Original image of the Branford Marsalis Quartet at the Folly Theater by There Stands the Glass.
Monitoring social media missives from colleagues attending last week’s SXSW conference and Luck Reunion celebration in Texas made me blue. Rather than continuing to sulk, I crafted a plan for a full day of music in the Kansas City area on Saturday, March 15. A betrayal by the Kansas City Symphony tripped me up from the outset.
I intended to begin my spree with oboist Kristina Fulton’s 11 a.m. master class at Helzberg Hall. The event was listed on the Symphony’s site the previous day, but every door of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts was locked when I circumnavigated the building on Saturday morning.
With my carefully calibrated schedule immediately out of whack, I began improvising. I hit Dawson Jones’ matinee at Green Lady Lounge two hours earlier than intended. While I loved it, I was unwilling to stick around for Rod Fleeman’s subsequent first set as originally planned. Annoyed, I ate lunch at home while watching televised college basketball.
I’d intended to walk to a youth concert at a church presented by The Friends of Chamber Music and from there to Made in France’s gig at a nearby café, but it suddenly occurred to me that I might purchase a discounted ticket to the Big 12 Conference men’s basketball championship game at the T-Mobile Center rather than sticking to that plan.
After pulling the trigger on an all-in $21 ticket, I returned to downtown to see Houston take on Arizona. My assigned seat placed me amid Arizona boosters. Those are not my people. I felt at home after sneaking across the arena to embed myself three rows behind Houston’s pep band.
Unfortunately, I was compelled to leave the close contest with five minutes left on the game clock. (The good guys won.) Several months ago I bought a front-and-center ticket to a concert by the Branford Marsalis Quartet for $43. I didn’t dare miss a minute. Cold rain soaked my feet as I hustled from the T-Mobile Center to the Folly Theater.
The jazz notables met but did not exceed my high expectations. DJ Diesel’s free outdoor show at the KC Live complex was supposed to wrap up my big day out. Imagine my disappointment upon discovering heavy snow as I exited the Folly Theater! Just as my hopes were dashed ten hours earlier, my day ended with an unexpected letdown.