Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Norman Brown and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are among the acts scheduled to perform at this year's Jazz In the Woods festival.

*The Kansas City Jazz Summit will be held at Kansas City Kansas Community College and Unity on the Plaza at the end of April.

*Steve Paul reviewed Benny Golson's performance at the Blue Room. So did Elgin Smith.

*Before Joe Lovano's concert Saturday, a representative of the Folly Theater announced that the following acts have been booked for the venue's 2011-12 jazz series: Nnenna Freelon, John Pizzarelli, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and the Yellowjackets.

*Chuck Berg raves about Kim Park.

*Doug Ramsey provides a troubling report on ailing Basie band alumnus Frank Foster.

*Another lesson in Kansas City jazz history is offered by KCJazzLark.

*Lawrence's Blueprint Jazz is featured in the University Daily Kansan.

*The new album by Clint Ashlock's New Jazz Order is now available at iTunes.

*Here's a nice new video feature about Pat Metheny's Orchestrion project.

*Performances by Snuff Jazz and the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey were reviewed by The Star.

*An animated discussion about the merits of KKFI follow a letter from radio station personality Barry Jackson.

*Steve Penn provides an update on the health of Ray Reed.

*Tweet o' the Week: americanjazzkc: Taxes are never fun, but it's only through the E-tax that the AJM is able to stay open and provide the exhibitions and programming we do.

*Don't forget about the Kansas City Jazz Calendar.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Kim Park

Kim Park might own the dubious distinction of being the best talent most routinely ignored at Plastic Sax. Allow me to begin to make amends. The technically masterful and deeply soulful saxophonist plays with the Joe Cartwright Quartet, Friday, January 21, at the Jazz Winterlude festival. Cartwright, incidentally, is the pianist in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Andrew Zender interviewed Jeff Harshbarger.

*Angela Hagenbach was featured in The Star's Sunday magazine.

*Everything looks better in black and white. KCJazzLark posted exemplary photos of Bobby Watson's set at Jazz In the Woods.

*The Star reviewed Marilyn Maye's second set at Jardine's on Sunday. Two additional shows have been added on Sunday, June 20.

*The Pitch offers photos of Mark Southerland and Helen Gillet performing at Birdies.

*Mark Edelman makes a few jazz picks.

*Steve Penn checks in with Max Groove and Horace Washington.

*Here's the latest installment of Megan Birdsall's MBird tour vlog.

*According to this review, a track on John Escreet's new album "features spoken work segments from an old recording of Charlie Parker himself."

*Kim Park plays the role of Eric Dolphy on Saturday's 12th Street Jump.

*Here's the latest from the Black House Improvisors' Collective.

*Notice of an "emergency meeting" was posted at the site of the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

*The excellent Jazz Wax blog remembers the late Danny Bank. The baritone saxophonist died June 5. The tribute includes of a stream of Bank playing "Night and Day" on a Charlie Parker session.

*Josh Charles recalls growing up in Kansas City.

*The Chicago Reader reports that Chicago saxophonist Fred Anderson is gravely ill. Anderson, an occasional performer at the Blue Room, is beloved by several of Plastic Sax's 37 readers. (Tip via Rick in P.V.)

*No Kansas City-specific artists or entities were among the nominees, but the listings of the Jazz Journalist Association's awards makes for interesting reading.

*Hear me stutter and sputter on the archived June 11 edition of KCUR's Up To Date.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Here's a bit of welcome news. According to an article in the Star, the Majestic is reopening under new ownership. Jazz, apparently, is still in the mix. "The Sebrees put a 1910 piano in the dining room for live jazz during happy hour. The basement jazz club will be open on Friday and Saturday nights."

*Kim Park has returned. "It is great to be back in Kansas City after spending two years in Nashville," Park writes. "There is a thriving jazz community here, and it is a pleasure to be back." He performs this Saturday afternoon at Jardine's.

*I learned of a major schedule change at the Blue Room through the KCJazzLark blog. The November 5 appearance by Pat Martino has been canceled. It's been replaced by an all-star bill of T.S. Monk, John Faddis and Bobby Watson.

*The Star's Tim Finn profiles The Hearts of Darkness.

*KCUR program KC Currents featured pianist Bram Wijnands.

*A song from Angela Hagenbach's new album is available for free download here.

*Here's the Star's review of Saturday's stunning Afinidad concert at The Folly Theater.

*Guitarist Will Matthews is recognized in Steve Penn's column.

*Mark Edelman's weekly jazz column runs here and here.

*From a CampKC guide to Kansas City nightlife: "My lover and I were urged to leave the Mutual Musicians Foundation for holding hands. Not fun. How we miss bar Natasha, where we could always pay the servers to camp it up and sing 'Defying Gravity' before closing."

*From Gary of AfterGroove: "This has been another good week for us receiving national airplay. For the 2nd week, we made to top 10 for "new adds" and "spincrease", according to Smoothjazz.com. We are also on www.citysoundsradio.com . We have a web radio interview scheduled in December with KCLIVE.com."

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Review: David Basse at Ironwoods Park

While it couldn't possible compare to the scene's heyday, the Kansas City jazz community was still vital twenty-five years ago.

Even as the fresh faces of Karrin Allyson, Kevin Mahogany and Bobby Watson were the toast of the town, world-renowned veterans like Priscilla Bowman, Ronnell Bright, Claude "Fiddler" Williams and the original Scamps were among the acts entertaining vibrant audiences in over a dozen jazz venues. And unlike today's typically staid audiences, jazz fans in the mid-eighties smoked, drank and hooked up with reckless abandon.

The soundtrack to the good times was provided by jazz acts that knew how to entertain a crowd. David Basse remembers that era- he was in the thick of it as an integral member of the City Light Orchestra.

It's no surprise, consequently, that in 2009 Basse still knows precisely how to excel in a variety of settings. He serenaded a tranquil audience of about 500 at Ironwoods Park in south Leawood on Labor Day weekend. Ably assisted by OJT and Kim Park, the setlist included tactful jazz versions of "Sixteen Tons," "Pink Champagne," "Route 66" and "Billie Jean."

Given the bucolic setting, Basse's discreet party music was perfect.

(Disclaimer- I've long considered Basse a friend. Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Are Shorts Allowed In Jazz?

Kansas City pianist Joe Cartwright recently posted several live performance videos at YouTube. My favorite is this Jazz In the Woods session featuring Stan Kessler, Kim Park, Ray DeMarchi and Gerald Spaits. Park's sax solo is particularly noteworthy.

I know how insufferable the heat can be at this event- I became delirious from sunstroke during Erin Bode's set a couple summers ago- but it's still disorienting to see jazz musicians donning shorts.

While Bode's alluring pop-jazz returns to the festival in 2008, you're not going to find traditional acoustic jazz musicians at Jazz In the Woods this year. Nor will you hear any local talent. Let this video serve as a satisfying reminder of a different time.