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*The inaugural Lee’s Summit Jazz Festival is highlighted by The Kansas City Star.
*Joe Dimino captured portions of an outing led by Mikole Kaar at a restaurant.
*The Kansas City Star looked into Gerald Dunn’s restaurant Dunn Deal BBQ.
*The New York Times previewed choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s new work that’s inspired by Kansas City jazz.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Adam Larson lamented that his children prefer the music of the Epic Sax Guy to that of their father during the interview portion of the Blue Room’s noon jazz series on Thursday, June 6. Assuming a sardonic tone of exasperation, Larson joked “I’m the epic sax guy!”
In fact, each member of Larson’s quartet displayed heroic artistry at the Blue Room. Pianist Roger Wilder and drummer John Kizilarmut may never have sounded better. The Chicago based Clark Sommers conjured bassist Jimmy Garrison on an excerpt of “A Love Supreme”.
Propulsive renditions of the classics “Conception”, “Punjab” and “Light Blue” were rendered with astounding sophistication. Larson’s kids will eventually recognize what dedicated jazz fans already know: during June 2024, Larson and his colleagues were truly epic jazz guys.
Thundercat returns to Kansas City for the third consecutive year on Saturday, June 15. He’s a headliner at the Boulevardia festival. The jazz-inspired funk powerhouse performed at Union Station last year and entertained at Grinders KC in 2022.
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*The Kansas City Star reported that Patti Austin’s name was misspelled on her plaque at her induction into the Jazz Walk of Fame on 18th Street. Austin quipped “with friends like you, who needs enemies?” KCUR’s Steve Kraske previewed the event.
*Lucy Wijnands is featured in a television news report about an anti-Israeli act of vandalism at the Brooklyn jazz club Wilson Live.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Mike Parkinson.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Cynical pundits in Kansas City have long insisted that suburbanites are too frightened to visit the Jazz District. The pernicious myth was busted on Wednesday, June 5, when more than 2,000 people from outlying communities were among the throng packing Parade Park to take in a free appearance by Yo-Yo Ma.
The cellist’s participation in the Kansas City Symphony’s Mobile Music Box event was announced the previous day. The short notice and simultaneous sold-out concerts by James Taylor at Starlight Theatre and Noah Kahan at Azura Amphitheater didn’t prevent people from suburbs such as Lee’s Summit, Gladstone and Lenexa from filling the space directly behind the American Jazz Museum.
Longtime observers are well aware of disappointing attendance for jazz events held in the same space and along the adjacent Paseo Boulevard. Conjecture about the reasons for the failures often include the accusation that suburbanites refuse to patronize the neighborhood. Yo-Yo Ma nullified that excuse on June 5.
The saxophonist Daniel Bennett leads his New York based band at Olathe Library on Tuesday, June 11. Details are here. The ensemble’s latest album Mr. Bennett's Mind compares favorably to the output of artistically elite artists like David Binney.
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*Joe Dimino conducted interviews with Adam Larson and members of The Back Alley Brass Band.
The kiss in the title of Karrin Allyson’s new album A Kiss for Brazil isn’t platonic. Allyson infuses ardent passion into the sultry sound. It’s familiar territory for the former Kansas City resident.
Allyson can probably sing Brazilian standards like “Wave” and “Manha de Carnaval” in her sleep. Accordingly, A Kiss for Brazil has a lived-in feel. Keyboardist and accordionist Vitor Gonçalves, guitarist Yotam Silberstein, bassist Harvie S and drummer Rafael Barata enhance the comfortable atmosphere.
The Brazilian star Rosa Passos duets with Allyson on the two most memorable tracks, gorgeous interpretations of Passos’ “Dunas” and Vinicius de Moraes’ “O Grande Amor”.
While it’s an impressive work of art, the romantic A Kiss for Brazil is also functional music. Allyson makes the intent clear on the scandalously steamy “The Island.” Listeners are meant to find partners, turn the lights down low and engage in the titular activity.
The "ugly jazz" icon Mike Dillon will be joined by like-minded Kansas City musicians at the Brick on Saturday, June 1. Brian Haas and Nikki Glaspie, Dillon’s co-conspirators in Punkadelick, are featured in the embedded video.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Joyce Smith highlighted Gerald Dunn’s barbecue restaurant for Startland News.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Jeff Shirley.
*A Houston publication’s guide to Kansas City references the Mutual Musicians Foundation and Green Lady Lounge.
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The singular sensibility of Steve Cardenas has made the guitarist a distinctive voice in the international jazz scene for more than 25 years. Balancing exquisite prettiness with intimations of uneasiness, Cardenas exemplifies the dynamic Thelonious Monk characterized as "Ugly Beauty".
The New York based guitarist from Kansas City exhibited the latest refinements of his sound at Westport Coffee House on Wednesday, May 22. About 75 people paid $20 apiece to take in the first of two sets.
As at his previous headlining show in Kansas City at recordBar in 2022, Cardenas was joined by bassist Forest Stewart and drummer Brian Steever. The duo accentuated the quiet ferocity embedded in Cardenas’ understated approach.
The peculiar way in which Cardenas plays pretty was showcased throughout the seven selections. The serenity of the opener, John Coltrane’s “Trane’s Slo Blues,” was adulterated by a slightly sinister touch. The swinging take on Steve Swallow’s “Ladies in Mercedes” that closed the set contained a correspondingly delectable element of danger.
Set list, first set: Trane’s Slo Blues; Lost and Found; How Deep Is the Ocean; Everything I’m Not; Blue Language; House of Jade; Ladies in Mercedes
Eboni Fondren, one of Kansas City’s most prominent vocalists, returns to the Ship on Thursday, May 30. She’s accompanied by French musicians in the embedded video.
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*Reporting on a junket to Kansas City partly subsidized by Visit KC, a correspondent for The Times of London mentions Green Lady Lounge and the American Jazz Museum in a Taylor Swift-themed feature.
*Larry Tye promoted his book The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Count Basie Transformed America on KCUR.
*From a press release: It has been a very long wait, but, with the combined efforts of three celebrated jazz musicians – and with the approval of the step-daughter of the great Charlie Parker – we proudly announce the release of "Pree's Wings", a composition and recording that not only adds to the Parker legacy, but fills a significant historical and musical void that has lasted nearly 70 years! As is well-known, Parker composed two brilliant jazz compositions for his children, “Kim,” for step-daughter Kim and “Baird Laird” for his natural son with Chan Richardson. However, Bird never composed a song for daughter “Pree” who, seriously ill from birth, tragically died as a toddler… After lengthy conversations with Parker’s still-surviving jazz vocalist step-daughter, Kim – and receiving her approval, three internationally known jazz artists, trumpeter/writer, Nick Mondello, saxophonist/arranger/composer, Gio Washington-Wright, and vocalist/lyricist, Giacomo Gates - each a lifelong acolyte of Parker’s legacy - combined forces to compose both an instrumental and vocal original composition dedicated to Kim Parker and named after the child who never had a Parker-composed song dedicated to her – “Pree’s Wings.”
*From a press release: Kansas City Jazz A.L.I.V.E. is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $10,000. This grant will support Spotlight: Charlie Parker, an annual Kansas City-wide celebration of the life and music of Kansas City’s native son, Charlie “Bird” Parker, held in August.
Few styles of music are more maligned than jazz fusion. Detractors insist that in merging the least appealing elements of jazz, rock and R&B, the form is devoid of substance. The Kansas City guitarist Jeff Shirley defies these haters with two new albums reviving the halcyon era when bands like Return to Forever, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Brand X roamed the earth.
“Mount Meru,” the opening salvo of Contigo, immediately transports the listener to 1974. The musical chops, complex modulations and, yes, wicked shredding, will please admirers of the jazz-rock associated with Al Di Meola. Carlos Santana, a similarly revered guitarist, is honored on “Time For Fun”.
The elements of progressive rock on "Transients", a standout track on Modes of Nature, allow Shirley’s collaborators- the credits include Dawson Jones, Antonio Reyes, Mark Slimm, Spencer Smith, Brian Steever and Kevin Young- to demonstrate their range.
Big, bold and occasionally garish, Contigo and Modes of Nature exude a palpable sense of joy that mitigates most of the albums’ excesses. Shirley’s artistic playfulness and conspicuous generosity make him a persuasive ambassador for jazz fusion. In the hands of Shirley, the undervalued form is still vital.
Deborah Brown and Bobby Watson are the preeminent musicians based in the Kansas City area. Each is an international treasure. Brown and Watson will be featured at the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s concert at the Folly Theater on Friday, May 17. Brown is accompanied by the Portland pianist George Colligan in the embedded video.
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*The Kansas City Star observes the 25th anniversary of the installation of Robert Graham’s Charlie Parker statue in the Jazz District.
*From a press release: Spotlight: Charlie Parker 2024 celebrates the jazz icon’s 104th birthday with jam sessions and musical tributes, tours, lectures, exhibits, panel discussions, workshops, and concerts. The annual program was developed to honor Parker (also known as “Bird”), his legacy, and impact on jazz in Kansas City and worldwide. The event also provides educational opportunities and promotes the music of local Kansas City jazz artists who will perform at select events/venues during the month… Highlighting this year’s Spotlight: Charlie Parker will be a new partnership with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and a performance August 24th at the Folly Theater. For information about event details as they become available, visit: Spotlight: Charlie Parker.
*From a press release: Please join us in congratulating students in the KU School of Music’s Jazz Studies Program for their recent success at the 47th Annual DownBeat Student Music Awards. The awards were announced this month, where KU Jazz Ensemble I and the KU Jazz Singers each received Outstanding Performance Awards in the graduate divisions of Large Jazz Ensembles and Vocal Jazz Ensembles. KU Jazz Ensemble I has made a significant impact on the jazz music scene, as this marks the fourth consecutive year they have received an SMA award. The ensemble has also received seven awards out of the last ten years.
Back Alley Brass Band isn’t Kansas City’s only New Orleans-style brass band. Yet the ensemble’s shrewd marketing strategies and its willingness to give audiences precisely what they didn’t previously know they wanted has made Back Alley Brass Band the most visible group of its type in the region. It’s no accident Back Alley Brass Band is making appearances at Kelce Jam and Boulevardia, two of the Kansas City area’s biggest music-related events this summer. Accordingly, the ensemble’s new EP Last Chance to Dance doubles as a sonic business card. The infectiously exuberant set of party music containing arrangements of Rick Astley and Miley Cyrus hits will almost certainly result in further high-profile bookings.
A good samaritan recently uploaded gobs of public-access television programming from the 1980s. The gem embedded here features Ruth Rhoden. The late cohost of the sorely missed weekly KCUR show “Just Jazz” is interviewed and curates a few performances. Brace yourself for a thoroughly amusing and occasionally cringey time capsule.
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*The Kansas City Star eulogized Queen Bey.
*Chris Burnett was interviewed by Joe Dimino. Burnett’s latest album Originals was reviewed by The Pitch.
A few devoted Kansas City jazz fans made the 150-mile trek to Joplin to witness Charles McPherson’s homecoming concert in February. The elite Charlie Parker acolyte has stayed the course since his birth in the southwest corner of Missouri in 1939. Featuring trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Jeb Patton, bassist David Wong and drummer Billy Drummond, McPherson’s new live album Reverence is certain to delight Bird purists. Pushed by his all-star band on the tribute to the late pianist Barry Harris, the octogenarian brings the wit of wisdom of the ages to bear on Reverence. His ornithology is inescapable, but the imprint of the years McPherson spent with Charles Mingus is also evident. The vigor of McPherson’s inspiring playing is more than worthy of a cross-state road trip.