Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Justin Wilson, an accomplished producer of Kansas City jazz recordings, has died.

*An appearance by Anat Cohen is among the highlights of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s 2025-26 season.

*Dan White told Steve Kraske about his Jazz KC Portraits photo exhibit at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.

*Michael Pagán chatted with Joe Dimino.

*Trent Austin is among the business owners concerned about the potential impact of tariffs on their musical instrument businesses in a KCUR feature.

*From a press release: Spotlight: Charlie Parker 2025 celebrates the jazz icon’s 105th birthday with jam sessions and musical tributes, tours, lectures, exhibits, panel discussions, workshops, and concerts... The month-long celebration will take place in August 2025 at various locations, including The Folly Theater, 18th & Vine Jazz District, including the American Jazz Museum and the Gem Theater, and Kansas City-area jazz clubs. Details are available here.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Michael Pagán’s Paganova performed on Kansas Public Radio’s Jazz in the Night program.

*Snippets of a David Watson gig were shared by Joe Dimino.

*Joel Harrison marvels at the visionary creativity of Pat Metheny in an appreciative essay.

Plastic Sax’s Favorite Albums of 2024

The Top Ten Albums of 2024 by Kansas City Artists
1. Betty Bryant- Lotta Livin’
Plastic Sax review.
2. Logan Richardson- The Science of Superstition
Plastic Sax review.
3. Charles McPherson- Reverence
Plastic Sax review.
4. Ben Allison, Steve Cardenas and Ted Nash- Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols
Plastic Sax review.
5. Matt Otto, Xose Miguélez and Abe Rábade- The Landscape Listens
Plastic Sax review.
6. Rod Fleeman Trio- Saturday Afternoon Live at Green Lady Lounge, Volume 3
Plastic Sax review.
7. Pat Metheny- MoonDial
Plastic Sax review.
8. Karrin Allyson- A Kiss for Brazil
Plastic Sax review.
9. Michael Pagán- Paganova
Plastic Sax review.
10. Narrative Quintet- Trust Fund Tinder Goblins Howling at the Moon
Plastic Sax review.

The Top Ten Albums of 2024 by Artists from Elsewhere
1. Sunny Five- Candid
2. Nduduzo Makhathini- uNomkhubulwane
3. Fred Hersch- Silent, Listening
4. أحمد (Ahmed)- Wood Blues
5. Nala Sinephro- Endlessness
6. Tord Gustavsen Trio- Seeing
7. Andrew Cyrille, Kit Downes and Bill Frisell- Breaking the Shell
8. Peter Evans- Extra
9. Samara Joy- Portrait
10. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis- The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Kansas City magazine highlights three Spotlight: Charlie Parker events.

*A recent review of his new album Paganova suggests Michael Pagán is “a true magician”.

*From a press release: Jazz St. Louis is thrilled to announce Jazz St. Louis Presents Paquito D'Rivera and Chucho Valdés, Together Again!, a two-night fundraising event featuring Cuban jazz legends Paquito D'Rivera and Chucho Valdés Sept. 18-19, 2024 in St. Louis. Longtime friends and collaborators, the two renowned performers have a combined 29 GRAMMY Awards and Latin GRAMMY Awards between them. D'Rivera and Valdés will each perform both nights, with the first event taking place Sept. 18, 2024, at Steward Center, the home of Jazz St. Louis in Grand Center. The second night will happen Sept. 19, 2024, at The Sheldon, a larger venue to allow more St. Louisans to experience the legendary musicians… Details are available here.

Album Review: Michael Pagán- Paganova

“Deep in My Soul”, the second track on Michael Pagán’s latest album Paganova, is magnificent. The melody written by the Kansas City pianist, composer and bandleader is worthy of Bill Evans. The compelling playing of Pagán’s bandmates does the sublime composition justice.

Saxophonists David Chael and Michael Herrera, bassist Louie Pagán and drummer Ray DeMarchi enrich five original Pagán pieces and arrangements of works by Clare Fisher, Steve Swallow and Kenny Wheeler.

The dual saxophones of Chael and Herrera are reminiscent of classic dates of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. Yet partly because five of the eight tracks feature an electric bass, Paganova contains more surprises than most mainstream jazz sessions.

Fisher’s “Gaviota” is a funky romp. “Guess Whose Blues” evokes the eccentricities of Charles Mingus. The old-world zest of “Napoli” closes the album. Yet the most valuable aspect of Paganova may be allowing the rest of the world to Chael and Herrera. The saxophonists are precisely the type of unheralded players who make Kansas City’s jazz scene vibrant.

Now’s the Time: Michael Pagán

Michael Pagán recently shared the embedded video featuring clips of his band Paganova performing at Westport Coffee House.  The Kansas City pianist’s busy schedule includes a trio performance at Black Dolphin on Saturday, April 8.

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.

Concert Review: Trinity Jazz Ensemble at Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church

An unassuming pianist roared with startling ferocity at Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church on Thursday, July 1.  The Kansas City mainstay Michael Pagán lit up a recital of sacred-themed jazz.  An iteration of the longstanding Trinity Jazz Ensemble- vocalist (Brother) John Anderson, trumpeter Mike Parkinson, saxophonist Doug Talley, pianist Pagán, bassist Tim Brewer and drummer Sam Platt- performed an inspired array of original material and classic compositions.

Pagán disrupted the otherwise pleasingly polite concert with a memorable outburst.  For three consecutive selections in the middle of the performance, Pagán played like one of the world’s most celebrated pianists. Free of ostentation, the informal showcase began with “Deep In My Soul.”  Pagán’s original is one of the strongest compositions to emerge from Kansas City in recent years.  Parkinson exclaimed “that’s deep!” at the conclusion of the song.

A fiery incarnation of Wynton Kelly seemed to overtake Pagán during a reading of Hank Mobley’s “A Baptist Beat.”  It was followed by Pagán’s solo rendition of Keith Jarrett’s “Silence.” He matched the meditative brilliance of the composer.   While his contributions continued to impress, Pagán assumed a less conspicuous role for the remainder of the concert.  Yet his unexpected salvo served as a valuable reminder that splashy superheroes lurk inside many of the Clark Kents in Kansas City’s jazz community.