Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The Project H recorded an Eight One Sixty session for radio station KTBG.

*KC Jazz Lark assesses the positive contributions of the American Jazz Museum.

*Chris Burnett highlights upcoming events at the American Jazz Museum.

*Jerry Bergonzi is among Joe Dimino’s recent interview subjects.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Ghosts of Venice- When the afterparty is a 6am jazz club. Kansas City, I love you @ The Foundation Room (photo)

*Comment o’ the Week: Gary- I hope Lowrey plays Rockfest with Tech N9ne. Still I'd most likely not attend.

*From Bob McWilliams: KPR is airing an in studio concert by Horacescope this Thursday at 9:06 pm and again Sat. at 2:06 p.m. KPR in KC area is KANU FM 91-5 in Lawrence.

*This week’s edition of Confirmation is two days early.  Now’s the Time will appear a day late.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*KC Jazz Lark appraises Kansas City's jazz scene.

*Musicians share their thoughts about the late Tommy Ruskin with Neon Jazz.

*Demencha magazine interviewed Dominique Sanders about his new album.

*A blogger takes note of a performance by guitarists Charles Gatschet and Matt Hopper. 

*The Pitch touts Horacescope's gig at the Blue Room.

*Joyce Smith reports that vocalist Darcus Gates will open a "supper club" named Dash in May.

*Rudresh Mahanthappa's Bird Calls, an album on which "each track is directly based on a Parker composition or solo," will be released next month.

*Tweet o' the Week: Hermon Mehari- Playing in NYC tonight with Matt Brewer (bass), Craig Weinrib (drums), and Tony Tixier (piano) at Somethin Jazz Club from 9-10:45!

*Comment o' the Week: - Brian Baggett- Maybe Marilyn would like to do some VH covers with DŌJŌ?

*After years of neglect, the dead and dormant links in the blogroll have been cleared out.  Please let me know if you have a proper (non-Facebook/ReverbNation) site that merits inclusion.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: HoraceScope

Horace Silver died yesterday.  Two of the beloved musician's connections to Kansas City come immediately to mind.  The late trumpeter Carmell Jones, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, recorded with Silver on classic albums including Song For My Father.  In recent years, HoraceScope, a band led by Plastic Sax's 2013 Person of the Year Stan Kessler, has kept Silver's music alive in Kansas City.  HoraceScope performs a rendition of "The Outlaw" in the embedded clip.

Review: HoraceScope at Jardine's

Joyous and bluesy, the compositions of Connecticut-born Horace Silver have a great deal in common with the soulful swing associated with Kansas City jazz. So it makes perfect sense that several of Kansas City's elite jazz musicians regularly perform Silver's songs under the auspices of HoraceScope.

The group includes trumpeter Stan Kessler, saxophonist Dave Chael, pianist Paul Smith, bassist James Albright and drummer Zack Albetta. (The ensemble lacks a dedicated site, so I'm not entirely certain.) Saxophonist Matt Otto sat in with the band when I caught the group last week at Jardine's.

Silver classics including "Peace" and "The Cape Verdean Blues" were respectfully rendered. But there was a problem.

I had hoped that Jardine's new modest cover charge policy would dissuade idle chatter while musicians were on stage. I was wrong. Many of the 35 people in attendance simply couldn't stop talking.

The cacophony sounded exactly like this. Kessler's solo in the video is lovely. I imagine it would have been even better had he been able to hear himself think.

I would have loved to hear HoraceScope take on "Senor Blues," my favorite Silver song. After thirty minutes, however, both my cash and my patience were depleted.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)