Are Shorts Allowed In Jazz?

Kansas City pianist Joe Cartwright recently posted several live performance videos at YouTube. My favorite is this Jazz In the Woods session featuring Stan Kessler, Kim Park, Ray DeMarchi and Gerald Spaits. Park's sax solo is particularly noteworthy.

I know how insufferable the heat can be at this event- I became delirious from sunstroke during Erin Bode's set a couple summers ago- but it's still disorienting to see jazz musicians donning shorts.

While Bode's alluring pop-jazz returns to the festival in 2008, you're not going to find traditional acoustic jazz musicians at Jazz In the Woods this year. Nor will you hear any local talent. Let this video serve as a satisfying reminder of a different time.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*No smoking! Is the result of yesterday's vote good or bad for Kansas City's jazz clubs? Loren Pickford calls it "white yuppie nonsense" in a KCUR report.

*The MCC-Penn Valley 18th & Vine Festival April 19-20 promises to be a memorable event for aspiring jazz musicians.

*Jason Harper of the Pitch was reminded of the inherent fun of Kansas City jazz club-hopping. Don't miss his evocative video of the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

*More than once I've used this space to suggest a local jazz film series at the Gem or the screening room at the American Jazz Museum. Well, a guy in Minneapolis made it happen in his city. Tellingly, the story makes several references to Kansas City.

*A New York City blogger composed a fine review of Karrin Allyson's new release.

*Here's a new discovery for Plastic Sax: "The Freedom Band, Kansas City's gay and lesbian community band," played a concert of "big band and jazz favorites" April 5. I've added them to the performers' links to the right.

*Chris Burnett was the subject of a KCUR interview.

*Bobby Watson's new release gets a mixed review in a Buffalo newspaper.

*Chris Botti will perform a pops concert with the Kansas City Symphony on September 12, 2008.

*I'm delighted that my post pleading for more interaction seems to have stimulated dialogue. A handful of the items in today's post were even forwarded to me by artists, writers and publicity people. What a concept! I even like it when I'm called out. To that end, local retailer Vinyl Renaissance asked me to let local musicians know that "we are going to be accepting local artist cd's on consignment. The best part (is) we aren't going to charge any fee for the sale."

*The Kansas State School For the Blind now has a recording studio.

*Who knew that jazz vocalist D.J. Sweeney was a community agitator? She hopes to "save our jazz on KKFI 90.1."

(Original image of "Jazz Day" at KCKCC by Plastic Sax.)

The Show-Me Jazz Showdown

Brad Mehldau, the jazz musician of the moment, has a four-night residency this week at St. Louis' Jazz At the Bistro. The pianist then plays Columbia on Sunday. There's no Kansas City date.

It often seems like St. Louis has more to offer jazz fans than its cross-state rival. To help determine if St. Louis really is a superior jazz town, I've broken the question down into five categories.

Major caveat: It's been a couple years since I've been to "The Lou," and I've spent a total of about 100 nights in the city. And while I really like St. Louis, I live in Kansas City by choice.

1. LIVE JAZZ Edge: St. Louis
I adore the intimacy of the Blue Room, the consistency of Jardine's, and the beauty of the Folly. St. Louis's venues include Jazz At the Bistro and the Sheldon. St. Louis' festivals break the tie.

2. HISTORY Edge: Tie
Both cities are rightfully proud of their jazz legacies. There's no point in arguing about Miles versus Bird or the World Saxophone Quartet versus Bobby Watson.

3. RETAIL AND RADIO Edge: St. Louis
Jazz experts abound at St. Louis music dealers Vintage Vinyl, Euclid Records and Webster Records. Kansas City no longer offers anything of the kind. KWMU, KDHX and WSIE fill St. Louis' airwaves with jazz. KKFI gives Kansas City ten hours of jazz programming a week. It's no contest.

(Edit- The staff of Vinyl Renaissance disagrees with my assessment. And sure enough, they list some prime vinyl at their site. I look forward to visiting their Shawnee store. Maybe I'll make it out on "Record Store Day," April 19.)

4. INTANGIBLES Edge: Kansas City
The American Jazz Museum, the Blue Room and the Mutual Musicians Foundation are unique to Kansas City.

5. JAZZ TALENT Edge: To be determined
Rather than smugly insisting that Kansas City dominates this category, I'll propose a novel concept. What if representative artists of each city were to trade dates? Better yet, a group of Kansas City musicians- say Bobby Watson, Megan Birdsall, the Jazz Disciples and Chris Burnett- might play together in St. Louis as "The Kansas City All-Stars." Meanwhile, St. Louis might send Hamiet Bluiett, Erin Bode and the Kennedy brothers to Kansas City. Jazz fans and musicians in both cities would benefit.

So which city wins? I'll let Don Denkinger decide.

(Image of Jazz At the Bistro's calendar by Plastic Sax.)

All Eyes On Pete

There's no need to explicate the many elements that make this humble home movie one of the greatest things I've ever stumbled across on YouTube. Just watch for yourself. Pete Eye was one of the most popular musicians in Kansas City in the '70s. This excellent interview conducted by Mike Metheny offers keen insights into the town's social fabric.

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Present Magazine covered the recent concert by Bobby Watson, Mary Stallings and Karrin Allyson at the Gem Theater. Plastic Sax pal Corky Carrell captured several beautiful images. A review also ran in UMKC's University News.

*The American Jazz Museum will premiere Sons of a Hoofer, a documentary about the McFadden Brothers, at the Gem Theater on April 26.

*A customized message from Clark Terry greets visitors to the site of the KC Youth Jazz Orchestra. The legend performs with the group May 4.

*The life of William Hyland made for an amazing obituary. In addition to helping guide U.S. foreign policy, the Kansas City native wrote "three books about jazz, big bands and Broadway musicals."

*Lee Ingalls recalls the late Dennis Irwin's final appearance at the Blue Room.

*Doug Ramsey sings the praises of a forgotten Basie title at his site.

* JazzTimes reviews a recent Pat Metheny concert.

*Here's a press release Bobby Watson's record label submitted to All About Jazz.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Stablemates

No one, Plastic Sax included, enters the jazz realm to become popular. It can be a lonely endeavor.

So I was delighted to arrange a face-to-face meeting at Jardine's with one of this site's most vocal readers. We had a great time. My goal wasn't to neutralize the critic. Rather, I wanted to explain my motivations to him.

I adore Joe Klopus' work for the Star. And the Jazz Ambassadors are an invaluable asset to Kansas City. But neither provides the inclusive, regularly updated, interactive web presence I desired. By default, I founded Plastic Sax. And now that I've fallen into a regular rhythm, the site is relatively easy to maintain.

Yet only a handful of jazz fans, promoters, musicians and institutions regularly reach out to me. Did you swoon at Friday's Rachael Price show? Do you detest Pat Metheny's new album? Did you post a new song at your MySpace page?

It's your turn.

(Image by Plastic Sax. Donna Tucker makes great table tents.)

The Heebie Jeebies

I'm alternately delighted and disturbed by this clip from 1932. There's no denying the appeal. It's a beguiling performance showcasing breathtaking family harmonies. Conversely, the exploitive undercurrent can't be ignored.

Is this a well-intentioned tribute to Louis Armstrong, or a cynical commercial ploy? It's probably a little bit of both.

Two of the three Boswell Sisters were born in Kansas City.

(I had planned to feature a video of Rachael Price, who performs tonight at the Folly, but remarkably, nothing adequate is available.)