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Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Tim Whitmer was featured on KCUR’s Up To Date. The program also highlighted area jazz musicians’ cultural exchange in China.
*Bobby Watson was included in a roundup of notable locally based artists.
*Dave Scott and Drew Williams chatted with Joe Dimino.
*The man behind Plastic Sax highlighted tracks by Pete Fucinaro, Eddie Moore and Jackie Myers on the December 9 edition of 90.9 The Bridge’s Eight One Sixty program.
The same qualities that occasionally threaten to make the music of Tim Whitmer offputting- relentless cheerfulness and giddy sentimentality- have produced an instant seasonal classic. Happy Holidays is imbued with the benevolent spirit associated with Christmas.
Whitmer, a Kansas City institution, is joined by guitarist Rod Fleeman, saxophonist Mike Herrera, bassist Chase McRoy and drummer Ray DeMarchi on original compositions and holiday standards. Whitmer’s trademark glee is ideally suited to the material.
The band plays in the genial bluesy Kansas City tradition throughout the live session. Sustaining his remarkable career renaissance, Whitmer sounds better than ever as he exhibits his stride piano mastery. Even so, Fleeman steals the show.
The guitarist’s delightful original composition “It’s Christmas Time Again (At Last)” is followed by his transcendent solo reading of “The Christmas Song.” A wonderful gift for Kansas City jazz enthusiasts, Happy Holidays is a swinging bundle of yuletide joy.
(The album release show for Happy Holidays is 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 17, at Black Dolphin.)
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Stephen Wilson, the owner of Upcycle Piano Craft, counts Tim Whitmer and Green Lady Lounge among his favorite musicians and venues in Kansas City.
*Tim Whitmer spoke to Joe Dimino about his new Christmas album.
*The author of Plastic Sax featured two Kansas City jazz musicians on the KKFI radio program Wednesday Midday Medley last week.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A blogger reviewed Samara Joy’s concert at the Folly Theater.
*Happy Holidays, the new album by Tim Whitmer’s Good Time Quartet featuring Rod Fleeman, is available on streaming services. The release party will be held at Black Dolphin on Wednesday, December 17.
*Joe Dimino shared footage of a performance by Mire Pral.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Tim Whitmer’s Goodtime Quartet is featured in a new episode of Kansas Public Radio’s Live at Green Lady Lounge program.
*Joe Dimino shared footage of gigs led by Clint Ashlock and Tim Whitmer.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Tim Whitmer discussed his new album with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date.
*Ken Lovern told Joe Dimino about OJT’s new album.
*The New York Times remembered the Missouri-born Nora Holt and KCUR recalled Kansas City native Dana Suesse.
*From a press release: Kansas City Jazz Orchestra Executive Director Alyssa Bell Jackson today announced the next concert for the 2024-2025 Signature Series, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. at Helzberg Hall… The annual Kansas City Jazz Orchestra holiday concert, set against visuals from the cherished television special, will feature swinging big band arrangements from KCJO Artistic Director Clint Ashlock.
Tim Whitmer has specialized in giving jazz fans in Kansas City exactly what they’ve wanted for more than forty years. The veteran’s joy-infused, smile-inducing and foot-stomping music delivers the goods for listeners preferring old-fashioned fun to high-brow innovation.
The cheerful sensibility of the pianist and bandleader isn't static. The new album Double Live at Black Dolphin shows how his celebratory sound continues to evolve. Saxophonist Michael Herrera II, bassist Chase McRoy and drummer Ray DeMarchi match Whitmer’s exuberance while avoiding excessive sentimentality.
“Back Alley Bluz” epitomizes the approach. Herrera’s slow, stirring solo and Whitmer’s evocation of Jay McShann on the original composition are conclusively Kansas City. “Brookside Boogie” and “Basie’s Back in Town” are similarly buoyant. Yet the album isn’t a nonstop party. A refreshed reading of “Dancing with Theresa” is among the solo piano statements adding depth to the nearly two-hour recording.
Whitmer frequently quotes the phrase “these are the good old days” in his social media posts. In this instance, the axiom is spot-on. City Light Orchestra’s classic 1984 album Raised Spirits excepted, Double Live at Black Dolphin is the definitive Whitmer album.
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The album release party for Double Live at Black Dolphin will take place at Black Dolphin from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m on Saturday, November 2.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Eboni Fondren sang in a choir at the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
*Recent episodes of Kansas Public Radio’s Live at Green Lady Lounge program include performances by Tim Whitmer’s Goodtime Quartet and the Reyes Brothers Organ Trio.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Eddie Moore chatted with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date. His portion of the segment begins around the 12-minute mark.
*Skateboard celebrity Sean Malto cites Green Lady Lounge as one of his favorite Kansas City haunts in a Thrillist feature.
*Tim Whitmer’s letter praising the late Charlie Wheeler was published by The Kansas City Star.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Deborah Brown and shared footage of a performance by the JCCC Faculty Jazz Quintet.
*Footage of Leon Brady’s 90th birthday party was uploaded to YouTube.
*Wyandotte Daily published a press release for m-pact’s activities at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
*Tweet of the Week: Steve Paul- "Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley," by Steve Cardenas, Ben Allison, Ted Nash.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Chalis O’Neal promoted his new album on Joe Dimino’s YouTube channel.
*Nina Cherry considered the legacy of Margaret “Countess” Johnson for Kansas City magazine.
*Tweet of the Week: Pat Metheny- Thanks fans! (image)
*From a press release: Disney’s regional jazz exhibit, “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure,” will open at Kansas City’s American Jazz Museum on December 10. Visitors are joined by Joe Gardner – the musician, mentor and teacher from Disney and Pixar’s “Soul” – on a tour as they discover the rich and surprising history of jazz… (T)he exhibit will include a unique collection of artifacts curated by the American Jazz Museum, including Samuel “Baby” Lovett’s bongos and a signed photo of Louis Armstrong and his dog. Additionally, there will be maquettes of characters Joe Gardner and Dorothea Williams, and virtual experiences via the Play Disney Parks app… “The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure”... opens Friday, December 10 and will run until April 24, 2022.
*From a press release: Unity Temple on the Plaza is presenting a special holiday edition of its long running Concert Series entitled Spirituality and All That Jazz (4 p.m. Sunday, December 19). This all ages concert will be led by award winning Pianist Tim Whitmer and his Consort Band. Tim's special guests will include; Saxophonist Jim Mair, Pianist Joe Cartwright, Vocalist Kathleen Holeman, and vocalist Millie Edwards. Tickets are available here.
*From a press release: The NEC Jazz Orchestra presents Soul on Soul – The Music of Mary Lou Williams on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. in NEC’s Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston. Joining the ensemble will be NEC alum and pianist Carmen Staaf ’05, 2009 winner of the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Pianist Competition. The concert will be broadcast internationally on Wednesday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m ET.
The scarcity of footage of the late Kansas City jazz musicians Ahmad Alaadeen and Laverne Barker makes City Light Orchestra’s appearance on a wacky 1986 television program invaluable. The band appears at the 2:00, 16:16 and 20:26 marks in the embedded video. David Basse and Tim Whitmer remain among Kansas City’s most prominent musicians.