Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Bird speaks! An obscure 1954 discussion featuring Paul Desmond and Charlie Parker was recently posted at YouTube. (Via Rifftides.)

*KCJazzLark analyzes the inconsistencies of Kansas City's primary jazz clubs.

*"An institution that’s become best known in recent years for turmoil, mismanagement and unfulfilled promises is again asking for trust," asserts Sam Mellinger in a column about the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. (Out-of-town readers should know that the attraction is housed in the same building as the American Jazz Museum.

*Charles Feruzza shares a memo from Vera Willis of the Peachtree Restaurant that includes her rationale for shuttering the location at 18th and Vine.

*London's, a new venue in Topeka, occasionally features live jazz. The Topeka Capital-Journal has the story.

*Road trip! (Part One)- Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa perform in Wichita on January 25. And Benny Golson, Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke are on the way. Find the details here. (Tip via Lee Ingalls.)

*Road trip! (Part Two)- Dean Minderman reports that Brad Mehldau will appear April 6-7 at St. Louis' Jazz at the Bistro.

*Chris Lewis of Killer Strayhorn wants Plastic Sax readers to know that the official CD release party for 80/20 Blue is January 29 at the Pressroom in Crosstown Station.

*Tweet o' the Week- JazzWinterlude: Jazz Winterlude is ON TONIGHT! It's New Jazz Order with Megan Birdsall at the JCCC's Carlsen Center. It's at 7 pm & it's free. (Posted January 20.)

*Barrie Lee Hall, Jr. has died. He was 61. Plastic Sax readers might recall that the trumpeter and one-time leader of the Ellington Orchestra performed in Kansas City last April. He's seated to Clark Terry's right in this photo. (Tip via Michael Pagan.)

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)