On the Corner

It's hard to hate an attractive park. Yet I loathe Paseo Green.

These photos show what's standing at Kansas City's fabled intersection of 12th Street & Vine. Here's a satellite view.

The corner represents much more than a Leiber and Stoller lyric from a Wilbert Harrison hit. It was once one of the world's premier musical destinations.

Here's the text on a plaque at the site:

During the early-1970s, 12th and Vine fell victim to Urban Renewal. Kansas City's Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority leveled most of the neighborhood surrounding 12th and Vine, as part of a city-wide rebuilding effort. In 1977, the Authority realigned the streets to create Paseo Green Park. Unfortunately, the reconfiguration of the streets eliminated the famed intersection of 12th and Vine. Now, with the creation of the Goin' to Kansas City Plaza at Twelfth Street and Vine, the historic corner of 12th and Vine has been restored.

Established in 2005, the grand piano-shaped plaza celebrates the intersection of 12th and Vine and the song "Kansas City." The piano monument base, nestled in the heart of the treble clef at the center of the park, serves as a platform for a featured sculpture that embodies the spirit of 12th and Vine. The park is designed to be a work-in-progress with a new sculpture commissioned every few years. Existing sculptures will then be placed throughout the park creating a sculpture garden. Linking Kansas City's past and future, the Goin' to Kansas City Plaza at Twelfth Street and Vine allows visitors, once again, to be standin' on the corner of Twelfth Street and Vine.

The original "piano monument base" remains the park's sole sculpture. I really don't care about that broken promise. A thousand sculptures couldn't begin to repair the tragic debasement of the celebrated location.


















(Original images by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Makuza

I have a Fania problem. I just can't lay off the constant stream of reissues from the famed salsa label. My addiction only enhances the appeal of Kansas City's Makuza. While I'm sure members of the band would agree that they're not the equals of Willie Colon and Ruben Blades, they're capable of capturing much of the exuberance associated with the music's top stars. Makuza performs Thursday, May 27, at the Blue Room.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Jason Harper wrote a fascinating account of the demise of the Kansas City Kansas Street Blues Festival. The annual event typically featured a smattering of jazz artists. Here are my notes on last year's festival. I also covered the proceedings in 2008.

*Kevin Mahogany has a new record label of sorts. Mahogany Digital "is... a progressive recording label that seeks to embrace the electronic age." (Tip via St. Louis Jazz Notes.)

*The remarkable story of vocalist Gab Harris is recounted by the Kansas City Kansan.

*KCJazzLark soldiers on with his saga about the creation of the American Jazz Museum.

*Here are details about the Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival.

*The Charlotte Street Foundation awarded Brad Cox of the People's Liberation Big Band a grant of $6,500.

*Dean Minderman of St. Louis Jazz Notes is saving me a lot of work by compiling the latest reviews of Pat Metheny's tour.

*Hearne Christopher remembers the late Jose Lima's flirtation with Jardine's.

*"Kansas City, after all, is not the jazz town it once was," writes theater critic Robert Trussell. His observations on the national impact of local theater are interesting.

*A Sons of Brasil concert is streaming at KANU's site. (Tip via Phil Franklin.)

*"I’m from Kansas City. Jazz and blues are as much a part of me (at least in the attitude) as classical is," vocalist Nathan Granner tells an opera blogger.

*A California newspaper featured Megan Birdsall. Here's her latest tour vlog.

*Current Kansas Citian Joel Francis reviews former Kansas Citian Terry Teachout's new book about Louis Armstrong.

*The interactive version of the New York Times feature on Kansas City mentioned in this space last week includes a photo of Diverse performing at the Czar Bar with Les Izmore. Three members of Diverse are currently touring France.

(Original image by Plastic Sax. The R&B band pictured played some Grover Washington, Jr,. at the Troost Avenue Festival on May 22.)

Thriving On a Riff: Jazz's Last Chance

I'm constantly fretting about the future of jazz. It's what jazz fans do. What if Esperanza Spalding isn't "the one"? Is Brad Mehldau the answer? Who's going to be left to listen in forty years?

As has been noted elsewhere, there's no shortage of great new jazz music. But there's an increasingly limited number of people willing to consume it.

In the past ten days I've attended performances by hard rock and metal bands, Americana acts, a folk singer, honky tonk legends, a hip hop collective, an R&B group and a set by four of Kansas City's premier jazz musicians. Guess which event had the smallest audience.

Concerts by Pat Metheny and the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra are notable exceptions, but of the 111 individual live performances I've seen so far in 2010, jazz events have been the most pitifully attended. Why?

The answer might lie with my good friend, the appropriately named Concert Chris. He recently traveled to Austin, Chicago and Omaha to see his favorite artists. He's taken in 210 performances in 2010. Yet the otherwise wonderful man has a strong antipathy to jazz.

I'm inclined, consequently, to celebrate this footage. Documenting the second official installment of Mark Lowrey vs. Hip Hop, it was shot and edited by a Concert Chris. Matt Chalk, Brandon Draper, Shay Estes and Hermon Mehari are among the featured jazz musicians. In similar fashion, a gifted photographer normally inclined to shoot popular music also covered the show.

As I've said countless times, jazz's commercial viability won't come from someone reiterating Basie or Ellington. The music of tomorrow sounds less like "Thriving On a Riff" and more like Gang Starr. If jazz has a genuine, audience-supported future, it probably looks and sounds a lot like what went down May 15 at the Record Bar.

Now's the Time: Nicole Mitchell

The praise Joe Klopus heaped on Nicole Mitchell in his most recent column inspired me to track down the Chicago-based musician's startlingly innovative Afrika Rising and Black Unstoppable albums. They're superb. The flautist and composer performs with Dennis Winslett Saturday at the Blue Room.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*"It amuses me that a group as cool as Diverse needed to go to Idaho to get more recognition in Kansas City." That's one of several provocative lines in an excellent post at the site of Black House Improvisors' Collective. They perform Friday at City Center Square.

*A New York Times travel feature about Kansas City calls the town "a former jazz mecca." The Mutual Musicians Foundation merits a mention.

*Flattering words and pictures of Shay Estes and Trio ALL are posted by KCJazzLark.

*Ink also featured Shay Estes.

*Mark Southerland does his thing on Frenchman Street in New Orleans on May 1.

*Two jazz artists are among the nine acts featured at June's Parkville Jazz, Blues & Fine Arts Festival.

*Here's a flier touting a May 21 benefit for the Prairie Village Jazz Festival.

*Mary Lou Wiliams is remembered by Tammy L. Kernodle.

*There's no Kansas City-specific content in Marc Myers' fascinating study of the savvy widows of jazz legends, but the piece merits careful examination by a handful of area women.

*Plastic Sax readers are advised to exercise caution while crossing the street in the Jazz District. I can't afford to lose any of my 17 readers.

*Hank Jones, the great pianist who collaborated with artists ranging from Charlie Parker to Marilyn Monroe, has died.

*From a press release from KCKCC: The Kansas City Jazz Summit is coming in 2011. To be held on the campus of Kansas City Kansas Community College April 28-30, the Summit will feature nightly performances by the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and the Kansas City All-Stars, Count Basie jazz competition, adjudication by top jazz professionals and countless workshops... Jim Mair said invitations will be sent to high schools and colleges in the surrounding area of Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and Kansas as well as Mair’s native Manitoba and Saskatchewan Canada. “We want to make this a destination location festival attracting bands from all across the country,” said Mair. “We’re approaching it just like the Kansas Speedway, trying to reach the huge concentration of people living within 500 miles of Kansas City. With the economy the way it is, the days of high school groups going to New Orleans or Los Angeles to compete are gone. The University of Northern Colorado in Greeley has a festival but why drive to Colorado when they could drive half as far or less and come to Kansas City with all it has to offer for less than half the cost because hotels are more affordable here?”

(Original image of a panel session held the morning of April 29, 2010, at The Blue Room by Plastic Sax. From left to right: Greg Carroll, Steve Kraske, Alaadeen, Dan Morgenstern, Barrie Hall and Clark Terry.)

Streaming Kansas City

Like many music fans, I harbor a ghoulish desire to listen to the recordings of recently departed musicians. When I learned that pianist Hank Jones died yesterday, I didn't start filing through the "J" sections of my album and compact disc collection. I turned to Napster instead.

A marketing representative from Napster offered me a complimentary month-long subscription to the streaming music service. She suggested that I might dedicate a post to Napster. I'm pleased to oblige.

Thanks to Napster, I've finally been able to listen to a couple obscure Jay McShann albums I didn't already own. I discovered a late-period Count Basie session I didn't know existed. And I auditioned Megan Birdsall's MBird project.

Here's an incomplete rundown of Kansas City-affiliated jazz recordings available at Napster.

AfterGroove- 1 album; 7 songs

Alaadeen- 4 albums, 29 songs

Karrin Allyson- 12 albums, 167 songs

Count Basie- 113 albums, 1,717 songs
A lot of this is schlocky reissues, but a ton of good stuff is here too.

David Basse- 6 albums, 70 songs
The list of albums includes Leawood: Long & Green.

B.C.R.- 1 album, 10 songs
Speck of Dust from 2004.

Megan Birdsall- 1 album, 11 songs
Little Jazz Bird.

Bloodstone- 8 albums, 93 songs
I realize Bloodstone isn't a jazz act, but soul fans should be advised that the Kansas City group's first three '70s albums are here.

Miles Bonny- 10 albums, 118 songs
Dude makes it happen.

Chris Burnett- 2 albums, 12 songs

Diverse- 1 album, 12 songs
As I've said many times, Diverse is a most unfortunate band name. This fine album can only be found at Napster by entering song titles into its search engine.

Shay Estes- 0 albums, 0 songs

Angela Hagenbach- 1 album, only :30 second samples
It's too bad that just snippets of her new album on Resonance are available.

Kansas City Jazz Orchestra- 2 albums, 29 songs

Andy Kirk- 1 album, 27 songs

Julia Lee- 3 albums, 87 songs

Ida McBeth- 3 albums, 31 songs
Live On the Vine, Special Request and A Gift of Song.

Jay McShann- 16 albums, 210 songs

Will Matthews- 1 album, 9 songs
It's Count On Swingin' from 2009.

Marilyn Maye- 0 albums, 1 song
A major disappointment.

MBird- 1 album, 10 songs
Megan Birdsall's new Americana album is available. I like it.

Mike Metheny- 3 albums, 12 songs
His new release, reviewed at Plastic Sax in April, is not here.

Pat Metheny- 21 albums, 218 songs
Beware- Napster offers just 30-second snippets of Orchestrion. Both Nonesuch and ECM employ this same crummy tactic for many of their releases. Artists and labels need to realize that illegal full album downloads are always just a click away on file-sharing sites. (Not that I know anything about that.)

Matt Otto- 1 album, 8 songs
It's his 2005 album on Origin Records.

Charlie Parker- 82 albums, 1,610 songs
There are dozens of horrendously repackaged titles amid the gold.

Loren Pickford- 3 albums, 29 songs

Logan Richardson- 1 album, 10 songs

The Scamps- 0 albums, 5 songs

The Sons of Brasil- 1 album, 13 songs
It's the 2008 While You Were Out album.

Trio ALL- 0 albums, 0 songs

Krystle Warren- 0 albums, 2 songs
Great talent. Awful management.

Bobby Watson- 8 albums, 92 songs
Also of note- a 29th Street Saxophone Quartet album from 1994 is available.

Marva Whitney- 0 albums, 1 single
Her work with James Brown, including "You Got To Have a Job (If You Don't Work You Can't Eat)," is also available.

Claude "Fidder" Williams- 4 albums, 53 songs
I'd hoped to find his most esoteric titles, but only Williams' two live Arhoolie albums, the fine Bullseye release and a 1977 session for Black and Blue are here.

Mary Lou Williams- 18 albums, 263 songs
Physical copies of Williams' catalog are exceptionally hard to come by, so this is a godsend.

Lester Young- 56 albums, 811 songs
Amid the slipshod collections is The Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions On Verve. Ah, bliss...

There are also countless compilations like The Real Kansas City of the '20s, '30s & 40's.

Napster's annual subscription fee is $60. A month-long subscription is $7. In addition to unlimited streaming, subscribers are entitled to five MP3 downloads per month.

(Original image of antiquated compact discs by Plastic Sax.)