Now’s the Time: The Brian Scarborough Quintet

I raved about the Brian Scarborough Quintet’s outing at Westport CoffeeHouse last month.  A band led by the young trombonist returns to the listening room on Wednesday, January 20.  The ensemble will include Matt Otto and Jeff Harshbarger, elite musicians who are featured alongside Scarborough in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Steve Vockrodt wrote a thorough analysis of the latest funding initiative for the Jazz District for The Pitch.  A television report about the development suggests that "the historic Jazz District is in disrepair.” 

*Prohibition Hall, a new venue at 11th & McGhee, has jazz musicians booked on Wednesdays and Latin jazz and salsa bands booked on Thursdays through February.

*Mike Warren reviewed Mike Metheny’s Twelve For the Road album for KCUR.

*Jessie Riggins reviewed a Roger Wilder performance.

*Joe Klopus examines the week's jazz calendar in his latest column.

*KC Jazz Lark celebrates the 100th anniversary of Jay McShann’s birth.

*Paul Shinn has released the new album Into That Good Night.

*Vince Giordano and Molly Hammer are among Joe Dimino’s most recent interview subjects.

*Pat Metheny wrote a remembrance of his former collaborator David Bowie.

*Dogs, an album featuring Mike Dillon, Brian Haas, James Singleton and Johnny Vidacovich, will be released on Feb. 26.  Here’s ”Bongo Joe”.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Mark Peavy- @LynnHorsley “Cleaver testified…18th and Vine is the 3rd most recognized street in the U.S.” That’s ridiculous. Maybe 12th & Vine(& KC Wine)

*From a press release: The spring 2016 season of the JCCC Jazz Series will kick off Tuesday, March 1, with the Ben Leifer Quartet. The series, which showcases the talents of local jazz musicians, is free and open to the public. Performances will take place at noon on Tuesdays for seven consecutive weeks. They will be held in the Polsky Theatre of the Carlsen Center unless otherwise noted. March 1: Ben Leifer Quartet, Polsky Theatre; March 8: Megan Birdsall Quartet, Polsky Theatre; March 15: Kansas City Jazz Collective, Polsky Theatre; March 22: Bram Wijnands Trio, Polsky Theatre; March 29: Doug Talley, tenor saxophone and Rod Fleeman, guitar, Recital Hall; April 5: Charles Williams Trio, Recital Hall; April 12: Max Groove Trio, Polsky Theatre.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Mike Herrera, Ernest Melton and Houston Smith at the Blue Room

I often cringe when I hear the opening strains of “In a Sentimental Mood.”  The chestnut is played far too often.

Houston Smith’s statement on the Duke Ellington standard at the Blue Room last Monday, however, transcended cliché.  With accompaniment by pianist Everett Freeman, bassist James Ward and drummer John Kizilarmut, the 18-year-old dazzled on the familiar tune.

Smith is attending the Berklee College of Music.  He was featured alongside the teenage Ernest Melton and the relative veteran Mike Herrera at the “Sax Showcase.”  An audience of about 50 attended the first set.

Melton chose “Ruby, My Dear” as his feature ballad.  His slightly sour and willfully course tenor playing recalled John Coltrane's work on his seminal 1957 collaboration with Thelonious Monk.  Herrera opted for a rendition of “All the Things You Are” to highlight his more refined approach. 

The marked contrasts between the three intriguing saxophonists served as yet another persuasive example of the artistic vitality of the Kansas City jazz scene.

(Original image of Herrera, Ward, Melton, Houston and Kizilarmut, left to right, by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Benny Green

I don’t know why Benny Green was selected as the featured guest artist for the Jay McShann Centennial Birthday Bash.  The New York based pianist plays more like Bud Powell than Hootie.  Even so, it will be nice to hear Green at the Gem Theater on Saturday, January 16.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Joe Klopus notes that there are "fewer places and opportunities to hear" jazz in Kansas City following a “few steps backwards” in 2015.

*KC Jazz Lark reviewed the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s Rhapsody.

*The Pitch recommends Roger Wilder’s appearance at a jazz vespers concert.

*The editorial board of The Kansas City Star questions the $7 million funding request from various institutions in the Jazz District.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Benny Green- Benny will take part in the centennial celebration of Jay McShann on Saturday January 16th at 7 pm at The Gem

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Album Review: The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra- Rhapsody

The recently released Rhapsody is the first of The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s albums to capture the ensemble’s expansive range and the authoritative voices of its members.  Earlier recordings emphasized the orchestra’s proficiency at rekindling the swinging Kansas City big band tradition.  The unflaggingly elegant Rhapsody documents the band’s impressive versatility.  

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now’s the Time: Amber Underwood

Billed as a Kansas City Divas’ Night Out, Saturday’s show at the Blue Room features three accomplished vocalists.  Joined by flutist Amber Underwood, vocalists Eboni Fondren, Charlotte Fletcher and J. Love will sing popular R&B songs at the Blue Room on Saturday, Jan. 2.  Underwood's solo begins at the 2:40 mark in the embedded video.