Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Adam Galdblum was interviewed by Joe Dimino.

*The State of This City, a new album by the Myers Swingset, was released last week.

*Vewiser Dixon shares his plans for the Jazz District with The Kansas City Star.

*Tweet o’ the Week: 20sJazz- Bennie Moten was born today in Kansas City, Missouri in 1894. Considered the creator of the Kansas City sound, the pianist and bandleader began his recording career playing a regional interpretation of New Orleans jazz with a stomping beat.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Hot Club KC

Anyone fortunate enough to recall the era in which Claude “Fiddler” Williams was a fixture in Kansas City jazz clubs will likely find a lot to like in Adam Galblum’s Hot Club KC.  The violinist will perform with his ensemble in Chaz’s Strings on the Green series on Saturday, June 30.  It’s one of the day’s 24 jazz gigs listed at The Kansas City Jazz Calendar.

Concert Review: A La Mode at SoJo Summerfest

Although organizers of the festival formerly known as Jazz in the Woods went out of their way to assure potential attendees that presenting jazz was no longer a priority at the rebranded event, SoJo Summerfest opened Friday with a 45-minute performance by A La Mode.

As the photo indicates, not many people were willing to endure the suffocating heat to revel in A La Mode’s hot jazz at the free festival.  The quartet concentrated on playful material like “C’est Si Bon,” “I Want to be Loved by You,” “Dinah,” “Don't Get Around Much Anymore” and “Zazou.”

The charming vocalist Jesica Poell and the tasteful guitarist Clayton DeLong seem to be the only official members of the group, but the beguiling contribution of guest violinist Adam Galblum distinguished the ensemble from other hot jazz revivalists.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Gerald Spaits' Sax & Violins

A solo by Charles Perkins over a bed of strings on Duke Ellington’s “Heaven” at the Westport CoffeeHouse on Thursday was one of the most divine things I’ve heard in recent months. 

The saxophonist's sublime effort was part of the second concert by Gerald Spaits’ Sax & Violins ensemble.  The bassist’s group includes a string quartet, saxophonists Perkins and Rich Wheeler and drummer Brian Steever.

My fear that the arrangements would favor treacly compromises was unwarranted.  Nothing I heard during the 30 minutes I spent among the 40 people who paid a $10 cover charge was overly sentimental.

A swinging solo by violinist Adam Galblum and a robust tandem statement from the saxophonists were among the other highlights.  Sax & Violins has claimed a spot near the top of the list of my favorite bands in Kansas City.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: The Jay McShann Centennial Birthday Bash at the Gem Theater

Frequent opportunities to catch Jay McShann playing in informal settings was one of the most delightful aspects of life in Kansas City in the 1980s and 1990s.  It’s odd but inevitable, consequently, that the last two prominent McShann-related events in the area have been orderly affairs.

The Gem Theater hosted Saturday’s Jay McShann Centennial Birthday Bash.  The public wake for the Kansas City icon was held at the same venue in 2006.  Last weekend’s concert featured three strong performances, a historic overview and a presentation to McShann’s family.

Although catching the entirety of the 35-minute opening set by a band led by pianist Joe Cartwright meant missing the conclusion of the Chiefs’ playoff game, most members of the audience of more than 400 were in their seats to hear the band that also included violinist Adam Galblum, guitarist Rod Fleeman, bassist Gerald Spaits and drummer Todd Strait.  Contributions from guest vocalists Duck Warner, Everette Freeman, David Basse and Lisa Henry provided the evening’s most faithful evocation of McShann’s earthy approach.

“They didn't leave me any blues up here at all,” Benny Green said at the top of his 40-minute solo appearance. The pianist’s elaborate playing was often antithetical to McShann’s style, but the incongruity was forgotten during a virtuosic 40-minute performance that included renditions of material by Cedar Walton and Horace Silver.

A rousing hour-long set by Bobby Watson’s big band provided an appropriate conclusion to the concert. 

Opening remarks by historian Chuck Haddix and a presentation by Ralph Reid of the American Jazz Museum (pictured) rounded out an event that served as a fitting if somewhat inhibited tribute to Hootie.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)