Album Review: Nolatet- Somethin’ to Relax With

A subset of Midwestern music aficionados between the ages of 35 and 65 know that much of the most exciting jazz of the 1990s and early 2000s was performed in grimy rock clubs. Removed from the stifling constraints of jazz purists and advocacy organizations, bands like Tulsa’s Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and Kansas City’s Malachy Papers developed new tactics in a vibrant underground scene.

Somethin’ to Relax With, the latest release by Nolatet, is a mature variant of the pivotal movement. The band consists of Jacob Fred Odyssey’s Brian Haas, Malachy Papers’ Mike Dillon and the New Orleans stalwarts James Singleton and Johnny Vidacovich.

Recorded live in Tulsa, the album is an extension of Haas’ work with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and is a logical progression in Dillon’s adventurous career. Bolstered by the swinging bassist and drummer from the Big Easy, Haas and Dillon balance ornery defiance with deep-seated fluency in jazz traditions.

All six selections are alternately pensive and playful. Nolatet’s highbrow fun brings a disruptive punk sensibility to sounds ordinarily associated with Bobby Hutcherson and Thelonious Monk. Somethin’ to relax with? Sort of. Somethin’ to party with at a safe distance from conventional jazz culture? Definitely.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Norman Brown chats with WBGO’s Pat Prescott.

*Joe Dimino interviewed Brian Haas about the musician’s latest collaboration with Mike Dillon.

*A television news report is intended to highlight Jazz Appreciation Month.

*From a press release: Spotlight: Charlie Parker 2026 will return this June for its 14th annual, summer‑long celebration honoring legendary jazz icon Charlie “Bird” Parker on what would have been his 106th birthday. The annual program celebrates Parker’s enduring legacy and global impact on jazz through concerts, jam sessions, historic tours, lectures, exhibits, panel discussions, workshops, and performances… Event details will be released throughout the summer at KC Jazz Alive.

Brigadoon

“Almost Like Being in Love,” the standard once interpreted by the Kansas City trailblazer Charlie Parker, originally appeared in Brigadoon. The musical is set in an enchanted realm that’s almost entirely cut off from the rest of the world.

The results of two new surveys- The 73rd Annual Downbeat Critics Poll and the 20th Annual Francis Davis Critics Poll: 2025 Midyear- suggest Kansas City is the jazz equivalent of Brigadoon. 

Just as few locally based artists make an impression on the international landscape, visits from the most recognized musicians are rare. Yet in spite of its solitude, superior jazz is performed nightly in Kansas City.

Only one album by a Kansas City based artist is among the 441 new releases receiving at least a single vote in the Francis Davis endeavor. Carl Allen’s Tippin’ came in at #24 with nine votes. Here’s my ballot.

Aside from Allen, the Branford Marsalis Quartet is the sole act with an album placing in the top 100 albums of the Francis Davis poll that has performed in Kansas City during the past 24 months. Not coincidentally, Allen joined Marsalis’ band at the Folly Theater that night. Marsalis’ Belonging landed at #7 in the poll. 

Six acts associated with Kansas City- three living and one locally based- appear in DownBeat’s primary listings. (The poll’s individual voter ballots aren’t available.) The results of local interest are:

• Hall of Fame: Bob Brookmeyer, 29th place 

• Historical Album of the Year: Charlie Parker- Bird in Kansas City, 13th place

• Large Ensemble of the Year: Count Basie Orchestra, 23rd place

• Alto Saxophonist of the Year: Bobby Watson, 30th place

• Guitarist of the Year: Pat Metheny, 5th place

• Composer of the Year: Pat Metheny, 17th place

• Blues Artist of the Year: Samantha Fish, 13th place

Kansas City is also represented in DownBeat’s secondary Rising Star category:

• Rising Star- Large Ensemble of the Year: People’s Liberation Big Band, 17th place

• Rising Star- Trumpeter of the Year: Hermon Mehari, 18th place

• Rising Star- Alto Saxophonist of the Year: Logan Richardson, 6th place

• Rising Star- Baritone Saxophonist of the Year: BJ Jansen, 19th place

• Rising Star- Organist of the Year: Chris Hazelton, 19th place

• Rising Star- Vibraphonist of the Year: Mike Dillon, 7th place

• Rising Star- Vibraphonist of the Year: Peter Schlamb, 13th place

Jazz lovers in Kansas City eager to engage with the outside world will relish poring over the results of the endlessly fascinating polls. While music discovery is “almost like being in love” for me, many locals prefer familiar sounds in their sequestered Brigadoons.

In much the same way, some of the civic boosters who repeat the old saw about Kansas City being a cradle of jazz neither know nor care about the global state of the music. And given the high quality of improvised music made in isolation locally, perhaps their blissful ignorance is warranted.

Now’s the Time: James Singleton

Mike Dillon performs with bassist James Singleton and drummer Earl Harvin at Greenwood Social Hall on Sunday, April 20. Dillon goes gonzo on vibraphone in the embedded Singleton music video.

The Top 25 Kansas City Jazz Albums of the Past 25 Years

Despite enduring constant turbulence during the first 25 years of the new millennium, Kansas City’s jazz musicians never ceased creating timeless art. The following list highlights a fraction of the vital recordings released since 2000. The recency bias on display reflects Plastic Sax’s founding in 2007 as well as the uptick in the quantity and quality of releases in recent years. A corresponding non-jazz albums ranking is here.

1. Peter Schlamb- Tinks (2004)
2. Logan Richardson- Shift (2016)
3. Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City (2022)
4. Hermon Mehari- Asmara (2022)
5. Bob Bowman- Songs for Sandra (2014)
6. Pat Metheny- Orchestrion (2010)
7. Ahmad Alaadeen- And the Beauty of It All (ASR 2007)
8. Karrin Allyson- Imagina: Songs of Brasil (2008)
9. Steve Cardenas- Panoramic (2002)
10. Mike Dillon- Inflorescence (2023)

11. Deborah Brown- Songbird (2003)
12. Adam Larson- With Love, From Kansas City (2022)
13. Myra Taylor- My Night to Dream (2001)
14. Matt Otto and Ensemble Ibérica- Ibérica (2017)
15. The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City- The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City (2010)
16. Kevin Mahogany- Pride & Joy (2002)
17. Micah Herman- The Ship, Vol. 1: The Studio Sessions (2011)
18. EMAS Quartet- EMS (2022)
19. Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- Kings & Queens (2016)
20. Rod Fleeman Trio- Saturday Afternoon Live at Green Lady Lounge, Volume 3 (2024)

21. Alaturka- Tamam Abi (2010)
22. Betty Bryant- Lotta Livin' (2024)
23. Everette DeVan- For the Love of You (2014)
24. Gregory Hickman-Williams- Passages (2006)
25. Marcus Lewis Big Band- Brass and Boujee (2018)

Now’s the Time: Mike Dillon

The "ugly jazz" icon Mike Dillon will be joined by like-minded Kansas City musicians at the Brick on Saturday, June 1. Brian Haas and Nikki Glaspie, Dillon’s co-conspirators in Punkadelick, are featured in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Seth Davis, Mike Dillon and Matt Otto received votes in El Intruso’s 16th Annual International Critics Poll.

*A slightly different version of the audio feature about Charlie Parker’s Grafton saxophone created for KCUR in December aired nationally on NPR’s Morning Edition program last week. 

*Joe Dimino shared footage of recent performances of bands led by Pete Fucinaro and Adam Larson.

*WBGO aired a travelog set in Kansas City’s Jazz District.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Joe Dimino interviewed Rick Willoughby and shared footage of a performance led by Matt Villinger.

*Adam Larson and Mike Dillon were lauded on the KKFI radio program Wednesday Midday Medley.

Plastic Sax’s Favorite Albums of 2023

Top Ten Albums by Kansas City Artists
1. Matt Otto- Umbra
Plastic Sax review.

2. Mike Dillon and Punkadelick- Inflorescence
Plastic Sax review.

3. Adam Larson- With Love, From New York City
Plastic Sax review.

4. Enzo Carniel, Hermon Mehari, Stéphane Adsuar and Damien Varaillon- No(w) Beauty
Plastic Sax review.

5. Matt Otto- Kansas City Trio
Plastic Sax review.

6. Pat Metheny- Dream Box
Plastic Sax review.

7. Torches Mauve- Volume Two
Plastic Sax review.

8. Narrative Quartet- Narrative
Plastic Sax review.

9. Count Basie Orchestra- Swings the Blues
Plastic Sax review.

10. Danny Embrey- Orion Room
Plastic Sax review.

Top Ten Albums by Artists From Elsewhere

1. Sebastian Rochford and Kit Downes- A Short Diary

2. Jason Moran- From the Dancehall to the Battlefield

3. Sylvie Courvoisier- Chimaera

4. Kassa Overall- Animals

5. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi- Our Daily Bread

6. Henry Threadgill- The Other One

7. Aja Monet- When the Poems Do What They Do

8. Laura Schuler Quartet- Sueños Paralelos

9. Cécile McLorin Salvant- Mélusine

10. Irreversible Entanglements- Protect Your Light

Plastic Sax’s Favorite Performances of 2023

Top Ten Performances by Kansas City Artists
1. Mike Dillon, Brian Haas and Nikki Glaspie at the Brick
Plastic Sax review.

2. Hermon Mehari at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.

3. Adam Larson, Matt Clohesy and Jimmy Macbride at Westport Coffee House
Instagram clip.

4. Rod Fleeman at Green Lady Lounge
Instagram clip.

5.  Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Plastic Sax review.

6. Drew Williams, Alex Frank, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
Plastic Sax review.

7. Cynthia van Roden at the Market at Meadowbrook
Instagram snapshot.

8. Chalis O’Neal at the Blue Room
Instagram clip.

9. Alan Voss, Benjamin Baker, Forest Stewart and Evan Verploegh at Swope Park Pavilion
Plastic Sax review.

10. Rich Hill, Arnold Young and Rob Whitsitt in Volker Park
Instagram clip.

Top Ten Performances by Artists from Elsewhere
1. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.

2. Devin Gray and Maria Elena Silva at the Firehouse Gallery
Plastic Sax review.

3. Bill Frisell, Greg Tardy, Gerald Clayton and Johnathan Blake at the 1900 Building
Plastic Sax review.

4. Artemis at the Gem Theater
Plastic Sax review.

5. CRAG Quartet and Joshua Gerowitz at the Bunker Center for the Arts
Instagram clip.

6. Miguel Zenón Quartet at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.

7. Henrique Eisenmann and Eugene Friesen at the 1900 Building
Plastic Sax review.

8. Robert Stillman at the Midland Theater
There Stands the Glass review.

9. Jack Wright and Ron Stabinsky at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.

10. Rob Magill and Marshall Trammell at Farewell
Plastic Sax review.

(Last year’s survey is here.)

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The author of Plastic Sax included releases featuring Mike Dillon, Adam Larson and Hermon Mehari in his ranking of The Best Jazz Albums of 2023 (So Far).

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*KCUR aired an audio feature about Mike Dillon.

*Pat Metheny’s appearance at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is among KCUR’s June concert recommendations.

*Ian Bennett suggests Kansas City jazz is a cultural ghost in an essay for The Pitch.

*Tweet of the Week: Jeff Shirley- Terrarium (Official Video Teaser) Listen to Jeff Shirley’s album “Blue Gold” now: Spotify: (link) Amazon Music Streaming: (link) iTunes: (link) (video clip)

*From a press release: On Monday, June 19, the Sunflower Music Festival at White Concert Hall on the Washburn University campus (in) Topeka, will welcome Kansas City’s popular City Light Jazz Orchestra back for Jazz Night. The orchestra, under the direction of Angela Ward, will present A Tribute to Black Female Composers.

Album Review: Mike Dillon and Punkadelick- Inflorescence

The longstanding radio program ​​Retro Cocktail Hour specializes in the charmingly quaint and amusingly outmoded jazz-based exotica associated with space-age bachelor pads.  Mike Dillon, Brian Haas and Nikki Glaspie turn the concept inside-out on Inflorescence. The trio goofs on the ersatz vocalese of Yma Sumac on “Desert Monsoon,” the opening track of the new album, and toys with the French chansons of Édith Piaf on the closing selection “Never Been to Paris.” Everything in between is a wild-eyed percussive romp. The interplay between vibraphonist and longtime Kansas City troublemaker Dillon, keyboardist Haas and drummer Glaspie provides thrilling immediacy.  But forget about elaborate cocktails.  Fireball shooters from a gas station are a more suitable companion for the proper appreciation of Inflorescence.

Faux Fest

I attended a cutting-edge jazz festival in Kansas City on Wednesday, January 4.  What’s that?  You didn’t know about the event?  Well, since Kansas City hasn’t hosted a proper jazz festival in five years, I’ve taken to curating one-night festivals for myself.

On Wednesday I spent five hours at three venues taking in an immensely rewarding blend of touring and locally based artists.  The faux festival got off to a rough start at Westport Coffee House ($10 cover).  When guitarist Seth Andrew Davis thanked members of the audience for attending, the Bay Area keyboardist Scott R. Looney sneered “three people!”

The other musicians seemed to brush off Looney’s disappointment in the turnout.  Looney, Davis and the New York based percussionist Kevin Cheli began by playing what sounded like devilish variations on the cartoon music of Raymond Scott.

Looney, bassist Krista Kopper and drummer Evan Verploegh toyed with extreme dynamics in the second set.  In staving off mere anarchy by holding the center, Kopper was the most valuable contributor to a third set featuring all five musicians.  The first stage of the festival concluded with an improvisation on what may have been an inverse version of Miles Davis’ “All Blues.” 

The second phase of the bespoke festival transpired at Green Lady Lounge ($5 cover).  I joined about 75 revelers for a set by OJT, the popular venue’s de facto house band.  Seated directly behind drummer Sam Platt, my appreciation of the ways in which guitarist Brian Baggett and organist Ken Lovern apply their roots in rock to update the organ jazz trio tradition was strengthened.

Funkadelick headlined the fake fest at the Brick ($10 cover).  Drummer Nikki Glaspie had the night off, so the peripatetic Mike Dillon and Brian Haas, the keyboardist best known for his groundbreaking work with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, operated as a duo for most of their nearly two-hour set.

Dillon manned his expansive rig like punk-jazz’s answer to Carl Palmer as he and Haas interpreted the entirety of the forthcoming album Inflorescence.  The tandem was later joined in musical roughhousing by guest drummer Arnold Young.  A violent interpolation of the Stooges’ proto-punk classic “I Wanna Be Your Dog” typified the raucous attack.

Drawn to the pocket-size stage like a moth to a flame, I posted up front and center for most of the riveting performance.  The approximately 50 people seated behind me couldn’t have been pleased that I obstructed their sightlines.  I didn’t care.  After all, it was my festival.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*When he wasn’t raving about the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society, the author of Plastic Sax played jazz and jazz-adjacent music including tracks by Matt Villinger’s All Night Trio, Anna Butterss and “Ode to Mary,” Moor Mother’s tribute to Mary Lou Williams on a best-of 2022 radio program.

*Soirée Steak & Oyster House, a restaurant in the Jazz District that occasionally features jazz performances, is the beneficiary of a crowd-funding campaign.

*Mike Dillon chatted with Joe Dimino.

*Tweet of the Week: Mo- My friends and i trying to take pictures at @GreenLadyLounge last night (meme)

*From a press release: ​​CD Release Event at Green Lady Lounge on Saturday, January 14, from 2:30 to 5:30 pm.: After decades of working as a sought-after sideman and invaluable collaborator for the likes of Karrin Allyson, Diane Shuur, Marilyn Maye, and the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, guitarist Rod Fleeman has released his first album as a leader. Saturday Afternoon Live at Green Lady Lounge captures Fleeman, bassist Gerald Spaits, and drummer Todd Strait performing a set of original material at Kansas City’s most popular jazz venue.

*From a press release: ​​Jazz/Punk Raconteur Mike Dillon & Punkadelick are on tour, performing locally for a CD Release Party at The Brick, Wednesday, January 4… Punkadelic is a trio featuring Mike Dillon (Ricki Lee Jones, Ani DiFranco, Les Claypool) on vibraphone, marimba, Prophet 6, congas, and bongos; Brian Haas (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey) on Fender Rhodes, piano, bass Moog and melodica; and Nikki Glaspie (Beyonce) on drums, cymbals and vocals.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra has released a new version of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” featuring vocalist Eboni Fondren.

*Craig Aker, a notable figure in the music community of Columbia, Missouri, is featured in The Maneater.

*Tweet of the Week: Aaron Bean- Doing my door guy thing tonight @GreenLadyLounge until 3am! Kansas City JAZZ at its finest.

*From a press release: Mike Dillon & Punkadelick have released "Pandas", the second single from their forthcoming album, Inflorescence, due January 27 on Royal Potato Family… “In our minds, Led Zeppelin and Milt Jackson, Parliament-Funkadelic and The Minutemen, The Bad Brains and Frank Zappa are interconnected," says Mike Dillon. "All that comes together in how we approach instrumental creative music. Punk rock, funk and jazz are not prefab things, they're about freedom. We have no genre restriction in this band..."

The Top Ten Jazz Performances of 2021

I caught several dozen jazz performances in an unsettling year characterized by starts and stops.  With a literal sense of danger in the air, each outing felt vital.  The listing my favorite jazz-based performances in the Kansas City area includes a jaunt to Columbia for an essential bout of free jazz and a trek to Detroit to catch a Lee’s Summit native who no longer performs in his old stomping grounds.

1. J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits- Blue Room

Plastic Sax review.

2. Pat Metheny, James Francies and Joe Dyson- Orchestra Hall (Detroit)

Plastic Sax review.

3. Irreversible Entanglements- Stephens Lake Park Amphitheatre (Columbia)

Plastic Sax review.

4. Bird Fleming and Bill Summers’ “Voyage of the Drum”- Dunbar Park

Plastic Sax review.

5. Rod Fleeman- Green Lady Lounge

6. Eddie Moore, Ryan J. Lee and Zach Morrow- Charlotte Street Foundation

Plastic Sax review.

7. Thollem McDonas- 9th and State

Plastic Sax review.

8. Jeff Kaiser, Kevin Cheli and Seth Davis- Charlotte Street Foundation

Plastic Sax review.

9. Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie- 1900 Building

Plastic Sax review.

10. Second Nature Ensemble- Westport Coffee House

Plastic Sax review.

Lists of the top albums of 2021 are here. Links to similar annual top-show surveys for the past 11 years begin here.

Concert Review: Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie at the 1900 Building

The duo of Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie operated as a miniature drumline at the 1900 Building on Thursday, June 10. A few dozen people heard the audaciously unconventional percussionists perform uncharacteristically restrained cadences. Dillon is a longtime jazz insurrectionary. Glaspie is best known for her robust work as a member of Beyoncé’s touring band. Material from Dillon’s four outstanding pandemic albums- reviewed enthusiastically at Plastic Sax here and here- dominated the setlist. A brief sample reflects the lighthearted tone of the 80-minute recital. Longtime fans hoping to hear old favorites weren’t entirely neglected. The duo stumbled through a version of the title track of Hairy Apes BMX’s 2000 album Out Demons. Dillon explained he hadn’t played the impertinent contrafact of “Salt Peanuts” in 15 years. Prioritizing the present rather than glorifying the past makes the future seem exceptionally bright for both intrepid musicians.

Now's the Time: Nikki Glaspie

Nikki Glaspie jams with stars including keyboardist Robert Glasper in the embedded video. The powerhouse drummer collaborates with Mike Dillon at the 1900 Building on Thursday, June 9.

Rain Delay

I treated a minor setback like a major calamity yesterday. I’d long considered the ticketed performance by Mike Dillon and Brian Haas at Raj Ma Hall on Saturday, May 22, as my proper reintroduction to live music. The outdoor show at the listening-oriented venue featured two favorite musicians. I took it hard when my precious scheme was foiled due to inclement weather. Even though I’m fully vaccinated, I remain irrationally skittish about engaging with large, unmasked crowds. Indoor venues are still uninviting. Besides, interference from inattentive audiences is my pet peeve. The Raj Ma Hall show represented an optimal baby step in a gradual acclimation process. I’m now inclined to take the opposite tack. The Chicago rapper Lil Durk is slated to perform at a notoriously sketchy venue a few miles from my home this week. I just might pull the trigger.