Shooting the Breeze with Eddie Saunders

The American Jazz Museum reported that saxophonist and vocalist Eddie Saunders died on December 31.  He's captured in the embedded 2004 video on a break between sets by The Scamps at the Blue Room.  He chats about Kansas City's jazz history, Charlie Parker's plastic sax, playing the ponies, his career, hip hop and popular culture.  "The years go by pretty fast here lately," Saunders says near the conclusion of the enlightening footage.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*David Martin reports that Bobby Watson, Jayne McShann and Joyce Johnson resigned from their positions on the board of the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

*Steve Penn provides quotes from Oscar "Lucky" Wesley's February 27 appearance at the American Jazz Museum's "Jazz Talk." Wesley is mourned in a letter to the Star. Elsewhere, a music blogger features a track from an obscure album by The Scamps.

*The significance of Sue Vicory's film is heralded by KCJazzLark. The jazz blogger also reviewed a recent performance of the New Order Big Band.

*Chuck Haddix discusses the jazz and blues photography of Dan White on April 14 at the Central Library. The Jim Mair Quartet with Mike Ning, Tyrone Clark and Michael Warren will perform at the event.

*Diverse created a Kickstarter account to help fund a European tour.

*KCUR interviewed Oleta Adams. (Tip via KCJazzLark.)

*The Star reviewed Junior Mance's gig at the Blue Room. Paola's Ryan Anselmi and Hutchinson's Kim Garey were in the pianist's band.

*A memorial in the Washington Post suggests that the late Herb Ellis once lived in Kansas City. A handful of area musicians have disputed that claim.

*MBird, the alter-ego of jazz vocalist Megan Birdsall, has issued a music video.

*Russell Thorpe of Black House Improvisors' Collective is now blogging at Phonologotron.

*The Wall Street Journal attempts to decode Pat Metheny's Orchestrion.

*Karrin Allyson returns to Kansas City this week for a two-night run at Jardine's.

*The Guardian continues its Charlie Parker obsession.

*From Jim Mair: A gathering to honor the life of Theodore Jan Wilson, featuring a tribute by Kansas City jazz musicians, will be held at 2 pm Tuesday, May 4, 2010, at Kansas City Kansas Community College's Intercultural Center. The public is invited.

*From a Kansas City Kansas Community College press release: Coming off unprecedented success in the annual Pittsburg State Jazz Festival, where the KCKCC Jazz Band and two combos earned No. 1 ratings, the Jazz Band under the direction of Jim Mair received an invitation to perform at the Puerto Vallarta Jazz Festival in Mexico next February.

(Original image of KCI by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Oscar "Lucky" Wesley of The Scamps died March 27th. The Star has the story.

*The Jazz In the Woods festival has announced its 2010 lineup. Plastic Sax is very pleased to note that Erin Bode and Bobby Watson are included this year. Bode, Mingo Fishtrap and Mindi Abair perform June 11. Matt Marshak, the Bobby Watson Quartet featuring Curtis Lundy and Nick Colionne/Steve Cole play the following day.

*The Pitch and KC Confidential comment on 12 O'Clock Jump's unceremonious exit from the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

*In addition to the aforementioned controversial item, the agenda of a recent Foundation meeting includes an entry titled "MMF Jazz Radio Show."

*The live entertainment accompanying the May 6 film premiere of Sue Vicory's Kansas City Jazz & Blues: Past, Present & Future is very compelling. Diverse, Matt Otto, Stan Kessler, Lonnie McFadden, Mama Ray and Marilyn Maye are slated to perform. Jazz trumpeter Mike Metheny and country vocalist Jessi Colter will also be on hand for the event at the Gem Theater.

*The greatness of Myra Taylor is documented by KCJazzLark.

*From AfterGroove: "We are looking for your ideas for the name and concept of our next cd. We are recording it now. If we use your idea, you will be listed on the cd and you will receive your own copy."

*Black House Improvisors' Collective continue to post intriguing content at their site.

*Here's a new video of Mouth performing live on KKFI.

*I've heard a rumor that GiGi's Jazz Inn, an establishment on Troost without any internet presence, has obtained a liquor license.

*The Kansas City Jazz Calendar has been updated. Careful observers will note that I usually omit R&B, blues and cabaret acts. Yet I couldn't resist including Greg Ginn's April 6 gig at the Record Bar. I'm one of the jazz-punk genre's 326 fans.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Every Day I Have the Blues

"Every Day I Have the Blues".

The death of Anne Winter is devastating to hundreds, if not thousands, of members of Kansas City's music community.

More than her efforts as proprietor of Dirt Cheap and Recycled Sounds and her many other endeavors, it's Anne's innately warm and generous spirit that will be most sorely missed.

Anne and I occasionally discussed the business of jazz on vinyl. She lamented that more people didn't contact her about unloading their jazz collections. While she might have done brisk business trading in indie rock, Anne knew that rare jazz material commands top dollar.

Although it's normally anathema to me, during difficult days like these I take solace in reminiscing. Please indulge me.

My love affair with jazz was cemented at Milton's. As a teenager, I'd sip whiskey at the bar and dizzily watch the turntable spin jazz albums. That experience contributed far more to my juvenile delinquency than did all the time I spent sitting in my bedroom listening to Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley and the Sex Pistols.

I began buying jazz recordings in earnest in the early '80s. My primary source was Penny Lane Records on Broadway (now the TWEC-owned Streetside). I took advantage of their three-for-$10 "Nice Price" sales to discover music by the likes of Miles Davis and Weather Report. As a bonus, manic clerk Dwight Frizzell would insist that I buy self-released Sun Ra albums.

I also frequented Classical Westport (now the Thai Place). In keeping with their refined aesthetic, they stocked the ECM catalog. I'd also stop at the late James DeRigne's place. I still find it amusing that he'd play prog rock as Buck Clayton's happy visage looked on from a prominently displayed signed album cover. (Before any readers object, I also shopped at Caper's Corner and the little shop that was located near the present location of Jardine's, but I don't recall that I bought any jazz at those stores.)

The mother lode, of course, was Ron Rooks' Music Exchange. There are countless stories to be told about that eccentric institution- oh, how I miss Dan Conn!- but I'll save those for another time.

I love living in an era when savvy musicians like Matt Otto make their music available as free downloads and most everything is just a click or two away. No amount of downloading, however, can ever replace the time I spent with Anne, Dan, James and Ron.

(Original image of a Scamps LP by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Wall Street Journal drama critic Terry Teachout blogs about a visit to Kansas City. It's a remarkable essay, both nostalgic and slightly dismissive. Here's his take on the American Jazz Museum: "No doubt it is a good thing that Kansas City is home to such an institution, but it is so self-evidently out of place that I found it impossible to warm to--especially since the surrounding neighborhood shows no visible signs of having been renewed by its presence."

*The Scamps have a MySpace account!

*Mosaic's Basie-Young box set is put into context by Steve Paul.

*Joel Francis revisits the legacy of the Coon-Sanders Night Hawk Orchestra.

*A Dubuque newspaper catches up with Oleta Adams.

*The aspirations behind "12 O'Clock Jump" were detailed by Joe Klopus.

*A documentary about Anita O'Day is showing at Screenland.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Steve Paul composed an engaging profile of Megan Birdsall. His piece indicates that the vocalist's next recording project may not please jazz purists.

*Congratulations! "The American Jazz Museum pleased to announce that the event program from the 4th Annual Rhythm & Ribs Festival was recognized at the 6th Annual Philly Awards as a 1st Place Winner in the Special Event Publications category."

*In a column about changes at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Jason Whitlock wrote, "An up-to-date Hood Pass is a requirement for leading the museum."

*Lee Ingalls spotted a photograph of a recent Scamps performance.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*Earl Robinson, a founding member of the Scamps, died May 19. He was 85. Robinson and his excellent band were probably my favorite roots-oriented act in the 1980s, although they'd already been entertaining Kansas Citians for decades. Here's how fun they were- I'd often opt for a night with the Scamps over local competitors BCR, the Blue Riddim Band, the City Light Orchestra, Little Hatch, Kevin Mahogany, the Morells, Ida McBeth, Horace Washington and Claude "Fiddler" Williams.

*Here's a bit of good news amidst the gloom. The Metheny Music Foundation awarded eleven students cash scholarships for summer band camp. Details are posted at the Foundation's site.

*Ed Fenner's obituary ran in Sunday's Star, What an remarkable life!

*My friend Jason remembers Ed Fenner.

*Discussions about funding the city's museums- the American Jazz Museum included- are quite taxing.

*My friend Richard profiles Shay Estes and Mark Lowrey.

*The Star published an elaborate feature on Brad Cox in its Sunday magazine.

*KCUR offers an insightful interview with Kevin Cerovich.

*Steve Penn follows up on an item Plastic Sax published April 9. His column provides background about D.J. Sweeney's quest to salvage jazz programming on KKFI. More disaffected grumbling is here.

*Anyone want to provide historic context for today's news report about the bandstand pavilion at Swope Park? It's "in danger of collapse."

*Hey! There's a "new" Charlie Parker recording!

*A Los Angeles man submitted an impassioned defense of the American Jazz Museum to the Star.

(Incredible image by this photographer. Plastic Sax tipsters BGO and Lee assisted with this post.)