Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra return to the Lied Center on Thursday, November 6. The ensemble will premiere a University of Kansas-themed piece titled “Wave the Wheat Suite.”
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by There Stands the Glass.
*A television news outlet suggests The Phoenix may be haunted.
*The New York Times reports that Charlie Parker 78s are spun at The Hot Club of New York.
*Bram Wijnands’ live accompaniment to a vintage horror film is among the upcoming events recommended by In Kansas City magazine.
Album Review: Drew Williams Quartet- Live at Weights and Measures
Many of Kansas City’s most accomplished jazz musicians recoil from social media hijinks and resist shameless self-promotion. Too often, their meritorious reticence results in comparative inconspicuousness.
The commendably serious Drew Williams is one such musician. The saxophonist is among Kansas City’s most forward-thinking artists. His new release Live at Weights and Measures reminds listeners that Williams is equally adept in straight-ahead settings and freer formats.
Williams is joined by the similarly versatile keyboardist Matt Villinger, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Jaylen Ward on the session. Williams’ creativity is further evidenced by the availability of Live at Weights and Measures in both audio and video formats.
On Thelonious Monk’s “We See”, Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way”, Kurt Rosenwinkel’s “Minor Blues”, Hoagy Carmichael’s “Skylark” and Williams’ original “Fix Your Heart (Or Die)”, the quartet demonstrates the splendid quality of jazz flourishing at the periphery of Kansas City’s jazz spotlight.
Now’s the Time: Lakecia Benjamin
In spite of the initial buzz accompanying the booking of Lakecia Benjamin in the 2025-26 season of the Folly Jazz Series, most seats for the saxophonist’s concert remain unsold ten days prior to her appearance on Saturday, November 1. The embedded video suggests Benjamin and her band are ideally suited for a sophisticated Saturday night.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Past Due Bill
Original image of Pete Escovedo’s band at the Folly Theater by Plastic Sax.
I opted for the season opener of the Folly Jazz Series over the revived KC Jazz & Blues Festival on Saturday, October 5. Several people have insisted an explanation is in order. My decision was based on equal parts money and art.
The festival would have put me back $89.50 ($69.50 for the least expensive ticket and $20 parking at the baseball stadium hosting the event). I paid $30 for the cheapest ticket to Pete Escovedo’s concert at the Folly Theater. I found a free parking spot on a nearby street.
Familiarity also played a role in my choice. Bill Frisell- the crown jewel of the festival’s lineup- comes through Kansas City regularly. Stanley Clarke, the de facto headliner, played a free concert in Kansas City in 2019.
I don’t care for the music of the festival’s closing act Karl Denson. As for the locally based professional musicians in the festival lineup, I’ve heard every one of them at least once in recent months.
I’ve only seen Escovedo perform as a member of Santana at the Uptown Theater in the 1970s. Escovedo’s octet played low-stakes Latin jazz for an audience of more than 200 on Saturday. The vibes were good, but missing Frisell feels bad.
Now’s the Time: Christian McBride
A fortuitous confluence of personal favorites, a celebrity newsmaker and a concert date made posting the embedded video seem mandatory today. Jeffrey Osborne, the R&B luminary responsible for my fourth favorite concert of 2024, appears on Christian McBride’s latest big band album. Osborne and McBride revisited LTD’s 1977 hit “(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again” on Jimmy Kimmel’s program two days ago. McBride performs with Brad Mehldau at Muriel Kauffman Theatre on Thursday, October 9.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Joe Dimino provided footage of performances at the Kansas City Jazz & Blues Festival.
*Kelley Gant’s talent as a whistler was featured on KCUR.
*Jaylen Ward participated in an interview.
Concert Review: Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sánchez at Helzberg Hall
Original music by Plastic Sax.
Longing for Sunday morning serenity, I was slapped by Saturday night dissipation at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Mondays can be like that.
I’d hoped BEATrio- banjoist Béla Fleck, harpist Edmar Castañeda and drummer Antonio Sánchez- would focus on thoughtful meditations on Monday, September 29. Instead, much of the 100-minute set was dedicated to aggressive fusion.
The audience of more than 500 in Helzberg Hall heard a five-minute Sanchez solo, Castañeda’s unwelcome invocation of New Age luminary Andreas Vollenweider and Fleck’s flashy rendering of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”
Extended showboating by virtuosos who know better was disappointing. Still, the $37.50 I spent on a ticket in the rafters wasn’t wasted. Fleck’s music has been a through line in my life for more than forty years. He’s worth hearing even at his gaudiest.
As when I last attended a Fleck concert in 2021, the volume was disarmingly hushed. Unlike in Portland, however, hippies behaved, allowing appreciation of the crisp sound field. And there were several fleeting moments of quiet beauty.
I may have yearned for more of the kind of spiritual solace Fleck displayed on the transcendent 1996 cross-genre collaboration Tabula Rasa. Even so, I don’t regret hearing three elite musicians show off on a Monday.
Now’s the Time: Stanley Clarke
Less than 300 people attended Stanley Clarke’s free 2019 concert in Kansas City. The bassist is the de facto jazz headliner at the KC Blues & Jazz Festival at Legends Field on Saturday, October 4. Clarke’s recent Tiny Desk Concert proves he merits a much bigger draw.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
EP Review: Prism Quartet- El Eco de un Tambor
Thousands of jazz fans are rightfully impressed by Miguel Zenón’s Vanguardia Subterrania. The live recording is among the year’s best mainstream jazz albums. Fewer observers have taken notice of the equally phenomenal El Eco de Un Tambor. Zenón composed the seven-part suite for Prism Quartet. The chamber music group with longstanding ties to Kansas City recalls the halcyon days of the 29th Street Saxophone Quartet and the World Saxophone Quartet on the 22-minute recording. Elegant but never dainty, El Eco de un Tambor may be a cross-genre classic.
Now’s the Time: The People’s Liberation Big Band
When it held a monthly residency at recordBar approximately 15 years ago, The People’s Liberation Big Band was among the most interesting ensembles in Kansas City. A reassembled version of the big band performs at the venue’s Play Loud festival on Saturday, September 27.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Nina Cherry interviewed the organizer of the KC Blues & Jazz Festival.
*In Kansas City magazine highlights Jazz in the Valley at Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley.
Album Review: Jeff Shirley- Trio Live at Green Lady Lounge
Someone shouts “yeah” throughout Jeff Shirley’s new album Trio Live at Green Lady Lounge. The exclamation expresses what the audience was surely feeling as the guitarist’s album was recorded on March 11, 2025. The feel-good exuberance of Shirley, bassist Seth Lee and drummer Antonio Reyes merits gleeful hollering. The trio evokes the bubbly optimism of George Benson’s commercial heyday and the melodic cheerfulness of prime Larry Carlton on fusion-leaning tracks, straight-ahead compositions and crossover-oriented pieces. Trio Live at Green Lady Lounge will be released on compact disc and to streaming services Friday, October 3. The release party takes place from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 7, at Green Lady Lounge.
Now’s the Time: Devin Gray
The innovative percussionist Devin Gray’s 2023 appearance in Kansas City was stunning. Gray returns to town on Wednesday, September 24, for a gig at the Ship. Representatives of Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society will also be on hand.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The most recent installment of Kansas Public Radio’s weekly Live at Green Lady Lounge program features Stanley Sheldon’s Rhythm Republic.
Album Review: Seth Andrew Davis, Michael Unruh and Kevin Cheli- Lowland
Wichita has entered the chat. The metropolis 200 miles southwest of Kansas City is rarely recognized as a center of musical innovation. Lowland should move the needle in new music circles.
Recorded in Wichita on December 15, 2023, the album is representative of the elite improvisation currently emanating from Stan Kenton’s hometown. Lowland features bass clarinetist Michael Unruh and was engineered by guitarist David Lord. The pair of Wichita based artists are joined by percussionist Kevin Cheli and Kansas City’s Seth Andrew Davis.
“Combustible” explodes in spectacular new directions after eight shape-shifting minutes. The trepidatious “Basin” resembles the score of a slasher flick while portions of “Mounds” sound like the prog-rock cult heroes Van der Graaf Generator at a Ken Kesey acid test.
The unruly closing track “Flint” is a radio-friendly five minutes long. Even though radio stations in Wichita are unlikely to add it to their rotations, “Flint” is a representative entry point for curious listeners willing to sample the uncommon textures the trio produces.
Now’s the Time: Bob Brookmeyer
Hours after publishing a book review of a new study about Bob Brookmeyer in which I suggest the late Kansas City native is "virtually unknown” in his hometown, I learned of an impending tribute to Brookmeyer. The event will be held at the Blue Room at 2 p.m. Sunday, September 14. The event isn’t listed on the Blue Room’s calendar, but a flyer with additional details can be found on Facebook.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Kansas City jazz musicians Harry Miller and Ed Pharr have died.
*A representative of the Topeka Jazz Workshop promoted the organization’s new season on a television news segment.
*Joe Dimino shared footage of the Prairie Village Jazz Festival and interviewed Mike Parkinson.