Album Review: Brian Scarborough- Sunflower Song

I began tracking the steady ascent of Brian Scarborough even before I snapped the embedded photo of the young Kansas City trombonist at Homer’s Coffee Shop in 2017.  I’ve impatiently anticipated the release of his debut album since catching an astounding performance by Scarborough’s band at recordBar last year.  Released August 7, Sunflower Song is worth the wait.

Not only does the uncommonly elegant album showcase Scarborough’s talents as a trombonist and bandleader, Sunflower Song is an essential document of the artful component of Kansas City’s jazz scene.  In recruiting four of Kansas City’s most notable musicians- tenor saxophonist Matt Otto, guitarist Adam Schlozman, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Brian Steever- Scarborough is responsible for giving the rest of the world an opportunity to hear the magnificent sounds a small cadre of locally based fans of improvised music have enjoyed in recent years.  

Rather than dominating the nine tracks, Scarborough allows his bandmates equal footing.  The democratic collaboration pays homage to the cool West Coast jazz of the 1950s, an approach allowing Scarborough to honor the adventurous spirit of Bob Brookmeyer.  The late Kansas City native is Scarborough’s most obvious reference point.  The sound may be based on a venerable tradition, but there’s nothing stale about Sunflower Song.  

Serene on the surface, the album is deceptively subversive.  Otto invokes the underappreciated Jimmy Giuffre while Schlozman’s thorny solos reveal the influence of Thelonious Monk.  The stutter-step rhythms of “City Lights” highlight the synchronicity between Harshbarger and Steever.  Scarborough exhibits none of the youthful aggression you’d expect to hear on the debut album of a rising star.  

Immanuel Wilkins’ very fine Omega, the most prominent jazz album released August 7, is characterized by brash solos and innovative production tricks.  That’s clearly not Scarborough’s style.  Yet his reserved sensibility produced one of the most consequential acoustic jazz albums made entirely by Kansas City musicians in recent years.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: The Brian Scarborough Quintet at RecordBar

Brian Scarborough has arrived.  Once a precocious boy wonder brimming with potential, the trombonist, composer and bandleader proved that he’s joined the ranks of Kansas City’s elite jazz musicians at RecordBar on Sunday, August 18. 

Scarborough possessed the assurance and advanced conception of a musician twice his age as he led a stellar quintet consisting of saxophonist Matt Otto, guitarist Adam Schlozman, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Brian Steever in a performance of original material.

I wasn’t surprised when he told the dozen people who paid the $5 cover to catch the first set that he’d been listening to Albert Mangelsdorff.  While decidedly thornier than his previous playing, Scarborough’s slightly left-of-center attack wouldn’t have caused conservative devotees of Bob Brookmeyer or J.J. Johnson to squirm.

Focusing solely on Scarborough would be imprudent.  Otto remains the best soloist in town not named Bobby Watson.  And the group’s sophisticated comping was frequently as intriguing as the individual solos.  Scarborough’s rapid evolution suggests that I’m likely to encounter a much different musician the next time I catch him.  I can hardly wait.

(Original image of Adam Scholzman, Brian Scarborough, Matt Otto and Brian Steever by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: The Chicago Plan at the Blue Room

The American Jazz Museum described the sound of the Chicago Plan as “loose and cool" in a social media post promoting the avant-garde ensemble’s April 26 appearance at the Blue Room.  Those aren’t the words anyone in the audience of about 100 for the ensemble’s first set would have used.  The pairing of the adjectives “agitated and incendiary” or “chaotic and combustible” better represent the ensemble’s attack.

The extremely rare booking of free jazz stalwarts in Kansas City was made possible by the well-financed Goethe Pop Up.  A billboard in the Crossroads District advertised the concert.  The gambit may not have worked.  Aside from affiliates of the Goethe group and the locally based musicians Bill McKemy, Adam Schlozman, Brian Steever and Rich Wheeler who alternated sets with the Chicago Plan, I may have been the sole enthusiast of Fred Lonberg-Holm, Steve Swell, Gebhard Ullmann and Michael Zerang to pay the $10 cover charge.

With collective recording credits that include sessions with Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, El-P, Ken Vandermark, Wilco and John Zorn, the members of the Chicago Plan are all-stars in the new music community.  They validated their reputations as elite noise-makers.  Lonberg-Holm, a self-described “anti-cellist,” provided the biggest surprises.  He contributed ominous electronic enhancements, made his instrument sound like a rusty door hinge and summoned the ghost of the MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith.

Steve Swell served as a maniacal master of ceremonies.  His snarky attempts to engage the dozens of high school choir students from Iowa who filled the back half of the club fell flat, but nearly everything else he and his colleagues attempted was explosive.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Album Review: Nate Nall Quintet- Places to Go

Nate Nall travels directly to the hard bop territory currently occupied by the likes of his fellow trumpeters Sean Jones and Terell Stafford on the opening track of Places to Go, his debut album as a leader.  For the next 50 minutes, Nall, a product of Bobby Watson’s jazz program at UMKC, confidently plants a flag in a destination that almost certainly meets with Watson’s approval.  Even though they only venture beyond the familiar terrain to take in the rugged vistas of “Destination Unknown” and the craggy canyons of “Starry Night,” Nall and saxophonist Matt Baldwin, guitarist Adam Schlozman, bassist Sam Copeland and drummer Zach Morrow capture plenty of dazzling auditory snapshots.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle at Polsky Theatre

Polsky Theatre momentarily resembled the world’s funkiest nursing home last Tuesday.  As bassist DeAndre Manning channeled Stanley Clarke on a gospel-infused reading of “God Bless the Child” for an appreciative audience of about 75 senior citizens and 25 younger music lovers at Johnson County Community College, the free lunchtime concert by Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle could have been mistaken for an exceptionally soulful enrichment activity.

The reassuring ambience created by the quartet of Moore, Manning, guitarist Adam Schlozman and drummer Zach Morrow was worlds removed from the raucous atmosphere at the album release party for Kings & Queens at the Tank Room ten days earlier. 

The solid display of jazz fundamentals on “God Bless the Child” and a sublime interpretation of “Caravan” prepared the audience for a faithful recreation of the exploratory title track of Kings & Queens.  Only two listeners defected during the 25-minute suite, an achievement that reflects the inclusive appeal of the adventurous band.

Setlist: Caravan, God Bless the Child, Kings & Queens suite

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Album Review: Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- Live In Kansas City

Live In Kansas City, the exceptional new album by Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle, was released in June as I was packing for a trip to South America.  While I included it among my Favorite Albums of 2015 (So Far) listing, the recording is worthy of further examination.

In a review of an Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle performance in January, I noted that that the group revives the 1970s sound of the Crusaders and Herbie Hancock. 

The new recording opens with a rendition of Joe Henderson’s 1970s classic “Black Narcissus.”  The second track is a version of the Hancock by-way-of Robert Glasper composition “Riot.” 

The quartet of keyboardist Moore, guitarist Adam Schlozman, electric bassist DeAndre Manning and drummer Pat Adams finds its own voice on the second and third portions of the album centerpiece “Kings and Queens.”  Several moments during the extended composition are transcendent. 

Rather than attempting to revive traditional Kansas City jazz, Moore and his bandmates demonstrate their affinity for the vital contemporary music of Kamasi Washington and Thundercat.

While it’s entirely instrumental, the extraordinarily elegant and remarkably intelligent Live In Kansas City implicitly expresses the fractious tenor of our times.

(Original image of “Cosmic Fonk”-themed street art in Chile by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle at Take Five Coffee + Bar

A man in the full house at Take Five Coffee + Bar on Saturday wore makeshift earplugs.  The music performed by Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle merited the high volume.

I've been impressed every time I've watched Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle perform at the Blue Room and the Green Lady Lounge in the past couple years.  The ensemble continues to expand on the sound documented on the 2013 album The Freedom of Expression.  (Plastic Sax review).

During Saturday's gig the band played with even more focus and assurance.  Moore alternated between piano and a Yamaha MO8 as he and the current lineup- guitarist Adam Schlozman, bassist D'Andre Manning and drummer Pat Adams- evoked the classic work of the Crusaders and Head Hunters-era Herbie Hancock.

Schlozman's subtle playing was particularly impressive.  He may become the most significant jazz guitarist to emerge from Kansas City since Steve Cardenas.

Material from a forthcoming album titled Kings and Queens struck the right balance between artful ambition and jubilant grooves.  The Outer Circle may be stylistically rooted in the 1970s, but its exceptional musicianship and astonishing rapport imbues the band with unwavering relevance.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Steve Kraske featured Hermon Mehari of Diverse on KCUR's Up To Date.  Natalie Gallagher of The Pitch interviewed Mehari and Ryan Lee.

*The Pitch highlights an upcoming Molly Hammer performance.

*Joe Dimino of Neon Jazz interviewed E.E. Pointer of the River Cow Orchestra.

*Here's a new episode of 12th Street Jump's "Blues In the News."

*Tweet o' the Week: Tom Snow- Voyage with Bobby Watson #kcjazz (photo)

*Comment o' the Week: Anonymous- Well, that whole thing where the blog comments got lost in an unchecked mailbox for several months was nice while it lasted…

*From a press release: On Friday May 16th from 9pm-1am, renowned Jazz saxophonist and founder of popular soul band Jack Mack and the Heart Attack, Bill Bergman will be playing a show at the Broadway Jazz Club to commemorate his 50th anniversary of playing in Kansas City.  Bergman will be accompanied by hometown friends from Kansas City Latin jazz band Sons of Brasil in order to create a unique fusion of contemporary LA jazz and Kansas City grooves…

(Original image of Eddie Moore and Adam Schlozman at the Green Lady Lounge by Plastic Sax.)