Matt Chalk’s homecoming concert at the Blue Room on Friday, November 25, promises to be a momentous occasion. Once a notable teen prodigy, the saxophonist has refined his sound even further while living in Europe in recent years.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Hermon Mehari was featured on Radio France.
*Bird Lives, a Swedish tribute to Charlie Parker, was nominated for three Grammy Awards yesterday.
*Joe Dimino shared footage of Deborah Brown’s performance with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.
*Tweet of the Week: Dr. Compact Housedwarf- I have seen Etta at a jazz and blues festival in Kansas City! Too bad they don’t do that festival anymore. Outdoors and cheap to get in.
Album Review: Verploegh and Baker- Badger State Games
The cover art of Badger State Games is misleading. The design is an apparent homage to ECM Records, but the new album by drummer Evan Verploegh and saxophonist Ben Baker contains little of the icy composure associated with the European label. Instead, the Kansas City duo rages like a consumptive inferno. Listeners will know if they’re going to love or loathe Badger State Games within ten seconds. The ferocious skronk opening the album will instantly thrill connoisseurs of free jazz and repel all other comers. Perhaps because it’s a live recording, Badger State Games is even more aggressive than Singles, the duo’s thrilling 2021 album. Both albums share a purity of intent. One of the rare music based experiences even more visceral than succumbing to Badger State Games is catching a performance by the duo.
Now’s the Time: Jackson, Heinemann and Shead
Almost every aspect of a touring trio’s booking next week is out of the ordinary. In the first place, Chicago based improvisers don’t often stop in Kansas City. Furthermore, the daring sorts of sounds made by saxophonist Keefe Jackson, bassist Jakob Heinemann and drummer Adam Shead are rarely heard locally outside the auspices of the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society. And perhaps most unusually, the excellent listening room Black Dolphin is hosting the trio for a rare Monday show on November 14.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Eddie Moore chatted with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date. His portion of the segment begins around the 12-minute mark.
*Skateboard celebrity Sean Malto cites Green Lady Lounge as one of his favorite Kansas City haunts in a Thrillist feature.
*Tim Whitmer’s letter praising the late Charlie Wheeler was published by The Kansas City Star.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Deborah Brown and shared footage of a performance by the JCCC Faculty Jazz Quintet.
*Footage of Leon Brady’s 90th birthday party was uploaded to YouTube.
*Wyandotte Daily published a press release for m-pact’s activities at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
*Tweet of the Week: Steve Paul- "Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley," by Steve Cardenas, Ben Allison, Ted Nash.
Album Review: Brian Baggett Trio- Groovin’ and Swingin’ at Green Lady Lounge
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The death of Eddie Van Halen two years ago was devastating. The celebrated musician’s family, friends and fans continue to mourn the loss. Had the guitar hero lived past 65, he may have joined the venerable list of rockers who turned their attention to jazz in their golden years.
Van Halen’s impact is increasingly pervasive. While he never approached the realm of the “big three” living jazz guitarists- Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny and John Scofield- Van Halen nonetheless made an impact on the sound of scores of jazz guitarists in recent decades.
Brian Baggett is a prime example. The Kansas City guitarist’s new album Groovin’ and Swingin’ at Green Lady Lounge possesses a sharp metallic tinge. Whether the influence is direct or filtered through other guitarists, Baggett’s playing contains strong echoes of Van Halen.
Rather than corrupting the form, Baggett’s perspective enlivens the music. What might otherwise have been a perfectly fine but typical mainstream jazz recording is elevated by jagged edges. Bassist Ben Tervort and drummer Taylor Babb provide a rock-solid foundation for Baggett’s invigorating approach.
Baggett is a central component of the robust calendar at Kansas City’s most popular jazz club. And on the surface, Groovin’ and Swingin’ at Green Lady Lounge is true to its title. The album captures the venue’s jubilant atmosphere. Jazz purists who treasure the classic jazz guitar work by the likes of Grant Green and Wes Montgomery are likely to embrace Baggett.
Yet even the album’s prettiest passages contain a hint of a rock and roll sneer. An appreciation of Van Halen hits like “Runnin’ with the Devil” isn’t necessary to enjoy Groovin’ and Swingin’ at Green Lady Lounge, but the sinfully good album may be appreciated most by guitar fans with expansive ears.
(The Kansas City venue will host the album release show for Groovin’ and Swingin’ at Green Lady Lounge at 6 p.m. Monday, November 6. The $5 cover charge includes a CD version of the album.)
Now's the Time: Keiko Matsui
The 2022-23 season of the Folly Jazz Series resumes Friday, November 4, with a concert by Keiko Matsui. Smooth jazz radio stations like Kansas City’s 106.5 The City advanced the keyboardist’s career in the 1990s.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A correspondent for The Boston Globe admired Green Lady Lounge.
*Nina Cherry interviewed Ryan J. Lee for The Pitch.
*Eddie Moore is among the musicians cited by Michelle Bacon in an NPR feature titled 8 Kansas City artists making a mark on their communities.
*Startland reported on the initiatives of musician and entrepreneur Tate Berry.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Brian Baggett and Brad Buckner.
*A Kansas City blogger includes plenty of jazz in a roundup of October’s best concerts and albums.
*Tweet of the Week: Cedric Feschotte- Work hard, play hard at #stuckonrepeat. Funk jazz chillin at @GreenLadyLoungewith @LandweberLab & @lohmueller (photo)
Concert Review: Alter Destiny at Charlotte Street Foundation
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Dwight Frizzell asked “what is reality” during the debut performance of Alter Destiny at Charlotte Street Foundation on Thursday, October 27. Members of the audience of about three dozen were likely pondering the same question.
After all, it seems impossible that Frizzell is still at the top of his game well into his sixth decade of making music in Kansas City. Frizell has challenged assumptions about how improvised music in Kansas City might sound since the 1970s.
Alter Destiny, Frizzell’s theatrical new trio with guitarist Julia Thro and percussionist Allaudin Ottinger, is a fresh twist on the interplanetary jazz the musicians create with the Kansas City institution Black Crack Revue. The larger ensemble observed its fortieth anniversary with a celebratory concert in August.
The trio shares BCR’s enthusiasm for traveling the spaceways blazed by Sun Ra. Improvisations over a recording of the aurora borealis were enhanced by a video backdrop of celestial spaces and bursts of theremin from guest artist Kat Dison Nechlebová. Quadraphonic sound furthered the interstellar experience.
The immersive sensibility wasn’t limited to the loudspeakers surrounding the audience. Frizzell and Ottinger roamed the room during an inventive jam and Frizzell occasionally exhorted the audience to unleash their minds in an effort to “alter destiny.”
Thro’s raw electric guitar riffs prevented Frizzell’s woodwinds and electronics and Ottinger’s airy rhythmic pulses from developing excessive ethereality. Even so, Alter Destiny stretched credulity throughout an unreal performance that was beyond belief.
Now’s the Time: Sean Hamilton
The Colorado based percussionist Sean Hamilton will perform at Vulpes Bastille on Saturday, October 29. The intrepid Kansas City musicians Seth Davis, Shawn Hansen and Evan Verploegh are also on the bill.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Kevin Whitehead considered Bobby Watson’s new album Back Home in Kansas City for NPR. A critic in New York analyzed a Watson concert in Schenectady.
*Fans named Norman Brown’s “Back at Ya” the Song of the Year in the Jazz Music Awards. Christian McBride & Inside Straight, a band featuring the Kansas City based drummer Carl Allen, won the title of Best Mainstream Artist.
*Laura Spencer created an audio feature about the Hannover Jazz Orchestra’s visit to Kansas City for KCUR. Members of the ensemble visited a television station.
*A sculpture inspired by Charlie Parker will be displayed at Kansas City’s new airport.
*Joe Dimino chatted with John Stein and shared footage of a performance by the Marcus Lewis Quintet.
*Tweet of the Week: Lipid Scientist- Visiting Kansas City - just went to the Negro Leagues Museum and the American Jazz Museum. Now we are listening to Caribbean Jazz at the Blue Room. Bryan Alford Jazz Experience: (photo)
Album Review: Krista Kopper and Evan Verploegh- For the Trees
Krista Kopper came to the attention of Plastic Sax while performing with touring musician Thollem McDonas at 9th & State in 2021. The bassist made some of the most valuable contributions amid a band of ringers. The peripatetic enterprises of drummer Evan Verploegh are covered extensively at Plastic Sax. Both musicians are core members of Kansas City’s Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society. Daringly intimate and relentlessly engaging, Kopper and Verploegh’s new duet album For the Trees affirms the boldness of the collaborators. “II” is among the selections in which the dual sets of sounds become indistinguishable from one another. “VII” might be a hit single in a realm that treasured free improvisation while “I” could be repurposed as the ominous opening strains of an avant-garde opera. Far from austere, “IX” is among the fun-loving tracks making For the Trees one of the most distinctive albums created by Kansas City musicians since Singles, Verploegh’s remarkable 2021 duo album with saxophonist Ben Baker.
Now’s the Time: Marcus Lewis
Marcus Lewis will lead a quintet at Yardley Hall on Tuesday, October 25. The midday performance will strike a different tone from the music in the embedded video. The noon recital series aims to please the senior citizens who dominate the audiences. Yet the booking serves as an excuse to showcase “You’re Very Special,” the new single by Lewis’ vibrant big band.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Brian Baggett and Ken Lovern discuss Baggett’s forthcoming album in a promotional video.
*The Kansas City debut of the Los Angeles duo Ohma is reviewed at There Stands the Glass.
*Bobby Watson promoted a concert in Schenectady in a candid interview with a correspondent for Albany’s The Times-Union.
*Jazzwise considers the sound of Britain’s Big Band Metheny ensemble.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Morgan Faw and shared clips of performances by the Greg Meise Trio, Lisa Henry and the Hannover Big Band.
*Tweet of the Week: Midwest Music Foundation- JUST ANNOUNCED! Check out the official lineup for Apocalypse Meow, Nov 5th at the @recordBar, ft. Eddie Moore, MellowPhobia, The Electric Lungs, purextc, and Nathan Corsi and My Atomic Daydream! Grab tickets: (link) #apocalypsemeow #abbysfund
*From a press release: The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra Executive Director Lea Petrie today announced the next concert for the 2022-2023 20th Anniversary season, The Voice featuring guest artist Deborah Brown, Thursday, November 10 at 7 p.m. at … Helzberg Hall… Brown is one of many American jazz performers who found her greatest fame and recognition overseas rather than in the U.S.
Album Review: Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City
The release of each Bobby Watson album is a significant event in the cultural history of Kansas City. The saxophonist has long been the dominant locally based practitioner of the art form associated with the town. When a new recording is not only specifically dedicated to the sound of Kansas City but is also one of the best works of Watson’s career, the entire city should rejoice.
Watson plays with quiet confidence on Back Home in Kansas City, the third Watson solo album released by Smoke Sessions Records in the past five years. The music is more of the same- and in Watson’s case, that’s more than enough. Immediately comfortable and immensely satisfying, the mainstream jazz of Back Home in Kansas City possesses a lived-in feel.
Recorded on April 5, 2022, with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Jones, Back Home in Kansas City is an instant classic. The title track exemplifies Watson’s feel-good, toe-tapping approach. The quintet pays homage to Count Basie on Lewis’ jumping “Red Bank Heist.”
Guest vocalist Carmen Lundy imbues “Our Love Remains,” a recently minted standard co-written by Watson and Pamela Baskin-Watson, with mature sophistication. And ballads don’t get much better than the reading of “I’m Glad There Is You.” The secret of life is embedded in Watson’s knee-buckling solo.
Two homages to John Coltrane are the only variations from straightforward Kansas City swing. Watson makes a profound spiritual statement on “Dear Lord” as Chestnut showcases his peerless gospel chops. “Side Steps” is a strutting modification of Coltrane’s titanic “Giant Steps.”
A ticker-tape parade as part of an official civic holiday is warranted, but there’s nothing stopping grateful fans from celebrating the release of Back Home in Kansas City on a more modest scale. Everyone in the Kansas City area should be glad to be live in a time and place in which Watson is producing art for the ages.
Now’s the Time: Esthesis Quartet
Esthesis Quartet, a touring group consisting of flutist Elsa Nilsson, pianist Dawn Clement, bassist Emma Dayhuff and drummer Tina Raymond, play two sets at the Blue Room on Monday, October 17. Esthesis Quartet performs the opening track of its new self-titled debut album in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A Philadelphian wrote a guide to area jazz venues for The Kansas City Star.
*Tweet of the Week: Green Lady Lounge- Guitar Elation - Dues Blues (Composer: Danny Embrey) #Jazz #NowPlaying #KansasCityJazz (link)
*From a press release: The KU Jazz 50th Anniversary Celebration will commemorate 50 years of the “official” jazz program—and the “unofficial” bands that existed before this. The event will feature two concerts highlighting alumni of the KU Jazz Studies Program, both taking place at 7:30 PM at the Lied Center… On Friday, October 28, 2022, the current edition of KU Jazz Ensemble I will present a tribute to saxophonist and woodwind artist Gary Foster, with guest soloists Steve Houghton (drums), Matt Otto and Paul Haar (saxophones), Ron McCurdy (trumpet), Jeff Harshbarger (bass) and others. The following evening on Saturday, October 29, 2022, KU alumni from the past 50 years will perform in big bands and a vocal jazz ensemble and will be directed by the program’s 4 directors—Robert Foster (the founder of the program in 1972), James Barnes, Dr. Ron McCurdy and Dan Gailey. Tickets are available here.
Concert Review: Terence Blanchard at Atkins Auditorium
Original image of George Segal’s Rush Hour near the entrance of Atkins Auditorium by Plastic Sax.
Terence Blanchard told an audience of 450 at Atkins Auditorium on Sunday, October 2, that the concert was dedicated to Wayne Shorter. Echoes of Shorter’s work with the pioneering jazz fusion band Weather Report were apparent, but the music performed by Blanchard, E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet more clearly evoked a different jazz icon.
In a fascinating enactment of speculative history, the nine musicians refined and enhanced the style associated with 1980s-era Miles Davis. Where the late star was often dull and blurry during the Reagan era, the sounds overseen by Blanchard were sharp and focused. A rewarding reassessment, the concert was an exercise in what might have been.
Blanchard revived Davis’ distinctive attack by filtering his trumpet through effects. Guitarist Charles Altura assumed the role of Davis’ brash sideman Mike Stern. Modern day keyboard star Taylor Eigsti acted as Robert Irving III, ebullient bassist David Ginyard, Jr. replaced Marcus Miller and the groove-oriented drummer Oscar Seaton Jr. stood in for Al Foster.
As on Absence, the musicians’ 2021 album for Blue Note Records, the presence of the longstanding string quartet acted as a wild card. Much as Davis once turned to Gil Evans for string enhancements, Blanchard deployed Turtle Island director David Balakrishnan. Not only were Turtle Island’s embellishments ravishing, a turn in the spotlight earned the quartet a standing ovation.
Every detail was discernible in the pristine sound field during the opening concert of the Harriman-Jewell Series’ 2022-23 season. (I purchased the least expensive ticket for $33.50 for a spot in a back corner.) A notorious contrarian, Davis may not have appreciated the performance. Be that as it may, the realization of his vision was magnificent.
Now’s the Time: New York Voices
The man behind Plastic Sax would rather listen to “Baby Shark” on repeat all day rather than endure two hours of vocalese. Even so, he recognizes that plenty of people adore the music made by New York Voices. The quartet will perform with The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra at the Folly Theater on Friday, October 14. Shoop-de-doo-bop!
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Smoke Sessions Records created a trailer for Bobby Watson’s forthcoming album Back Home in Kansas City.
*The Marcus Lewis Big Band shared a music video for its new song "You're Very Special".
*Nina Cherry lists a few unconventional venues in Kansas City magazine.
*Joe Dimino documented portions of performances by the Leslie Maclean Trio and the duo of Mark Lowrey and Arnold Young.
*Sean Jones chatted with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date program.
*Melissa Aldana, Charles McPherson and Camille Thurman are among the artists praising Charlie Parker in a feature published by The New York Times.
*Tweet of the Week: Kadesh Flow- Bruh.... Sean fn Jones REALLY SAT IN WITH US LAST NIGHT and justcasually went tf off @jazzbonist @kemetcoleman