“That’s Not Art, That’s Not Music”, the title of Lonnie Holley’s rancorous new single, is a phrase I’ve encountered while sharing my enthusiasm for sounds made by members of Kansas City’s The Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society.
Alchemy of Stone and Star, a live 2023 recording released four months ago, won’t win over listeners for whom free jazz is anathema. Yet the freewheeling collaboration of guitarist Seth Andrew Davis and drummer Evan Verploegh of Kansas City with the northern Midwest saxophonist Brennan Connors and bassist Jakob Heinemann is riveting.
Inventive interactions between Davis and Verploegh in the 19-minute “Decoding the Maps” achieve transcendence. Connors’ maturity is a revelation while Heinemann brings cohesiveness to the exceptionally artful music.