It’s been almost impossible for mainstream jazz vocalists to capture even modest glimmers of attention since Samara Joy hit the scene. A generational talent with a voluptuous voice, Joy makes all other comers suffer by comparison. Even so, Kansas City’s Eboni Fondren equals Joy in at least one way: she possesses a similar amount of charisma. Fondren’s ebullient personality shines on An American in Paris. Accompanied by a European jazz band and a string quartet on a concise set of seven standards, Fondren is wonderfully elegant. The refined approach is mostly absent on her rough-and-tumble debut album The Journey. An American in Paris may not be Joy-ful, but it’s very good nevertheless.
Album Review: Eboni Fondren- The Journey: To Kansas City with Love
Eboni Fondren laments she was “born in the wrong decade” on the opening selection of her new album. Consistent with the nostalgic sentiment, the vocalist basks in a throwback form of jazz on The Journey: To Kansas City with Love.
Fondren recalls her apprenticeship with the organist Everette DeVan on the autobiographical introductory song. Fondren’s vibrant personality and rich voice have since become widely admired. Kansas City standouts including James Albright, Chris Hazelton and Mark Lowrey help Fondren realize her vision on the live recording made at the Uptown Lounge.
Contemporary accents such as the prominent electric bass on “Angel Eyes” don’t detract from her old-school sensibility. Fondren originals like the Broadway-ready “Hollow” hold their own alongside the standards “Satin Doll,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Angel Eyes.”
The album is an agreeable amalgamation of the bluesy form of jazz associated with Kansas City. Fondren aptly subtitled the album “To Kansas City with Love.” The feeling is mutual in the storied jazz town.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Nina Cherry wrote a lengthy feature about Eboni Fondren for The Pitch.
*Portions of a Cynthia Van Roden performance were documented by Joe Dimino.
*Aarik Danielsen surveys the 2024-25 season of We Always Swing for the Columbia Daily Tribune.
Now’s the Time: Eboni Fondren
Eboni Fondren, one of Kansas City’s most prominent vocalists, returns to the Ship on Thursday, May 30. She’s accompanied by French musicians in the embedded video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Eboni Fondren sang in a choir at the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
*Recent episodes of Kansas Public Radio’s Live at Green Lady Lounge program include performances by Tim Whitmer’s Goodtime Quartet and the Reyes Brothers Organ Trio.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The New York Times caught up with Marilyn Maye.
*Eboni Fondren and Rashida Phillips considered the role of women in the development of Kansas City jazz on KCUR’s Up To Date program.
*KCUR published A Guide to the Best Venues for Live Music Around the Metro.
*All Night Trio and Back Alley Brass Band submitted entries to NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest.
*Tweet of the Week: Coalback- Saw u last night @GreenLadyLounge. Excellent show!
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra has released a new version of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” featuring vocalist Eboni Fondren.
*Craig Aker, a notable figure in the music community of Columbia, Missouri, is featured in The Maneater.
*Tweet of the Week: Aaron Bean- Doing my door guy thing tonight @GreenLadyLounge until 3am! Kansas City JAZZ at its finest.
*From a press release: Mike Dillon & Punkadelick have released "Pandas", the second single from their forthcoming album, Inflorescence, due January 27 on Royal Potato Family… “In our minds, Led Zeppelin and Milt Jackson, Parliament-Funkadelic and The Minutemen, The Bad Brains and Frank Zappa are interconnected," says Mike Dillon. "All that comes together in how we approach instrumental creative music. Punk rock, funk and jazz are not prefab things, they're about freedom. We have no genre restriction in this band..."
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Steve Kraske chatted with Eboni Fondren, Leslie Maclean and Aryana Nemati on KCUR’s Up To Date program.
*Kansas City’s jazz landscape is represented in a ranking of Kansas City's Ten Best Music Venues.
*Tweet of the Week: San Diego Reader- Kansas City native Julian Vaughn will be performing at the San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival! Happening June 11 - June 12, 2022, at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Purchase your tickets now (lineup)
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The Pitch featured Eboni Fondren in advance of her holiday concert with The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.
*Tweet of the Week: David George- Snuck out of the house for some jazz. Ken, Brian, and Sam killed it! @GreenLadyLounge
Confirmation: Weekly New and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The 2021 edition of the Prairie Village Jazz Festival has been canceled. The lineup consisted of a band led by Adam Larson with Fabian Almazan and Jaleel Shaw, We the People, Back Alley Brass Band and the Shawnee Mission East Blue Knights.
*Carolyn Glenn Brewer attempted to promote her book Beneath Missouri Skies: Pat Metheny in Kansas City 1964-1972 on The Pitch’s Streetwise podcast.
*Pat Metheny was interviewed by the popular YouTube personality Rick Beato.
*Eboni Fondren chatted with Steve Kraske about Everette DeVan on KCUR’s Up To Date program.
*Joe Dimino added Trent Austin and Desmond Mason to his catalog of interviews.
*The Spotlight 2021: Charlie Parker initiative is featured in a brief television news segment.
*Tweet of the Week: The Twittah Sh*ttah- Green Lady Lounge, Kansas City. Cool jazz club. To be honest, I was pretty drunk at this place. I think the bathroom was a good one. All I got was two blurry photos and a video of this awesome sink that lights up when you turn it on. (video and photos)