Doug Tatum

A Grand Finale
When I stop to think about it, I still marvel at the fact that the entire history of jazz is encompassed within the very same time-frame that the historic Folly Theater has existed. Because of this, when I began programming the Folly Jazz Series for the Theater's centennial season, I set out to highlight the history of jazz, concert by concert, from its earliest ragtime beginnings as evidenced by Butch Thompson's appearance last September, right up to the present-day as represented by the Dave Holland Quintet on March 24.

For the closing of the Folly's 2000-2001 season, I wanted to do something very special to serve as a summary of sorts. For this final concert, billed as "Jazz Generations -- The Beat Goes On," we will literally encompass in just one concert, the past, present and future of jazz. Thus, on Friday, May 11, we are extremely honored to present Kansas City jazz legend Claude "Fiddler" Williams, who at age 93, will be performing with the very gifted young pianist, Eldar Djangirov, who turned 14 earlier this year. I'm certain that an age span of nearly 80 years between them will not present the slightest obstacle to the swinging that is sure to take place that night on the Folly Theater stage.

Claude Williams was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on February 22, 1908. By the age of 10 he was already playing the guitar, mandolin, banjo and cello in string bands, along with his brother-in-law, from whom he first developed interest in string instruments. Not long after, he heard Joe Venuti playing the violin at a local outdoor concert, an instrument with which he instantly fell in love, thus beginning 70-plus years as a jazz fiddler.

In 1927 Claude moved to Kansas City, where he began his professional career, playing and touring with a number of bands, including the Twelve Clouds of Joy, the Cole Brothers (featuring a young Nat "King" Cole) and the Alphonso Trent Band. In 1936, he joined Count Basie's Band for whom he played the guitar. In fact, in a Down Beat reader's poll, he was named "Guitarist of the Year."

In 1937, Claude returned both to the violin and to Kansas City where he formed his own group. Over the years, he has played and toured with a number of jazz groups, including Kansas City's master jazz pianist, Jay McShann, the Pettiford Band, Buddy Tate, Don Byas, and Lloyd Glenn, among many others. Claude has appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Nice Jazz Festival and the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife. In 1989 he performed in the hit Broadway show, "Black and Blue."

Eldar Djangirov was born January 28, 1987 in Kyrgyzstan in the former Soviet Union. At age five, Eldar began watching his father, Emil play the family's piano and was able to repeat note for note what his father played. Eldar began studying music with his mother, Tatiana, at age five and a half. Tatiana was a teacher of Music History at the Music College in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Eldar was discovered when he played at the Novosibirsk, Russia Jazz Festival, in the summer of 1996. New York Jazz enthusiast Charles McWhorter heard him play and obtained a scholarship for him to attend summer camp at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. The knowledge and respect for the Kansas City Jazz tradition convinced the Djangirov family to visit there in 1998.

Recognition of Eldar's prodigious talent widened rapidly with his appearance on Marian McPartland's "Piano Jazz" program on National Public Radio which aired in April, 1999. Eldar's television appearances include the CBS "Sunday Morning" program, which was broadcast February 27, 2000 and the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards Show on February 23, 2000.

For this concert, the illustrious headliners will be backed by guitarists Rod Fleeman and Danny Embrey, bassist Bob Bowman, and drummer Todd Strait. As astute Kansas City jazz aficionados will immediately recognize, these latter four musicians comprise the personnel of Interstring, which is unquestionably one of the finest and most innovative groups on the Kansas City jazz scene today.

With this combination of exceptional talent on stage, I cannot imagine a better way to close the Folly's centennial season than with this concert, which will also serve appropriately as a celebration of Kansas City Jazz. There is no doubt in my mind that this concert will prove to be one of the most exciting, vital and memorable concerts of the entire year. And the fact that I can confidently make that statement certainly gives me hope for the future of jazz in the 21st Century.

Note: As always, a "JazzTalk" pre-concert discussion will take place at 7:00 p.m. And don't forget: KC Jazz Ambassadors receive a discount! For more information, call the Folly Theater during regular business hours at 816-474-4444.

Doug Tatum is the Executive Director of the Folly Theater


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