Concert Review: Aaron Parks' Little Big at the Blue Room

The 2018 release by Aaron Park’s Little Big on the Ropeadope label may or may not be last year’s best album, but it’s almost certainly one of the most brilliantly produced jazz recordings in recent memory.  “Kid” is among the tracks with a sonic immediacy that’s uncommon in the realm of improvised music.  The New York based quartet replicated the album’s massive sound field at the Blue Room on Monday, June 24.  An audience of about 75- about half of whom were musicians- paid the $10 cover to hear keyboardist Parks, guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard and drummer Tommy Crane play head-bobbing jams that felt just as vital as the latest work of Flying Lotus, Madlib and Thom Yorke.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Vine Street Rumble

The history-minded big band Vine Street Rumble will accompany the folk-oriented singer-songwriter Danny Cox at the Kansas City Kansas Street Blues Festival on Saturday, June 29.  The unlikely pairing is briefly featured in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The lineup of The Prairie Village Jazz Festival was revealed last week: 4 p.m. Shawnee Mission East Blue Knights; 5 p.m. Matt Otto Quartet; 6:20 p.m. Vine Street Rumble; 7:30 p.m. Marcus Lewis Big Band; 8:45 p.m. Dan Thomas & the KC All-Star Big Band, featuring Lisa Henry.  The concert is Saturday, September 7, at 77th Street and Mission Road.

*Tony’s Kansas City considers a notable job opening at the American Jazz Museum.

*A man was shot to death at 18th & Vine last weekend.

*The duo of Ehud Ettun and Henrique Eisenmann returns to the 1900 Building on July 13.

*No artists from Kansas City were awarded first place in Downbeat’s 2019 Critics Poll.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Grace Prtichett- A logical next step is Green Lady Lounge before our pre-dinner break.

*From Chris Burnett: I am honored to announce that I have been asked to administrate and serve as the director of the 2019 Charlie Parker Student Music Boot Camp on Saturday, August 17 at the historic Gem Theater.  I have already confirmed the clinicians who will work with the campers: Bill Crain, saxophone; Stanton Kessler, trumpet; Jason Goudeau, trombone; Roger Wilder, piano; Charles Gatschet, guitar; Bill McKemy, bass; Clarence Smith, drums; Greg Carroll, vibes; and, Queen Bey, vocalist/ historic interview.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

These Little Town Blues

What does Elkhart, Indiana, have that Kansas City doesn’t?  The small town hosted a full-scale jazz festival featuring national touring acts this weekend.  The ostensible jazz mecca Kansas City?  Not so much.  The Prairie Village Jazz Festival, the sole jazz festival in the Kansas City area, will present a handful of locally based acts on September 7. 

Gregory Porter- a bona fide jazz star who has never performed in Kansas City- topped the 39-act lineup of the three-day Elkhart Jazz Festival.  New York City’s hot jazz revivalists the Hot Sardines, the adventurous Philadelphia duo Trap Rabbit, a Nashville based fusion band led by drummer Sophia Goodman and the smooth jazz saxophonist Kris Brownlee were among the other noteworthy performers.

The Elkhart Truth reports that Elkhart’s mayor rightfully trumpeted his town’s achievement: “I have it on good authority that some of America’s great jazz cities that include New Orleans, Memphis, Kansas City and Chicago have all declared that this weekend, Elkhart is the Jazz Capital of the U.S.”  I can’t vouch for New Orleans, Memphis or Chicago, but I can confirm that the jazz scene in Elkhart resoundingly trounced the offerings in Kansas City during the past 72 hours.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Julian Vaughn

Julian Vaughn, a graduate of Shawnee Mission North High School, celebrates the release of his new album Supreme with a concert at iWerx on Saturday, June 29. Tickets are available here.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Jazziz takes notice of Ernest Melton.

*Dan Gailey and his students at the University of Kansas discuss  a recent collaboration with Renee Rosnes in a brief video.

*Ryan Keberle & Catharsis return to Kansas City on July 8.

*Bret Primack created a video clip in which Sonny Rollins  considers Charlie Parker’s demeanor.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Dave D’Marko- Smooth jazz still playing and it’s pretty quiet in here as 92 percent of Kansas City ballots are in and Quinton Lucas has nearly a 2 to 1 lead over Jolie Justus. Closer to 60-40 counting surrounding counties that also have parts of city. #ElectionResults2019

*From a press release: The American Jazz Museum’s Kansas City Jazz Academy has secured a performance residency at KCMO’s City Hall extending over the next 12 weeks.  Beginning June 20th, every Thursday from 1:30pm – 2:00pm (prior to each week’s City Council meeting), students from the Academy’s combo classes will showcase their talents in the main rotunda of City Hall.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Snarky Puppy at Muriel Kauffman Theatre

With a box office gross of about $75,000, Snarky Puppy’s appearance at Muriel Kauffman Theater on Tuesday, June 11, was the most financially auspicious instrumental jazz concert of 2019 in Kansas City.  The $35 I paid for the worst seat in the house afforded me a panoramic view of the audience of more than 1,500.

The palpable enthusiasm of the uncommon mix of fans of freak-rock acts like Primus, refined pop enthusiasts of artists such as Sting and committed jazz aficionados added a sense of occasion to the band’s long overdue Kansas City debut.  Founded by Michael League in 2004 when he was a student at the University of North Texas, Snarky Puppy is a leading light in the progressive jazz scene and a coveted festival headliner.

Even so, I never warmed to Snarky Puppy’s update of the jazz fusion associated with Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report and the Brecker Brothers.  The group’s output always struck me as the overly busy and bombastic work of prodigious studio geeks.  (Tuesday’s lineup consisted of violinist Zach Brock, saxophonist and flautist Chris Bullock, bassist Michael League, guitarist Mark Lettieri, trumpeter Mike Maher, saxophonist Bob Reynolds, keyboardist Bobby Sparks, keyboardist and trumpeter Justin Stanton, drummer Jason Thomas and percussionist Marcelo Woloski.)

I made a conscious decision to drop my guard on Tuesday.  By allowing the ten musicians to barrage me with their ostentatious solos and fussy arrangements without interference from my usual critical defenses, I gained a new appreciation for the collective.  The live presentation is vastly superior to dry studio albums like the 2019 release Immigrance.  I thrilled to each solo (the obligatory dual drummer bludgeoning excepted), admired the light show and was left wanting more at the conclusion of the 100-minute set.  I showed up merely to witness the Snarky Puppy phenomenon.  I left the Kauffman Center as a hard-won fan.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)