A new phrase entered the Kansas City jazz lexicon last week. John Scott, the owner of the Green Lady Lounge, characterized a form of improvisational sounds as “jazz dick music” in an article published in The Pitch. Ron Knox’s cover story analyzed the shortage of Kansas City venues that are receptive to hosting adventurous jazz performances.
As the man who solved the perplexing mystery to successfully presenting live jazz in Kansas City, Scott is a savvy entrepreneur and an invaluable artistic guardian. Last month, I observed that Scott’s exceedingly well-run venue dominates Kansas City’s jazz scene. The Green Lady Lounge’s enormous slate of mainstream jazz bookings monopolizes The Kansas City Jazz Calendar in October.
Scott correctly asserts that there’s a limited audience for innovative jazz in Kansas City. As someone with a pronounced fetish for jazz dick music (sorry, I had to go there), I also sympathize with the dissatisfaction expressed by Eddie Moore in the article. Moore laments the lack of a venue dedicated to supporting forward-thinking jazz.
It wasn’t necessary last night. More than 100 people paid a $10 cover charge to hear Moore and his freewheeling band the Outer Circle perform at the album release show for Kings and Queens at the rock-oriented the Tank Room. The audience was a lively coalition of aficionados of neo-soul, hip-hop, mainstream jazz, funk and jazz dick music.
(Original image by Plastic Sax.)
Kansas City musicians,
ReplyDeleteI sincerely and unreservedly apologize for my comments in the recent article about Kansas City music. I regret making the comments that have led to insult, hurt feelings and division especially between musicians. May you be artistically fulfilled, gainfully employed and have the opportunity for your art to be heard in your careers as musicians. Thank you all for the opportunities I've had to hear your work and again I regret and apologize for my comments.
Thank you,
John Scott