Now's the Time: Tony DeSare

Readers of Plastic Sax are a cantankerous bunch.  The discourse following a post related to Jazz In the Woods last month quickly turned ugly. 

And to be sure, it's kind of a drag that smooth jazz artists from around the globe have usurped locally-based swing musicians at the annual event.  But there's no arguing with success.  Jazz In the Woods is the best-attended "jazz" event in the Kansas City area. 

Tony DeSare, a New York-based crooner, performs at Jazz In the Woods at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, June 14.  The embedded cover of a Journey ballad represents the sort of approach that should delight thousands of picnicking listeners next weekend. 

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The American Jazz Museum has unveiled the lineup for the 2013-14 season of Jammin' at the Gem.  It includes, Poncho Sanchez, Najee, the Newport 60th Anniversary Tour, Curtis Fuller and Bill Charlap.

*Leon Brady's new Kickstarter campaign is titled The Kansas City Percussion Project: Educating and Creating Musical Collaborations for Children and Seniors.

*Ryan Heinlein was interviewed by Joe Dimino of Neon Jazz.

*The history of The Pla-Mor is recounted by KCJazzLark.

*Nate Chinen provides insights into the interview he conducted with Pat Metheny and John Zorn.

*The one-time Oklahoman Champian Fulton recalls her relationship with Jay McShann in her entertaining blog.

*Ed Shaughnessy, a popular drummer who played with the likes of Count Basie,  has died.

*Tweet o' the Week: Dana A. Coleman- TODAY IN BLACK HISTORY: Andy Kirk was born on this date in 1898. He was an African American musician, composer…

*Comment o' the Week: Toby Tucker- Very well said Hap!
Toby

*From Jim Mair: Dan DeLuca lost his battle with Leukemia on Saturday May 25. Dan had an encyclopedic knowledge of the American Popular Songbook. He new the original changes of all the tunes but at the same time played very logical and inventive substitution chords which always kept things fresh. He could play in any key and transpose in a split second. He could carve any tempo with virtuosity and clarity. His bass lines rivaled the best bass players. In five years of playing with him every weekend I was never able to anticipate how he would end a song. Every tune became a lesson in harmony and melodic lines. He personally increased my repertoire by at at least 150 tunes. We would often segue tunes together for over an hour using hand gestures to signal the key we were moving to. Three fingers down meant three flats or the key Eb. Five fingers up meant five sharps or the key B etc. He loved Bill Evans and one of his most favorite compositions was The Bad and the Beautiful by David Raksin.  He was a quiet giant of the piano.

*From a press release: How many artists can claim praise like "punk rock provocateur," "jazz vibraphone visionary" and "percussion master" in the same sentence? There's only one: Texas-native Mike Dillon. Whether it's through his affiliation with artists like Les Claypool and Ani DiFranco, collaborations like Garage A Trois, The Dead Kenny Gs and Critters Buggin or bands he's fronted, including Billy Goat and Hairy Apes BMX, Mike D (as fans refer to him) has set his own standard going on 25 years now.  His current full-time focus, The Mike Dillon Band, is perhaps the perfect storm of all these past experiences. Dillon's manic creative energy has found a foil in three young New Orleans-based musicians. Carly Meyers on trombone provides melodic and harmonic counterpoint to Dillon's vibes and percussion as she feverishly whirls about the stage driving audiences into a frenzy. The rhythm section of guitarist/bassist Cliff Hines and drummer Adam Gertner turns on a dime from blinding punk rock assaults to deep funk go-go, skanked-out ska grooves to old school hip-hop beats with all points covered in between.  The band performs at the Brick in Kansas City on June 28. 

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Pat Metheny: An Appreciation

Only fools read the comments posted to YouTube.  I am what I am.

A testy exchange at the streaming video site has stuck with me.  A commenter suggested that Pat Metheny is under-appreciated.  How can the recipient of 19 Grammy Awards, someone replied, possibly be considered under-appreciated?

Grammy Awards are nice, but industry accolades shouldn't be mistaken for artistic commendations.  Many jazz classicists abhor Metheny's experimental streak.  His soothing contemporary jazz work is dismissed by fans of more experimental sounds.  Lots of rock fans disdain Metheny's penchant for quiet beauty. 

Metheny is one of the most misunderstood- and yes, under-appreciated- musicians of our time. 

From his game-changing 1976 debut as a leader to last week's release of an album documenting his interpretation of John Zorn's contemporary spiritual compositions, Metheny has continually defied expectations.

The native of Lee's Summit has constructed an army of robots, popularized futuristic world music, worked as a member of one of the most essential avant-garde jazz groups of all time and is responsible for impenetrable walls of noise.  The styles may vary, but everything he touches exudes Metheny's distinct sensibility.

Very few artists working in any genre possess a fraction of Metheny's range.  As an eclectic genius, Metheny is in a class with the likes of Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Brian Eno and David Bowie.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: The Black House Quartet

A recently completed opera project offered further evidence that the Black House Collective is one of Kansas City's most multifarious ensembles.  Four musicians affiliated with the collective- saxophonist Hunter Long, guitarist Jeff Stocks, bassist Andrew Stinson and drummer Matt Leifer- will return to their foundation in forward-thinking jazz on Saturday, May 25, at Take Five Coffee + Bar.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*KCJazzLark provides a then-and-now look at several historic sites in the jazz district.

*Burt Bacharach references Mary Lou Williams, Count Basie and Teddy Wilson in an interview published by The Pitch.  (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

*The 100th show of Joe Dimino's Neon Jazz features a dozen Kansas City artists.

*The Pitch's new jazz scribe previews a gig at the Blue Room featuring the Jazz Disciples and Book of Gaia.

*Nate Chinen interviewed Pat Metheny and John Zorn about Tap: The Book of Angels, Vol. 20.  Tom Moon also analyzed the project.  The album was released yesterday.

*The Marshall Democrat-News recaps last weekend's Bob James Jazz Festival.

*Here's another installment of "Blues In the News" from 12th Street Jump.

*Tweet o' the Week: negroleaguesmusuem- Alex Bugnon just performed a soulful salute to the late Isaac Hayes! #nlbm

*Comment o' the Week: Anonymous- mmm Jazooo, what a F@#$ing joke.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Review: The Matt Otto Quartet featuring Alan Ferber at Westport Coffee House

I read a startling new interview with Don Was, the president of Blue Note Records, a few hours before I attended a performance at Westport Coffee House last Thursday.

In describing his vision for Blue Note, Was explained that he intends to avoid promoting what he characterized as "selfish music."  From The Philadelphia Inquirer story:  "It's music made by self-centered [expletives] who get up on stage and say, 'Check this out, look what I can do.' We're not interested in that. We're interested in generous music."

Under Was' tenure, Blue Note has released high-profile albums by Robert Glasper, José James, Aaron Neville and Gregory Porter.  These "groove"-based artists have little in common with the music presented Thursday by a band featuring the visiting trombonist Alan Ferber, saxophonist Matt Otto, bassist Jeff Harshbarger and drummer Brian Steever.

The audience of less than twenty consisted almost entirely of musicians, the significant others of musicians, journalists and a dorky jazz blogger.  Could the low turnout be a reflection of Was' assertion about "selfish" music?

I don't think so. 

I would have gladly paid the $10 cover just to see and hear the joy-infused interaction between Harshbarger and Steever.  Besides, Otto and Ferber are notably creative composers.  The original material they brought to the gig was filled with intriguing twists and turns.  Their playing was correspondingly exceptional.  My admiration of Otto's work is extensively documented at Plastic Sax.  Ferber co-led the 2009 album In the Paint with David Binney and was a member of Esperanza Spalding's band when she appeared at the Kauffman Center last year.  Those collaborations are indicative of the forward-thinking approach displayed Thursday.

While the two sets featured plenty of solos, few could have been mistaken for self-glorifying exhibitions of technical mastery.  The only moment that might have inspired the ire of Was came during a rendition of Charlie Parker's "Visa."  Ryan Heinlein, Stan Kessler and Michael Shults contributed to a lengthy round of solos.  While each effort was exceptional, the selfless theme that had preceded the closing selection was absent.

In addition to the R&B-oriented albums mentioned above, Was has overseen new releases by jazz giants including Joe Lovano and Wayne Shorter.  The music documented on those albums may be difficult, but it's hardly selfish.  Thursday's performance in Kansas City was worthy of that robust tradition.

(The People's Liberation BIg Band will perform Ferber's compositions on Sunday, May 19, at the RecordBar.  Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: C.J. Boyd

The itinerant bassist and composer C.J. Boyd isn't a jazz musician.  Yet material like "We Know Time" should resonate with advocates of Charles Mingus and Charlie Haden.  Boyd kicks off the two-day KC Psychfest at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 17.