Drew Williams offered heartfelt thanks to the family and friends who attended his showcase at Westport CoffeeHouse Theater last Wednesday.
The body language of at least a couple members of the audience indicated they’d didn't care for egghead jazz. Seated between the only two of 30 people that didn’t seem to have a personal connection to the former Kansas City resident, I adored the nerdy sounds.
The ambitious concert began with a 40-minute set of Williams’ compositions. Many of the arrangements performed by an octet resembled Sun Ra-penned pep band fight songs for a mathlete team.
Williams occasionally looped his bass clarinet. The contributions of guitarist Jeff McLaughlin and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell were also intriguing. Although the musicians’ intense concentration on sheet music detracted from the presentation, Williams’ bold experimentation resulted in one the most exciting jazz-based performances I’ve heard in Kansas City in 2015.
A subsequent quintet interpretation of material from the New York based trumpeter John Blevins’ Matterhorn album was almost as engaging.
(Original image by Plastic Sax.)
Glad to see Drew bringing some interesting stuff to KC. The local guys are too busy keeping their stuff boring so they can play at the Green Lady.
ReplyDeleteYeah Boogaloo 7, Electric Tinks and anything involving Karl McComas-Reichl or John Kizilarmut is incredibly boring. #sarcasm
ReplyDeleteOh come on. The KC jazz scene has always been conservative. It's not fair to knock players who just want to have a gig. And a nice gig at that. Modern jazz is a club killer.
ReplyDeleteFighting over crumbs. Let's love on all improvisers. We need more flexibility of art AND opinion. Makes the world a better place. Green lady kids are fantastic and are building an audience (and the club is open while having improvisation!). The more daring artists (not necessarily more skilled or creative) too are wonderful. Time to realize the two are on the same team. Take it or leave it. I'm sure each of the groups would celebrate each other.
ReplyDeleteI'm just saying the Green Lady isn't a spawning ground of innovation. Nice people play nice music in a nice place in the nice Midwest.
ReplyDeleteThe Green Lady is a business, and good businesses offer good products that sell.
ReplyDeleteI've never claimed to be an "innovator", that's not who I am or aspire to be as a musician. But I have a great gig every week where large crowds are moved and excited by the music. People dance. People scream after soulful solos. People buy our records. Never once have I felt creatively inhibited.
"Anonymous."
ReplyDeleteElectric Tinks might be the best music in the world every time they play.
ReplyDeleteWell said Chris. You are one of my favorite of the many creative artists who have a regular gig at the Green Lady. I find the "I'm hipper than you" attitude on display by Anon 9:18 to be extremely tedious.
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