Original image by There Stands the Glass.
An unassuming recital on the patio of a church acted as a gratifying consolation prize on Wednesday, August 24. I wasn’t provided a pass to area appearances by Alicia Keys and $uicideboy$ that night. My budget didn’t allow me to spring for a ticket to either amphitheater concert.
I would have relished being in the presence of one of the most likable pop stars of the new millennium at Keys’ appearance. And being surrounded by $uicideboy$ fans would have helped keep tabs on recent developments in pop culture.
Yet nothing at either show would have been as sublime as the flash-free duo of bassist Bob Bowman and vibraphonist Peter Schlamb at Second Presbyterian Church. Having dedicated thousands of words to both Kansas City musicians at Plastic Sax during the past 15 years, I concur with the praise they heaped upon one another.
Schlamb asserted Bowman is “truly a legend.” Bowman called Schlamb “one of the greatest musicians on the planet.” Their 50-minute set attended by about 30 people corroborated the assessments. The elite improvisations rewarded aspects of my soul that the music of Keys and $uicideboy$ could never reach.