Organizers are promoting The Count Basie Orchestra’s concert at the Music Hall on Wednesday, April 30, as the world’s biggest event on International Jazz Day. Alas, the current ticket availability at Ticketmaster tells a different story. Even if it plays to a sea of empty seats, the band led by Scotty Barnhart is certain to swing.
Now's the Time: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Count Basie Orchestra’s Basie Swings the Blues won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album on Sunday.
*Nina Cherry commends Isaiah Petrie for Kansas City magazine.
*The Kansas City Star previewed concerts by The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.
*Joe Dimino shared footage of a performance by UMKC student bands.
*The Kansas City Star notes the January 2 passing of “Groovy” Grant Hopkins.
*A satirical Super Bowl-inspired item in Riff magazine suggests “the Kansas City jazz scene fell out of popularity nearly 70 years ago”.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Logan Richardson’s Holy Water, the Count Basie Orchestra’s Swings the Blues and Matt Otto’s Umbra are among Chris Burnett’s favorite albums of 2023.
Plastic Sax’s Favorite Albums of 2023
Top Ten Albums by Kansas City Artists
1. Matt Otto- Umbra
Plastic Sax review.
2. Mike Dillon and Punkadelick- Inflorescence
Plastic Sax review.
3. Adam Larson- With Love, From New York City
Plastic Sax review.
4. Enzo Carniel, Hermon Mehari, Stéphane Adsuar and Damien Varaillon- No(w) Beauty
Plastic Sax review.
5. Matt Otto- Kansas City Trio
Plastic Sax review.
6. Pat Metheny- Dream Box
Plastic Sax review.
7. Torches Mauve- Volume Two
Plastic Sax review.
8. Narrative Quartet- Narrative
Plastic Sax review.
9. Count Basie Orchestra- Swings the Blues
Plastic Sax review.
10. Danny Embrey- Orion Room
Plastic Sax review.
Top Ten Albums by Artists From Elsewhere
1. Sebastian Rochford and Kit Downes- A Short Diary
2. Jason Moran- From the Dancehall to the Battlefield
3. Sylvie Courvoisier- Chimaera
4. Kassa Overall- Animals
5. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi- Our Daily Bread
6. Henry Threadgill- The Other One
7. Aja Monet- When the Poems Do What They Do
8. Laura Schuler Quartet- Sueños Paralelos
9. CĂ©cile McLorin Salvant- MĂ©lusine
10. Irreversible Entanglements- Protect Your Light
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A writer for The Pitch insists a performance by the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra was “one of the best jazz concerts this city will ever see.”
*Gary Walker interviewed Scotty Barnhart of the Count Basie Orchestra for WBGO.
Album Review: The Count Basie Orchestra- Swings the Blues
The bluesy form of swing popularized by The Count Basie Orchestra in the 1930s is still recognized as the sound of Kansas City around the world. The big band’s latest release Swings the Blues is an invigorating update of the celebratory form.
Led by Scotty Barnhart, the ensemble is joined by an all-star cast of blues musicians. Featured guests including Mr. Sipp, Bobby Rush, Buddy Guy, Shemekia Copeland and Robert Cray display their distinctive styles as the Basie band retains its signature swing.
Swings the Blues is nothing new for the Count Basie Orchestra. The band’s massive discography includes collaborations with stars including Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. Remarkably, Swings the Blues is often every bit as good as those classic recordings.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Pat Metheny explains the impetus of his Dream Box solo tour in a brief video. The concert nearest to Kansas City is in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 3.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Bryan Hicks and documented a set led by Dan Thomas at the Blue Room.
*From a press release: Spotlight: Charlie Parker 2023 celebrates the jazz icon’s 103rd birthday with jam sessions and musical tributes, jazz history tours, lectures, exhibitions, panel discussions, workshops and showcase performances… The event also provides educational opportunities and promotes the music of nearly 20 local Kansas City jazz artists who will perform at select events/venues during the week. Highlighting this year’s Spotlight: Charlie Parker, is Grammy TM nominated alto saxophonist, Tia Fuller, who will serve as the 2023 Spotlight: Charlie Parker Artist-In-Residence. Details are available here.
*From a press release: Candid Records is excited to announce the Sept. 15 release of Basie Swings the Blues, the latest recording by the legendary Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Scotty Barnhart. This extraordinary record fuses the Basie Orchestra’s signature style of sophisticated swing with the raw and soulful talents of a cross section of some of the greatest blues and jazz artists of our times. Featuring a stellar lineup of blues icons and contemporary stars including Buddy Guy, Bobby Rush, Keb’ Mo’, Robert Cray, George Benson, Shemekia Copeland, Ledisi, Mr. Sipp, Lauren Mitchell, Bettye LaVette, and Charlie Musselwhite.
Now’s the Time: Carmen Bradford
Carmen Bradford, a vocalist affiliated with the current edition of the Count Basie Orchestra, will perform in the Kansas City Symphony’s Uptown Nights concerts on Friday, January 6, Saturday, January 7, and Sunday, January 8, at Helzberg Hall.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The American Jazz Museum has resurrected the Jammin’ at the Gem concert series. Four concerts have been announced without much fanfare: Najee, December 17; Eric Roberson, February 11; Artemis, March 18; the SFJazz Collective, April 1. Tickets to each concert are $65 and $75. Details are available here.
*Joe Dimino shared footage of a performance by the Charles Williams Trio at the Blue Room and ​​interviewed Eddie Moore.
*Libby Hanssen recommends seasonal music by the Count Basie Orchestra and the Kerry Strayer Orchestra for KCUR.
*KCUR’s Up To Date program showcased TJ & The Tattletales’ revival of A Charlie Brown Christmas.
*Tweet of the Week: KU School of Music- Jazz Vespers is THIS THURSDAY at 7:30 PM @liedcenterks! The concert once again features performances of holiday favorites in a jazz and pop setting. Event is free, but tickets required: (link)
*From a press release: (A) follow-up to the 2012 ARC release Keyboard Christmas, and his fifteenth recording as a leader, Michael Pagán presents a program of holiday themed tracks… Keyboard Christmas II finds Kansas City based Pagán again in the solo piano idiom.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A concert headlined by smooth jazz artist Jackiem Joyner and a performance by Dan Thomas are among the events listed on the schedule of next month’s Spotlight Charlie Parker endeavor.
*The Kansas City Star’s feature about Fairyland Park notes that bands led by Bennie Moten and Count Basie frequently performed at the amusement park.
*A review of a Minneapolis concert by the Count Basie Orchestra was published by the Jazz Police blog.
*Tweet of the Week: Helbing Jazz Initiative- Day 1 of the 2022 Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy Jazz camp! We spent the day focused on the music and legend of Charlie Parker: Kansas City Lightning.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A pair of Kansas City-adjacent jazz albums received Grammy acknowledgments this week. The Count Basie Orchestra’s Live at Birdland is nominated in the category of Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV) is nominated in the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
*Pat Metheny was named Guitarist of the Year in the 86th Annual DownBeat Readers Poll.
*The Lansing City Pulse interviewed Carl Allen. The drummer who was named the William D. and Mary Grant/Endowed Professor of Jazz Studies at UMKC this year mentioned the formation of the Jazz Professors, a group featuring saxophonist Tia Fuller, trombonist Mitch Butler, pianist Cyrus Chestnut and bassist Rodney Whitaker.
*Pat Metheny is on the cover of the December issue of Jazzwise magazine.
*Joe Dimino chatted with drummer Marty Morrison.
*Tweet of the Week: KCUR- A score of Kansas City musicians are nominated for the 2022 Grammy Awards (link)
The Top Jazz Albums of 2021
More than two dozen jazz albums by artists associated with the Kansas City area were released in 2021. A ranking of my ten favorite titles follows. For context, I’ve added a list of my top ten jazz albums by artists without immediate connections to Kansas City.
The Top Kansas City Jazz Albums of 2021
1. Pat Metheny- Road to the Sun
2. Pat Metheny- Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)
3. Hermon Mehari and Alessandro Lanzoni- Arc Fiction
4. Verploegh and Baker- Singles
5. Steve Million- What I Meant to Say
6. The Count Basie Orchestra- Live at Birdland
7. Florian Arbenz, Hermon Mehari and Nelson Veras- Conversation #1: Condensed
8. John Armato- The Drummer Loves Ballads
9. Lucy Wijnands- Sings the David Heckendorn Song Book
10. Blob Castle- Music for Art Show
The Top Jazz Albums of 2021 by Artists From Elsewhere
1. Irreversible Entanglements- Open the Gates
2. Mathias Eick- When We Leave
3. Pino Palladino and Blake Mills- Notes With Attachments
4. Nala Sinephro- Space 1.8
5. Sons of Kemet- Black to the Future
6. Evan Parker Quartet- All Knavery & Collusion
7. Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble- Now
8. Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson- Searching for the Disappeared Hour
9. Artifacts- …And Then There’s This
10. Angel Bat Dawid- Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1: Doxology
Links to similar annual surveys of the past 11 years begin here.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Coal and Diamonds, an album by Kansas City Kansas Community College’s The Standard Vocal Jazz Ensemble, was released last week.
*Stan Kessler and Bennie Moten were recently inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame
*The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a feature about Robert Boone, the current drummer of The Count Basie Orchestra.
*Tweet of the Week: Tom Jackman- Also in KC, the Green Lady Lounge is an all time great jazz joint. #opentil230
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Joe Dimino filmed portions of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s “Bird Lives” concert.
*A television station noted the opening of Johnnie’s Jazz Bar & Grille in downtown Kansas City.
*The man behind Plastic Sax raves about the latest release by Moor Mother in the new episode of his In My Headache podcast.
*Tweet of the Week: Count Basie Orchestra- Count Basie was a member of Walter Page’s Blue Devils, as well as Bennie Moten’s Orchestra, the band with which Basie first recorded in October 1929.
Album Review: Count Basie Orchestra- Live at Birdland
Ghosts are real. The Count Basie Orchestra, the ghost band of the late Kansas City jazz legend Count Basie, is haunted by exceptionally lively spirits. Recorded at the New York City venue in 2020, the new release Live at Birdland may be the ensemble’s strongest album since Basie’s death in 1984. Imbued with refined elegance and propulsive swing, the two-and-a-half hour set finds the big band paying homage to the past without seeming old-fashioned or mechanical. The musicians’ succinct, blues-steeped solos are suffused with joy. Rather than sounding as if it belongs in a dilapidated theater, Live at Birdland is a radiant soundtrack for a festive party. Basie lives!
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Lonnie McFadden promotes Lonnie’s Reno Club at Kansas City magazine.
*Tweet of the Week: Peter Sokolowski- RIP to the great big-band arranger/composer Sammy Nestico, who wrote many albums for Count Basie and charts for Sinatra and nearly every other singer who can swing.
*From a press release: ...Recently relocating to Kansas City after spending 15 years in New Orleans, (Mike) Dillon and producer Chad Meise would track a trilogy of albums: 'Shoot The Moon,' 'Suitcase Man' and '1918.' In collaboration with his longtime record label Royal Potato Family, they would offer the records exclusively via Bandcamp just days after they were mixed and mastered. In 2021, those albums now receive the full vinyl treatment, as well as complete digital release across all streaming outlets.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Gerald Dunn of The American Jazz Museum encourages The Kansas City Star to make amends in the wake of the newspaper’s admission of decades of insufficient jazz coverage.
*I included tracks by Flutienastiness and Bobby Watson in a survey of The 10 Best Songs To Come Out of Kansas City in 2020 on a Christmas Eve broadcast on KCUR’s Up To Date program. In an adjacent segment titled The 10 Best Holiday Songs by Kansas City Artists, I shared selections by Charlie Parker, Oleta Adams, Ida McBeth, Jay McShann and The Count Basie Orchestra.
*Stan Kessler chatted with Joe Dimino.
*Tweet of the Week: Sharon Hoffman- Do you know how many times @KCStarinterviewed hometown jazz legend Charlie Parker? Zero. @eadler writes of a culture ignored, part of our “Truth in Black and white” series. (link)
Now's the Time: The Count Basie Orchestra
Hearing saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis tear through “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” with the mid-’60s era Count Basie Orchestra is good for what ails you.