Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
EP Review: Drew Williams- Wobble
The title of Wobble, the 15-minute, seven-track EP released by Drew Williams in February, isn’t a reference to twerk culture. Instead, the adventurous saxophonist and composer created a study in unbalanced electronic glitchiness. Looped ambience swirls in, out and around saxophone tones. The vociferous “Squeal” is almost certainly one of the year’s most exciting statements by a locally based musician. A set of corresponding videos provides a second means of experiencing the work.
Now’s the Time: Hermon Mehari
An audience in Mission Woods, Kansas, will be transported to Europe on Saturday, April 6. The duo of trumpeter Hermon Mehari and pianist Allessandro Lanzoni will perform the sort of elite Continental chamber jazz documented on its 2021 album Arc Fiction at the 1900 Building. Passports aren’t necessary.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Eddie Moore is featured in a University of Kansas publication. Joe Dimino uploaded footage of Moore’s piano trio performing at Johnson County Community College.
*Hermon Mehari’s appearance at the 1900 Building is among KCUR’s April concert recommendations.
*From a press release: Kansas City Jazz Alive is thrilled to announce two exciting events in April... On April 27th, join us for a walking tour of one of Kansas City's most historic neighborhoods, the 18th & Vine Jazz District… On April 30th, International Jazz Day, discover how Kansas City has influenced the global jazz scene at our event "April: VividVision".
Album Review: Brandon Draper Quintet- Live at Jardines
Jardines once dominated Kansas City’s jazz scene. The club just beyond the northeast corner of the Country Club Plaza hosted touring and locally based jazz musicians prior to its messy closure in 2011.
My fondest memories include multiple performances by Karrin Allyson, the Jeff Hamilton Trio, Marilyn Maye and Saturday afternoon jam sessions hosted by Tommy Ruskin. Getting scolded by Sara Gazarek when my flip phone rang during a ballad and challenging an adversary to a fistfight at the venue are among my less pleasant recollections.
The venue regularly hosted shows overseen by Kansas City’s young lions including keyboardist Mark Lowrey and drummer Brandon Draper. The latter musician recently released excerpts of recordings made at Jardines in 2010.
The 78-minute album features Draper with trombonist Kevin Cerovich, saxophonist Rich Wheeler, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb and bassist Craig Akin. Imbued with the giddy energy of young improvisors coming into their own, Live at Jardines is a vital blast from the past.
Now’s the Time: Matthew Whitaker
The quintet led by Matthew Whitaker in the embedded video is considerably more progressive than the much of the music documented on the young keyboardist’s official recordings. Here’s hoping Whitaker continues looking forward during his appearance in the Folly Jazz Series on Saturday, April 6.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Nina Cherry interviewed Dr. Dina Bennett for Kansas City magazine.
*A feature in The Pitch purports to survey area establishments with speakeasy ambiences.
Album Review: Alber- Caldo
My favorite vinyl emporium expunges the dregs of its inventory with an ongoing crate sale. I recently scooped up a cache of unloved records by the likes of the Brecker Brothers, John Klemmer and Joe Sample at ten cents a pop. The passe status of jazz fusion, smooth jazz and acid jazz doesn’t phase the Kansas City based musician Alber. His sunny 27-minute release Caldo recalls the commercial heyday of the forms. Yet Alber isn’t stuck in the past. Contemporary production flourishes make the trumpeter and producer’s self-styled “electro-jazz” substantially fresher than my stack of dusty Earl Klugh albums.
Now’s the Time: Camila Meza
Camila Meza will perform with KU Jazz Ensemble I at the Lied Center on Wednesday, March 27. Details are here. The Chilean appeared at Mod Gallery and The National World War I Museum and Memorial in 2019.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Pat Metheny’s new solo guitar album MoonDial will be released July 26.
*Joe Dimino captured portions of the DelMurrow Trio’s performance with Roman Gonzales at Johnson County Community College.
*Jazz will be represented at the Boulevardia beer festival in June by Thundercat and Back Alley Brass Band.
Concert Review: David Lord at Farewell
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Getting a handle on the music of David Lord isn’t easy. The Wichita based guitarist showcases a unique conception on his 2023 album Forest Standards, Vol. 3. Is Lord filtering John Fahey through Ornette Coleman’s harmolodics? Elsewhere, he sounds like James “Blood” Ulmer interpreting Claude Debussy.
Lord echoed Thelonious Monk in a solo outing at Farewell on Saturday, March 9. Thorny and agitated, Lord’s hermetic approach resists categorization. Reverent members of an audience of 25 who paid a $10 admission charge seemed certain that Lord is among today’s most important artists.
Wearing a Depeche Mode shirt, V.Vecker preceded Lord with a mesmerizing set in which he looped riffs from his saxophone to construct swirling sonic monoliths. The evening began with the jagged power trio of Seth Andrew Davis, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh.
Now’s the Time: The DelMurrow Trio with Roman Gonzales
A trio featuring guitarist Aidan Murrow will be joined by trumpeter Roman Gonzales at Johnson County Community College’s noon recital series on Tuesday, March 19.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Joe Dimino captured footage of Nya at the Blue Room and interviewed Brian Scarborough.
*The Pitch published a feature on Chloe McFadden.
*The prominent Kansas Citian and jazz advocate Sally Firestone has died.
EP Review: Eddie Moore- Aperture
Eddie Moore offers his version of the hazy sound popularized by pianists Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm on Aperture. Six contemplative miniatures lean into ambient noises such as what seems to be the creaking of a piano bench and the distant clatter of cutlery and dishes made by the staff at the restaurant in which the 16-minute Aperture was recorded. The wistful EP is a pleasing placeholder for the prominent Kansas City jazz artist.
Now’s the Time: Carl Sonny Leyland
KC Ragtime and Beyond present the British born pianist Carl Sonny Leyland at Kawai Piano Gallery on Sunday, March 10. Leyland is a former member of the rockabilly revivalist band Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Joyce Smith posted a preliminary report on X about plans for a new jazz club in the Watts Mill district.
*A local television news outlet considered the impact of Charlie Parker.
Album Review: Logan Richardson- Sacred Garden
Sacred Garden, the latest essential statement from the Kansas City saxophonist Logan Richardson and Blues People, opens with a clip of a Charlie Parker interview. The deafening arena rock anthem “Twenty Twenty Four” immediately follows. Richardson and his colleagues sound prepared to accompany a current pop trailblazer like Travis Scott, SZA or The Weeknd. The message seems clear: the truest way to uphold Parker’s spirit in 2024 is to work at the vanguard of contemporary music. Sacred Garden is decidedly up to date. “Back to the Point” blends a sticky funk groove with shards of heavy metal. Richardson refines his signature sound on tracks including “Moonlight,” “The Fallen” and “The Walls Speak.” In the interview, Parker said “most likely in another twenty-five, or maybe fifty years some youngster will come along and take the style and really do something with it.” Richardson clearly isn’t afraid of inviting bold comparisons. His audacity is justified on Sacred Garden.
Now’s the Time: Norman Brown
Norman Brown makes another appearance in the Folly Jazz Series on Saturday, March 9. A cover of Janet Jackson’s 1993 hit “That’s the Way Love Goes” was the breakout track on the Kansas City guitarist’s 1994 album After the Storm.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Julie Turner reminisces in Kansas City magazine.
Album Review: Brian Scarborough- We Need the Wind
A gentle breeze elevates We Need the Wind. Brian Scarborough’s second album as a leader soars on an uplifting current of optimism. The trombonist is joined by four prominent Kansas City jazz musicians. Saxophonist Matt Otto, keyboardist Roger Wilder, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Brian Steever assent to Scarborough’s innate cheerfulness. The Fender Rhodes wielded by Wilder adds a jaunty texture to the session. Otto adds characteristically thoughtful commentary to Scarborough’s melodies. The sturdy resolve of Harshbarger and Steever bolster the nine tracks. As for Scarborough, the multiplicity of his lofty talent continues to necessitate comparison to the Kansas City jazz icon Bob Brookmeyer.