Phoenix Rising

It's an extremely limited sample size, but I'm very pleased to report that every time I've visited The Phoenix I've encountered a very lively environment. The jazz bar's seemingly successful second life is a great thing for the jazz scene, downtown's denizens and for Kansas City as a whole. And it's so reassuring to see a reconstituted version of The Scamps back on the club's calendar. Oh, happy day! The only potential sore spot, at least for purists, is that the venue seems to be more oriented to socializing than to serious listening. But then again, it's always been that way at the Phoenix. And if forced to choose, I'd rather see a packed jazz club filled with people who are ignoring the band than a nearly empty jazz club populated by a handful of intent listeners.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)