Concert Review: Aaron Sizemore, Forest Stewart and Mike Warren at Music House School of Music

The trio of Aaron Sizemore, Forest Stewart and Mike Warren occupy a unique niche in the Kansas City area. During its regular gigs at Music House School of Music, a Prairie Village instruction emporium overseen by Sizemore- the trio performs an otherwise neglected form of jazz.

On Thursday, February 27, the trio entertained more than a dozen people with an approach that might have sounded more in keeping with jazz heard in Lisbon, Oslo or Vienna than Kansas City. 

Sizemore’s deliberate approach evokes contemporary guitarists including Kurt Rosenwinkel and Pat Metheny. Stewart often sounds indistinguishable from famed electric bassist Steve Swallow. And Warren is a first-call drummer with the range of Billy Hart.

Yet it’s repertoire that sets the trio apart. Strong original material is supplemented by impeccable covers. On Thursday the trio tackled Keith Jarrett’s “Bop-Bee” and “Alliance” by the expansive Kansas City saxophonist Matt Otto. Elegant echoes of Europe resounded in a Kansas suburb.

The Top Performances of 2024

The Top Jazz Performances of 2024 by Kansas City Musicians
1. Peter Schlamb at the Ship
Plastic Sax review.

2. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Bridge at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.

3. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Heliophonie at Charlotte Street Foundation
Plastic Sax review.

4. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
Plastic Sax review.

5. WireTown at Green Lady Lounge
Instagram clip.

6. Seth Davis, Kwan Leung Ling, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at 7th Heaven
Instagram clip.

7.  Jackie Myers, Matt Otto and Bob Bowman at the Market at Meadowbrook
Instagram snapshot.

8. Alber at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram snapshot.

9. Ernest Melton, Parker Woolworth, Jordan Faught and Jalen Ward at In the Lowest Ferns
Plastic Sax review.

10. Rod Fleeman Trio at Green Lady Lounge
Instagram clip.

The Top Performances of 2024 by Touring Musicians
1. Makaya McCraven at Liberty Hall
Plastic Sax review.

2. Trond Kallevåg at the Folk Alliance International Conference
Instagram clip.

3. David Lord at Farewell
Plastic Sax review.

4. Willow at the T-Mobile Center
There Stands the Glass review.

5. Trap Jazz at Concourse Park
Instagram clip.

6. Mike Baggetta and Peter DiStefano at the Ship
There Stands the Glass review.

7. Damon Smith at Westport Coffee House
Instagram clip.

8. Phill Smith and Kyle Jessen at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.

9. Síomha at the Kansas City Irish Festival
Instagram clip.

10. David Menestres at the Bunker Center for the Arts
Instagram snapshot.

Last year’s survey is here.

Jazz Night in Kansas City (Is Every Night)

Attending performances by locally based jazz musicians is what I miss most about Kansas City while traveling. While I regularly take advantage of high-profile concerts by cutting-edge improvisers who rarely appear in Kansas City in my destinations, few locales match the depth of artistry showcased nightly in the Kansas City area.

Following a trip to the tropics, I caught up with a portion of the embarrassment of riches on Thursday, November 15. My outing began at the Music House School of Music in Prairie Village. The storied trumpeter Stan Kessler joined the house band of guitarist Aaron Sizemore, bassist Forest Stewart and drummer Michael Warren.

Sizemore tends to incorporate European innovations of recent decades into his sound, a disposition that differentiates him from his peers in Kansas City. The singularity didn’t make an impression on harried music students on strict schedules at the busy facility. The small audience at Thursday’s no-cover event consisted of the usual suspects. A video of the concert streams here.

In the Lowest Ferns couldn’t be more different. The West Bottoms club specializing in electronic dance music occasionally hosts jazz musicians. About 25 fashion-conscious people paid a $15 cover charge to take in the first set by saxophonist Ernest Melton, keyboardist Parker Woolworth, bassist Jordan Faught and drummer Jaylen Ward. The quartet’s spiritual soul-jazz was enhanced by a fog machine.

Two blocks away, Peter Schlamb unveiled an instrument he described as his “new toy” in a free show at The Ship.  The slippery tones of the MalletKAT added another weapon to the vibraphonist’s formidable arsenal. The high-energy improvisations of Schlamb, saxophonist Matt Otto, keyboardist Matt Villinger, bassist Sebastian Arias and drummer Zach Morrow were stunning.

In an act that felt like a cultural misdemeanor, the two eldest people among the audience of 20 left at the conclusion of the first set at 10:15 p.m. I nodded in agreement when a savvy old head suggested “that’s the best band in Kansas City” as we shuffled to the door. For me, Shlamb’s electric band sounds like home.

Concert Review: Steve Cardenas at Westport Coffee House

The singular sensibility of Steve Cardenas has made the guitarist a distinctive voice in the international jazz scene for more than 25 years. Balancing exquisite prettiness with intimations of uneasiness, Cardenas exemplifies the dynamic Thelonious Monk characterized as "Ugly Beauty".

The New York based guitarist from Kansas City exhibited the latest refinements of his sound at Westport Coffee House on Wednesday, May 22. About 75 people paid $20 apiece to take in the first of two sets.

As at his previous headlining show in Kansas City at recordBar in 2022, Cardenas was joined by bassist Forest Stewart and drummer Brian Steever. The duo accentuated the quiet ferocity embedded in Cardenas’ understated approach. 

The peculiar way in which Cardenas plays pretty was showcased throughout the seven selections. The serenity of the opener, John Coltrane’s “Trane’s Slo Blues,” was adulterated by a slightly sinister touch. The swinging take on Steve Swallow’s “Ladies in Mercedes” that closed the set contained a correspondingly delectable element of danger.

Set list, first set: Trane’s Slo Blues; Lost and Found; How Deep Is the Ocean; Everything I’m Not; Blue Language; House of Jade; Ladies in Mercedes

Concert Review: Alan Voss Quartet at Swope Park Pavilion

A tricked out red sedan blaring Public Enemy’s “Don’t Believe the Hype” cruised past Swope Park Pavilion during a performance by a quartet led by Alan Voss on Sunday, September 18.

Chuck D’s reference to John Coltrane in the rap anthem caused the sonic intrusion to intensify my blissful state. Few things could be better than hearing vital improvisations on an idyllic day at a spectacular venue.

The faithful rendering of Voss’ Baobab affirmed the reference to Steve Cardenas in my review of the album. Furthermore, I realized that Voss shares Pat Metheny’s melodic sensibility. 

As on the 2023 recording, Voss’ vision was expertly facilitated by the multi-generational lineup of saxophonist Benjamin Baker, bassist Forest Stewart and drummer Evan Verploegh. 

Sadly, there wasn’t much hype to disbelieve. A stray hound, a few fans, several musicians who had performed earlier and a drug dealer and his clientele heard what Chuck D and I might characterize as def jams.

Album Review: Alan Voss Quartet- Baobab

Alan Voss recognizes that louder isn’t better.  The Kansas City guitarist plays with subtle restraint on Baobab.  Opting for contemplative elegance on a debut album is a bold artistic choice during an era dominated by brash volume.  His affinity for quietude makes Voss an artistic descendent of the one-time Kansas City guitarist Steve Cardenas.  The impression is enhanced by the contributions of bassist Forest Stewart, a frequent Cardenas collaborator.  Baobab also features saxophonist Benjamin Baker and drummer Evan Verploegh.  Hearing the two fiery musicians in a subdued context is intriguing.  The quartet’s circumspect interaction is the most rewarding element of the serene Baobab.

Concert Review: Steve Cardenas at recordBar

Giovanni Russonello’s "Where Jazz Lives Now" treatise in The New York Times generated a kerfuffle in jazz circles last week.  The controversial article asserts that most performances of groundbreaking improvised music no longer transpire in venues dedicated to jazz.

The claim rings true in Kansas City.  A significant portion of adventurous jazz programming in the region during the past 15 years has been presented under the auspices of the Jeff Harshbarger Presents series at the rock-oriented venue recordBar.

Members of an attentive audience of about 100 paid $15 to hear a homecoming concert by the New York based guitarist Steve Cardenas at recordBar on Sunday, March 20.  Cardenas was joined by bassist Forest Stewart and drummer Brian Steever in the series’ first presentation since the onset of the pandemic.

In spite of its unconventional setting, little of the internecine contention generated by Russonello’s feature applied to the outing.  The trio’s elevated musicianship was beyond destructive turf wars.  They implied avant-garde wooliness even as they evinced Kansas City-style swing.

Renditions of original compositions by Cardenas and Stewart were as potent as the standards performed by the trio.  The strong show of support, superlative sound and exceptional music made debate irrelevant.  Kansas City’s jazz scene seemed entirely cohesive, healthy and robust at a rock club last Sunday.

First set: Wail (Bud Powell), Newer Normal (Forest Stewart), Lost and Found (Steve Cardenas), Fleurette Africaine (Duke Ellington), Don Formation (Forest Stewart), untitled (Steve Cardenas), Ladies in Mercedes (Steve Swallow)

Now's the Time: Steve Cardenas

EDIT: THIS PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN POSTPONED

The accomplished guitarist Steve Cardenas performs with pianist Jon Cowherd, bassist Ben Allison and drummer Allan Mednard in the embedded video. Cardenas will be joined by bassist Forest Stewart and drummer Brian Steever at recordBar on Tuesday, December 28.