Newvelle Records has an intriguing business model. The high-fidelity albums released by the French label are initially available only as premium vinyl offerings. The digital moratorium on Steve Cardenas’ 2017 album Charlie & Paul ended last week. The rest of the world can finally hear the elite improvistations a cadre of audiophile enthusiasts have relished for several years. Intended as a tribute to Charlie Haden and Paul Motian, the album features the former Kansas City resident Cardenas (guitar), Loren Stillman (saxophone), Thomas Morgan (bass) and Matt Wilson (drums). The quartet’s freewheeling interpretations of compositions by the late bassist and drummer are extraordinary. Cardenas magnanimously provides ample space for his colleagues. Morgan sounds particularly magnificent. The closing track "There in a Dream" is representative of the refined tone of Charlie & Paul.
Now’s the Time: Hermon Mehari
The France based Hermon Mehari will recreate his 2020 EP A Change For the Dreamlike at the 1900 Building on Saturday, December 10. The former area resident was Plastic Sax’s Person of the Year in 2009. His two most recent albums placed #3 and #7 on Plastic Sax’s ranking of The Top Kansas City Jazz Albums of 2021. Details about the concert are available here.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Chalis O’Neal promoted his new album on Joe Dimino’s YouTube channel.
*Nina Cherry considered the legacy of Margaret “Countess” Johnson for Kansas City magazine.
*Tweet of the Week: Pat Metheny- Thanks fans! (image)
*From a press release: Disney’s regional jazz exhibit, “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure,” will open at Kansas City’s American Jazz Museum on December 10. Visitors are joined by Joe Gardner – the musician, mentor and teacher from Disney and Pixar’s “Soul” – on a tour as they discover the rich and surprising history of jazz… (T)he exhibit will include a unique collection of artifacts curated by the American Jazz Museum, including Samuel “Baby” Lovett’s bongos and a signed photo of Louis Armstrong and his dog. Additionally, there will be maquettes of characters Joe Gardner and Dorothea Williams, and virtual experiences via the Play Disney Parks app… “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure”... opens Friday, December 10 and will run until April 24, 2022.
*From a press release: Unity Temple on the Plaza is presenting a special holiday edition of its long running Concert Series entitled Spirituality and All That Jazz (4 p.m. Sunday, December 19). This all ages concert will be led by award winning Pianist Tim Whitmer and his Consort Band. Tim's special guests will include; Saxophonist Jim Mair, Pianist Joe Cartwright, Vocalist Kathleen Holeman, and vocalist Millie Edwards. Tickets are available here.
*From a press release: The NEC Jazz Orchestra presents Soul on Soul – The Music of Mary Lou Williams on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. in NEC’s Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston. Joining the ensemble will be NEC alum and pianist Carmen Staaf ’05, 2009 winner of the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Pianist Competition. The concert will be broadcast internationally on Wednesday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m ET.
The Top Ten Jazz Performances of 2021
Original image of J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits at the Blue Room by Plastic Sax.
I caught several dozen jazz performances in an unsettling year characterized by starts and stops. With a literal sense of danger in the air, each outing felt vital. The listing my favorite jazz-based performances in the Kansas City area includes a jaunt to Columbia for an essential bout of free jazz and a trek to Detroit to catch a Lee’s Summit native who no longer performs in his old stomping grounds.
1. J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits- Blue Room
2. Pat Metheny, James Francies and Joe Dyson- Orchestra Hall (Detroit)
3. Irreversible Entanglements- Stephens Lake Park Amphitheatre (Columbia)
4. Bird Fleming and Bill Summers’ “Voyage of the Drum”- Dunbar Park
5. Rod Fleeman- Green Lady Lounge
6. Eddie Moore, Ryan J. Lee and Zach Morrow- Charlotte Street Foundation
7. Thollem McDonas- 9th and State
8. Jeff Kaiser, Kevin Cheli and Seth Davis- Charlotte Street Foundation
9. Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie- 1900 Building
10. Second Nature Ensemble- Westport Coffee House
Lists of the top albums of 2021 are here. Links to similar annual top-show surveys for the past 11 years begin here.
Now's the Time: David Benoit
The veteran smooth jazz artist David Benoit will interpret the seasonal music of the late Vince Guaraldi at the Folly Theater on Friday, December 10. The embedded video is a brief sample of the pianist’s melodic approach.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Pitch featured Eboni Fondren in advance of her holiday concert with The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.
*Tweet of the Week: David George- Snuck out of the house for some jazz. Ken, Brian, and Sam killed it! @GreenLadyLounge
Turn Out the Lights
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Few things are more illustrative of the reduced role jazz plays in the cultural life of Kansas City than its dramatically diminished presence at the annual Thanksgiving lighting ceremony at the Country Club Plaza. The featured entertainers at last week’s event were a yacht rock cover band, a cabaret company and an aerialist troupe, sights and sounds that could have been seen or heard in cities from Orlando to Sacramento. The music associated with Kansas City once received pride of place at the festive ritual. For 14 years ending in 2009, a jazz ensemble led by the late Kerry Strayer serenaded throngs of holiday revelers. Event organizers have dismissed jazz like an irrelevant relic of the past ever since.
Now’s the Time: Ana Gasteyer
The celebrities who spoof jazz probably do more harm than good. Even so, the seemingly well-intentioned Ana Gasteyer, a former cast member of Saturday Night Live, is sure to delight the audience during her appearance at Yardley Hall on Sunday, December 5.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A pair of Kansas City-adjacent jazz albums received Grammy acknowledgments this week. The Count Basie Orchestra’s Live at Birdland is nominated in the category of Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV) is nominated in the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
*Pat Metheny was named Guitarist of the Year in the 86th Annual DownBeat Readers Poll.
*The Lansing City Pulse interviewed Carl Allen. The drummer who was named the William D. and Mary Grant/Endowed Professor of Jazz Studies at UMKC this year mentioned the formation of the Jazz Professors, a group featuring saxophonist Tia Fuller, trombonist Mitch Butler, pianist Cyrus Chestnut and bassist Rodney Whitaker.
*Pat Metheny is on the cover of the December issue of Jazzwise magazine.
*Joe Dimino chatted with drummer Marty Morrison.
*Tweet of the Week: KCUR- A score of Kansas City musicians are nominated for the 2022 Grammy Awards (link)
The Top Jazz Albums of 2021
More than two dozen jazz albums by artists associated with the Kansas City area were released in 2021. A ranking of my ten favorite titles follows. For context, I’ve added a list of my top ten jazz albums by artists without immediate connections to Kansas City.
The Top Kansas City Jazz Albums of 2021
1. Pat Metheny- Road to the Sun
2. Pat Metheny- Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)
3. Hermon Mehari and Alessandro Lanzoni- Arc Fiction
4. Verploegh and Baker- Singles
5. Steve Million- What I Meant to Say
6. The Count Basie Orchestra- Live at Birdland
7. Florian Arbenz, Hermon Mehari and Nelson Veras- Conversation #1: Condensed
8. John Armato- The Drummer Loves Ballads
9. Lucy Wijnands- Sings the David Heckendorn Song Book
10. Blob Castle- Music for Art Show
The Top Jazz Albums of 2021 by Artists From Elsewhere
1. Irreversible Entanglements- Open the Gates
2. Mathias Eick- When We Leave
3. Pino Palladino and Blake Mills- Notes With Attachments
4. Nala Sinephro- Space 1.8
5. Sons of Kemet- Black to the Future
6. Evan Parker Quartet- All Knavery & Collusion
7. Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble- Now
8. Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson- Searching for the Disappeared Hour
9. Artifacts- …And Then There’s This
10. Angel Bat Dawid- Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1: Doxology
Links to similar annual surveys of the past 11 years begin here.
Now’s the Time: The All Night Trio
People look at me as if I’m speaking gibberish every time I say Matt Villinger’s All Night Trio is among my favorite bands in Kansas City. The limited awareness of the outstanding group is reprehensible. I’m posting this extended video documentation of the vital collaboration between Villinger, Peter Schlamb and Zach Morrow as a public service.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Last night’s concert featuring students of UMKC’s jazz program streams on YouTube.
*Kansas City Magazine catches up with Eddie Moore.
*Tweet of the Week: American Wild Ensemble- Another Missouri Music at 200 video is out today, and we are very happy to share this collaboration between Marcus Lewis, Glenn North, and @AmWildEnsemble (link)
*From a press release: Kansas City Area Youth Jazz is pleased to announce that the application and audition process for 2022 Youth Jazz Fellowships is now open for submissions. Kansas City Area Youth Jazz has two ensembles: the Leon Brady Ensemble (LBE) and the Bill Crain Ensemble (BCE)…. Interested candidates should contact (Chris) Burnett with your name, instrument, email address, mobile phone number at director@youthjazz.us.
Concert Review: J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits at the Blue Room
Original image by Plastic Sax.
“We’re going to create ice cream castles in the summer and watch them melt,” J.D. Allen told a transfixed audience of about 50 at the opening of the second set at the Blue Room on Thursday, November 1. While apt, the saxophonist’s analogy diminished the monumental scale of the act of creation and destruction he undertook with bassist Eric Revis and drummer Nasheet Wait.
The eminent trio seemed to construct colossal pyramids before toppling them in competitive games of Jenga. Their ability to instantaneously switch styles elicited roguish smiles from the musicians and gasps of disbelief from their admirers. When they turned their attention from post-bop, electronic drones and tender swing to Kansas City-style blues, the trio so dramatically reengineered the form that the present seemed unnervingly altered when they’d concluded.
A knowledgeable friend suggested the trio intentionally channeled Sonny Rollins’ 1960s edgy collaborations with Don Cherry and Billy Higgins. A corresponding commitment to the subversion of corny standards suggests he’s right. In spite of the auspicious precedent, the undeniable genius and stunning creativity of Allen, Revis and Waits were the equal of any practitioners of improvised music on Thursday, living or dead.
Now's the Time: Marcus Lewis
Marcus Lewis performs at Ça Va, a champagne-themed Westport establishment, every Thursday this month. The trombonist will be joined by keyboardist Eddie Moore and drummer Zach Morrow on Thursday, November 11.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Dave Scott and Tim Brewer chatted with Joe Dimino about their past and present endeavors.
*The Leedy-Voulkos Art Center hosts a jazz-themed art exhibition through December 31.
*The author of this blog muses on the shifting landscape for music venues in a report by KCUR’s Laura Spencer.
*Tweet of the Week: John Armato- Veteran music journalist Bill Brownlee calls "The Drummer Loves Ballads" one of the Top 25 Kansas City Albums of 2021. Thank you Bill! (link)
Album Review: Hermon Mehari and Alessandro Lanzoni- Arc Fiction
Released seven months ago, Conversation #1: Condensed was the best recording to date associated with the former Kansas City resident Hermon Mehari. Yet the estimable album merely foreshadowed the brilliance of the miniature masterpiece Arc Fiction. Issued by the French collective Mirr in October, the trumpeter’s exquisite duets with pianist Alessandro Lanzoni are superior European chamber jazz.
Had more reverb been applied, the recording would sound like a laudatory addition to the ECM Records catalog. If the cover art was splashed with primary colors, Arc Fiction would make for a notable ACT Music release. The prominent labels would surely be pleased to share Mehari’s artistic breakthrough. In finding a way to best exploit his fragile sound, Mehari turned a possible weakness into a formidable strength. The trumpeter’s tone on Arc Fiction express his thoughts and concepts with grace and eloquence. Lanzoni matches Mehari’s sensitivity.
The duo sets the dynamic tone at the opening of the first track "Savannah". Lanzoni dices his piano’s innards like an innovative chef while Mehari slips and slides like a child frolicking on ice. Mehari’s original composition "Dance Cathartic" is so immediately engaging it might be mistaken for a Chick Corea standard. Mehari has made valuable music for more than a decade. With the spartan Arc Fiction and Conversation #1: Condensed, he’s found his true métier.
Now's the Time: Nasheet Waits
Nasheet Waits, one of the world’s most remarkable drummers, will make a rare appearance in Kansas City this month. He’s slated to appear with the vigorous saxophonist JD Allen and the stellar bassist Eric Revis at the Blue Room on Thursday, November 11. Tickets are available here.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Steve Paul shared footage of Logan Richardson’s recent all-star concert at the Blue Room.
*Clarence Smith received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Central Methodist University.
*KCUR’s Luke Martin reported on Darryl Chamberlain’s A-Flat Youth Orchestra initiative.
*Tweet of the Week: American Jazz Museum- After more than a year and a half, the Blue Room jazz club officially brought back its Monday Night Jam Sessions tonight, and it feels so good! Check out other jams & performances coming soon: (link)
Concert Review: Benjamin Baker, Kevin Cheli, Seth Davis, Jeff Kaiser, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at Charlotte Street Foundation
Original image by Plastic Sax.
That’s not music! The common objection to experimental noise came to mind during separate performances of manic improvisations presented by the Extemporaneous Music Society at the Charlotte Street Foundation on Wednesday, October 20. Quadraphonic sound enhanced the maelstrom created by Jeff Kaiser (trumpet, electronics, gadgets), Kevin Cheli (drums, percussion) and Seth Davis (guitar). A dizzying racket spiraled around the audience of 25 from speakers in four corners of the room. Kaiser is a stupendously industrious trickster, so I didn’t mind the failure of Cheli and Davis to showcase material from their recently released album as a duo. My tolerance didn’t extend to the second set. Aaron Osborne (bass, percussion) made several interesting contributions to a collaboration with Benjamin Baker (saxophone) and Evan Verploegh (drums), but I’d hoped to hear the saxophonist and drummer present music from their outstanding new Singles album. Missed opportunities aside, the bold caterwauling was music to my ears.
Now's the Time: Robert Hurst
The storied bassist Robert Hurst is part of an all-star band appearing at the Blue Room on Saturday, October 30. The Kansas City native Logan Richardson leads the auspicious date. The saxophonist will also be joined by saxophonist Mark Turner and drummer Damion Reid. Hurst performs with violinist Regina Carter in the embedded video. Tickets to Saturday’s show are available here.