Album Review: Matt Otto, Xose Miguélez and Abe Rábade- The Landscape Listens

The Landscape Listens is an auspicious benediction. The collaboration between Kansas City’s Matt Otto and the Galacian musicians Xose Miguélez and Abe Rábade acts as a restorative balm for vanquished souls.

The calming collaboration between like-minded saxophonists Miguélez and Otto and pianist Rábade is exquisite jazz-based chamber music. Even though there’s never a moment of facile escapism, the lovely melodies and inspired solos are sonic sanctuaries.

Otto has dazzled Kansas City’s jazz community with his form of cool jazz for 16 years. Miguélez and Rábade share his passion for the sounds associated with Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh. Rábade invokes Chick Corea.

"Epílogo" is among the pieces with the lilt of Corea compositions like “La Fiesta”. The other tracks are just as gorgeous. Whether the listener is seeking spiritual consolation or mellow sophistication, The Landscape Listens is the right album at the right time.

Album Review: Addison Frei- Coin Flip

Heads, Bill Charlap. Tails, Brad Mehldau. The title of Coin Flip might be interpreted as references to the output of the heralded piano trios led by Bill Charlap and Brad Mehldau. Addison Frei may not be quite as accomplished as those jazz luminaries, but the album released in July indicates the musician raised in Lawrence, Kansas, is becoming increasingly worthy of comparison to elite pianists. Joined by bassist Tamir Shmerling and drummer Diego Joaquin Ramirez, Frei alternates between evoking Charlap’s mainstream elegance and Mehldau’s piano trio explorations. Coin Flip’s most rewarding moments occupy the sweet spot at the high-flying intersection of the two approaches.

Now’s the Time: Adam Larson

Adam Larson returns to the Hey Hey Club on Saturday, November 2. A younger version of the stellar saxophonist performs in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Chuck Haddix told The Pitch’s Nick Spacek about the backstory of the new Charlie Parker album Bird in Kansas City.

*From a press release: Kansas City Jazz Orchestra continues the 2024-25 season with.. Bright Size Life, featuring guitarist Rod Fleeman, Saturday, November 16, at the Folly Theater. Rod Fleeman is a founding member of The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and has appreciated Pat Metheny’s virtuosity since he first saw the guitarist play in the early 1970s…

Album Review: Tim Whitmer Good Time Quartet- Double Live at Black Dolphin

Tim Whitmer has specialized in giving jazz fans in Kansas City exactly what they’ve wanted for more than forty years. The veteran’s joy-infused, smile-inducing and foot-stomping music delivers the goods for listeners preferring old-fashioned fun to high-brow innovation.

The cheerful sensibility of the pianist and bandleader isn't static. The new album Double Live at Black Dolphin shows how his celebratory sound continues to evolve. Saxophonist Michael Herrera II, bassist Chase McRoy and drummer Ray DeMarchi match Whitmer’s exuberance while avoiding excessive sentimentality.

“Back Alley Bluz” epitomizes the approach. Herrera’s slow, stirring solo and Whitmer’s evocation of Jay McShann on the original composition are conclusively Kansas City. “Brookside Boogie” and “Basie’s Back in Town” are similarly buoyant. Yet the album isn’t a nonstop party. A refreshed reading of “Dancing with Theresa” is among the solo piano statements adding depth to the nearly two-hour recording. 

Whitmer frequently quotes the phrase “these are the good old days” in his social media posts. In this instance, the axiom is spot-on. City Light Orchestra’s classic 1984 album Raised Spirits excepted, Double Live at Black Dolphin is the definitive Whitmer album.

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The album release party for Double Live at Black Dolphin will take place at Black Dolphin from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m on Saturday, November 2.

Now’s the Time: Sammy Rae & The Friends

The jazz-adjacent ensemble Sammy Rae & The Friends entertains at the Midland theater on Friday, October 25. As the embedded video indicates, the New York based group splits the difference between the jazz-based crossover sound of Snarky Puppy with indie-pop acts like Kansas City’s the Greeting Committee.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The Kansas City Star provides an update on the delayed refurbishment of Boone Theater in the Jazz District.

*From a press release: Preparations for the 2025 Fellowship of the Kansas City Area Youth Jazz program are underway with the announcement of the audition dates for Season 7 and the introduction of the 2025 FELLOWS album cover. This is a spring and summer only program that doesn’t conflict with school, college, or other institutional music programs… 2025 Fellowship Auditions are Sunday, February 16, 2025.

Album Review: Charlie Parker- Bird in Kansas City

Responding to the announcement of Bird in Kansas City in a social media post last month, a civic booster expressed hope that the October 25 release would be issued on vinyl. (It is.) If the enthusiast hopes to secure the 13-track Charlie Parker set as a treasured collector’s item, he’ll be entirely satisfied. If he’s seeking a superior audiophile experience, however, he’s bound to be disappointed by the album.

Captured in Kansas City in 1941 (two tracks), 1944 (four tracks) and 1951 (seven tracks), the previously discarded scraps were never intended for public consumption. The sonic quality of Bird in Kansas City is little better than the Dean Benedetti bootlegs.

Parker’s brilliance obviously transcends the limitations of scratchy documentation. Bird in Kansas City’s two 1941 tracks with Jay McShann are a hoot. Even though he had yet to achieve full flight, Bird soars higher than his peers on the 1944 sessions. Bird’s aggressive attack on 1951 interpretations of “Cherokee” and “Body and Soul” display the fury of a rebel hellbent on disrupting jazz convention. 

The latter tracks make the release of Bird in Kansas City the most substantive music-related event of the year in Kansas City. In addition to providing new insights into the evolution of Parker’s genius, the set is mandatory listening for every self-respecting Kansas Citian.

Now’s the Time: Benny Benack

My aversion to the music of Benny Benack doesn’t mean the New York based performer isn’t popular. The audience-pleasing glee documented in the embedded video will be displayed at the Folly Theater on Saturday, October 26.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Jazzy B’s Diner, a Lee’s Summit establishment that occasionally hosts jazz performances, is featured in The Kansas City Star.

The Top 25 Kansas City Jazz Albums of the Past 25 Years

Despite enduring constant turbulence during the first 25 years of the new millennium, Kansas City’s jazz musicians never ceased creating timeless art. The following list highlights a fraction of the vital recordings released since 2000. The recency bias on display reflects Plastic Sax’s founding in 2007 as well as the uptick in the quantity and quality of releases in recent years. A corresponding non-jazz albums ranking is here.

1. Peter Schlamb- Tinks (2004)
2. Logan Richardson- Shift (2016)
3. Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City (2022)
4. Hermon Mehari- Asmara (2022)
5. Bob Bowman- Songs for Sandra (2014)
6. Pat Metheny- Orchestrion (2010)
7. Ahmad Alaadeen- And the Beauty of It All (ASR 2007)
8. Karrin Allyson- Imagina: Songs of Brasil (2008)
9. Steve Cardenas- Panoramic (2002)
10. Mike Dillon- Inflorescence (2023)

11. Deborah Brown- Songbird (2003)
12. Adam Larson- With Love, From Kansas City (2022)
13. Myra Taylor- My Night to Dream (2001)
14. Matt Otto and Ensemble Ibérica- Ibérica (2017)
15. The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City- The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City (2010)
16. Kevin Mahogany- Pride & Joy (2002)
17. Micah Herman- The Ship, Vol. 1: The Studio Sessions (2011)
18. EMAS Quartet- EMS (2022)
19. Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- Kings & Queens (2016)
20. Rod Fleeman Trio- Saturday Afternoon Live at Green Lady Lounge, Volume 3 (2024)

21. Alaturka- Tamam Abi (2010)
22. Betty Bryant- Lotta Livin' (2024)
23. Everette DeVan- For the Love of You (2014)
24. Gregory Hickman-Williams- Passages (2006)
25. Marcus Lewis Big Band- Brass and Boujee (2018)

Now’s the Time: Sachal Vasandani

The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra will be joined by vocalist Sachal Vasandani at the Folly Theater on Friday, October 11. The slick crooner interprets the standard “Unforgettable” in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Dan Kelly of The Kansas City Star and Steve Kraske of KCUR interviewed Angela Wildflower about her role in the Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s production of “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.”

*Dr. Dina Bennett and Gerald Dunn of the American Jazz Museum discuss Dunn’s career in a forty-minute video.

Concert Review: Heliophonie at Charlotte Street Foundation

Adventurous passengers traveled the spaceways at Charlotte Street Foundation on Thursday, October 3. Heliophonie, the second of four performances in the Sonic Art Series overseen by Sun Ra adherent Dwight Frizzell acted as a celestial excursion.

Sound effects virtuoso Tony Brewer and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Alonzo Conway served as the centrifuge of the spaceship. Four additional musicians- saxophonists Frizzell, saxophonists Thomas Aber and Norbert Herber and cellist William Plummer- were positioned outside the concentric seats commandeered by sonic pilgrims.

Each four-minute and 48-second component of the suite opened and closed with the tolling of a gong and was augmented by dramatic lighting and video projections. The Sun Ra-inspired grooves featuring bass clarinet duets, Frizzell’s EWI saxophone and a plethora of Brewer’s noisemakers compelled one fellow traveler to noodle dance.

In his introductory remarks, Frizzell suggested Heliophonie is a religious work. The sacred rite invoking the sun god Ra was convincing. For a transcendent hour in the cosmic spaceship, I worshiped like an ancient Egyptian.

Now’s the Time: Nick Finzer

The touring trombonist Nick Finzer performs with a student band at Johnson County Community College on Wednesday, October 9, and in a quartet format at Westport Coffee House on Thursday, October 10.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*David Hudnall of The Kansas City Star reports on the announcement of the eventual shuttering of 7th Heaven’s flagship store at 7621 Troost Avenue. The retailer played a major role in the careers of many area musicians. 7th Heaven hosted dozens of in-store performances by jazz and experimental musicians in recent years.

*"I Found a New Baby", the second track from the forthcoming Charlie Parker album Bird in Kansas City, is available on streaming services.

Album Review: Zachary Barthelman and Evan Verploegh- Sound/Color

The back of my head is pictured in a photograph documenting Sonic Youth’s appearance at the Outhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, on November 5, 1986. The seminal band’s performance in the dank space altered my understanding of music. I’ve been chasing that high ever since.

The impactful evening confirmed my suspicion that the standard distinctions used to divide genres are unnatural. I’ve since embraced a multitude of sounds without reservation. Zachary Barthelman and Evan Verploegh have similarly expansive perspectives. The locally based duo disregard stylistic boundaries on Sound/Color.

Although he’s an indie-rock enthusiast, guitarist Barthelman channels the aggressiveness of the early recordings by the jazz fusion master John McLaughlin on Sound/Color’s two 26-minute tracks. Verploegh, arguably Kansas City’s most exciting drummer, echoes the sensitivity and power of Billy Cobham.

Alternately noisy and tranquil, Sound/Color erases the tenuous lines between post-rock and free jazz. The liberation I experienced 38 years ago at the Outhouse is revived every time I queue up Sound/Color.

Now’s the Time: Rob Magill

Experimental saxophonist Rob Magill is on a cacophonous bill headlined by the Maryland based grindcore band Entrail Asphyxiation at Howdy on Thursday, September 26. Based on his powerful 2023 outing at Farewell, Magill will hold his own amid the array of extreme music.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The prominent Kansas City jazz advocate Sharon Daugherty Valleau has died.

*From a press release: Kansas City Jazz Orchestra launches its 2024-25 Signature Series with Unforgettable featuring vocalist Sachal Vasandani, at 7pm on October 11, 2024 in Helzberg Hall of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Sachal Vasandani is a critically acclaimed and widely admired jazz vocalist who commands the stage, blending contemporary sensibilities with an old crooner’s soul.

Album Review: Logan Richardson- The Science of Superstition

Umpteen musicians have paid tribute to J Dilla’s 2006 masterpiece Donuts. The Science of Superstition, Logan Richardson’s homage to the influential collection of beats crafted by the late producer, is an important addition to the crowded subgenre.

As with J Dilla, the Kansas City saxophonist follows a distinctive muse. Richardson’s signature attack- aggressive post-bop paired contemporary wall-of-sound production- receives several new twists on The Science of Superstition.

“Birth of the Machine” is racked with industrial noise while “Sarah Conner” is possessed by apocalyptic robotics. “Economics” contains elements of Chicago footwork. European electro-folk propels “Post Lullabye”. 

Not all of Richardson’s experiments work, but none of his undertakings are routine. The innovations of The Science of Superstition cements Richardson’s reputation as Kansas City’s most iconoclastic artist.