Now's the Time: The July Jazz Jam at Community Christian Church

The embedded promotional video for the July Jazz Jam at Community Christian Church on Sunday, July 31, may be cringe-worthy, but the benefit concerts organized by Tim Whitmer at the house of worship at 4601 Main are proven crowd-pleasers.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*C.J. Janovy reports on how the Mutual Musicians Foundation honored members of black musicians’ unions from around the country.

*Jermaine Reed states his case for additional funding for the Jazz District on KCPT’s Ruckus.  The Kansas City Star provides an update on the situation.  KCUR’s Steve Bell adds further insights.

*Details about the 2016 edition of the Charlie Parker Historical Tour (and an uncredited photo by Plastic Sax) are here.

*Tweet o’ the Week: American Jazz Museum- Vinyl on the Vine starts tonight at 5 pm. Groovy Grant of @kkfi901fm spins jazz in the Blue Room in a new series.

*Comment o’ the Week: Chris Hazelton- With both Cecile McLorin Salvant and Aaron Diehl on the Folly series, I'm hoping for a double-dose of my man and former Kansas City drummer Lawrence Leathers!

(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.)

Now's the Time: Curtis Lundy

While unsuccessfully attempting to determine precisely who will be performing in Bobby Watson’s I Have a Dream Band at the Blue Room on Friday, July 8, I uncovered the embedded two-hour concert filmed in Ljubljana in 2000.  It’s magnificent.  I’ll just have to assume that Curtis Lundy will team up with his longtime cohort in Kansas City this weekend.  Wonderful things tend to happen when Lundy and Watson share a stage.

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Joe Klopus revealed the lineups of the 2016-17 seasons of the Folly Theater’s jazz series and the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.

*Zack Albetta interviewed Ryan Lee for the Working Drummer podcast.  Lee is also featured in a 18-minute promotional video for a new album by the 15-year-old pianist A Bu.

*The Kansas City Star reports that The American, an upscale restaurant that regularly hires jazz musicians, will close at the end of the year.

*The Pitch recommends Bobby Watson’s return to the Blue Room.

*Hermon Mehari uploaded a video of an unaccompanied version of “Ask Me Now” to YouTube last month.

*David Martin considers the stakes in advance of this week’s vote on $27 million in additional funding for the Jazz District.

*Tweet o’ the Week: Eddie Moore- Happy 4th of July, my people still dont have independence but lets blow shit up in hopes for a change. Fireworks i mean.....

*From Chris Burnett: Today is my last official day working at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City. I started working there as the Marketing Communications Manager in 2011 after a phone call from Greg Carroll, the previous CEO… I am going to take some time to reorient my focus in the arts.

*The Kansas City Jazz Calendar has been updated for July.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

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.)

Now's the Time: Shay Estes

The engaging vocalist Shay Estes leads a band at The Phoenix on Saturday, July 2.  She belts out “C’est Si Bon” at the 2014 edition of the Prairie Village Jazz Festival in the embedded video.