Now's the Time: Hot Club KC

Anyone fortunate enough to recall the era in which Claude “Fiddler” Williams was a fixture in Kansas City jazz clubs will likely find a lot to like in Adam Galblum’s Hot Club KC.  The violinist will perform with his ensemble in Chaz’s Strings on the Green series on Saturday, June 30.  It’s one of the day’s 24 jazz gigs listed at The Kansas City Jazz Calendar.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The Basement Beat, a new album by Chris Hazelton's Boogaloo 7, and a separate single release of an interpretation of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings’ “100 Days, 100 Nights (Pt. 1&2)”, will be issued in July.

*Eddie Moore took part in a 88-minute conversation with Rob Foster.

*Bobby Watson will receive the Don Redman Jazz Heritage Award in West Virginia on Saturday, June 30.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Angela Burkett- Why can't ppl stop vandalizing our stuff. 18th and Vine District is trying to revive itself.

*From a press release: Denver, Colorado's vocal jazz pride and joy - Teresa Carroll - will appear at the Black Dolphin, The Phoenix, and Chaz on the Plaza on July 16, 17, & 18, respectively… Her appearances in Kansas City will reunite her with pianist Michael Pagan, with whom she worked in Colorado from 1998-2005.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Pagin' the Devil: The L.A. Swing Barons and Vine Street Rumble at Californos

I feared that my decision to attend an indoor recital on a glorious Saturday afternoon to hear two bands that specialize in vintage Kansas City jazz was a mistake.  My reservations were immediately dispelled when I entered the ballroom at Californos for a free concert by the L.A. Swing Barons and Vine Street Rumble. 

Rather than the creaky revivalism I dreaded, the show was a lively celebration.  By the time I left Californos. I wondered why I bother listening to any other form of music.

The room was packed with about 100 rapt listeners and athletic dancers for the event billed as a battle-of-the-bands.  The remarkably youthful L.A. Swing Barons added fresh energy to renditions of material by Kansas City legends including Bill Basie, Jay McShann and Mary Lou Williams.  The more seasoned members of Kansas City’s Vine Street Rumble approached a similar repertoire with less impetuousness than the brash Californians. 

Who came out on top?  The clear winners were the extraordinarily talented dancers who demonstrated that the Kansas City sound of the Pendergast Era remains sexy, thrilling and entirely vital.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: The L.A. Swing Barons

One of the most dedicated purveyors of vintage Kansas City jazz is based in Los Angeles.  The L.A. Swing Barons even titled their 2017 album Kansas City Stride.  The 14-piece ensemble performs at the Chesterfield on Friday, June 22, and takes on Vine Street Rumble in a battle of the bands at Californos on Saturday, June 23.  Details are available at The Kansas City Jazz Calendar.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*In a column about efforts to revive the Jazz District, Dan Calderon asks “if it’s so important to our cultural and historical identity, why are residents so apathetic about the gradual decay of the very place where that chapter in history occurred?"

*Diana Krall’s concert at Muriel Kauffman Theatre was reviewed by Jessie Riggins.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Frank Morris- African American culture defines Kansas City. Without Jazz and Barbecue we’d be Des Moines.

*From a press release: Community Christian Church presents Tim Whitmer's July Jazz Jam 8: "Main Street Melody."  Join Tim Whitmer and friends on Sunday, July 29 at 4pm for a sizzling, swinging 90-minute stomp through some of the most fun and upbeat music ever written!  This toe-tapping, finger-snapping concert will feature some of the area’s most dynamic performers and entertainers, including the amazing talents of singers Molly Hammer, Havilah Bruders, Maggie Pruitt, Danny Cox, guitarist Rod Fleeman, pianist Tim Whitmer, saxophonist Jim Mair, and the award-winning JJJ rhythm section of James Albright and Jurgen Welge.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Album Review: Ryan Marquez Trio- Moving Forward in Time

It’s difficult to reconcile the conventional new piano trio album Moving Forward in Time with the neo-soul and new-school jazz that’s featured on the self help-themed Conscious Listening podcast.  Yet Ryan Marquez, a St. Louis based artist who was born and raised in the Kansas City area, is responsible for both projects.

Marquez left Kansas City after graduating from high school in 2005.  He plays a homecoming concert with his trio at Corbin Theater on Saturday, July 21.

Marquez favors groove-oriented, plugged-in artists like Thundercat on his Conscious Listening show.  The comparatively buttoned-down jazz the pianist makes with bassist Ben Wheeler and drummer Steve Davis doesn’t fit the format.  It may not be progressive, but Moving Forward in Time isn’t square.

A reworking of “Moment’s Notice” titled “Notice Moments” is particularly hip.  Interpretations of hits by Bill Withers and Michael Jackson serve as inviting points of entry.  Original material like “Peace March,” a composition inspired by the 2017 Women’s March in St. Louis, possesses a sense of defiant optimism.  Marquez, Wheeler and Davis discuss the album  in a two-minute promotional video.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Diana Krall

Diana Krall may be responsible for inspiring more inferior jazz than any other living musician.  The sway she holds over substantially less talented copycats shouldn’t be held against her.  Krall performs at Muriel Kauffman Theatre on Saturday, June 16.  The Kansas City Jazz Calendar lists two dozen additional jazz gigs on Saturday.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Jeff Harshbarger’s presentation for GuildIT streams at YouTube.

*The headline of a KCUR feature- “How Robert Altman's 'Kansas City' Helped Revive The Jazz District”- is provocative.

*Brandon Draper was interviewed by Joe Dimino.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Rudy Harper- AT SIX: A portion of the old Mardi Gras building in KC’s Jazz District collapsed while renovations were underway. I’ll have a live report on @KCTV5

*From a press release: The Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University–Newark recently acquired the full collection of late great jazz icon, William J. “Count” Basie Jr… The collection, which features nearly 1,000 artifacts, including Count Basie’s pianos, Hammond organ, photos, correspondence, concert programs, business records and press clippings, will become available to the public in the near future.

*From a press release: After focusing on his vocals for the past decade, David Basse has returned to the drums, his first and primary instrument. David has teamed up with multi-instrumentalist and producer Greg Richter and bassist Joe Straws to create The David Basse Trio… This past Thanksgiving the trio picked up a Nebraska Music Hall of Fame award.

*From a press release: Founded as a premier student jazz opportunity for students in grades 9-12, the philosophy of the KC Area Youth Jazz organization is to develop selected jazz repertoire for refined performance opportunities… The organization has strategically teamed with BRC Audio Productions and its owner, Bill Crain.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: The Marcus Lewis Big Band at RecordBar

I’m still marveling at a few of the solos played during the first set of the Marcus Lewis Big Band’s appearance at RecordBar on Sunday, June 3.  A good-natured saxophone battle between Mike Herrera and Stephen Martin was thrilling.  Clint Ashlock unleashed a trumpet solo that was as murderous as anything I’ve heard him play as the artistic director and conductor of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.  Additional prominent musicians including drummer Ryan Lee, keyboardist Eddie Moore and trombonist Jason Goudeau made similarly memorable statements.

It was a shame that less than two dozen people paid the $5 cover to hear the 18-piece big band.  A more robust audience would have undoubtedly propelled the ensemble to even greater heights.  I didn’t stick around to hear rapper Kemet the Phantom join the group in the second set, but the band’s new single “Fake It Til I Make It” gives me a good idea of what I missed. 

As he mentioned the forthcoming Brass & Boujee album, Lewis suggested that “it’s the first time ever that I know of that an 18-piece big band has played with two rappers fronting it… we’re combining jazz and hip-hop.”  While the first set didn’t feature any rapping, the big band’s stylish sound was entirely up to date.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: The Glenn Miller Orchestra

I ain't afraid of no ghost!  That’s not entirely true.  Something about the rendition of “Symphony In Riffs” by the current edition of the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the embedded video gives me the creeps.  The big band performs at Muriel Kauffman Theatre on Thursday, June 14.  All of the month’s jazz bookings are listed at The Kansas City Jazz Calendar.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Anita Dixon and Scott Wagner were interviewed by Joe Dimino about Kansas City’s UNESCO designation.

*Two new tracks by Chris Hazelton's Boogaloo 7 are available digitally now and as a 7” single on June 22.

*Libby Hanssen reported on the impetus of last week’s Building Cultural Bridges Through Jazz concert for KCUR.

*Teddy Dibble visits Charlie Parker’s grave at the 25:00 mark of his latest vlog post.

*Tweet o’ the Week: KC Jazz Orchestra- Next Monday, we are hosting a FREE listening party - come listen and discuss Monk’s “Brilliant Corners” at @KCLibrary downtown! #kcjazz #kcjazzorchestra

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

An Unorthodox Opinion

Last year’s Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival has been ruthlessly maligned and its organizers have been vilified.  Tremors from the ensuing trauma are rattling the foundations of Kansas City’s jazz community a year later.

The trash talk and finger-pointing that’s characterized the aftermath of a festival that resulted in a six-figure loss for taxpayers understandably overlooks a point that perhaps only Plastic Sax is willing to make.  From a purely artistic perspective, the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival was a massive success.

The auspicious jazz lineup featured on several stages at the three-day festival on that fateful Memorial Day weekend included ten particularly noteworthy touring acts:

• Karrin Allyson with Houston Person- a sublime pairing
• Brian Blade and the Fellowship- the fabled group’s first appearance in Kansas City
• Regina Carter- the violinist is one of the most decorated artists in jazz
• Chick Corea- the pianist is jazz royalty
• Kevin Mahogany- the late vocalist’s final high-profile Kansas City show
• Logan Richardson- the year’s only publicized area appearance by the most important Kansas City jazz musician to emerge this millennium 
• John Scofield- the guitarist is one of jazz’s most popular artists
• Soul Rebels- a party-starting New Orleans brass band
• Greg Tardy- a brilliant Tennessee based saxophonist
• Bobby Watson and Horizon- the Kansas City icon reassembled his all-star band

An impressive array of prominent locally based jazz musicians included Blair Bryant, Chris Hazelton, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, Max Groove, Ida McBeth, the McFadden Brothers and Ernest Melton.  A more auspicious aggregation of local and international jazz talent may never gather in Kansas City again.

While the pop/R&B vocalists Brandy and Lalah Hathaway drew a crowd that festival organizers pegged at 5,000, no jazz performance was attended by more than a few hundred people.  Organizers blamed the poor turnout on a single burst of rain.  Some detractors allege that the festival was poorly publicized.  I beg to differ.  Almost all of the 500 people in the metropolitan area willing to pay $50 per day to hear mainstream jazz performed on outdoor stages in the Jazz District showed up.

(Original image of a band performing at the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Shawn Maxwell's New Tomorrow

The Chicago based ensemble Shawn Maxwell’s New Tomorrow makes its Kansas City debut at Black Dolphin on Thursday, June 7.  A critic for Chicago Jazz Magazine suggested that the group’s 2016 album evokes the work of Steve Coleman and Dave Holland.  The Kansas City Jazz Calendar compiles all of June’s jazz listings.