JAM: OCT/NOV 2007 Issue: Folly Jazz News

by Doug Tatum

The Joshua Redman Trio will open the 2007-2008 Folly Jazz Series on Friday, October 26. This will be Redman's second appearance at the Folly Theater; his first was in November 1995 not too long after he had burst onto the national jazz scene as one of the most compelling saxophonists in jazz . Over the past 15 years, Joshua has worked in a wide range of innovative ensembles and styles. His most recent CD, Back East (Nonesuch), returns Redman to his musical roots with a classic sax/bass/drums acoustic trio. When he finally decided to document this format in a New York recording studio, he found a world of memories and inspiration. Within the trio, Redman incorporates a stunningly wide range of ideas, experiences, and influences, creating a multi-layered self-portrait that prompted the New York Times to d escribe him as “a remarkably fluid improviser.” The genesis of the new CD was somewhat accidental. Joshua recalls, “One day I had my iTunes on shuffle and the Sonny Rollins' album Way Out West came on. I always loved that record, but I hadn't heard it in probably over a decade. “I'm An Old Cow Hand” was playing and, man, it just sounded so amazing. Naturally, it had a lot of relevance to the new music I was working on, because Sonny Rollins was probably the first, and arguably the greatest, saxophonist to really embrace the trio format. I got this burst of inspiration. …There's something… contemplative about the trio format, but something liberating and exhilarating about it as well. There's an introspective quality, a real intensity to it, but that intensity can also be very emotive and outward-reaching.”

The Bill Charlap Trio will appear on Friday, November 16. For more than a decade, Charlap has forged a career that has established him as one of jazz's foremost pianists. In 2003, he was named pianist of the year by the Jazz Journalists Association. He first emerged on the national jazz scene in the late ‘80s as a member of baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's quintet. As a sideman in the Phil Woods Quintet, Bill first appeared on the Folly stage in 2002. With his own long-term working trio formed in 1996 with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Ken ny Washington, Charlap has released four exceptional CDs that celebrate the American songbook tradition: All Through the Night (Criss Cross, 1997), Written in the Stars (Blue Note, 2000), a collection of Great American Songbook standards, Stardust (Blue Note, 2002), celebrating the songs of Hoagy Carmichael, and Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein (Blue Note, 2004), which garnered a Grammy nomination.

The balance of the 2007-2008 Folly Jazz Series will feature the following artists (all stellar talents!) :

Kurt Elling and his Quartet will take the Folly stage on Friday, December 14. With seven Grammy nominations to his credit, Elling has been named Down Beat's Male Vocalist of the year in both Critics and Readers polls, and the San Francisco Chronicle called him “the most flamboyantly creative jazz singer to emerge in the last decade.”

Bobby Sanabria's Latin Jazz Band, Ascension (a nonet), will appear on Saturday, January 12. Grammy nominated Sanabria is a percussionist, composer/arranger and educator who has worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, Charles McPherson, Mongo Santamaria, Chico O'Farrill, and Mario Bauza, among others. Sanabria was featured in the July 2007 issue of Down Beat, and his latest recording, Big Band Urban Folktales (Jazzheads) has received critical acclaim.

Trumpeter Terell Stafford will bring his Quintet to the Folly on Friday, February 29. Stafford combines beautiful lyricism with an adventurous edge. He has worked with Bobby Watson, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Ken ny Barron, Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath, Jon Faddis, Cedar Walton, Herbie Mann, Matt Wilson, and the Clayton Brothers, among others. As a sideman, Stafford has appeared on over 40 albums, and he has recorded four CDs as a leader; the most recent is New Beginnings (MaxJazz).

Singer Rachael Price will make her Kansas City premiere on Friday, March 28 as my pick this season in our Folly Jazz Spotlight concert that highlights exceptional emerging jazz talent. At the age of 21, Rachael already possesses a rich, mature resonance in her voice. The Washington Post stated, “Rachael Price, who performed at The Ken nedy Center… is young, gifted...it became clear that Price...has the talent to match her enthusiasm.”

The Monty Alexander Trio will close the season on Saturday, May 10. By combining his Jamaican musical roots with swinging jazz traditions, Monty Alexander has developed an ex huberant piano style that has excited audiences worldwide over the past four decades. Among many others, Monty has performed with such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, and Clark Terry.

Folly Jazz Series subscriptions are available that provide full season, “pick 6” and “pick 5” options with discounted ticket prices under $13 per concert. Regular single tickets range from $15 - $30, and members of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors receive special discounts. For more information, call the Folly Theater, 816-474-4444 or visit our website: www.follytheater.com.

Doug Tatum is the Executive Director of the Folly Theater