Grading the 2023-24 Season of the Folly Jazz Series

Tickets for individual concerts in the 2023-24 season of the Folly Jazz Series go on sale June 6.  The following commentary might be used as a consumer guide.  While it’s unfair to grade individual bookings against more appealing hypotheticals, the penchant of Kansas City’s jazz presenters to return to familiar standbys is an ongoing source of frustration.  More than 500 of the more than 4,000 jazz albums released last year received votes in the 2022 edition of the 17th annual Francis Davis Jazz Poll.  With such a vast pool from which to draw, it’s unfortunate that the same fifty acts are repeatedly engaged.

Samara Joy: October 14, 2023
Grade: A+
Samara Joy is the Folly Jazz Series’ most opportune booking in years.  The charming vocalist won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in February.

Alexa Tarantino Quartet: November 11, 2023
Grade: B
Alexa Tarantino appeared in the American Jazz Museum’s Jammin’ at the Gem series in March as a member of Artemis.  (Plastic Sax review.)  The young saxophonist acquitted herself well.

The Hot Sardines: January 27, 2024
Grade: B
The hot jazz band The Hot Sardines is making its third or fourth appearance in the Folly Jazz Series.

Diane Schuur: February 24, 2024
Grade: B
Vocalist and pianist Diane Schuur was one of the most popular jazz artists of the 1980s and 1990s.

Norman Brown: March 9, 2024
Grade: B
Norman Brown is a smooth jazz guitarist from Kansas City.  His 2022 album Let’s Get Away was favorably reviewed at Plastic Sax.

Matthew Whitaker Quintet: April 6, 2024
Grade: B-
The agreeable music of pianist Matthew Whitaker seems designed to appeal to fans of Jon Batiste and Emmet Cohen.

Concert Review: Artemis at the Gem Theater

I fixated on an unsold ticket in the center of the front row for Artemis’ appearance at the Gem Theater during the first two weeks of March.  Two factors kept me from immediately pulling the trigger.  

At $81.20 including fees, it’d be among the most expensive concert tickets I’ve purchased.  Furthermore, the band’s mainstream jazz isn’t my favorite form of improvised music.  I’m glad I bought the ticket in a foolhardy moment.

My heart sank moments after sitting in the best seat in the house on Saturday, March 18.  A forest of music stands cluttered the stage, an indication my apprehensions were warranted.  Sure enough, the musicians buried their noses in charts for much of the 90-minute performance.

Yet the sextet won me over with prodigious talent, good cheer and unusual dynamics.  The latter element is epitomized by the contrast between pianist Renee Rosnes, a meticulous craftsperson, and the robustness of the charismatic drummer Allison Miller.  

Artemis’ comradery led to something I’d never seen on a bandstand: reed player Alexa Tarantino and bassist Noriko Ueda blew kisses to one another.  Trumpeter Ingrid Jensen cheered the impressive solos of her bandmates.  Razor-sharp blasts from her horn threatened to decapitate the otherwise fortunate fans up front.

The straight-ahead grounding of the music was balanced by occasional bursts of dissonance and plenty of sublime surprises.  Tarantino and saxophonist Nicole Glover successfully employed the sneaky tactic of beginning monumental statements with affected tentativeness.

Satisfied the monetary investment provided a priceless artistic experience, I joined the audience of more than 250 in giving the sextet a standing ovation.  Exceeding my entertainment budget was justified even if it means missing the next concert in the American Jazz Museum’s Jammin’ at the Gem series.

Original image by Plastic Sax.

Now’s the Time: Najee

The return of the American Jazz Museum’s Jammin’ at the Gem concert series is one of the year’s most encouraging developments.  The smooth jazz saxophonist Najee opens the 2022-23 season on Saturday, December 17.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*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.