Now's the Time: Bennie Moten

Bennie Moten was 40 when he died in 1935 following a botched tonsillectomy in his hometown of Kansas City.  Ninety-one years after it was recorded, the embedded “Spanish stomp” still sounds like a vibrant party-starter.

Now's the Time: Jimmy Rushing

The Oklahoma native Jimmy Rushing sang in Kansas City based bands led by Walter Page and Bennie Moten before rising to fame through his association with the Count Basie Orchestra.  Known as Mr. Five by Five for his stout build, Rushing is supported by an auspicious cast of geniuses in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Adam Galdblum was interviewed by Joe Dimino.

*The State of This City, a new album by the Myers Swingset, was released last week.

*Vewiser Dixon shares his plans for the Jazz District with The Kansas City Star.

*Tweet o’ the Week: 20sJazz- Bennie Moten was born today in Kansas City, Missouri in 1894. Considered the creator of the Kansas City sound, the pianist and bandleader began his recording career playing a regional interpretation of New Orleans jazz with a stomping beat.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: The Music of Bennie Moten

The Jackson County Historical Society, the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors and the Mutual Musicians Foundation are hosting an event billed as Bennie, Basie, and Bird: An Evening of KC Jazz at the Foundation on Saturday, July 28.   While “live performances with original and contemporary arrangements of their classics” are promised, details on precisely who will be interpreting the music of Bennie Moten, Count Basie and Charlie Parker aren’t available.  Perhaps my skepticism makes me an insolent heretic, but I don’t intend to fork over the $35 price of admission until I know which musicians are participating.  A multitude of other options are listed at The Kansas City Jazz Calendar.

Highland Cemetery

At the conclusion of the revitalized gravesite ceremony honoring Charlie Parker on August 30, Kent Rausch offered to provide a tour of nearby Highland Cemetery.  The founder and bandleader of the Vine Street Rumble Jazz Orchestra, Rausch is a leading historian of Kansas City's jazz heyday. 

Embarrassed that I'd never visited the graves of Bennie Moten and Julia Lee, I accepted Rausch's invitation.  Less than five minutes after departing Parker's grave at Lincoln Cemetery, I was looking at the new marker pictured above.  The engraved stone was installed by the people behind the Coda Jazz Fund earlier this year. 

Rausch recounted the story of Moten's shocking death and the huge turnout for his funeral.  "Moten Swing" is one of the recordings that first put Kansas City on the musical map.  Julia Lee's grave is just a few steps away.  Decades later, her risqué songs are still shocking.

Here's a map linking the two cemeteries.  Note that the entrance to Lincoln Cemetery is actually on Blue Ridge Boulevard.















(Original images by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Vine Street Rumble Jazz Orchestra at Celebration at the Station

Several thousand early birds at Sunday's Celebration at the Station heard vintage Kansas City jazz performed in a setting that would have been familiar to a young Charlie Parker. 

Vine Street Rumble Jazz Orchestra's delightful "pre-show" performance in front of Union Station resurrected 80-year-old ghosts that were visible to at least two patrons.

As saxophonist Brett Jackson soloed on Count Basie's "Blue and Sentimental," a seemingly unstable vagrant seated next to me shouted "this is the sound!"  I shared his phantasmal enthusiasm for the band's stated mission of "celebrating the legacy of Kansas City jazz in the 30's and 40's." 

The set began with a couple of Jay McShann numbers and included at least one Bennie Moten composition.  The ensemble features notable players such as saxophonist Steve Lambert, trumpeters Al Pearson and Jay Sollenberger, trombonist Jason Goudeau, guitarist Rod Fleeman and pianist Joe Cartwright. 

Vine Street Rumble's 45-minute excursion seemed far too short.  Organizers would be foolhardy not to make the ensemble a permanent attraction at the large-scale annual event.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The invaluable new site Bobby Watson Speaks contains "Deleted Scenes from A Candid Conversation with Bobby Watson."

*In a damning editorial, KC Jazz Lark characterizes initial plans for the 18th & Vine museum complex as "an oasis ringed by blight."

*Jazz Tokyo offers a seemingly comprehensive look at Chuck Haddix's biography of Charlie Parker.

*A site dedicated to the genealogy and a forthcoming reunion of the Moten family is of interest to Kansas City jazz fans. Here are the pages for Bennie and Buster Moten. (Tip via KC Jazz Lark.)

*Downbeat reviewed Bobby Watson's Check Cashing Day.

*A Ted Talk given by Harold O'Neal two months ago is online.

*A preview of a concert featuring Bram Wijnands notes the Dutchman's interesting biography. Chuck Berg reviewed the performance in Topeka.

*Here's another round of 12th Street Jump's "Blues In the News".

*Tweet o' the Week: Brian Scarborough- @theprojecth sounded great tonight out at Take Five. Phenomenal playing and writing. Glad I made it out. #kcjazz

*Comment o' the Week: Anonymous- I wouldn't say nobody wants the AJM, but currently it is less than impressive. I like the Blue Room (part of the AJM) and go once or twice a month. I haven't been in the museum for about three years as there's not much new. I wish the museum would do more special events combining education and performance…

*From Take Five Coffee + Bar: (O)ur December is fierce.  Every date but one features an out-of-town artist… We've dubbed it "Homecoming Month".  Friday, December 6, 8 pm:  Brian Scarborough Quintet- Kansas City native composer and trombonist Brian Scarborough is back home from his studies in Chicago and he's bringing a ferocious quintet to take over Take Five: Jeff Harshbarger on bass, Matt Otto on saxophone, TJ Martley on keys and Brandon Draper on drums. $5 cover.  Saturday, December 7, 8 pm:  Clint Ashlock with Ben Markley- Denver pianist Ben Markley… will perform Saturday. Coming down from the mountains with Ben that night is saxophonist Josh Quinlan, instructor of Jazz Studies at the University of Colorado. A powerhouse threesome of Kansas City talent will help us welcome the guests from the west - trumpeter Clint Ashlock, drummer John Kizilarmut and bassist Ben Leifer. $5 cover.

*From a press release: Spirituality & All That Jazz. First Wednesday of every month. Unity Temple on the Plaza Tickets at the door only - $7.00. Children under 16 free. Wednesday, December 4, 2013: Magical Musical Moments with vocalist Bukeka Shoals and Tim Whitmer & The Consort Band. Wednesday, February 5, 2014: The incomparable Joe Cartwright, Pianist with Tim Whitmer & The Consort Band.

*From a press release: Kansas City’s newest jazz destination, The Broadway Jazz Club, officially opens its doors to the public on Friday, Dec. 6 with a grand opening celebration from 4 p.m. – 1 a.m. and an encore celebration scheduled Saturday, Dec. 7 from 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. The Broadway Jazz Club is proud to create a destination that is celebrating and reviving Kansas City’s musical roots and rich jazz heritage. The weekend will also introduce the complete menu offerings prepared by The Broadway Jazz Club Chef Richard Martin. Friday, Dec. 6: The Broadway Jazz Club will kick its grand opening into full swing with a full night of live music featuring the Dan Doran Band, a high energy, local KC jump blues and jazz band. A special happy hour with drink specials is planned from 4 – 8 pm. Saturday, Dec. 7: The local jazz celebration continues at The Broadway Jazz Club on Saturday night with the musical talents of local songstress Megan Birdsall from 9pm – 1 am. 

*The Kansas City Jazz Calendar has been updated.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*KCPT uploaded an undated video profile of the Mutual Musicians Foundation to YouTube. 

*T.J. Martley and Gerald Spaits were interviewed by Joe Dimino for Neon Jazz.

*KC Jazz Lark shares illuminating source material as he reexamines the origins of the American Jazz Museum.

*The Kansas City Star reviewed Harry Connick's concert at the Midland theater.

*Chris Burnett reaffirms his commitment to the American Jazz Museum.

*Images of a graveside tribute of Bennie Moten are part of a slideshow of shots taken by photographers for The Kansas City Star.

*The physical edition of Bobby Watson's Check Cashing Day has a new street date of November 26.

*Tweet o' the Week: Ron Gutierrez- I am so, so pleased to announce this Friday's concert! After a few years of planning, the time has come!. (link)

*From Dan Thomas: Dan Thomas and Voyage will be presenting original music and some brand new music in remembrance of JFK at the Blue Room, 18th and Vine, on Nov 22nd from 8:30pm-12:30am.  The evening will mark the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination and we will provide some musical commentary on what he and his legacy has/can inspire us to do. Wayne Hawkins – Piano, Forest Stewart – Bass, Mike Warren – Drums.

*From a press release: Spirituality & All That Jazz.  Magical Musical Moments with vocalist Bukeka Shoals performing with Tim Whitmer & the Consort Band. Wednesday, December 4, 2013. 7 p.m. Unity on the Plaza. $7.

*From the American Jazz Museum: Join us on Thursday, December 19th, 2013 at the American Jazz Museum in the Blue Room for "KC MAD - Kansas City Musician's Appreciation Day!" It's free! Food and drink.  Truman Medical Centers to provide free assessment screening.  Artist career resources.  Live music by Elderstatesmen of KC Jazz from 5pm - 7pm.  Live music by Carl McComas Reichl from 7:30pm - 11pm.  More activities and items to be announced.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Borne Back Ceaselessly Into the Past

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 


"Hip hop was not around in the 1920's," a reviewer sniffs in a dismissal of the soundtrack to the new film version of The Great Gatsby.  "They just ruined the film."

The use of contemporary popular music in a film that takes place in 1922 doesn't offend me.  I reckon that today's versions of the title character would listen to Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Kanye West.  Had the filmmakers elected to present a soundtrack that's true to the setting, however, some of the selections would likely have originated in Kansas City.

The Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra's swanky "Oriental Love Dreams" would complement a dance scene.  And hip attendees of Gatsby's parties would probably have been aware of Bennie Moten.  The rowdy rendition of "Evil Mama Blues" with Ada Brown evokes all kinds of unlawful sin.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Pat Metheny's Unity Band was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

*A blogger compares Eddie Moore to "other great young and contemporary Houston-bred jazz pianists like Jason Moran and Robert Glasper."  Moore uploaded a track from his forthcoming album to SoundCloud.

*Opportunities for aspiring musicians abound at the Black House Improvisors' Collective.

*The eightieth anniversary of an important recording session by Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra is noted by KCJazzLark.

*A new set of videos documenting a recent KC Youth Jazz performance is impressive.

*Here's another video of a 12th Street Jump "Blues In the News" segment.

*Kristin Shafel Omiccioli reviewed Marilyn Maye's appearance with the Heartland Men's Chorus at the Folly Theater and Project Trio's concert at Polsky Theatre.

*Here a clip of jazz students at Kansas City Kansas Community College playing a Stan Kessler arrangement of "We Three Kings".

*Side By Side, the new album by "antique pop" duo Victor & Penny, was recently released.

*Joe Dimino interviewed Gary Smulyan. 

*Frequent Kansas City visitor Rob Scheps is featured on Marvin "Bugalu" Smith's new album Majestic.

*Comment o' the Week: Anonymous- Thank god we have the Betty Carter jazz program to show us the way. I never realized that playing "All the Things You Are" really well was a solid business model.

*Tweet o' the Week: KCJazzOrch- The new KCJO/Kevin Mahogany Christmas CD is available for download: Itunes, Muve, Rdio, Deezer, Rhapsody, Amazon MP3, Spotify, &Google Play.

*From a press release issued by Take Five Coffee + Bar: Take Five Coffee + Bar brings you a packed calendar of stellar music this month from Kansas City and beyond… Friday, December 14, 8pm- Shades of Jade (and a barista competition!)… Saturday, December 15, 8pm- Snuff Jazz… Friday, December 21, 8pm- Matt Chalk with Diverse… Saturday, December 22, 8pm- Mandy Nousain and her Trio… Friday, December 28, 8pm- Parallax… Saturday, December 29, 8pm- Drew Williams Quartet… Friday, January 4, 8pm- The KC Sound Collective.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

That's What I'm Talking About

I'm hardly what you'd call a jazz traditionalist. The forthcoming release by Robert Glasper will probably be my favorite album of 2012. Even so, I find this 82-year-old recording by Kansas City's Bennie Moten no less invigorating than anything being created today. The raucous "That's What I'm Talking About" is impossibly strange.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Because I'm both unwilling and unable to address the "Curtis Got Slapped" phenomenon, I'll suggest that curious Plastic Sax readers begin with the link provided here.

*NPR's A Blog Supreme appreciates "Moten Swing."

*Here's a poem inspired by Dave Douglas' recent appearance at the Blue Room.

*Howard Reich raves about Bobby Watson's opening night at Chicago's Jazz Showcase. (Tip via RH.) The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review critiqued Watson's The Gates BBQ Suite.

*Federal funding for the American Jazz Museum is characterized as a "ridiculous earmark".

*I admire what T.J. Martley has done here. And there's more where that came from.

*UMKC provides an update on Hermon Mehari.

*Here's more on the Reno Club from KCJazzLark.

*Steve Penn catches up with Harold O'Neal.

*New inductees into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame include Count Basie, Charlie Parker and Bobby Watson.

*Delfeayo Marsalis' Sweet Thunder "theatrical jazz production," will be performed at the Jim D. Morris Auditorium in Springfield, MO, on February 5.

*In addition to Kenny G's "Holiday Show" on December 17, the Midland Theater will host Chris Botti on February 18.

*A fascinating discussion is taking place in the comment section of the previous Plastic Sax post.

*Charlie Parker scholar Phil Schaap has a Twitter account.

*Tweet of the week: PatMethenyNews: Pat just completed shooting the Orchestrion show for a new HD-DVD that will be available on Blu-ray+ 3D formats

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

The Ten Best Kansas City Jazz Recordings

Nine of the ten discs I've selected as the best Kansas City jazz recordings have one thing in common- they exude a sense of joyful celebration. The melding of blues and jazz that characterizes the Kansas City sound is intended as the soundtrack to a party. Even Frizzell and Metheny, the two artists on my list who veer farthest away from the city's traditional sound, radiate positive vibrations. The revolutionary work of Charlie Parker, manic and confrontational, makes him the odd man out. But he never fit in. In chronological order:

1. Bennie Moten- Band Box Shuffle (recorded 1929-32, Hep Records compilation released 2000)
Kansas City jazz didn't begin with Moten, but he was the first significant area bandleader to be extensively recorded. This set contains two-and-a-half hours of intoxicatingly vibrant music featuring the likes of Count Basie, Harlan Leonard, Hot Lips Page and Jimmy Rushing.

2. Count Basie- The Best of Early Basie (recorded 1937-39, Decca compilation released 1996)
The mother lode. Just the names of the participants- Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Claude Williams, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Jo Jones- inspire awe. When someone in Tokyo or Paris thinks of Kansas City, they have "Jumpin' At the Woodside" or "Doggin' Around" in mind. This set also includes Jimmy Rushing's reading of "Blues In the Dark," which may be my favorite recording of the twentieth century.

3. Jay McShann- Blues From Kansas City (recorded 1941-43, Decca compilation released 1992)
Impossibly hip titles like "Say Forward, I'll March" and "Hootie's Ignorant Oil" hint at the good times provided by these classic sides. And yes, the young Charlie Parker's first recorded honks are here.

4. Julia Lee- Kansas City's First Lady of the Blues, (recorded 1944-47, JSP compilation released 2001)
A full sixty years later, many of Lee's raunchy songs are fully capable of inducing blushes. Local legends like Sam "Baby" Lovett play alongside stars including Benny Carter and Red Norvo on these wild and wooly sessions.

5. Charlie Parker- Complete Dial Sessions (recorded 1946-47, Stash compilation released 1993)
As with his personal life, Parker's discography is complicated and somewhat messy. This selection comes down to personal preference; I really dig the mind-bendingly creative Dial sessions, which emphasize Parker's compositional skills.

6. Dwight Frizzell & Anal Magic- Beyond the Black Crack (recorded and self-released in 1976; reissued on Paradigm in 1998)
Does this obscure title by Kansas City's favorite oddball actually exist? Does it matter? The Sun Ra-obsessed Frizzell went on to make many experimental recordings with BCR, which for years was arguably the best band in Kansas City, jazz or otherwise.

7. Pat Metheny- American Garage (recorded and released in 1979, ECM)
As with Aaron Copeland's most popular works, the majestic compositions of American Garage evoke the generous vistas of the American plains. Metheny's incorporation of folk and country elements paved the way for explorations by both fellow guitarist Bill Frisell and new-grass acts including Bela Fleck and Nickel Creek.

8. Count Basie- Kansas City Shout (recorded and released in 1980, Pablo)
This late-career summit of Basie, Joe Turner and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson reminds me of great late-night sessions at the Mutual Musicians Foudation, except there's nothing casual about the sophisticated big bands charts on "Blues For Joe Turner." Swinging came as easily to the old veterans as breathing.

9. City Light Orchestra- Raised Spirits (recorded and released in 1984, City Light Entertainment)
The sound captured by swinging traditionalists Dave Basse, Tim Whitmer, Ahmad Alaadeen, Jano and Laverne Barker continues to dominate Kansas City's jazz scene twenty-three years after this perfectly-titled set's release.

10. Myra Taylor- My Night To Dream (recorded in 2000, released in 2001, APO Records)
Even at ninety-years-old, Taylor shows more energy and spunk than almost every other entertainer in town. With Sonny Kenner's guitar and Eddie Saunders' tenor sax, this crisp recording unites Kansas City's jazz and blues legacies.

Disagree with my selections? I should hope so. Please add your list and thoughts to the comments section.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

The Sound of Kansas City, 1929

Although this session was recorded in Chicago on October 23, 1929, it captures the wild sound that provided the soundtrack to Kansas City's renaissance. As the fine notes for the video indicate, the band was in a transitional phase, evolving from a formulaic sound to a more cosmopolitan style that would rival the bands of Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson.

Even so, it's still exhilarating almost eighty years later.

Several members of the band played more than one instrument, but my best guess is that the personnel on this track are Ed Lewis and Booker Washington on trumpet; Thamon Hayes on trombone; Eddie Durham on guitar; Harlen Leonard, Vernon Page, Jack Washington and Woody Walder on saxophones and clarinets; Count Basie on piano; Leroy Berry on banjo and Willie McWashington on drums. Having ceded the piano chair to Basie, Moten directs.