Plastic Sax’s Favorite Albums of 2024

The Top Ten Albums of 2024 by Kansas City Artists
1. Betty Bryant- Lotta Livin’
Plastic Sax review.
2. Logan Richardson- The Science of Superstition
Plastic Sax review.
3. Charles McPherson- Reverence
Plastic Sax review.
4. Ben Allison, Steve Cardenas and Ted Nash- Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols
Plastic Sax review.
5. Matt Otto, Xose Miguélez and Abe Rábade- The Landscape Listens
Plastic Sax review.
6. Rod Fleeman Trio- Saturday Afternoon Live at Green Lady Lounge, Volume 3
Plastic Sax review.
7. Pat Metheny- MoonDial
Plastic Sax review.
8. Karrin Allyson- A Kiss for Brazil
Plastic Sax review.
9. Michael Pagán- Paganova
Plastic Sax review.
10. Narrative Quintet- Trust Fund Tinder Goblins Howling at the Moon
Plastic Sax review.

The Top Ten Albums of 2024 by Artists from Elsewhere
1. Sunny Five- Candid
2. Nduduzo Makhathini- uNomkhubulwane
3. Fred Hersch- Silent, Listening
4. أحمد (Ahmed)- Wood Blues
5. Nala Sinephro- Endlessness
6. Tord Gustavsen Trio- Seeing
7. Andrew Cyrille, Kit Downes and Bill Frisell- Breaking the Shell
8. Peter Evans- Extra
9. Samara Joy- Portrait
10. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis- The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis

Now’s the Time: Adam Larson

Adam Larson returns to the Hey Hey Club on Saturday, November 2. A younger version of the stellar saxophonist performs in the embedded video.

The Top 25 Kansas City Jazz Albums of the Past 25 Years

Despite enduring constant turbulence during the first 25 years of the new millennium, Kansas City’s jazz musicians never ceased creating timeless art. The following list highlights a fraction of the vital recordings released since 2000. The recency bias on display reflects Plastic Sax’s founding in 2007 as well as the uptick in the quantity and quality of releases in recent years. A corresponding non-jazz albums ranking is here.

1. Peter Schlamb- Tinks (2004)
2. Logan Richardson- Shift (2016)
3. Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City (2022)
4. Hermon Mehari- Asmara (2022)
5. Bob Bowman- Songs for Sandra (2014)
6. Pat Metheny- Orchestrion (2010)
7. Ahmad Alaadeen- And the Beauty of It All (ASR 2007)
8. Karrin Allyson- Imagina: Songs of Brasil (2008)
9. Steve Cardenas- Panoramic (2002)
10. Mike Dillon- Inflorescence (2023)

11. Deborah Brown- Songbird (2003)
12. Adam Larson- With Love, From Kansas City (2022)
13. Myra Taylor- My Night to Dream (2001)
14. Matt Otto and Ensemble Ibérica- Ibérica (2017)
15. The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City- The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City (2010)
16. Kevin Mahogany- Pride & Joy (2002)
17. Micah Herman- The Ship, Vol. 1: The Studio Sessions (2011)
18. EMAS Quartet- EMS (2022)
19. Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- Kings & Queens (2016)
20. Rod Fleeman Trio- Saturday Afternoon Live at Green Lady Lounge, Volume 3 (2024)

21. Alaturka- Tamam Abi (2010)
22. Betty Bryant- Lotta Livin' (2024)
23. Everette DeVan- For the Love of You (2014)
24. Gregory Hickman-Williams- Passages (2006)
25. Marcus Lewis Big Band- Brass and Boujee (2018)

Now's the Time: The Prairie Village Jazz Festival

Adam Larson headlines The Prairie Village Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 7. Pete Fucinaro, Back Alley Brass Band, Sons of Brasil and an ensemble representing Shawnee Mission East High School round out the bill. The embedded video features the Kansas City based saxophonist in instructional mode.

Album Review: Narrative Quintet- Trust Fund Tinder Goblins Howling at the Moon

Contrary to what the irreverent title of Narrative Quartet’s second album might suggest, Trust Fund Tinder Goblins Howling at the Moon is a set of seriously sober mainstream jazz. The tenor saxophonists Adam Larson and Chris Madsen trade heroic solos with impeccable support from guitarist Scott Hesse, bassist Clark Sommers and drummer John Kizilarmut. The coalition of Kansas City and Chicago musicians are an exemplary example of the burly swing associated with both cities. Listeners of all persuasions will be inclined to howl with delight.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*A band led by Adam Larson headlines the The Prairie Village Jazz Festival on September 7.

*Green Lady Lounge shared videos featuring Rod Fleeman discussing the third installment of his Saturday Afternoon Live at Green Lady Lounge album series and his role in the Kansas City jazz supergroup Wire Town.

*The Kansas City Star published a feature about the queer brass band Sass-A-Brass.

Concert Review: The Adam Larson Quartet at the Blue Room

Adam Larson lamented that his children prefer the music of the Epic Sax Guy to that of their father during the interview portion of the Blue Room’s noon jazz series on Thursday, June 6. Assuming a sardonic tone of exasperation, Larson joked “I’m the epic sax guy!” 

In fact, each member of Larson’s quartet displayed heroic artistry at the Blue Room. Pianist Roger Wilder and drummer John Kizilarmut may never have sounded better. The Chicago based Clark Sommers conjured bassist Jimmy Garrison on an excerpt of “A Love Supreme”.

Propulsive renditions of the classics “Conception”, “Punjab” and “Light Blue” were rendered with astounding sophistication. Larson’s kids will eventually recognize what dedicated jazz fans already know: during June 2024, Larson and his colleagues were truly epic jazz guys.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Joe Dimino conducted interviews with Adam Larson and members of The Back Alley Brass Band.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Seth Davis, Mike Dillon and Matt Otto received votes in El Intruso’s 16th Annual International Critics Poll.

*A slightly different version of the audio feature about Charlie Parker’s Grafton saxophone created for KCUR in December aired nationally on NPR’s Morning Edition program last week. 

*Joe Dimino shared footage of recent performances of bands led by Pete Fucinaro and Adam Larson.

*WBGO aired a travelog set in Kansas City’s Jazz District.

The Top Stories and Trends of 2023 on Kansas City’s Jazz Scene

1. Last Train Home
The Lee’s Summit native Pat Metheny snapped an eleven-year embargo of the Kansas City area with a concert at Muriel Kauffman Theatre in June. 

2. Larson vs. Otto: Everybody Wins
The astounding productivity of Adam Larson and Matt Otto, Kansas City based saxophonists in their artistic primes, resembled a friendly cutting contest.

3. Too Marvelous for Words
The Kansas City mainstay Marilyn Maye celebrated her 95th birthday with a concert at Carnegie Hall.

4. Everything’s Up to Date in Kansas City
The Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society presented performances by cutting-edge touring musicians including Vinny Golia, Maria Elena Silva, Eli Wallace and Jack Wright. 

5. Absinthe Ascendent
Green Lady Lounge tightened its stranglehold as Kansas City’s dominant jazz venue. A program on Kansas Public Radio and an ongoing series of live albums furthered its hegemony.

6. Outside the Lines
Just two of  Plastic Sax’s 20 Favorite Performances of 2023 transpired in jazz clubs. Venues including concert halls and art galleries hosted much of the most interesting improvised music performed in Kansas City.

7. Ticketed
Attendance at concerts by Samara Joy, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Pat Metheny and Domi and JD Beck indicates the Kansas City area is home to about 1,500 people who are willing to pay $25 or more to hear instrumental jazz.

8. Turnover
Rashida Phillips resigned her position as Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum.

9. It Takes a Village
The Prairie Village Jazz Festival, a one-day, single-stage event featuring locally based musicians, remains the region’s most notable jazz festival.

10. Con Man
Con Chapman’s Kansas City Jazz A Little Evil Will Do You Good provided new insights into the area’s jazz history.

Last year’s recap is here.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Joe Dimino interviewed Rick Willoughby and shared footage of a performance led by Matt Villinger.

*Adam Larson and Mike Dillon were lauded on the KKFI radio program Wednesday Midday Medley.

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

Plastic Sax’s Favorite Performances of 2023

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.)

Album Review: Narrative Quintet- Narrative

Narrative tells a beautiful story. The new album featuring Kansas City’s Adam Larson on tenor saxophone and John Kizilarmut on drums is a tale of beneficent cooperation with the Chicago based tenor saxophonist Chris Madsen, guitarist Scott Hesse and bassist Clark Sommers. In spite of the configuration, Narrative isn’t a dueling tenors date. The quintet works together on the mainstream session that’s less incendiary than Larson’s recently completed With Love trilogy. The uplifting tracks are comforting rather than confrontational. The captivating Narrative is imprinted with scores of happy ever afters.

Album Review: Matt Otto- Kansas City Trio

The three trio albums Adam Larson released in a 14-month span are one of the most artistically rewarding achievements undertaken by a Kansas City musician in years. As if in response to Larson’s vital statement, Matt Otto issued the similarly daring Kansas City Trio on June 30.

Three Kansas City bassists- Bob Bowman, Jeff Harshbarger Ben Leifer- and three locally based drummers- John Kizilarmut, Marty Morrison and Brian Steever- construct interesting frameworks for Otto’s endlessly imaginative excursions.

The robust intellect, sly humor and gracious humanity displayed by Otto imbue the 12 tracks with magnificent grace. While his trios are always controlled and cool, their approaches emanate from the adventurous edge of mainstream jazz.

Relatively young artists, Larson and Otto are in their artistic primes. Any mid-size city would be lucky to claim one such elite saxophonist. Kansas City is exceptionally fortunate that both Larson and Otto call Kansas City home.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The author of Plastic Sax included releases featuring Mike Dillon, Adam Larson and Hermon Mehari in his ranking of The Best Jazz Albums of 2023 (So Far).

Album Review: Adam Larson- With Love, From New York City

Have you ever incurred the wrath of New Yorkers by pausing on a busy sidewalk to gawk at a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge or the Chrysler Building?  With Love, From New York City, the latest album by the Kansas City based saxophonist Adam Larson, is filled with sonic vistas certain to stop listeners in their tracks.

The final component of a trilogy of trio albums including With Love, From Kansas City and With Love, From Chicago, With Love, From New York City is as awe-inspiring as the bustling metropolis for which it’s named.  The album strikes a balance between the edgy explorations heard at New York City hubs for new music such as Roulette and the mainstream elegance favored at Manhattan venues like Smoke.

The rough and tumble assault of the opening track “Aerial Landmass” features grungy work from bassist Matt Clohesy and the merciless drumming of Obed Calvaire.  Larson takes a staggeringly inventive solo on “64 Squares (searching for fish).” His shift to a tangy, slightly sour tone for “Soar” is among the additional highlights.

As with the first two installments of the With Love cycle, the uncompromising New York is absolutely arresting.  Start spreading the news. Following residencies in Chicago and New York, Larson is truly is “number one, top of the list and king of the hill” in Kansas City.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*From a press release: Outside In Music is thrilled to announce the April 7, 2023 release of With Love, From New York from saxophonist Adam Larson. Marking Larson’s eighth release as a leader, With Love, From New York is most notably the last installment in his series of trio albums recorded in 2021 and 2022, each featuring rhythm section mates who hail from cities important to his musical development: Chicago, his current home of Kansas City, and his former home of New York City. It serves as a punctuation mark on his flurry of recent activity, with first-call New York musicians Obed Calvaire and Matt Clohesy assisting with effortless elan on drums and bass.

*Tweet of the Week: Carnegie Hall- Cabaret legend Marilyn Maye joined Steven Reineke and @TheNewYorkPopson stage at Carnegie Hall for a program of standards and musical theater classics. The sensational evening made clear why she’s been celebrated as one of America’s greatest jazz singers.

Now’s the Time: Adam Larson

The J. Rieger & Co. distillery has revived the legacy of Kansas City’s The Hey! Hey! Club.  Jazz is performed at the East Bottoms complex on Thursdays.  The outstanding Kansas City based saxophonist Adam Larson is featured on March 2. Larson also performs at Black Dolphin on Saturday, February 25.

The Kansas City Jazz Scene's Top Stories and Trends of 2022

1. Full Swing

It’s almost as if nothing happened.  On the surface, Kansas City’s post-pandemic jazz scene now looks just as it did in 2019.

2. Got It Covered

In spite of- or maybe even because of- the $5 cover charge instituted last year, Green Lady Lounge is packed on any given night.  It makes sense: Green Lady Lounge is the only place in Kansas City at which jazz is performed every evening.

3. Frequent Freakouts

Fans of free jazz and experimental music no longer need to leave Kansas City to hear those sounds.  Thanks to the strenuous initiatives of members of the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society, innovative music made by notable touring musicians and local artists is regularly performed in Kansas City.

4. A Man Called Adam 

The dynamic presence of Adam Larson continues to elevate Kansas City.  The saxophonist’s two new albums- with a third on the way- requires skeptical outsiders to reassess the vitality of Kansas City’s scene.

5. For the Record

It’s an extraordinarily productive year when a lovely album featuring Bob Bowman can’t squeeze into a list of the top ten Kansas City jazz albums of 2022, 

6. Don’t Call It a Comeback

While they never went away, the innovative veterans Dwight Frizzell and Arnold Young reemerged as prominent bandleaders with active performance schedules.

7. Fest or Famine

The one-stage, single-day, storm-plagued Prairie Village Jazz Festival notwithstanding, the Kansas City area hasn’t hosted a true jazz festival since a “stellar but ill-fated” event in 2017.

8. Outside Validation

Jazz at Lincoln Center created a fetching tradition-oriented video portrait of Kansas City.

9. Meanwhile, Back at the Museum

Had it done nothing but present Nduduzo Makhathini at the Blue Room in June, the American Jazz Museum would have provided an invaluable cultural contribution to the city in 2022.  Yet its noontime concerts and the resumption of the Jammin’ at the Gem series were similarly encouraging developments.

10. An Awkward Anniversary

Another year passed without an appearance by Pat Metheny.  The hometown hero last played in Kansas City in 2012.  Although he continues to tour extensively, ten years have passed since a Metheny concert transpired in his old stomping grounds.

Last’s year’s installment of this annual series is here.