Jazz Beat: Rich Wheeler Quartet at Take Five Coffee + Bar

The Rich Wheeler Quartet
He can be heard in the band Alaturka playing intimate Turkish jazz. He does time in the People’s Liberation Big Band, playing the most eclectic large-ensemble music this side of Mingus. He plays some of the weirdest music this side of the moon in Snuff Jazz. Rich Wheeler is one of the most versatile and in-demand tenor-saxophone sidemen in Kansas City today, with ideal tone and solo inventiveness that’s just right for each group. So it’s a treat to hear Wheeler fronting his own ensemble of original contemporary jazz. With T.J. Martley on keyboards, Bill McKemy on bass and Sam Wisman on drums, the Rich Wheeler Quartet takes command of Take Five Coffee + Bar Saturday night.