The Top Jazz-Related Stories and Trends of 2014

1. Bird Is the Word
Two essential biographies of Charlie Parker- Stanley Crouch's Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker and Chuck Haddix's Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker were published.  The authors appeared together at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center in June. 

2. Blessed are the Peacemakers
The new jazz support organization KC Jazz Alive bridged various longstanding divides that had long separated several locally based entities.  KC Jazz Alive's efforts to revitalize the annual Charlie Parker graveside ceremony attracted a few dozen people to Lincoln Cemetery in August.

3. Bigger and Better
The new location of Take Five Coffee + Bar increased the venue's capacity without diminishing its charming atmosphere and excellent acoustics.  The opening of the Orion Room in the basement of the Green Lady Lounge is a similarly heartening development.  After opening in December of 2013, the Broadway Jazz Club presented live music throughout the year.

5. Jazz?
What constituted jazz in 2014?  My top albums list included titles some categorize as hip-hop and ambient music, so I'm not in a position to criticize Kansas City jazz venues and festival organizers for repeatedly booking reggae, R&B and Latin rock bands. 

6. Empty seats
It was extremely encouraging to witness packed houses at the Blue Room, the Green Lady Lounge and Take Five Coffee + Bar during compelling jazz performances.  It was not uncommon, however, to see empty seats outnumber bodies at other prominent bookings.

7. Passings
Horace Washington, a pillar of Kansas City's jazz community, died in October.  Dionne Jeroue, a young up-and-coming vocalist, died in March. (EDIT: We also lost Stephanie Bryan, a trombonist and all-around lovely person, this year.)

8. I Mean You
Hermon Mehari competed in the 2014 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition.

9. Lights, Camera Action!
Dave Rizer continued to document Kansas City's jazz scene with dozens of performance videos.  He's providing an invaluable service.

9. Bowman's back
The resuscitation of Bob Bowman's career is a godsend. 

10. Rekkids
Chris Hazelton released a 7" single and a host of Kansas City jazz artists released worthwhile recordings.

I conducted similar exercises in 2013, 2012 and 2011.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Joe Klopus crafted an invaluable summary of Nathan Davis' career.  The native of Kansas City, Kansas, performs at the Gem Theater on Saturday.

*A celebration of the life of Dionne Jeroue was documented by KCJazzLark.

*Bobby Watson discusses Horizon with a Pennsylvania-based journalist.  The publication gave the band's concert a rave review.

*Black House shares a blooper reel.

*The Pitch advises readers of the Sons' of Brasil's regular gigs at Broadway Jazz Club.

*The Jazz Journalists Association named Jon Poses of Columbia, Missouri, a "jazz hero".

*Tweet o' the Week: Brian Baggett- I like metronomes. Good times!

*From a press release: Kansas City based group Diverse is preparing to release their second album in early May. “Our Journey” is a project of all original jazz music that was recorded in Paris, France, and features the core members Hermon Mehari on trumpet, Ryan Lee on drums, and Ben Leifer on the bass. Parisian pianist Tony Tixier augments the ensemble throughout and special guest alto saxophonist Logan Richardson plays on a few numbers. Diverse will celebrate the release of this album at the Blue Room in Kansas City on May 9th… It will feature the core members and pianist Tony Tixier who will be flown in from Paris. Start time is 8:30 PM with a $10 admission.

*I've been surprised and delighted to receive a few complaints regarding my failure to update the Kansas City Jazz Calendar.  I apologize.  I hope to fulfill my obligations soon.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The Pitch touts the career prospects of Kelley Gant.

*Sunday's concert by Chick Corea and Béla Fleck was reviewed by The Kansas City Star and KC Metropolis.

*Saxophonist Ryan Anselmi's new album Lookout Road contains a hybrid of jazz and Americana sounds.

*Pat Metheny recalls the influence Wes Montgomery had on his early work.

*Megan Birdsall is interviewed by The Pitch about her Americana project MBird.

*Jazz blogging is harder than it looks.

*Tweet o' the Week: Nicholas Segura- It didn't really hit until tonight, I'll miss you so so much my sister Dionne Jeroue

*From a press release: Nationally-syndicated jazz variety show the 12th Street Jump will return to the Broadway Jazz Club on Wednesday, April 16th from 7:30 pm to 9pm and will celebrate the music of double bassist and composer Charles Mingus with special guest Steve Lambert on saxophone.  

*From a press release: (T)he Kansas City Kansas Community College Jazz Band is ramping up fundraising efforts for its trip to the 2014 Havana International Jazz Festival later this year… The KCKCC Jazz Band was invited to perform at the 2014 Havana International Jazz Festival in Havana, Cuba last fall. The festival is Dec. 17 to 22…  Donations are currently being accepted to help the KCKCC Jazz Band with the approximately $60,000 of travel expenses...

*From Michael Shults: This Friday night from 7-11 at Louie's Wine Dive I'm playing a very special show with a great tenor saxophonist from Cincinnati named Oz Landesberg. Oz is, in my view, the top saxophone player in the Queen City and was one of my greatest inspirations during my two years there. Really looking forward to this one. We'll be joined by Seth Lee and TJ Martley. Wanted to encourage everyone to come out and check out Oz's fabulous playing and welcome him to KC for the weekend!

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The Pitch reports that Dionne Jeroue has died.  The vocalist was 35.  KCJazzLark mourns her death.  In the handful of times I'd heard Jeroue, she was performing as a member of Everette DeVan's band.  Here's a related online fundraiser.

*Mike Dillon's Band of Outsiders was released on Tuesday.

*The new season of the Live at the Hollywood Theater concert series opens May 10 with a concert by Diverse and Black House Quartet.

*Eliot Zigmund was interviewed by Joe Klopus in advance of his area gigs with Rob Scheps.  The Pitch also takes note of the barnstorming tour.

*KCTV reports that Olathe South High School was mired in a racial profiling flap related to a field trip to the Jazz District. 

*Nate Chinen reviewed a concert by the Pat Metheny Unity Group for The New York Times.

*Los Angeles Magazine examines Charlie Parker's work for Dial.

*Joe Dimino of Neon Jazz interviewed Doug Peete.

*Tweet o' the Week: Brad Allen- Just heard about Dionne Jeroue. So sad.

*From a press release: The Count Basie Orchestra, one of the greatest and most important jazz orchestras in history, will play at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 27, in Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College.  Tickets, which are $35 and $25, are available through the JCCC Box Office at 913-469-4445 or online at jccc.edu/TheSeries.  Scotty Barnhart, who was appointed as director in September, now leads the 18-member orchestra. Barnhart discovered his passion for music at an early age while being raised in Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. christened him. He has been a featured trumpet soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra for the last 20 years…

(Original image of a mural in Toronto by Plastic Sax.)