*Joe Dimino shared footage of Bob Bowman and Bobby Watson at the Blue Room.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Now's the Time: Bob Bowman
Bob Bowman is back in town. The storied bassist’s bustling schedule in the Kansas City area includes an appearance at the Blue Room on Saturday, April 12.
The Top Performances of 2024
Original image of Seth Davis, Kwan Leung Ling, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at 7th Heaven by Plastic Sax.
The Top Jazz Performances of 2024 by Kansas City Musicians
1. Peter Schlamb at the Ship
Plastic Sax review.
2. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Bridge at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.
3. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Heliophonie at Charlotte Street Foundation
Plastic Sax review.
4. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
Plastic Sax review.
5. WireTown at Green Lady Lounge
Instagram clip.
6. Seth Davis, Kwan Leung Ling, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at 7th Heaven
Instagram clip.
7. Jackie Myers, Matt Otto and Bob Bowman at the Market at Meadowbrook
Instagram snapshot.
8. Alber at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram snapshot.
9. Ernest Melton, Parker Woolworth, Jordan Faught and Jalen Ward at In the Lowest Ferns
Plastic Sax review.
10. Rod Fleeman Trio at Green Lady Lounge
Instagram clip.
The Top Performances of 2024 by Touring Musicians
1. Makaya McCraven at Liberty Hall
Plastic Sax review.
2. Trond Kallevåg at the Folk Alliance International Conference
Instagram clip.
3. David Lord at Farewell
Plastic Sax review.
4. Willow at the T-Mobile Center
There Stands the Glass review.
5. Trap Jazz at Concourse Park
Instagram clip.
6. Mike Baggetta and Peter DiStefano at the Ship
There Stands the Glass review.
7. Damon Smith at Westport Coffee House
Instagram clip.
8. Phill Smith and Kyle Jessen at Charlotte Street Foundation
Instagram clip.
9. Síomha at the Kansas City Irish Festival
Instagram clip.
10. David Menestres at the Bunker Center for the Arts
Instagram snapshot.
Last year’s survey is here.
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: Matt Kane
Drummer Matt Kane returns to town for a set as a leader with pianist Brant Jester and bassist Bob Bowman on Monday, October 2. Kane’s new album Song Poems was released September 1.
Concert Review: Randy Porter, Tom Wakeling and Todd Strait at The 1905
Original image by Plastic Sax.
An uncommon occurrence was almost as impressive as the elegant music rendered by pianist Randy Porter, bassist Tom Wakeling and drummer Todd Strait at The 1905 in Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday, August 22. Not a single member of the capacity audience of 40 uttered a peep during the first 65-minute set.
Three elements contributed to the blissful absence of chatter: a $15 cover charge, a stern advisory not to talk before the first note was played and a requirement to order all food and drinks on a phone app.
Thanks in no small part to Strait, the music was worthy of rapt attention. Even though he spends much of his time in Portland, Strait is still recognized as one of Kansas City’s most outstanding musicians.
The joy-infused, straight-ahead swing he guided at the 1905 sounded a lot like PBT, Strait’s storied trio with Paul Smith and Bob Bowman. Alarmingly, the pristine Portland experience seems to be endangered.
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.
Now’s the Time: Bob Bowman
Bob Bowman is back in town. Westport Coffee House hosts a show billed as the bassist’s seventieth birthday celebration on Monday, April 17.
The Kansas City Jazz Scene's Top Stories and Trends of 2022
Original image of Seth Davis, Josh Sinton and Drew Williams at the Vinyl Underground at 7th Heaven on December 17 by Plastic Sax.
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.
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
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Kansas City’s YouTube channel includes a new video feature about the Spotlight Charlie Parker initiative. Related videos are here, here and here.
*Anita Dixon and Jakob Wagner lobby for additional arts spending in a television news feature.
*The author of Plastic Sax reviewed a performance by Bob Bowman and Peter Schlamb at his nondenominational music blog.
*A television station filed a report from the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Harlem last weekend.
*Tweet of the Week: Pat Metheny- New Album 'SHIFT (Bad Hombre, Vol. II)' from the great @AntonioDrumsX Available Now! "Eh Hee 2.0" featuring Pat and Dave Matthews Buy CD/ Vinyl/ Stream here
*From a press release: The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra… announced the inaugural concert for the 2022-2023 20th Anniversary season, The Horn, featuring guest artist Sean Jones, Friday, September 30 at 8 p.m. at… Helzberg Hall… Artistic Director Clint Ashlock stated “… the centerpiece of the concert will be the majestic, soulful artistry of Sean Jones - arguably the world’s greatest trumpet player."
Album Review: Josh Nelson Bob Bowman Collective- Tomorrow is Not Promised
Bob Bowman is a Kansas City institution. Although he now lives in Montana, the venerable bassist was a cornerstone of the area’s jazz scene for decades. Bowman’s playing has always been tasteful but never boring, perpetually swinging yet admirably unpredictable.
Bowman’s impeccable contribution is the heart and soul of Tomorrow is Not Promised, a new recording he oversees with pianist Josh Nelson. Drummer Steve Haughton, guitarist Larry Koonse and saxophonist Bob Sheppard round out the session.
As with most projects involving Bowman, the album is a graceful demonstration of mainstream jazz. “Sometime Ago” is among the tracks featuring lively interplay between Bowman and Nelson. “Blues for Albert E.” boasts a particularly engaging riff on an album filled with sprightly melodies.
The Los Angeles based Nelson displays the deft touch heard in his Kansas City appearances with musicians including Sara Gazarek. Haughton, Sheppard and Moonse sound similarly becoming. Yet without attempting to draw attention to himself, the unassuming Bowman steals the show.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Jon Poses praises Tomorrow Is Not Promised, the new album by the Josh Nelson/Bob Bowman Collective, for The Columbia Daily Tribune.
*Steve Paul documented a portion of a recent performance by the Jeff Harshbarger Quartet at the Blue Room.
*Joe Dimino captured the ambience of a Westport Coffee House show featuring River Cow Orchestra.
*Tweet of the Week: Sly James- Good groove w/ #RSS @ #GreenLadyLoungetonight. #LoveKC. #StayFrosty
Now's the Time: Bob Bowman
Bob Bowman exhibits his formidable talent in a duo setting with saxophonist Matt Otto in the embedded video. The venerable bassist performs at Yardley Hall on Sunday, October 17. Tickets are available here.
Now's the Time: Bob Bowman, Danny Embrey and Brian Steever
I intend to hop on an airplane the first day I feel comfortable resuming post-inoculation life. Should my return flight to Kansas City land in the evening, I’ll drop in at the Green Lady Lounge on my way home. The embedded video captures the sound and atmosphere I so dearly miss.