The Antler’s Club, a den of iniquity during the Pendergast era in Kansas City, hosted a band featuring a teenaged Charlie Parker in 1938. In the same space in the West Bottoms on September 24, 2021, five musicians successfully pursued an extreme manifestation of Parker-inspired improvisation.
The itinerant new music luminary Thollem McDonas (keyboard) was joined by Kansas City musicians Seth Davis (guitar), Krista Kopper (bass), Jeff Harshbarger (bass) and Brian Steever (drums) in the tavern now operating as 9th & State. Following a set in which McDonas provided music for ACVilla’s short silent film Worlds In a Life, the quintet launched into an extended improvisation filled with strong interplay.
Although he’s acclaimed for high-profile collaborations, McDonas deferred to the Kansas Citians. Kopper and Harshbarger deftly took turns as de facto leaders. Kopper initiated many of the most interesting developments. Harshbarger’s impressive stunts included wielding two bows simultaneously.
The swing-oriented Steever thrived in the free setting. His bag of tricks included using bandanas as drumsticks. The jagged tones emitted by Davis’ instrument resembled concertina wire. Parker may not have recognized the sounds, but he probably would have approved of the quintet’s audacious flaunting of Kansas City’s established conventions.