Kansas City’s experimental music scene might never have recovered had the massive celestial sounds generated at Charlotte Street Foundation on Wednesday, July 15, managed to transport the art space to a different galaxy. Several dozen people attended the free event.
The conclave of 21 musicians guided by Aaron Osborne included a significant portion of the region’s most notable talent. A single “long-form improvised music composition (drew) inspiration from how planetary objects align and their relationships to each other in space.” The initiative lasted almost an hour, providing plenty of time for cosmic forces to intervene.
Each of the four groupings of musicians dubbed “Chthonian Planet,” “Terrestrial Habitable,” “Gas Giant” and “Rogue Pulsar” were triggered by overhead lighting cues. The sound ranged from intergalactic roars to lonely tones generated by the “Rogue Pulsar” represented by Kelley Gant.
Not only was the cumulative effect of the sprawling opus magnificent, the stellar aggregation of locally based talent was intrinsically momentous. Here’s hoping someone had the foresight to organize a formal group portrait. The image would document one of the most auspicious assemblies in the history of Kansas City jazz.
From the program notes:
The planetary types and groupings are as follows:
Chthonian Planet (lava): Cliff Dunn (bass flute), Elena Collins (bass Clarinet, Clarinet), Michael Eaton (sax, flute), Zak Pischnotte (saxes), Nick Howell (trumpet), Loren Broddeus (cornet), Sam Hughes (bari sax), Rosie O’Brien (tuba)
Terrestrial Habitable: Dwight Frizzell (windjammer), RJ Schultxe (percussion), Pat Conway (percussion), Shanté Clair (prepared guitar), Shawn Hansen (piano), Jackson Graham (vibes)
Gas Giant: Stephanie Priddy (viola), Cliff Hoitt-Lange (viola), Jeff Harshbarger (bass), Spencer Reeve (bass), Seth Davis (guitar), Brooke Knoll (harp)
Rogue Pulsar: Kelley Gant (vocals whistling electronics)
