Ziggy Played Drums

I found the perfect vantage point for a performance featuring the aggressive saxophonist Rob Scheps. 

As I sat in a low-slung booth shielded by a glass partition at Lucky Brewgrille last Friday, I could only see the band of Scheps, guitarist Ron Carlson, bassist Bill McKemy and drummer Eliot Zigmund if I propped myself up against the back of my seat. 

I felt secure knowing that Scheps couldn't give me the business. 

Hearing the band wasn't a problem.  Their output was so loud that my waitress cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled when she first came to my table. 

The extreme volume was instigated by Zigmund.  I expected the drummer who is featured on several Bill Evans albums to be frail.  Was I ever wrong!  While unflaggingly tasteful, Zigmund is a powerhouse.  Now I know why the likes of Evans, Jim Hall, Gary Peacock and Michel Petrucciani hired Zigmund. 

And for what it's worth, Scheps' stunning work in his frequent visits to Kansas City has made him one of my favorite mainstream saxophonists.  Zigmund and Scheps will perform at Take Five Coffee on Friday, April 18, and at the Blue Room on Saturday, April 19.