Jazz Town: Bobby Watson will do it his way at the Folly

Bobby Watson, alto saxophonist, composer and mentor, is the most important jazz musician in town right now, the chieftain of the Kansas City jazz tribe. So it’s only fitting that he gets to open the Folly Theater’s jazz series on Friday with his group.

Wait a minute, you might say. Don’t we already hear enough of that guy around town? What’s so special about this show?

One distinctive feature of this Folly show is that it’s one of the few where a hometown audience gets to hear and see the results when Watson himself is the one making all the musical decisions. Lately we’ve mainly seen and heard him as a guest on somebody else’s gig. But this time he’s playing his music (and his wife’s) his way — and it’s a big, deep catalog of good tunes that will stick in your head after the show is over. And this time he gets to choose the whole band.

Another distinctive thing about this gig is that it features one of Watson’s closest collaborators, bassist Curtis Lundy. They’ve been friends for 35 years or more, and musical bonds don’t run much deeper than this. But we don’t get to hear them together in Kansas City very often.

Bobby Watson has given Kansas City jazz a gigantic shot in the arm — not just through his playing and writing, but also through his University of Missouri-Kansas City jazz program, which has drawn some incredibly creative young people to town, nurtured their musical dreams and given them all kinds of real-world advice and experience. That’s a primary reason he’s the chief right now. It’s rare that one person ever enriches a scene, anywhere, as much as Watson has in Kansas City over the last 15 years.

And this Folly show is the chief’s chance to really show how leadership in jazz is done.

Meanwhile, don’t forget the rest of the Folly’s series:

▪ Nov. 21: Guitarist Julian Lage’s trio.

▪ Dec. 18: Pianist and composer David Benoit, in “a Christmas tribute to Charlie Brown,” featuring singer Jane Monheit.

▪ March 11, 2016: Singer Alicia Olatuja, who made a splash singing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at the 2013 presidential inauguration.

▪ April 9: Bassist Christian McBride’s trio.

▪ May 21: Singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.

Noteworthy

▪ The Blue Room, 1600 E. 18th St., has multi-instrumentalist Dwight Foster running the Monday jam at 7 p.m. Vibraphonist Peter Schlamb’s group appears at 7 p.m. Thursday. Singer Charlotte Embry and her band appear at 8:30 p.m. Friday, and the Jazz Disciples are joined by trumpeter Clint Ashlock at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

▪ The Green Lady Lounge, 1809 Grand Blvd., has the Foundation 627 Big Band at 8:30 p.m. Sunday; the group BVibe at 9 p.m. Monday; percussionist John Kizilarmut’s trio at 9 p.m. Tuesday; organist Ken Lovern’s OJT at 9 p.m. Wednesday; guitarist Matt Hopper’s trio at 10 p.m. Thursday; pianist Tim Whitmer’s quartet at 5:30 p.m. Friday, followed by singer Molly Hammer at 8:30 p.m. and organist Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7 at 10 p.m.; and the group Bass Face at 6 p.m. Saturday, followed by OJT again at 9:30 p.m.

▪ The Broadway Kansas City, 3601 Broadway, has the New Jazz Order big band at 9 p.m. Tuesday, tenor saxophonist Matt Otto’s quartet at 7:30 p.m. Friday and pianist Mark Lowrey’s trio at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 3:00 AM with the headline "Jazz Town: Bobby Watson will do it his way at the Folly."