Jazz Beat: Charles Perkins with Gerald Spaits and Todd Strait

Gerald Spaits said of saxophonist Charles Perkins, “He’s so versatile and fresh. He can sound like Johnny Hodges one minute and Eric Dolphy the next.” Hodges was a star of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, while Dolphy’s tonal solos epitomized free jazz. Perkins has been an anchor of Kansas City jazz for decades. He came up through the Charlie Parker Foundation and learned from icons like Ahmad Alaadeen. He can be quiet offstage, and his name may not be as familiar as some of the younger musicians dominating today’s scene. But Tuesday night at Green Lady Lounge, he teams with Spaits, who regularly backs Marilyn Maye on bass and has traveled with Karrin Allyson, and drummer Todd Strait, who has also toured with Allyson. These are three of the reasons KC has remained a cradle of jazz.

Charles Perkins with Gerald Spaits and Todd Strait

11:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 31, at Green Lady Lounge, 1809 Grand (free)