Joe Cartwright returns to the Blue Room on Friday, July 15. The pianist displays his elegant style in an interpretation of “The Summer Knows” in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The theme of this year’s jazz festival in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, is Goin' to Kansas City. A headlining set led by Bobby Watson and Fareed Haque’s tribute to Pat Metheny are among the performances slated for the July 16 event in the Chicago suburb.
*Jeff Shirley talked to Joe Dimino.
*Tweet of the Week: KCDownTown- Jazz enthusiasts prepare to celebrate KC’s status as a UNESCO Creative City (link)
Concert Review: Phillip Greenlief, Midwestern and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at Bushranger Records
Original image of Phillip Greenlief by Plastic Sax.
A concert hosted in the basement of a house in northeastern Kansas City on Sunday, July 3, acted as a study in risk/reward theory. A multitude of ill-advised gambles were taken. A high percentage failed, but the payoffs of the sporadic successes were enormous.
The audaciously programmed bill featured three divergent acts. The exploratory saxophonist Phillip Greenlief opened the show with an approximately 25-minute solo excursion. The Californian seemed intent in creating previously unheard sounds.
Following an opening segment in which he sputtered without a mouthpiece, Greenlief used a mouthpiece cap to transform his tenor saxophone into a novel percussive instrument. Groans and shouts heightened the intensity of more familiar wailing in the mode of Albert Ayler in the latter stage of his recital.
The locally based duo Midwestern ratcheted up the rumpus. Categorized by Shuttlecock as “experimental hip-hop,” Midwestern’s frenzied set more closely resembled metallic hyper-pop.
Four representatives of the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society- saxophonist Ben Baker, drummer Brandon Cooper, bassist Krista Kopper and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Osborne- strove to equal Midwestern’s manic showing with abrasive free jazz.
A punk rocker proudly sporting bruises inflicted in a mosh pit the previous evening, an intrepid violinist and the euphoric author of Plastic Sax were among the handful of observers who stuck around for an evening-ending jam featuring all of the musicians.
The bonkers saxophone bleating of Midwestern’s R.W was the most surprising component of the anarchic collision of free jazz and electronic turbulence. For connoisseurs of chaos, being tied to the tracks for the sonic equivalent of a proverbial train wreck felt like winning the lottery.
Now’s the Time: Michael Eaton at Westport Coffee House
The New York based Michael Eaton, a native of Liberty, Missouri, is back in town. His appearance at Westport Coffee House on Thursday, July 14, is likely to be the most obstreperous of his several gigs in Kansas City. Billed as “Expression: The Late Music of John Coltrane,” the saxophonist will be joined by Kyle Quass, a trumpet player from Indiana, and a cast of Kansas City ringers.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Giovanni Russonello of The New York Times suggests that one of Logan Richardson and Blues People’s sets at the Village Vanguard in May was “the sparsest show I had been to the Vanguard in years in terms of attendance and it was the best show that I had been to at the Vanguard in years” in an episode of Popcast.
*Steve Kraske chatted with the McFadden Brothers and Candace Evans on KCUR’s Up To Date.
*Joe Dimino documented a street party fueled by the Back Alley Brass Band.
*Anteloper’s July 9 concert in Columbia is previewed by Aarik Danielson for The Columbia Daily Tribune.
*Tweet of the Week: Next On TCM- PETE KELLY'S BLUES (1955) Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Edmond O'Brien. Dir: Jack Webb 12:00 PM ET The jazz band's leader gets mixed up with a gangster in '20s Kansas City. 1h 35m | Crime | TV-PG
Pitch Imperfect
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The introduction of The Pitch’s new music issue suggests “the entirety of KC’s music scene is jazz-incarnate.” Yet not one of the more than two dozen acts featured in the publication’s overview performs improvised music. The staff of The Pitch is free to apply its editorial discretion as it sees fit. Yet the snub is consistent with the systematic disregard of jazz in Kansas City. Neglecting the robust contributions of current innovators such as Seth Davis, Kelley Gant, Adam Larson, Eddie Moore, Logan Richardson, Peter Schlamb and Evan Verplough is the latest example of the ongoing erasure of jazz by the city’s conventional powerbrokers.
Now’s the Time: All Night Trio
All Night Trio, Matt Villinger’s jazz-adjacent band, performs at the Blue Room on Friday, July 8. The embedded music video for the wavy “All Faded” features cameo appearances by the Kansas City musicians Stephen Martin and Peter Schlamb.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Concert Review: Bill Summers and Forward Back at Dunbar Park
Original image by Plastic Sax.
“Summer’s heat- smell my feet!” Bill Summers exclaimed at Dunbar Park on Tuesday, June 21. The legendary percussionist and his new band Forward Back overcame stifling conditions in a free 65-minute set sponsored by Creative City KC in conjunction with Make Music Day.
Acknowledging the disappointing size of the audience of less than 100, Summers noted “it doesn’t matter how many people are here or not here- we’re going to throw the funk down.” The sextet did- kind of. In stark contrast to the jazz and African orientation of Summers’ concert last year in the same location, Saturday’s show was rooted in pop.
At its best, Forward Back resembles an exciting reboot of the Fugees. In lesser moments, Forward Back sounds like a sketchy Black Eyed Peas tribute band. A disappointing reliance on backing tracks belied the talent on stage. Drummer Jamal Batiste (yes, he’s Jon Batiste’s brother) was particularly constrained.
Forward Back doesn’t attempt to replicate Summers’ rarified artistic achievements with the Headhunters and Los Hombres Calientes. Yet the infectious exuberance of the group compensated for its stylistic limitations. Summers proclaimed “we are not musicians- we are physicians.” The sextet administered spiritual healing on Saturday.
Now’s the Time: The Glenn Miller Orchestra at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
A mention of Charlie Parker at a concert featuring members of the Kansas City Symphony last week elicited a smattering of applause. Dozens of people heartily cheered when Glenn Miller was cited a few minutes later. Some of those enthusiasts of the late bandleader will almost certainly be on hand when The Glenn Miller Orchestra performs at Muriel Kauffman Theatre on the afternoon of Saturday, June 25.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Green Lady Lounge is featured in a new Kansas City-themed listicle.
*Eleven titles reviewed at Plastic Sax are included in a ranking of The Top Kansas City Albums of 2022 (So Far) list at There Stands the Glass.
*Snippets from a performance by Bram Wijnands and Dave Chael were shared by Joe Dimino.
*Tweet of the Week: Stockton Helbing- We are back at the Kitchen Cafe in Dallas this Friday night to play the music of Mr. Kansas City Lightning: Charlie Parker. I hope you will join us. Every show of 2022 has sold out quickly, so hit those reservations asap! See you there!
Album Review: Jeff Shirley- Blue Gold
Jeff Shirley holds down a longstanding residency at Green Lady Lounge, but the guitarist ventures well beyond the popular Kansas City club’s venue’s signature sound on his new album Blue Gold. Assisted by an able cast of colleagues, Shirley demonstrates a mastery of a myriad of jazz styles.
The swinging “Crestfallin’” and “Oneology” convey the jaunty atmosphere of the dimly lit Green Lady Lounge. Yet “Terrarium” is a tasty slice of throwback smooth jazz. The meditative “Nila Suvarna Hamsa” evokes Ralph Towner’s work for ECM Records.
Saxophonist Max Levy and trumpeter Bryan Foote help make the funky “Planet 22” a throwback to the heyday of the Brecker Brothers. “Eastborn” is among the tracks filled with Metheny-isms. The greasy fusion “Halothane” is countered by the old-school vocalese of Misha Roberts on "2n+1".
Kansas City’s jazz scene contains different and often uncongenial camps. The members of the smooth jazz, mainstream swing, noisy improvisation, soul jazz, organ jazz and post-bop factions of the town don’t always interact with one another. Shirley easily bridges those divides on the eclectic Blue Gold.
Now’s the Time: Alan Voss
The versatile guitarist Alan Voss is among the throngs of musicians participating in the citywide Make Music Day festival on Tuesday, June 21. Voss will appear in Swope Park at noon and at the Folly Theater at 2 p.m.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*NPR’s Weekend Edition featured Julia Lee’s “Snatch and Grab It” on the 75th anniversary of the bawdy song.
*Dave Scott checked in with Joe Dimino.
*The lineup of the 2022 edition of The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in New York City includes Jason Moran, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Archie Shepp and Buster Williams. (Tip via LK.)
*Tweet of the Week: KCMO Parks and Rec- It’s official! @MayorLucasKC has declared June 21st #MakeMusicKC Day in #KCMO! Join us #OneWeekFromToday as @KansasCity joins the global celebration of music with 100+ free live music performances by 60+ artists at venues all over the metro!! Listings at makemusicday.org/kcmo
Album Review: Seth Andrew Davis and Evan Verploegh- Hunter
Hunter is an all-out assault on civility. The sonically perverse and tremendously prolific Kansas City duo of Seth Andrew Davis and Evan Verploegh outdo themselves on the belligerent instrumental album released on cassette and digitally in March.
Davis approximates a reckless version of the intrepid jazz guitar hero Mary Halvorson during much of the 18-minute “In the Moon 100 Years Ago Or in the Middle of Kansas Now.” The whimsically harrowing epic lives up to its title.
“Americus” could be mistaken for a pernicious remix of a deep cut from Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland. Countering Verplough’s decisive drumming, Davis commits to an intentionally funkless evocation of Eddie Hazel on “(Un)Controlled Burn.”
The livid “Where Are the Buffalo” and the relatively serene “Let the States Tremble, Let the Nations Weep” complete the assault on established Kansas values. Why is the duo picking on Kansas? Davis and Verplough are likely responding to any one of many regrettable developments in the state on their furious protest album.
Now’s the Time: Rod Fleeman
Rod Fleeman, Plastic Sax’s 2021 Person of the Year, leads a trio every Saturday afternoon at Green Lady Lounge. The guitarist performs with a band led by drummer John Armato in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A band led by Adam Larson featuring Terell Stafford will headline The Prairie Village Jazz Festival on September 10.
*The new piano bar Uptown Lounge will showcase performances of “show tunes, jazz standards, classic rock, blues, and songs from famous artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, The Beatles, the Eagles, Billy Joel, Elton John and more” according to Joyce Smith’s feature for The Kansas City Star.
*Nina Cherry recalls Tiny Davis for Kansas City magazine.
*Portions of recent performances by Jazzy Jazz and Nduduzo Makhathini were documented by Joe Dimino.
*Soul vocalist Peabo Bryson headlines the American Jazz Walk of Fame’s July 2 concert.
*Tweet of the Week: Coleman Hawkins Jazz- This weekend HawkFest returns to downtown St. Joseph MO. Come out and join us for a great weekend of music and fun!
Concert Review: Nduduzo Makhathini at the Blue Room
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Gerald Dunn of the American Jazz Museum told an audience of about 50 at the Blue Room on Friday, June 3, that the first set of Nduduzo Makhathini’s two-night residency at the Blue Room would be briefly delayed because Lonnie Plaxico’s bass “exploded.” The South African pianist, Kansas City saxophonist Logan Richardson and Cuban drummer Francisco Mela ultimately opted to begin without the storied bassist.
The mishap was quickly transformed into an advantage. In one of many astounding moments, Makathini placed his hands on his knees and swayed back and forth as Mela’s explosive drumming propelled Richardson’s ascending solo into the stratosphere. Explaining his intent a few minutes later, Makhathini said he’s committed to “pushing toward the unknown” with a sound that “escapes the realm of definitions.”
His 11 albums as a leader can be characterized as spiritual jazz. Makathini insisted his music also reflects South Africa’s “dysfunctionality and displacement” and “violent historical past.” With the aid of a replenished Plaxico in the second half of the 65-minute set, the quartet forged spiritually transcendent and intellectually illuminating art of the highest order.
Now's the Time: Snarky Puppy
Snarky Puppy returns to Muriel Kauffman Theatre on Thursday, June 9. The band’s 2019 concert at the glitzy venue was one of the most auspicious jazz-adjacent shows to transpire in Kansas City in recent years.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Jeff Shirley posted a lyric video for a track from his forthcoming album Blue Gold.
*Tweet of the Week: KC Jazz Orchestra- We're stoked to be putting on a FREE big band concert live from Swope Park on June 21! Bring your family, friends and a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy #MakeMusicDay2022 @KCMOParks #kansascity #kcmo