Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*There's hope for the shuttered El Torreon. The legendary venue (above), once the regular host of Benny Moten and Jimmie Lunceford, is reportedly being refurbished.

*An essay titled "Is Bird Dead?" merits further discussion.

*Oleta Adams is profiled.

*I'm not sure why, but Karrin Allyson's national New Year's Eve 2006 broadcast was reposted on July 24 here.

*One of Kansas City's best bloggers, the Midtown Miscreant, muses on the significance of the Hotel Rochester at 18th and Vine. It's a mandatory read for anyone interested in the jazz district.

*Lasers!

*Joe Klopus raves about the forthcoming concert series at the Gem and the Folly. Plastic Sax will weigh in on the bookings in a future post.

*381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story has opened at the American Jazz Museum.

*Chris Burnett analyzes the numbers of jazz.

*A new release by pianist George Dulin receives a rave review. The writer asserts he's from Kansas City.

*Steve Penn applauds the renovation of the Midland Theater.

(Original image of El Torreon by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*A spokesman quoted in a Star story about the new Power & Light district promises "28 weeks of live jazz." I'll personally vouch for the snazzy appeal of the area surrounding the Live stage.

*A blogger eloquently muses about economic disparity and historical relevance at Charlie Parker's grave.

*Patchchord editorialized about the Plaza III situation, calling it "another nail in the coffin". The ripples initiated by Plastic Sax continue at the Pitch's music blog.

*The Star featured the storytelling program at the American Jazz Museum.

*Here's an update on Megan Birdsall's recovery.

*Joe Klopus interviewed Pat Metheny.

*The playwright of Carter's Way laments the destruction of most Kansas City jazz landmarks. "You couldn't even see the ghosts of things past," he says of a disappointing tour he took in Kansas City.

*A Palm Springs paper previewed a show by Marilyn Maye.

*While I sympathize with the righteous indignation Wichita's smooth jazz advocate feels for the loss of Denver's smooth jazz station, it makes for entertaining reading. By the way, how long has it been since Kansas City lost "The City"? Five years? The Washington Post ran a related story about the decline of the format.

*Clark Terry will be playing with Leon Brady's Kansas City Youth Jazz ensemble in May.

*I really like the Star's story about the hippie past of the Cowtown Ballroom. The story only alludes to the room's crucial role in regional jazz history. Giants like Bennie Moten and Andy Kirk often performed in the room when it first opened.

*A diligent Plastic Sax reader was kind enough to offer an extraordinarily helpful review of last weekend's Metheny family concert here.

*Here's Tim Finn's review of Friday's Michael Buble concert.

*Plastic Sax is embarking on a blogger break. Don't fret- I promise all eleven Plastic Sax readers that I'll return with a vengeance.

(Image by Plastic Sax.)