Album Review: Victor & Penny- Electricity

Erin McGrane was one of the most engaging performers in Kansas City as a member of Alacartoona during the previous decade.  Equal parts Cyd Charisse and Eartha Kitt, McGrane played the role of a riveting femme fatale. 

She's assumed an entirely different persona as half of the “antique pop” duo Victor & Penny.  The recent release Electricity is by far and away the duo’s best release.

As I suggested in a review of the 2015 album Live at the Living Room Theatre, the bygone premise of Victor & Penny would be intolerably precious if not for the outstanding musicianship of the ensemble. 

Jeff Freling, the other half of the duo, plays guitar like Eddie Van Halen on a Django Reinhardt bender.  The supporting Loose Change Orchestra- James Isaac, Rick Willoughby and Kyle Dahlquist- adds complementary spice.

Electricity indicates that Victor & Penny can hold its own with like-minded acts that have achieved international renown including the Hot Sardines and the Hot Club of Cowtown.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Plastic Sax’s Favorite Performances and Albums of 2015 (So Far)

I’m taking a break from blogging for two or three weeks. Here are lists of my favorite things on the jazz scene during the first half of 2015.

Favorite Performances by Locally Based Musicians
1. Lauren Krum with the Project H- Westport Coffeehouse (Plastic Sax review)
2. Peter Schlamb’s Electric Tinks- RecordBar
3. Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7- Green Lady Lounge
4. Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- Take Five Coffee + Bar (Plastic Sax review)
5. James Isaac Quintet- Take Five Coffee + Bar (Plastic Sax Review)

Favorite Performances by Musicians From Elsewhere
1. Trio M- Take Five Coffee + Bar (Plastic Sax review)
2. Avishai Cohen, Tal Mashiach and Nasheet Waits- Take Five Coffee + Bar (Plastic Sax review)
3. Max Raabe and Palast Orchester- Helzberg Hall
4. Bill Frisell- White Theatre
5. The Hot Sardines- Folly Theater

Favorite Albums by Locally Based Musicians
1. Dominique Sanders- A True Story Based On… (Plastic Sax review)
2. Matt Kane & the Kansas City Generations Sextet- Acknowledgement (Plastic Sax review)
3. Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- Live In Kansas City
4. Paul Shinn Trio- Easy Now (Plastic Sax review)
5. Julian Vaughn- Limitless (Plastic Sax review)

Favorite Albums by Musicians From Elsewhere
1. Rudresh Mahanthappa- Bird Calls (Plastic Sax review)
2. Marc Cary- Rhodes Ahead, Vol. 2
3. Donny McCaslin- Fast Future
4. Terence Blanchard- Breathless
5. Kamasi Washington- The Epic

(Original image of Eddie Moore by Plastic Sax.)

Album Review: Victor & Penny and Their Loose Change Orchestra- Live at the Living Room Theatre

My initial reaction when I first encountered Victor & Penny at The Brick four or five years ago was crass.

“I could sell that,” I thought.

I knew that the beautiful woman and the extraordinary guitarist performing the Great American Songbook would appeal to the moneyed country club set and to young fans of folk revivalists like Mumford & Sons.

The new album Live at the Living Room Theatre showcases an expanded version of the ensemble.  Saxophonist James Isaac and bassist Rick Willoughby, men admired for their contributions to Kansas City’s jazz community, join Erin McGrane and Jeff Frelin under the banner of the “Loose Change Orchestra.”

The core duo doesn’t categorize its music as jazz.  Instead, they’ve deftly sidestepped the issue of genre by using the term “antique pop.” It makes sense- Victor & Penny apply the same Tin Pan Alley treatment to contemporary material like Howard Iceberg’s “Indiscreet” as they give to Cole Porter’s “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To.”

The premise would be overly cute if the musicians weren’t outstanding. Frelin and Isaac are virtuosos.

The new album isn’t the work that’s going to make Victor & Penny stars, but it’s an excellent calling card that should allow the ambitious duo to advance its career.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: The James Isaac Quintet at Take Five Coffee + Bar

I visited an arty cafe in Copenhagen on Friday.  Or maybe it was a refined jazz club in London.  It seems almost inconceivable that the adventurous sounds I heard were performed at a shopping center in Leawood, Kansas. 

The first set of the debut performance of the James Isaac Quintet bridged the divide between the sounds heard in European concert halls and at the Village Vanguard.  A receptive audience of about three dozen attended the recital at Take Five Coffee + Bar.

They heard cerebral interpretations of two Wayne Shorter compositions, a nod to Miles Davis, a U2 cover and a reading of a piece by the French composer Gabriel Fauré. 

Saxophonist and clarinetist James Isaac was joined by vocalist Courtney Williams, pianist Brad Cox,  bassist Andrew Stinson and drummer Sam Wisman. 

Cox rarely performs as an accompanist in jazz-oriented settings.  His demure solos evoked the work of André Previn.  Williams often sang in the wordless style employed by the likes of Gretchen Parlato.  Isaac explained that the Fauré selection was among the pieces that reflected "the blending of jazz and classical we're trying to accomplish here." 

Mission accomplished.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: The James Isaac Group

There's a lot to like about the James Isaac Group.  The leader has distinguished himself in ensembles including Killer Strayhorn and the People's Liberation Big Band.  Bassist Jeff Harshbarger is one of Kansas City's most prominent musicians.  Multi-instrumentalist Scotty McBee plays in a wide variety of settings, including the Zappa-esque band Jazz Discharge that also includes Isaac and Harshbarger.  Yet it's the contribution of guitarist Mike Stover that makes the ensemble truly unique.  His opening solo on Joe Henderson's "Isotope" is real gone.  The James Isaac Group performs at Take Five Coffee + Bar on Friday, September 19.

The People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City: An Appreciation

Impressed by one of the monthly appearances of the People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City at the RecordBar, a prominent musician recently posted a screed at Facebook.  He suggested that he would no longer tolerate any barroom discussions about Kansas City's best bands that didn't automatically place PLBB in the top slot.  Very few locally-based acts working in any genre, he noted, begin to approach the adventurousness, playfulness and musicianship exhibited by PLBB. 

I concur.  While I'm smitten by a broad array of Kansas City musicians- including the raucous rap of Tech N9ne, the unforgiving thrash of Hammerlord and the exquisite work of Bach Aria Soloists- PLBB's experimental yet accessible sensibility makes it unique. 

The first set at last night's show was no different.  With notables like James Isaac, Matt Otto, Mike Stover and Rich Wheeler in the band, it's a forgone conclusion that the music is going to be imbued with zestful creativity.  Even the subs impressed yesterday.  Andrew Stinson filled in admirably for bassist Jeff Harshbarger while keyboardist Roger Wilder joined the band for the second set in place of the out-of-town bandleader Brad Cox.  Young trombonist Brian Scarborough turned in a fine solo.  In addition to selections by John Zorn and Charles Mingus, the band played memorable original material by Peter Lawless, Otto, Hunter Long, Brad Cox, Patrick Alonzo Conway. 

So how is it that the musicians on the stage outnumbered the members of audience as the first song was played?  The audience swelled to about fifty an hour after the band began, but the lack of support accorded to Kansas City's best act is tragic.  I refuse to accept that the assertion that PLBB's repertoire is too challenging.  The music may be difficult, but it's also really fun.  And the venue certainly isn't the problem.  The RecordBar has good food, friendly service and reasonably-priced drinks.

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here at Plastic Sax, but I implore music lovers of all stripes to do themselves a favor by spending $5 to see PLBB at the RecordBar at 8 p.m. on July 1.

(Original unrelated image by Plastic Sax.)

Review: Killer Strayhorn- One Begins to Wonder

 

As recently as the '80s, jazz was still a viable form of popular music.  Acts like Spyro Gyra, David Sanborn and Grover Washington, Jr. sold albums to people who also enjoyed the music of Anita Baker, Lionel Richie and Journey.  The best-selling jazz of the era was designed to please casual listeners with sturdy melodies, accessible textures and an overall pleasant sensibility. 

The members of Killer Strayhorn realize that there's still a lot of rewarding music left to be mined in that neglected vein.  The Kansas City band's new album One Begins to Wonder combines straight-ahead jazz with the pop sensibility of a crossover jazz act.  The five men in Killer Strayhorn make the savvy concept pay off.

The album's most telling track may be "Ridin' 'longside Bruce," a jaunty nod to Bruce Hornsby.  One can easily imagine the song's delectable groove thrilling thousands of Bela Fleck, Steely Dan or Phish fans at a summer festival.  Driven by Chris Lewis' piano, the title track possesses the gentle lilt of a Joe Sample project.  The band acknowledges its debt to Pat Metheny on a rendition of the guitarist's "As I Am."

Lest these comparisons give readers the wrong impression, One Begins to Wonder contains plenty of conventional jazz chops.  Billy Strayhorn's "U.M.M.G.", for instance, is given an appropriately melancholy treatment.  "Mellowdrama," a Heath Brothers jam from 1978, sounds like the best thing Bobby Watson never recorded.  Saxophonist James Isaac shines throughout.  Kansas City is knee-deep in woefully under-appreciated saxophonists.  Tracks like "Two by Two" make a case for Isaac being the candidate most worthy of wider recognition. 

My only complaint is that at almost eighty minutes, One Begins to Wonder lacks focus.  While charming, guitar-oriented tracks like "Escuridao" and "The Next Step For Mallory" sound like they belong on a separate album. 

Killer Strayhorn's first and second albums were also reviewed at Plastic Sax.  Long Story Short was good.  80/20 Blue was even better.  With One Begins to Wonder, Killer Strayhorn flirts with greatness.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Review: Killer Strayhorn- 80/20 Blue

Butterflies no bigger than dimes fluttered in my face as I lay in the grass when the Prairie Village Jazz Festival commenced on September 11. Warm sunshine and a cool breeze gave the perfect day a southern California feel. Similarly, the poised performance by Killer Strayhorn was more akin to the west coast jazz associated with Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan than the bluesy fire of Kansas City jazz.

80/20 Blue, the Kansas City-area ensemble's second album, mirrors that tried and true approach. A head is followed by a round of solos on most of the twelve tracks. Familiar but impeccable, the album is a sophisticated blowing session. The contributions of Bob Harvey (trumpet and flugelhorn) and James Isaac (saxophone and flute) are particularly noteworthy. Only "Damage Control" and "A Mile In Yo' Shoes pts. I-IV," tracks with arrangements that deviate from the standard pattern, stand out.

Then again, perhaps context is everything. 80/20 Blue may not rank among my favorite albums of 2010, but Chris Lewis' piano solo on Pat Metheny's "Timeline" goes down perfectly while sipping coffee on a Sunday morning. The insistent groove of"Whits-Up?" works well while tossing meat on a grill. And when tiny butterflies are around? Forget about it!

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)