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Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Brian Ward Trio is featured in the latest installment of Kansas Public Radio’s Live at Green Lady Lounge program.
*KCUR looked into one of Kansas City’s Fat Tuesday traditions.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Rob Scheps and Lucy Wijnands. He also shared footage of Bram and Lucy Wijnands’ collaboration with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra at the Folly Theater.
Two's Company may be the most valuable release of the year to emerge from Kansas City’s jazz community. While the elite mastery of trumpet and flugelhorn Stan Kessler displays on the album is hardly news, his decision to showcase three generations of Kansas City pianists provides a crucial service.
Pianists Joe Cartwright, Brant Jester, Andrew Ouellette, Brian Ward, Roger Wilder and Charles Williams don’t possess the relatively higher profile of the garrulous Kessler, a fixture on Kansas City’s jazz scene. Two’s Company is a welcome corrective.
As the title suggests, Two’s Company consists solely of duets. Jester’s lively melodicism makes “Blue Silver” an ideal opening track. Cartwright’s sensitivity highlights a heartbreaking rendering of “Chelsea Bridge.” Williams’ sprightly elegance propels “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans.”
“Berlin November” spotlights Wilder’s mainstream mastery. Ouellette’s contribution to “New Moon” shows why he’s among Kansas City’s most sought after accompanists. Ward’s maturity balances Kessler’s childlike glee on “Cosmic Latte.”
Kessler’s distinctive tone and improvisational dexterity sparkle on Two’s Company. Yet it’s his eagerness to share the spotlight with six of Kansas City’s under-documented pianists that makes Kessler’s album essential.
Plenty of family bands call Kansas City home. The James Ward Band is among the best of them. The trio returns to the Blue Room on Saturday, May 21. The interpretation of Marcus Miller’s “Panther” in the embedded video typifies JWB’s robust approach to contemporary jazz.
The defining moment of This Is Me is a celebratory shout on the brief skit “FlutieWhooo!” The new album by Amber Underwood, the Kansas City flautist who works under the alias Flutienastiness, is a feel-good soundtrack for an unforgettable party. This Is Me combines the mainstream inclinations of the flute-playing pop star Lizzo with the R&B-savvy jazz formulated by Bobbi Humphrey in the 1970s. The result is as likely to appeal to fans of the classic hits of Janet Jackson as to admirers of the jazz flautist Hubert Laws. Although producer Desmond Mason is the primary instrumentalist, locally based luminaries including Peter Schlamb and Brian Ward contribute to the mood-shifting release that gracefully glides between the dance floor and the bedroom. Several albums released by Kansas City musicians in 2020 are more artistically daring, but none are more fun than This Is Me.