Peter Schlamb and Matt Villinger

APRIL + MAY 2017

Peter Schlamband Matt Villinger

St. Louis to KC for Jazz

A New Festival at 18th & Vine

Jazz Festival Stories You Didn’t Know

Texting For Schedules

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JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2017APRIL + MAY 2017 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE2

We’ve Been Busy

PRESIDENT’S CORNERSTEPHEN MATLOCK

Let’s start with this: Text KCJazz to 555888 for KC Jazz Near You. Beginning now, if you want to know where to find jazz in Kansas City tonight, all you need is your smartphone. Text KCJazz to 555888 and you will receive a link to the schedule compiled and maintained by Jazz Near You of shows in the KC area. It hasn’t been this easy to find jazz in town since the days when the Kansas City Jazz Commission maintained the recorded Jazz Hotline which you called from your home phone (and maybe only us old timers will remember the Jazz Hotline, the Jazz Commission...and home phones). The Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors have been busy. We’ve published this magazine for over thirty years. We maintain the Musicians Assistance Fund and the Tommy Ruskin Scholar-ship Fund. But the board of directors is staking out a greater presence than that.

For instance, you’ll soon be able to access that schedule you can now find with a text through a Kansas City-branded app. Today, Jazz Near You offers a free app in the Apple app store and on Google Play. It will show you where to find jazz in hundreds of cities throughout the world. Soon – we expect by June – a special Kansas City version will take you right to shows in KC. We’re transitioning our website to kcjazzambassadors.org (no longer .com). You’ll find a fresh design with new sections on Community Services, Volunteer Profile and the Jazz Com-munity Survey (where you can tell us what you think). You’ll find an application for scholarships to summer music camps, awarded by the Jazz Ambassadors, at kcjazzambassadors.org/scholarship-applications. Music students from elementary school through college can apply. Scholarships up to $500 per student will be awarded in April.

cont inued on page 23

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2017 3

CONTENTS

President’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2News & Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Peter Schlamb and Matt Villinger: From St. Louis to Kansas City for Jazz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8The Jazz Festival Stories You Didn’t Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Folly Jazz News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Off the Vine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Storyville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21For the Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Club Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Coda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Next Jam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Jam is published bi-monthly by the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the development and promotion of Kansas City jazz. All rights are reserved. Reproduction of any material is prohibited without consent of the publisher.

To contact the KC Jazz Ambassadors, call (816) 888-4503.

For advertising information, call (816) 591-3378 or email [email protected]. Letters should be addressed to:

Jam, P.O. Box 36181, Kansas City, MO 64171-6181. To contact the editor, email [email protected]. “Jam” and “Jazz Lover’s Pub Crawl” are Registered

Trademarks of The Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, Inc. Jam/Jazz Ambassador Magazine (Online) ISSN: 1533-0745

E D I T O RLarry Kopitnik

C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R SRoger AtkinsonTony Bozarth

Carolyn Glenn BrewerBill BrownleeChris BurnettJoe Dimino

Wayne GoinsChuck Haddix

Connie HumistonLarry KopitnikMike MethenyDanny Powell

Kevin RabasMichael RaganMichael Shults

Yoko Takemura

A D V E R T I S I N GConnie Humiston (816) 591-3378

[email protected] Y P O G R A P H Y & G R A P H I C D E S I G N

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E X E C U T I V E C O M M I T T E EPRES IDENT Stephen Matlock

SECRETARY Greg HowardTREASURER Jennifer Wismeier

D I RECTORS AT L ARGELynn Abrams | Cheryl Anderson

ADV ISORY BOARDDean Hampton | Tom Alexios | Jim Ramel | Angela Hagenbach

EXECUT IVE COM MIT TEEJA M D ISTR I BUT ION COORD INATOR Dr. Tyler CraigSCHOL ARSH I P COM MIT TEE CHA I R Janice Kinney

The Board of Directors gratefully thanks Darrell Hoffman and Bob Clark and the Jam distribution team for their untiring contributions to the KCJA.

©2017 Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, Inc.

APRIL + MAY 2017VOLUME 31, NO. 2

On the Cover: Matt Villinger and Peter Schlamb moved here from St. Louis for opportunities unique to Kansas City. Here, they perform in the jazz club at The Majestic, a space that once was a speakeasy.

APRIL + MAY 2017



A New Festival at 18th & Vine

Jazz Festival Stories You Didn’t Know

Texting For Schedules


NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS

For a synopsis, how to purchase and other information, please go to: www.mikemetheny.comAlso available at amazon.com

“Even though these letters were written more than 25 years ago, they still prove that two people can disagree sharply about serious social issues yet remain the best of friends. We could use more of that kind of thinking today.”

– Mike Metheny

“John McKee was a force. And he is one of the major reasons I became “John McKee was a force. And he is one of the major reasons I became the musician I am now. To this day he remains one of the most important and unique personalities I have ever known.”

– Pat Metheny (from the “Foreword”)

“It’s not a jazz book. It’s a life book, suitable either for browsing or a long, steady read.”

– Doug Ramsey (“Rifftides”)

OLD FRIENDS ARE THE BEST FRIENDSThe Letters of

John McKee and Mike Metheny

2016 was light on jazz festivals in Kansas City. The Ameri-can Jazz Museum took a year off from theirs, Jazz in the Woods tried to morph into something different (didn’t work; Jazz in the Woods returns in June), and the Parkville River Jam may have retired. The Prairie Village Jazz Festival was about all that a community whose image is tightly entwined with jazz could muster. The museum is preparing to fix that. Over Memorial Day weekend, the American Jazz Mu-seum launches the first Kansas City Jazz and Heritage festival with the goal of putting Kansas City back on the nation’s jazz festival map. R&B and neo-soul acts are part of the lineup to entice a broader range of music fans. But the jazz headliners are solid: legendary guitarist John Scofield, Macarthur “genius grant”-winning violinist Regina Carter, and the Hot Sardines. Among the musicians with Kansas City roots returning to their hometown for the event are Oleta Adams, Logan Richardson and Queen Bey.

Back On the Jazz Festival Map

John Scofield


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Scofield was an anchor of Miles Davis’ ensemble for over three years. He followed Pat Metheny in Gary Burton’s quartet. He has recorded with Charles Mingus and Mavis Staples, to cite a couple diverse ends of the jazz-related music spectrum. And he just won two Grammy Awards, for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Improvised Jazz Solo. He’s bringing the band from the album, Country for Old Men.

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In this new book from University of North Texas Press, Carolyn Glenn Brewer chronicles the controversial and inspiring history of the Kansas City Women’s Jazz Festival, where founders Carol Comer and Dianne Gregg fought for equality not with speeches but with swing, without protest signs but with bebop.

Carter is widely acclaimed as the best jazz violinist of her generation. Of course, jazz violin finds a special welcome in Kansas City, home to Claude “Fiddler” Williams for most of his life. Meanwhile, the wild brass and stride piano of the Hot Sardines should play particularly well on a large outdoor stage. With the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy going up behind the museums, organizers had to think creatively on where to put the main stage. They did. It will rise in the middle of The Paseo. The street will be closed between Truman Road and 18th Street with the main stage set at 17th Terrace, facing north. The Paseo’s broad, park-like median will serve as the main festival grounds. 18th Street will be closed as well, between The Paseo and Woodland, for an outdoor marketplace. Other outdoor stages may dot the jazz district and acts will perform in the Gem Theater and the Blue Room. Festival dates are Friday, May 26th through Sunday, May 28th. A free meet-and-greet with all of the visiting artists – to entice you back for the next three days – will be held on Thursday night. There will be a jazz brunch on Memorial Day. Tickets to the main stage are $50 per day (with a VIP package for special seating also available). Access to all other stages is free. Funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Missouri Arts Council, and an anonymous $200,000 donation. Museum Executive Director Cheptoo Kositany-Buckner says, “This is not an 18th and Vine festival. This is Kansas City’s jazz festival. It’s the entire community’s festival. The music is taking place at 18th and Vine, but this is about all of Kansas City and our heritage.” More information is at kcjazzfest.com.

Dick Hawk Richard Cowen Hawk – Kan-sas City’s jazz community knew him as Dick Hawk – died on March 4th following a heart attack. He was 82 years old. His official obituary de-scribed him as “a devoted husband, loving father, beloved brother, tire-less entrepreneur, and avid jazz mu-sician.” Hawk spent the early part of his career in higher education at Emporia State University and the University of Chicago. But around here he’ll be remembered for his weekly “Dick Hawk’s Gaslight Jazz Show” on KXTR and, especially, as owner and host of the Gaslight Grill in Leawood, where Lynn Zimmer and the Jazz Band perform five nights a week.. Hawk arranged for Bruce Ol-sen to purchase Gaslight Grill from his estate. Olsen writes, “I will become the new owner shortly and Gaslight Grill will continue to operate much as it has as a home for great live jazz and the best steaks and freshest seafood around.”

Dick Hawk

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2017

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Credit Hermon Mehari. He described a Kansas City jazz scene ripe with opportunities.

“Having places to play every night is a really important part of having an important and vibrant scene,” vibraphonist Peter Schlamb explains. “Not only to work but to have an environment that cultivates the music and people getting together to play and learn. That’s a great thing for KC now. “The wave of musicians with Hermon, like Steve Lambert, Ben Leifer and Andrew Ouellette, prove there is a great crew in KC. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.” Pianist Matt Villinger adds, “There are a lot more players out in KC that are really trying to set the bar high for the music.” New musicians with exceptional talent and their own unique voices are reimagining jazz in Kansas City. Many come here for Bobby Watson’s and Dan Thomas’ program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, then stay. Some attended Dan Gailey’s and Matt Otto’s classes at the University of Kansas. Then there’s the two guys who moved here from the other side of Missouri and are the core of Electric Tinks.

St. Louis to Kansas City Peter Schlamb and Matt Villinger now call Kansas City home. But they started in St. Louis. Both describe an established jazz community there. St. Louis saxophonist Willie Aikens, who died in 2015, and pianist Ptah Williams were key influences.

“Gigs happened every week with great local musicians,” Schlamb



Peter Schlamb and Matt Villinger at home.Photo by Jason Dailey



says. “I listened to them quite a bit and learned. During my senior year, I was asked to play with Willie’s band and learned a lot from him.” Villinger moved here straight from eastern Missouri. Schlamb first relocated to New York then returned to St. Louis. Three years later, he moved to Kansas City. Their friendship with Mehari and his stories of a thriving jazz culture enticed them. Perhaps the greatest difference they found was the number of places that offered the chance to perform live jazz.

“I’m playing around the nights I’m here in KC,” Schlamb said. “I have a couple of residencies. I jam with Steve Lambert’s quintet on Sundays at the Green Lady Lounge and with my trio at The Majestic on Tuesday nights.” Villinger performs regularly at Green Lady and The Ma-jestic. “I think the KC scene is great,” he says. “There are a lot of amazing musicians. It’s good to also have the younger guys around that are serious about it. They push you as well.” Schlamb observes, “Obviously, what Bobby Watson has done at UMKC has helped draw a lot of people to KC. Matt Otto coming here from LA was huge. Now he is over at KU.

That is going to help hook up new musicians. Both of these guys are great for attracting a new wave of players.” But while young musicians perpetuate the music, veteran musicians establish the core of Kansas City jazz. “I always feel a bit nervous about playing with Todd Strait and Bob Bowman,” Villinger admits. “You have to be on your best game because they have played with many amazing musicians.” “Bob Bowman is legendary,” Schlamb adds.

“Getting to know him and his music has been huge. He has a lot of knowledge and history. I had a few opportunities to play with Bobby Watson and that was amazing as well. “I’m constantly looking to play with musi-cians. I’m not specifically looking at one. When-ever I meet someone and get the chance to play, I’m grateful for the opportunity to do that. The nice thing is that it’s a small community with plenty of opportunities.” Schlamb, after experiencing an east coast jazz musician’s life, finds other advantages in Kansas City. “Having a place that is affordable to live in this industry is huge. New York is a cost prohibitive jazz spot,” he explained. “Most of

the musicians in New York make their money overseas. It’s not

P E T E R S C H L A M B A N D M A T T V I L L I N G E R CONTINUED

The Peter Schlamb Trio at The Majestic. Left to right: Ben Leifer on bass, Peter Schlamb on vibes, Ryan Lee on drums.

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a sustaining home base in the sense of just doing gigs in New York. “KC is still kind of hidden in plain sight because there are a lot of people on the coasts who don’t know about it. Until they come and see it with their own eyes, they won’t know about it. Part of that is that folks on the coasts don’t tend to come to the middle of America. “I’m very interested in the world and I want to get my music out around the world and play with others. But KC is a sustainable place to make money as a musician. Personally, being from St. Louis, I like living in Missouri.”



Carolyn Glenn Brewer remembers this from the Women’s Jazz Festival:

One of the biggest challenges to running a multi-performer festival is staying on time. An impromptu vibe between performer and audience can derail even the best organized schedule. During the 1979 Women’s Jazz Festival this nature-of-the-beast issue became a problem early on in the main concert. Ursula Dudziak and her then-husband, Michal Urbaniak, were second of six on the program, and their unique brand of Polish fusion with overtones of Ella Fitzgerald and Coltrane instantly charmed the audience. Ursula’s four-octave range and otherworldly, wordless treatment of tunes prompted The Wichita Eagle and Beacon reviewer to call her voice, “exotic, erotic, and eerie.” The Kansas City Star reviewer, Shifra Stein, said Ursula had, “abandoned lyrics for vocal pyrotechnics.” By the group’s last tune it became apparent to festival organizers Dianne

Gregg and Carol Comer that Ursula was not going to give up this audience adoration willingly. The quintet – Michal Urbaniak, violin, Kenny Kirkland, piano, Marcus Miller, bass, and Buddy Williams, drums – passed their time allowance with no evidence that the frenetic musical whirlwind this group had created was about to stop. Dianne and Carol consulted about how to handle the

The Jazz Festival

By Larry Kopitnik

Stories You Didn’t Know

Claude "Fiddler" Williams and Bobby Watson on the Heritage Stage of the 2000 Blues and Jazz Festival

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2017 13cont inued on page 16

Stories You Didn’t Knowsituation. Finally, feeling they had no choice, they cut the lights. The house fell dead silent. Then, as Carol Comer remembers, “very softly we heard, ‘do-ka-chick-a, chick-a.’ Urszula told the audience she liked the effect. We gave up.” As the evening’s performance schedule fell further and further behind, headliner Carmen McRae paced in the green room. The festival volunteer assigned to Ms. McRae did her best to calm the increasingly impatient star, telling her the audience would be on the edge of their seats waiting to hear their favorite singer. “Besides,” the volunteer concluded, “you know they always save the best for last.” Carmen, ever the consummate professional, yet time-conscious performer, gently bookended the volunteer’s face with her hands and sweetly cooed, “Bullshit, Baby.”

(Brewer has just written a wonderful history of the Kansas City Women’s Jazz Festival, Changing the Tune, published by University of North Texas Press. We’ll review it in the next issue.)

The American Jazz Museum is launching a new festival over Memorial Day weekend with the unabashed goal of returning Kansas City to the world’s jazz festival map. It wouldn’t be our first time. The Kansas City Women’s Jazz Festival, which ran from 1978 through 1985 (with a break in 1984) certainly placed us there. Every wonder why March is Women in Jazz month in Kansas City? That was the month of the festival. The Kansas City Jazz Festival, launched in 1964 in Municipal Auditorium – with Pete Eye, Frank Smith, Marilyn Maye, Bet-tye Miller, Carmel Jones, Clark Terry, Bob Brookmeyer, and Woody Herman – lasted until 1977, with a break in 1974 for the touring Newport Jazz Festival. A new Kansas City Jazz

Karrin Allyson with a big band in the Rhythm and Ribs Festival




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Festival launched in 1983, moved to Volker Park in 1984, then merged with the Kansas City Blues Festival in 1991 to become the Kansas City Blues and Jazz Festival. It relocated to Penn

Valley Park where it reigned until the tragedy of 9/11 brought fundraising to a halt. The 18th & Vine Jazz and Heritage Fes-tival also started in 1983, in a pre-museum jazz district. The city has seen a festival at Crown Center and Rhythm and Ribs in both Parade Park and the streets behind the jazz museum. But what the public sees isn’t all that happens when staging a jazz festival. Organizers, like the volunteer who dealt with an impatient Carmen McCrae, and musicians often walk away with tales remembered for a lifetime.

Crowds to Storms For instance, in the late 1980s, I assisted with the 18th & Vine festival. Back then, The Kansas City Star published crowd estimates provided by professionals, such as the police. One year, as the event wound down on a Sunday evening, several of us gathered around a concession stand and chatted. We agreed among ourselves that about 5000 people had passed

Koko Taylor in the Rhythm and Ribs Festival

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through the event that weekend. A few police officers, assisting with security, walked by. We offered some hot dogs and soft drinks. The hot dogs would just be discarded anyway, we told them, so they took us up on the offer. They thanked us, adding those were a good end to a long day. Then the officer in charge asked, so what do you want the weekend crowd estimate to be? 20,000? Sure, we said, 20,000 sounded good. And that’s how, in the late 1980s, published crowd esti-mates were derived.


George Benson and Al Jarreau in the 2007 Rhythm and Ribs Festival


A season of extraordinary shows – anyone who heard Cécile McLorin Salvant or Robert Glasper will not soon forget them – is drawing to a close with two more concerts that perfectly fit this Folly jazz year.

Donny McCaslin Saxophonist Donnie McCaslin has per-formed with Gary Burton, Maria Schneider and Antonio Sánchez. He replaced Michael Brecker in Steps Ahead. His albums have been nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Best Instrumental Jazz Solo. Then, in 2014, he played tenor and soprano saxophone on a David Bowie single. Schneider

recommended him and Bowie came out to hear him on a gig in New York. McCaslin, with his jazz quartet, returned for Bowie’s final album, Blackstar. McCaslin’s latest album, Beyond Now, reunites that band. McCaslin’s sound is dynamic. His music explores the edges of jazz, taking risks. It’s clearly jazz, but jazz that moves the boundaries. The New York Times said,

“Mr. McCaslin seems to have direct access to emotional expression in his playing, as if it were a valve he could open at will. He’s exceptionally sure-footed with his phrasing, almost never caught off balance, but he knows how to convey risk or fury through the compressed force of his tone.”

A Dynamic McCaslin and a Lively Elias Cap a Stellar Season

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Gale Tallis, Folly Theater—Corporate Sponsor

John and Alice Blegen Gerry and Judy Bukowski Marilyn Carpenter Rebecca Ehrich and

Robert Kemper Nelson and Mary Ellen Farney Mike and Debra Gerken Dennis Gredell and Lori

Wohlschlaeger Gary and Angela Hagenbach Steven and Patty Hargrave Gene and Sarah Lowrey

Greg Howard Jo Lowry Beverly and Ed Mann Barbara Mathewson Charles and Marada McClintock Jon and Wendy McGraw Sid and Carole McKnight Edward Morris Jamie and Alan Myers Loren and Christine Myers John and Linda Nobles Penny Oathout William Paprota John Peterson Randell Sedlacek and

Mary Ventura Paul and Sara Smith Merle Stalder William Sullivan Robert Thompson and Mary Wurtz Jon Trozzolo and Sara Touchette Julie Turner Ruskin Tom and Geri James and Sarah Weitzel Gregg and Melinda Wenger Mike T. White

FOLLY JAZZ NEWSGALE TALLIS

“KANSAS CITY HERE I COME”Check out videos on DeborahBrown.net

Listen toDEBORAH BROWN’s

“Kansas CityHere I Come” and“All Too Soon” at

DeborahBrown.net, then buy the CDs at

CDbaby.com

Donny McCaslin


McCaslin will be bringing his quartet with Jason Linder on keyboards, Mark Guliana on drums and Jonathan Maron on bass. He takes the Folly stage on Friday, April 7th at 8:00 p.m. The show is preceded by a JazzTalk hosted by Steve Kraske at 7:00. Call the Folly ticket office at 816-474-4444.

Eliane Elias Pianist, vocalist, composer, arranger, producer – we could go on – Eliane Elias, over three decades, has established herself as an icon of Brazilian jazz and deliciously energetic samba. She was born in São Paulo and by age seventeen her career began. She moved to New York in 1981 where she (like, coin-cidentally, Donny McCalsin) joined the group Steps Ahead. But it’s on her own albums, the first released in 1987, where her Brazilian roots truly shine. She brings a distinct personality and unique life to Latin jazz – after all, she lived the music. Elias layers lively yet sophisticated piano with vocals evoking a gentle smoothness and a taunting sensuousness. This isn’t languid jazz. This is jazz samba that parties. And it’s jazz that wins awards. Her last album, Made in Brazil, won the 2015 Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album The New York Times described her like this: “Ms. Elias is an aggressive hard-charging pianist who transformed almost everything she performed into a variation of samba, from me-dium cool to hot....Rhythm is what she is really about.” Eliane Elias has recorded with Herbie Hancock and Bob Brookmeyer. As you’d expect, she has covered Jobim, but over the years her albums have also covered the music of Bill Evans and Chet Baker. Still, when discussing Elias we keep returning to Latin jazz. The way she plays it, you just want to sit in an audience and smile. Eliane Elias comes to the Folly on Saturday, May 19th at 8:00 p.m. Before the show, a JazzTalk hosted by Jeff Harshbarger with Elias' husband and bassist, Mark Johnson, starts at 7:00. For tickets, call 816-474-4444.

7:00 pm JazzTalk8:00 pm Concert

DONNY McCASLINQUARTET

Eliane Elias


Jon Batiste and the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award

OFF THE VINEJESSICA THOMPSON

The American Jazz Museum is thrilled to welcome nationally acclaimed Louisiana pianist, Jon Batiste, to accept its 2017 Life-time Achievement Award. The ceremony will take place in the Gem Theater on Friday, April 7th, at 8:00 p.m. The ceremony includes performances by several notable local musicians honoring Batiste. Batiste will also take the stage and perform a selection of songs. The American Jazz Mu-seum has presented the Lifetime Achievement Award since 2005. It recognizes artists who have made exceptional and innovative contributions to jazz and the art of live music; created greater accessibility and appreciation for jazz and the art of live music; and increased the outreach of jazz education. Jazz tradition has always been about expression, freedom, improvisation, innova-tion, and creativity. One of the most important aspects of jazz is that it is carried out with character, dignity, humility, and courage. “Jon Batiste is receiving this award because he has bridged the gap between twentieth century and twenty-first century jazz. We are very proud of him and all musicians who have brought national and international acclaim to the American

jazz tradition,” Executive Director Cheptoo Kositany-Buckner states. Jon Batiste’s significant strides in jazz at such a young age place him in historic company with other ac-claimed artists, like Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. Batiste has a captivated audience five nights a week as the house bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which currently claims the number one spot in late-night television. Through this platform, he engages new generations and demographics to jazz and this

amazing art form. Batiste also serves as the Artistic Director-at-Large of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, educating people about the museum and assisting with programming. He is named one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30,” and he is a Movado Future Legend Award recipient and one of the youngest Stein-way Performing Artists of all time. Born into a long line of celebrated musicians in Louisiana, Batiste grew up playing percussion in his family’s band before mastering the piano when he was 11 years old. He went on to receive both his undergraduate and master’s degrees at The Juil-liard School. Today, Batiste performs internationally with his band Jon Batiste & Stay Human. Batiste, who now resides in New York City, is known for taking his jaw-dropping music to the streets in his signature “love riots.” His debut 2015 studio album, Social Music reached #1 on Billboard’s Jazz Album Chart. He has collaborated with acclaimed musicians across various genres, including Stevie Wonder and Prince, and is featured on a new album honoring the music of John Lewis, founder of the Modern Jazz Quartet, with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. This is an event not to be missed! Tickets are $45, and avail-able at Ticketmaster or the American Jazz Museum box office, 816-474-6262. To learn more about Jon Batiste, the American Jazz Museum Achievement Awards Ceremony, and other fea-tured performers, please visit americanjazzmuseum.org.

Jon Batiste

[email protected]


STORYVILLE

New Letters is a quarterly liter-ary magazine published by UMKC. This edition, from winter 2016/2017, features writings and photographs dealing with jazz, in addition to some non-jazz items. Editor Robert Stewart added renowned jazz poet Dan Jaffe as co-editor for the jazz portion of this issue. I'll start with the prose, all pieces that I enjoyed. Kim Addonizio con-tributed “Blue Guitar”, which tells us about the scene in a typical blues bar in San Francisco, and late guitarist Johnny Nitro, who played at the club and occasionally lived in the rooming house above the saloon. Addonizio also took lessons from Nitro. She paints a good picture about the man and the scene, and about the influ-ence of the blues on popular music.

“Hitting the Road, Jack.” by Dennis Finnell, tells about how Ray Charles was his musical life as an adolescent; Ray's music was the truth! Years later he heard Charles again, late in his career, the power not what it had been, but the music and man were still a part of him.

Richard Terrill is a writer and saxo-phonist, and in “Improvisations: John Coltrane” he tells how he worked through this music, gaining an ap-preciation for Coltrane's tireless quest for mastery. Terrill clearly understood Coltrane's power and dedication to the music, the ultimate mastery. He relates how he saw this search for mastery in a fellow saxophonist, and heard it in that friend's music as the story closes. The last piece, “The Consolation of Jazz, Or My Life with Women” is from Thomas E. Kennedy, and tells of how the music became a part of his life from the time he saw Jazz on a Summer's Day, as he tells of his several loves during his life. Interesting here is how the music and women seemed to be separate, with music reliably there for comfort even if the relationships were not rewarding. The poetry is as enjoyable, including a piece about Monk and another about a

dream on working with Duke Ellington. I loved Phyllis Becker's “Etta's Body Double”, where she tells about going to see Etta James with her mom, and having people think her mom was Etta. Then there is “Something Else They Say” by Mbembe Milton Smith, who hears Archie Shepp play and wonders how anyone could say that jazz is dead, for at that moment it was nothing but. And there is much more, including a poem from Jaffe. Included is some great artwork, too. There is a section of Janet Kuemmerlein's acrylic painting portraits of Kansas City vocalists that are all fabulous, and a number of photographs by Steve Paul, including Benny Golson on the cover, a couple of Everette DeVan and Matt Hopper from The Phoenix, and some shots from the annual Charlie Parker tribute at Lincoln Cemetery, including a picture of Gerald Dunn, Ahmad Alaa-deen and Bobby Watson that I'd love to have framed. The editors have selected some fine works here, and this jazz fan found much to enjoy and relate to.

—Roger Atkinson

New Letters, A Magazine of Writing & Art, Vol. 83 No. 1Edited by Robert StewartPublished by the University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2016. 176 pages.


Electric Tinks and Compositions Electric Tinks is Schamb’s showcase ensemble. Its music is built around his rich vibraphone and compositions that explore and surprise, sometimes with invigorating audacity. This isn’t Milt Jackson and the Modern Jazz Quartet (though that influence is apparent). This is vibrant contemporary music reflecting the inspirations of a jazz musician in the 21st century. The band’s members, in addition to Schlamb and Villinger, have included Hermon Mehari on trumpet, Matt Otto on sax, DeAndre Manning on bass and Ryan Lee on drums. They play the first Friday of each month at Green Lady Lounge. “The musicians in that band are amazing,” Villinger says.

“It’s always great to be playing with better musicians than your-self. Peter writes amazing music and it’s a lot of fun. It’s really challenging, so I’m always working on it and getting better. “I’m just trying to do the best I can. That’s all I can really do. If people seem to like it, that’s great. Then I think I am doing something right.” Schlamb says, “I strive to be myself, just being honest. It’s something that is always evolving. Learning this music is a lifelong pursuit. It’s endlessly intriguing. There is always more to learn and to listen to. Those things are going to change and evolve like us as people.”

P E T E R S C H L A M B A N D M A T T V I L L I N G E R CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Matt Villinger at The Majestic.

PHO

TO B

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RRY

KOPI

TNIK


Schlamb’s first album was Tinks, released in 2014. Vil-linger’s first was All Night, out in 2015. Both plan their second releases for this year. And both find it critical to compose new music for those albums and for their own ensembles. “I need to make it a priority to try and write new music every day,” Villinger explains. “Hopefully I can keep coming with new things. I’m always thinking about it.” Schlamb takes a different route. “My songwriting process tends to not be forced,” he says. “I wait for moments of inspira-tion to write a new composition. I slowly expand my catalog and have the creative liberty to write at my own will.”

More Schlamb and Villinger agree that the future of the Kansas City jazz rests with players continuing to move here, recognizing the benefits, and staying. “I do think that people enjoy listening to the music,” Vil-linger says. “I really hope that more great musicians move to this city. When better musicians move here, you just have to make sure your playing is at a high enough level.” “More players will only raise the bar for everyone,” Schlamb adds. “We feed off each other naturally. Every great player adds something special and unique. I just hope that it continues. “We just need Kansas City to keep on building and grow-ing.”

P R E S I D E N T ' S C O R N E R CONTINUED FROM 2

We’re planning a major fundraiser for the scholarship fund. SupperClub 2017 is coming on September 26th and will feature the performance of a never-recorded Duke Ellington arrangement. Tickets go on sale on August 1st. More details are to come, but for now highlight the date on your calendar. We want your help. We have new membership and spon-sorship levels with fresh benefits. You can find them at kcjaz-zambassadors.org/membership. Join us! One last item: We have started monthly meetings open to anyone. The next one is on Wednesday, April 12th at the Westport Coffee House, 4010 Pennsylvania. The meeting will run from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Then at 7:00 you can catch the Brad Gregory Sextet with special guest Hermon Mehari. In addition to Brad on sax and Hermon on trumpet, the ensemble includes David Chael on sax, Roger Wilder on piano, Bob Bowman on bass and Todd Strait on drums. April is Jazz Appreciation Month, so decreed by the Smith-sonian Museum of American History to celebrate jazz as both a living and a historic music. There’s no better time for all of us jazz fans to be busy.


Pat Metheny in the 2007 Rhythm and Ribs Festival

T H E J A Z Z F E S T I V A L S T O R I E S Y O U D I D N ’ T K N O W CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

Today, Connie Humiston sells all of the ads you see in Jam. But from 1997 through its end, she worked as Assistant Director of the Blues and Jazz Festival. She vividly remembers 1998 when Wilson Pickett left the stage perhaps a quarter of the way into his set.

He gets off the stage and says to Sista Monica, “Are you a singer?” She said, “Yeah.” He said, “Get up there!” He got into the limo and returned to the Westin Crown Center Hotel. He needed a bathroom and didn’t want to use a porta-john, so he returned to the hotel and didn’t come back.

She also recalls, in 1999, blues headliner Bobby Womack refusing to ride in a 1998 black stretch limo. He insisted on a 1999 black stretch limo. Later, she told the story to another headliner, Ike Turner. Turner said, “You tell him I said shut up and ride!” The next morning, Womack came down from his hotel room and spotted the driver. “Hey, boy,” Womack called out, “I want my town car to take me to breakfast.” The driver responded, “Mr. Womack, I have kissed your ass all weekend and I suggest if you want breakfast you get your ass in a taxi.” Humiston remembers the year that organizers combed the festival grounds at 1 a.m. looking for Gatemouth Brown. Turns out a volunteer had taken him over to the Mutual Musicians

Foundation for the late night jam. Then there was the year that at about 1 a.m. police sirens screamed through Penn Valley Park chasing a car. The car stopped on the ledge of the wall at the Liberty Memorial (nobody was hurt). Stan Kessler recalls the first time Sons of Brazil played the Blues and Jazz Festival:

Tommy Ruskin was subbing for Doug Auwarter on drums. It was a windy day, with strong gusts out of the west at the back of the stage. During one of our tunes the wind blew the plastic backdrop down on Tommy’s back. It just laid there. Always the consummate professional, he just kept on playing as if nothing was wrong. The rest of us were laughing so hard we could barely continue.

Mike Metheny has a couple memories of the festival in Volker Park. In 1987, he was a headliner.

I was still living in Boston then but was able to put together an all-star KC band with Paul Smith (piano), Gerald Spaits (bass), Tommy Ruskin (drums), and Julie Turner (vocals). The weather was perfect, the crowd was great, and several of my Lee’s Summit High School classmates were sitting close to the stage holding up signs that said, “Where were you at the 20th reunion?!”

In 1989, Pat Metheny was scheduled to headline.

Just before brother Pat’s set, the skies opened, it rained buckets, and the show had to be cancelled. I had moved back from Boston that same week, still had my Massachusetts license plates, and as I was leaving the festival grounds – swerving to avoid puddles, and with windows too fogged up to see the road – another car in my blind spot gave me an angry honk. True to my Boston sensibilities, I did the logical thing and flipped him off. But before I could stop my hand from raising the dreaded

Lonnie Smith in the 2007 Rhythm and Ribs Festival


middle finger, I made eye contact with the driver – one of KC’s finest – and he promptly pulled me over with red lights spinning. Noting from my plates and my “license and registration, please” that I was from the east, the officer said, “You’d better watch your manners in these here parts, young man.” He sent me on my way with a warning and a sarcastic “welcome back to the Midwest.”

Hootie to RV in the Park I was an organizer of that Volker Park festival through much of the 1980s. I particularly remember 1986, when Jay

“Hootie” McShann headlined. We asked Jay to choose anyone with whom he’d like to perform. His selections: Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis on tenor sax, Buddy Tate also on tenor, Harry “Sweets”

Edison on trumpet, Al Grey on trombone, Milt Hinton on bass and Gus Johnson on drums. Milt was in Japan for the summer and unavailable, so Jay chose Major Holley instead. “Lockjaw” was too ill to perform (he would pass away a few months after the festival). We sug-gested Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson on alto sax as a replacement, and Jay agreed. But “Cleanhead” was already booked in San Francisco that night. We settled on a group without the ad-ditional horn. But Buddy, “Sweets”, Al and Gus were already scheduled in Belgium, in another festival, that same weekend. Nonetheless, they wanted to play Kansas City, too. Gus left the other festival a day early, deciding he needed to rest between shows. The others played the complete overseas event then traveled for over 30 hours, sleeping on flights, and landed in KC just 5 hours before climbing the steps to our stage. Al Grey made arrangements for the group. Frankly, we were not paying these jazz icons all that much. One day, we asked Al why he, Buddy and “Sweets,” all in their 60s or 70s at the time, were putting themselves through such tortuous travel. It

wasn’t for the money. They didn’t need our gig. They had more leisurely return plans in place before we called. So why do this? Why put themselves through this sleep-deprived travel hell? Al answered, “It’s a chance to play with Hootie! We’d never turn down a chance to play with Hootie!” The following January, “Cleanhead” called. He was book-ing his schedule for the coming year and wanted to know if we were putting together the same group for that year’s festival. If we were, he would leave the date open. He did not want to miss another chance to play with Hootie. I also remember the year that the owner of our largest sponsor, a beer distributorship, drove his extraordinarily large personal RV over the curb, onto the grass, into Volker Park, and parked it next to the stage. We organizers looked at each other and asked, “What do we do?” So what do you do when the owner of the company which gave you the largest chunk of money to stage the event, whose money you couldn’t have done the festival without, and whose

contribution you hope to see again next year, drives his extraor-dinarily large personal RV into the park and parks it next to the stage? You tell him you’re glad he could make it and hope he enjoys the music. (He did, and he sponsored the festival again the next year.)

Claude “Fiddler” Williams in the 1995 Blues and Jazz Festival

Shemeika Copeland in the Rhythm and Ribs Festival


FOR THE RECORD

Dino Massa Kansas City QuintetEchoes of EuropeArtists Recording Collective ARC2680Personnel: Dino Massa, piano; Christopher Burnett, alto saxophone and clarinet; Charles Gatschet, guitar; Andrew W. Stinson, bass; Clarence Smith, drums and percussion; Terri Anderson Burnett, flute (tracks 1,3,4,6,7); Freda Proctor, flute (tracks 1,3,4,6,7); Marcus Hampton, flugelhorn (tracks 3,4); Stanton Kessler, trumpet and flugelhorn (tracks 4,5,6)Tracks: Alone, Echoes of Europe, Imagine, Notos, Paris, Remembering, TarantellaRecorded April, 2016

Chris Burnett met Dino Massa on his f irst night in Naples while he was in the NATO Big Band while it was headquartered in that Ita l-ian city. They played together frequently and established a musical bond. Twenty five years later they reconnected, and Dino visited KC and played with Chris again on a couple of well-received dates in town. This led to a subsequent KC visit by Massa, when they recorded this CD of original music. Five of the tunes were composed by Massa, with one each from Burnett (“Notos”) and Marcus Hampton (“Imagine”), both of which were written for this date and consistent with the

mood of Massa's pieces. All of the tracks are fresh and melodic, and are effective vehicles for solo statements. This is music that is intelligent and easy to listen to. Everyone here is on the same page, serving the music. Nothing is forced. The tunes move effortlessly from theme to solo. If there is a point of reference, it is where the mainstream matured to in the late 1960s and early 1970s: Herbie Hancock circa Maiden Voyage and Speak Like a Child, early acoustic Return to Forever (when Joe Far-rell was in the band), and CTI-era Freddie Hubbard. The RTF reference comes from the opener “Alone” and its strong rhythm

– Clarence Smith makes it all strut, carving up the rhythm on the cymbals early, then building in intensity through the solos. The use of the flutes here and on the other four tracks gives the ensembles a great breezy sound. The nod to “Maiden Voyage” in “Imagine” is not subtle, and I love the counterpoint from the flutes and the mid-chorus double-time led by the Smith snare. Hampton’s solo is strong on his composition. I hear CTI in

“Remembering” even before the fine Stan Kessler trumpet solo. The best use of the flutes is on “Notos”, where they are gor-geous in ensemble with the two flugelhorns. I like the rhythmic tension and release to a straight 4/4 here as well. (I just love having the unique sound of the flutes everywhere here. They are totally in sync with the colors of Massa’s music, and are a major element of the music’s success.) Massa is a wonderful player, highly lyrical, with a knack for building exciting climaxes in his solos. His intro on “Paris” is pure magical beauty. David R. Adler’s liners mentions the elegance and energy of his playing, qualities I also hear in many other Italian pianists that I have listened to. Burnett’s tonal control and melodic strength shine throughout. His bond with Massa’s music is unwavering. Charlie Gatschet may be the most lyrical of Kansas City’s guitarists. I love his solos, effective comping, and the sound he gives to the ensembles, especially where he and Burnett are together during the theme of “Echoes of Europe”. This record was immediately attractive on first listen, and subsequent plays have not dimmed my enthusiasm. Thanks to Chris Burnett for keeping in touch with old friends, and mak-ing this music possible, and for introducing us to the music of Dino Massa.

—Roger Atkinson


CLUB SCENELOCAL LIVE JAZZ & BLUES

18TH & VINEJ The Blue Room

18th & Vine ....................... 816-474-2929Mon. — Blue Monday JamThur. - Sat. — Live Jazz

B Danny’s Big Easy1601 E. 18th St. .................816.421.1200Tues. — El Barrio Band, 6:00 p.m.Thurs. — Millage Gilbert’s Big Blues Band 7:00 p.m.Fri. - Sat. — Live BandSat. Blues Jam 2:00 p.m.

J Kansas City Blues & Jazz Juke House1700 E. 18th Street ............ 816-472-0013Thurs. - Open Jam session 7:30-11:30 p.m.Fri. - Live Band 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.Sat.- Live Band 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

J Mutual Musicians Foundation1823 Highland .................. 816-471-5212Fri. - Sat. — Late Night Jazz 1:00 a.m.

DOWNTOWNJ American Restaurant

25th & Grand .................... 816-426-1133Tues. - Sat. — Live Jazz, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

J The Brick1727 McGee ..................... 816-421-1634Live Jazz & Eclectic

J The Chesterfield14th & Main ...................... 816-474-4545Wed. — West Coast SwingFri. — SwingSat. — Salsa

J Green Lady Lounge1809 Grand ...................... 816-215-29547 days a week — Live Jazz

JB The Kill Devil Club14th & Main ...................... 816-588-1132Fri. - Sat. 8:00 p.m - 1:00 a.m.

J Majestic Restaurant931 Broadway ................... 816-221-18887 days a week — Live Jazz

JB The Phoenix302 W. 8th Street ................. 816-221-jazzMon. - Thurs. — Live Music 7:00 - 11:00 p.m.Fri. — Live Music 4:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.Sat. — Live Music 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

B Prohibition Hall1118 McGee ..................... 816-446-7832Thurs. — Blues Jam 7:00 p.m.

J The Ship1217 Union Avenue ........... 816-471-7447Thurs. — Live Jazz 9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

J Tank Room1813 Grand Blvd ............... 816-214-6403Mon. — Live Music 8:00 - 11:00 p.m.Sat. — Live Music 8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

B Winslow's BBQ20 E 5th ............................ 816-471-7427Fri. — Jam 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Sat. - Sun. — Blues on the Patio 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.

J Yj’s Snack Bar128 W. 18th Street ............. 816-472-5533Wed., Thurs., and Sun. — Live Jazz

MIDTOWN/WESTPORTJ Californos

4124 Pennsylvania ............. 816-531-1097Live Jazz

J The Drop409 E. 31st St. ................... 816-756-3767Millie Edwards & Tom DeMasters, 2nd Saturdays 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

JB Jazz - A Louisiana Kitchen39th & State Line ................ 816-531-5556Mon. - Sat. — Live Music, 7:00 p.m.

B The Levee16 W. 43rd St .................... 816-561-5565Wed. - Blues Jam 8:00 p.m.Thurs.- Sat. — Live Music

JB Westport Coffeehouse Theater4010 Pennsylvania ............. 816-756-3222Wed. - Thurs. — Live Music

B Westport Saloon4112 Pennsylvania ............. 816-960-4560Mon., Thurs. — Live Blues 9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.Tues. — Blues Jam 10:00 p.m.

PLAZAJ Café Trio

4558 Main Street ............... 816-756-3227Tues. - Wed. — Live Jazz 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.Thurs. - Sat. — Live Jazz, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

J Eddie V’s700 W. 47th St ....................... 816-531-25377 days a week – Live jazz in the lounge

J InterContinental Oak Bar & Lounge121 Ward Parkway ............ 816-756-1500Live Jazz Thurs. - Sun. Sets start at 8:00 p.m.

J Plaza III4749 Pennsylvania ............. 816-753-0000Sat. — Lonnie McFadden 7:00 - 11:00 p.m.

J Raphael Hotel, Chaz Restaurant325 Ward Parkway ........... .816-756-3800Mon. - Sat. — Live JazzSun. — Jazz Brunch 10:00 - 1:00

NORTHJ Cascone’s North

3737 North Oak Trfy. ......... 816-454-7977Sat. — Live Jazz

B Frank James Saloon10919 MO-45, Parkville ..... 816-505-0800Thurs. — Open Mic 7:00 p.m.

B The Hideout6948 N Oak Trafficway Gladstone .......................... 816-468-0550Mon. — Blues Jam 7:00 p.m.

JB Johnny’s Back Yard1825 Buchanan, NKC ........ 816-985-1157Fri. - Sat. — Live Music 9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.Sun. — Blues Jam 7:00 p.m.

EASTB B.B’s Lawnside BBQ

1205 E. 85th Street ............ 816-822-7427Tues. - Sun. — Live BluesSat. 2:00 - 5:30 — Jazz & Blues Jam w/Mama Ray

B Bodee's BBQ & Burgers522 S Main, Grain Valley .... 816-867-5511Fri. — Jam 8:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. Sat. — Live Blues 8:00 p.m.

B Daily Limit523 E Red Bridge Rd .......... 816-942-0400Fri. — Live Blues 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.

B Dirty Harry’s3100 MO-7, Blue Springs.... 816-224-2779Wed. - Fri. — Live Blues

B Joe’s Standard1204 NW Hwy 7, Blue Springs ....................... 816-228-4878Wed. — Jam 7:30 - 11:30 p.m.

B Knuckleheads2715 Rochester Ave ............ 816-483-1456Wed. - Sun. — Live MusicSat. - Sun. — Blues Jam 1:00 p.m.

B Konrads Kitchen302 SW Main, Lee’s Summit ....................... 816-525-1871Fri. — Live Blues 8:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.

J The Piano Room8410 Wornall Rd................ 816-363-8722Fri. - Sat. 8:00 - 12:00 — Dave McCubbin

SOUTHJ Bristol Seafood Grill

5400 W. 119th St .............. 913-663-5777Sun. 5:00 - 8:00 — Live Music

J Cascone’s6863 W.91st. Street ........... 913-381-6837Sat.— Live Jazz 7:00 -10:00 p.m.

J Gaslight Grill and Back Room5020 W. 137th Street ......... 913-897-3540Wed. - Sun. — 6:30 Lynn Zimmer Jazz Band

J La Bodega Tapas & Lounge4311 West 119th St. .......... 913-428-8272Sun. — Live Music 6:00 - 8 00 p.m.

B Llyewelyn’s6995 W 151st ................... 913-402-0333Tues. — Blues Jam 7:30 p.m.Sat. - Sun. — Live Music

J Sullivan’s Steakhouse4501 W. 119th St. ............. 913-345-08007 days a week — Live Jazz

WESTJB 4220 Rhythm & Blues Lounge

4220 Leavenworth Rd, KCK .................................. 913-232-9827Sun. — Jazz/R&B/Blues Jam 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.

J Jazz at Legends1859 Village W Pkwy, KCK .................................. 913-328-0003Wed. - Sat. — Live Jazz

B Kobi’s Bar and Grill113 Oak, Bonner Springs .... 913-422-5657Sun. — Live Blues 2:00 - 6:00 p.m.

J Lucky Brewgrille5401 Johnson Drive ............ 913-403-8571Thurs. — Live Jazz 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

J Jazz B Blues


NEXT JAM

CODALARRY KOPITNIK

ARC is a decade old. The Artists Recording Collective is an independent CD label based in the Leavenworth, Kansas where musicians own their work. Among the 60 CDs in its jazz catalog are albums by Roger Wilder, Chris Hazelton, and Marcus Hampton. We look back at 10 years of ARC in the next Jam.

I discovered Kansas City jazz at the festivals in Volker Park through much of the 1980s. I helped organize them, serving as president the year Mike Metheny’s younger brother was rained out and a cocky Mike almost got himself arrested (as he relates elsewhere in this issue). So I greet the American Jazz Museum’s new festival with special interest. John Scofield and Regina Carter are outstand-ing headliners. But there’s grumbling afoot over the event selling itself with other names attached who are clearly not jazz. Jazz festivals around the country book lineups with a couple of different philosophies. Chicago and Detroit stick tightly to the genre. Last year’s Chicago festival featured Charlie Haden, Benny Golson, The Bad Plus, Anat Cohen and the John Scofield/Joe Lovano Quartet. Detroit’s lineup included Scofield, Ron Carter, Brad Mehldau, Roy Hargrove, Marcus Roberts, and George Benson. Other festivals follow New Orleans’ approach. Headliners later this month for their Jazz and Heritage Festival, probably the world’s biggest, include Trombone Shorty, Dr. John, and George Benson, but also Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Stevie Wonder and Snoop Dogg. The integrity of the music is important. So is the size of the audience. If a jazz festival fails to attract a crowd, sponsors don’t return and neither does the festival. In the 1980s, we chose to note the jazz but market the idea of a big event. If you miss this festival, we tried to convince you, you’ll miss what everyone in the office will be discussing on Monday morning. Back then, radio was a twenty-something’s communal medium. We recruited KY-102 as a sponsor. They played rock music, coming no closer to jazz than Charlie Watt’s drumming on a Rolling Stones song. But the party crowd listened to them in dominating numbers and we craved that crowd. They pro-

moted the festival. They invited us onto their morning show. Some of their most popular personalities came out on Saturday afternoon and threw frisbees to the audience. It worked. That year was one of the most financially successful of the 1980s Kansas City Jazz Festivals. The next year, all sponsors returned. The music on stage held its integrity. But even then, more than thirty years ago, we were not selling the jazz. Booking R&B and neo-soul is another path to the same goal. Maybe the bigger question, then, is this: Why, in Kansas City, do jazz festival organizers feel a need to sell something other than jazz to attract an audience large enough to impress sponsors? Jazz is a niche music. Thirty years ago we talked about it comprising just 2% of album sales. I’m not sure whether popu-larity is still measured in album sales, but jazz will never rival the marketability of, well, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. In Kansas City, that doesn’t matter. Here, jazz is our his-tory. It’s integral to our identity. John Scott estimates half his audience at Green Lady Lounge are visitors looking for a Kansas City jazz experience. It’s how visitors know this city. We wear that identity exceptionally well. Our jazz pipeline is filled with young faces who move here for education and opportunities uncommon elsewhere. But a jazz audience alone isn’t enough to populate a major festival. The event needs related music complementing genuine jazz to draw crowds. That’s the 2017 equivalent of recruiting a rock radio station. It’s important for Kansas City to host a jazz festival. Jazz is woven into this city’s soul. Just do me one favor, American Jazz Museum. Promise me you’ll never book Snoop Dogg.

The Realities of Jazz Festivals

Audio Engineering:Dr. Ian Corbett 913.288.7317Instrumental Music:Jim Mair 913.288.7149Vocal Music:John Stafford 913.288.7137

Recent alumni:Touring with Ariana Grande and Josh GrobanEmployed by PIXAR films and the Billboard ChartsPerformances at:2014 Havana, Cuba Jazz Festival2016, 2017 JEN Conventions2017 ACDA National Convention2017 ACDA National Convention

Notable alumni:Bobby WatsonMichael WarrenChris HazeltonNick RowlandTim Bailey

Take private lessons with:Rod FleemanBram WijnandsJurgen WelgeMike NingSteve MolloyBrett JacksonBrett JacksonAndrew Stinson

KCKCC “The Standard” jazz choirat the NYC Jazz Festival

Kansas City Jazz Summit • April 25, 26, 27, 28big bands • combos • vocal jazz • “Basically Basie” competition

KCKCC jazz band performingat the Havana Jazz Festival in Cuba

Study music at KCKCC • Affordable • Scholarships available • Real world training

Jazz by the Lake concert series • FREEFirst Thursdays at noon in Flunder Lodge

Light lunch providedSponsored by Midwest Regional Credit Union“Making life better”

KANSAS CITY KANSASCOMMUNITY COLLEGE

JAMES ALBRIGHTBass

MICHAEL PAGÁNPiano

ROD FLEEMANGuitar

RAY DEMARCHIDrum Set, Percussion

BRIAN SCARBOROUGHTrombone

STEVE MOLLOYTrumpet

DOUG TALLEYWoodwinds

JIM MAIRDirector

RETURNING AGAIN THIS YEAR! Kansas City High School All-Star Jazz Ensemble.By audition only. Scholarships available. Meets 3:00pm to 4:00pm each day after camp.

For more information call camp director Jim Mair at 913.288.7503 or visit www.kansascityjazz.org.

FACULTY TO INCLUDE:

Ages 13 to adult, 9:00am to 3:00pm. Tuition $200 (includes lunch and camp shirt).

June 5-9, 2017KANSAS CITY KANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

KANSAS CITY JAZZ ORCHESTRA

KCKCC KCJO16TH ANNUAL

C E L E B R A T I N G 3 1 Y E A R S

White Concert Hall • Washburn University

Featuring Classical and Jazz Music

FREE concerts nightly June 9th-17th

FREE JAZZ NIGHTMonday, June 12th @ 7:30 p.m.

featuring 5-time Grammy-nominated

Karrin AllysonKarrin Allyson – vocals & piano

Rod Fleeman – guitar • Miro Sprague – piano & RhodesGerald Spaits – bass • Todd Strait – drums

www.SunflowerMusicFestival.org | 785.670.1620

Sponsored by Liz Stratton

Chamber Orchestra – Friday, June 9, 7:30 P.M.Chamber Ensembles – Saturday, June 10, 7:30 P.M.Amernet Quartet – Sunday, June 11, 7:30 P.M.Jazz Night w/Karrin Allyson – Monday, June 12, 7:30 P.M.Chamber Ensembles – Tuesday, June 13, 7:30 P.M.Chamber Orchestra – Wednesday, June 14, 7:30 P.M.Blanche Bryden Collegiate String Quartets – Thursday, June 15, 7:30 P.M.Chamber Ensembles – Friday, June 16, 7:30 P.M.Blanche Bryden High School Concert – Saturday, June 17, 3:00 P.M.Chamber Orchestra – Saturday, June 17, 7:30 P.M.

Documents

Peter Schlamb and Matt Villinger