Plastic Sax

I caught several dozen jazz performances in an unsettling year characterized by starts and stops. With a literal sense of danger in the air, each outing felt vital. The listing my favorite jazz-based performances in the Kansas City area includes a jaunt to Columbia for an essential bout of free jazz and a trek to Detroit to catch a Lee’s Summit native who no longer performs in his old stomping grounds.

1. J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits- Blue Room

Plastic Sax review.

2. Pat Metheny, James Francies and Joe Dyson- Orchestra Hall (Detroit)

Plastic Sax review.

3. Irreversible Entanglements- Stephens Lake Park Amphitheatre (Columbia)

Plastic Sax review.

4. Bird Fleming and Bill Summers’ “Voyage of the Drum”- Dunbar Park

Plastic Sax review.

5. Rod Fleeman- Green Lady Lounge

6. Eddie Moore, Ryan J. Lee and Zach Morrow- Charlotte Street Foundation

Plastic Sax review.

7. Thollem McDonas- 9th and State

Plastic Sax review.

8. Jeff Kaiser, Kevin Cheli and Seth Davis- Charlotte Street Foundation

Plastic Sax review.

9. Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie- 1900 Building

Plastic Sax review.

10. Second Nature Ensemble- Westport Coffee House

Plastic Sax review.

Lists of the top albums of 2021 are here. Links to similar annual top-show surveys for the past 11 years begin here.

At the conclusion of a freewheeling concert at Dunbar Park on Monday, June 21, percussionist, bandleader and emcee Bird Fleming told the audience that “you will never listen to music the same way again.” The free performance almost substantiated Fleming’s audacious assertion. The unlikely blend of percussion demonstrations, swing-based jazz and star power in the form of Bill Summers made for a glorious afternoon on Make Music Day.

In addition to earnest attempts to explain what he called the “Africa to jazz tradition,” Fleming repeatedly ushered various configurations of musicians on and off the portable stage. The percussion ensemble Soundz of Africa, saxophonist Doug Talley, keyboardist Charles Williams, bassist James Ward, percussionist Pat Conway and Summers made frequent use of the stairs on either side of the stage.

Summers was the primary attraction for many attendees. He amplified Flemings’ educational emphasis by offering insights into the tradition of pouring one out as an homage to ancestors, the commendable culture of the Forest People of Central Africa and the European origin of the ritual of applause. He also participated in a percussion workout and recreated his hook from Herbie Hancock’s 1973 hit version of “Watermelon Man.”

Talley, Williams and Ward responded intuitively to Summers’ cues while enlivening standards including “Caravan,” “Afro Blue” and the inescapable “Kansas City.” After one of Fleming’s attempts to engage listeners received a tepid response, he asked the approximately 100 people on hand to “just humor me.” Fleming deserved far more than polite encouragement. He and everyone involved in the singular UNESCO Cities of Music event merited a standing ovation.