The Future of Jazz Isn't In Jazz

The future of jazz isn't in jazz.

That's why experiments like Mark Lowrey's December 12 tribute to Radiohead are so vital. Here's Tim Finn's fascinating discussion with Lowrey about the project.

I'm not a particularly rabid Radiohead fan. My ears perk up instead when hip hop DJs are replaced by jazz rhythm sections. (I expounded on that concept in a Lowrey-related essay four months ago. (That's Lowrey and his "With Drums" ensemble in the embedded video.)

Because I'm lucky enough to experience a wide range of live music several nights a week, I'm in a unique position to know just how shockingly small and pitfully passive the audience for jazz has become. If the most steadfast advocates of jazz could see what I see they'd realize just how severely the jazz audience has atrophied. The vast majority of entire generations of music fans have been lost.

Don't take my word for it. Just look at NPR's listener selections for the year in music. These are precisely the same sort of elite music aficionados who would have been extolling the merits of Chet Baker, David Brubeck, Miles Davis and Herbie Mann fifty years ago. Not only isn't a jazz title among their picks (unless you want to count Norah Jones' new rock-ish album at #28), the music isn't even on their radar. (Terry Teachout, of course, made a similar point in a controversial editorial earlier this year.)

I take no pleasure in making these observations, especially since I believe the music is undergoing an artistic renaissance. And I love my Jay McShann collection even more than I admire the latest sounds from the likes of Joe Lovano. But these sublime pleasures aren't shared by many.

The crisis- and yes, it is a crisis- can only be addressed by concepts like Lowrey's. I'm not suggesting that Lowrey's gig is going to save jazz. It might not even be any good. But it's a good idea. And jazz can use a lot more of those right now.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Loren Pickford blames BMI for the loss of his gig at the Golden Ox according to a report by Tess Koppelman. (Tip via Tony's Kansas City.) Pickford plays Thursday, July 23, at the Blue Room.

*Will Matthews' new album, Count Out Swingin', streets August 3. The recording features saxophonist Bobby Watson, organist Mel Rhyne and drummer Kenny Phelps.

*KCUR profiled jazz and electronica musician John Brewer.

*Tony's Kansas City continues to rave about Dave Stephens. The popular blogger also seems to approve of the previous Plastic Sax post.

*If I didn't know better, I'd suggest that A Blog Supreme has been monitoring Plastic Sax. A new essay suggesting that the jam band scene is an appropriate model for jazz musicians is strikingly familiar. (Here's just one example.)

*Apropos of nothing, the Guardian published a fine essay on Charlie Parker.

*435 South magazine featured David Basse. (Tip via AZ.)

*As Andrew Zender reported in a comment to the previous Plastic Sax post, Jazz Times magazine is "back in action".

*As I suggested a couple days ago, Kansas City's rock scene is thriving. A new documentary about the scene screened here last week. Requisite jazz content? The accompanying free download includes a track by Sal Retta that's sure to please fans of Madeleine Peyroux.

*"Jazz Is Dead." That's apparently the title of a song by new Kansas City indie rock band Thee Water Moccasins.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Plastic Sax's Crystal Ball

I don't particularly care for the music made by the likes of Mouth. The Kansas City band has more in common with Phish and Allan Holdsworth than with Charlie Parker and Joe Lovano.

A contentious debate at the Plastic Sax compound about whether or not to include Mouth in Plastic Sax's jazz listings has inspired a great deal of thought about the future of jazz.

Here are a few predictions about major changes that will transform the jazz community over the next ten years.

Definitions. In 2019 it will no longer seem odd to categorize bands like Mouth as "jazz." The word will have lost much of its current connotation. Prog rock, jam bands and ambitious roots-based music? Call it jazz. Need a headliner for a big jazz festival? Book Ben Harper, John Mayer or Wilco. They may not meet the outdated definition of jazz, but they sell tickets to fans who own a copy of Kind of Blue.

Support. Traditional jazz musicians will increasingly rely on support from government agencies and charitable foundations. Organizations like the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra will thrive and multiply. Privately-financed operations like Jardine's will be forced to continue their gradual drift away from mainstream jazz.

Education. The jazz establishment will finally lose their firm grip on music education. The new model will be programs along the lines of Paul Green's School of Rock and Columbia College's music production training.

Underground. A subversive alternative scene will blossom. A rebellious form of jazz- much of it noisy and and anarchic- will become the chosen music of anti-establishment hipsters. Imagine loft jazz redux.

Thanks, Mouth, for inspiring these musings. But I won't be listening to jams like "Gnarly" as I attempt to defend this post. Instead, I'll be hiding behind my enormous collection of Jay McShann memorabilia as abuse is hurled in my direction.

(Original image of Mouth by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*NPR's jazz blog analyzed the data contained in a recent National Endowment of the Arts study. Here are a few gruesome lowlights: 7.8% of Americans saw a jazz show in 2008; the median age of the jazz audience is now 46; the college-educated jazz audience has dropped 29% since 2002; 7.3% of (18-24 year olds) went (to a jazz show) in 2008. Imagine the results if the contributions of crossover artists Diana Krall, Chris Botti and Michael Buble weren't counted.

*There's no Kansas City-specific content in this item either, but in light of the hiatus of Rhythm & Ribs, I recommend the Los Angeles Times' fascinating study of the challenges related to booking a jazz festival.

*The Pitch announced the nominees for their 2009 music awards. Jazz Ensemble- The People's Liberation Big Band, The Jazz Disciples, Snuff Jazz, Organic Proof, The McFadden Brothers, The Wild Women of Kansas City. Jazz Solo Artist- Mark Lowrey, Bram Wijnands, Everette DeVan, Megan Birdsall, Bobby Watson, Pearl Thurston Brown. Here's the ballot.

*Karrin Allyson's two-night run at Jardine's is previewed by Hearne Christopher.

*The New York Times goes ga-ga for Marilyn Maye. (Tip via Lee.)

*The management of Leawood's Gaslight Grill would like Plastic Sax readers to be reminded that Dixieland artist Lynn Zimmer continues his residency at the establishment.

*Bartlesville hosts Gary Burton and Chick Corea tonight at the OK Mozart Festival. Corea was here three or four years ago but I can't even recall when Burton last played in Kansas City.

*Joel Francis reviewed Roy Ayers' recent appearance.

*I was surprised to learn that there was a second annual Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival last Saturday.

*Saxophonist Charlie Mariano died yesterday. Born in 1923, he was just three years younger than Charlie Parker. The man continued to explore new sounds well into the new millennium. (Tip via BGO.)

*Jack Nimitz also died recently. His connections to Kansas City include playing with pianist Ronnell Bright in Supersax.

*Kevin Rabas has published a new book of poetry. Jazz is one of the Kansan's frequent topics.

*The 2009-10 concert season of The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra has been leaked via Facebook. Edited slightly for length: #1- "Big Band Meets Hollywood"; September 25, 2009 - Folly Theater ... a fun evening of songs made popular by movies and TV shows from the 40's through today. These memory invoking tunes arranged for a big band will be easy to recognize and easy to listen to. Popcorn provided. #2: "The Best of the Big Bands" January 9, 2010 - Yardley Hall. ... an assortment of hits from legendary big bands such as Basie, Ellington, Kenton, Herman and Goodman. #3: "Sweet Kansas City" April 30, 2010 - Folly Theater ... a presentation of the complete "Kansas City Suite" by Benny Carter, a ten movement body of work... The shows have been added to the Kansas City Jazz Calendar

*Finally, I'd like to thank commenter L.F.B. who took me to task in a recent post. I don't particularly care for his/her tone or negativity but I love interacting with Plastic Sax's readers. I'm grateful to all 17 of you.

(Original image by Plastic Sax. This is the interminable line to enter last week's big jazz hip hop concert at Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone.)

Is Jazz Dead? No, It's Dyed

Anyone driving along 12th Street Saturday night might have understandably presumed that a jam-band was performing at the Folly Theater.

Hordes of shaggy fans in tie-dye stood smoking outside the venerable venue. But neither String Cheese Incident nor a Phish side project were on stage. Instead, the bohemians were downtown to hear John Scofield play guitar.

Scofield has successfully collaborated with Medeski Martin & Wood and worked alongside Phil Lesh. Fans of those acts have subsequently latched on to Scofield.

While many members of the jazz community wring their hands about the dwindling audience for jazz, Scofield has gone out of his way to bring new fans into the fold.

The trend has been previously noted at Plastic Sax. While I don't spend much time collecting Grateful Dead bootlegs, I recognize that jazz's great hope, at least among American audiences, is likely in the patchouli-stained hands of Deadheads.

Incidentally, some jerk gave the show a mixed review. What an idiot!

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Who Are You?

The majority of jazz fans here in Kansas City can be grouped into one of two categories. There's the aging white audience for whom Glenn Miller is still the king. These people can actually recall a time when jazz was popular music.

Then there are the primarily black fans in their 40s, 50s and 60s who came of age to Ramsey Lewis' The In Crowd and Grover Washington, Jr.'s Mr. Magic.

The first group's communal vigilance has been the bedrock of the local jazz scene. Area jazz clubs are vanishing as their numbers dwindle.

The second crowd's conception of jazz is far less rigid. Norman Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Najee and Mary J. Blige all have equal merit in this more liberal world view. While I applaud this perspective, it's not going to sell many tickets to a Cecil Taylor concert.

To be certain, there are at least a couple hundred misfits like me, relatively young jazz fans who support the music in spite of the indifference of our peers. Kansas City is also home to an astonishing number of jazz educators and students.

If the economy continues its downturn, the federal funds and the charitable grants that have propped up area jazz series and institutions might disappear. Toss in a rapidly aging fan base, and you have to wonder what's to become of jazz in this town.

Who's going to pay money to see the Count Basie and Tommy Dorsey ghost bands? What will happen to the careers of musicians like Alaadeen, Will Matthews, Loren Pickford and Tommy Ruskin?

I know there's no shortage of local musicians willing to step up. But will there be an audience to support them?

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Jazz Vs. Hip Hop: A KC Encounter

Jazz trio video footage from First Friday

Jazz battled hip hop on First Friday. Hip hop won.

It's no secret that all types of music are appreciated at the Plastic Sax office complex. We like to hear Thelonious Monk sandwiched between Jay-Z and Willie Nelson, just as we enjoy heavy metal concerts no less than jam sessions at the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

Even so, the epiphany I experienced June 6 on 18th Street came as quite a shock.

Two live performances were taking place less than fifty yards from one another. The first-rate jazz trio (photograph and video footage above) featured Dave Creighton on organ, Jack Blackett on sax and drummer Steve "Duck" McLane. The skilled musicians are excellent. Furthermore, Blackett and McLane were members of one of the best Kansas City bands of all time.

But the hip hop show by the Soul Providers (photograph and video footage below) down the block was far more dynamic and exciting. A furious MC battle evoked the spirit of the fabled 12th Street cutting contests of Kansas City's jazz era heyday.

The immediate, stark contrast was a revelation. Although my love of the form hasn't wavered, no longer can I pretend that jazz is particularly relevant in today's world.






















Soul Providers video footage from First Friday

(Original photographs by Plastic Sax.)

Meet Kansas City's Jazz Audience

Meet Kansas City's most enthusiastic jazz supporters. (I'm fourth from the left.) As I told The Pitch a few months ago, I'm tired of being one of the youngest people in the room when I attend live jazz events. And my hair turns grayer by the day.

These are desperate times for jazz. Acclaimed new releases by Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins struggle to sell 10,000 units. In Kansas City, The Phoenix jazz club is shuttered, hopefully only temporarily.

Will any jazz enthusiasts remain twenty years from today?






















Hippies may be jazz's last hope. They dig improvisation and appreciate a groove. Every decent jam band counts John Coltrane among its influences. Back in May, I attended one of two sold-out shows at the Uptown Theater by jazz-inflected act Widespread Panic. A week or two later, I caught jazz-funk band The Greyboy Allstars at Crossroads. Who was there? Me and 500 hippies.

Ken Lovern knows this. The area jazz organist plays Friday night at Davey's Uptown as part of the "Jerry Garcia Memorial Stomp." That's a good gig, the type that's needed if the music is to forestall its date with a bottle of formaldehyde.

(Lovern gig tip via The New Low Down; photos borrowed without permission from web.)