The Norwegian guitarist Iver Cardas will be joined by the top-tier Kansas City musicians Pete Fucinaro, Jeff Harshbarger and Ryan Lee at the Ship on Thursday, April 10.
Now’s the Time: Marbin
The members of Marbin are pranksters, online pedagogues and road warriors. The Chicago based band touches down at the Ship on Saturday, February 1.
Now’s the Time: Erin Keller
Erin Keller performs at the Ship on Thursday, January 9. As with her 2023 EP Songs for Times Like These, Keller will be backed by the James Ward Band.
Jazz Night in Kansas City (Is Every Night)
Original image of Ernest Melton at In the Lowest Ferns by Plastic Sax.
Attending performances by locally based jazz musicians is what I miss most about Kansas City while traveling. While I regularly take advantage of high-profile concerts by cutting-edge improvisers who rarely appear in Kansas City in my destinations, few locales match the depth of artistry showcased nightly in the Kansas City area.
Following a trip to the tropics, I caught up with a portion of the embarrassment of riches on Thursday, November 15. My outing began at the Music House School of Music in Prairie Village. The storied trumpeter Stan Kessler joined the house band of guitarist Aaron Sizemore, bassist Forest Stewart and drummer Michael Warren.
Sizemore tends to incorporate European innovations of recent decades into his sound, a disposition that differentiates him from his peers in Kansas City. The singularity didn’t make an impression on harried music students on strict schedules at the busy facility. The small audience at Thursday’s no-cover event consisted of the usual suspects. A video of the concert streams here.
In the Lowest Ferns couldn’t be more different. The West Bottoms club specializing in electronic dance music occasionally hosts jazz musicians. About 25 fashion-conscious people paid a $15 cover charge to take in the first set by saxophonist Ernest Melton, keyboardist Parker Woolworth, bassist Jordan Faught and drummer Jaylen Ward. The quartet’s spiritual soul-jazz was enhanced by a fog machine.
Two blocks away, Peter Schlamb unveiled an instrument he described as his “new toy” in a free show at The Ship. The slippery tones of the MalletKAT added another weapon to the vibraphonist’s formidable arsenal. The high-energy improvisations of Schlamb, saxophonist Matt Otto, keyboardist Matt Villinger, bassist Sebastian Arias and drummer Zach Morrow were stunning.
In an act that felt like a cultural misdemeanor, the two eldest people among the audience of 20 left at the conclusion of the first set at 10:15 p.m. I nodded in agreement when a savvy old head suggested “that’s the best band in Kansas City” as we shuffled to the door. For me, Shlamb’s electric band sounds like home.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image of an artifact displayed at the Disney100: The Exhibition at Union Station by Plastic Sax.
Now’s the Time: Eboni Fondren
Eboni Fondren, one of Kansas City’s most prominent vocalists, returns to the Ship on Thursday, May 30. She’s accompanied by French musicians in the embedded video.
Now's the Time: KC Carnival Ball
The Ship hosts the 24th Annual KC Carnival Ball on Saturday, February 3. The Back Alley Brass Band is one of four party-oriented ensembles featured at the celebration. The Kansas Citians interpret a New Orleans standard in the embedded video.
Now’s the Time: Tatsuya Nakatani
Tatsuya Nakatani returns to the Ship on Thursday, November 30. The percussionist will be joined by Shawn Hansen, Jeff Harshbarger and Mike Stover following a solo set. Plastic Sax reviewed Nakatani’s 2019 performances at The Ship and the 1900 Building. The final four minutes of the embedded video are extremely amusing.
Now’s the Time: Brass & Boujee
Marcus Lewis’ Brass & Boujee ensemble performs at The Ship on Friday, June 30. The big band interprets Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” in the embedded video.
Now’s the Time: Black Crack Revue
The current iteration of Black Crack Revue (also known as BCR), the longstanding Kansas City collective originally inspired by the Sun Ra Arkestra, performs an early show at The Ship on Saturday, May 13.
Now’s the Time: Logan Richardson
Prior to a four-night stand at The Blue Note in New York City later this month, Logan Richardson is booked for a three-night run at The Ship in Kansas City on Wednesday, February 1, Thursday, February 2, and Friday, February 3. The saxophonist’s show at The Ship in 2022 was Plastic Sax’s Favorite Performance of 2022. The embedded video is a portion of Steve Paul’s documentation of the February 1 set.
Plastic Sax's Favorite Performances of 2022
Original image of Bob Bowman and Peter Schlamb by Plastic Sax.
Top Performances by Kansas City Artists
1. Logan Richardson + Blues People at the Ship
2. Adam Larson, Clark Sommers and Dana Hall at Westport Coffee House
3. Black Crack Revue at Westport Coffee House
4. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at recordBar
5. Arnold Young and the RoughTet at the Ship
6. Bob Bowman and Peter Schlamb at Second Presbyterian Church
7. Evan Verplough and Ben Baker at World Culture KC
8. Rod Fleeman at Green Lady Lounge
9. Alter Destiny at Charlotte Street Foundation
10. Drew Williams, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
Top Performances by Artists from Elsewhere
1. Nduduzo Makhathini at the Blue Room
2. Ohma at the Midland theater
3. Livia Nestrovski and Henrique Eisenmann at the 1900 Building
4. High Pulp at recordBar
5. Phillip Greenlief at Bushranger Records
6. Terence Blanchard at Atkins Auditorium
7. Keefe Jackson, Jakob Heinemann and Adam Shead at Black Dolphin
8. Esthesis Quartet at the Blue Room
9. Kind Folk at the Black Box
10. Bill Summers and Forward Back at Dunbar Park
Concert Review: Logan Richardson + Blues People at the Ship
Original image by Plastic Sax.
A perceptible anomaly prior to the homecoming concert of Logan Richardson + Blues People at the Ship on Thursday, May 19, indicated the evening would be memorable. The five musicians swaggered with confidence while socializing in a recently opened annex of the venue at which more than 100 revelers paid a $10 cover charge. Gloating is uncommon among Kansas City jazz musicians.
The men backed up their bold dispositions with a correspondingly towering 80-minute performance. Unapologetically loud and abrasive, the quintet exhibited a remarkable rapport strengthened during a tour that included a five-night stand at New York City’s jazz shrine the Village Vanguard. The potency of the outing was hardly a surprise.
Richardson, Plastic Sax’s 2019 Person of the Year, and vibraphonist/keyboardist Peter Schlamb, Plastic Sax’s 2018 Person of the Year, are arguably Kansas City’s most exciting musicians. They brought out the best in each other. The metal-edged guitarist Igor Osypov, the inventive bassist Dominique Sanders and the thrilling young drummer Nazir Ebo are also standout musicians.
The voice Richardson expresses through his saxophone attack, distinctive compositions and decisive bandleading skill has never been more eloquent. In a heartfelt soliloquy, he name-checked Kansas City jazz forebears including Ahmad Alaadeen, Jay McShann, Eddie Saunders and Claude Williams. Richardson’s bold innovations and rightful self-assurance honor their legacies.
Now's the Time: Logan Richardson
Four days after completing a five-day run on the hallowed stage of The Village Vanguard, Logan Richardson + Blues People play a homecoming concert at The Ship on Thursday, May 19. The band consists of saxophonist Richardson, guitarist Igor Osypov, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb, bassist Dominique Sanders and drummer Ryan J. Lee.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Jon McGraw promoted the Spotlight 2021: Charlie Parker initiative on Joe Dimino’s YouTube channel.
*The Kansas City Star made a belated acknowledgement of the passing of Everette DeVan.
* The American Jazz Museum marks the return of Charlie Parker’s plastic sax with a parade in the Jazz District on Sunday, August 29.
*Tweet of the Week: Mike Mahoney- The Ship, a Kansas City live music venue and bar, joins the list of places in KC requiring proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test to enter. May be others soon. @kmbc #MoVaccine