JAM: April/May 2001 Issue: President's Corner

John Leisenring

Greetings!
The gavel has once again been passed.

Please let my first message be to immediate past president Mike Fitzgerald, thanking him, for myself and on behalf of the membership and all jazz fans within the sound of my laptop, for his fine and full support and leadership. On his watch, the Jazz Ambassadors became an even more viable and worthy organization, and he is much appreciated. Mike remains a member of the Board of Directors, and his advice and council will be of great benefit to me and to us all.

Having said that, let me introduce myself as the newly elected president of Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors. Many of you know me from various writings in JAM, numerous CD reviews and an occasional rant having to do with some aspect of the music we all love so much. I'll not include my entire vita here; suffice it to say that I am a recently retired Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, having served its Conservatory of Music for 30 years. I am a trombonist, and have performed jazz throughout the United States and at jazz festivals in Newport, Berlin,

Sydney and elsewhere. My playing days are mostly in retirement as well, and I accept the gavel of the Jazz Ambassadors with enthusiasm. I hope to be able to add a bit of positive to this already very positive organization.

I have taught jazz and rock history for many years, and harbor no fantasies that America's perhaps only indigenous art form will ever be as popular as it has been in the distant past. Nor will it ever achieve even the popularity of European classical music, until and unless it receives the same subsidies, both governmental and philanthropic. It strikes me as odd that this country has no great interest in financially supporting this marvelous home-grown product. There are no obvious remedies, but groups like the Jazz Ambassadors are doing far more than their share of promotion and uplift. We need much help, both of time and money, to continue and expand this work.

In that regard, let me appeal to you our readers for your assistance. If you are in the Kansas City area, please consider volunteering for any of our committees and see if you can help us in our work. To all who read these words, please consider joining the Jazz Ambassadors, for your financial support is greatly needed. If you have specific ideas that we might consider, please contact either me or any of the members and let's see if we can move forward together. Understanding that the media, politicians and private sectors of our society will remain lukewarm at best to America's music, please help us take up the slack with your ideas, your time and your dollars. We promise to use all to the very best of our abilities.

I thank the Jazz Ambassadors' Board of Directors for their confidence in me. I will appear in this space each issue, and speak to topics that seem pressing at the time. And I remind you, in the same words I speak regularly to the membership:

Remember -- it's about the music!

John Leisenring
President
Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors

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