Loren Pickford Heads Out

Many people in the area only know Loren Pickford as the jazz musician who settled in Kansas City in the wake of Katrina. While it's a compelling soundbite, there's so much more to the former Louisianan. His solid resume hints at what's on display on this shaky video filmed at the Blue Room in July. The world music themes and spiritual explorations heard here evoke John and Alice Coltrane. It's wondrous music of the highest order.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Loren Pickford blames BMI for the loss of his gig at the Golden Ox according to a report by Tess Koppelman. (Tip via Tony's Kansas City.) Pickford plays Thursday, July 23, at the Blue Room.

*Will Matthews' new album, Count Out Swingin', streets August 3. The recording features saxophonist Bobby Watson, organist Mel Rhyne and drummer Kenny Phelps.

*KCUR profiled jazz and electronica musician John Brewer.

*Tony's Kansas City continues to rave about Dave Stephens. The popular blogger also seems to approve of the previous Plastic Sax post.

*If I didn't know better, I'd suggest that A Blog Supreme has been monitoring Plastic Sax. A new essay suggesting that the jam band scene is an appropriate model for jazz musicians is strikingly familiar. (Here's just one example.)

*Apropos of nothing, the Guardian published a fine essay on Charlie Parker.

*435 South magazine featured David Basse. (Tip via AZ.)

*As Andrew Zender reported in a comment to the previous Plastic Sax post, Jazz Times magazine is "back in action".

*As I suggested a couple days ago, Kansas City's rock scene is thriving. A new documentary about the scene screened here last week. Requisite jazz content? The accompanying free download includes a track by Sal Retta that's sure to please fans of Madeleine Peyroux.

*"Jazz Is Dead." That's apparently the title of a song by new Kansas City indie rock band Thee Water Moccasins.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*I'd been unable to confirm dates for Loren Pickford's appearances at the Golden Ox. I now know why. In his column last week, Joe Klopus confirmed that the longstanding gig has ended. Klopus also reported that the stately tree near Charlie Parker's grave has been cut down.

*Present offers a gallery of jazz photography by Corky Carroll. His subjects include Smooth Groove, Pearl Thurston Brown and Erin Bode.

*This item solved my dilemma of trying to figure out how to work Michael Jackson into today's post. A candlelight vigil was held for the pop star Friday at Robert Graham's sculpture of Charlie Parker.

*A blogger is unimpressed by The American Jazz Museum.

*I appeared on KCUR's Up To Date on June 25. A podcast version is available at the station's audio archives. If you'd rather not listen to my sputtering and stammering about the state of jazz in Kansas City, Andrew Zender offers a helpful synopsis of the points he found most interesting.

*Nonesuch has reissued a Pat Metheny album on vinyl.

*Robert Folsom previewed the Next Generation Jazz Summit for the Pitch.

*St. Louis Jazz Notes reports that the St. Louis Cardinals and Sheldon Hall have teamed up to teach that city's young baseball players about jazz. It seems that a similar program would be a natural fit for Kansas City.

*Unverifiable rumor: There's talk that the former location of Cafe Trio might become a jazz club.

*Jimmy Cobb's tribute to Kind of Blue comes to the Gem Theater on October 17. The eighty-year-old drummer will have a fine band in tow. (Tip via Joel Francis.)

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

A Plastic Sax Party

This is so cool!

B.A.C. Horn Doctor, an Olathe company mentioned here earlier this month, has restored a Grafton saxophone similar to the $144,500 instrument on display at the American Jazz Museum.

In this video, Gerald Dunn auditions it in the presence of Charlie Parker's controversial plastic sax.

In addition to Dunn, the Horn Doctor staff filmed Loren Pickford and Bobby Watson playing the instrument. All three men make the plastic sax sound great.

Related videos are available at the Horn Doctor's YouTube channel.

The Loren Pickford Trio At the Golden Ox

The staff of Plastic Sax is ashamed that they neglected to catch Loren Pickford's trio at the Golden Ox until last weekend.

The saxophonist, Micah Herman and Charles Gatschet serve up some of the most imaginative jazz in Kansas City inside the profoundly masculine steak house lounge.

Pickford has seemingly done it all and played with everyone. Although he's ostensibly working in a cocktail setting, Pickford can't restrain himself from occasionally wailing like this. He also covers Tom Waits' skid row saga "The One That Got Away" with weary authority.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*I began frequenting the Phoenix in the '80s in part because the jazz club afforded me the opportunity to rub shoulders with Speedy Huggins and the Scamps. That history makes this development especially difficult. Both Plastic Sax and Hearne Christopher have been reporting that the Phoenix has been dark for weeks. Their web site now confirms it.

*The great untold story in Kansas City music is the tragic saga of Gregory Hickman-Williams. It looks like Lee plans to spread the word.

*NPR produced a fine podcast about Charlie Parker.

*The Star's Joe Klopus profiled Chris Burnett.

*Star columnist Steve Penn wrote a positive account of the local jazz scene. In another column, he tells the story of Loren Pickford.

*I'm not sure I'd have gone with the headline "Jewish Jazz Musician Releases CD". The story reveals Andrea Pharr's ill-advised marketing strategy. Unfortunately, she's not the only area jazz artist with a deliberately difficult approach. (Story tip from Tony.)

*The savvy jazz-oriented acts performing at the Crossroads Music Fest include the Scamps, Mike Dillon and Malachy Papers.

*Here's a newly uploaded Snuff Jazz video.

*Here's a lengthy blog post about a night at the Blue Room.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)