her robust work as a member of Beyoncé’s touring band. Material from Dillon’s four outstanding pandemic albums- reviewed enthusiastically at Plastic Sax here and here- dominated the setlist. A brief sample reflects the lighthearted tone of the 80-minute recital. Longtime fans hoping to hear old favorites weren’t entirely neglected. The duo stumbled through a version of the title track of Hairy Apes BMX’s 2000 album Out Demons. Dillon explained he hadn’t played the impertinent contrafact of “Salt Peanuts” in 15 years. Prioritizing the present rather than glorifying the past makes the future seem exceptionally bright for both intrepid musicians.
Now's the Time: Bill Summers
Bill Summers played the haunting hook that opens and closes Herbie Hancock’s 1973 hit version of “Watermelon Man.” He crafted frequently-sampled mid-’70s jams like “God Made Me Funky” with the Headhunters. More recently, Summers made a series of stellar albums with Jason Marsalis and Irvin Mayfield as Los Hombres Calientes. On Monday, June 21, the storied musician performs at Dunbar Park. The concert is presented by the Traditional Music Society of Kansas City and UNESCO’s Creative City of Music initiative. Details about the free event are here.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Eddie Moore chatted with Patrick Sprehe for more than 90 minutes on the Center Cuts podcast.
*Tweet of the Week: Westport KC- @WestportCoffeehouse Sunday Night Jazz Series: June 6th, 6pm: Rich Hill “2Big2Fail”; June 13th, 6pm:Adam Larson Quartet; June 20th, 6pm: Brad Gregory; June 27th, 6pm: Michael Eaton #westportkc #kclivemusic
*From a press release: Kansas City and the UNESCO Cities of Music announce the Voyage of the Drum. 18 UNESCO Creative Cities will participate on 21 June 2021. The videos will be streamed on YouTube courtesy of Music Export Poland and with the support of the Polish Ministry of Culture. The Voyage of the Drum is hosted by UCCN with Kansas City Missouri USA – the only UNESCO Creative City of Music in the United States. The Voyage of the Drum unites the cities of the world through the drum – one of humanity’s earliest instruments. The Voyage of the Drum celebrates the African Diaspora around the world and demonstrates how the influence of African rhythms is felt through many world music cultures… From Kansas City, Missouri USA - the host and instigator of the Voyage of the Drum project, comes a video featuring Bird Ellington Fleming – percussionist, teacher and environmental leader of the Traditional Music Society and the Soundz of Africa.
Concert Review: Irreversible Entanglements at Stephens Lake Park Amphitheatre
Original image of the sunset at Stephens Lake Park during Irreversible Entanglements’ performance by Plastic Sax.
I drove four hours to hear 45 minutes of music on Sunday, June 6. The trip was worth it. Irreversible Entanglements confirmed its status as one of the most essential ensembles of the past five years at Stephens Lake Park Amphitheatre in Columbia, Missouri.
The perfect night in a gorgeous setting took a bit of the edge off Camae Ayewa’s lacerating poetry and the insistent free jazz played by Keir Neuringer (saxophone and electronics), Luke Stewart (bass) and Tcheser Holmes (drums). Aquiles Navarro, Irreversible Entanglement’s trumpeter, didn’t make the gig. The evening’s sole flaw was a 40-minute late start that presumably abbreviated the unticketed show presented by Dismal Niche.
Ayewa, the celebrated artist better known as Moor Mother, summarized the music she makes with her cohorts in a mellifluous statement of purpose: “this is a different vibration... a far-out inner sound… a sound that makes you feel you can survive… free-jazz philosophies for peace.”
I recently whined about the unofficial embargo of Kansas City by improvising musicians with cutting-edge inclinations. Hitting the road felt empowering. The brief immersion in revolutionary sounds with approximately 150 adventurous listeners was as liberating as it was refreshing. If the music’s not going to come to me, I’m going to go to the music.
Now's the Time: Nikki Glaspie
Nikki Glaspie jams with stars including keyboardist Robert Glasper in the embedded video. The powerhouse drummer collaborates with Mike Dillon at the 1900 Building on Thursday, June 9.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A television station reports on a proposed spending plan that would close traffic on two blocks of 18th Street in the Jazz District.
*Tweet of the Week: Aaron Rhodes- Pick up @RollingStone issue 1352 (June 2021) to see my first national byline. It’s a sponsored content piece from @VisitMO that highlights a few Kansas City venues worth visiting (@Knuckleheadskc, @ajazzmuseumKC, and Lemonade Park).
Fiction Review: Haruki Murakami’s “Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova”
Original image of First Person Singular by Plastic Sax.
Haruki Murakami is ideally suited for an era in which alternative facts, deep fakes and outright lies seem to be hastening societal collapse. The writer has long been celebrated for his subversive distortions of the truth and playful skewering of reality. First Person Singular, Murakami’s new collection of short stories and essays, includes a riff on Charlie Parker. The extremely meta exercise concerns a narrator who encounters the Kansas City icon years after his satirical review of a nonexistent bossa nova album was published in a Japanese journal. The prank detailed in Murakami’s “Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova” has tangible and spiritual ramifications. Analogous with Parker’s daring personality and in keeping the mythology surrounding Bird, the story holds particular appeal to Parker devotees harboring devotional predilections. The strangeness doesn’t end there. The Polish musician Milosz Konarski oversaw the creation of the poker-faced album Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova (what if) as an homage to Murakami’s work. What does it all mean? Don’t ask the author. Murakami writes in “Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey,” a similarly astounding story in First Person Singular: “Theme? Can’t say there is one.”
Now's the Time: Charles Perkins
Charles Perkins is one of Kansas City’s most underappreciated jazz masters. He plays alto saxophone for a handful of fortunate people in the embedded video. The host of the Mutual Musicians Foundation function even jokes about the need to boost attendance: “Next time tell a friend to bring a friend and we’ll have two people!”
Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Live music resumes at the Blue Room this week.
*Jazzwise magazine offers a profile of Logan Richardson.
*Robert Castillo is among the artists featured in an arts overview published by KCUR.
*A fundraising campaign for a new Kansas City based big band with Rob Scheps as musical director is accepting donations.
*Nate Nall chatted with Joe Dimino.
*The Kansas City Star assesses the push for gun control in the Jazz District.
*Tweet of the Week: St. Louis Public Radio- Ferguson native and renowned jazz trumpeter @keyonharrold shares why jazz purists need to open their eyes to other music genres. (link)
*From a press release: The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra is thrilled to announce the debut of its new, second ensemble, Riff Generation, in the 21/22 season. The ensemble, distinct from the organization's long-established 18-piece big band, now entering its 19th season, will perform a multi-concert series beginning in the first half of 2022.
Motoring
Original image of a free Open Spaces performance by Plastic Sax.
Detroit’s reputation as the most economically challenged major city in the United States was validated during my first post-quarantine trip this month. The pervasive blight is horrifying. Even so, Detroit manages to host one of the biggest annual jazz festivals in North America. The 2021 edition of the four-day Detroit Jazz Fest will present icons including Herbie Hancock and Abdullah Ibrahim in September.
On September 12, the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago is headlined by the innovative jazz-informed artists Erykah Badu, Flying Lotus and Thundercat. Even closer to home, the Iowa City Jazz Festival hosts the acclaimed up-and-comers Giveton Gelin and Immanuel Wilkins on July 3. The following weekend, dozens of jazz and jazz-adjacent acts including Lalah Hathaway and Roy Ayers will be featured at the Music at the Intersection festival in St. Louis.
An uninformed observer would think Kansas City- a much-ballyhooed cradle of jazz- is certain to outdo the endeavors of those Midwestern cities in 2021. Not so fast. Unless the yet-to-be-announced lineups of the Spotlight Charlie Parker initiative or the Prairie Village Jazz Festival break from their comparatively modest traditions, Kansas City won’t muster anything remotely similar for the foreseeable future.
The two most ambitious jazz-friendly ventures of recent years- the city-financed Open Spaces (2018) and the American Jazz Museum’s Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival (2017)- were artistic triumphs but financial debacles. The correlation between the two elements forced area promoters and attentive musicians around the world to relearn a difficult lesson about Kansas City.
Apologists excuse the failures with allegations of poor promotion, but the unfortunate reality is the local appetite for touring jazz musicians- especially artists with left-of-center inclinations- is extremely limited. Empty seats at Open Spaces’ jazz and jazz-related performances outnumbered patrons. About 75 people bothered to show up for Vijay Iyer’s headlining performance at Open Spaces. Less than 500 hundred people attended a set by Chick Corea at the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival.
I’m reopening this old wound because I’m increasingly agitated by the necessity of leaving Kansas City to experience performances by all but a handful of the most significant artists in improvised music. I’ll save the 200 people in the same predicament a step by providing the cost of the cheapest round trip flights to each festival: Detroit, $140; Chicago, $155; St. Louis, $150; Iowa City, $325. Let me know if you’re interested in splitting the cost of a hotel room or two or three tanks of gasoline.
Now's the Time: Bennie Moten
Sometimes you have to go back to move forward. Black to the Future, the latest album by Sons of Kemet, resonates with me partly because the British band’s attack gratefully cites the foundational sound of jazz. "Throughout the Madness, Stay Strong" and Bennie Moten and the Kansas City Orchestra’s 1928 track “Tough Breaks” are clearly part of the same continuum.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Robert Castillo discusses his work in a 56-minute video created by the Kansas City Artists Coalition.
*A crowdfunding campaign was created on behalf of Mike Dillon following a horrific event in Kansas City last weekend.
*Chris Haghirian recommends Kansas City jazz venues in Afar magazine.
*Joe Dimino documented a performance by Jackie Myers.
*Tweet of the Week: Rob C- They caught the person that stole my homies life, and I can only hope it’s the last time he is able to hurt people. Kansas City man charged with murder in connection to Jazz District shooting that wounded 4