Second Nature Ensemble’s revelatory performance at Westport Coffee House on Sunday, June 27, provided a glimpse into a possible future of a viable form of jazz in Kansas City and acted as a reminder of the significance of a couple of long-standing components of the scene. Four takeaways follow.
1. Plugged in
Second Nature Ensemble is hardly the first band to fuse electronic-generated sounds with analog avant-garde improvisations, but no locally based ensemble executes the concept with more cultivated acumen. The music created by Michael Eaton (tenor saxophone), Dwight Frizzell (EWI), Seth Davis (electronics and guitar), Ben Tervort (acoustic and electric bass) and Evan Verploegh (drums) was worthy of comparison to the work of innovative stalwarts like Evan Parker. The distinctive talent of each of the five men prevents the group from being mere copycats. Here’s a brief sample.
2. The Reverend
A founding member of BCR, Frizzell is the grand doyen of left-of-center improvised music in Kansas City. Yet I hadn’t heard Frizzell perform in an improvisational context in years. Wielding an electronic wind instrument with enthusiastic abandon, Frizzell displayed more boyish energy than his younger collaborators. I almost expected him to achieve levitation at any moment.
3. Beatdown
Verploegh, a recent Kansas City transplant, is an exciting addition to the local scene. Intense and unpredictable, he often resembled an angry version of the cheerful Kansas City drummer Brian Steever.
4. Caffeinated
The approximately 25 people who passed through the doors during the two-hour performance were silent. Their reverent appreciation and the superlative amplification resulted in the most pristine sound I’ve encountered at a post-quarantine concert. The refreshed layout of the theater below Westport Coffee House and adjacent to Green Room Burgers & Beer indicates the space is still the most advantageous small listening room in Kansas City.
