Chris Heim’s Music Roundup 1.30.11

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The full list of regional concert dates from over 100 regional venues can be found in the Comprehensive Concert Listings.

CLASSICAL LIGHT

They bill the program “A Little Nightmare Music” - a hint that the jokes will be flying when classical musicians Aleksey Igudesman, violin, and Hyung-ki Joo, piano, take the stage Tuesday at the Hesston Mennonite Church. The program is part of the Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series.  More on the program and the remaining performances in this season is available at: http://www.hesston.edu/hbpa/

ALT POP AND ALT COUNTRY

For fans of pop hooks and clever songwriting, They Might Be Giants and Old 97s have dates this week.
TMBG first appeared on the scene in the early ‘80s and quickly built a cult following for their quirky alternative pop. In more recent years, they’ve had success with children’s music, but last summer released Join Us, the group’s 15th studio album and first non-kids set in four years. TMBG is at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa Wednesday.

Old 97’s are of a bit more recent vintage, having formed in the early ‘90s. Though they’ve been associated with the alt-country movement and compared to bands like Wilco and the Bottle Rockets, what makes the band distinctive and endearing is their ability to craft insanely catchy pop hooks. Old 97’s play the Bottleneck in Lawrence Wednesday and Cain’s Ballroom Thursday.
Old 97’s with a live version of “Over the Cliff”

The alt-country husband and wife team of Stacey (sister of Steve) Earle and Mark Stuart have also been performing together since the early ‘90s, working Steve Earle’s band, in the Jewels and as a busy touring duo. They appear Thursday at Knuckleheads Saloon in Kansas City and Saturday in a College Hill House Concert here in Wichita. Details on the Wichita show are available at: http://barneybyardpromotions.com/concert_staceyearle.html

THE FUTURE OF JAZZ

Though the declarations of the ‘death of jazz’ regularly surface (the latest fueled by a poetic rant on the ‘J-word’ from Nicholas Payton), the music still gets played and new players continue to emerge. And an increasing number of them are women. Esperanza Spaulding, a remarkable, wide-ranging and deserving talent, got attention well beyond the usual jazz circles with her surprise Grammy win. Another young artist beginning to make her mark is saxophonist, singer and composer Grace Kelly. Still a few months shy of being out of her teens, she’s already released a half dozen accessible yet accomplished albums. Two of them have featured her mentors, teachers, fans and no slouches on the saxophone themselves, Lee Konitz and Phil Woods. Though already a busy performer, Kelly is just beginning to make some forays into the Heartland. One brings her to the Folly Theater in Kansas City Saturday where, it was recently announced,  one of those mentors, Phil Woods, will be joining her.

Grace Kelly performing with another jazz master, Toots Thielemans

The full list of regional concert dates from over 100 regional venues can be found in the Comprehensive Concert Listings.