New Music Heard in a Variety of Venues

Let me start by saying that I am delighted to be a
part of this publication. My goal is to feature some of
the artists making new music outside traditional jazz
boundaries. This column will focus on performers who
are generating new ideas in jazz on a local and national
level.

In the past, adventurous music has only been
welcome in non-traditional venues. To hear this form
of jazz, one would have to seek it out at art openings,
coffee houses and the occasional rock club. The Cup
& Saucer in the River Market was the hub of avantgarde
jazz in Kansas City throughout the early 2000s.
It was a nurturing home for Mark Southerland, Arnie
Young, Brad Cox, Johnny Hamil, E. Clark Wyatt and
TJ Dovebelly, who tried ideas that wouldn’t have flown
in more traditional venues.
Its loss was a huge blow to the experimental scene,
as the regular Friday happenings had nowhere to go,
and the scene quickly lost its focus.
Today, experimental music has achieved a greater
acceptance in the music community at large, and can
be seen almost anywhere that prides itself on presenting
good music. The late-night weekend sessions at Jardine’s
(4536 Main) have done wonders to help expose traditional
jazz fans to the new sounds that many artists in
our city are exploring. Genre-bending musicians like
Brandon Draper and Snuff Jazz can be seen regularly
in this great club.
The Record Bar (1020 Westport) is another venue
the area that is promoting new music. It’s at the former
Drum Room space in Westport, and it’s one of the best
places to listen to music in the city. I have the honor
of presenting a bi-weekly series on Sundays, and it has
been a wonderful experience. It’s the current home of
The People’s Liberation Big Band of the Greater Kansas
City Area, and has presented an eclectic mix of local
new music scene
J e f f H a r s h b a r g e r
and national groups, including Diverse, composer/
bassist Todd Sickafoose, Alphabet, and Eastern Blok,
an amazing Balkan jazz group from Chicago (easily the
best thing I’ve seen all year). The People’s Liberation
Big Band will perform December 14, and Arnie and
The Youngbloods will be there December 28.
The All Souls’ Chapel (4501 Walnut) also has a new
jazz series. Titled “Jazz & Beyond,” they have featured
some great local favorites that are working out new
ideas, including Stan Kessler’s Uncertainty Principle,
Brandon Draper, and Brian Baggett’s Dojo. On December
21, Brad Cox and the The People’s Liberation
Big Band will perform their version of Tchaikovsky’s
“The Nutcracker.”
Jazz must evolve to remain true to itself. Its tradition
is deep and wonderful, and exploration lies at its
very heart. It is that adventurer’s spirit that drives this
music to swing, to moan, to wail. Come out and hear
some new sounds, and thank you for letting me share
them with you.

Jeff Harshbarger is a bassist and composer who has been
an integral part of the music scene since moving to Kansas
City in 2000. When he’s not curating a new jazz series
at The Record Bar or teaching at Kansas University, he’s
playing everywhere with everybody.