JAM: April/May 2001 Issue: Hampton's Hot Licks

Dean Hampton

When Participants Become Spectators
Ken Burns' "Jazz" captured as much about the culture of an era as it did the music. In the '20s, '30s and '40s, jazz was music that literally made people move. They listened, but they also participated in the experience. They danced, clapped their hands and stomped their feet to these great sounds.

The early days of jazz also broke down many racial and economic barriers. It was music that brought people together and formed a new sense of community that had not existed before. The Burns series made that clear, and it also pointed out many of the reasons why jazz eventually ceased to be America's popular music.

One factor was the advent of rock 'n roll in the 1950s. Not only was it a new music for a new generation, but it was music that encouraged audience participation. I have always felt that the real reason jazz fell on hard times had nothing to do with the "jazz depression" some historians like to talk about. Jazz was once not only a great art form, but a kind of music that encouraged people to have fun. To be physically involved. To laugh, to cry or to dance. Whatever emotion the music evoked at the moment.

Today jazz is frequently music one listens to in a more sophisticated and cerebral setting, like in a concert hall or cabaret. The active participation of the fans, which was once an important part of jazz, is pretty much gone.

And so goes the audience for jazz. Along with sales of recordings, airplay and a dwindling number of clubs.

CD vs. MP3
On March 15 it was my pleasure to be a co-presenter of the program at the KCJA's monthly General Membership meeting at the Gem Theater. Brian Ullem of Sprint PCS was my partner that (snowy) night when we spoke to a roomful of dedicated Jazz Ambassadors (who'd braved the elements) about listening to jazz on the Sprint/Samsung "Uproar" phone/MP3 player.

Brian's presentation included a layman's description of MP3 technology, followed by how the music gets from CD to the phone/MP3 format. I was especially (and pleasantly) surprised by the high tech interest and good questions from the audience. They kept us on our toes and even stumped us on a few things.

Then it was our turn to do the stumping with a "blindfold test." Using Mike Metheny's "Mr. Curious" (from his From Then 'Til Now album) played through a laptop computer in both CD and MP3 formats, we asked the audience to identify which was which. The results: about 15% got it right, about 15% got it wrong, and the rest admitted that there was so little difference they could not tell.

It was an evening that served as a powerful reminder that, as a quality method of music delivery, the MP3 format is here to stay.

Playboy Jazz
On February 22, Concord Records and Playboy Enterprises International announced that they have formed an alliance, which will include the formation of a new record label called Playboy Jazz. A wide range of recordings will be released under this imprint, from compilations and themed albums, to new and live concert recordings and soundtracks.

"From the beginning, Playboy has been involved with jazz in one way or another, through our numerous articles on jazz, our interviews with influential artists such as Miles Davis, our popular music polls, our compilation albums, and of course, the Playboy Jazz Festival," said Hugh Hefner, Playboy founder and editor-in-chief.

The initial release for the new label will be Blonde, the soundtrack for a new CBS miniseries, airing in May and based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, who was the very first Playboy centerfold in 1953. Featured on the CD, to be released May 8, will be Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, Roy Hargrove and Snooky Young on trumpets, James Moody and Scott Hamilton on saxes, and Dennis Rowland on vocals.

Karrin Goes to the Movies
Speaking of Concord and people we know who record for them... The original motion picture soundtrack for the Jordan Walker-Pearlman film, "The Visit," a drama starring Hill Harper and Billy Dee Williams, will be released on April 17. Ranging from swinging jazz to uplifting gospel, the film's soundtrack features performances by Joe Sample, Joe Williams and the Count Basie Orchestra, Nnenna Freelon, former Kansas Citian Karrin Allyson, Gene Harris, and original instrumental music by Ramsey Lewis and Wallace Roney. Karrin's new CD, Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane, is also due out this spring. Look for a review in the June/July JAM.

Comin' to KC
Nobody really thinks that people come to Kansas City for a "jazz vacation," right? Well, if you've followed this column over the years, you know differently. In mid April, several groups will be passing through KC at least partly for the city's jazz scene. Kare D. Helling from Lillesand, Norway recently contacted us by email and said, "We are a party of 26 jazz lovers who, during April 2001, will tour quite a bit of the USA for the sole purpose of finding good jazz spots to listen to old jazz and blues. We are especially interested in knowing a little bit more of what happens on Saturday night at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. From what you say, it sounds like the jam there has some of the 'original' still going on." Indeed it does. Welcome to KC, Kare!

And One More Thing
Please show your support for the KCJA and JAM by shopping at our Marketplace on the web (http://www.jazzkc.org) where you will find over 100 merchants you know and trust. From cookies to cars, Borders to Wal-mart, a portion of each purchase will be donated to the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors. Just click on Marketplace and go from there. It's that easy.

93 Years Young, 74 Years of Swingin'

Claude "Fiddler" Williams: Still swingin' at 93
(as Bobby Watson looks on)

On Monday, February 19, jazz violinist Claude "Fiddler" Williams celebrated (a few days early) his 93rd birthday at a packed and festive "Blue Monday" jam at the Blue Room. The choice of locale for this happy occasion couldn't have been better; 18th & Vine was a prime destination for this bona fide jazz legend when he first arrived in Kansas City -- in 1927. And, as all in attendance 74 years later would attest, Claude can still dig in and swing with the best of them.

The '01 KCJW Ends on a High Note
At the season-ender of the Kansas City Jazz Workshop on March 19, one thing was certain: pianist Pete Eye's well-publicized health concerns of the last year were not a factor. At this special KCJW bonus concert at the Downtown Marriott's Basie Ballroom, the animated and enthused veteran bandleader led his classy trio -- with Bob Branstetter on anchor-solid bass, and Al Wiley on smart and tasty drums -- through two sets of timeless classics ("Have You Met Miss Jones," "Lil' Darlin'," "The Duke," "Autumn Leaves") with the added attraction of Rob Richardson's complimentary vocals ("Lady Be Good," "Route 66." "Ain't Misbehavin',"). Not only were there multiple standing ovations from the 300-plus on hand, but a spontaneous, Mecca-like bow from audience member Mel Drybread at the foot of the stage seemed to sum up the evening perfectly.

-- MM