Smooth jazz practitioners The Yellowjackets may hold the record for most appearances in the Folly Jazz Series. The quartet returns to Kansas City on Saturday, January 25. The current lineup consists of Russell Ferrante, Bob Mintzer, Dane Anderson and Will Kennedy. The embedded video captures a portion of a 1981 performance with a young Ferrante on keyboards.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Jacob Schwartzberg is featured in The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle.
*Rob Scheps created a fundraiser connected to a recording session in Kansas City.
Album Review: Carl Allen- Tippin’
Two tracks on Tippin', the phenomenal new album by Carl Allen, Christian McBride and Chris Potter, exemplify the most artistically consequential segment of Kansas City culture.
The genial swing applied to the Pat Metheny standard “James” represents kindhearted Midwestern values. And the momentous rendering of Charlie Parker’s “Parker’s Mood” that opens Tippin’ suggests that Allen now identifies as a Kansas Citian since becoming the Director of Jazz Studies at UMKC in 2021
As one of the most respected drummers in mainstream jazz for more than thirty years, Allen is accustomed to working with the form’s top talents. Bassist McBride and saxophonist/clarinetist Potter are among the biggest names in jazz. Accordingly, the trio’s burly approach proves that new ideas and fresh approaches are still possible within a conventional swing format.
“L’s Bop” careens toward the outer boundaries of the form while “Song For Abdullah” delivers gorgeous epiphanies. The intensity subsides on two or three tracks, including a relaxed take on “Put on a Happy Face.” Tippin’ is a necessary reminder of the enduring resilience of jazz in Kansas City.
Now’s the Time: OJT
OJT has always been solid but the accomplished organ trio took a considerable leap forward with the excellent 2024 album Ground Level. The Kansas City band’s next appearances at Green Lady Lounge are Thursday, January 9, Friday, January 10, and Saturday, January 11.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Camila Meza and Vernon Reid select Pat Metheny tracks and Steve Cardenas praises Jim Hall in The New York Times’ "5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Jazz Guitar" feature.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Bryan Hicks and shared footage of a Jeff Shirley performance at Black Dolphin.
Album Review: Norman Brown- It Hits Different
It Hits Different is sexy. While every note of Norman Brown’s fourteenth album conforms to the smooth jazz format, the Kansas City’s guitarist’s 2023 album is designed to stimulate romance rather than relaxation. Not coincidentally, it’s the most popular jazz-adjacent album released by a Kansas City musician not named Pat Metheny last year. Songs featuring vocals possess the crossover appeal of hits by Brown’s role model George Benson while the funk-forward instrumental tracks are the smooth jazz equivalent of Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro.” The album certainly does hit differently.
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.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The American Jazz Museum advised patrons that its live music venue “(t)he Blue Room will be closed from January 1st to January 25th.”
Album Review: Arnold Young and the Roughtet- Young Spirit
The brazen title of the 1959 album The Shape of Jazz to Come seems idealistic today. Few of Ornette Coleman’s innovations have been adopted by mainstream jazz musicians. The harmolodics devised by Coleman thrive only in the fringes of improvised music.
Arnold Young has personified outsider jazz in Kansas City for more than 50 years. The drummer’s 2024 album Young Spirit often seems like an homage to Coleman’s initial conceptions. Young also looks beyond early Coleman on the 69-minute recording. The funky “Monkey Motor Company” is reminiscent of Coleman efforts like the 1982 album Of Human Feelings.
Adam Galblum evokes the free jazz fiddler Leroy Jenkins on “The Stone the Builder Refused.” Song titles alluding to additional iconoclasts such as Nduduzo Makhathini, Roscoe Mitchell and Charlie Parker suggest additional variations. While Young is always front and center, the powerful presence of bassist Gerald Spaits is no less essential. Their sturdy foundation allows several young Kansas City horn players to shine.
The revolution incited by Coleman and his cohorts converted surprisingly few followers, but Young remains a true believer. A young spirit who refuses to lose his edge, Young continues to spread Coleman’s audacious directive in a dauntless mission to change the shape of jazz in Kansas City.
Now's the Time: David Basse
Fans of David Basse can ring in the new year with the Kansas City mainstay at Uptown Lounge on Tuesday, December 31.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Gene Hall, the co-founder of The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, has died.
*Crosby Kemper III moderated a discussion about Kansas City jazz.
*A reporter for The Kansas City Star ponders the fate of the American Jazz Museum’s sidelined film collection.
The Top Stories and Trends of 2024 in Kansas City Jazz
Original image of Matt Hopper, Joseph Panella and Nate Nall by Plastic Sax.
1. Ten dollars, please
The cover charge at Green Lady Lounge and its sister club Black Dolphin was boosted to $10. The impact of Kansas City’s most popular jazz venue commanding the meaningful entry fee surely altered the perception of the music’s worth.
2. Better angels
The release of Bird in Kansas City, an assortment of essential scraps, accorded Charlie Parker the kind of attention living jazz musicians in Kansas City can only dream about.
3. Extempore
The burgeoning clout wielded by the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society included a public radio audio feature and a tireless performance schedule. The collective also presented more touring improvising musicians than any other music venue or arts organization in Kansas City in 2024.
4. Heaven Can’t Wait
7th Heaven, the Kansas City music retailer most closely aligned with jazz, shuttered after 50 years in business.
5. Rolling
Dozens of Kansas City based jazz musicians released an unprecedented number of albums in 2024. Plastic Sax’s favorite albums list represent just a portion of worthy new recordings.
6. Blind Boone Remembered
Bill McKemy launched the Nameless and Unremembered podcast. The endeavor examines the “hidden stories of American music.”
7. Road Trip, Part One
The inaugural edition of the Lee's Summit Jazz Festival was encouraging and the Prairie Village Jazz Festival continues to thrive. Jazz Winterlude at Johnson County Community College, brings in one touring act each year. The three suburban undertakings account for all of the Kansas City area’s non-academic jazz festivals.
8. Road Trip, Part Two
Dozens of prominent touring jazz artists passed over Kansas City in favor of gigs in Bentonville, Denver, Iowa City, Joplin, St. Louis, Tulsa and Wichita.
9. Mythbuster
A massive crowd for Yo-Yo Ma’s last-minute appearance in Parade Park decimated the long-cited trope that suburbanites are unwilling to enter the Jazz District.
10. Big Fish, Small Pond
Plastic Sax continues to be the preeminent source for analysis and news concerning Kansas City jazz.
Last year’s recap is here.
Now’s the Time: Brian Kennedy
The Kansas City producer Brian Kennedy will presumably emphasize the jazz elements of his sound at the Blue Room on Thursday, December 19. Vocalist Angelique Cinelu will also be on hand.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*KCUR checked in with Samantha Ege about her reconsideration of Nora Holt.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Addison Frei and Dave Scott.
Dwight Frizzell: Plastic Sax’s Person of the Year
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The indefatigable enthusiasm possessed by a young Dwight Frizzell made him a persuasive guide for jazz appreciation in the early 1980s. As a clerk at the flagship location of Penny Lane Records, Frizzell consulted the teenager who would become the author of Plastic Sax on decisions such as which Miles Davis albums to purchase in CBS Records’ occasional Nice Price three-for-$10 promotions.
Frizzell also insisted I build my Sun Ra collection and buy cassettes documenting his own Sun Ra-inspired projects. The experimental sounds altered my worldview. Without the influence of Frizzell more than forty years ago, Plastic Sax might not exist. Frizzell was probably dismissed as a puerile eccentric by many people in the 1980s. Yet Frizzell has retained all of his effervescent energy. And his devotion to Sun Ra has only grown.
Four installations in Charlotte Street Foundation’s Sonic Art Series this year demonstrated how Frizzell continues to hone his vision. Well beyond mere homages to his lodestar, Frizzell’s immersive sonic works advanced the imaginative oeuvre of Sun Ra. By remaining true to his uncommon artistry, Frizzell is Plastic Sax’s 2024 Person of the Year.
The previous recipients of the designation are Matt Otto (2023), Seth Davis and Evan Verploegh (2022), Rod Fleeman (2021), Charlie Parker (2020), Logan Richardson (2019), Peter Schlamb (2018), John Scott (2017), Eddie Moore (2016), Larry Kopitnik (2015), Deborah Brown (2014), Stan Kessler (2013), Doug and Lori Chandler (2012), Jeff Harshbarger (2011), Mark Lowrey (2010) and Hermon Mehari (2009). Bobby Watson was named the Plastic Sax Person of the Decade in 2009 and again in 2019.
Now's the Time: Guitar Elation
Brian Baggett and Danny Embrey duel every Thursday at Green Lady Lounge. As the featured members of Guitar Elation, the guitarists are held to one another’s high standards in friendly competition of elite improvisation.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The New York Times’ look back at the 1958 “A Great Day in Harlem” photograph is loaded with Kansas City connections.
*Joe Dimino shared clips of performances at the Blue Room by David Watson and Warren Wolf.
*Dr. Dina Bennett is featured in a video produced by the American Jazz Museum.
The Top Performances of 2024
Original image of Seth Davis, Kwan Leung Ling, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at 7th Heaven by Plastic Sax.
The Top Jazz Performances of 2024 by Kansas City Musicians
1. Peter Schlamb at the Ship
Plastic Sax review.
2. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Bridge at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.
3. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Heliophonie at Charlotte Street Foundation
Plastic Sax review.
4. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
Plastic Sax review.
5. WireTown at Green Lady Lounge
Instagram clip.
6. Seth Davis, Kwan Leung Ling, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at 7th Heaven
Instagram clip.
7. Jackie Myers, Matt Otto and Bob Bowman at the Market at Meadowbrook
Instagram snapshot.
8. Alber at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram snapshot.
9. Ernest Melton, Parker Woolworth, Jordan Faught and Jalen Ward at In the Lowest Ferns
Plastic Sax review.
10. Rod Fleeman Trio at Green Lady Lounge
Instagram clip.
The Top Performances of 2024 by Touring Musicians
1. Makaya McCraven at Liberty Hall
Plastic Sax review.
2. Trond Kallevåg at the Folk Alliance International Conference
Instagram clip.
3. David Lord at Farewell
Plastic Sax review.
4. Willow at the T-Mobile Center
There Stands the Glass review.
5. Trap Jazz at Concourse Park
Instagram clip.
6. Mike Baggetta and Peter DiStefano at the Ship
There Stands the Glass review.
7. Damon Smith at Westport Coffee House
Instagram clip.
8. Phill Smith and Kyle Jessen at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.
9. Síomha at the Kansas City Irish Festival
Instagram clip.
10. David Menestres at the Bunker Center for the Arts
Instagram snapshot.
Last year’s survey is here.
Now’s the Time: Warren Wolf
The extraordinarily accomplished Warren Wolf performs at the Blue Room on Friday, December 6. His latest album History of the Vibraphone is among the year’s most noteworthy straight-ahead jazz albums. Wolf interprets Lyle Mays’ “Chorinho” in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Stan Kessler and Matt Otto.
*The man behind Plastic Sax shared music by Betty Bryant, Pat Metheny and Peter Schlamb on KKFI’s Wednesday MidDay Medley program last week.