Now's the Time: Eldar and Mark Lowrey

Kansas City jazz fans can take in two noteworthy solo piano recitals in the next eight days. Mark Lowrey is recording a solo piano album at Jardine's on Sunday, August 1. And on Saturday, August 7, Eldar performs at Indian Hills Country Club in a benefit for the Prairie Village Jazz Festival. Admission to both events is more costly than usual, but the opportunity to hear the pianists in (presumably) pristine environments should be priceless.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*It almost sounds too good to be true. Ten dollars buys a ticket to see Fourplay, Kevin Mahogany and three local openers at the 40 Acres & a Mule campus on August 7. Details are here. Steve Penn previewed the event.

*An invaluable history lesson on the Jazz District is offered by KCJazzLark in his endorsement of the proposed reconstruction project on Highland Avenue.

*KCUR's Up To Date featured Alaturka on July 23. Download the podcast here. The Star reviewed Alaturka's July 25 performance at Jardine's.

*All About Jazz conducted an interview with guitarist Steve Cardenas.

*The Pitch catches Pearl Thuston-Brown at GiGi's.

*The challenges facing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum are detailed by a Canadian newspaper.

*A blogger notes his/her attendance at a lecture held at the American Jazz Museum.

*Here's the lastest dispatch from Black House Improvisors Collective.

*Listen to Bobby Watson working through an Ornette Coleman composition in 1985.

*I received the following message from a reader last week.

I have a problem with the Plastic Sax site. Too many of the links are outdated. I've spent way too much time this morning chasing dead ends. Any chance you can update them? Also, will you please add (my site) to you links?

Can you believe this guy? Still, I suppose he has a good point. I'm putting the local jazz community on notice- I've started the process of reviewing every link in the right-hand column. The dead links will be deleted accordingly. If you've migrated from MySpace, for instance, please email me your preferred address. Thanks in advance.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Grading the 2010-11 Folly Season

Word that Folly Theater executive director Doug Tatum was stepping down was greeted with a great deal of consternation in the Kansas City jazz community. Tatum, a genuine advocate of jazz, had curated the series for years. It turns out that the hand-wringing was seemingly unnecessary. The quality of the forthcoming season is incredibly strong.

The Bad Plus- September 25
Better late than never. A The Bad Plus booking would have represented an adventurous step forward a few years ago. In 2010, the trio is practically part of the jazz establishment. The future has finally arrived.
Grade: A-

Dave Brubeck Quartet- October 14
Jazz Methuselah Dave Brubeck will be two months shy of ninety when he returns to The Folly. Skeptical fans are advised to analyze footage of Brubeck from earlier this month. It's not a particularly exciting engagement, but hey, it's Brubeck.
Grade: B+

Sachal Vasandani- December 10
Youthful crooner Sachal Vasandani is the anti-Michael Buble. Buble covers the Eagles. Vasandani covers Iron & Wine. And Vasandani exudes little of the smarminess that can make Buble unbearable. There will never be a suitable replacement for Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme or Tony Bennett, but Vasandani carries the same torch with tactful aplomb. "Every Ocean, Every Star" is typical. While I believe that he'll eventually find a wider audience, my sole objection with this booking is scale. Vasandani would have a difficult time filling the Blue Room, let alone the Folly Theater.
Grade: B

Earl Klugh Quartet- January 15
Remember when jazz was popular? Earl Klugh once possessed mass appeal. My bias against smooth jazz doesn't apply to the guitarist.
Grade: B

Arturo Sandoval, March 4
I first saw Arturo Sandoval in the '90s when he conducted a clinic at the sorely missed Kansas City Jazz and Blues Festival. The Cuban defector wasn't yet fluent in English, but he had most definitely mastered the word "m*therf***er. His new album, A Time For Love, is a fine Clifford Brown-style trumpet-with-strings project. If I was told that a string section would be sitting in with Sandoval for this show, I'd boost my rating accordingly.
Grade: B

Joe Lovano "Us Five"- April 2
He's not Ornette Coleman or Sonny Rollins. That's about the only criticism that can be laid on this excellent booking. Joe Lovano is a jazz giant. I'm crossing my fingers that jazz giant in-the-making Esperanza Spaulding will still be a member of Us Five come April.
Grade: A

Karrin Allyson- May 7
Karrin Allyson certainly isn't a stranger in these parts. She played Jardine's three months ago and she's scheduled to perform at the Prairie Village Jazz Festival in September. I'm shooting for an attendance trifecta. Allyson's a wonderful talent.
Grade: A-

I conducted similar exercises for the 2009-10 season and the 2008-09 season. And here are my notes on the 2007-08 season.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Max Groove

I used to think smooth jazz and fusion musicians were kidding when they talked about the Weather Channel's importance as an outlet for their music. I have no idea how Kansas City's Max Groove feels about the cable television network, but I know that "Fiesta Sol" from 1989's Midnight Rain sounds great in this context. Max Groove performs Wednesday at Chaz on the Plaza.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*KCJazzLark tells the story behind a historic facade in the Jazz District.

*The 2010-11 season of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra has been announced.

*KCUR's KC Currents eulogizes Ruth Rhoden. She's also remembered by KCJazzLark.

*A visit to the American Jazz Museum rates on JazzTimes' jazz bucket list. (Tip via AZ.)

*The Pitch chats with Mark Lowrey.

*A blogger is mystified by fresh digging at the Charlie Parker grave site. I provided my best guess in his comment section but I suspect I'm wrong.

*Barbara Thomas of the American Jazz Museum is interviewed by the local NBC affiliate.

*KMBZ covered the "piano-thon" at the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

*The latest album from Michael Pagan's trio is characterized as an "exceedingly pleasant release" by a California publication.

*Mike Metheny created an atmospheric video for a track from his new album. He chats about Miles Davis in this podcast. "It was great music to make out to," Metheny says of Kind of Blue. All of Metheny's commentary is fascinating.

*A blogger reports on his first visit to the American Jazz Museum.

*Here's a fan video of Orrin Evans' recent appearance at the Blue Room.

*Pete Dulin profiled Mixed Method.

*Playboy magazine listed the Mutual Musicians Foundation in its "Guide to America’s Greatest Bars."

*"If Charlie Parker seems a less filthy racket today than he did in 1950 it is only because... much filthier rackets succeeded him." The Independent examines poet Phillip Larkin's difficult relationship with jazz.

*The following notice about a July 25 appearance by Pearl Thuston-Brown was posted at the Facebook account of GiGi's on Troost: Kansas City's Own Legendary Jazz Pianist, Vocalist, and Song Stylist invites YOU to celebrate another fabulous birthday. Come dressed in roaring 20's attire and be transported to the GOLDEN AGE of Jazz and American Song.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Listen

One of my favorite viral videos documents an experiment conducted by The Washington Post. They cajoled classical violinist Joshua Bell into posing as a busker at a subway station. Would anyone stop to listen? Here's the story.

That intriguing study came immediately to mind when I saw that four excellent Kansas City jazz musicians were scheduled to perform July 1 at Penguin Courtyard on The Plaza.

I was eager to see if unknowing passerby would linger at the courtyard to appreciate the work of four of the city's finest jazz musicians. Saxophonist Strayer led brilliant guitarist Rod Fleeman, acclaimed bassist Bob Bowman and relatively young drummer Sam Wisman through tasteful but vibrant mainstream jazz repertoire.

I caught about 45 minutes of one set and 15 minutes of another. About a dozen fans of one or more of the musicians were obviously on hand specifically for the event. I'd like to think that they saw the date listed on my Kansas City Jazz Calendar. It's more likely that they received an email reminder from bandleader Kerry Strayer. Or maybe they were friends and family of the band members.

The results of my completely unscientific study were discouraging. I didn't witness a single person in the popular shopping district stop to enjoy the music. Only about one in every five people noticeably slowed their stride. Women bearing shopping bags never looked up but a handful of men acknowledged the band's work with a nod or a smile.

Is this indifference a reflection on the popularity of jazz? No- Joshua Bell didn't fare any better.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Logan Richardson's America

Who says jazz doesn't pay? Kansas City native Logan Richardson performs in Spain this weekend. Italy is on the saxophonist's itinerary in August and September. Richardson also has many dates booked in his current base in New York. Alas, Kansas City is not listed on his schedule. This exceptional performance will make his hometown fans miss him all the more. Personal aside to Logan- I'm still hoping for that interview... (Video tip via Chris Burnett.)