Jazz Beat: Matt Otto Quartet, with Shay Estes

A sinuous richness marks saxophonist Matt Otto’s tone, carrying you through sharp and adventurous solos that tell a story. Otto moved to Kansas City more than eight years ago, having spent time in Los Angeles, New York and Japan, and he brought fresh ideas to our jazz scene. One such smart notion: adding vocalist Shay Estes to a sax-piano-bass-drums quartet not to sing words, but as a fifth instrument. “I love the sound of her voice,” he says. “The voice makes it very easy for the mind to find a focal point, pulling your ear to the melody.” Otto’s original compositions incorporating Estes are unlike the sound from any other jazz combo in the area.

Matt Otto Quartet, with Shay Estes

7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at the Blue Room, 1600 East 18th Street (free)