I equated Kansas City jazz with Jay McShann when I came of age during the Reagan administration. Kevin Mahogany seemed to personify the sound of the city in the ‘90s. Bobby Watson dominated the decade after he returned to Kansas City in 2000 to become UMKC’s Director of Jazz Studies.
The most compelling sound of the past few years is the amplified vibraphone played by Peter Schlamb. His new EP Electric Tinks is a worthy successor to his stunning 2014 release Tinks. It’s my understanding that Schlamb is joined by saxophonists Ben van Gelder, Matt Otto and Logan Richardson, trumpeter Hermon Mehari, bassist DeAndre Manning and drummer Ryan Lee on the 24-minute release, but Schlamb’s plugged-in tones that range from the grating buzz of a modem to the divine sound of a heavenly harp dominate the seven concise selections.
“Skylar’s View” is among the tracks that mirror the futuristic sound of the Los Angeles based Brainfeeder camp more than the music of Watson, Mahogany or McShann, further evidence that everything’s up to date in Kansas City.
(Original image by Plastic Sax.)
No comments:
Post a Comment