Concert Review: The 2014 Prairie Village Jazz Festival

Even with the addition of a nominal $5 cover charge, an artistically engaging edition of the annual Prairie Village Jazz Festival attracted an impressive crowd of several thousand people to Harmon Park on Saturday, September 6.  A few observations follow.

*The Project H's opening set showcased the band's exceptionally compelling compositions.  It was disquieting, however, to see almost no one bobbing their heads or tapping their feet to the band's soulful sound.

*Shay Estes began her outing with "September In the Rain," a possible allusion to Plastic Sax's infamous 2011 "I blame Shay Estes" post.  Rather than conjuring a tempest, Estes and a stellar band played under ideal conditions.  Residents of San Diego would have envied Saturday's weather.

*I took a two-and-a-half hour break from the festival in the late afternoon, but the echoes of Stephanie Moore's voice sounded splendid from a few blocks away.

*I no longer perceive the enormous vocal range and power I once associated with Kevin Mahogany but his exquisite taste and hometown pride haven't faltered.  Mahogany incorporated Ben Kynard's "Red Top" into a rendition of "Route 66" and performed a lovely version of Russ Long's "Save That Time." 

*Backed by saxophonist Joe Lovano, trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Richard Johnson, bassist Tyrone Clark and drummer Leon Anderson, headliner Deborah Brown said "this is my dream band right now."  Mine too.  After Lovano's stunning solo on his startling innovative arrangement of "Yardbird Suite," I turned from my spot a few feet from the stage to share my delight with others.  I was horrified to discover that three-quarters of the audience had abandoned the festival during the radiant performance by the jazz masters.  Steve Paul captured footage of the ostensibly repellent set.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

 *Angie Stone, Arturo Sandoval and Joe Louis Walker are the national headliners at the 2012 edition of the American Jazz Museum's Rhythm & Ribs Jazz & Blues Festival on October 13.

*Tim Finn reports that Mark Southerland is now an official member of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey.  The band will perform the entirety of The Race Riot Suite, my favorite album of 2011, in its appearance at the RecordBar on Thursday, June 21.  Here's a five-camera video of a rendition of "Grandfather's Gun."

*The Pace Report offers a compelling 25-minute feature on Eldar.

*David Basse was a guest on KCUR's Up To Date last week.

*KCJazzLark reflects on the impact urban renewal programs have had on the Kansas City's jazz district.

*The American Jazz Museum has a new Tumblr account.

*Hermon Mehari is the subject of a new video "documentary."

*The People's Liberation Big Band will perform its celebrated score to Battleship Potemkin at the Lawrence Arts Center on June 30.

*Mark Edelman lists the week's jazz events.

*Recent upgrades at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem are lauded by the New York Times.

*Tweet o' the Week: WOLFrach3I- #JazzintheWoods there are sooo many people here right now #perfectweather Instagram

*Comment o' the Week: tjjazzpiano- Well, performer selection aside, let me share a positive experience about CWJF. One of my first experiences hearing live jazz was at the Corporate Woods Jazz Festival. I listened to Pete Eye play with his trio on the main stage in 1997. I was able to go right up to the stage afterwards and have him sign a copy of his CD. Just hearing him playing and talking about music played a huge role in my decision to become a serious musician.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*David Basse was interviewed by Joel Nichols of KMBZ.

*Lindsay Shannon was featured in The Star's Sunday magazine.

*An NPR-sponsored poll generated a list of the "One Hundred Quintessential Jazz Songs". Here's Kansas City's representation: #55- Count Basie's "April In Paris; #71- Charlie Parker's "Koko"; #83- Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump"; #90- Charlie Parker's "Yardbird Suite"; #94- Charlie Parker's "Orinthology."

*A performance by Bram Wijnands, Rod Fleeman and Tommy Ruskins was documented by KCJazzLark.

*An update on Dave Stephens is provided by Tony's Kansas City.

*Mark Edelman highlights a few jazz gigs.

*The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra now has a blog.

*Lee Ingalls makes his audio feature on the late Russ Long available to readers of his blog.

*Tweet o' the Week: beauxmuzik: Super bowl at record bar. Plbb performs black eyed peas deconstruction. Matt Otto has a new bass sax. Brains rattled.

*From Jardine's: Thursday, February 10: The Millie Edwards & Michael Pagan Quartet host A Celebration of the Life of Nancy Van Fleet jam session; 5:00 to 7:30 pm, $4 cover; collected cover will be donated to hospice on Nancy's behalf.

*From Mark Lowrey, Plastic Sax's 2010 Person of the Year: It's good to be back in KC after a very rewarding trip to Ouellesebougou, Mali with my friend and musical conspirator Barclay Martin along with the doctors and nurses with Medical Missions Foundation. In the five full days in the village, the 2 surgeons performed 80 some surgeries, the clinic saw over 1100 patients, and Barclay and I did musical presentations focusing on hand washing with soap to over 6000 kids in the schools.

*From Jim Mair: Kansas City Jazz Camp (10th annual), June 6-10, 2011, $195 tuition (includes lunch and field trips), Ages 13 through Adult (beginner through advanced levels), Jazz Combos, daily concerts, group lessons, jazz improvisation classes, Sponsored by The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and Kansas City Kansas Community College. Additional details are here.

(Original slushy image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Steve Penn reports on the most recent rift at the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

*Chuck Berg covered the Topeka Jazz Workshop's January 16 tribute to the late Russ Long. The concert was also previewed by the Topeka Capital-Journal.

*Robert Folsom reviewed Earl Klugh's concert at the Folly Theater.

*The merits of this weekend's Jazz Winterlude festival are extolled by KCJazzLark.

*Ink offers a review of the debut album by the People's Liberation Big Band of Kansas City.

*Mark Edelman promotes the live jazz offerings at Leawood's West Chase Grille. It's the first I've heard of it. There's no mention of jazz at the restaurant's site.

*A blogger questions Kansas City's jazz legacy.

*From the American Jazz Museum: The American Jazz Museum mourns the passing of William Henry Cogshell, who left us on January 6, 2011. Mr. Cogshell was a current member of the American Jazz Museum Board of Directors and Chair of the Board Finance Committee.

*Joe Lovano's January 11 concert at the Village Vanguard streams here.

*Doug Talley was featured in a North Dakota publication.

*Doug Auwarter shares Brazilian recipes.

*The Take Five Coffee House offers live music, including an occasional jazz event. Diverse, for example, performs at the Leawood venue on Friday, January 21.

*Tweet o' the Week: Clint Ashlock: Thursday night, JCCC Winterlude - New Jazz Order with Megan Birdsall, 7-8pm. It's FREE. And good. In JOHNSON COUNTY. Seriously. Come.

*My friend Meesha asks readers for help in identifying a set of vintage photos of Kansas City.

*Care to guess which youth jazz participant admired Charlie Parker? You really don't want to know.

*Ink previewed Diverse's forthcoming performance of A Tribe Called Quest's Low End Theory.

*Concert announcements: Stanley Clarke and Victor Wooten appear at the Granada Theater on March 11. Junior Mance returns to the Blue Room with a quintet on February 5.

*From Steve Kidwell: Hoping you'll list these events on your calendar. They are all part of the Musical Gems Concert series benefiting the Lincoln College Preparatory Academy Wind Ensemble performance in China. The third event is not a jazz event- but is great music! Horace Washington, woodwinds with the Kicks Big Band, January 28, 8 p.m. Mike Ning, piano & Sherri Jones, vocalist with the Kicks Big Band and the Lincoln Academy Jazz Ensemble, February 18, 8 p.m. Lincoln Academy Wind Ensemble premiering their China repertoire, February 27, 3 p.m. All three events are at the Gem Theater. Advanced: VIP $50, Regular $25, Under 12 - $15 (upper level only)

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)