Logan Richardson concluded his appearance at the Gem Theater on Saturday, August 8, with a 20-minute verbal binge. Had the best bits of his talk been condensed to five minutes, the monologue would have been entertaining and instructive. In a similar fashion, the hour-long performance preceding the baffling epilogue veered between unparalleled brilliance and tedious excess.
Richardson, Plastic Sax’s 2019 Person of the Year, is the most prominent jazz musician to emerge from Kansas City this millennium. Fifty people attended an outing billed as “A Living Score: Searching for Charlie Parker.” I expected to pay a cover charge but the volunteer staff insisted I not bother.
Joined by cellist Ezgi Karakus and drummer Zach Morrow, Richardson initiated the outing by queuing ambient electronic-magnetic sounds he later explained were emitted by a tree leaf harvested from the nearby grounds of the Mutual Musicians Foundation. He tinkered with a small bank of electronic gear throughout the evening.
The saxophonist’s wailing over the sound bed occasionally resembled the electro-acoustic outings of Evan Parker and Pharoah Sanders. His piano work fell somewhere between Keith Jarrett and Matthew Shipp. Morrow’s playing was endlessly interesting. Karakaus’ cello was almost inaudible, but her strong vocals added fresh textures.
Richardson, as usual, emphasized innovation. Throughout his consequential career, his characteristic artistic restlessness has led to dazzling highs and disappointing lows. His August 9 outing contained both extremes. He didn’t apologize for not “regurgitating Charlie Parker.” Parker may have been a distant echo at the Gem Theater, but the sounds were pure Richardson.