Album Review: Extemporaneous Music Society- EMS Quartet

The Extemporaneous Music Society asks a lot of listeners on its recently released debut album.  Not only does the recording clock in at almost two hours, the six selections consist of formidably spiky improvisations.  The sounds made by Ben Baker (woodwinds), Seth Andrew Davis (guitars and electronics), Krista Kopper (bass) and Evan Verploegh (drums) are uncompromisingly noisy.

Shifting between interstellar space music, ambient landscapes, craggy free jazz and bracing contemporary classical music, the 26-minute “One” contains several discrete movements. A portion of the 36-minute “Two” resembles a sideways version of last year’s celebrated collaboration between Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders.  

Kopper’s analog instrument scrapes against Davis’ electronics on the comparatively concise 11-minute “Four.” As with all of the dense and difficult album, it’s only tangentially related to the conventional notion of Kansas City jazz. EMS Quartet is a robust reminder that the artistic conservatism that’s long stifled regional output can be respectfully disregarded.

Now’s the Time: Darryl White

Darryl White performs at the Blue Room on Saturday, February 19. The Nebraska based trumpeter is accompanied by guitarist Aaron Stroessner in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The Martin City Telegraph ​​profiled Mr. Biggs Place, a new jazz-friendly venue in Grandview.

*Illinois State University’s radio station shared an audio interview with Adam Larson.

*Stephen Martin chatted with Joe Dimino.

*KCUR reports on a new infusion of city money into the Jazz District.

*Tweet of the Week: Jazz 88.3 San Diego- Monday thru Friday is kind of the same except where it's different. Joe 6am, Gary 10, then Ron at 2. Jazz Across America 5-7: Monday the city is NYC, hosted by Kenny Washington. Tuesday is Detroit, hosted by Jim Gallert. Wednesday is Kansas City, hosted by Sam Wisman. @Jazz88 1/2

Concert Review: The Adam Larson Trio at Westport Coffee House

The predictability of the phenomena that transpired at Westport Coffee House on Wednesday, February 9, didn’t make the event any less remarkable.  Exceptional musicians typically magnify the brilliance of their recordings while celebrating the release of new albums.

The rousing performance of Adam Larson, Clark Sommers and Dana Hall was no exception.  Renditions of selections from With Love, From Chicago were even more rewarding than the superlative studio versions.

Larson embellished his stupendous playing with a few flourishes not on the album. The performance of the rhythm section was commensurately outstanding.  Sommers and Hall applied a substantially different approach from what’s typically heard in Kansas City.

The sense of occasion was enhanced by an attentive capacity audience of almost 100.  The cover charge for the general public was $15, but students who made up about half of the attendees paid only $5 each.  Invaluable lessons were dispensed at the de facto masterclass.

Now’s the Time: Candice Hoyes

The New York based Candice Hoyes will perform a stylish form of jazz at Swarthout Recital Hall in Lawrence on Tuesday, February 15. The concert is presented by the University of Kansas’ Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging committee.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Tim Finn interviewed Ryan Heinlein for In Kansas City magazine.

*Pete Fucinaro and Adam Larson chatted with Joe Dimino.

*Tweet of the Week: 20sJazz- String bass innovator, Walter Page was born today in Gallatin, Missouri in 1900. -The tuba player and double bassist was active on the 1920's Kansas City jazz scene as both a member of the "Bennie Moten Orchestra" and leader of his own "Blue Devils". (link)

Album Review: The Adam Larson Trio- With Love, From Chicago

Football commentators often suggest successful offenses seem to be running downhill.  Saxophonist Adam Larson, bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall achieve a similarly impressive form of forward momentum on With Love, From Chicago. With the strength of a rumbling L train in the Windy City and with the agility demonstrated at a Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey recital, the trio powers and dances through a burly set of improvised music on the new album. Currently affiliated with the University of Missouri- Kansas City, Larson’s roots are in Chicago. Fittingly, he reconvenes with Sommers and Hall on With Love, From Chicago. Their uncompromising assault evokes the distinctive sax/bass/drums format sometimes employed by Sonny Rollins and Rudresh Mahanthappa. Listeners of With Love, From Chicago should prepare to brace for the bruising hits delivered by the muscular trio. Helmets and pads are optional.

Now’s the Time: Will Matthews

Guitarist Will Matthews performs a matinee show at Soiree Steak & Oyster House on Friday, February 4. Matthews is accompanied by keyboardist Matt Villinger and drummer Marty Morrison in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Nina Cherry touts Ça Va’s jazz bookings in Kansas City magazine.

*Jazzwise published an interview with Pat Metheny.

*Anat Cohen’s February 12 concert at The Folly Theater has been canceled.

*Tweet of the Week: KC Jazz Orchestra- Tickets for Riff Generation, KCJO's new, second ensemble, are on sale starting TODAY, February 1! Use code EARLYBIRD15 for 15% off your tickets while supplies last.⁠ ⁠⁠ Order your tickets and learn more here

Book Review: Mary Lou Williams: Music for the Soul by Deanna Witkowski

Published four months ago by Liturgical Press in the publishing house’s People of God series, Mary Lou Williams: Music for the Soul focuses on the role of faith in the life of the artist who was a formidable mastermind on Kansas City’s jazz scene in the 1930s. Deanna Witkowski’s 152-page study touches on Williams’ stint in Kansas City but is centered on Williams’ subsequent mid-life spiritual awakening and the music it inspired. Williams converted to Catholicism in 1957 when she was 49. Witkowski analyzes Williams’ devotional evolution, suggesting Williams was fully committed to “living the life of a consecrated woman religious.” The book’s sympathetic orientation provides new insights into Williams’ sacred works. In addition to making Williams’ 1964 album Black Christ of the Andes more accessible, Music for the Soul acts as a decoder ring for previously impenetrable passages of Williams’ ambitious jazz masses.

Now’s the Time: Seth Lee

Seth Lee will lead a jam session when live music returns to the Blue Room on Monday, January 31, following a month-long hiatus. The bassist performs with pianist Roger Wilder and drummer Brian Steever at the Blue Room in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Robert Graham’s Charlie Parker sculpture receives an enhanced reality treatment.

*Nina Cherry commends Everyday Strangers in Kansas City magazine.

*Tweet of the Week: Pat Metheny- Pat Metheny Side-Eye on Tour in February with @thekingjames88 & @Joe_Dyson (schedule)

Say It Isn't So

I intend to purchase a $35 ticket to the Bessie, Billie and Nina: Pioneering Women in Jazz concert at Polsky Theatre.  Performances by Tahira Clayton, Vanisha Gould and Charanée Wade in the Midwest Trust Center’s Jazz Winterlude series on March 6 will almost certainly be enjoyable.

Even though Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone merit the utmost respect, the booking is part of a pervasively discouraging trend.  Honoring past heroes is commendable.  Neglecting present innovators is detrimental. Angel Bat Dawid, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Esperanza Spalding are among the many artistically vibrant artists currently embodying the rebellious legacies of Holiday, Simone and Smith.  

The conservatism of Jazz Winterlude is understandable.  Past bookings by forward-thinking artists including Terri Lyne Carrington and Julian Lage received tepid public support.  Curating a sanitized past is safer than presenting a divisive present.

Now’s the Time: Pete Fucinaro

Saxophonist Pete Fucinaro, a recent addition to Kansas City’s jazz scene, leads a band in renditions of Thelonious Monk compositions at Ça Va on Thursday, January 20.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The prominent author and critic Terry Teachout, a one-time resident of the Kansas City area, has died.

*Joe Dimino documented a matinee performance by Bram and Lucy Wijnands.

*Tweet of the Week: KCMO Public Library- We are saddened to learn of the passing of arts critic and author Terry Teachout. The Library was honored to host him for several public programs including in Nov. 2013 for his book Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington. Watch it here.

Album Review: Stephen Martin- High Plains

Bobby Watson and Stephen Martin romp through an affectionate interpretation of Benny Golson’s standard “Stablemates” on the latter musician’s new release High Plains.  Bold and assured, the selection exemplifies the impeccable form of swing that’s dominated Kansas City’’s jazz scene in recent decades.

Watson is one of several members of an elite consortium of notable Kansas City musicians joining Martin on his second album.  The saxophonist’s vision is bolstered by Peter Schlamb (vibraphone and piano) and Ben Leifer (basses).   Saxophonist Matt Otto produced High Plains and performs on one track.  The Nebraska based drummer David Hawkins rounds out the group.

High Plains is suffused with Martin’s devotion to John Coltrane.  Thanks partly to Schlamb’s wondrous invocation of McCoy Tyner, the band reaches Afro Blue Impressions-level intensity on “The Void.” Martin and his stablemates are less clamorous on the remainder of the album. Mainstream jazz- in Kansas City or anywhere else- doesn’t get much better than High Plains.

Now’s the Time: The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

The 2020 release of Rock Chalk Suite, an Ellingtonian album inspired by the basketball program at the University of Kansas, will forever link The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to Lawrence, Kansas. The ensemble returns to the Lied Center on Tuesday, January 18.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Nedra Dixon and Pamela Baskin-Watson were awarded an Opera America grant to assist in the advancement of their “A God- Sib's Tale: A Folk Opera” project.

*Rashida Phillips of the American Jazz Museum chatted with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date prgram.

*El Intruso’s 14th Annual International Critics Poll was published this week.  My ballot includes votes for the Kansas City musicians Brett Jackson, Hermon Mehari, Pat Metheny, Brian Scarborough and Bobby Watson.

*Tweet of the Week: The Eldridge- POSTPONED! Look for a new date soon. Susan Hancock is roaring back to the Lawrence, KS music scene for the first time in two years! She is delighted to be joined by two top Kansas City jazz musicians, Roger Wilder, pianist, and Joey Panella, bass. #theeldridge #lawrence #music

Album Review: Seth Andrew Davis, Kyle Hutchins, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh- Quartet, Vol. 1

The subversive artists of the Extemporaneous Music Society are picking up where they left off their extraordinarily productive 2021.  The January 1 release of Quartet, Vol. 1 on Mother Brain Records is another provocative missive in the collective’s bold overhaul of Kansas City’s improvised music scene.

The album’s intentionally jarring contents will be familiar to those who encountered a concert by Seth Andrew Davis (electric guitar/laptop/electronics), Kyle Hutchins (saxophones), Aaron Osborne (bass/electronics) and Evan Verploegh (drums/percussion) at Charlotte Street Foundation last July.

The anarchic opening segment of the 32-minute “Of Other Mirrors” may cause even the most intrepid listeners to flinch.  The confrontational blaring, obnoxious bleating and insidious braying seems designed to repel all comers.  There’s a method to their madness.  While retaining a harsh edge, the subsequent quieter passages reveal the quartet’s attentive interplay.  

Jazz-oriented listeners are likely to gravitate to the contributions of Hutchins.  His Dolphy-esque playing provides an analog counterpoint to industrial grating on “Of Other Mirrors,” the glitchy futurism of “Under a Strange Legend” and the somber malevolence of “So Many Stars Take Care of Me.”  Viva la revolución!

Now’s the Time: Stan Kessler

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.