Krizz Kaliko had an implausible 2023. The versatile Kansas City musician flirted with Fox News and appeared at the notorious Gathering of the Juggalos while navigating the fallout from his split with the rap icon Tech N9ne. Kaliko’s year will get even stranger at the Blue Room on Saturday, December 9. He’s slated to perform at the jazz venue with a band led by Preston Portley.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Logan Richardson accompanies Aja Monet in her Tiny Desk Concert appearance.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Scott Emmerman.
*Gabe Rosenberg recommends Green Lady Lounge to Taylor Swift.
The Original Plastic Sax
Original image by Plastic Sax.
I’m proud of the audio features I created for Kansas City’s National Public Radio member station KCUR this year. I doubted if I could top profiles of a jazz rebel, a breakout rap star and an Ozarks folkie. But my final effort of 2023- an examination of the saga of the plastic saxophone played by Charlie Parker at Massey Hall in 1953- may be my best piece of the year. The story includes interviews with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and the American Jazz Museum’s Dr. Dina Bennett and Gerald Dunn about Kansas City’s legendary artifact.
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.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Pat Metheny won Guitarist of the Year in DownBeat magazine’s 99th Reader’s Poll. Other Kansas City area artists receiving votes: Charlie Parker and Bobby Watson.
Album Review: The Alex Frank Quartet- Reclaim
Matt Otto’s Umbra, Plastic Sax’s favorite album of 2023, features elegant contributions from guitarist Alex Frank. The Kansas City musician makes a similarly graceful statement on his new album Reclaim. Accompanied by keyboardist Matt Villinger, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer John Kizilarmut, Frank displays uncommon melodic bounce and an optimistic sensibility. Frank often seems on the verge of shredding, but in keeping with his tasteful playing with Otto, restraint is the byword of Reclaim.
Now’s the Time: Maria Elena Silva
Maria Elena Silva’s appearance at the Firehouse Gallery in June was part of one of Plastic Sax’s favorite concerts of 2023. Her current tour in support of the impressive jazz-adjacent album Dulce stops at Farewell on Friday, November 24. The Jorge Arana Trio and representatives of the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society round out the bill.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Plastic Sax’s Favorite Albums of 2023
Top Ten Albums by Kansas City Artists
1. Matt Otto- Umbra
Plastic Sax review.
2. Mike Dillon and Punkadelick- Inflorescence
Plastic Sax review.
3. Adam Larson- With Love, From New York City
Plastic Sax review.
4. Enzo Carniel, Hermon Mehari, Stéphane Adsuar and Damien Varaillon- No(w) Beauty
Plastic Sax review.
5. Matt Otto- Kansas City Trio
Plastic Sax review.
6. Pat Metheny- Dream Box
Plastic Sax review.
7. Torches Mauve- Volume Two
Plastic Sax review.
8. Narrative Quartet- Narrative
Plastic Sax review.
9. Count Basie Orchestra- Swings the Blues
Plastic Sax review.
10. Danny Embrey- Orion Room
Plastic Sax review.
Top Ten Albums by Artists From Elsewhere
1. Sebastian Rochford and Kit Downes- A Short Diary
2. Jason Moran- From the Dancehall to the Battlefield
3. Sylvie Courvoisier- Chimaera
4. Kassa Overall- Animals
5. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi- Our Daily Bread
6. Henry Threadgill- The Other One
7. Aja Monet- When the Poems Do What They Do
8. Laura Schuler Quartet- Sueños Paralelos
9. Cécile McLorin Salvant- Mélusine
10. Irreversible Entanglements- Protect Your Light
Now’s the Time: Rodney Whitaker
Rodney Whitaker performs at the Blue Room on Friday, November 17. The bassist will share the stage with musicians including drummer Carl Allen.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*A quartet led by guitarist Alex Frank performed for Kansas Public Radio.
*Joe Dimino shared footage of a Jenna Bauer set at the Blue Room.
*A blogger named Matt Otto’s Umbra the best album released by a Kansas City musician in 2023.
*Reed Jackson interviewed the jazz-adjacent Maria Elena Silva for The Pitch.
Plastic Sax’s Favorite Performances of 2023
Original image of Artemis at the Gem Theater by Plastic Sax.
Top Ten Performances by Kansas City Artists
1. Mike Dillon, Brian Haas and Nikki Glaspie at the Brick
Plastic Sax review.
2. Hermon Mehari at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.
3. Adam Larson, Matt Clohesy and Jimmy Macbride at Westport Coffee House
Instagram clip.
4. Rod Fleeman at Green Lady Lounge
Instagram clip.
5. Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Plastic Sax review.
6. Drew Williams, Alex Frank, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
Plastic Sax review.
7. Cynthia van Roden at the Market at Meadowbrook
Instagram snapshot.
8. Chalis O’Neal at the Blue Room
Instagram clip.
9. Alan Voss, Benjamin Baker, Forest Stewart and Evan Verploegh at Swope Park Pavilion
Plastic Sax review.
10. Rich Hill, Arnold Young and Rob Whitsitt in Volker Park
Instagram clip.
Top Ten Performances by Artists from Elsewhere
1. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.
2. Devin Gray and Maria Elena Silva at the Firehouse Gallery
Plastic Sax review.
3. Bill Frisell, Greg Tardy, Gerald Clayton and Johnathan Blake at the 1900 Building
Plastic Sax review.
4. Artemis at the Gem Theater
Plastic Sax review.
5. CRAG Quartet and Joshua Gerowitz at the Bunker Center for the Arts
Instagram clip.
6. Miguel Zenón Quartet at the Folly Theater
Plastic Sax review.
7. Henrique Eisenmann and Eugene Friesen at the 1900 Building
Plastic Sax review.
8. Robert Stillman at the Midland Theater
There Stands the Glass review.
9. Jack Wright and Ron Stabinsky at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.
10. Rob Magill and Marshall Trammell at Farewell
Plastic Sax review.
(Last year’s survey is here.)
Now’s the Time: Alexa Tarantino
Alexa Tarantino’s headlining performance at the Folly Theater on Saturday, November 11, will be her third appearance in Kansas City this year. The saxophonist joined Artemis at the Gem Theater in March. (Plastic Sax review.) She played with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at the Folly Theater last month. Tarantino will be accompanied by pianist Steven Feifke, bassist Felix Moseholm and drummer Charles Goold on Saturday.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Results from The Pitch’s The Best of KC 2023 awards: Best Jazz Artist: Lonnie McFadden; Best Jazz Band: The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra; Best Jazz Venue: Green Lady Lounge.
*Plastic Sax has belatedly learned that the arts journalist Calvin Wilson died in August.
Art Review: Jazz Is Energy at the American Jazz Museum
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Anyone passionate about the avant-garde jazz that emanated from Chicago and New York City in the final decades of the last century will be gobsmacked by the Jazz Is Energy exhibit at the American Jazz Museum.
The showing of works by the late artist Frederick J. Brown is small, but the magnitude of several pieces is substantial. Brown grew up with future titans including Anthony Braxton in Chicago. His lifelong affiliations with the AACM inform every aspect of Jazz Is Energy.
Brown’s portrait of Braxton captures the genius’ essence. Similarly, a rendering of Dewey Redman is a visual encapsulation of the saxophonist’s sound. The highlight of Jazz Is Energy, however, is a page of ornately decorated music given to Brown and his wife by Ornette Coleman.
Mainstream music lovers won’t feel left out. Enormous paintings of stars including Ray Charles, Etta James and Joe Turner physically dominate the free exhibit. Jazz Is Energy will be displayed at the American Jazz Museum through May 4.
Now’s the Time: Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard is one of the most accomplished musicians of the past two decades. He’s an innovator in jazz, opera and film. Blanchard is featuring the latter element on the “Film Scores Live” tour that stops at the Lied Center on Thursday, November 2. More information is available here.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Pat Metheny was heckled at a concert in San Diego. George Varga of The San Diego Union-Tribune filed a report on the incident.
*An appearance by Terence Blanchard is among KCUR’s November concert recommendations.
*The American Jazz Museum created a video recap of its recent Charlie Parker birthday celebration concert.
*David Hudnall highlights the live music presented at the Gates Bar-B-Q location in the Jazz District for The Kansas City Star.
*Marilyn Maye checked in with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date program.
Album Review: Brandon Cooper, Seth Andrew Davis, Krista Kopper, Evan Verploegh and Drew Williams- Compressed Space
An adventurous outing in the courtyard of Charlotte Street Foundation on May 18, 2022, was one of the most memorable performances presented by the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society. Ten days later, many of the same Kansas City musicians recorded Compressed Space. The document is even better than the concert. The improvisations of Drew Williams (woodwinds), Seth Andrew Davis (guitar and electronics), Krista Kopper (double bass), Brandon Cooper (drums and percussion) and Evan Verploegh (drums and percussion) range from pristine quietude to atomizing skronk.
Now’s the Time: Marilyn Maye
Marilyn Maye, the last of the great saloon singers, returns to the Folly Theater for concerts with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra on Friday, October 27, and Saturday, October 28. She delivers “I’m Still Here” in a March appearance at Carnegie Hall in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.