*Joe Dimino shared footage of Bob Bowman and Bobby Watson at the Blue Room.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Album Review: Jackie Myers- What About the Butterfly
Witnessing the transformation of Jackie Myers from a peripheral figure on Kansas City’s jazz scene to one of the region’s most compelling artists has been extraordinarily gratifying. Quietly upping her game in incremental steps, Myers’ resolute work in recent years is reaping dividends.
On any given night, Myers applies her talents in a variety of contexts in Kansas City cafés, restaurants and barrooms. The variety of sounds- pop, rock, blues and, yes, jazz- coalesce on What About the Butterfly. The new album marks the culmination of a remarkable metamorphosis.
Not only is What About the Butterfly superior to Myers’ previous recordings, the album makes most jazz-rooted efforts seem unimaginative and simplistic. Her ambitions extend well beyond conventional Kansas City jazz.
Support from elite collaborators including Bobby Watson helps the album compare favorably to the arty pop of Laura Nyro, the contemporary soul of Cory Henry and the fastidiousness of Jacob Collier. Rarely has Kansas City been the setting for a more pleasing musical glow-up.
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)
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Jazzwise previews Bobby Watson’s appearance at the Glasgow Jazz Festival.
Now’s the Time: Deborah Brown
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.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Prominent Kansas Citians including Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and Bobby Watson consider the local erasure of Charlie Parker’s legacy in Ian Ritter’s think piece for Belt magazine.
*Charlie Parker and Bobby Watson are referenced in a Classical KC feature about the intersection of jazz and classical music.
*A vlogger shared footage depicting the atmosphere at Green Lady Lounge.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra headlines the 2023 edition of the Prairie Village Jazz Festival on September 9.
*Tia Fuller’s participation in the Spotlight: Charlie Parker initiative is among KCUR's concert recommendations for August.
*Bob Brookmeyer, Samantha Fish, Pat Metheny and Bobby Watson received votes in Downbeat magazine’s 71st Annual Critics Poll.
*St. Louis’ New Music Circle announced its 2023-24 season. Roscoe Mitchell, Elliott Sharp and William Parker are among the bookings.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Eddie Moore and Jaylen Ward entered NPR’s annual Tiny Desk Contest.
*Bobby Watson appeared on a sports podcast in advance of the Super Bowl.
*Seth Allen of Libations & Company tells Joe Dimino about his new music venue in Lee’s Summit.
*Joe Dimino spoke with Isaiah Petrie.
*The famed songwriter Burt Bacharach, a Kansas City native, has died.
*Tweet of the Week: Bob Kendrick- In it’s heyday, 18th & Vine was a cultural crossroad where Baseball & Jazz intersected! Guests got a taste of that era yesterday when they were treated to live music by some talented, young Jazz musicians! (video)
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A blogger reviewed Bobby Watson’s concert at Yardley Hall.
*The Defender offers an unconventional perspective of Kansas City’s jazz heyday.
*Seth Davis is characterized as an “improv-aholic” in his appearance on Classical KC’s Sound Currents program.
*A Jackie Myers gig was documented by Joe Dimino.
*Tweet of the Week: NPR Music- For nearly a century, jazz musicians have debated what gives songs that swing feel. The secret may lie in subtle nuances in a soloist's timing. (link)
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image of Judith Shea’s “Storage” by Plastic Sax.
*Rod Fleeman discussed his new album with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up to Date program.
*Nina Cherry caught up with Marilyn Maye.
*A television station reports on concerns related to the latest round of development plans for the Jazz District.
*Snippets of a Jackie Myers performance at Ophelia’s were captured by Joe Dimino.
*More than 500 albums received votes in the 17th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll. Kansas City is represented by Bobby Watson’s Back Home in Kansas City (#106), Steve Cardenas’ Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley (#125), Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye NYC (#347) and Hermon Mehari’s Asmara (#414). My ballot is here.
*No Kansas City establishments are among the 106 venues listed in Downbeat’s 2023 International Jazz Venue Guide.
*Tweet of the Week: StrayhornProject- Congratulations to Caden Bradshaw from Kansas City, winner of our ‘Strayhorn; An Illustrated Life’ book raffle. Caden is an up and coming jazz pianist himself. We will continue to wish him well on his musical journey! (photo)
Now’s the Time: Bobby Watson
Bobby Watson leads a locally based quartet at Yardley Hall on Sunday, January 15. The titanic saxophonist was named Plastic Sax’s Person of the Decade in 2009 and again in 2019.
Plastic Sax’s Favorite Albums of 2022
The Top Ten Kansas City Jazz Albums of 2022
1. Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City
2. Hermon Mehari- Asmara
3. Steve Cardenas- Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley
4. Adam Larson Trio- With Love, From Kansas City
5. Adam Larson Trio- With Love, From Chicago
6. Krista Kopper and Evan Verploegh- For the Trees
7. Arnold Young and the Roughtet- Fear Is the Mind Killer
8. Rod Fleeman Trio- Saturday Afternoon: Live at Green Lady Lounge
9. Matt Villinger’s All Night Trio- All Faded
10. Stephen Martin- High Plains
The Top Ten Jazz Albums of 2022 by Artists from Elsewhere
1. Moor Mother- Jazz Codes
2. Mary Halvorson- Belladonna
3. Nate Wooley- Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes
4. Dave Douglas- Songs of Ascent: Book 1- Degrees
5. Anat Cohen- Quartetinho
6. Matthew Shipp Trio- World Construct
7. Tyshawn Sorey- The Off-Off Broadway Guide to Synergism
8. Nduduzo Makhathini- In The Spirit of Ntu
9. Gerald Clayton- Bells on Sand
10. Daniel Villarreal- Panamá 77
Links to previous annual surveys begin here.
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)
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.
Album Review: Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City
The release of each Bobby Watson album is a significant event in the cultural history of Kansas City. The saxophonist has long been the dominant locally based practitioner of the art form associated with the town. When a new recording is not only specifically dedicated to the sound of Kansas City but is also one of the best works of Watson’s career, the entire city should rejoice.
Watson plays with quiet confidence on Back Home in Kansas City, the third Watson solo album released by Smoke Sessions Records in the past five years. The music is more of the same- and in Watson’s case, that’s more than enough. Immediately comfortable and immensely satisfying, the mainstream jazz of Back Home in Kansas City possesses a lived-in feel.
Recorded on April 5, 2022, with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Jones, Back Home in Kansas City is an instant classic. The title track exemplifies Watson’s feel-good, toe-tapping approach. The quintet pays homage to Count Basie on Lewis’ jumping “Red Bank Heist.”
Guest vocalist Carmen Lundy imbues “Our Love Remains,” a recently minted standard co-written by Watson and Pamela Baskin-Watson, with mature sophistication. And ballads don’t get much better than the reading of “I’m Glad There Is You.” The secret of life is embedded in Watson’s knee-buckling solo.
Two homages to John Coltrane are the only variations from straightforward Kansas City swing. Watson makes a profound spiritual statement on “Dear Lord” as Chestnut showcases his peerless gospel chops. “Side Steps” is a strutting modification of Coltrane’s titanic “Giant Steps.”
A ticker-tape parade as part of an official civic holiday is warranted, but there’s nothing stopping grateful fans from celebrating the release of Back Home in Kansas City on a more modest scale. Everyone in the Kansas City area should be glad to be live in a time and place in which Watson is producing art for the ages.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Smoke Sessions Records created a trailer for Bobby Watson’s forthcoming album Back Home in Kansas City.
*The Marcus Lewis Big Band shared a music video for its new song "You're Very Special".
*Nina Cherry lists a few unconventional venues in Kansas City magazine.
*Joe Dimino documented portions of performances by the Leslie Maclean Trio and the duo of Mark Lowrey and Arnold Young.
*Sean Jones chatted with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date program.
*Melissa Aldana, Charles McPherson and Camille Thurman are among the artists praising Charlie Parker in a feature published by The New York Times.
*Tweet of the Week: Kadesh Flow- Bruh.... Sean fn Jones REALLY SAT IN WITH US LAST NIGHT and justcasually went tf off @jazzbonist @kemetcoleman
Album Review: Morgan Faw and the Flame- It Takes a Village
A pair of antithetical incidents involving Kansas City’s first family of jazz took place during Morgan Faw and the Flame’s album release show at the Blue Room on Monday, August 22. A guest appearance by Bobby Watson was- as is invariably the case- absolutely stupendous.
The lowlight of the evening was heartbreaking. An interpretation of Pamela Baskin-Watson’s composition “The Love We Had Yesterday” was spoiled by a buffoon who drowned out the tender ballad with oblivious yapping. Baskin-Watson was among the members of the audience of about 100 frustrated by the dullard.
The Watsons were among the many instructors, friends and family amid the festive audience of more than 100 that Faw thanked during an evening characterized by good cheer and reverence for tradition. (The performance was a central component of this year’s Spotlight: Charlie Parker initiative.)
Faw’s debut album It Takes a Village is filled with conventional hard bop tracks designed to please the saxophonist’s old-school mentors. Faw is joined by trumpeter Will Mallard, pianist Ebba Dankel, bassist Isaac Coyle and drummer Christian Napoleon on the project. It’s a brisk first step toward a promising destination.
Now's the Time: Terell Stafford
Terell Stafford will join a band led by Adam Larson at the Prairie Village Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 10. The New York based trumpeter is best known in the Kansas City area for his affiliation with hometown hero Bobby Watson. Stafford is accompanied by the Chilean star Melissa Aldana and the Prism Quartet- featuring Kansas City’s Zach Shemon- in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Seth Davis discussed Kansas City’s experimental music scene in the first portion of an interview on Guitar Moderne’s YouTube channel.
*Bobby Watson’s recent performance in Sonoma County was hailed as “a West Coast reemergence” by Classical Voice.
*Tweet of the Week: Adam Larson- New KC Trio Album Pre-Order NOW AVAILABLE! (link)
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The theme of this year’s jazz festival in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, is Goin' to Kansas City. A headlining set led by Bobby Watson and Fareed Haque’s tribute to Pat Metheny are among the performances slated for the July 16 event in the Chicago suburb.
*Jeff Shirley talked to Joe Dimino.
*Tweet of the Week: KCDownTown- Jazz enthusiasts prepare to celebrate KC’s status as a UNESCO Creative City (link)