The formidable reputations of three locally based mainstream jazz guitarists position the distinguished men head-and-shoulders above their peers. Danny Embrey, Rod Fleeman and Will Matthews deserve the respect and acclaim they’ve garnered.
Matt Hopper is among the younger musicians who are actively demonstrating the future of jazz guitar in Kansas City is in good hands. Quietly released at the end of 2021, Live at Green Lady Lounge captures the sound of the band featuring Hopper and organist Ken Lovern, percussionist Pat Conway and drummer Todd Strait.
The recording exemplifies the distinctive sound that’s helped make Green Lady Lounge the most popular jazz venue in Kansas City. The music performed in the room at 1809 Grand Boulevard is invariably cheerful, sweetly harmonious and assertively propulsive.
While Live at Green Lady Lounge is no exception, the 2018 recording is no ordinary guitar-and-organ album. The quiet groove of “Marcelo’s Guitar” contains a slight intimation of psychedelic rock. Hopper’s trippy solo elevates a slinky reading of his “Green Lady Low Down.”
The dual tandems of Hopper and Lovern and Conway and Strait propel the ecstatic sensibility. Yet the guitarist merits the spotlight. Live at Green Lady Lounge indicates Hopper will eventually join the ranks of Embrey, Freeman and Matthews as a member of Kansas City jazz royalty.