Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Diana Krall will perform at Muriel Kauffman Theatre on June 16.

*The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra will entertain at the free A Night at the Savoy celebration at the main branch of the Kansas City Kansas Public Library.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Ryan Heinlein- Record number 4 comes out in exactly two months!

*From a press release: The Marcus Lewis Big Band will present “Brass & Boujee”, at The Record Bar, February 1, 2018 at 7:00 PM, $8 cover charge. The collaborative performance will combine hip hop and big band jazz sounds. Marcus Lewis, a trombonist who has performed with stars such as Aretha Franklin and Janelle Monae, will be presenting full jazz band arrangements of original songs from Kansas City emcees Kemet The Phantom and Kadesh Flow.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

The Ten Best Kansas City Jazz Recordings

Nine of the ten discs I've selected as the best Kansas City jazz recordings have one thing in common- they exude a sense of joyful celebration. The melding of blues and jazz that characterizes the Kansas City sound is intended as the soundtrack to a party. Even Frizzell and Metheny, the two artists on my list who veer farthest away from the city's traditional sound, radiate positive vibrations. The revolutionary work of Charlie Parker, manic and confrontational, makes him the odd man out. But he never fit in. In chronological order:

1. Bennie Moten- Band Box Shuffle (recorded 1929-32, Hep Records compilation released 2000)
Kansas City jazz didn't begin with Moten, but he was the first significant area bandleader to be extensively recorded. This set contains two-and-a-half hours of intoxicatingly vibrant music featuring the likes of Count Basie, Harlan Leonard, Hot Lips Page and Jimmy Rushing.

2. Count Basie- The Best of Early Basie (recorded 1937-39, Decca compilation released 1996)
The mother lode. Just the names of the participants- Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Claude Williams, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Jo Jones- inspire awe. When someone in Tokyo or Paris thinks of Kansas City, they have "Jumpin' At the Woodside" or "Doggin' Around" in mind. This set also includes Jimmy Rushing's reading of "Blues In the Dark," which may be my favorite recording of the twentieth century.

3. Jay McShann- Blues From Kansas City (recorded 1941-43, Decca compilation released 1992)
Impossibly hip titles like "Say Forward, I'll March" and "Hootie's Ignorant Oil" hint at the good times provided by these classic sides. And yes, the young Charlie Parker's first recorded honks are here.

4. Julia Lee- Kansas City's First Lady of the Blues, (recorded 1944-47, JSP compilation released 2001)
A full sixty years later, many of Lee's raunchy songs are fully capable of inducing blushes. Local legends like Sam "Baby" Lovett play alongside stars including Benny Carter and Red Norvo on these wild and wooly sessions.

5. Charlie Parker- Complete Dial Sessions (recorded 1946-47, Stash compilation released 1993)
As with his personal life, Parker's discography is complicated and somewhat messy. This selection comes down to personal preference; I really dig the mind-bendingly creative Dial sessions, which emphasize Parker's compositional skills.

6. Dwight Frizzell & Anal Magic- Beyond the Black Crack (recorded and self-released in 1976; reissued on Paradigm in 1998)
Does this obscure title by Kansas City's favorite oddball actually exist? Does it matter? The Sun Ra-obsessed Frizzell went on to make many experimental recordings with BCR, which for years was arguably the best band in Kansas City, jazz or otherwise.

7. Pat Metheny- American Garage (recorded and released in 1979, ECM)
As with Aaron Copeland's most popular works, the majestic compositions of American Garage evoke the generous vistas of the American plains. Metheny's incorporation of folk and country elements paved the way for explorations by both fellow guitarist Bill Frisell and new-grass acts including Bela Fleck and Nickel Creek.

8. Count Basie- Kansas City Shout (recorded and released in 1980, Pablo)
This late-career summit of Basie, Joe Turner and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson reminds me of great late-night sessions at the Mutual Musicians Foudation, except there's nothing casual about the sophisticated big bands charts on "Blues For Joe Turner." Swinging came as easily to the old veterans as breathing.

9. City Light Orchestra- Raised Spirits (recorded and released in 1984, City Light Entertainment)
The sound captured by swinging traditionalists Dave Basse, Tim Whitmer, Ahmad Alaadeen, Jano and Laverne Barker continues to dominate Kansas City's jazz scene twenty-three years after this perfectly-titled set's release.

10. Myra Taylor- My Night To Dream (recorded in 2000, released in 2001, APO Records)
Even at ninety-years-old, Taylor shows more energy and spunk than almost every other entertainer in town. With Sonny Kenner's guitar and Eddie Saunders' tenor sax, this crisp recording unites Kansas City's jazz and blues legacies.

Disagree with my selections? I should hope so. Please add your list and thoughts to the comments section.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Musings On the Folly Jazz Series

Joe Klopus of the Star did a fine job in his survey of the Folly Theater's forthcoming Jazz Series. I agree that it's refreshingly vibrant programming. That said, Doug Tatum of the Folly can't expect to retain many of the predominately older subscribers. He'll have to scramble to find a younger audience to replace them. Here's my take:

Joshua Redman is exactly the sort of artist that belongs in the jazz series. He's young, exciting, grounded in tradition but committed to moving the music forward. (October 26)

Bill Charlap is another inspired choice. I rave about the young pianist here. His is a quiet style; he'll be challenged to make his presence felt throughout the vast venue. (November 16)

I can't say that I'm a fan of vocalist Kurt Elling. His style always left me cold, an opinion that was confirmed when I saw him at the Green Mill in Chicago a few years ago. But that's just me. Elling is a fine showman. Unlike Charlap, he'll have no trouble keeping the Folly audience entertained. (December 14)

I'm not hip to Bobby Sanabria. But salsa and Latin jazz go over well at the Folly. I've seen great shows by Tito Puente and Poncho Sanchez at the 12th Street hall. (January 12)

The best concert I've seen in 2007 was Roy Hargrove at the Folly. It's unfair to ask fellow trumpeter Terell Stafford (pictured above) to match Hargrove's fire, but one can always hope. (February 29)

I'd never heard of Rachael Price. And after initial investigation, I didn't immediately fall in love with the vocalist's style. She's no Erin Bode. (March 28)

I'm pretty sure I've seen Monty Alexander perform at the Folly. (Or maybe it was at the Kansas City Blues & Jazz Festival.) He interprets Bob Marley songs on his latest album, so it'll be hard to go wrong with this show. (May 10)

(Image is not a Plastic Sax photograph.)