Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The Vijay Iyer Sextet is slated to headline the Open Spaces festival at Starlight Theatre on Sunday, October 14.  Janelle Monáe and the Roots top the bill on the two preceding days.

*Brandon Draper is the subject of a feature on KCUR.

*Jim Mair chatted with Joe Dimino.

*Saxophonist Michael Eaton will perform John Coltrane's 1967 album Stellar Regions at Californos on Friday, August 3.  He’ll be joined by guitarist Seth Davis, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer John Kizilarmut.  The cover charge is $10.

*The 2018 edition of the Columbia Experimental Music Festival has a few noteworthy bookings of interest to aficionados of adventurous jazz.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Kansas City, MO- “The Weekend will be stacked with high profile performances, particularly headliners @JanelleMonae, @theroots, and @vijayiyer, who is one of the biggest names in contemporary jazz.” - @OpenSpacesKC artistic director Dan Cameron

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Jeff Harshbarger’s presentation for GuildIT streams at YouTube.

*The headline of a KCUR feature- “How Robert Altman's 'Kansas City' Helped Revive The Jazz District”- is provocative.

*Brandon Draper was interviewed by Joe Dimino.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Rudy Harper- AT SIX: A portion of the old Mardi Gras building in KC’s Jazz District collapsed while renovations were underway. I’ll have a live report on @KCTV5

*From a press release: The Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University–Newark recently acquired the full collection of late great jazz icon, William J. “Count” Basie Jr… The collection, which features nearly 1,000 artifacts, including Count Basie’s pianos, Hammond organ, photos, correspondence, concert programs, business records and press clippings, will become available to the public in the near future.

*From a press release: After focusing on his vocals for the past decade, David Basse has returned to the drums, his first and primary instrument. David has teamed up with multi-instrumentalist and producer Greg Richter and bassist Joe Straws to create The David Basse Trio… This past Thanksgiving the trio picked up a Nebraska Music Hall of Fame award.

*From a press release: Founded as a premier student jazz opportunity for students in grades 9-12, the philosophy of the KC Area Youth Jazz organization is to develop selected jazz repertoire for refined performance opportunities… The organization has strategically teamed with BRC Audio Productions and its owner, Bill Crain.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Alaturka at Polsky Theatre

Tenor saxophonist Rich Wheeler opened Alaturka’s concert at Polsky Theatre on Sunday with an incantation that resembled an adhan, the Islamic call to worship.  His conjuring was an exceedingly welcome sound to adherents of the Kansas City based Turkish jazz group.

Alaturka commanded an inordinate amount of coverage at Plastic Sax in the first half of this decade.  Yet the innovative band has been out of commission lately.  Aside from a mention in a review of a 2016 Brandon Draper album, Alaturka hasn’t been cited at this site in a couple years.  About 100 people purchased $20 tickets to attend Sunday's reunion. 

Wheeler’s playing evoked Pharoah Sanders by way of Joe Henderson.  Beau Bledsoe wielded a Turkish oud with his customary fastidiousness.  Bassist Jeff Harshbarger contributed a smoky pulse that contrasted with Brandon Draper’s peripatetic percussion.  The addition of violinist Zsolt Eder on a few intriguing selections transformed Alaturka into a chamber music group. 

Bledsoe joked that he and his colleagues no longer resemble the men in the dated publicity photo on the cover of the program.  Their visages may have changed since the formation of the band in 2007, but the men in Alaturka sound as magnificent as ever.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Album Review: The Brandon Draper Quintet- Live 7/1-2/2010

Brandon Draper did connoisseurs of Kansas City’s jazz scene a tremendous favor on July 16 when he made thrilling music culled from a pair of live 2010 dates available as a free download.

Live 7/1-2/2010 features tenor saxophonist Rich Wheeler, trombonist Kevin Cerovich, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb, bassist Craig Akin and drummer/percussionist Draper collaborating at the since-shuttered Jardine’s.

The 80 minutes of stellar improvisations range from jubilant Kansas City swing to experiments that recall Alaturka, the Turkish jazz band that includes Draper and Wheeler.  The interplay between Wheeler and Schlamb occasionally evokes Out To Lunch, the 1964 masterpiece that featured Eric Dolphy and Bobby Hutcherson.

The newly unearthed recordings may be six years old, but music this good is timeless.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*KCUR published a detailed examination of a new collection of 58 previously unreleased Charlie Parker recordings. 

*The Kansas City Business Journal and The Kansas City Star report on the $7 million compromise on additional funding for the Jazz District.

*The late Bob Brookmeyer, Pat Metheny, the Count Basie Orchestra, Logan Richardson, Bobby Watson, the late Kerry Strayer, Kevin Mahogany, Karrin Allyson and blues artist Danielle Nicole are among the Kansas City musicians nominated in the current Reader's Poll conducted by Downbeat magazine.

*Brandon Draper has released a live session from 2010 that features saxophonist Rich Wheeler, trombonist Kevin Cerovich, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb and basist Craig Akin.

*The Pitch recommends Kyle Turner’s appearance at the Blue Room.

*Marc Myers of JazzWax uncovers compelling Charlie Parker ephemera.

*Kansas City area resident and jazz enthusiast Teddy Dibble maintains the excellent music appreciation video channel eat.sleep.vinyl.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Legacy Recordings- MILES AHEAD, directed by & starring @DonCheadle, is out today on Blu-Ray, DVD, & digital!

*From a press release: David Basse and a seven piece band headed by pianist Joe Cartwright will perform at the one and only Blue Room in the Jazz District. Celebrate Kansas City’s legendary jazz and blues heritage and the release of Live at Pilgrim Chapel, the group's latest release. The band includes saxophonist Stephen Martin, trumpeter Nate Nall, trombonist Jason Goudeau, Seth Lee on bass, and drummer Taylor Babb. 8:30 p.m. Friday, August 5.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Jazz in the Woods is no more.  The annual event founded by the jazz musician Vince Bilardo in the 1980s has been rebranded as the SoJo Summerfest.  The headliners at the two-day event in June are a country-rock band and a celtic-rock band.  A press release includes a spokesman's explanation of one of the factors behind the name change: “It also gives us the flexibility to adjust talent booking and event amenities over time to ensure the festival remains relevant for a wide variety of audiences in years to come.”

*Monique Gabrielle Salazar reviewed the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s Rhapsody for KCUR.

*Nonesuch Records will release two Pat Metheny albums on May 6.

*The Pitch touts Stan Kessler’s Force Five.

*Charlie Parker will be inducted into the Apollo Walk of Fame on March 30.

*Robert Trussell interviewed the American Jazz Museum's Cheptoo Kositany-Buckner.

*Patti Austin’s concert at the Gem Theater was reviewed by The Kansas City Star.

*The documentary "Vince Giordano- There's a Future in the Past" will be shown at 7:25 p.m. Thursday, April 14, at the Cinemark Palace at the Country Club Plaza as part of the Kansas City FilmFest.  The New York based bandleader and the film’s co-director Amber Edwards will participate in a question-and-answer session after the screening.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Jack- @SoJo_Summerfest Not sure why you felt the need to mess with something that worked. Always looked forward to the national jazz acts.

*From Brandon Draper: Brandon Draper returns to the Blue Room in Kansas City with an all-star lineup featuring his father a renowned Hammond B3 blues artist.  April 9, 2016  7pm doors / sets 8:30pm – 12:30am. Brandon Draper: drums, percussion, guitar; Paul Draper: Hammond B3, vocals; Hermon Mehari: trumpet; Brian Scarborough: trombone; Rich Wheeler: tenor saxophone; John Kizilarmut: vibraphone, drums, percussion; Ben Leifer: bass. Set 1- Brandon Draper original jazz, Set 2- Paul Draper original blues/funk/jazz, Set 3- Jazz/Funk/Blues/Boogaloo Traditions.

*From Stan Kessler: The Sons of Brasil 25 Year Anniversary Celebration!  It's our silver anniversary. We've been playing regularly For a quarter of a century. Unbelievable. The celebration begins the following dates and will continue throughout the summer until we're sick of it. April 2, The Art Factory, 7-9:30. April 15, The Blue Room, 8:30-12:30. There will be SOB trivia contests with prizes for the winners. Personnel: Stanton Kessler-Trp./Flugel, Danny Embrey-Gtr., Roger Wilder-Piano, Greg Whitfield-Bass, Doug Auwarter-Drums, Gary Helm-Perc.

*From Blue Note Records: Following the February 26 release of Shift, Logan Richardson’s assured Blue Note debut, the alto saxophonist has announced May U.S. tour dates in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and his hometown of Kansas City  (May 23 at the Blue Room)… Richardson’s touring band will feature Mike Moreno on guitar and Sam Harris on piano.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Brian Scarborough Quintet at Westport CoffeeHouse

I’ve been obsessed with Bob Brookmeyer’s Traditionalism Revisited since I purchased the CD at an estate sale for $1 in September.  The premise- a set of forward-thinking jazz musicians revisit the supposedly passé music of earlier decades- is made even more fascinating by the passage of time.  The music still sparkles 58 years after the 1957 session.

I felt as if I was listening to an updated version of Traditionalism Revisited at the Westport CoffeeHouse on Wednesday as the young trombonist Brian Scarborough led a band consisting of saxophonist Rich Wheeler, guitarist Danny Embrey, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Brandon Draper.

The willingness of four of the region’s elite musicians to back Scarborough reflects his substantial talent and enormous promise.  Like Brookmeyer, Scarborough is a scholarly trombonist with deep ties to Kansas City.

Just as Brookmeyer’s reverent approach to traditional jazz was invigorated by the work of cutting-edge musicians like Jimmy Giuffre on Traditionalism Revisited, Scarborough was provoked by the progressive playing of his more experienced colleagues on Wednesday.  The delectable tension between old and new impulses made the first half of Wednesday’s concert captivating.  A reading of Duke Ellington’s “The Petal of a Rose” was one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard in 2015, but the entire first set for an audience of two dozen was profound.

In his liner notes for Traditionalism Revisited, Nat Hentoff suggested that Brookmeyer wasn’t just another commonplace “parochial hipster.”  Neither is Scarborough.  The trombonist leads a similar band at Westport CoffeeHouse on Wednesday, January 20.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Brian Scarborough

I first took notice of Brian Scarborough a year or two ago.  After the trombonist took a daring solo during a People's Liberation Big Band performance at the RecordBar, I leaned into someone at an adjoining table.

"Who is that kid?" I asked.

If the measure of a man is the company he keeps, Scarborough is a burgeoning giant. 

He performs with Matt Otto, Danny Embrey, Jeff Harshbarger and Brandon Draper in the embedded video.  On Friday, December 6, at Take Five Coffee + Bar, Scarborough will appear a similar lineup of Kansas City's jazz elite.  His band will include Otto, Harshbarger, Draper and T.J. Martley.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The 2013 lineup for the Jazz In the Woods festival has been announced.  Greg Adams and East Bay Soul, Tony DeSare and Marc Antoine will perform on Friday, June 14.  Peter White, Julian Vaughn, the David Wells/Chris Geith Project and Vincent Ingala will perform on Saturday, June 15.

*Joe Dimino of Neon Jazz interviewed Stan Kessler.

*Breakthrough, the new album by the Eldar Djangirov Trio, was released this week.

*Matt Kane writes about Ahmad Alaadeen, Take Five Coffee, Ben Leifer, Hermon Mehari, Roger Wilder, Steve Lambert and his favorite spots in Kansas City in an entertaining blog post.

*Joe Chambers' appearance with the 18th & Vine Big Band is documented by KCJazzLark.

*The Kansas City Star offers reviews of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra's tribute to Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall concert and the Dave Douglas Quintet at the Blue Room.

*Brandon Draper's weekly gig at the Kill Devil Club is the subject a four-minute video.  (Via Offstage.)

*Frank Driggs' collection of jazz photos has been donated to Jazz at Lincoln Center.  Driggs and Chuck Haddix cowrote Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop: A History.  (Via Steve Paul.)

*A critic characterizes The Freedom of Expression by Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle as an "auspicious debut."

*Tweet o' the Week: Lauren Paasch: have you ever seen an 80 year old jazz musician cuter than jerry dodgion? i doubt it #fact #oldpeopleareadorable

*From Brad Cox: I wanted to let you know that the next People's Liberation Big Band show at the RecordBar will take place Sunday, April 14. We have a lot of new music to try out. I mean there's really a lot. I'm not too sure of the proper unit of measure, but I'm pretty sure it is either a sh#t ton, or a metric ton, whichever is greater. We will also be joined by guest vocalist Shay Estes, which is always a treat.

*From Neill Smith: I am super excited to announce that we are starting a music appreciation night starting this Sunday at The Riot Room! Each week will feature a different guest DJ playing their personal music collection + from midnight to close you can get all the PBR you can drink for $10!  The series begins April 15.  Hermon Mehari is the guest DJ on May 26.

*From Johnson County Community College: A protégé of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, (Arturo) Sandoval has evolved into one of the world's most acknowledged guardians of jazz trumpet and flugelhorn as well as a renowned classical artist, pianist and composer. He will appear as part of the college's annual Jazz Winterlude festival (on) Saturday, Jan. 25 (in) Yardley Hall.

*From Ron Carlson: Saturday, April 13th @ Lucky Brewgrille, 7-10 pm. Rob Scheps (sax), Jerry Dodgion (sax), Bob Bowman (bass), Ron Carlson (guitar), Brian Steever (drums).  Sunday, April 14th @ Murray's (12921 State Line), 6-9pm. Rob Scheps (sax), Jerry Dodgion (sax), Roger Wilder (piano), Ron Carlson (guitar) then a regular schedule of Fridays at Lucky Brewgrille and Saturdays at Murray's with my trio format and featuring great local musicians!

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Review: BD Trio- Live 17.02.2013

In my unguarded moments I've been known to suggest that the jazz audience is as large as it's ever been.  In fact, I claim, millions of jazz fans are hiding in plain view.  One such contingent is devoted to the sound of jam bands.

Some projects make the connection particularly apparent.  Live 17.02.2013 by the BD Trio probably has more immediate appeal to fans of Phish than of Sonny Rollins.  The grouping of Luke Polipnick, Ben Leifer and Brandon Draper was recorded at Take Five Coffee + Bar on February 16. 2013.  The accompanying notes explain that "(t)his is an entirely improvised double set of music and the first time Brandon, Ben and Luke played together as a trio."

The peripatetic Draper is an astoundingly gifted and playfully hyperactive percussionist.  He's best known among Plastic Sax readers as a member of Alaturka.  The recording contains about 1:45 minutes of his prodigious playing.  He's never boring.  The contribution of Polipnick, a guitarist based in Omaha, contains a similarly broad array of textures.  Leifer is an elite player in a town full of monster bassists. My sole complaint with the recording is that my headphones and speakers don't convey the depth of Leifer's sound. 

As with any extended set of improvisations, there are a handful of segments in which the trio searches for new insights.  Such lulls only serve to make the extraordinary moments even more exciting.  The trio manages to catch several towering waves of inspiration.

Live 17.02.2013 is the first official release that takes advantage of the superb acoustics at Take Five Coffee + Bar.  There's plenty of ambient noise and lots of enthusiastic shouting from a voice that's familiar to anyone who's visited the Leawood establishment.  The free download is highly recommended to fans of Charlie Hunter, Marco Benevento, Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood and the individual participants.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Review: Alaturka- Yalniz

The average age of Alaturka's audience at the Jazz Winterlude festival in January was about 65.  I heard the phrase "Turkish jazz" bandied about with suspicion before the band began playing and feared that outraged advocates of traditional swing would walk out during the first selection.  I underestimated both the audience's willingness to accept new sounds and the persuasive virtuosity of the members of Alaturka. 

The stellar set by string master Beau Bledsoe, saxophonist Rich Wheeler, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and percussionist Brandon Draper won over the entirety of the room.  The audience even demanded- and received- an encore.

Tamam Abi, Alaturka' 2010 debut release, was one of my favorite albums of 2010.  While the new release Yalniz is every bit the equal of its predecessor, it documents the band's rapid evolution. 

Not only is Yalniz less brash than Tamam Abi, the project includes vocals by Nihan Yesil.  The result is a sublime album that emphasizes the Turkish side of the Turkish-jazz equation.  Having already proven that their concept works, the members of Alaturka seems less intent on demonstrating their jazz chops than on developing new textures.  The opening track "Divane Aşık Gibi" is representative of the captivating album.

Alaturka's album release party for Yalniz is Sunday, March 10, at the RecordBar.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*JJ's, a Plaza-area restaurant that regularly featured live jazz, was destroyed by a natural gas explosion yesterday.

*KCJazzLark praises the Green Lady Lounge.

*The Kansas City Star reviewed last weekend's concerts by Kenny Garrett, Kurt Elling and Bobby Watson with the Kansas City Symphony.  KC Metropolis also offers a review of Garrett's performance.

*Here's tantalizing footage of a rehearsal for Bobby Watson's collaboration with the Kansas City Symphony.

*Michael Shults performed the National Anthem at a University of Cincinnati game.

*Brandon Draper's February 16 set at Take Five Coffee + Bar is available as a free download at Bandcamp.

*The Jorge Arana Trio are captured in a session at KJHK.

*Phonologotron posted a portion of a recording from a recent rehearsal.

*Chris Burnett shares another draft of an arrangement of a new composition.

*Prior to Kenny Garrett's performance, Gale Tallis, Executive Director of the Folly Theater, announced that Stan Kessler and Matt Otto would perform with Matthew Rybicki at the bassist's concert on March 9.

*Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will return to Helzberg Hall on October 19.

*Joe Sample will be 12th Street Jump's featured guest artist in a taping of the show at White Recital Hall on March 26.

*UMKC will host the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference in 2014. The University News reports that "(t)he speakers and entertainment for the event will be focused on" the "Jazzin' It Up" theme.

*A new exhibit at the University of Kansas is titled “Rhythm and Meaning: Jazz at KU.” (Via Offstage.)

*You Tube gold: "UMKC Concert Jazz Band Rehearsal with Howard Johnson (2006)".

*Tweet o' the Week: brandondraper- Free Album!!! brandondraper.bandcamp.com. Ambient, drum 'n bass, hip hop, jazz, rock, 70's funk, Afro-Cuban,indie-rock.

*Comment of the Week: Nigel- That ladies and Gentlemen is how to hold the audience in the palm of your hand. It was a great clinic in "working the room".  Class, grace, style, polish and COMPETENCE!

*From Bill Lee: 95-year-old Clyde Bysom and his band Junkyard Jazz will be inducted into the Kansas Music Halll of Fame at Liberty Hall inn Lawrence on March 2. Junkyard jazz plays at the Lawrence American Legion Hall every Thursday evening.  Other 2013 inducteees are the Devestating Dinks (Salina), the Exceptions (Topeka), Ray Hildebrand (Paul of Paul & Paula, Prairie Village), Kerry Livgren (Berryton), Chuck Mead (Lawrence), Mystic Number National Bank (KC), the Playmate Blues Band (Hays), the Tempests (Hays), Steve Werner (KC), the Wizards From Kansas (Lawrence), Sherman Halsey (Independence, KS) and Larry Emmett & the Sliders (DeSoto).

*From Jason Bata: The Lincoln Prep Bands are hosting a benefit concert for their Wind Ensemble's trip to perform in Carnegie Hall this March.  The Lincoln Prep Jazz Ensemble & Combo will start the concert that will then feature The Kicks Big Band with Horace Washington.  The concert begins at 7:30pm on Thursday, February 21, in the LCPA Auditorium (2111Woodland). There will be food beforehand for $5 (burritos or nachos & a drink).

*From Kent Rausch: Roarin' Out Of KC! Kansas City's Vine Street Rumble Jazz Orchestra was formed to honor the legacy of the "golden era" of our city's world renowned jazz history. The band exclusively performs the same outrageously exciting music that made Kansas City THE place to be in the 30's and 40's, dedicated to taking the audience back to the wildly famous "jam sessions" and concert performances that literally changed the jazz world and influenced musicians from coast to coast and beyond… Saxophone: Mike Herrera, Steve Lambert, Brett Jackson, Carl Bender; Trumpet: Jay Sollenberger, Barry Springer, Al Pearson; Trombone: Jason Goudeau, Dan Strom; Piano: Walter Bryant; Guitar: Rod Fleeman; Bass: Zach Beeson; Drums: Jurgen Welge; Vocals: Lonnie McFadden. When:   Monday Feb. 25, 2013  8:00-9:30pm.  Where:  Californos.  Cost: Free!

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Joe Klopus previewed Thursday's Pat Metheny concert and Saturday's Prairie Village Jazz Festival.

*The namesake of this site is shown at the 1:52 mark in another Buick-sponsored video featuring Hermon Mehari.

*Hunter Long announced that the Black House Improvisors' Collective has been "renewed for another year of residency" with the Charlotte Street Foundation.

*KCTV5 aired a feature about the charitable efforts of Mike Corrigan's Horn Doctor.

*Bill McKemy's 2002 album Duende is praised by KCJazzLark.

*Joyce Smith reports on renovations at the Drum Room. 

*Tweet o' the Week: brandondraper- My trio this Friday!-!-! @take5coffeehouse in leawood KS. Leifer/draper/brewer. Gonna get very funky on this session 8pm -free

*Comment o' the Week: Sid- Recording engineer Chad Meise did a masterful job makingan otherwise sloppy band sound good and tight with digital editing. He should have run the voices through auto-tune though. The intonation or lack there of really exposes the mediocrity of the players in this group. Technically the sax solo is not fine. Are you deaf dude?  This might be a good party band but so were the Bay City Rollers.

*Information gleaned from the program of last weekend's Kansas City Irish Fest: 2011 Irish Fest attendees: 97,000.  Volunteers: 1,100.  Hotel room nights booked: 2,400.  Admission to the three-day event was $5 on Friday and $15 on Saturday and Sunday.

*From Dan Thomas: On September 20 I'll be releasing an album with my new band Voyage (Me, Wayne Hawkins, Forest Stewart, and Mike Warren) at the Blue Room.

*From Michael  Pagán: Swing into the Beginning of Fall KCYJ Style... “Fall Jam 2012”- A Benefit for Kansas City Youth Jazz at the Hotel Phillips.  Hosted By Millie Edwards, featuring KCYJ Students • Instructors • Alumni. Musicians Welcome!  Cash Bar • Hors d’oeuvres • Dinner Menu Available  • Raffle Prizes • Silent Auction • Suggested Donation $25.  Saturday September 22nd 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM Hotel Phillips Mezzanine.  Info Call (816) 523-9024 or visit http://kcyouthjazz.org.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Review: The Matt Otto Quartet at Westport Coffee House

Some decisions practically make themselves. My attendance at a show led by one of my favorite musicians at a comfortable listening room on an otherwise slow Monday evening was a foregone conclusion. Matt Otto's quartet validated my trust in providence. As part of an audience of about 25 at Westport Coffee House on Februrary 27, I heard the saxophonist and composer lead an ensemble through an exemplary set of post-bop.

I wasn't familiar with California-based keyboardist Leonard Thompson. His tasteful work on Rhodes gave the night a groovy '70s vibe. Bassist Gerald Spaits is never less than wonderful. Trumpeter Hermon Mehari and drummer Brian Steever made brief cameos, but Rich Wheeler's appearance during "L.A. R.I.P." provided my favorite moments of the evening. Wheeler's robust approach provides wonderful contrast to Otto's pointillistic style.

I didn't know what to make of Brandon Draper's manic performance. I've admired his work with Alaturka and a separate world/jazz band in recent weeks, but his stint with Otto alternately delighted and annoyed me. Draper is obviously a rhythmic mastermind, but he can sometimes be a bit much.

The embedded clip accurately captures the feel of Monday's show.

The Ghost of a Jazz Club Past

The specter of Jardine's loomed large Friday at Kansas City Academy.

"When I got the idea for this concept," Brandon Draper explained before Alaturka's performance. "This is what I had in mind."

Draper said that the ensemble's monthly gig at Jardine's had been a staple of Alaturka's schedule. The new Grassoots Concert Series was partly inspired as a response to that loss. The gambit seems to be working. A full house of over 75 paid $10 and $15 each for the performance.

Because I've written extensively about Alaturka at Plastic Sax and elsewhere I'll simply suggest that its performance was no less exceptional than usual. Beau Bledsoe, Draper, Rich Wheeler and 2011 Plastic Sax Person of the Year Jeff Harshbarger are four of Kansas City's premier musicians. Tamam Abi was my fourth favorite "jazz" album of 2010. I also interviewed Alaturka founder Beau Bledsoe a couple years ago.

The performance space at 7933 Main Street features bleacher-style seating, fine acoustics and a family atmosphere. Rather than being nuisances, the children on hand Friday were among the most attentive and enthusiastic members of the audience. The sole distractions were occasional ambient noises from the halls of the school and a piercing light above the venue's main entrance.

A question-and-answer segment- often a dubious proposition- was excellent. Harshbarger and Wheeler are remarkably adept at articulating complex ideas.

Sure, I miss Jardine's. I like Beena, the club's owner. And I enjoy adult beverages. Even so, from an obsessive music fan's perspective, the performance space at Kansas City Academy represents an upgrade.

(Original pre-show image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Pat Metheny's new solo acoustic guitar album, What's It All About, will be released June 14. From the artist's site: "What's It All About" features classic tunes from songwriters like Paul Simon, Lennon & McCartney, Burt Bacharach, and Henry Mancini. Pat describes it like this: "I wanted to record some of the music that was on my radar before I ever wrote a note of my own, or in a few cases, even before I played an instrument.

*Tim Finn wrote a lengthy profile of drummer Brandon Draper.

*Mark Southerland is one of the curators of America Now and Here, Kansas City. A number of area jazz musicians are participating in the prestigious project. Alaturka, the People's Liberation Big Band and Bobby Watson are among the artists selected.

*Plastic Sax receives a shout-out as Hermon Mehari and Miles Bonny discuss Kansas City's jazz scene.

*Tales of jazz intrigue just keep on coming from KCJazzLark.

*A proposed restoration of the Boone Theater on 18th Street is questioned in an editorial in The Star.

*Tweet o' the Week: 12THSTREETPETE: Saturday was fantastic! Gotta thank Karrin Allyson for stopping by. We're live on 1st Saturdays for a few months, then back to weekly. L8r!

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Joe Klopus provides a fine year-in-jazz wrap-up.

*Harold O'Neal's New Year's Eve gig at the Mutual Musicians Foundation is documented by KCJazzLark.

*Wayward Blog gets the scoop on a jazz "reinterpretation" of A Tribe Called Quest's Low End Theory at The Blue Room.

*NPR is streaming Bird Songs, Joe Lovano's tribute to Charlie Parker. The saxophonist appears at the Folly Theater on April 2.

*Steve Penn explains the American Jazz Museum's "Take Five" program.

*Here's a compelling video for an event that apparently takes place Mondays at the Kansas City Blues & Jazz Juke House. I'd link to the venue if it had a site.

*Geek alert! Eric Singer demonstrates his music robot inventions. Content specific to Pat Metheny's Orchestrion project begins at the 12:20 point.

*Interesting 2007 footage of Bobby Watson, Hermon Mehari, Will Sanders and Ben Leifer at Switzerland's Blues to Bop Festival recently surfaced.

*A couple new items have been posted at the home of the Black House Improvisors' Collective.

*Plastic Sax's Kansas City Jazz Calendar, while far from perfect, remains the area's best compilation of jazz-only events. (As always, musicians and club owners are encouraged to send me gig information. Listings are, of course, free.)

*Tweet o' the Week: kcjazzlark Jan 4 & The Phoenix has yet to update their online calendar. Guess they don't care if those who go out for music go there this month. Sad.

*From a JCCC press release: The country’s most celebrated Gypsy jazz ensemble, The Hot Club of San Francisco, will accompany four silent surrealist films in a night titled Silent Surrealism at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, in Polsky Theatre of the Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College... The Hot Club accompanies these films with the distinctive music made famous by Stephane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club de France. Tickets are $30... A free gypsy jazz guitar master class will be offered at 4 p.m. Feb. 4 in Polsky Theatre.

*From the artist's publicist: The internationally acclaimed musician Delfeayo Marsalis comes to Springfield, MO on February 5 with his original theatrical jazz production "Sweet Thunder: Duke & Shak" which melds the work of Duke Ellington with William Shakespeare. Featuring Marsalis, actor Kenneth Brown, Jr. (Treme, Memphis Beat) and a jazz octet - Marsalis on trombone, Lynn Grissett on trumpet, Shaena Ryan on bari sax, Mark Gross on alto sax, Don Byron on tenor sax and clarinet, David Bryant on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass, and Winard Harper on drums-plus full stage set and costuming, the show will tour to 36 American cities and towns from January 19 - May 6, 2011.

*From Brandon Draper: Drummer Brandon Draper brings The Willie Waldman Project to Jardine's! The name might not strike an immediate chord, but Willie Waldman is one you’ll find in the liner notes of artists and groups including: Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Warren G., The Dogg Pound, Tupac Shakur... While the list goes on, there’s much more to this trumpet players credit than simply recording as a sideman... Joining the group on bass will be Eric Gould of the band Particle and Mickey Hart's Hydra and Brandon Draper on drums, percussion and electronics.

(Original image of Prospero's Books by Plastic Sax.)

Thriving On a Riff: Jazz's Last Chance

I'm constantly fretting about the future of jazz. It's what jazz fans do. What if Esperanza Spalding isn't "the one"? Is Brad Mehldau the answer? Who's going to be left to listen in forty years?

As has been noted elsewhere, there's no shortage of great new jazz music. But there's an increasingly limited number of people willing to consume it.

In the past ten days I've attended performances by hard rock and metal bands, Americana acts, a folk singer, honky tonk legends, a hip hop collective, an R&B group and a set by four of Kansas City's premier jazz musicians. Guess which event had the smallest audience.

Concerts by Pat Metheny and the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra are notable exceptions, but of the 111 individual live performances I've seen so far in 2010, jazz events have been the most pitifully attended. Why?

The answer might lie with my good friend, the appropriately named Concert Chris. He recently traveled to Austin, Chicago and Omaha to see his favorite artists. He's taken in 210 performances in 2010. Yet the otherwise wonderful man has a strong antipathy to jazz.

I'm inclined, consequently, to celebrate this footage. Documenting the second official installment of Mark Lowrey vs. Hip Hop, it was shot and edited by a Concert Chris. Matt Chalk, Brandon Draper, Shay Estes and Hermon Mehari are among the featured jazz musicians. In similar fashion, a gifted photographer normally inclined to shoot popular music also covered the show.

As I've said countless times, jazz's commercial viability won't come from someone reiterating Basie or Ellington. The music of tomorrow sounds less like "Thriving On a Riff" and more like Gang Starr. If jazz has a genuine, audience-supported future, it probably looks and sounds a lot like what went down May 15 at the Record Bar.

Review: Mike Metheny's 60.1

I may never forgive Mike Metheny for making my life a living hell.

The opening track of 60.1, his new album, may be the most infuriating earworm I've ever encountered. It's as if the tormented ghost of Raymond Scott had assumed control of the USC Marching Trojans.

The deliberately annoying march has taken up unwelcome residency in my cranium for the past two weeks. Metheny named the piece "Dubious Melody," but "Crime Against Humanity" would be be a more appropriate title.

It takes enormous talent to be so maliciously awful. At this late date, jazz fans could be forgiven for failing to remember that Metheny was once a major label recording artist and had served as a faculty member at Boston's Berklee College of Music. While Metheny has returned to Missouri and jazz's fortunes have waned, Metheny's prodigious musical gifts have not diminished.

The evil "Dubious Melody" aside, Metheny uses his genius for good on 60.1.

Propelled by drummer Brandon Draper, the title track is absolutely savage. It demonstrates that Metheny is still capable of making a righteous racket that can challenge the testosterone levels of even the most manly fans of Medeski Martin & Wood and The Bad Plus.

"60.1" and a couple additional noisy numbers make the album's relatively conventional mainstream tracks seem tame. It would be a shame, however, to overlook Metheny's gorgeous playing on the Bill Evans ballad "Laurie" and the fine Bob Bowman solo on "C.C. & Water." Other Kansas City-based artists on the album include pianists Paul Smith and Roger Wilder and guitarist Danny Embrey.

Metheny demurred when I asked for permission to post a track. All ten selections are different, he suggested, and hearing only one piece would be inherently misleading. There's some truth to that. Even so, the entirety of 60.1 s characterized by Metheny's artistic restlessness, adventurous spirit and stupendous musicality.

Just don't listen to that first track.

Now's the Time: Brandon Draper

At the risk of sounding like a jazz Pollyanna, I'll confess to being astounded and delighted that so many forward-thinking young musicians are currently based in Kansas City. Momentarily ignoring the fact that there's not much of an audience for the music, it's easy to believe that this moment represents an artistic rebirth, if not a full-blown renaissance, for Kansas City jazz. This fresh footage features drummer Brandon Draper leading keyboardist John Brewer, saxophonist Rich Wheeler, trumpeter Hermon Mehari and bassist Ben Leifer at a session at Jardine's.