Clint Ashlock, one of Kansas City’s most prominent musicians, performs at Lonnie’s Reno Club on Friday, December 2, and Saturday, December 3. The multi-dimensional artist performs an ambitious solo rendition of a seasonal song in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*An article in The Community Voice about Anita Dixon’s current strategies for increasing the publicly funded music infrastructure suggests “(i)f you don’t know somebody who knows somebody, it’s hard to know live jazz in Kansas City still exists.”
*Nina Cherry endorses Marcus Lewis’ Big Band in Kansas City magazine.
*Pat Metheny is the subject of a Downbeat feature related to his win as Guitarist of the Year in the publication’s Readers Poll.
*Tweet of the Week: Tilted Chamber- @jeffshirleyjazz great show tonight at the Green Lady! #jazz #KansasCity #GreenLady
Album Review: Hermon Mehari- Asmara
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the quarterback and tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs, are among the most celebrated duos in sports. Their astounding athleticism and apparent telepathic bond has led their professional football team to dozens of wins including a Super Bowl championship in 2019.
Hermon Mehari and Peter Schlamb, the trumpeter and vibraphonist/pianist who made names for themselves in Kansas City during the same era, are a similarly unstoppable force in improvised music. Their collaboration on Mehari’s new album Asmara is nothing short of triumphant.
“I Remember Eritrea,” a duet between Schlamb and Mehari, showcases their sublime compatibility. They’re joined by bassist Luca Fattorini and drummer Gautier Garrigue on the remainder of the tracks on the 35-minute album recorded in Paris. The wonderfully scratchy vocals of Faytinga augment “Tenafaqit” and “Milobe Lawa Furda.”
“Soul Chant” possesses the spirituality associated with South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini. Schlamb and Mehari’s stupendous solos on the uplifting “Anthem for Independence” also serve notice they’re among jazz’s most imposing young improvisors. As with Mahones and Kelce, all they do is win.
Confirmation: OJT
Ken Lovern’s organ jazz trio, commonly known as OJT, is the de facto house band of Green Lady Lounge. The good-time group’s next gig at Kansas City’s most popular jazz venue kicks in at 6 p.m. Friday, November 25.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Snippets from a performance by Arnold Young and the Roughtet were shared by Joe Dimino.
*Mary Lou Williams aficionados are advised to investigate South Korean bassist Jeong Lim Yang’s startling interpretation of Zodiac Suite.
*Marc Myers has been on a Freddie Green spree at Jazz Wax.
*Tweet of the Week: Cinephile- Watched Altman's Kansas City. It seemed like it was an ode to his hometown, or his love for jazz, not a project driven to serve story or character. 6/10.
*From a press release: Kansas City Jazz Orchestra Executive Director Lea Petrie today announced the next concert for the 2022-2023 20th Anniversary season, The Family featuring guest artists Lonnie and Chloe McFadden, Tuesday,December 6 at 7 p.m. at the Helzberg Hall of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts… Multitalented local legend Lonnie McFadden, a vocalist, trumpeter, and tap dancer, grew up immersed in Kansas City jazz through his deep, familial ties from his father Jimmy, a tap dancer who worked alongside Count Basie, Jay McShann, and Charlie Parker.
EP Review: Eddie Moore- Intuition
Matt Villinger croons about enjoying the company of friends in a smoky room on the title track of his 2022 album All Faded. The music that's “spinning everywhere” in Villinger’s scenario might be found on the new release by his fellow Kansas City keyboardist Eddie Moore.
Intuition, the debut solo album by the accomplished musician who was Plastic Sax’s 2016 Person of the Year, is a smoker’s delight. Most of the 24-minute project consists of wavy grooves that seem designed to complement the experiences of listeners who frequent dispensaries.
The shimmering “A New Me, A New You” nods to Bob James’ wavy classic “Nautilus.” The forward momentum of “Skate Park Days” explores the common ground between Lupe Fiasco and the Crusaders. A ticklish pulse makes “Brave Enough” Intuition’s most effective track.
The vibe is dampened by two selections featuring rappers. While their flows are good, the emcees add incongruous lyrical negativity. Whether or not it was Moore’s intention, Intuition is an ideal companion for the carefree consumption of chronic.
Now's the Time: Matt Chalk
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.