Captured: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey at Jardine's

Steve Paul wasn't the only person wielding a video camera during the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey's appearance October 9 at Jardine's. Someone affiliated with the band created the embedded montage of the show. Additional footage is here. Both videos show Kansas City-based bassist and newly minted JFJO member Jeff Harshbarger to good advantage. If you like what you see and hear, feel free to revisit the 2009 interview Plastic Sax conducted with JFJO's Brian Haas.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*A surly weirdo caught Bobby Watson jamming with his UMKC students at GiGi's Jazz Inn last week. Here are his notes and photos.

*Common posted performance footage of Diverse and Les Izmore at his blog. That's the good news. The bad news? The rest of the world will hear how many people in Kansas City (don't) listen to live music.

*KCJazzLark has the "Saturday Night Blues".

*Ben Ratliff of The New York Times reviewed the new album by pianist Harold O'Neal.

*The Pitch gave Diverse and Les Izmore the "Best Tribute" award for their Common collaboration. Mark Lowrey was acknowledged for "Best Collaboration."

*This footage of the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey's performance Saturday at Jardine's is just one of several fine videos recently uploaded by Steve Paul.

*Here's Downbeat's review of Bobby Watson's The Gates BBQ Suite. Audiophile Audition also evaluates the release.

*Hermon Mehari and The Sound are hosting a block party in front of the Mutual Musicians Foundation on Friday, October 22, from 8 p.m. to midnight. KCJazzLark commends the initiative.

*The new roster of the Black House Improvisors Collective is announced in an amusing post.

*KC Free Press investigates the possible presence of a ghost at the Phoenix.

*A critic in Syracuse mentions that "Kansas City" is in the repertoire of Max Weinberg's big band. The ensemble performs at Jardine's on Halloween.

*Hermon Mehari assumes the role of Dizzy Gillespie Saturday, October 16, at 12th Street Jump.

*Renee Fleming performed jazz last week at The Folly Theater. Sort of. Here's The Star's review.

*Tweet o' the Week: kcrhythmandribs: Thanks to everyone who came out for the fest on Sat! Keep an eye on this space for an upcoming Twitter account for AJM events year-round!

*From a KCKCC press release: Kansas City Kansas Community College Jazz Band Director Jim Mair is going home to conduct the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra. Canadian born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Mair will direct the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra in two performances of the “Kansas City Suite” on Nov. 7, 2010.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Review: Rhythm and Ribs Festival

Saturday's Rhythm & Ribs Jazz and Blues Festival seemed like two separate and entirely unrelated events. The first one ran from 11 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Less than 1,000 people were on hand to hear a dozen local and regional acts. Attendance exploded immediately after the jazz and blues portion of the festival concluded.

"This is what I envisioned when I took the beating I did when I tried to get this area up and going again," Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II, said in his introduction of Kirk Whalum as he looked out at an audience of about 4,000 at 7: 40 p.m.

When I departed at 9:30 p.m., it looked as if 5,000 were on hand. The enormous VIP section in front of the main stage, painfully vacant all day, filled up during Whalum's set. Many of the fresh VIPs toted lawn chairs, leading me to speculate that the passes were being freely distributed at the gate.

Cleaver called Whalum "one of the greatest saxophonists to ever put a reed in his mouth." The Reverend and I will just have to agree to disagree about that assessment. The audience, however, didn't share my skepticism of Whalum's smooth gospel caterwauling. I may have been embarrassed when Whalum told the audience that he was the saxophone player on "I Will Always Love You" (yes, that's him at the 2:10 mark), but I was obviously in the minority. I also didn't appreciate that Whalum's set felt more like a Sunday morning than a Saturday night. He closed with "Falling In Love With Jesus". Thank heaven for Lalah Hathaway's appearance midway in Whalum's set. She doesn't try to be sexy. She just is.

Whalum's music may not be my thing, but an unlikely collaboration between Whalum and Nicholas Payton was the undeniable highlight of the festival. After momentarily riffing on "A Love Supreme," Whalum explained that he'd invited Payton to sit in on his set. Their rendition of "Giant Steps" was a symbolic triumph. While no sparks flew, the pairing epitomized what the festival organizers surely hoped to prove- that fans and musicians representing disparate styles can find common ground.


















It's a nice thought, but very few people seemed to appreciate Payton's intriguing set. (Note the empty VIP seats as Payton performs, above.) Sounding like a fresh update of Miles Davis' "Ife" from the 1972 album On the Corner with a pinch of Fulfillingness' First Finale thrown in as a sweetener, it was real back to the future stuff. Yet most of the meager audience greeted the experimental sound with insolent chatter or expressions of disgust. I loved it. Only the intrusion of a traditional New Orleans swing number late in the set disappointed me. It felt like a jarring repudiation of everything that had preceded it. Save that misstep, Payton's application of impeccable bop chops to gauzy outside jazz made for the day's most interesting music.















I'd been looking forward to hearing Queen Bey. (In light green, above.) She recently returned to Kansas City and I hadn't heard her in years. I wasn't sure I'd get the chance Saturday- the long-winded introduction by Howard Hesseman seemed like it would never end. Her all-star band consisted of saxophonist Gerald Dunn, trombonist Jason Goudeau, guitarist Will Matthews, bassist James Ward, drummer Ryan Lee and pianist Otis Hays. I don't know that I'd ever heard the latter musician. His bluesy but elegant playing floored me. (He's just one of several musicians mentioned in this review without any online presence.) In spite of this stellar support, Bey confessed that her appearance was plagued by "technical difficulties." Maybe next time.























The set by the so-called "Elderstatesmen of Jazz" was also a letdown. The music played by vocalist Patricia Lyons-Cox (above), flugelist Ronnie Reed, saxophonist Michael Herrera, pianist Donald Cox, bassist Joe Straws and drummer Sam Johnson was fine, but the average age of the band was a youthful 55 or so. I'd been hoping for the likes of Ben Kynard and Sellie Truitt. I guess it's just a sign of the times.


















Blues-bangers Trampled Under Foot did their thing from the main stage for a small but enthusiastic audience. (Above.)


















The refined piano-and-bass duo of Michael Pagan and Steve Rigazzi sounded splendid in the high-ceilinged atrium of the museum complex. Horace Washington's quaint set also succeeded in the same space. (Above.) I liked the veteran's joke about changing the name of Charlie Parker's "Scrapple from the Apple" to "Grapes On the Vine." Others preferred the Wes Blackman Trio's lounge-friendly versions of Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love" and Anita Baker's "Rapture." The "B-3 Party" in the atrium, however, represented an audiophile's nightmare.

Back in the Blue Room, Heat Index preserved the fusion-funk of the mid-70s. A straight-ahead jazz band led by Nebraska-based trumpeter Darryl White featured beautiful contributions on vibraphone from Greg Carroll.


















Blues veteran Millage Gilbert's take on "Kansas City" was the first rendition of the song I heard Saturday. Alas, it wouldn't be the last one. I call for a moratorium on the tired standard. I have a few other quibbles about Saturday:

*Why were festival goers forced to show their ticket and/or hand stamp as they moved between the three stages? Unnecessary and annoying, the pointless process created logjams.

*Before the grounds filled for Whalum's set, the sound on the outdoor stage echoed off the back wall of the museum complex. The resulting reverb was awful.

*The decision to conclude the music on the two indoor stages at 6 p.m. was baffling. The odd oversight was made even worse by the horrid boogie recordings heard between live acts on the main stage. Would it have killed the sound man to play Jill Scott or Teddy Pendergrass?

*The food offerings (above) were a disappointment. I've sworn off one prominent restaurant after purchasing its inedible fare Saturday.

The latter two issues forced me to bail on the festival before seeing Sugarfoot's Ohio Players. While I hope festival organizers take this constructive criticism to heart, they're to be commended for successfully reviving Rhythm & Ribs after a one-year hiatus.

Rhythm & Ribs in 2011? I'm already there.

(Original images by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Kirk Whalum and Lalah Hathaway

The real wild card at Saturday's Rhythm & Ribs Jazz and Blues Festival is the appearance of Kirk Whalum and Lalah Hathaway. Everyone knows the game plan of Sugarfoot's Ohio Players. Nicholas Payton is a regular visitor to Kansas City and the regional acts are known commodities. But Whalum and Hathaway? Their collaboration could go either way.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*KCUR conducted an instructive interview with bassist Jeff Harshbarger. Download it here.

*In a Wall Street Journal essay, Will Friewald detects the influence of Benny Carter in Bobby Watson's compositions. I referenced the same thing in my review of The Gates BBQ Suite.

*The Mutual Musicians Foundation is hosting a "Welcome Home" reception for Queen Bey on October 6.

*Matt Otto is the subject of a Joe Klopus profile.

*Tim Finn notes the 25th anniversary of Chuck Haddix's KCUR program "Fish Fry." Steve Penn quotes Haddix as he praises the LaBudde Special Collection Department at UMKC.

*I saw the new cut of Sue Vicory's Kansas City Jazz & Blues: Past, Present & Future at a screening hosted by BB's Lawnside BBQ last week. The film is much improved.

*The Good News Jazz Festival will be held October 15-16 at the Liberty Performing Arts Center. The Christian-themed event features Euge Groove, Marcus Johnson and the Wild Women of Kansas City.

*In a fascinating and very personal blog post, Chris Burnett examines the role the military played in his life.

*Jeff Harshbarger, Mark Southerland and Sam Wisman are mentioned in The Star's review of The Golem.

*KC Metropolis offers a review of the September 25 concert by The Bad Plus.

*Wonderful photos from previous Rhythm & Ribs festivals are offered by KCJazzLark.

*A few citizens of Marshall, Missouri, are planning a jazz festival.

*Here's an interesting new interview with Pat Metheny.

*Steve Paul reveals Renee Fleming's flirtation with jazz.

*Marilyn Maye's extended run at Quality Hill Playhouse begins October 29.

*The Pitch named an obsessive-compulsive weirdo "Kansas City's Best Blogger" of the year.

*Organizers of the Prairie Village Jazz Festival are attempting to win a Pepsi-sponsored contest. Votes may be cast here.

*Here's a note I received on October 3: My parents owned The Orchid Room on 12th and Vine from 1957-1962. I am desperately looking for any photos of the club (interior or exterior) and have hit a dead end. If you have or know of anyone that may have some, PLEASE contact me. Thanks. p_mazza3@yahoo.com Here's hoping a Plastic Sax reader can help this person out.

*Tweet o' the Week: djjazziedeb: Wish I could own my own jazz club. Hate it when the Blues and R&B bring in the bucks and jazz clubs stop booking jazz.

*The Kansas City Jazz Calendar is loaded for October. As I've previously suggested to musicians and club owners, if a gig isn't listed, it's either because I don't consider it "jazz" or because you haven't let me know about it.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Review: Killer Strayhorn- 80/20 Blue

Butterflies no bigger than dimes fluttered in my face as I lay in the grass when the Prairie Village Jazz Festival commenced on September 11. Warm sunshine and a cool breeze gave the perfect day a southern California feel. Similarly, the poised performance by Killer Strayhorn was more akin to the west coast jazz associated with Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan than the bluesy fire of Kansas City jazz.

80/20 Blue, the Kansas City-area ensemble's second album, mirrors that tried and true approach. A head is followed by a round of solos on most of the twelve tracks. Familiar but impeccable, the album is a sophisticated blowing session. The contributions of Bob Harvey (trumpet and flugelhorn) and James Isaac (saxophone and flute) are particularly noteworthy. Only "Damage Control" and "A Mile In Yo' Shoes pts. I-IV," tracks with arrangements that deviate from the standard pattern, stand out.

Then again, perhaps context is everything. 80/20 Blue may not rank among my favorite albums of 2010, but Chris Lewis' piano solo on Pat Metheny's "Timeline" goes down perfectly while sipping coffee on a Sunday morning. The insistent groove of"Whits-Up?" works well while tossing meat on a grill. And when tiny butterflies are around? Forget about it!

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Dave Douglas

Dave Douglas, one of the most creative and compelling figures in jazz, appears with his group Keystone at The Blue Room on Friday, October 8. Although his most recent project is the Frankenstein-inspired Spark of Being, the music Douglas will perform in Kansas City probably sounds more like this. The soulful rendition of Rufus Wainwright's "This Love Affair" embedded above is indicative of Douglas' expansive aesthetic. Curious listeners are also encouraged to investigate Douglas' Greenleaf Music blog.