Now's the Time: New Jazz Order, Forward and Allie Burik

Megan Birdsall is putting on a show Saturday, August 17. Her performance space at MBird Media, 2936 Cherry, will host the New Jazz Order big band, Clint Ashlock's Forward and an ensemble led by Allie Burik. Joe Klopus provides additional details about the event in his weekly column. (Birdsall performs at a recent benefit concert in the embedded clip.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Harold O'Neal's Man On the Street album was released last week.  The Pitch recommends the pianist's performance at the Blue Room on Saturday, August 17.

*Jimmy Heath, Kenny Garrett, Lee Konitz, Christian Scott and Matt Wilson are among the jazz stars slated to perform at this month's Charlie Parker Jazz Festival.  Kansas City residents will need to book a flight.

*The People's Liberation Big Band took the top prize for best jazz ensemble and Mark Lowrey took the honors for top "jazz solo artist at the Pitch Music Awards.

*Here's a fresh video of Pat Metheny and his Orchestrion.

*The "other" Kansas City jazz blogger acknowledges his fourth anniversary.

*Jeff Tamarkin reviews both of Eldar Djangirov's new albums.

*All About Jazz offers a profile of Mike Dillon.

*The Mutual Musicians Foundation is involved in an effort to bridge the digital divide.

*Ben Van Gelder will perform at Take Five Coffee + Bar on October 4.

*Tweet o' the Week: Clint Ashlock- Peter Schlamb might be the best musician I've ever heard.

*Comment o' the Week: BGO- What was the median age of the crowd?

*From Clint Ashlock: I've got a pretty exciting concert coming up at mBird Media (Megan's new venue at 2936 Cherry) on August 17th, at 7:30. It's with my big band New Jazz Order, and also featuring my new quintet Forward and sax phenom Allie Burik's group, doing her tunes (instrumental as well as her killin vocals). It's $10 at the door to catch all three bands.

*From Steve Rigazzi: Please join us at Kansas City’s newest Jazz hotspot, Green Lady Lounge…  Owner John Scott and staff are the perfect hosts…  Joining me will be Paul Smith on piano and Tim Cambron on drums. Thursday, August 15, 8-11 p.m.

*From Take Five Coffee + Bar: Want to hear something new? Come hear Allie Burik at Take Five Coffee + Bar Friday night. Watchers of the New Jazz Order big band have seen Allie on the front line, growing in power and command of the alto sax. Here's the kicker: she also has a terrific voice and writes a lot of her own material. Don't miss this chance to enjoy her work before she goes off to Berklee to further hone her many crafts. In the first set Friday night, fronting of an all-star band, Allie will debut a new suite she wrote this summer.  Want to hear a legend? Bryan Hicks is making his Take Five debut Saturday night. Years ago, in college, Doug would drive from Lawrence to Milton's Taproom on Main for live jazz, and often it was the Bryan Hicks Trio. We're thrilled to close the circle and host Bryan at Take Five, backed by some serious power: TJ Martley on piano, Brian Steever on drums and Steve Lambert on sax.

*From Jim Mair: The Kansas City Jazz All Stars program and Kansas City Youth Jazz Orchestra will hold auditions on Monday August 19 and Wednesday August 21 from 3:00 to 4:30pm each day.  I'm looking for the very best kids who are reliable and want to become great players. This will be an intense program but it will be enjoyable at the same time.  I will be leading the group this year and would like to rehearse twice a week on Monday and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:00pm at KCKCC. Hermon Mehari will continue to assist.
The cost will be $100 per student…

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Cooking With Gas

I've been sleeping on one the region's most popular jazz bands.

Until I witnessed the excited frenzy at the Gaslight Grill last Monday, I didn't realize that the New Red Onion Jazz Babies' monthly appearance in the back room of the Leawood restaurant was one of the hottest tickets in town. I hadn't seen the band perform since Jardine's was shuttered and had wrongly assumed that it was running on fumes. 

With a average tab that probably exceeds $25, attending the monthly concert of traditional jazz is a pricey proposition.  Even so, reservations for the event are tough to secure.

Gregarious owner Dick Hawk claims that the New Red Onion Jazz Babies is the world's finest Dixieland band. He contributed a bit of enthusiastic keyboard work as he sat in with the large ensemble during the second of three sets.  Lynn Zimmer, the clarinetist who leads a band at the venue several nights a week, was just one of the group's outstanding soloists.

The toe-tapping music is complimented by excellent service and fine dining.   While I'd been oblivious to its popularity, the appeal of the monthly gathering isn't difficult to understand. 

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Luqman Hamza: An Appreciation

Luqman Hamza was first featured at Plastic Sax in 2007.  An elegant man and exquisite musician, Hamza's public profile has faded in the intervening six years.  That's why the embedded interview and accompanying performance video are so welcome.  Hamza is an overlooked gem.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*George Duke, the headliner of the forthcoming 18th & Vine Jazz and Blues Festival, died Monday.  From the American Jazz Museum: The American Jazz Museum Staff and Board of Directors send deepest sympathies to the family and friends during this time of enormous loss. Mr. Duke was slated to be our headliner for Kansas City’s 18th & Vine Jazz and Blues Festival on October 12. With the advent of this news, our festival management team is in the process of adjusting our 2013 talent lineup accordingly. A festival talent line up update will be announced as soon as possible. Thank you for your kind consideration.

*The Topeka Jazz Workshop has announced its 2013-14 schedule.  The Topeka Capitol-Journal has the story.

*Joe Klopus' acknowledgement of the scorn heaped upon Charlie Parker by many area residents has gained a lot of traction.

*Kerry Strayer is remembered by KC Jazz Lark.

*Sarah Gish of The Kansas City Star wrote a feature about Take Five Coffee + Bar.

*Chris Burnett reconnects with a friend and mentor.

*T.J. Martley demonstrates a practice exercise based on Charlie Parker's "Chi-Chi."

*12th Street Jump offers another episode of "Blues In the News."

*Harry Connick, Jr. will perform at the Midland on November 17.

*Tweet o' the Week: MBIRDMUSIC: Im sad but grateful for life...appreciating the legacy and inspiration left by a friend and fellow musician #kerrystrayer

*Comment o' the Week: Peter Lawless: There is also an assumption in this piece that the rock musicians are not in "for the music. Period." It's a common form of jazz snobbery, saying, "if they really cared about music, they'd be playing jazz."  Jake played in several rock bands in KC and Lawrence while he was here. My guess would be that, at that time, he probably made more money playing jazz gigs than rock shows.  You're comparing playing local restaurants and jazz clubs to touring internationally with one of the most famous rock bands in the world. You're sort of saying, "I'm so glad people commit themselves to playing week nights at the Blue Room, instead of touring with Herbie Hancock."  Jake is in a special position. There are plenty of locally-based rock musicians who play for small crowds and make little money, and they are just as committed as the jazz musicians playing for crowd and making little money.

*From Paul Shinn: It pleases us to announce the release of the trio's first studio album entitled "Reason Pure." This album contains solely original music music and arrangements that the trio has been working on for the past few months. We will be playing music from the album throughout the night and CDs will be available for purchase ($15) that we can sign copies of during set breaks.  This will be the final performance of the Paul Shinn Trio in the Kansas City area for a while as Paul will be re-locating to Colorado to continue his studies; however, the group plans to stay together for tours and festivals throughout the KC area and elsewhere. Unlike the video performance recording, this will be a public event, so feel free to stop by anytime between 7 and 10pm and invite anyone you think would enjoy this music!

*From a press release: Piropo’s Piano Bar in Briarcliff Village will be the site of the second annual Dueling Piano Summit to be held Sunday, September 8th 2012 at 3:00 PM. The two-piano concert will last two hours. Participating in the event will be the same musicians as last year – pianists Roger Wilder, Joe Cartwright, Michael Pagán, and Bram Wijnands. The performers will match up in different combinations and play two-piano jazz for approximately two hours. Proceeds will benefit Alzheimer’s Association Heart of America Chapter…  Tickets can be reserved in advance for $50.00 by calling 816.589.9384 or by emailing michaelpagan6@gmail.com and for $60.00 at the door the day of the show. Seating is limited and cannot be guaranteed for those buying tickets at the door.  Advance purchase is strongly recommended...

*From Take Five Coffee: Friday evening, we have a trio of KC jazz masters delivering the truth in sound. Bassist Gerald Spaits continues to be one of the standard-setters in a town packed with outrageous talent on the instrument. His trio with Charles Perkins on saxophone and Arnold Young on drums and cymbals shows what happens when artists of that caliber work together over many years - intuitive interplay seasoned with complete command of the material.  Saturday evening, singer Shay Estes brings the Latin spice. Fresh back from her travels in Portugal with Fado Novato, Shay will lead us deep into the bewitching melodies of Brazilian jazz. With Mark Lowrey and Doug Auwater as guides, we're likely to find the flavors only the locals know.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Romance Without Finance

I ran into one of Kansas City's most prominent jazz musicians at a rock concert Saturday.  In addition to enjoying the show along with an audience of over 15,000, he was there to greet Jake Blanton.  Blanton, a one-time fixture of Kansas City's music scene, is currently a sideman for a successful rock band.  It's entirely possible that he plays for more people in a single night than the locally-based jazz musician plays for in a year. 

As I waited over 45 minutes in a parking lot for traffic to clear, I wondered if the jazz musician had any misgivings about his commitment to jazz.  Between ticket and merchandise sales, Saturday's event grossed over $600,000.  Most Kansas City-based jazz musicians play for an audience that numbers in the dozens.  And unless they're booked at one of Kansas City's two listening rooms dedicated to jazz, chances are good that they'll face a distracted audience.

As much as I'd like to think that pleasing my refined sensibility with his jazz conceptions is sufficient reward, making that sort of financial sacrifice can't be easy for the man I encountered Saturday.

I listened to Joe Dimino's new Neon Jazz interview with Matt Kane on Sunday.  The loquacious drummer addressed this issue as he discussed the constant indignities faced by jazz musicians in New York City.  Kane said that the challenges force him to constantly "really dig deep and define 'the why'." 

"It's got to be for the music. Period," Kane told Dimino.  He lives for "those moments when it's so beautiful and the music is coming through you and people are spiritually uplifted."

While Kane and the attendee of Saturday's rock concert could almost certainly secure more lucrative work in another genre, they remain committed to jazz.  I'm grateful.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Kerry Strayer, 1956-2013

Kerry Strayer, one of the leading figures of Kansas City's jazz scene for decades, died last night.  He'd been battling prostate cancer for two years. 

From his devoted wife, Gailyn: A memorial service/celebration of life will be next Tuesday, August 6th, 1pm, at the John Knox Presbyterian Kirk, 11430 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO with a visitation/reception immediately following the service.

Kerry Strayer was a great man.  He was passionate, committed, generous and funny.  His wholehearted dedication to jazz continually inspired me.

Robert Trussell of the The Kansas City Star wrote a fine piece about Kerry's contributions.

As reflected by his superlative baritone sax work, he loved the music of Gerry Mulligan.  None of the content available at YouTube does Kerry's talents justice, so I've embedded a Mulligan track.