Plenty of family bands call Kansas City home. The James Ward Band is among the best of them. The trio returns to the Blue Room on Saturday, May 21. The interpretation of Marcus Miller’s “Panther” in the embedded video typifies JWB’s robust approach to contemporary jazz.
Now's the Time: The James Ward Band
In addition to participating in an auspicious concert last month, the funk, R&B and jazz luminary Bill Summers spent time jamming with locally based musicians while in Kansas City. Summers revisits the Herbie Hancock and Bernie Maupin composition “Butterfly” in a groovy collaboration with The James Ward Band. (Tip via Plastic Sax reader JW.)
Concert Review: Bird Fleming and Bill Summers’ “Voyage of the Drum” at Dunbar Park
Original image by Plastic Sax.
At the conclusion of a freewheeling concert at Dunbar Park on Monday, June 21, percussionist, bandleader and emcee Bird Fleming told the audience that “you will never listen to music the same way again.” The free performance almost substantiated Fleming’s audacious assertion. The unlikely blend of percussion demonstrations, swing-based jazz and star power in the form of Bill Summers made for a glorious afternoon on Make Music Day.
In addition to earnest attempts to explain what he called the “Africa to jazz tradition,” Fleming repeatedly ushered various configurations of musicians on and off the portable stage. The percussion ensemble Soundz of Africa, saxophonist Doug Talley, keyboardist Charles Williams, bassist James Ward, percussionist Pat Conway and Summers made frequent use of the stairs on either side of the stage.
Summers was the primary attraction for many attendees. He amplified Flemings’ educational emphasis by offering insights into the tradition of pouring one out as an homage to ancestors, the commendable culture of the Forest People of Central Africa and the European origin of the ritual of applause. He also participated in a percussion workout and recreated his hook from Herbie Hancock’s 1973 hit version of “Watermelon Man.”
Talley, Williams and Ward responded intuitively to Summers’ cues while enlivening standards including “Caravan,” “Afro Blue” and the inescapable “Kansas City.” After one of Fleming’s attempts to engage listeners received a tepid response, he asked the approximately 100 people on hand to “just humor me.” Fleming deserved far more than polite encouragement. He and everyone involved in the singular UNESCO Cities of Music event merited a standing ovation.
Exhibit Review: “Billie Holiday at Sugar Hill: Photographs by Jerry Dantzic” at the American Jazz Museum
Original image of Rashida Phillips at the opening reception for the exhibit by Plastic Sax.
Billie Holiday boasted “my mother, she gave me something- it's going to carry me through this world” on “Billie’s Blues,” one of the iconic artist’s signature songs. The powerful attribute radiates from the 56 images in Billie Holiday at Sugar Hill: Photographs by Jerry Dantzic at the American Jazz Museum. The museum hosts the traveling exhibit curated by the Smithsonian Institution through August 1.
The proceedings of a reception in the museum’s atrium celebrating the May 8 opening of the exhibit- the fourth of the show’s six tour stops- effectively affirmed Holiday’s ongoing relevance in popular culture. Backed by the James Ward Band, Rashida Phillips, Executive Director of the museum, Piaget Long and Love, Mae C, (Instagram clip) performed winning renditions of songs associated with Holiday.
Dr. Dina Bennett, Director of Collections & Curatorial Affairs, mentioned Kanye West’s sample of Nina Simone’s version of “Strange Fruit” on his divisive 2013 album Yeezus. Phillips referenced the new Andra Day vehicle The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Dantzic’s output while on the payroll of Decca Records in 1957 possesses a similarly timeless quality. Holiday is seen in strikingly intimate photos at home, in paparazzi-style street shots and in instructive images at the New Jersey nightclub Sugar Hill.
All of the portraits can be easily located online, but seeing the handsomely framed photographs hanging on the walls of the museum’s Changing Gallery offers a vastly superior experience. Holiday claimed “I ain’t good looking” in “Billie’s Blues.” It’s not true. Dantzic’s photos depict a woman who was beautiful inside and out.
Now's the Time: Charles Williams
The versatile Kansas City pianist Charles Williams interprets “Betcha by Golly, Wow” in the embedded video. He’s assisted by guitarist Rod Fleeman, bassist James Ward and drummer Mike Warren.