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Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Joe Dimino captured footage of Nya at the Blue Room and interviewed Brian Scarborough.
*The Pitch published a feature on Chloe McFadden.
*The prominent Kansas Citian and jazz advocate Sally Firestone has died.
A gentle breeze elevates We Need the Wind. Brian Scarborough’s second album as a leader soars on an uplifting current of optimism. The trombonist is joined by four prominent Kansas City jazz musicians. Saxophonist Matt Otto, keyboardist Roger Wilder, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Brian Steever assent to Scarborough’s innate cheerfulness. The Fender Rhodes wielded by Wilder adds a jaunty texture to the session. Otto adds characteristically thoughtful commentary to Scarborough’s melodies. The sturdy resolve of Harshbarger and Steever bolster the nine tracks. As for Scarborough, the multiplicity of his lofty talent continues to necessitate comparison to the Kansas City jazz icon Bob Brookmeyer.
The buoyant Kansas City trombonist Brian Scarborough will perform with saxophonist Matt Otto, pianist Roger Wilder, bassist Ben Tervort and drummer Doug Auwarter at Westport Coffee House on Thursday, May 12. Otto and Tervort assist Scarborough in a rendering of the title track of his 2020 debut album Sunflower Song in the embedded video.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Performances and discussions featuring the Pittsburgh based Deanna Witkowski, a Mary Lou Williams scholar and jazz pianist, will be part of Creative City KC’s celebration of Jazz Day on April 30.
*Julie Denesha caught up with Lonnie McFadden for KCUR.
*Joe Dimino documented Alyssa Murray’s recent appearance at the Blue Room.
*David Basse’s site hosts Brian Scarborough’s interview with trombonist Steve Davis.
*Tweet of the Week: Kansas City Tweets from 1922- "In the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District, rollicking, riffing, and rambunctious music was the soundtrack of the 20s and 30s, and it lasted all night long." A concert to memorialize that is Saturday, May 14th. I'm going! (link)
*From the American Jazz Museum: After a two-year break during the pandemic, the 18th and Vine Jazz Festival is returning to the Gem Theater and American Jazz Museum in Kansas City’s 18th and Vine Historic Jazz District. The 2022 festival is an annual three-day event for middle school and high school jazz ensembles, scheduled for 8am to 5pm Thursday, April 21st through Saturday, April 23rd. Although it started 20 years ago, this will be the 18th year of the festival after the two-year break due to Covid.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Nedra Dixon and Pamela Baskin-Watson were awarded an Opera America grant to assist in the advancement of their “A God- Sib's Tale: A Folk Opera” project.
*Rashida Phillips of the American Jazz Museum chatted with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date prgram.
*El Intruso’s 14th Annual International Critics Poll was published this week. My ballot includes votes for the Kansas City musicians Brett Jackson, Hermon Mehari, Pat Metheny, Brian Scarborough and Bobby Watson.
*Tweet of the Week: The Eldridge- POSTPONED! Look for a new date soon. Susan Hancock is roaring back to the Lawrence, KS music scene for the first time in two years! She is delighted to be joined by two top Kansas City jazz musicians, Roger Wilder, pianist, and Joey Panella, bass. #theeldridge #lawrence #music
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV) placed #29 in the The 2021 Jazz Critics Poll. My ballot is here.
*Brian Scarborough’s Gettin’ It Done: Steve Davis’ Improvised Trombone Solos, “a comprehensive collection of transcriptions from (Davis’) 20212 release,” was published January 1.
*Tweet of the Week: KU School of Music- #KUMusicHistory: Did you know the KU School of Music is home to the Richard F. Wright Jazz Archive, a collection of over 40,000 items? The holdings cover all major jazz periods from the 1920s and 30s as well as the many genres following World War II.
Brian Scarborough’s debut album Sunflower Song took sixth place in Plastic Sax’s ranking of the Top Kansas City Jazz Albums of 2020. The trombonist and his band perform the present-day Kansas City jazz standard “The Owl” in the embedded video.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The election cycle didn’t end with Georgia’s pivotal vote on January 5. The results of The 2020 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll were published nine days later. While 505 albums were recognized by the 148 participants, more than 300 of those releases received just a single vote. The vast quantity of new jazz recordings issued every year is staggering.
How did jazz musicians from the Kansas City area fare? Not great. Votes from ten critics positioned Pat Metheny’s From This Place at #26. Bobby Watson’s two albums for Smoke Sessions- Keepin’ It Real and Bird at 100, his 2019 collaboration with Vincent Herring and Gary Bartz- received one vote each, placing the latest editions to the saxophonist’s catalog in the mid-#300s. No other releases by Kansas City artists were given a nod.
Who are the monsters responsible for these villainous calculations? Well, my ballot represents a circumspect case of head over heart. I rated about 75 of the hundreds of new jazz albums I critiqued in 2020 as very good or excellent. Watson’s Keepin’ It Real- my favorite Kansas City jazz album of last year- is in the middle of that grouping.
I also seriously considered naming Brian Scarborough’s very fine Sunflower Song the top debut album of 2020. I repeatedly listened to the Kansas City trombonist’s release and Immanuel Wilkins’ Omega back-to-back before reluctantly verifying my preference for Wilkins’ effort. I’d rather be a truthful dissident than a deceitful flatterer.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The pandemic failed to forestall a strong slate of new albums by Kansas City’s jazz musicians. A ranking of the year’s top live performances is missing for sadly obvious reasons.
Favorite Albums by Kansas City Artists
1. Bobby Watson- Keepin' It Real (My review.)
2. Molly Hammer- I'm Feeling Mellow
3. Mike Dillon- Rosewood (My review.)
4. Steve Cardenas- Blue Has a Range (My review.)
5. Pat Metheny- From This Place (My review.)
6. Brian Scarborough- Sunflower Song (My review.)
7. Guitar Elation- Double Live at Green Lady Lounge (My review.)
8. Matt Otto- Alliance (My review.)
9. Flutienastiness- This Is Me (My review.)
10. Purna Loka Ensemble- Metaraga
Favorite Albums by Artists From Elsewhere
1. Jyoti- Mama, You Can Bet!
2. Jennifer Curtis and Tyshawn Sorey- Invisible Ritual
3. Ambrose Akinmusire- On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment
4. Bill Frisell- Valentine
5. Kaja Draksler Octet- Out For Stars
6. Jeremy Pelt- The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 1
7. Angelica Sanchez and Marilyn Crispell- How to Turn the Moon
8. Sara Serpa- Recognition
9. Rudresh Mahanthappa- Hero Trio
10. Brad Mehldau- Suite: April 2020
I conducted the same exercise at Plastic Sax the each of the last ten years. Expanded rankings of my favorite albums of 2020 by Kansas City musicians are published at my nondenominational music site There Stands the Glass.
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Brian Scarborough’s Sunflower Song was reviewed by Chicago Jazz Magazine.
*Tweet of the Week: KC Jazz Orchestra- Check out that forecast, KC! Beautiful weather brightens any situation, and we're taking advantage with another @kcdriveinconcerts this coming Sat 9/19, Tenor Madness! Our last drive-in concert sold out, so get your tickets before they're gone! (link)
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Aryana Nemati, Jackie Myers and Carly Atwood pay tribute to Charlie Parker compositions at the Kansas City Museum.
*The streaming performances of pianist Mark Lowrey caught the attention of KCUR.
*Tweet of the Week: Warta Jazz- Trombonis asal Kansas City Brian Scarborough merilis album SunFlower Song (link)
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Brian Scarborough is featured in The Pitch.
*The legacy of the late LaVerne Barker is examined by Flatland.
*Jacob Wagner tells KCUR that “Kansas City's taken too long to recognize black creativity and African-American music that put us on the map” in a KCUR overview of Charlie Parker’s life.
*Aryana Nemati-Baghestani is interviewed by an in-house UMKC publication.
*The editorial board of The Kansas City Star ponders violence in the Jazz District.
*Bill Clinton is among the luminaries paying homage to Charlie Parker on the icon’s YouTube channel.
*Bret Primack interviewed Bobby Watson and Chuck Haddix.
*Joe Dimino documented a performance by five members of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. He also interviewed the participants.
*Alliance, a new album by Matt Otto, was released last week.
*The Mid-America Arts Alliance awarded $50,000 to the American Jazz Museum.
*A new mural adorns the exterior of the Mutual Musicians Foundation.
*Tweet o’ the Week: HypnoRaygun- Danny Embrey makes 99% of "real guitarists" look like beginners. He's unbelievable.
*From a press release: Due to restrictions imposed by Kansas City, MO and the CDC, and our concern for our patrons, staff, volunteers, crew, and artists, the Folly (Theater) has made some changes in our current Jazz Season. We have decided to postpone Karrin Allyson from October 17th to January 22. David Benoit will be moved to December 10th of 2021.
*From a press release: Craft Recordings is proud to announce the release of the compact disc edition of The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection. The collection, which spotlights Charlie Parker’s groundbreaking bebop sessions for the legendary jazz label (spanning 1944 to 1948), is already available on vinyl and digital formats. The CD edition features 28 tracks from the four legendary Savoy 10-inch LPs, presented with newly restored and remastered audio and a deluxe 20-page booklet… The compact disc edition… (is) set for a November 6th release date.