Now's the Time: Parallax

Stan Kessler's Parallax returns to Take Five Coffee + Bar on Saturday, December 14.  The ensemble is one of Kansas City's most interesting jazz bands.  I reviewed Parallax's performance at Westport Coffeehouse in January.  Additional footage of much of that gig is posted here.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Joe Dimino interviews Abel Ramirez for his Neon Jazz program.

*The Kansas City Star published a review and a report about the 18th & Vine Jazz and Blues Festival.

*KC Jazz Lark ponders the public's perception of the Jazz District.

*Stanley Crouch promoted his new biography of Charlie Parker on PBS.  (Tip via Tony's Kansas City.)

*Lee Hartman reviewed a performance by the People's Liberation Big Band.

*A van owned by trumpeter George Robinson was stolen. 

*The Pitch recommends Parallax's performance at Take Five Coffee + Bar.

*The Black House Collective shares another round of photos documenting its new music festival.

*The $14 million National Blues Museum opens in St. Louis next year.

*Tweet o' the Week: ashley- At the 18th & Vine Jazz and Blues Festival with my grandma..

*From Mike Metheny: It's always a pleasure (and a challenge!) to be on the same stage with such outstanding musicians as Stan Kessler (tpt), Hermon Mehari (tpt), TJ Martley (p), Gerald Spaits (b) and Brian Steever (dr). And how's this for a bona fide Kansas City Trumpet Summit: the equally outstanding Clint Ashlock (tpt) will be a special guest during each set at the Blue Room on Saturday, Oct. 26, 8:30-12:30. (That's Clint's photography on the cover of the new CD that will be available at the gig.) Hope to see you there!

*From a press release: Annual birthday bash celebrating & featuring Tim Whitmer with party revelers the Wild Women of Kansas City, guitarist Rod Fleeman & the Consort Band. Wednesday, November 6, 2013. 7:00 p.m.  Unity Temple on the Plaza.  $7.00. Children under 16 free.

*From 12th Street Jump: This week on 12th Street Jump we celebrate the birthday of Lee Konitz with our special guest Rob Scheps. The gang sees "Who's Got the Blues" in South Bend, IN and offers a little help to the President.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Displacing the Drummers with Parallax

Looks matter.  Unfortunately- even in jazz- it's not all about the music.

I occasionally encounter jazz musicians who act as if they're bored to tears as they perform.  I'm just as turned off when I see guys feigning happiness.  I also know a promoter who's reluctant to book an area jazz act because its members sometimes look as if they just mowed their lawns when they show up for a gig.

Neither attitudes nor apparel were an issue for Parallax at Westport Coffeehouse on Thursday, January 10.  All fifty or so people in the room recognized that the band's music was uniformly excellent.  Parallax honors Kansas City's jazz tradition by adding an intrepid sense of adventure to its solid foundation in mainstream swing.

Trumpeter and flugelhornist Stan Kessler, keyboardist Roger Wilder and bassist (and sousaphonist) Bill McKemy are among Kansas City's most accomplished musicians.  The equally renowned Matt Otto and Clint Ashlock sat in with the band.

Yet Parallax's single most dynamic element was obscured by the setup on the small stage of Westport Coffeehouse.  In young drummers Ryan Lee and Brian Steever, Parallax features two of the most visually compelling musicians in Kansas City.  The tandem's unfiltered facial expressions and kinetic motion are consistently delightful.

Try to spot the drummers in the two photos of Thursday's performance.  Lee and Steever are obscured by the horns and keyboards.  Joe Lovano's Us 5, one of the world's foremost jazz bands, also features dual drummers.  At the ensemble's 2011 appearance at the Gem Theater, the large stage allowed extra spacing so that Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela were fully visible to the audience.  Until Parallax performs on similarly large stages, perhaps it should defy conventional stage plotting by placing Lee and Steever in front. 

Lee and Steever must be seen.  Jazz needs their outward expressions of joyful exuberance. 

















 
(Original images by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The ambitious plans of the owner of the Green Lady Lounge are revealed in an enlightening report by David Hudnall of The Pitch.

*Parallax's recent performance at Take Five Coffee + Bar is documented by KCJazzLark.

*Michael Pagán lists eight jazz venues in the Kansas City area.

*Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle's The Freedom of Expression is slated for release this month.

*Chuck Berg reviewed David Basse's recent concert at the Topeka Jazz Workshop.  (Tip via Offstage.)  WIBW provides video of the event.

*Chris Burnett unveils plans to remaster his 1999 debut album.

*Tweet o' the Week: marklowreymusic- Last minute gig addition! Tonight solo piano at the Green Lady Lounge 7-11pm. This is my first time in this new space. Let's kick it.

*Comment of the Week: Lee- Does he have any plans to sell this online? There's an ominous lack of a "recordings" tab on the website you so kindly linked to. I had similar trouble trying to land a copy of "Live at Jardines." After several unanswered emails and Facebook posts, I finally gave up trying to get a copy sent to me in Seattle. And now I'm whinging on your blog like a moron.

*From Joe Athon: Kansas City Youth Jazz organizers in collaboration with Take 5 Coffee Bar have announced a Jazz Vocal Summit to be held January 20th, 2013 at 3pm to 6pm inside Take Five Coffee Bar in Leawood, KS.  The concert will last three hours. Participating in the event will be Angela Hagenbach, Wild Women of Jazz, Eddie Goss, Millie Nottingham, Laura Chalk, Bryan Hicks, Shay Estes and Joe Athon.  This will be a showcase of some of Kansas City's finest vocalists performing solo vignettes, duets and other configurations.  Proceeds will benefit Kansas City Youth Jazz… Tickets can be reserved in advance for $25 by calling 913-991-8225 or by emailing jathon@hotmail.com and for $35 at the door the day of the show. Seating is limited and advance purchase is strongly recommended. 

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Eddie Saunders, a longtime fixture of Kansas City's jazz scene, has died.  Here's footage of Saunders performing at the Blue Room in 2004.

*KCJazzLark continues his amusing rebuttal to what he perceives as the unwarranted negativity of the author of this blog.

*Kristin Shafel Omiccioli compiled a spring jazz preview.

*Tony Botello raves about Mark Lowrey's new album.

*A writer for The Kansas City Star recounts a remarkable moment he experienced at the Kill Devil Club.

*Chris Burnett posted a "MIDI Mock Up" of a new composition.  He shares his new resolutions here.

*3 Degrees Above Absolute Zero, a jazz fusion album by Jeff Shirley, was released a few months ago.

*Marc Myers posted an appreciation of Frank Wess.

*Here's a special request of the management of the brand new downtown venue that refers to itself as a "Kansas City Jazz Lounge"- please watch this site's Jazz Clubbing video.

*The Kansas City Jazz Calendar has been updated.

*Tweet o' the Week: Je Sais Que- Hate when people say "ima put KC on the map". It's already on the map been there for a while because of Jazz and BBQ

*Comment o' the Week: Dean Minderman- Though they now live in Michigan, where Reggie teaches at MSU, the Thomases are from St. Louis, and they're both really good.  Unfortunately, as you probably found out while searching, they don't have a lot of video or audio material available online. The clip of "Unchain My Heart" is fine - I've run it on my own site - but it only barely hints at what they can do.  Marty Morrison and Nick Jost are St. Louis guys, too, both very solid & versatile players. Those four could carry a show on their own, but add in Bobby Watson and Will Matthews, too, and you've really got some potential there. Here's hoping a lot of folks turn up to hear them at the Blue Room…

*From JCCC: Jazz Winterlude will make its annual return this month at Johnson County Community College, again showcasing some of the best jazz musicians around Kansas City and beyond. The two-day festival, which will take place in the Carlsen Center on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 18-19, features Julian Lage, a Grammy-nominated guitarist; Deborah Brown, a world-renowned vocalist and Eldar, a New York-based pianist. More than half a dozen area jazz artists and ensembles also will perform, including the David Basse Orchestra and the Megan Birdsall Quartet. "For us, Jazz Winterlude is all about the music," organizer Doreen Maronde said. "We want students to have the opportunity to work with professionals; we want the audience to sample new things as well as hear their favorites.  And we think the strength of the Kansas City musical community gives us a unique opportunity to do this." The 2013 Jazz Winterlude will be free to audience members, thanks to contributions from community supporters. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

*From Stan Kessler: Parallax- January 10, 2013. Westport Coffee House. 8-10:30. $5… Stan Kessler-Trp. Roger Wilder-keys. Bill McKemy-Bs., sousaphone. Ryan Lee-Drm.
Brian Steever-Drm. Special Guests Matt Otto & Clint Ashlock.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Plastic Sax's Top Albums and Concerts of 2012

Attentive jazz aficionados in Kansas City had the luxury of sifting through an outpouring of quality and quantity in 2012.  So many exceptional recordings were released by locally-based artists that I'm obliged to offer two lists of albums this year.  These rankings, of course, are merely a reflection my personal taste.

Performances
1. Vijay Iyer Trio- Folly Theater
2. People's Liberation Big Band- RecordBar
3. Pat Metheny's Unity Band- Folly Theater
4. Matt Otto Quartet- Westport Coffeehouse
5. Vanguard Jazz Orchestra- Folly Theater
6. Parallax- Take Five Coffee
7. Bobby Watson with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra- Unity on the Plaza
8. Delfeayo Marsalis- Blue Room
9. McFadden Brothers- Gem Theater
10. Shades of Jade- The Brick

Kansas City Albums
1. Pat Metheny- Unity Band
2. Project H- Become Light
3. Deborah Brown- All Too Soon
4. T.J. Martley- Meditations
5. Matt Otto- Broken Waltz
6. Killer Strayhorn- One Begins to Wonder
7. Various- Music for Owen/Cox Dance Group, Vol. 1
8. Michael Pagán- Keyboard Christmas
9. Hearts of Darkness- Shelf Life
10. Chris Hazelton- Peregrination

Jazz Albums From Elsewhere
1. Christian Scott- Christian aTunde Adjuah
2. Lionel Loueke- Heritage
3. Esbjörn Svensson Trio- 301
4. Neneh Cherry & the Thing- The Cherry Thing
5. Robert Glasper- Black Radio
6. Vijay Iyer Trio- Accelerando
7. Charles Gayle Trio- Streets
8. Branford Marsalis Quartet- Four MFs Playin' Tunes
9. Tord Gustavsen Quartet- The Well
10. Floratone- Floratone II

Previous annual listings were published here and here.

(The photo of a dumbfounded doofus watching Ryan Lee perform with Parallax at Take Five Coffee + Bar was submitted by Stan Kessler.)

Review: Parallax at Take Five Coffee

Take Five Coffee + Bar was packed for the second and possibly final performance by Parallax last Thursday.  After standing in the back of the room for thirty minutes, I retreated to the patio.  The outdoor vantage point muffled Stan Kessler's horns, Roger Wilder's Fender Rhodes and Bill McKemy's bass, but it allowed me to revel in the dual drums of Ryan Lee and Brian Steever.

Both drummers are extraordinarily accomplished.  Each adds youthful exuberance to the exceptional formal training they received at UMKC.  Hearing the joyous interplay of Lee and Steever on the eve of Lee's departure to New Mexico was bittersweet.

Kessler, an energetic raconteur, works in variety of contexts every week.  Yet I can't recall him ever sounding more inspired than he did fronting Parallax.  Propelled by McKemy's sousaphone, the funky strut of "Make a Hole" was my favorite piece.  And the fascinating "Sky Watcher" offered the sort of progressive jazz that's too rarely heard in Kansas City venues.

Although Lee will be sorely missed, it'd be a shame if Parallax disbanded after just two performances. Here's hoping that Kessler finds a way to maintain a Lee-less version of the group.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)