Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Rashida Phillips is the new Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum.  A press release is excerpted below.

*The impetus behind Musicians Appreciation Day is addressed by Gerald Dunn in Luke Martin’s feature for KCUR.

*A performance by Marcus Lewis’ Brass & Boujee is among The Kansas City Star’s lastest concert recommendations.

*Pat Metheny received a honorary degree from the University of Missouri on December 14. (Video stream.)

*Smoke Jazz Club created a promotional video for the recently released Bird at 100 album featuring Bobby Watson.

*Kent Rausch chatted with Joe Dimino.

*Steve Kraske shared a holiday song by Karrin Allyson on KCUR’s Up To Date.

*Harold O’Neal announced the release of his next album.

*Tweet o’ the Week: American Jazz Museum- This Wednesday at 7:00 pm Kansas City Jazz Academy student combos are showcasing their talents on the Gem Theater stage. Check out the link below for more info!

*From a press release: The American Jazz Museum Board of Directors has named Rashida Phillips as the Museum’s executive director, beginning January, 2020. Phillips, an active performer and jazz vocalist, will be leaving her post as senior director, community ventures at the Old Town School of Folk Music, in Chicago, Ill., where she oversees the school’s community-based education programs.  Phillips was born and raised in St. Louis. Her previous experience includes director of education and youth initiatives at the Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education, the Merit School of Music, and the Chicago Children’s Museum. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and a Master’s in Jazz Studies from Rutgers University…. Ralph Caro, who has served in the interim executive director position since March 2019, will assist Phillips with the transition.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Concert Review: Matt Otto Septet at the Blue Room

A friend suggested that Kansas City’s jazz scene is in the midst of the summer doldrums during the set break of Matt Otto’s album release show for Soliloquy at the Blue Room last Thursday.  While I didn’t disagree with him, I should have countered that the magnificent performance by Otto’s septet should satiate the members of the audience of about 50 for a few weeks.

My detailed review and audio commentary about Soliloquy are posted here.  Rather than repeat my lavish praise, I’ll share a few additional insights gleaned during the gig that featured the contributions of Gerald Dunn, Shay Estes, Jeff Stocks, T.J. Martley, Jeff Harshbarger and Mike Warren.

*The performance affirmed the strength of Soliloquy’s compositions and arrangements.

*Estes’ wordless vocals and Dunn’s alto sax tone were occasionally indistinguishable from each other.  It’s a nifty trick.

*Relegated to a supporting role on the album, guitarist Stocks’ more prominent playing on Thursday was welcome.

*Otto brings out the best in Dunn.

*The undervalued pianist Martley and drummer Warren make a formidable tandem.

*One of my kids sampled this festival in Vienna last week, but the superlative quality of Thursday’s free show partly validates my decision to remain in Kansas City.

(Original images by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Kevin Collison reports on obstacles that have impeded progress in the Jazz District.

*KC Jazz Lark continues to underscore the latest issue of Jam magazine.

*The Pitch recommends a gig by GuitarElation at the Green Lady Lounge.

*Diallo Javonne French has initiated a crowdfunding campaign for  a documentary titled “Kansas City Dreamin' (Music In Shadows).”

*Gerald Dunn, Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle and the Blue Room are featured in a short film.

*A Libertarian think tank created a video in which it suggests that private investment is essential to the successful revitalization of the Jazz District.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Green Lady Lounge- We're blessed ~ when Kansas City decides to have a Jazz Festival we don't have to bring in "national" jazz musicians, they already live here

*Comment o’ the Week: Gary- SoLo Summerfest is more like it.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: The Jazz Disciples

The Jazz Disciples return to the Blue Room on Saturday, Jan. 23.  The longstanding group of Kansas City musicians is led by the American Jazz Museum’s Gerald Dunn.  The ensemble is joined by saxophonist Dwight Foster and trombonist Jason Goudeau in the embedded video.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*The Pitch reports that big changes are afoot at the Broadway Jazz Club.

*Gerald Dunn gives fascinating responses in a question-and-answer session with The Pitch.

*KC Jazz Lark provides context to recent developments on Kansas City’s jazz scene.

*Joe Klopus spoke to Avishai Cohen in advance of the trumpeter’s appearance at Take Five Coffee + Bar on Thursday.  The Pitch also recommends the show.

*Julian Vaughn was featured on KCUR’s Local Listen segment. 

*The new opera Charlie Parker’s Yardbird opens in Philadelphia on June 5.

*Tweet o’ the Week: negroleauguesmuseum- At @julianvaughn CD release party at the Gem Theater. His new project is called "Limitless & it's outstanding!

*Comment o’ the Week: Cb- HIB - Thanks for covering the jazz scene at PlasticSax.com (those of us who love the music don't say it enough) and for posting the link about the kind Jazz Beat feature by Larry Kopitnik in The Pitch! Dino has been here since Wednesday (May 6) and really loves Kansas City. We are looking forward to performing at the Blue Room on Friday May 8 and at Take Five on Saturday May 9. However, for some odd reason, I could not find any trace of Joe Klopus' column "Jazz Town" in The Star online. Best, Cb

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: The Christmas Gospel-Jazz Music Extravaganza

As Joe Klopus reports in his latest Jazz Town column, Jayne McShann and Bishop L.F. Thuston have organized a "Christmas Gospel-Jazz Extravaganza" that will be held at Boone Tabernacle Church of God in Christ on Friday, December 19.  Participating musicians include Book of Gaia, Gerald Dunn, the Louis Neal Big Band and Bobby Watson.  The embedded video captures Thuston preaching at the church.

Jazz Hang

Saturday afternoon at the Blue Room was a great hang. Joey Calderazzo, Gerald Dunn, Bobby Watson and Dennis Winslett were on hand to ponder "Jazz and the Music Industry." Their freewheeling discussion included trash talk, salacious gossip and a handful of genuine insights. It was hip, entertaining and over two hours behind schedule. The latter component might partially explain why less than a dozen people, including American Jazz Museum staff members and spouses of panelists, attended.

An anonymous commenter at the previous Plastic Sax post characterized Calderazzo as a "bitter a******." The talented pianist may be jaded, but I appreciated his candor. And like his three fellow panelists, he's really smart. Even so, I disagreed with much of what I heard.

Two video cameras were rolling and the four men had to have seen me taking notes. I'm not comfortable, however, quoting anyone directly. Instead, I'll broadly generalize the primary topics of the discussion and toss in my two cents.

The bad economy is responsible for poor attendance at jazz clubs.
I'm so tired of hearing this lame excuse. Times are undoubtedly tough, but Saturday's free event featured two internationally-acclaimed musicians and attracted less than twelve people. The previous night I was a member of a capacity audience of 2,000 at the Midland Theater. The cheapest tickets for the rock show were $45. The next day I was among a crowd of almost 1,000 people who paid $17 each to hear Kansas City jazz artists play Christmas carols. People still spend lots of money to hear the musicians that excite them.

Hip hop is horrible and fusions of jazz and hip hop are whack.
If you say so, Grampa.

Kenny G is a hack.
Whatever. I'd rather listen to Kenny G than hear people bash him for the hundredth time.

Club owners and jazz promoters are often unpleasant and unethical.
Stop the presses!

Money is more important than art to music industry executives. Case in point: Grammy Award nominations don't always go to the best artists.
You think?

An audience member fretted that jazz is becoming "blond-haired and blue eyed." She asked how this trend could be reversed.
None of us have any easy answers.

Jazz musicians are smarter than everybody else.
Bitter and better are two different things.

The youth of today are insolent, poorly-educated louts.
Preferring Young Jeezy over Sonny Rollins doesn't make someone a bad person.

Someone asked what "the blueprint" for a young jazz artist should look like.
I guess she didn't realize that this guy was in the room.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

A Plastic Sax Party

This is so cool!

B.A.C. Horn Doctor, an Olathe company mentioned here earlier this month, has restored a Grafton saxophone similar to the $144,500 instrument on display at the American Jazz Museum.

In this video, Gerald Dunn auditions it in the presence of Charlie Parker's controversial plastic sax.

In addition to Dunn, the Horn Doctor staff filmed Loren Pickford and Bobby Watson playing the instrument. All three men make the plastic sax sound great.

Related videos are available at the Horn Doctor's YouTube channel.

Now's the Time: The James Ward Band

The James Ward Band is filling in for Ida McBeth at Jardine's this Saturday night. While the group's version of jazz isn't my favorite, they play precisely the kind of accessible, upbeat music that regularly fills area nightclubs with happy revelers. Matt Hopper and Gerald Dunn are among the band's members.