JOE CARTWRIGHT

The Best of Kansas City Jazz Vol. 2
Lafayette Music
 
By Tom Ineck
 
Joe Cartwright continues to mine the rich vein of Kansas City jazz with a second volume of live recordings featuring the best of KC’s contemporary music talent. While holding down his seat as house pianist at several venues over the years, Cartwright has documented a wealth of material, and with his latest release he again shares the wealth with us.
 
Recorded in the Oak Bar at the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza and at Jardine’s Restaurant and Jazz Club, “The Best of Kansas City Jazz Vol. 2” is a generous package of nine tracks totaling 70 minutes and ranging from instrumental and vocal tunes to jazz standards and the blues. The versatile and virtuosic Cartwright confidently drives the proceedings, with bassist Gerald Spaits and drummer Ray DeMarchi usually providing the rock-solid rhythm. Drummer Tommy Ruskin is on two tracks, and bassist Tyrone Clark is present on one.
 
Even for those of us who are familiar with many of the city’s jazz artists, there are a few pleasant surprises here, including the opening track, “Bluesville,” with the exciting and imaginative guitarist Wayne Goins playing in a style reminiscent of Wes Montgomery, but totally his own. Also adept at the blues, Cartwright adds to the excitement.
 
Duck Warner handles the vocals on “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” with swinging panache, especially when his mellow baritone swoops into the lower register. With a dramatic approach that conjures images of the great Earl Bostic, alto saxophonist Kim Park incites Cartwright to some of his best playing ever on the bluesy “September Song.”
 
Among the other highlights here are Mike Metheny’s passionate reading of “Angel Eyes” on flugelhorn, Ahmad Alaadeen’s snaking soprano saxophone on the Victor Young tune “Delilah,” and guitarist Danny Embrey tastefully stepping out on an uptempo version of “Without a Song.” As always, Cartwright is a strong accompanist throughout these recordings, but he’s also capable of absolutely brilliant solo passages, as on “Without a Song” and the 11-minute rendition of Johnny Mandel’s “Emily,” with Park switching to flute. Spaits contributes inspired solos on both tunes.
 
Given the depth and breadth of Kansas City’s vibrant jazz scene, it is safe to say that we can expect more volumes of “The Best of Kansas City Jazz.” And, as long at Cartwright is at the helm, they will continue to delight listeners.