*Trombonist Arch Martin has died. Dan Jaffe covered Martin's final Kansas City performance for Plastic Sax in 2007.
*Betty Crow told me that the Mutual Musicians Foundation would be featured in an upcoming issue of The New Yorker. She also confided that the 12 O'Clock Jump series is being picked up for broadcast by a public media outlet.
*The Star ran a very nice memorial to the late Vince Bilardo.
*The dustup about Cordish's dress codes may effect the Blue Room. Here's the Star's story.
*Heads up, jazz musicians. Don't miss this press release: Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) has awarded a $100,000 challenge grant to a partnership of Kansas City arts and business support organizations to begin new professional development programs for artists in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. The funding will be used to offer: Artist, INC, a series of in-depth entrepreneurial seminars that will reach more than 100 artists over the next two years, and KCArtistLink, which will enable all artists in the region to connect to a network of nonprofit resource organizations that can provide information about business-building and support programs. Additional information is available at ArtsKC and LINC. It's time to dust off my saxophone.
*Exciting news: The American Jazz Museum is seeking promising middle school, high school and college musicians from Kansas City to apply and audition for its newly launched Jazz Institute program, which has been developed to provide an atmosphere where students can combine learning the fundamentals of jazz performance with real world performance and business experience.... The AJMI, which is open to students ages 14-21, will be administered by professional educators and musicians through rehearsals, master classes and live performances. Students will be required to participate in frequent rehearsals, private lessons, and meet individual benchmarks collaboratively established by instructors and students. Dennis Winslett, professional jazz musician and Education Specialist at the American Jazz Museum, will be spearheading the program in its inaugural season in 2009.
*The Star ran a somewhat unsympathetic review of Kevin Mahogany's show at The Folly.
*Ron McCurdy performs at Kansas City Kansas Community College March 11. It's included on Plastic Sax Event Calendar, as is Marilyn Maye's forthcoming four-night run at Jardine's. (If your event isn't listed, musicians, it's because you haven't submitted it.)
(Original image by Plastic Sax.)
That's a shame about Arch Martin. I never actually met him but I did hear hm play at Jardine's one snowy Saturday afternoon. It was a real treat.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, there's a CD of Arch and Ed Dix available, "Two Guys from Kansas City, recorded in 98 and featuring all the usual KC suspects.
http://cdbaby.com/cd/archanded
It's old school in all the right ways.