Jack Wright is a free jazz warhorse. The saxophonist has specialized in improvised noise for more than 40 years. Wright will perform with his frequent collaborator Ron Stabinsky and members of the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at Charlotte Street Foundation on Tuesday, January 31.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Paula Saunders, Amber Underwood and Angela Ward anticipate a cultural exchange in Chile in a television news report.
*Hermon Mehari looks forward to his performance in the Folly Jazz Series in a Kansas City magazine feature.
*Following a month-long stoppage, The Blue Room reopens with a jam session led by Matt Villinger on Monday, January 30.
*The Pitch relays an update from Chaz on the Plaza.
*Jakob Baekgaard composed an overview of Mary Lou Williams’ career for All About Jazz.
*Portions of the Miguel Zenón Quartet’s concert at the Folly Theater were captured by Joe Dimino.
*Tweet of the Week: Green Lady Lounge- In 2022, Green Lady Lounge & Black Dolphin musicians earned $942,582.81 in performance pay & credit card tips from fans. By the merit of their performances & demand from fans, these Kansas City jazz musicians showed their success & robust viability in the free market.
Concert Review: The Miguel Zenón Quartet at the Folly Theater
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Miguel Zenón substantiated the scores of accolades he’s received in the past two decades with a stunning three-minute unaccompanied alto saxophone solo soon after his quartet’s concert at the Folly Theater began on Friday, January 20. The majestic statement by the 2008 recipient of the MacArthur Foundation’s so-called genius grant encompassed everything that ever has been and everthing that ever will be in acoustic jazz.
Aside from a lovely reading of “El Vida es Sueno” that served as an encore, the entirety of the 90-minute performance consisted of material from the Grammy-nominated 2022 album Música De Las Américas. Zenón’s third Kansas City appearance possessed a dangerously high degree of intensity. Even the most committed Zenón fans amid the audience of about 200 might have felt no less drained at the conclusion of the Folly Jazz Series presentation than bruised and battered punk rockers after an evening spent in a mosh pit.
Zenón, pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Luca Alemanno and drummer Henry Cole didn’t offer any conciliatory platitudes. Burning like a regenerated Charlie Parker steeped in Puerto Rican traditions rather than Kansas City blues, Zenón is among the planet’s most indispensable musicians. The quartet’s rhythmic machinations caused much of the second set to resemble a cerebral form of salsa. Their performance wasn’t merely great. It was unadulterated genius.
Now’s the Time: Oran Etkin
Multi-instrumentalist Oran Etkin is joined by four of the world’s best musicians in the embedded video. His accompanists for a concert at Polsky Theatre on Sunday, January 22, will include the extraordinary guitarist Vinicius Gomes and the accomplished bassist Sam Minaie.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A blogger reviewed Bobby Watson’s concert at Yardley Hall.
*The Defender offers an unconventional perspective of Kansas City’s jazz heyday.
*Seth Davis is characterized as an “improv-aholic” in his appearance on Classical KC’s Sound Currents program.
*A Jackie Myers gig was documented by Joe Dimino.
*Tweet of the Week: NPR Music- For nearly a century, jazz musicians have debated what gives songs that swing feel. The secret may lie in subtle nuances in a soloist's timing. (link)
Book Review: Count Basie and Albert Murray’s Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The timeless sounds produced by the band overseen by William Basie in the 1930s might be the most immediately enjoyable music ever produced in the New World. Take "Miss Thing". Everything about the brash 1939 recording is intelligent, sexy and yes, incredibly swinging.
Published a year after Basie’s 1984 death, Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie, contains the backstory of “Miss Thing”: “it was named for Rubberlegs (Williams) himself, who was… a female impersonator as well as a dancer and a very raunchy blues singer.”
Almost every page of the out-of-print book contains at least one similarly scintillating anecdote. The conversational tone of the “as told to” volume assembled by the notable jazz writer Albert Murray enhances the wildly entertaining if not entirely complete portrait of the essential American artist. As Basie liked to say, it’s a real killer-diller.
While Basie assiduously avoids revealing details about his personal predilections- “I just don’t see the point of going into things like that” he asserts in Good Morning Blues- Basie was admirably candid about musical and business matters.
For instance, he’s more than willing to confess his limitations as a keyboardist. One of the running bits of Good Morning Blues involves Basie’s fear of being shown up by technically superior pianists including Art Tatum and Mary Lou Williams.
Basie’s reverence for his peers can make Good Morning Blues slow going. A reader is obligated to put the book down in order to queue up not just the dozens of recording sessions Basie dutifully describes, but also music by a cast of characters ranging from the titanic Duke Ellington to the earthy comedian Pigmeat Markham.
Details about Basie’s interactions with other legendary figures such as John Hammond, Jimmy Rushing, Fats Waller, Lester Young are dazzling. Basie was a lifelong music obsessive. Although his sound evolved through the vaudeville, big band, bop and rock and roll eras, his enthusiasm never waned.
Kansas City’s civic boosters will cringe at some of Basie’s perspectives, beginning with his characterization of the town as “the sticks.” Yet locally based readers will lap up Basie’s descriptions of boarding houses and clubs in the Jazz District, the “lily-white” Fairyland Park and area landmarks such as Jenkins Music and Municipal Auditorium.
Basie recalls “(t)hey always did like farewells and homecomings in Kansas City.” The ongoing vibrancy of his music and the genial tone of Good Morning Blues makes the prospect of closing the door on Basie’s legacy in his one-time stomping grounds absolutely unthinkable.
Now’s the Time: Miguel Zenón
One of Charlie Parker’s most vital acolytes performs at the Folly Theater on Friday, January 20. Alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón has become an established component of the jazz pantheon since his appearances at the Blue Room in 2014 and as a member of the SFJazz Collective at the Folly Theater in 2018.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image of Judith Shea’s “Storage” by Plastic Sax.
*Rod Fleeman discussed his new album with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up to Date program.
*Nina Cherry caught up with Marilyn Maye.
*A television station reports on concerns related to the latest round of development plans for the Jazz District.
*Snippets of a Jackie Myers performance at Ophelia’s were captured by Joe Dimino.
*More than 500 albums received votes in the 17th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll. Kansas City is represented by Bobby Watson’s Back Home in Kansas City (#106), Steve Cardenas’ Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley (#125), Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye NYC (#347) and Hermon Mehari’s Asmara (#414). My ballot is here.
*No Kansas City establishments are among the 106 venues listed in Downbeat’s 2023 International Jazz Venue Guide.
*Tweet of the Week: StrayhornProject- Congratulations to Caden Bradshaw from Kansas City, winner of our ‘Strayhorn; An Illustrated Life’ book raffle. Caden is an up and coming jazz pianist himself. We will continue to wish him well on his musical journey! (photo)
Faux Fest
Original image of Brian Haas and Mike Dillon at the Brick by Plastic Sax.
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.
Now’s the Time: Bobby Watson
Bobby Watson leads a locally based quartet at Yardley Hall on Sunday, January 15. The titanic saxophonist was named Plastic Sax’s Person of the Decade in 2009 and again in 2019.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*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.
Album Review: Rod Fleeman- Saturday Afternoon (Live at Green Lady Lounge)
The secret is out. Rod Fleeman’s longstanding weekly matinee gig at Green Lady Lounge has long been one of Kansas City’s hidden gems. The release of Saturday Afternoon (Live at Green Lady Lounge) reveals the magic of the furtive Saturday afternoon tradition to the world.
The guitarist has spent decades as one of Kansas City’s most in-demand sidemen. He’s best known for his collaborations with Karrin Allyson, Marilyn Maye and the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. Incredibly, Saturday Afternoon is Fleeman’s first album as a leader.
In one of the absorbing videos in which he discusses his life and career with Ken Lovern, Fleeman says “I want to sound like I’m from Kansas City.” He’s succeeded. Saturday Afternoons is 52 minutes of unadulterated Kansas City swing.
Fleeman, bassist Gerald Spaits and drummer Todd Strait perform six original compositions with jubilant informality. While Fleeman disdains flash, his solos prove that tastefulness needn’t be devoid of color. His wit and imagination are displayed throughout.
Many readers were baffled when Fleeman was named Plastic Sax’s 2021 Person of the Year. His low profile- exacerbated by the lack of a recording as a leader prevented the guitarist from receiving his due. Fleeman gets an overdue turn to shine on the radiant Saturday Afternoon.
Now’s the Time: Carmen Bradford
Carmen Bradford, a vocalist affiliated with the current edition of the Count Basie Orchestra, will perform in the Kansas City Symphony’s Uptown Nights concerts on Friday, January 6, Saturday, January 7, and Sunday, January 8, at Helzberg Hall.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Chris Burnett discussed the release of an archival recording with Joe Dimino.
*The obituary for a jazz enthusiast includes references to fabled venues including Kansas City’s Pla-Mor Ballroom.
*Tweet of the Week: KCUR- From jazz to folk, Kansas City has a rich collection of music for this time of year. Music critic Bill Brownlee recommends adding these to your holiday playlist. (link)
The Plastic Sax People of the Year: Seth Davis and Evan Verploegh
Original image of Evan Verploegh and Seth Davis by Plastic Sax.
A Kansas City jazz musician complained about what he perceived as a lack of performance opportunities during an otherwise satisfactory set in a prominent club earlier this year. In creating an entirely new scene for clangorous improvised music, Seth Andrew Davis and Evan Verploegh have proven that there’s no excuse for such woebegone resignation.
While their sound isn’t yet welcome at most conventional Kansas City venues, Davis, Verploegh and their colleagues in the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society (EMAS) possess an admirable enthusiasm for playing in punk clubs, record stores, coffee shops, arts centers and private residences in North America and Europe.
The do-it-yourself attitude may be born out of necessity, but it’s precisely the sort of nonpartisan engagement that’s more conducive to a flourishing future for improvised music than institutional hermeticism. Many of the collective’s performances- Live in London and Badger State Games among them- are promptly made available at Bandcamp.
The albums are among the more than two dozen live and studio recordings released by members of EMAS in 2022. With an impressive list of gigs already on next year’s calendar, the collective’s catalog should continue to rapidly expand.
A few of the recordings feature the notable touring artists they bring to Kansas City. Visiting collaborators in 2022 included Phillip Greenlief and Josh Sinton. These events vastly improved the lives of Kansas City’s free jazz enthusiasts. Davis and Verploegh, consequently, are Plastic Sax’s People of the Year.
The previous recipients of the designation are 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: Tyrone Clark
Bassist and bandleader Tyrone Clark is responsible for some of the most interesting music heard at Green Lady Lounge. His next gig at the venue that’s open 365 days a year begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, December 25.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Rod Fleeman chats with Ken Lovern about his debut album, his relationship with Pat Metheny, working with notable vocalists and Kansas City’s jazz legacy in a set of five videos: one, two, three, four and five.
*Joe Dimino discussed the Uptown Lounge with Alan Stribling and shared footage of a youth jazz performance.
*Tweet of the Week: Menace- Enzo Carniel returns to MENACE alongside Hermon Mehari, Stéphane Adsuar and Damien Varaillon as No(w) Beauty. The self-titled album will be released on February 24, however, the first single 'The Art of Four' is available today on all platforms. (link)
The Kansas City Jazz Scene's Top Stories and Trends of 2022
Original image of Seth Davis, Josh Sinton and Drew Williams at the Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven on December 17 by Plastic Sax.
1. Full Swing
It’s almost as if nothing happened. On the surface, Kansas City’s post-pandemic jazz scene now looks just as it did in 2019.
2. Got It Covered
In spite of- or maybe even because of- the $5 cover charge instituted last year, Green Lady Lounge is packed on any given night. It makes sense: Green Lady Lounge is the only place in Kansas City at which jazz is performed every evening.
3. Frequent Freakouts
Fans of free jazz and experimental music no longer need to leave Kansas City to hear those sounds. Thanks to the strenuous initiatives of members of the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society, innovative music made by notable touring musicians and local artists is regularly performed in Kansas City.
4. A Man Called Adam
The dynamic presence of Adam Larson continues to elevate Kansas City. The saxophonist’s two new albums- with a third on the way- requires skeptical outsiders to reassess the vitality of Kansas City’s scene.
5. For the Record
It’s an extraordinarily productive year when a lovely album featuring Bob Bowman can’t squeeze into a list of the top ten Kansas City jazz albums of 2022,
6. Don’t Call It a Comeback
While they never went away, the innovative veterans Dwight Frizzell and Arnold Young reemerged as prominent bandleaders with active performance schedules.
7. Fest or Famine
The one-stage, single-day, storm-plagued Prairie Village Jazz Festival notwithstanding, the Kansas City area hasn’t hosted a true jazz festival since a “stellar but ill-fated” event in 2017.
8. Outside Validation
Jazz at Lincoln Center created a fetching tradition-oriented video portrait of Kansas City.
9. Meanwhile, Back at the Museum
Had it done nothing but present Nduduzo Makhathini at the Blue Room in June, the American Jazz Museum would have provided an invaluable cultural contribution to the city in 2022. Yet its noontime concerts and the resumption of the Jammin’ at the Gem series were similarly encouraging developments.
10. An Awkward Anniversary
Another year passed without an appearance by Pat Metheny. The hometown hero last played in Kansas City in 2012. Although he continues to tour extensively, ten years have passed since a Metheny concert transpired in his old stomping grounds.
Last’s year’s installment of this annual series is here.
Now’s the Time: Najee
The return of the American Jazz Museum’s Jammin’ at the Gem concert series is one of the year’s most encouraging developments. The smooth jazz saxophonist Najee opens the 2022-23 season on Saturday, December 17.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*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..."