Concert Review: Joyce DiDonato and Time For Three at the Folly Theater

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Joyce DiDonato rolled around on the floor of the Folly Theater stage again on February 14, 2026. In a convincing portrayal of Emily Dickinson, DiDonato writhed, twitched and skipped amid a haunting representation of the poet’s room. 

The Valentine’s Day outing for an audience of almost 1,000 was no less stunning than DiDonato’s physically strenuous 2022 presentation in the same venue. (I bought discounted tickets for the two best seats in the house for $43.50 apiece on Black Friday.)

Accompanied by Time For Three in a rendering of their new collaborative album Emily: No Prisoner Be, DiDonato made her operatic park-and-bark peers look like unfit dullards. A trailer about the project provides a concise explanation of composer Kevin Puts’ intent in scoring Dickenson’s poetry. 

The Victorian undercurrent of "Because I could not stop for death" is among the Emily: No Prisoners Be selections that wouldn’t seem out of place on Wuthering Heights, the string-laden, occasionally quasi-classical new album by pop star Charlie XCX. It was even more alluring live.

The version of the title track concluding the concert was a dead ringer for a new-grass anthem by Nickel Creek, further proof that high art needn’t be or inaccessible That sensibility made DiDonato the There Stands the Glass 2022 Person of the Year. She’s now operating at an even more elevated level.

Old and New Dreams: An Appreciation

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My preparation for Joshua Redman’s return to the Folly Theater on Saturday, February 7, went awry when I realized I’d rather be listening to the saxophonist’s late father. After checking out Dewey Redman’s 1966 debut album Look for the Black Star (wild! fun!) and Redman’s contribution to Keith Jarrett’s maligned 1979 album Eyes of the Heart (messy! awkward!) for the first time, I revisited an old favorite.

Old and New Dreams’ self-titled 1979 debut for ECM Records turned my world inside-out when I first encountered it in the early 1980s. Ornette Coleman- the man to whom the quartet of saxophonist Redman, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ed Blackwell paid homage- was little more than a name to me then.

Consequently, Old and New Dreams’ elegiac version of Coleman’s “Lonely Woman” was my introduction to the classic composition. Forty-five years later, it still gives me chills. My taste in improvised music was formed in large part by the landmark recording.

Joshua Redman’s occasional nods to the thornier work of his father were among my favorite moments of Saturday’s concert. (My review at Plastic Sax is forthcoming.) No one should feel obliged to follow the path forged by a parent. Even so, it’s the Old and New Dreams discography rather than the work of the younger Redman I continue to binge.

Concert Review: Samara Joy at the Folly Theater

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A pastor implored me to write about the glorious experience when he spotted me at the conclusion of Samara Joy’s concert at the Folly Theater on Saturday, November 22. Funny he should ask.

“Come Sunday,” the first selection of Joy’s performance, begins with the plea “God above, please look down and see my people through.” I might have fallen to my knees in a posture of grateful prayer had my seat in the upper balcony allowed room for the gesture. 

Hearing Duke Ellington’s powerful hymn rendered by Joy’s magnificent instrument was a manifestly religious experience. Even the most contemptuous disbeliever amid the giddy audience of 1,000 must have sensed a divine presence.

I paid $30 for my uncomfortable perch. The face value of good tickets was $156, considerably more than the $60 I spent on a front row seat for Joy’s Kansas City debut in 2023. As one of the best vocalists alive, Joy deserves her success.

Joy’s band occasionally impedes on her God-given talent. Like a condensed version of Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the septet can be fusty. An extended Albert Ayler-esque duet featuring tenor saxophonist Kendric MacAllister and drummer Evan Sherman was a welcome exception.

The elevated exhibition of spiritual jazz further confirmed the concert’s sacrosanct tone. Even Joy’s approach to secular standards like “Lush Life” and “‘Round Midnight” were imbued with devotional intent that blessed listeners with heavenly grace.

Dear Diary

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.

Concert Review: Cesar Rosas and the Chi-Town Playboys at the Folly Theater

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I adored Los Lobos thirty-five years ago. Los Lobos was arguably the world’s best rock band as it toured in support of spectacular albums ranging from How Will the Wolf Survive? (1984) to Kiko (1992).

Things went south in the mid-’90s. After spending years on the same circuit as other Los Angeles bands like X and the Blasters, Los Lobos inexplicably declared allegiance with jam bands. I gave up after a couple dismal experiences attending hippie festivals at which Los Lobos did Grateful Dead-inspired versions of their repertoire.

Adding insult to injury, Los Lobos’ music wasn’t available on streaming services for several crucial years. Even though I owned all their albums on vinyl and CD, not having instant access to their music was annoying. 

The obscurity caused by the boycott probably contributed to dismal advance sales for a concert by Los Lobos’ Cesar Rosas at the Folly Theater on Saturday, February 1. I bought a seat in the front row originally priced at $75 for $15. About 150 people were in the 1,050-seat hall.

Rosas was backed by six musicians billed as the Chi-Town Playboys. The first set was anchored by garage-rock staples associated with Jimmy Reed (“Baby What You Want Me to Do”), Don & Dewey (“Farmer John”) and Tito Puente/Santana (“Oye Como Va”).

Each selection included four guitar solos, two by Rosas and one apiece by two additional guitarists. Although it was performed at a very high level, the guitar-centric bar band routine doesn’t do much for me these days. With a few of my misgivings confirmed, I left at the break.

Concert Review: Jeremy Denk at the Folly Theater

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The author of a recent guest essay in The New York Times ponders the “divine presence” in mathematics. The transcendent math logic embedded in the compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach has long been studied by scholars.

Jeremy Denk emphasized the spirituality conveyed in the calculations made by Bach four centuries ago in rapturous interpretations of all six Bach partitas on Tuesday, February 13, at the Folly Theater.

Once again, I purchased bargain-priced front row tickets. More than 300 patrons were obligated to look at the back of my head as the pianist made frequent eye contact with me for more than two hours. My date suggested Denk’s animated flirtations possessed a “look ma, I’m playing Bach!” sensibility. His mugging reminded me of Fats Waller. 

Although he emphasizes Bach’s earthly uplift rather than the ghostly solemnity András Schiff imparted at Muriel Kauffman Theatre in November, Denk isn’t shallow. Intimations of divine inspiration pierced the veil throughout the recital presented by The Friends of Chamber Music.

Concert Review: Juan Diego Flórez at the Folly Theater

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The ticket I purchased for Juan Diego Flórez’s recital at the Folly Theater on Sunday, November 26, cost about as much as a bottle of generic cough syrup. The discounted front row seat I grabbed in the Harriman Jewell-Series’ Black Friday sale compels me to prepare for the worst.

Flórez, one of the most popular opera stars of the past 25 years, suffered from a cold. The tenor sniffed, snuffled and cleared his throat throughout his appearance. After sitting just ten feet from Flórez, I’m at risk of contracting the bug.

Given the magnificence of the recital, I won’t be resentful should I fall ill. His range may have been reduced, but Flórez didn’t seem to have trouble projecting his unamplified instrument. I considered popping in earplugs at intermission.

Flórez thrilled dozens of his fellow Peruvians in the audience of about 700 in an encore without pianist Vincenzo Scalera. He accompanied himself on guitar as he belted out two or three of his country’s folk songs. Bring on the breakdown.

Concert Review: Kelly Hall-Tompkins at the Folly Theater

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“Fiddler on the Roof” is my favorite musical. “Do You Love Me?” is my favorite “Fiddler on the Roof” song. The winsome ballad was performed in the style of French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli at the Folly Theater on Friday, November 10. The rendering rewarded my decision to dedicate the evening to Kelly Hall-Tompkins’ free recital presented by the Harriman-Jewell Series. The violinist known for her role as the titular instrumentalist in the most recent Broadway revival of “Fiddler on the Roof” was accompanied by an accordionist, guitarist and bassist. All but three or four selections were instrumental arrangements of selections from the musical. An audience of approximately 500 took in charming  interpretations of the familiar melodies.

Concert Review: Hilary Hahn at the Folly Theater

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Hilary Hahn’s solo recital at the Folly Theater on Friday, October 13, administered spiritual balm in a fraught moment. The violinist offered 90 minutes of ethereal restoration for members of the near-capacity audience of about 950 rattled by current events. The room’s excellent acoustics allowed Hahn’s elevated reading of four timeless works by Johann Sebastian Bach to sanctify the back row seat I purchased for $20. The event was less a concert than a consecrated prayer.

Concert Review: Mahani Teave at the Folly Theater

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The front row seat I claimed for Mahani Teave’s appearance at the Folly Theater on Saturday, September 9, allowed me to closely observe the pianist’s dramatic facial expressions and involuntary body contortions. She often seemed overcome by the staggering beauty she rendered in her North American recital debut.

I too was profoundly moved during the free, general admission concert that opened the 2023-24 season of the Harriman-Jewell Series. Like Teave, I’m regularly staggered by the momentous profundities conveyed by sound.

The Easter Island resident with a name so musical it could serve as a yoga mantra (muh-HAN-ee tee-AH-vay) interpreted compositions by Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt and Franz Schubert with such insightful tenderness that I feared both of us might faint.

Not even the pandemonium instigated by four people in the row behind me resembling an extended game of hopscotch could spoil the experience. Hear for yourself, but before doing so, make sure you’re seated in a safe place should you swoon to the same Chopin piece she played in Kansas City.