KC’s Cup Runneth Over

England’s national football team has taken over a hotel complex that houses my favorite neighborhood café. I’ll try not to hold the inconvenience against the squad during the World Cup this summer. The following guide is designed to inspire athletes and affiliates of Three Lions to break away from their base in Prairie Village for a sampling of Kansas City’s jazz scene. I’ve created four itineraries wheeled around venues unique to Kansas City. Several good rooms aren’t mentioned, and it’s worth noting that catching elite musicians in a lousy setting is preferable to hearing unexceptional artists in an excellent room. Start here if you’re looking for a list of Kansas City’s most accomplished jazz musicians.

Itinerary #1: Mutual Musicians Foundation
The modest appearance of The Mutual Musicians Foundation (1823 Highland Avenue) belies its importance. The site is the most authentic link to Kansas City’s jazz heyday. Hitting the 1:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. weekend jam sessions is a rite of passage. Night owls can pre-game at The Blue Room (1600 E. 18th Street), a music venue operated by The American Jazz Museum.

Itinerary #2: Knuckleheads
Jazz bands rarely perform at Kansas City’s best music venue. The blues, country and roots-rock oriented Knuckleheads (2715 Rochester Avenue; rideshare recommended) should be on the itinerary of jazz fans anyway. The J. Rieger & Co. distillery is a short but perilous walk across the train tracks.

Itinerary #3: Black Dolphin/Green Lady Lounge
Kansas City’s premier jazz club Green Lady Lounge (1809 Grand Boulevard) is temporarily closed due to fire damage. Its similarly swanky sister club Black Dolphin (1813 Grand Boulevard) features live jazz seven nights a week. Ted’s Taproom (1829 McGee Street) is strategically located nearby. The old-school showman Lonnie McFadden is the featured entertainer seven blocks away at Lonnie's Reno Club (1111 Grand Boulevard).

Itinerary #4: The Ship
Located in the Stockyards District, The Ship (1221 Union Avenue; rideshare recommended) offers live jazz on Thursdays. Plenty of cocktail lounges are promoted as throwbacks to the speakeasy era, but the Ship is the real deal. Youthful hipsters congregate at the nearby In the Lowest Ferns (1105 Hickory Street), a space specializing in underground dance music. The outdoor concert venue Lemonade Park is several blocks south of the Ship.

Don’t trust me? Try these alternatives:

*FIFA recommends Green Lady Lounge and the Blue Room.

*Kansas City’s official guide suggests the town is home to “more than 40 jazz and fine-dining venues.”

*A British tabloid namechecks Green Lady Lounge and Prairie Village.

*Scuzzy pop-up ads aside, a soccer-themed guide is worth a look.

Now’s the Time: Matt Von Roderick

Locally based musicians usually fill in when Lonnie McFadden, the titular musician of Lonnie’s Reno Club, takes a night off. Every so often a touring artist appears at the supper club. Matt Von Roderick, a crooner and trumpeter from Los Angeles, entertains at Lonnie’s Reno Club on Thursday, February 26.

Now’s the Time: Clint Ashlock

Clint Ashlock, one of Kansas City’s most prominent musicians, performs at Lonnie’s Reno Club on Friday, December 2, and Saturday, December 3. The multi-dimensional artist performs an ambitious solo rendition of a seasonal song in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*CBS Sunday Morning checked in with Marilyn Maye.

*Chris Burnett pays tribute to the late Bob Cowan.

*Joe Dimino interviewed musicians affiliated with the late Everette DeVan, shared snippets of a show at Lonnie’s Reno Club, and documented an event memorializing DeVan.

*The Pitch admires the efforts of the Kansas City Jazz Academy.

*The Fisher Center in New York presents a concert titled Genius Mother Mary: A Sonic Retrospective of Mary Lou Williams on July 29.

*Tweet of the Week: Barrio KC- Get ready for a good time because we’ve got the Max Groove Duo from 7-10pm at Red Bridge! #tequilaandtunes

*Announced four months ago, but only recently uncovered by Plastic Sax: The UMKC (Conservatory) is pleased to announce that Carl Allen will join our faculty Fall 2021 as the newly appointed William D. and Mary Grant/Endowed Professor of Jazz Studies. Mr. Allen is one of the most celebrated jazz artists of his generation, having performed and taught all over the world and recorded with legendary jazz greats Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Michael Brecker, Sammy Davis Jr., Branford Marsalis, Lena Horne, Herbie Hancock, Benny Golson, Christian McBride and many others.

Now's the Time: Lonnie McFadden

Lonnie McFadden delivers a high-energy, audience-pleasing approach to jazz and popular music at his namesake room Lonnie's Reno Club this weekend.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*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.

The Top Jazz-Related Stories and Trends of 2020

1. Lockdown Kansas City’s jazz scene wasn't spared the devastating consequences of the global pandemic.  Venues and musicians confronted a double whammy of restrictive government mandates and public disapproval of attempts to continue operating in hazardous conditions.

2. Centennial Year-long celebrations marking the centennial of the 1920 birth of Charlie Parker in Kansas City, Kansas, held the potential to enliven Kansas City’s jazz scene.  Area residents who don’t ordinarily display an interest in jazz might have discovered locally based talent in a media blitz promising more exposure than than the scene had enjoyed in years.  The virus cancelled the party.  

3. Virtual The embrace of livestreaming is the silver lining of the nightmare scenario.  The accessibility of jazz performances is unprecedented.  Hundreds of virtual gigs by Kansas City’s most notable improvisers were available to anyone with an internet connection.

4. Big Bet The opening of Lonnie's Reno Club is a glimmering ray of optimism in an overwhelming gloomy year.  Ascertaining the ability of Kansas City to support a ritzy jazz supper club should prove fascinating.

5. Keepin’ It Real Bobby Watson’s Keepin’ It Real led a strong slate of new recordings.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Feast magazine offers additional details about the unusual price structure at Lonnie Reno’s Club.

*Tweet of the Week: Mayor Quinton Lucas- Kansas City, we are #SaferAtHome. While these guidelines will provide necessary parameters to limit group gatherings, slowing the spread of #COVID19 will require participation from us all. We ask that you act in the best interest of not just yourself, but our entire community.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The Kansas City Star and The Kansas City Business Journal report on the opening of Lonnie's Reno Club.

*Pat Metheny’s From This Place was voted Album of the Year in Downbeat’s 85th Annual Readers Poll.  Readers also named Metheny the year’s top guitarist.

*Hermon Mehari created a heartwarming music video for "A Conversation With My Uncle" and "Eritrea".

*Joanna Berkebile, Lonnie McFadden, Matt Otto and Paul Shinn were interviewed by Joe Dimino.

*Tweet of the Week: Kansas City PBS- The performing arts have been sorely missed. That's why we're thrilled to bring you KC Performs, our new series bringing you beautiful performances from local artists. Starting next Thursday at 7:00 pm.

K.C. Blues, Part Four

I didn’t set out to enrage readers with the unintentionally incendiary K.C. Blues series.  The first three installments are a surprisingly controversial reality check.  Problems are best addressed with candid recognition of the challenges.  This, the fourth and final part of the series, lists eight reasons for optimism.

1. Lonnie’s Reno Club isn’t a new jazz venue. The hotel at 1111 Grand Boulevard has long hosted live jazz.  But the newly rebranded club is slated to feature performances by the dynamic Lonnie McFadden three nights a week.  In addition to being an ideal attraction for guests from out of town, the exciting concept breathes new life into Kansas City’s arts scene.

2. Rashida Phillips hasn’t had an adequate opportunity to show her stripes.  The pandemic hit a few months after she was named the Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum.  Here’s hoping Phillips is a creative innovator capable of altering the trajectory of the troubled institution.

3. The stylistic breadth of jazz made in Kansas City continues to expand.  Amber Underwood, Eddie Moore and Logan Richardson are among the musicians capable of growing the audience for improvised sounds by bridging the divide between jazz and popular music.

4. Bobby Watson is irreplaceable.  Yet the addition of Adam Larson to the faculty of the UMKC Conservatory lessens the blow of Watson’s retirement from academia.  Larson possesses substantial artistic imagination and vital industry connections.

5. "Chronicles of Conception", a track Ernest Melton quietly issued earlier this year, suggests the brilliance occasionally flashed by the saxophonist may soon turn into a consistent torrent of inspiration.

6. The improvised music scene will be infused by a manic burst of energy if the peripatetic Mike Dillon continues to hang his hat in Kansas City.  His return to his longtime home coincides with the release of the outstanding Rosewood.

7. The emergence of live streaming as a (semi)viable alternative to conventional performances is constructive.  The high quality of productions at Black Dolphin continues to astound.  There’s no reason the digital presentations shouldn’t be held over following a return to normalcy.

8. I’ll reveal my annual year-end top ten jazz album list by Kansas City artists in several weeks.  Impressive 2020 releases are so plentiful that several strong albums won’t make the cut.  My recognition of the abundant artistic excellence is yet another reminder to readers that my grievances shouldn’t be misconstrued as discontent with the music produced by Kansas City’s jazz musicians.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The Kansas City Business Journal reports on the opening of Lonnie’s Reno Club at the Ambassador Hotel.

*Amber Underwood is interviewed by Nick Spacek for The Pitch.

*The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra added a new video to its jazz history series.

*Emanuel Cleaver lobbies for the Save Our Stages campaign from the Blue Room.

*Tweet o’ the Week: KOJH 104.7- James D. Conqueror- Baptism (Holy Water) Magnum Opus