Wichita guitarist Thor Bonner led a jazz trio at Bubba’s 33 in Wichita last Thursday with Caleb Abbott on tenor sax and Christopher Shaw on upright bass.

It was a lively, soulful, plucky two-hour set at a restaurant that’s a bit like Applebee’s meets Louisiana Jazz Kitchen with a strong sports bar vibe. (About three TVs line each wall, up high. Sometimes more.)

Bonner's group is peopled by serious musicians, but they also have a little fun. During his solo of “Have You Met Miss Jones,” Bonner appeared to quote the bridge of “Over the Rainbow,” during his inventive, upbeat solo. (So Kansas.) Shaw (on bass) was laid back, but lively, on his solo — with maybe a touch of Bob Bowman as he plucked the lower notes.

At about the half, a server (or manager) in flapper-wear announced, “Hello. Hello … our guests … (There will be a) balloon drop for Prohibition Day.” (The 21st Amendment, which ended Prohibition in the United States, was ratified on December 5, 1933. Close enough.) Black plastic tarps held balloons near the ceiling. Strings hung. When the moment came, there would be a flurry as well as the sound of pop-pop-popping.

A wall of gold tinsel hung behind the band, speakeasy-like. The servers wore speakeasy-wear. One server had on a shiny head band with a single red feather sticking up. Many wore dresses (in gold or silver) that shimmered.

Throughout the night, and especially on “Tea for Two,” saxman Abbott demonstrated great presence. His playing was melodic, sweet with earthy body, like a regular iced tea with three slices of lemon. And that sweetness, style, and tonality maybe echoed an earlier age, as in the sound and approach of Dexter Gordon.

The three musicians were democratic with the distribution of their solos. All three got almost equal play as soloists, often each soloing deftly on every tune. (It is a trio gig.)

Live jazz in a sports bar is always a balance. Above the band, Sabalenka played Raducanu in women’s tennis. The two would thwipp the bright yellow tennis ball above the blue tennis court, going back and forth in white tennis skirts, while a live mellow Brazilian jazz tune flowed below. At the table, “fire fries” in a red basket with plenty of ketchup. Raducanu leads the match: 6-7, 6-4, 4-3.

Bonner calls out: “F, B flat, C, C,” and the bassist says, “C?” and Bonner says, “C twice.”

After the head, Bonner launches into a solo with encyclopedic, lightning-quick runs, always melodic, which reminds me of the scene in "Amadeus" where Salieri says, “Too many notes,” and Mozart says something like, “Tell me which notes can be taken out, and I will.” And, of course, the answer is none. Such is the way of virtuosity. And it was a night of that.

Catch Bonner (and crew) in and around Wichita this season.

Past Poet Laureate of Kansas (2017-2019) Kevin Rabas teaches at Emporia State University, where he directs the creative writing program. He has sixteen books, including "Lisa’s Flying Electric Piano," a Kansas Notable Book and Nelson Poetry Book Award winner, and "Elizabeth’s City," a novel, finalist for the 2023 Hefner Heitz Kansas Book Award in Fiction. Rabas is also a jazz drummer and performs regularly with the regional world fiddle music group String Daze. He lives in Newton, Kansas.

Support Kansas arts writing

The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation.