Stan Kessler, Plastic Sax’s 2013 Person of the Year, was recently inducted in the Kansas Music Hall of Fame. Sons of Brasil, Kessler’s long-lived Brazilian jazz group, appears at Sail Away Wine on Tuesday, January 11.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV) placed #29 in the The 2021 Jazz Critics Poll. My ballot is here.
*Brian Scarborough’s Gettin’ It Done: Steve Davis’ Improvised Trombone Solos, “a comprehensive collection of transcriptions from (Davis’) 20212 release,” was published January 1.
*Tweet of the Week: KU School of Music- #KUMusicHistory: Did you know the KU School of Music is home to the Richard F. Wright Jazz Archive, a collection of over 40,000 items? The holdings cover all major jazz periods from the 1920s and 30s as well as the many genres following World War II.
Book Review: Queering Kansas City Jazz: Gender, Performance and the History of a Scene
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Published in 2018 as part of the University of Nebraska’s Expanding Frontiers: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Series, Queering Kansas City Jazz: Gender, Performance and the History of a Scene possesses an admirably confrontational perspective.
Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone, also the author of the 2015 study Queerness in Heavy Metal Music: Metal Bent, argues that the established canon of scholarship by the likes of Terry Teachout, Nathan Pearson, Frank Driggs, Chuck Haddix and Stanley Crouch is marred by conscious or unconscious “heteronormative” and/or race-related biases.
Insisting an essential component of Kansas City’s jazz history has been unjustifiably marginalized by incomplete analyses, Clifford-Napoleone makes a case for overlooked entertainers including Edna Jacobs. She suggests “sex tourism…(was) an integral part of the jazz scene” in her investigation of Pendergast-era jazz-adjacent nightclubs like Dante’s Inferno and blues-fueled brothels.
Unfortunately, Queering Kansas City Jazz is written in the jargon associated with contemporary academia. Clifford-Napoleone’s disruptive ideas are often expressed in dense passages complicated by words and phrases such as intersectionality, reterritorialization and non-normative gender performance.
The occasionally baffling idiom doesn’t negate Clifford-Napoleone’s healthy skepticism. In decrying the institutional “disciplinary monotony” that inhibits artistic vitality and diminishes public enthusiasm for jazz in Kansas City, the author’s rejection of accepted wisdom points to new possibilities.
Now’s the Time: The Jim Lower Trio
Aficionados of mainstream swing can ring in the new year with the Jim Lower Trio in the Orion Room at Green Lady Lounge on Friday, December 31.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Chris Burnett listed his ten favorite albums of 2021 at Jazz Artistry Now.
*The man behind this site shared selections by Hermon Mehari and Pat Metheny in a survey of his favorite music of 2021 on radio station 90.9 The Bridge. (Stream available soon.)
*Tweet of the Week: Dylan Pyles- Psst. There are no safe indoors events right now.
The Kansas City's Jazz Scene's Top Trends and Stories of 2021
Original image of Tyree Johnson by Plastic Sax.
1. Mask off
Kansas City never entirely embraced pandemic precautions. Much of the populace treated official mandates as gratuitous suggestions. Even so, Kansas City’s live music landscape shifted during the difficulties. The good news is that new jazz-friendly venues replaced many of the rooms that didn’t survive.
2. Saying the quiet part out loud
Some readers of Plastic Sax are annoyed by this site’s penchant for disclosing disheartening attendance figures. Pat Metheny acknowledged the town’s limited appetite for jazz in an interview with In Kansas City magazine.
3. Fiver
Many observers insist that the customary absence of cover charges at performances of jazz devalues the music. Green Lady Lounge, Kansas City’s most popular jazz venue, instituted a five dollar admission fee this year.
4. Underground surge
Thanks largely to the initiatives of the enterprising young musicians Seth Davis and Evan Verploegh, avant-garde jazz and experimental music was much easier to find in 2021.
5. 3333
After relocating to 3333 Wyoming Street, the Charlotte Street Foundation became a welcoming home for left-of-center improvised music.
6. The beat goes on
The storied drummer Carl Allen replaced Bobby Watson as Endowed Chair of Jazz Studies at UMKC. Much of the jazz scene’s fate rests on Allen’s ability to attract and develop promising talent.
7. Dunn good
Gerald Dunn, the person who has become the institutional memory of the American Jazz Museum and has long served as an essential component of Kansas City’s music scene, was named a Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Association.
8. Missouri uncompromised
Carolyn Glenn Brewer’s new study Under Missouri Skies: Pat Metheny in Kansas City 1965-1972 provides essential insights into a previously under-documented era.
9. Next level
Hermon Mehari’s progression as a refined practitioner of European jazz and the ascension of Lucy Wijnands’ career were among the most notable artistic developments by artists associated with Kansas City.
10. Rest in peace
The passing of organ kingpin Everette DeVan was the most prominent of several heartbreaking deaths.
Now's the Time: Steve Cardenas
EDIT: THIS PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN POSTPONED
The accomplished guitarist Steve Cardenas performs with pianist Jon Cowherd, bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard in the embedded video. Cardenas will be joined by bassist Forest Stewart and drummer Brian Steever at recordBar on Tuesday, December 28.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Pat Metheny is a Kansas City music blog’s Artist of the Year.
*JazzTimes published a Count Basie-themed listicle. Something Else! published an appreciation of Pat Metheny’s debut album.
*Tweet of the Week: Carl Kincaid- What a fantastic night. And privilege. Seeing #BobbyWatson with some of Kansas City’s (indeed, the world’s) greatest players in The American Jazz Orchestra at the epicenter of Jazz, #TheBlueRoom at 18th and Vine. Got him to sign my copy of his #GatesBBQ Suite too. So cool. #jazz
Rod Fleeman: The Plastic Sax Person of the Year
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The artistic vitality of Kansas City’s jazz scene isn’t dependent on charismatic celebrities or prominent institutions. Instead, a few dozen diligent journeyman musicians are responsible for the resilience of the music.
Few artists are more representative of these unsung heroes than Rod Fleeman. The guitarist’s work with the famed vocalists Karrin Allyson and Marilyn Maye is his primary calling card, but he’s often found working under less glamorous spotlights.
While Fleeman’s contributions make even the humblest gigs seem sublime, he shines like a luminous star when surrounded by exceptional musicians. His Saturday matinee booking at Green Lady Lounge is among Kansas City’s best-kept secrets.
The unassuming Fleeman possesses a tiny fraction of the fame attained by the Lee’s Summit native Pat Metheny. The former teenage acquaintances took different career paths. Yet every Fleeman appearance contains solos capable of dazzling discerning Metheny enthusiasts. That’s among the many reasons Fleeman is Plastic Sax’s Person of the Year.
Previous recipients of the designation are Charlie Parker (2020), Logan Richardson (2019),Peter Schlamb (2018), John Scott (2017), Eddie Moore (2016), Larry Kopitnik (2015), Deborah Brown (2014), Stan Kessler (2013), Doug and Lori Chandler (2012), Jeff Harshbarger (2011), Mark Lowrey (2010) and Hermon Mehari (2009). Bobby Watson was named the Plastic Sax Person of the Decade in 2009 and again in 2019.
Now's the Time: Bobby Watson
Bobby Watson leads a big band at the Blue Room on Thursday, December 16. The embedded video captures the Kansas City icon performing his composition “Wheel Within a Wheel” at an Atlanta jazz club on Halloween.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Joe Dimino shared a brief tour of The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure exhibit at the American Jazz Museum.
*Steve Paul documented a portion of Hermon Mehari’s homecoming concert.
*Downbeat magazine checked in with Pat Metheny.
*Tweet of the Week: Jesse Dayton- While driving thru Kansas I’m reminded why Kansas City had such an explosive jazz scene. (image)
*From a Kansas University School of Music press release: The 2021 DownBeat Award-winning Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Dan Gailey, has been invited to compete at the Jack Rudin Jazz Championship at Lincoln Center in January 2022. Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) announced its second annual Jack Rudin Jazz Championship, a two-day invitational competition featuring ensembles from ten of the most well-regarded university jazz programs in the country. Students will perform on the Rose Theater stage on January 10-11, 2022.
Album Review: Steve Cardenas- Charlie & Paul
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)