Plastic Sax’s Favorite Albums and Performances of 2017

Favorite Albums by Kansas City Based Artists
1. Matt Otto and Ensemble Ibérica- Ibérica (Plastic Sax review)
2. Bobby Watson- Made in America (Plastic Sax review)
3. Hermon Mehari- Bleu (Plastic Sax review)
4. Dino Massa's Kansas City Quintet- Echoes of Europe (review at KCUR)
5. Julian Vaughn- Bona Fide
6. Matt Otto and Andy Ehling- Reunion (Plastic Sax review)
7. Deborah Brown- Kansas City, Here I Come
8. Steve Lambert- Seven Stories (Plastic Sax review)
9. The Matt Cook Collective- Along Those Lines (Plastic Sax review)
10. The Sextet- Blob Castle (Plastic Sax review)

Favorite Albums By Artists From Elsewhere
1. Miguel Zenón- Típico
2. Aruán Ortiz- Cub(an)ism
3. Yelena Eckemoff- Blooming Tall Phlox
4. Rob Luft- Riser
5. Rudresh Mahanthappa and the Indo-Pak Coalition- Agrima
6. Avishai Cohen- Cross My Palm With Silver
7. Tigran Hamasyan- An Ancient Observer
8. Kamasi Washington- Harmony of Difference
9. Ron Miles- I Am a Man
10. Various- The Passion of Charlie Parker (Plastic Sax review)

Favorite Performances by Kansas City Based Artists
1. Marilyn Maye- Quality Hill Playhouse (Plastic Sax review)
2. Matt Otto Trio with Anthony Wilson and Shay Estes- Blue Room
3. Alaturka- Polsky Theatre (Plastic Sax review)
4. Owen/Cox Dance Group and the People’s Liberation Big Band- Polsky Theatre (Plastic Sax review)
5. Gerald Spaits’ Sax & Violins- Westport Coffeehouse
6. The Project H- Black Dolphin
7. Eddie Moore, Dominique Sanders and Zach Morrow- Plaza Art Fair
8. Nate Nall Sextet- Homer’s Coffee House
9. Blair Bryant- The Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival
10. Stan Kessler Quartet- Black Dolphin

Favorite Performances by Artists From Elsewhere
1. Donny McCaslin- Folly Theater (Plastic Sax review)
2. Brian Blade Fellowship- Gem Theater
3. Danilo Pérez’s “Jazz 100”- Yardley Hall (Plastic Sax review)
4. Thundercat- Granada (Plastic Sax review)
5. Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane and Matthew Garrison- Gem Theater (Plastic Sax review)
6. Ramsey Lewis- Gem Theater (review at The Kansas City Star)
7. Greg Tardy Trio- Blue Room (review at The Kansas City Star)
8. Flying Lotus- Midland (Plastic Sax review)
9. John Scofield- Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival (review at The Kansas City Star)
10. Victor Wooten Trio- Madrid Theatre (Plastic Sax review)

Plastic Sax conducted similar exercises in 2016 (albums and performances), 2015, 2014 (albums and performances), 2013 (albums and performances), 2012, 2011 and 2010.

(Original image of Thundercat at the Granada by Plastic Sax.)