I rubbed my eyes in disbelief at a newsstand in a Paris train station earlier this month. Prominently positioned between gossip tabloids and serious news publications was a European jazz magazine featuring a cover story on Charlie Parker. I saw similar indications of jazz's viability in Europe as I also wandered through Amsterdam and Brussels. Buskers were just as likely to perform "All Blues" as "Proud Mary." Bookstores boasted substantial jazz sections. Club listings promised exciting discoveries. Europe may not be the promised land for jazz in 2011, but it's definitely a far more significant cultural force than in its homeland. It's no surprise, consequently, that Paris hosted a few notable Kansas City-based jazz musicians this month.
(Original image by Plastic Sax.)
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