Event Recap: Bobby Watson at the Black Archives

Bobby Watson, one of the most talented and quotable people in Kansas City, was featured in a Community Stories forum at the Black Archives on Thursday, June 30.  Eighteen people heard Glenn North interview the saxophonist and educator.  A few of Watson’s remarks follow.

The first song I played for the church was “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”  Everyone said “amen”- there wasn’t no applause.  - on his first public performance as a child

A lot of brothers at that time weren’t playing jazz, they were playing funk. - on why he regularly performed with white musicians such as Gary Sivils, Paul Smith and Tommy Ruskin in the 1970s

It was like a real scary drive, even for me.  It wasn’t happening. - on visiting the Jazz District in the 1970s

It was such a great feeling to leave a place knowing you hadn’t done anything wrong when the sun was coming up. - on spending an entire night jamming at the Mutual Musicians Foundation

Bob Brookmeyer is down- he’s passed away- but he’s still down.  -on how the late trombonist excelled in jam sessions at the Mutual Musicians Foundation

Gerald Wilson told me that was the first song that used the word “swing.” - on Bennie Moten’s “Moten Swing”

We have this heavy church influence in this part of the country. - on the soulfulness of Kansas City jazz

His sound had such an aura of optimism and hope, and triumph over adversity. - on Charlie Parker

It’s my night, I’m doing them a favor by mentioning their names. - retort to North when asked to elaborate on the achievements of his protégés

They’re like a bad penny, they just keep turning up. - on the hustle of young Kansas City jazz musicians

People need to get with it, quickly. Stop being wrong, stop being prejudiced… you’re sitting on a gold mine here. - on opponents of additional city funding for the Jazz District

Watson performs at the Blue Room on Friday, July 8.

(Original image of the Black Archives by Plastic Sax.)

Album Review: Bobby Watson- Check Cashing Day

Decades removed from a significant place in the cultural mainstream, an alarming proportion of jazz has grown appallingly obsequious.  It's remarkable, consequently, when a prominent jazz artist incorporates explicit social commentary into his or her music.

Check Cashing Day, the latest album by Bobby Watson, is certain to upset some listeners.  Watson's political stance, combined with his formidable artistic aptitude, make Check Cashing Day one of the most important jazz albums by a Kansas City-based artist in recent years.

The daring project contains spoken word segments by poet Glenn North that directly address the political undercurrent that's fueled much of Watson's work.  In his famous 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. suggested that "we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check."  North and Watson take the concept figuratively and literally.  "The bill is up to four trillion dollars now and man, it's way past due," North implores.  "What do I have to do to get my forty acres and a mule?"

Reparations, ongoing racial disparities and unfulfilled promises are recurring themes.  Yet on "Revival (Ovedia)," North implies that spiritual redemption can be found at a jazz club at 18th & Vine.  A person who overheard me listening to Check Cashing Day protested that North's contribution to the album is "corny."  Heard out of context, the spoken word segments might be off-putting.  Within the framework of the entire album, however, North's work is powerful.

Most of the instrumentals are the sort of memorable hard bop compositions that have become Watson's trademark.  The opening track "Sweet Dreams," for instance, exemplifies Watson's gift for melody and love of swing.   The core "I Have a Dream Project" band- trumpeter Hermon Mehari, pianist Richard Johnson, bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Eric Kennedy- sparkle throughout.  "Seekers of the Sun (Son)," a track featuring vocalist Pamela Baskin-Watkins, resembles a vintage Lonnie Liston Smith selection.  Horace Washington and Karita Carter also make valuable contributions. 

The momentous album may irritate a few of Watson's longtime fans, but the achingly beautiful and momentous Check Cashing Day is an essential addition to Watson's esteemed discography. 

(Original bleary image of Bobby Watson by Plastic Sax.)