KCMETROPOLIS.org
Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Jazz Winterlude at Johnson County Community College last weekend was like a three-day reunion of some of the most experienced Jazz talent in Kansas City.  Performed in concert venues, as opposed to bars, audiences were able to focus on the soul-filled melodies and intricate improvisations without distraction.  Giving up the relaxed club vibe full of food, drinks and chatter may have been a sacrifice, but the pay off was better acoustics, lighting and space to breathe -  as well as park.

Attending the Friday night gigs, I was surprised by the depth and breadth of the acts.  I was able to freely pass between the Dixieland jazz of New Red Onion Jazz Babies on the Polsky stage and the sexy Luqman Hazmat Trio in the recital hall. 

I first heard the New Red Onion Jazz Babies in the early 90's when I had just graduated from college and moved to the Plaza area.  They used to play every Sunday night at the Bristol where we would eat ten cent oysters with biscuits and wash it down with pints of Guinness.  Good times. They've been together for 30 years entertaining and educating audiences about the history of Jazz.  Front man and banjo player Paul Kersten did a great job telling the stories behind the songs.  Paul Rodabaugh provided the distinctive Dixieland tuba foundation, and Walter Bryant played piano with impressive broad strides while drummer Kent Rausch laid down the beat sang back-ups.  An assortment of interesting mutes lined up by the microphones of the "horn" section was expertly manned by trombonist, Dan Strom, Barry Springer on cornet and trumpet, and Garry Gollner on clarinet.

The Luqman Hamza Trio wasn't on the scene when I crawled from jam to jam in my youth and I was thrilled to hear them.  Hamza has a youthful tenor for a man with gray hair.  His voice exudes warmth and experience in a compelling combination. Joined by bassist, Tyrone Clark with Will Matthews on guitar, they have a great intimate nature that I can't wait to hear in a club.

Next on the programs was the Greg Carroll Quartet.  In my opinion, the vibraphone is a gift from the God of Jazz.  The sound is pointed and mellow at the same time.  When the vibe plays pianissimo its sound waves melt into all of the other instrumental timbres giving the ensemble a rich silkiness. Greg Carroll is at the top. Along with virtuoso pianist, Dr. Michael Pagan and the uber-talented brothers Leifer (Matt on drums and Ben on bass) they mixed up an hour-long set of pieces written and arranged by some of Carroll's musical mentors.  Known locally as The Midnight Blue Jazz Quartet they were well suited to the stage of the Polsky Theater.  Carroll is a funny and engaging front man, which is saying a lot in a field full of the humblest, most unassuming musician types.   The group is well educated and plays with passion as well as intelligence.  KC should be proud to have attracted Carroll and Pagan, two of the country's best known jazz educators.

It was standing room only for the Danny Embrey/Rod Fleeman Quartet, sometimes known as Interstring.  After a 7-year hiatus, this reunion was highly anticipated.  With Bob Bowman on bass and Todd Strait on drums, this Quartet has chops galore.   I recall hearing an early version of this group at the new, old Miltons on 39^th street and being completely blown away by Bob Bowman's smart and stylish bass solos.  Fleeman and Embrey alternate lead guitar responsibilities and although their electric guitars have a similar timbre, their solo voices are very different. Todd Strait doesn't seem to have aged at all.  I always appreciated his "spicy" cymbal sound.  His contribution really lightens and brightens this ensemble in a way that makes their sound shimmer.  Maybe we'll hear more from this seasoned ensemble?

In the Polsky theatre, the Rich Hill/Charles Perkins Quartet was heating up. The Hammond B3 organ has got to be one of the best party instrument sounds on the planet.  It's full of electric Mardi Gras excitement and Rich Hill is a master at controlling it - and pulling from it textures that are also soft and wonderful.  Charles Perkins is a triple woodwind threat.  He expertly moves between alto sax, clarinet and flute honoring their unique voices.  He has the ability to make each instrument sing with captivating expression.  In the Quincy Jones ballad, The Midnight Sun will Never Set, Perkins passionately played alto with smooth phrasing and elegant curvaceous lines that drew singer Sarah Vaughn to a tee. Guitarist, Matt Hopper impressed me with his perceptive support of the group and improvised with ease and imagination.  Arnold Young, on drums provided clean, stylish solos and impressive stylistic range.

9plus1 took the stage, a little late, but really revved the crowd.  Large ensembles are often difficult to find in this era of cost-cutting, but this group gave me hope that the 'bigger' band sound is back in Kansas City.  A mix of veteran jazzmen and fresh faces, 9plus1 has generational appeal.   Tim Doherty, Brad Gregory and Todd Wilkerson made up the sax and woodwind section. Bob McCurdy and Fred Mullholland played trumpet and flugelhorn, while Jeff Hamer completed the brass section on trombone. Rob Whitsitt (guitar) Roger Wilder (piano) Kevin Payton(bass) and Matt Leifer (drums) added solid support.  The large stage was a great venue for their bright, exciting brand of Jazz.  They certainly heated things up inside when the temperature outside was below freezing.

Saturday, January 9^th featured the James Ward Trio, The Doug Talley Quintet, husband and wife Sherry Jones and Mike Ning Quartet, Sons of Brasil with Stan Kessler and Danny Embrey, and the grand finale, The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra led by the venerable sax man, Jim Mair.

Sunday the festival concluded with a Jazz Brunch in the Capitol Federal Conference Center featuring the Dan DeLuca Trio.

Although the weather was frightful, the Jazz Winterlude brought 2010 in with the warmth of friends reunited. 

REVIEW:
Jazz Winterlude
January 9, 10 and 11^th
Carlsen Center at JCCC, various theatres
Overland Park, KS
For tickets 913-913-469-4445 or online at www.jccc.edu

Top Photo: Doug Talley Quartet

By Megan Browne Helm

Classical, Vocal and Theatre Contributor

Megan Browne Helm grew up singing, dancing and acting.  Inspired by Emma Kirkby as a high school student in St. Louis she went on to study voice and sing with the Collegium Musicum at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where she also had a radio show of contemporary classical music on WOBC.  At the University of Kansas she had the pleasure of working with former Kings’ Singer, Simon Carrington in his Collegium Musicum and Oread consort. Years later, she was a choral fellow at the Yale School of Music’s  Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.  She is currently singing with the Kansas City Symphony Chorus under the direction of Charles Bruffy. 

 As a freelance music and culture writer her work can be found on KCMetropolis.org, presentmagazine.com, the Lawrence Journal World, Shawnee Magazine, Leawood Lifestyle Magazine and KC Parent.  She was one of 26 journalists in the country chosen as a NEA Institute Fellow for Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. 

Her current interest is how classical music remains relevant through active collaborations with artists in different fields, including science.  She also sees a connection between classical music, travel and food as a way to engage all of the senses in a 360 degree cultural experience.  She blogs at raworganum.wordpress.com.