Album Review: Rudresh Mahanthappa- Bird Calls

Anyone claiming to know what directions Charlie Parker would have taken had he not died at 34 in 1955 is being presumptuous. 

The native of Kansas City, Kansas, may have explored the same surprising paths as Miles Davis.  Or maybe his career would have mirrored the comparatively conventional work of acolytes like Charles McPherson.

It’s also possible that Parker would have eventually made music that resembles Bird Calls, the revelatory new album by a band led by Rudresh Mahanthappa.  Not since Bird Songs, the 2011 album by Joe Lovano & Us 5, has a group of musicians so ably extended Parker’s adventurous vision.

Respectful but never predictable, the New York based alto saxophonist Mahanthappa, trumpeter Adam O'Farrill, pianist Matt Mitchell, bassist François Moutin and drummer Rudy Royston don’t cover Parker’s material.  Instead, the band plays “original compositions which are based on his work.”

Familiar fragments of Parker’s concepts serve as helpful reference points on an album that echoes old recordings even as it points the way forward.  The project is very entertaining for ornithologists, but it’s also certain to be among the most widely admired acoustic jazz albums of 2015.

I regularly encounter people who bemoan the lack of awareness many Kansas Citians have of Parker and his legacy.  I usually retort that honoring Parker should entail more than visiting historic sites and studying black-and-white photos.

Bird Calls is a vivid reminder that Bird lives. 

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Miguel Zenón at the Blue Room

Identities Are Changeable, the ambitious new release by Miguel Zenón, is the sort of album that elicits more admiration than affection.  Laden with spoken word segments and complex big band arrangements, Identities Are Changeable is the musical equivalent of a coffee table book. 

An audience of about 50 heard a very different version of the new material at the Blue Room on Monday, November 3, the night before the album was officially released.  Zenón- one of the most celebrated jazz artists of our time- was joined by the eloquent Venezuelan pianist Luis Perdomo, Austrian bassist Hans Glawischnig and American-born drummer Eric Doob.

Pared down to their core essences, fresh compositions like "Through Culture and Tradition" were riveting.  The daring solos of the saxophonist struck me as the contemporary extension of Charlie Parker's innovations.  A companion insisted that Zenón was channeling Art Pepper.

We agreed that we were hearing one of the best performances of 2014.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Pharoah Sanders at Blues Alley

Delighted to discover that Pharaoh Sanders was performing at Blues Alley during the weekend I was in Washington D.C., I bought a ticket to the final set of his engagement in the hope that the legendary saxophonist might be inspired to play longer.

Although his appearance lasted just 70 minutes, everything else exceeded my expectations.  Sanders and his band-  pianist William Henderson, bassist Nathaniel Reeves and drummer Joe Farnsworth- worked in the mystical, trance-inducing style associated with the output that immediately followed his stint as a member of John Coltrane's band.

With his colorful dashiki and distinguished white hair, Sanders resembled a great statesman.  He moved with the cautiousness of a septuagenarian and sat when he wasn't soloing, but Sanders played with the tremendous fire and intellectual acuity documented on albums like 1969's Jewels of Thought.

Blues Alley is a listening room with about 250 good seats.  The vigilant staff disallowed members of the near-capacity audience to create any distractions.  And with the hefty price tag- $40 per person plus a $12 minimum- fans were focused on the captivating music.

Sanders' outing may have been brief, but I'll thinking about it for a long time.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Chick Corea and Béla Fleck

Although he emerged from the world of bluegrass, Béla Fleck has been on the jazz tip for years. His arrangement of Chick Corea's "Spain" in the embedded video is remarkable. Fleck and Corea perform as a duet Sunday at Helzberg Hall. Joe Klopus previewed the concert in his column for The Kansas City Star.

Concert Review: Regina Carter at Helzberg Hall

During her concert Sunday at Helzberg Hall, Regina Carter told the audience of about 600 that she had conducted a genealogical search at ancestry.com.  Carter learned that she was 73% West African and 27% Finnish.

I couldn't help but think about my bloodlines as Carter focused on evocative material from her lovely new album Southern Comfort.  Country music played in my home as I grew up.  I loved it then just as I love it now.  My primary exposure to jazz was Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and occasional pop hits by the likes of Stanley Clarke and Weather Report.

It wasn't until a coworker lent me a dusty copy of Vassar Clements' Hillbilly Jazz that I realized my affection for country and my nascent passion for jazz could be reconciled.

The violinist's exploration of country and other sounds of the South on Southern Comfort- a tribute to the music she associates with her paternal grandfather- follows Carter's investigation into African music.  She promoted the related Reverse Thread project in Kansas City last year.

Southern Comfort occasionally resembles polite NPR bumper music.  I'd hoped that Carter would cut loose Sunday.  Instead, she and a stellar four-piece backing band maintained the album's serene tone.  Aside from a couple loud outbursts by drummer Alvester Garnett, the musicians were exceedingly polite.  The outstanding guitarist Marvin Sewell acted as if the ceiling would cave in if he played too loudly.  Accordionist Will Holshouser and bassist Chris Lightcap performed with similarly light touches. 

Cajun, gospel and folk selections were enchanting.  Cater took daring liberties with "Honky Tonkin'." (I'm not sure Hank done it that way.)  The song that sent me into the deepest reverie, however, was an instrumental version of Gram Parson's "Hickory Wind".  It was the single best thing I've heard in 2014.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: The Pat Metheny Unity Group at the Topeka Performing Arts Center

Shortly before Saturday's concert by the Pat Metheny Unity Group began, a representative of the Topeka Performing Arts Center encouraged the few dozen people who had purchased $35 balcony tickets to move to one of the many open seats near the stage.  I kicked myself for splurging on a $55 ticket an hour earlier. 

All such earthly considerations were forgotten when the music began.

My vantage point allowed me to pick up on nuances that had previously eluded me.  Metheny's comping is almost as inventive as his solos.  Saxophonist Chris Potter's lustrous tone is achieved in part through perfect posture.  Bassist Ben Williams has a great smile.  Drummer Antonio Sanchez is equal parts brainiac and athlete.  Because he was positioned behind Sanchez on the crowded stage, I couldn't see multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Giulio Carmassi. 

As I predicted in my harsh review of the group's new release Kin, the compositions that sound bombastic on the album proved to be transcendent in a live setting.  What I didn't anticipate was my cathartic reaction to the serenity of "Born."  Potter's statement on the devastatingly beautiful ballad left me convinced that it's one of Metheny's strongest compositions.

The enchanting solo guitar pieces that opened and closed the 135-minute concert were highlights.  Also beyond compare: Metheny's duets with each member of the band, the aggressive harmolodics of Song X's "Police People" and the preposterously brilliant flourishes from the Orchestrion.

A friend suggested after the concert that Metheny is "the Mozart of our time."  I don't disagree.  So where was everybody?  The audience of less than 400 didn't fill a fifth of the venue.  Then again, Metheny's recent concerts at the Folly Theater (2012), Liberty Hall (2011) and the Uptown Theater (2010) didn't come close to selling out either. 

One of the picket signs held by the infamous Topeka-based agitators outside the venue referenced Revelations.  Here's a more pertinent passage from Luke: "No prophet is accepted in his own country."

---
Bill Berg also reviewed the concert for The Topeka Capital-Journal.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: François Rabbath

The legendary Paris-based bassist François Rabbath will perform Thursday, July 11, as part of the Kansas City Bass Workshop.  Rabbath has influenced thousands of musicians.  The albums Avant Garde Jazz Essentials and Bass Ball provide a sense of his range.

Album Review: Pat Metheny- Tap: John Zorn’s Book of Angels, vol. 20

Tap: John Zorn’s Book of Angels, vol. 20 is almost certainly the most surprising collaboration of 2013.  Pat Metheny and John Zorn don't travel in the same circles.  Yet for a subset of people who have followed the careers of both men, the pairing represents the fulfillment of an implausible dream. 

The project doesn't disappoint. 

None of Tap's six tracks is representative of the entirety of the album, but the arc of "Sariel" is indicative of Metheny's ambition.  After an acoustic opening, the 11-minute piece takes on a prog-rock undercurrent before dissolving in grungy chaos.  Although it represents something entirely new, "Sariel" contains echoes of the pastoral beauty of Bright Size Life, the reassuring grooves of Offramp and the walls of noise on Zero Tolerance for Silence. 

The complexities of Tap will take time to fully absurd and process.  For the time being, however, it's my top album of 2013.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Pat Metheny: An Appreciation

Only fools read the comments posted to YouTube.  I am what I am.

A testy exchange at the streaming video site has stuck with me.  A commenter suggested that Pat Metheny is under-appreciated.  How can the recipient of 19 Grammy Awards, someone replied, possibly be considered under-appreciated?

Grammy Awards are nice, but industry accolades shouldn't be mistaken for artistic commendations.  Many jazz classicists abhor Metheny's experimental streak.  His soothing contemporary jazz work is dismissed by fans of more experimental sounds.  Lots of rock fans disdain Metheny's penchant for quiet beauty. 

Metheny is one of the most misunderstood- and yes, under-appreciated- musicians of our time. 

From his game-changing 1976 debut as a leader to last week's release of an album documenting his interpretation of John Zorn's contemporary spiritual compositions, Metheny has continually defied expectations.

The native of Lee's Summit has constructed an army of robots, popularized futuristic world music, worked as a member of one of the most essential avant-garde jazz groups of all time and is responsible for impenetrable walls of noise.  The styles may vary, but everything he touches exudes Metheny's distinct sensibility.

Very few artists working in any genre possess a fraction of Metheny's range.  As an eclectic genius, Metheny is in a class with the likes of Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Brian Eno and David Bowie.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

The Simple Beauty of Regina Carter and Yacouba Sissoko

Note the beatific countenance of Regina Carter.  I can't imagine anyone not being elevated to a similar state when they hear jazz violinist Carter and master kora player Yacouba Sissoko perform. 

About fifty people attended a free talk and demonstration about Carter's Reverse Thread project at the American Jazz Museum on Thursday, April 4. 

Carter proudly spoke of the degree in pedagogy earned by her grandmother in 1915.  After mentioning her interactions with members of the large community of African immigrants in her hometown of Detroit, she and Sissoko discussed the versatility of Malian musicians.  The pair have a unique sibling-like bond.

"I believe I was led to him," Carter said.

They also offered insights into their instruments.  Carter called her violin "my Walmart special."  Sissoko confessed that he uses "fishing lines" as his kora strings in the United States.  Working with African musicians like Sissoko, Carter said, allowed her to "learn to let the simple beauty shine."

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Review: Pat Metheny- The Orchestrion Project

I'm an ardent fan of Pat Metheny's Orchestrion concept.  I've witnessed performances of Metheny's tour in support of the groundbreaking undertaking on two continents.

Yet the recent release of the audio-only version The Orchestrion Project makes me feel as if I'm experiencing the endeavor for the first time.  (Uninitiated readers are encouraged to watch this three-minute promotional video.)

The sound quality seemed fine at the Orchestrion concerts I attended in Kansas City and Rome.  Yet the mix is substantially different on the new release.  Listeners can safely infer that the sound field of the live recording is set to Metheny's specifications.   The album also demonstrates how far the concept has progressed since the initial 2010 recording.

The Orchestrion offers an amazing spectacle. Yet divorced from the stupendous visual distractions,  The Orchestrion Project is an excellent stand-alone recording.

Metheny's identifiable traits, of course, are readily apparent.   The sentimentalism that causes many imperceptive people to dismiss all of Metheny's work materializes on "Soul Search."  Fresh versions of old favorites like the discordant "80/81" and the lovely "Sueño Con Mexico" clarify the ways in which Metheny deploys the Orchestrion.  A mechanical rhythm section- my sole objection to the project- is especially apparent on "Spirit of the Air."

Given Metheny's brilliance, the supposed flaw could very well be a deliberate commentary on the philosophical implications of his elaborate one-man-band.  The Orchestrion Project serves as further evidence that the iconoclastic artist is one of the most important musicians of our time.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Pat Metheny's Unity Band

Even after all these years, people still don't know what to make of Pat Metheny. 

Several acquaintances have asked me if I think they should attend Metheny's concert at the Folly Theater on Thursday, September 6.  These potential ticket buyers tell me that they only like certain aspects of Metheny's work or that they dislike other elements of his sound. 

I understand that tickets are relatively expensive and that people don't want to spend their time and money on something they may not enjoy.  Yet these discussions serve to verify my belief that Metheny is one of the most brilliant musicians of our time.  He's been defying expectations since his recording debut with Jaco Pastorious 38 years ago.  Unpredictability is at the essence of what makes Metheny a great artist.  Not everything he does is good, of course, but Metheny never stops exploring. 

The decision to see Metheny with his new Unity Band- Chris Potter, Ben Williams and Antonio Sanchez- seems like a no-brainer.  Even so, the embedded fan footage from a recent concert in Italy may serve as a more useful consumer guide for my friends than my enthusiastic blathering. 

Now's the Time: Bobby Watson

I'll repeat myself until everyone in town acknowledges the obvious- Bobby Watson is Kansas City's best musician regardless of genre.  Skip the insufferable introduction in this recent live footage and start listening at the 1:10 mark for further evidence of Watson's sublime genius.  Plastic Sax's Person of the Decade leads a big band at the Blue Room on Monday, July 9.  The last time I saw Watson front a large ensemble, his band included Clint Ashlock, David Basse, Gerald Dunn, Jason Goudeau, Ryan Lee, Will Matthews, Herman Mehari, Al Pearson and Bram Wijnands.  Forget Billy Butler- those men are among Kansas City's genuine all-stars.

Review: Enrico Rava at the Portland Jazz Festival

"I think jazz is the most beautiful music when it's good," Enrico Rava said in an interview before his concert Saturday at the Portland Jazz Festival. "When it's not good, it's the most horrible thing in the world."

Amen, brother.

Sometimes I wonder why I allow jazz to be such a major component of my life. There's not much money in it. My passion for the music isolates me from most of my friends and family. And I love other genres, so I don't really "need" jazz.

Yet it's not true. That's why this Kansan traveled 1,800 miles to attend Rava's concert. Hearing Rava didn't just affirm my commitment to jazz- the experience overwhelmed me with gratitude for having the good fortune to take in such insightful brilliance.

I laughed out loud throughout Rava's 95-minute performance. Rava- like European ECM-affiliated artists Jan Garbarek and Terje Rypdal- is someone I never thought I'd get a chance to see. (I was devastated when Dave Holland canceled his appearance in Kansas City last year.) So aside from concerts by Pat Metheny, I rarely get an opportunity to discover how the ECM sound works in a live environment. It turns out that the translation from a Manfred Eicher studio production to the stage isn't insurmountable.

The dramatic dynamics of Rava's band Tribe were hilarious. Rava frequently deferred to young trombonist Gianluca Petrella. The bandleader clearly believes Petrella can do no wrong. He's right. The aggressive trombonist is redefining the instrument. Pianist Giovanni Guidi, on the other hand, seemed regularly incur Rava's wrath. Unlike Rava, I liked almost every one of his ideas. Bassist Gabriele Evangelista is just a kid, but drummer Fabrizio Sferra managed to keep everyone together. He's fantastic. And Rava? He plays like the logical extension of Bix Beiderbecke and Miles Davis. Genius.

The sheer audacity of the concert gave me another reason to keep smiling. Rava and his band felt no obligation to swing. While the quintet frequently referenced Dixieland, the Count Basie Orchestra of the '30s and early bop, these acknowledgements served to offer context for the sound of 2012. Nothing- not Die Antwoord, Crystal Castles or the Weeknd- is more relevant than the music Rava played Saturday. Incredibly, only about ten people in the capacity audience of 300 at the gorgeous and acoustically perfect Dolores Winningstad Theatre walked out during Rava's performance.

I had a feeling I wasn't in Kansas (City) any more.

(Oregon Music News took proper photos. The site also offers a podcast of the pictured pre-concert interview conducted by Tim Duroche. Original image of Rava and Duroche by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Roy Hargrove

An exceptionally entertaining parlor game for guys like me is the spontaneous ranking of all things related to music. With that freewheeling barroom mentality in mind, I arbitrarily pronounce Roy Hargrove to be the fourth best living jazz trumpeter. And in the category of "most important living jazz musicians," I'll place Hargrove at #14. He performs Friday, February 3, at UMKC's jazz festival. An imbecile previewed Hargrove's appearance here.

Kansas City's Jazz Geniuses

Jazz percussionist and composer Dafnis Prieto was awarded the MacArthur Foundation's so-called "genius grant" last week. Who on Kansas City's jazz scene qualifies as a potential recipient? The MacArthur Foundation rewards "talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction." I'm nominating ten individuals accordingly. A brief explanation follows each selection.

1. Black House Improvisors' Collective- aggregated creativity (I'm not entirely certain who's responsible for the collective.)

2. Beau Bledsoe- musical brilliance, musical proselytism

3. Leon and Linda Brady- music education, moral guidance, musical proselytism

4. Chris Burnett- economic applications, musical proselytism

5. Brad Cox- musical brilliance

6. Jeff Harshbarger- musical brilliance, musical proselytism

7. Larry Kopitnik- historic preservation, institutional memory, musical proselytism

8. Hermon Mehari- musical brilliance, musical proselytism

9. Matt Otto- musical brilliance

10. Bobby Watson- musical brilliance, music education

Feel free to disparage my picks or suggest who I have incomprehensibly overlooked. (I ruled out artists including Bob Brookmeyer, Pat Metheny, Harold O'Neal and Logan Richardson on the basis that they don't reside in the area.)

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's Not the Time: The Dave Holland Quintet

The American Jazz Museum issued the following press release yesterday:

We regret to announce that the January 22nd Jammin' at the Gem Dave Holland Quintet concert has been canceled. Mr. Holland’s wife will have unanticipated open-heart surgery on January 18th and has in fact canceled the remainder of his tour. At this time, no re-scheduling or make-up concert is planned. We await a statement about this from Mr. Holland’s management, which we will release to the media as quickly as possible.

I extend my best wishes to the Holland family. Still, the cancellation is terribly disappointing. As I wrote in a Jammin' at the Gem season preview, I was "positively giddy" in anticipation of the performance. The embedded clip from October of last year provides a taste of the brilliance we'll be missing.

Billy Taylor's Trip to Kansas City

Billy Taylor died December 28. The pianist is seen here 52 years ago with a group of musicians associated with Count Basie's band. Taylor sounds excellent, but it's impossible to outshine Mr. Five by Five, Vic, Vice Prez and Buck. I could watch this brilliant clip all day.

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.

Review: Pat Metheny In Rome

I've never traveled so far nor worked as hard to attend a concert.

Over five thousand miles from our Midwestern hometowns, I caught Pat Metheny's revolutionary Orchestrion tour on March 17 while on vacation in Rome.

I didn't actually fly to Italy to see Metheny, but since I was already there the opportunity to be one of the first Americans to witness the guitarist perform with robots proved irresistible.

It wasn't easy. I'll resist the urge to offer a detailed account of my epic trek to and from the concert in northern Rome. I'll only state that Metheny played for two-and-a-half hours and that my round trip journey from my cot near the Colosseum took at least that long.

My difficulties didn't end when I finally arrived at Auditorium Parco della Musica. The complex's 2,800-seat Sala Santa Cecilia concert hall was sold out. I managed to secure a €31.50 balcony seat at face value from a sympathetic ticket scalper.

(Spoiler alert: Read no further if you'd prefer to be surprised by Metheny's forthcoming North American tour.)

After opening with a lovely acoustic set, Metheny began his mad experiment by employing a simple robotic finger cymbal set reminiscent of a clapping monkey toy. It was a deliberately tedious set-up to the dramatic unveiling of the physically imposing Orchestrion machine.

Metheny's Orchestrion is akin to a gargantuan music box with the guitarist acting as the windup key. It's insanely cool. It's also outright insane.

While endlessly fascinating and awash with the thrill of the new, it quickly became apparent that the contraption is incapable of swinging. While it would be unfair to call the device a Rube Goldberg machine, Metheny's regular drummer Antonio Sanchez has nothing to worry about. As far as I can tell, Metheny's robots are responsive to factors like volume and tempo but they're incapable of true improvisation.

After performing Orchestrion in its entirety, Metheny played a handful of spontaneous pieces and a few familiar compositions in a futile attempt to humanize the robots. The set list from the Milan date is similar to what I heard in Rome.

Here's video footage from the concert. Note that the house lights are turned up between songs. While I found the custom entirely foreign, I really liked it. I also appreciated the Italian audience's attentive nature. They sat in perfect silence as Metheny performed.

I should be so lucky when I catch Metheny and his robots in May when they collaborate eight miles from my home in Kansas.
















(Original images by Plastic Sax.)