A NEW BAND IN TOWN
The Westport Art Ensemble Is Bringing Fresh New Sounds to the KC Scene

by Roger Atkinson


It has gotten to the point that I anticipate disappointment whenever there is something "new" in jazz. Young over-hyped players with new major-label contracts seldom live up to their advance praise. The new compositions that fill the CDs and live appearances offer little hope of including a piece worthy of jazz standard status. And the ad hoc groupings of established stars often deliver less than the apparent sum of their prodigious talents.

Well, there's a new band in town, and there is no reason to hold back on our excitement. The Westport Art Ensemble is a grouping of musicians we have enjoyed individually, and in ensemble they easily deliver beyond the sum of their very talented parts.

The band includes the tenor sax of Josh Sclar, Jake Blanton on guitar, Roger Wilder on piano (including the too-seldom heard Fender Rhodes), Gerald Spaits on bass, and drummer Todd Strait. They are a contrast in styles. Sclar is an aggressive player with a hard tone that reminds me at times of a Jackie McLean on tenor. Blanton is a more straightahead swinger. Wilder is an introspective player who adds depth with his unique chord voicings and humor. Spaits is a consummate bassist both in support and in solo. And Strait proves to be the versatile percussionist who seems to add to every setting.

Much of the repertoire of the ensemble is original composition. "It's one of the main reasons we got together," Spaits confided in a recent conversation. The compositions have a wide range of styles, and the ones I heard at the Blue Room one night this past December were all fresh. Some, such as Sclar's "Art Isn't Always Pretty" and Spaits' "Open Up the Door" have little structure. "We really have no idea where we'll wind up on these pieces," said Spaits. But it works.

The ensemble holds weekly rehearsals. And everyone is a great listener and very responsive to what they hear on the bandstand... or in the case of Wilder, what they hear in the audience. At the Blue Room gig, Roger "answered" the call of a cell phone during a particularly quiet moment in his solo. He literally made the phone's intrusion into part of the piece.

The band has thus far made only a handful of appearances in Kansas City. In addition to the night at the Blue Room, they have a regular gig the last Monday of each month at the Westport Coffee House, 4010 Pennsylvania. There are two sets starting at 8:00 p.m. As the band prefers a concert setting, these two venues work in their favor. Both are listening rooms, and based on what I saw at the Blue Room, the Westport Art Ensemble has quickly developed a large young following that is as attentive as the smartest crowds at the Folly Theater or Village Vanguard.

"I can't explain the following or their appreciation," Spaits says, "but it is refreshing. It started at the Coffee House, where no alcohol is served and the young crowd is welcome. We have noted that many in the audience are high school students. Some are even bringing their parents!"

While no recordings are planned, Westport Coffee House owner Tom Ptacek has recorded some of the band's sets. "The recordings sound great," he says. Ptacek currently has three CDs worth of music recorded. This is one listener who hopes there will be some kind of release at a future date. I'm certain it will not disappoint.



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