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.
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.
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.)
Concert Review: Henrique Eisenmann and Eugene Friesen at the 1900 Building
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Henrique Eisenmann told members of the capacity audience of about 100 at the 1900 Building on Friday, July 7, that the recital was his fourth appearance in the Kansas City area. His collaboration with fellow Brazilian Lívia Nestrovski last year was stunning. (Plastic Sax review.) In 2018, the pianist and the Israeli bassist Ehud Ettun concentrated on jazz. (Plastic Sax review.)
Last week’s concert with the storied cellist Eugene Friesen allowed Eisenmann to demonstrate entirely different aspects of his talent in a 90-minute exhibition of Brazilian chamber music splashed by colorful flourishes of jazz.
The duo opened the concert with a vintage choro. Brazil was further represented with interpretations of compositions by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Milton Nascimento and Pixinguinha. The emotional resonance of both men’s vocals on a few of the Brazilian standards provided the evening’s biggest surprise.
Oscar Castro-Neves’ arrangement of a Johann Sebastian Bach piece was an ideal bridge to renditions of works by Béla Bartók, Felix Mendelssohn and Claudio Monteverdi.
Even as Friesen proved himself to be a rowdy alternative to Yo-Yo Ma, Eisenmann’s enthusiastic scholarship and boundless pianism stood out. My $36 ticket provided a priceless experience. Consequently, missing Eisenmann’s ostensible fourth appearance in Kansas City represents a cultural tragedy.
Funding Frisell
Original image by Plastic Sax.
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.
Now’s the Time: Bill Frisell’s Four
An auspicious assemblage of improvisers will convene at the 1900 Building on Wednesday, March 22. Guitarist Bill Frisell, saxophonist Greg Tardy, pianist Gerald Clayton and drummer Johnathan Blake will draw on compositions from their 2022 album Four. Additional information is available here.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Ronald McFadden has died.
*Lawrence Brooks IV highlighted the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s outreach programs for KCUR.
*Startland reports on plans for Ruthell’s in the Jazz District.
*Bill Frisell’s concert at the 1900 Building is among KCUR’s March concert recommendations.
*The Pitch checks out Con Chapman’s new book about Kansas City’s jazz history.
*Tweet of the Week: American Jazz Museum- Sending our dearest condolences to the McFadden Family on the loss of Ronald McFadden, the great vocalist, saxophonist and tap dancer. Thanks for your talent and for making us proud. We’ll miss every beat. Rest in Heaven, your family at the American Jazz Museum.
Plastic Sax's Favorite Performances of 2022
Original image of Bob Bowman and Peter Schlamb by Plastic Sax.
Top Performances by Kansas City Artists
1. Logan Richardson + Blues People at the Ship
2. Adam Larson, Clark Sommers and Dana Hall at Westport Coffee House
3. Black Crack Revue at Westport Coffee House
4. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at recordBar
5. Arnold Young and the RoughTet at the Ship
6. Bob Bowman and Peter Schlamb at Second Presbyterian Church
7. Evan Verplough and Ben Baker at World Culture KC
8. Rod Fleeman at Green Lady Lounge
9. Alter Destiny at Charlotte Street Foundation
10. Drew Williams, Ben Tervort and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
Top Performances by Artists from Elsewhere
1. Nduduzo Makhathini at the Blue Room
2. Ohma at the Midland theater
3. Livia Nestrovski and Henrique Eisenmann at the 1900 Building
4. High Pulp at recordBar
5. Phillip Greenlief at Bushranger Records
6. Terence Blanchard at Atkins Auditorium
7. Keefe Jackson, Jakob Heinemann and Adam Shead at Black Dolphin
8. Esthesis Quartet at the Blue Room
9. Kind Folk at the Black Box
10. Bill Summers and Forward Back at Dunbar Park
Concert Review: Lívia Nestrovski and Henrique Eisenmann at the 1900 Building
Original image by Plastic Sax.
During a moment in which the eyes of the world were glued to war in Ukraine, about 40 people welcomed a glorious distraction by a pair of Brazilian musicians at the 1900 Building. Lívia Nestrovski and Henrique Eisenmann performed 75 minutes of transcendently global music in the first stop of their American tour on Friday, February 25. While the vocalist and pianist expressed enormous pride in their homeland, the innovative sounds they created transcended their origin.
Acknowledging they possess implausible names for practitioners of Brazilian music, the duo joked they considered titling their forthcoming album Orthodox Polish Songs. Yet their fun-filled art songs included captivating original material and imaginative new interpretations of compositions by the likes of Guinga and Hermeto Pascoal.
Eisenmann demonstrated his impeccable jazz bona fides in a 2018 recital at the same venue. He used the Steinway piano he characterized as “a Lamborghini” to craft a few convoluted Cecil Taylor-style improvisations. Nestrovski embraced the unconventional accompaniment as she seamlessly melded MPB (Música popular brasileira), bossa nova, jazz and opera into her inclusive approach.
Nestrovski was wrong when she suggested only musicologists could fully appreciate what she and Eisenmann were achieving. Not only is her considerable showmanship entirely winning, the partnership is as soulful as it is brainy. Besides representing the unparalleled musical breadth of Brazil, the duo would be as germane in Kyiv as in Rio de Janeiro. And on Friday, they made Mission Woods, Kansas, seem like the musical capital of the world.
Now’s the Time: Hermon Mehari
The France based Hermon Mehari will recreate his 2020 EP A Change For the Dreamlike at the 1900 Building on Saturday, December 10. The former area resident was Plastic Sax’s Person of the Year in 2009. His two most recent albums placed #3 and #7 on Plastic Sax’s ranking of The Top Kansas City Jazz Albums of 2021. Details about the concert are available here.
The Top Ten Jazz Performances of 2021
Original image of J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits at the Blue Room by Plastic Sax.
I caught several dozen jazz performances in an unsettling year characterized by starts and stops. With a literal sense of danger in the air, each outing felt vital. The listing my favorite jazz-based performances in the Kansas City area includes a jaunt to Columbia for an essential bout of free jazz and a trek to Detroit to catch a Lee’s Summit native who no longer performs in his old stomping grounds.
1. J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits- Blue Room
2. Pat Metheny, James Francies and Joe Dyson- Orchestra Hall (Detroit)
3. Irreversible Entanglements- Stephens Lake Park Amphitheatre (Columbia)
4. Bird Fleming and Bill Summers’ “Voyage of the Drum”- Dunbar Park
5. Rod Fleeman- Green Lady Lounge
6. Eddie Moore, Ryan J. Lee and Zach Morrow- Charlotte Street Foundation
7. Thollem McDonas- 9th and State
8. Jeff Kaiser, Kevin Cheli and Seth Davis- Charlotte Street Foundation
9. Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie- 1900 Building
10. Second Nature Ensemble- Westport Coffee House
Lists of the top albums of 2021 are here. Links to similar annual top-show surveys for the past 11 years begin here.
Concert Review: Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie at the 1900 Building
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The duo of Mike Dillon and Nikki Glaspie operated as a miniature drumline at the 1900 Building on Thursday, June 10. A few dozen people heard the audaciously unconventional percussionists perform uncharacteristically restrained cadences. Dillon is a longtime jazz insurrectionary. Glaspie is best known for her robust work as a member of Beyoncé’s touring band. Material from Dillon’s four outstanding pandemic albums- reviewed enthusiastically at Plastic Sax here and here- dominated the setlist. A brief sample reflects the lighthearted tone of the 80-minute recital. Longtime fans hoping to hear old favorites weren’t entirely neglected. The duo stumbled through a version of the title track of Hairy Apes BMX’s 2000 album Out Demons. Dillon explained he hadn’t played the impertinent contrafact of “Salt Peanuts” in 15 years. Prioritizing the present rather than glorifying the past makes the future seem exceptionally bright for both intrepid musicians.
Now's the Time: Nikki Glaspie
Nikki Glaspie jams with stars including keyboardist Robert Glasper in the embedded video. The powerhouse drummer collaborates with Mike Dillon at the 1900 Building on Thursday, June 9.