A Hole in the Middle of the Map

At 2 a.m. on Easter I'll be in a basement in Westport listening to the jarring attack of Acid Mothers Temple. The experimental Japanese band will be the last of over 75 acts scheduled to perform at this week's Middle of the Map festival.

The inspired rock and electronic-oriented three-day event is the brainchild of a handful of passionate, hard-working music lovers. Although only one of the bands performing at the eight participating venues has enjoyed an actual hit, the second edition of the festival is almost assured of being a commercial success. Sponsors include a brewery, a professional sports franchise, a car dealer, a law firm and several distilleries. The institutional support is a reflection of the organizational prowess of the festival's planners.

What if the entirety of Kansas City's jazz community worked together to create a similar event? My experience at the Portland Jazz Festival in February showed me what's possible in a metropolis that's just 10% larger than Kansas City. I caught a sold-out performance by Enrico Rava and well-attended sets by a couple regional acts. Spread out over nine days, the event also included appearances by the duo of Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo, Bill Frisell, Charles McPherson, Charlie Hunter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roy Haynes, the Jazz Passengers, Vijay Iyer's Tirtha, Ben Williams and dozens of Portland-based musicians.

By incorporating everything that's already happening on the Kansas City jazz scene over a two-week span, a new festival would complement rather than undercut existing programming. The Prairie Village Jazz Festival, Jazz In the Woods, Rhythm & Ribs and Jazz Winterlude are terrific events that receive my enthusiastic support. The new concept would be an all-encompassing city-wide jazz festival that could take place at Johnson County Community College, Kansas City Kansas Community College, UMKC, the Folly Theater and Helzberg Hall. Established jazz venues would also be a crucial part of the mix.

In addition to Kansas City-based talent, performers might include the likes of Brian Blade, David Sanchez, Medeski Martin & Wood, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kenny Garrett, Joshua Redman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, the Soul Rebels, the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Cuong Vu, Flying Lotus and Matana Roberts. Kansas City's event could be timed to pull in artists performing at the annual Chicago Jazz Festival.

Ambitious? Sure. But with Kansas City's jazz scene undergoing an artistic renaissance, the time is right to think big. And Kansas City boasts several established institutions that should be able to provide logistical support. In addition to Bobby Watson's jazz program at UMKC, fine collegiate programs are thriving at JCCC, KU, KCKCC, Ottawa and UCM. Prominent area institutions include the American Jazz Museum, KC Youth Jazz, the Mutual Musicians Foundation, the Jazz Ambassadors, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, the Folly's jazz series and the Artists Recording Collective. Perhaps most importantly, many locally-based musicians might be compelled to call in favors. Heck, there are even a couple jazz bloggers who might be eager to get their hands even dirtier.

All of these organizations and musicians are already doing great things. If they pooled their resources for an annual event, everyone would win. I'm assuming, of course, that the dysfunctional and ruthlessly territorial reputation of a few of these entities is unmerited. Furthermore, I'm operating under the assumption that there are at least 2,500 people in the Kansas City area willing to purchase tickets to hear serious music performed by the world's most important jazz-based artists.

If you share my enthusiasm for returning Kansas City to the center of the jazz universe for a couple weeks every year, let's talk it over on Sunday morning. You can find me here. A note to smart alecks- I realize that I riffed on a similar proposal eleven months ago. And no- this post is not an April Fools' Day gag.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

It's Showtime!

A few readers of Plastic Sax know that the author of this blog frequently attends performances of music other than jazz. Just half of the six events I caught last week- Tim Whitmer's July Jazz Jam (reviewed here), Phonologotronic at Fishtank Performance Studio and Dan Gailey with a Tim Doherty-led band at Intentions (photo here)- were jazz-related.

I caught myself thinking about jazz at the other shows I attended. I wondered, for example, what members of each audience might be willing to attend a jazz performance. The results of my brief surveys varied each day, of course, but I didn't spot many potential takers.

With the notable exceptions of the realms of (some) jam bands and (some) hip hop, the gulf between jazz and popular music continues to grow. The division is about more than music. Today's audiences expect to experience multi-media presentations. Technological advances allow for greater spectacles than ever. Setting the musical chasm aside, how is the guy in the foreground of the accompanying image taken at a rock concert last night going to respond to a visually static jazz show? I can't imagine him sitting still for a recital by Keith Jarrett.

To be sure, most intimate club performances by artists of every genre don't offer sensory overload. But if jazz musicians and jazz presenters intend to recapture larger audiences, they're going to need to recognize that the rules of the game have changed. Rather than seeing this new challenge as an insurmountable obstacle, the jazz community might view the chance to get ahead of the curve as an exciting opportunity.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Jazz Clubbing

I had a specific venue in mind when I began to create this animated short, but the dialog is actually a composite of conversations I had with several jazz presenters in 2010. The challenges have already carried over into 2011. I went to two jazz-oriented venues on January 1. The first club didn't have the show listed online and the headliner has absolutely no web presence. An audience of nine people caught the majority of the first set. At the second venue, I couldn't find anyone willing to take the five dollar cover charge from me. And citing the full room, a waiter suggested that he'd prefer not to take my table's drink orders.

Doing Something Mean To It

During the fascinating pre-concert discussion at the Folly Theater on September 25, a member of The Bad Plus defended his complicated relationship with jazz. He and his two band mates, he explained, had developed their passion for jazz in an entirely organic fashion. No one introduced them to the music. Instead, their innate curiosity led them to the genre.

I came to jazz in much the same fashion. And like the men in The Bad Plus, I retain my love of popular music. I don't trust any musician under the age of forty that hasn't listened to Kanye West's new album. It's disingenuous for contemporary musicians to insulate themselves from the culture at large. I don't necessarily want jazz musicians to emulate West's music, but they at least owe it to themselves and their audiences to know the score.

Crosscurrent, a Lennie Tristano-inspired band, perform at Jardine's tonight. Its music is excellent. Because a few of the band's members bear a faint resemblance to these caricatures, the band- at least in their current form- are unlikely to find a big audience. Crosscurrent's insistence on purity, while admirable, is confining.

I'll always prefer the guys who come from a background and mindset more akin to my own. A prominent Kansas City-based jazz musician, for instance, was a member of '90s rock band Grumpy. It wasn't a great band, but the musician's music today is undoubtedly richer for that experience.

Now's the Time: The Budos Band

I love The Budos Band and I'm looking forward to their show Wednesday at The Record Bar. But I'll admit that they're even less of a jazz ensemble than Kansas City's like-minded Hearts of Darkness. I'm featuring them only because there's an alarming dearth of locally-produced jazz video. I'm not asking for much. The New York band's embedded video is nothing fancy. Last week I showcased a static shot of Michael Pagan at the piano. Step it up, please.

Kansas City's Star-Spangled Banners

Congratulations, Kansas City Royals, on securing the 2012 All-Star Game for Kauffman Stadium!

Now it's time to start thinking about the most important decision you'll need to make- whom will you select to perform the national anthem before the game?

The massive entertainment conglomerates will probably insist on making your selection for you. Don't let them. Show the world that Kansas City is truly "the home of the brave."

Don't settle for an obvious pick like David Cook, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge or Martina McBride. That's been done. And disallow superstar outsiders like Michael Buble, Miley Cyrus, Elton John and Alicia Keys.

Go local. Make your hometown proud by shining your spotlight on a musician with a direct connection to Kansas City.

I've taken the liberty of making 25 suggestions. They're ranked in order of my personal preference. If you're looking for a Marvin Gaye moment, Pat Metheny and Tech N9ne are candidates capable of creating headlines with an unconventional arrangement. If you'd rather play it safe, try Marilyn Maye, Kevin Mahogany or Karrin Allyson.

Good luck. I trust you'll do the right thing.

1. Bobby Watson- The top jazz artist in a jazz town.
2. Tech N9ne- This would be killer. Krizz Kaliko can provide the hooks.
3. Pat Metheny- I have no idea what he'd deliver, but I'd like to find out.
4. Myra Taylor and the Wild Women of Kansas City- Wild indeed.
5. Quixotic Fusion- The performance art ensemble would be extraordinary.
6. Marilyn Maye- Marvelous.
7. Joyce DiDonato- Classy.
8. Jonelle Monae- As fresh as it gets.
9. Ahmad Alaadeen- The preeminent elder statesman of KC jazz.
10. Ida McBeth- Long a sentimental favorite.
11. Eldar- Tremendous piano.
12. Marva Whitney- The soul legend is cooling her heels in KCK.
13. Kevin Mahogany- Elegant.
14. Sellie Truitt- He rubbed shoulders with Buck O'Neil and Satchel Paige.
15. Karrin Allyson- A natural.
16. The Elders- The Celtic rockers are one of KC's most popular acts.
17. Diverse- The most celebrated young jazz act in KC.
18. Megan Birdsall- Introduce the world to a fresh face.
19. The Wilders- KC's top bluegrass act.
20. Hearts of Darkness- An international vibe would surprise.
21. Angela Hagenbach- Beautiful.
22. Oleta Adams- Warm and inviting.
23. The McFadden Brothers- Old-school show-stoppers.
24. Ron Ron- Maybe Ron Ron will be a star by 2012.
25. Rich the Factor- Try keeping it real.

Note for Plastic Sax readers- I listed 16 jazz-related artists in bold text. David Basse, Bob Brookmeyer, The Count Basie Orchestra, Everette DeVan, the Jazz Disciples, The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, Sons of Brasil and Von Smith were left off my list of 25.

Whom would you like to perform at the All-Star Game?

(Cross-posted from There Stands the Glass.)

Get a Gimmick

Get a gimmick.

That's the lesson other jazz musicians might learn from Karrin Allyson.

In her case, it has nothing to do with music. As I noted in my review of the first of her four shows at Jardine's last week, Allyson continues to travel down the same musical path.

Much of the coverage and chatter surrounding Allyson's return to Kansas City focused on her reputation as a temperamental artist. I've seen Allyson express displeasure from the stage in the past. But I'm sympathetic- inattentive audience behavior is a recurring topic at Plastic Sax. I was pleased, consequently, when the card pictured here was distributed to Allyson's audience.

Whether her so-called "attitude" is real or not, many people who wouldn't otherwise care about Allyson enjoy discussing her demeanor. The shtick enhances her performances even as it raises her visibility.

Allyson isn't the only Kansas City-related jazz musician with a gimmick. Dave Stephens continues to expand his audience with a manic visual display. The Scamps are marketed as the city's elder statesmen. The McFadden Brothers dance. And don't forget about David Basse's hat.

Many musicians might suggest that their work speaks for itself and that a gimmick would only cheapen their art. Perhaps. But in an environment in which it's exceedingly difficult for a jazz musician to get noticed, I'd encourage them to embrace every possible angle.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)