The tours of most crucial figures at the cutting edge of jazz tend to bypass Kansas City. Bill Frisell is a glorious exception. An extraordinary concert last month was the latest installment in a series of the iconic guitarist’s area performances.
That’s why the biggest heroes at the 1900 Building on Wednesday, March 22, may not have been Frisell, saxophonist Greg Tardy, pianist Gerald Clayton and drummer Johnathan Blake or the more than 200 people who purchased $40 tickets to the sold-out concert.
Cultural benefactors in the Karbank family have partially subsidized at least eight Kansas City area appearances by Frisell in recent years. In this instance, their patronage allowed an audience to experience innovations including an extended segment exploring the post-ragtime, pre-swing music of a century ago.
Important musicians including Anthony Braxton, Mary Halvorson and Matthew Shipp may never perform in Kansas City. Yet thanks to the generosity of the Karbanks, local aficionados are periodically thrilled by one of the preeminent improvisers of our time.