Album Review: OJT- Ground Level

What’s the best American band of the last 75 years? Variations of the question frequently pop up in barrooms and internet forums. Acceptable responses range from Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet to Creedence Clearwater Revival. The correct answer, however, is Booker T. & the MGs.

The three members of OJT- organist Ken Lovern, guitarist Brian Baggett and drummer Kenny Watson Jr.- display their affinity for the legendary Memphis group on the new album Ground Level. “Loose Space” is an interpolation of “Time Is Tight” while the title of “Baggy Blues Jeans” may allude to Booker T. & the MGs’ “Hip Hug-Her”. 

The jazz filter OJT applies to the framework of timeless soul amplifies the profoundly groovy sound. Their ten-minute “It’s Not That Bad” touches on the history of organ jazz from Jimmy Smith to Medeski, Martin & Wood. The inclusion of the colossal performance makes Ground Level the year’s most robust Kansas City party album.

(Ground Level will be be available at streaming services on September 6. Green Lady Lounge hosts a vinyl and CD release party on Wednesday, October 2.)

Faux Fest

I attended a cutting-edge jazz festival in Kansas City on Wednesday, January 4.  What’s that?  You didn’t know about the event?  Well, since Kansas City hasn’t hosted a proper jazz festival in five years, I’ve taken to curating one-night festivals for myself.

On Wednesday I spent five hours at three venues taking in an immensely rewarding blend of touring and locally based artists.  The faux festival got off to a rough start at Westport Coffee House ($10 cover).  When guitarist Seth Andrew Davis thanked members of the audience for attending, the Bay Area keyboardist Scott R. Looney sneered “three people!”

The other musicians seemed to brush off Looney’s disappointment in the turnout.  Looney, Davis and the New York based percussionist Kevin Cheli began by playing what sounded like devilish variations on the cartoon music of Raymond Scott.

Looney, bassist Krista Kopper and drummer Evan Verploegh toyed with extreme dynamics in the second set.  In staving off mere anarchy by holding the center, Kopper was the most valuable contributor to a third set featuring all five musicians.  The first stage of the festival concluded with an improvisation on what may have been an inverse version of Miles Davis’ “All Blues.” 

The second phase of the bespoke festival transpired at Green Lady Lounge ($5 cover).  I joined about 75 revelers for a set by OJT, the popular venue’s de facto house band.  Seated directly behind drummer Sam Platt, my appreciation of the ways in which guitarist Brian Baggett and organist Ken Lovern apply their roots in rock to update the organ jazz trio tradition was strengthened.

Funkadelick headlined the fake fest at the Brick ($10 cover).  Drummer Nikki Glaspie had the night off, so the peripatetic Mike Dillon and Brian Haas, the keyboardist best known for his groundbreaking work with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, operated as a duo for most of their nearly two-hour set.

Dillon manned his expansive rig like punk-jazz’s answer to Carl Palmer as he and Haas interpreted the entirety of the forthcoming album Inflorescence.  The tandem was later joined in musical roughhousing by guest drummer Arnold Young.  A violent interpolation of the Stooges’ proto-punk classic “I Wanna Be Your Dog” typified the raucous attack.

Drawn to the pocket-size stage like a moth to a flame, I posted up front and center for most of the riveting performance.  The approximately 50 people seated behind me couldn’t have been pleased that I obstructed their sightlines.  I didn’t care.  After all, it was my festival.

Album Review: Brian Baggett Trio- Groovin’ and Swingin’ at Green Lady Lounge

The death of Eddie Van Halen two years ago was devastating. The celebrated musician’s family, friends and fans continue to mourn the loss.  Had the guitar hero lived past 65, he may have joined the venerable list of rockers who turned their attention to jazz in their golden years.

Van Halen’s impact is increasingly pervasive.  While he never approached the realm of the “big three” living jazz guitarists- Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny and John Scofield- Van Halen nonetheless made an impact on the sound of scores of jazz guitarists in recent decades.  

Brian Baggett is a prime example.  The Kansas City guitarist’s new album Groovin’ and Swingin’ at Green Lady Lounge possesses a sharp metallic tinge.  Whether the influence is direct or filtered through other guitarists, Baggett’s playing contains strong echoes of Van Halen.  

Rather than corrupting the form, Baggett’s perspective enlivens the music.  What might otherwise have been a perfectly fine but typical mainstream jazz recording is elevated by jagged edges.  Bassist Ben Tervort and drummer Taylor Babb provide a rock-solid foundation for Baggett’s invigorating approach.  

Baggett is a central component of the robust calendar at Kansas City’s most popular jazz club.  And on the surface, Groovin’ and Swingin’ at Green Lady Lounge is true to its title.  The album captures the venue’s jubilant atmosphere.  Jazz purists who treasure the classic jazz guitar work by the likes of Grant Green and Wes Montgomery are likely to embrace Baggett.

Yet even the album’s prettiest passages contain a hint of a rock and roll sneer.  An appreciation of Van Halen hits like “Runnin’ with the Devil” isn’t necessary to enjoy Groovin’ and Swingin’ at Green Lady Lounge, but the sinfully good album may be appreciated most by guitar fans with expansive ears.

(The Kansas City venue will host the album release show for Groovin’ and Swingin’ at Green Lady Lounge at 6 p.m. Monday, November 6. The $5 cover charge includes a CD version of the album.)

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*A correspondent for The Boston Globe admired Green Lady Lounge.

*Nina Cherry interviewed Ryan J. Lee for The Pitch.

*Eddie Moore is among the musicians cited by Michelle Bacon in an NPR feature titled 8 Kansas City artists making a mark on their communities.

*Startland reported on the initiatives of musician and entrepreneur Tate Berry.

*Joe Dimino interviewed Brian Baggett and Brad Buckner.

*A Kansas City blogger includes plenty of jazz in a roundup of October’s best concerts and albums.

*Tweet of the Week: Cedric Feschotte- Work hard, play hard at #stuckonrepeat. Funk jazz chillin at @GreenLadyLoungewith @LandweberLab & @lohmueller (photo)

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Brian Baggett and Ken Lovern discuss Baggett’s forthcoming album in a promotional video.

*The Kansas City debut of the Los Angeles duo Ohma is reviewed at There Stands the Glass.

*Bobby Watson promoted a concert in Schenectady in a candid interview with a correspondent for Albany’s The Times-Union.

*Jazzwise considers the sound of Britain’s Big Band Metheny ensemble.

*Joe Dimino interviewed Morgan Faw and shared clips of performances by the Greg Meise Trio, Lisa Henry and the Hannover Big Band.

*Tweet of the Week: Midwest Music Foundation- JUST ANNOUNCED! Check out the official lineup for Apocalypse Meow, Nov 5th at the @recordBar, ft. Eddie Moore, MellowPhobia, The Electric Lungs, purextc, and Nathan Corsi and My Atomic Daydream! Grab tickets: (link) #apocalypsemeow #abbysfund

*From a press release: The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra Executive Director Lea Petrie today announced the next concert for the 2022-2023 20th Anniversary season, The Voice featuring guest artist Deborah Brown, Thursday, November 10 at 7 p.m. at … Helzberg Hall… Brown is one of many American jazz performers who found her greatest fame and recognition overseas rather than in the U.S.