JAM: August/September 2001 Issue: Coda

United We (Must) Stand

The last five words of Marvin Stamm's essay -- "...then we deserve the consequences" -- are provocative and apropos.

They could also apply to today's Kansas City jazz scene.

Try to imagine the following utopian scenario: the Kansas City jazz community is completely united. No feuds, no factions. No fights, no fussing. Everybody is on the same page, pulling in the same direction, and coming from a common starting point of a passion for jazz and a desire for it to prosper.

Truth is, even under those ideal conditions, keeping jazz alive and healthy in Kansas City would be a struggle. Yet many of us are trying to do just that in a town where there is an ongoing history of division. ("It's always been this way," a local jazz veteran told me recently. "It's like we have some kind of death wish.")

I received an unpleasant letter in the mail a while back. It was a depressing thing to read, and it made me wonder why I spend so much time working on this magazine. Is JAM a plus for Kansas City jazz? Or, is it just an optional bonus that remains chronically underappreciated by the very people it's intended to reach? I've been giving this a lot of thought lately.

Looking back, 99.9% of what JAM has done over the last 15 years has been pro-jazz and supportive. (Example: the June/July "Club Profile.") Sure, there has also been some controversy, some criticism, and some things designed to get people thinking. But, believe it or not, the most frequent complaint I hear is that we are too positive and not critical enough. And that comment has come from some of KC's most astute followers of jazz. Talk about a Catch-22.

One thing is certain: the Kansas City jazz scene can't afford the luxury of internal feuds. It will always be hard enough to keep things afloat in the face of relentless community (and media) apathy, not to mention the tradition of contentment with the status quo that has hastened the exits of everyone from Basie and Bird to Kevin and Karrin.

Is it possible for the KC jazz community to function as a united niche? History, and a recent letter say no. But if jazz in Kansas City is to survive, let alone thrive, that will have to change.

Otherwise, Kansas City jazz will experience -- and deserve -- the consequences.

-- Mike Metheny

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© Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.






	Search our site:		United We (Must) Stand The last five words of Marvin Stamm's essay -- "...then we deserve the consequences" -- are provocative and apropos. They could also apply to today's Kansas City jazz scene. Try to imagine the following utopian scenario: the Kansas City jazz community is completely united. No feuds, no factions. No fights, no fussing. Everybody is on the same page, pulling in the same direction, and coming from a common starting point of a passion for jazz and a desire for it to prosper. Truth is, even under those ideal conditions, keeping jazz alive and healthy in Kansas City would be a struggle. Yet many of us are trying to do just that in a town where there is an ongoing history of division. ("It's always been this way," a local jazz veteran told me recently. "It's like we have some kind of death wish.") I received an unpleasant letter in the mail a while back. It was a depressing thing to read, and it made me wonder why I spend so much time working on this magazine. Is JAM a plus for Kansas City jazz? Or, is it just an optional bonus that remains chronically underappreciated by the very people it's intended to reach? I've been giving this a lot of thought lately. Looking back, 99.9% of what JAM has done over the last 15 years has been pro-jazz and supportive. (Example: the June/July "Club Profile.") Sure, there has also been some controversy, some criticism, and some things designed to get people thinking. But, believe it or not, the most frequent complaint I hear is that we are too positive and not critical enough. And that comment has come from some of KC's most astute followers of jazz. Talk about a Catch-22. One thing is certain: the Kansas City jazz scene can't afford the luxury of internal feuds. It will always be hard enough to keep things afloat in the face of relentless community (and media) apathy, not to mention the tradition of contentment with the status quo that has hastened the exits of everyone from Basie and Bird to Kevin and Karrin. Is it possible for the KC jazz community to function as a united niche? History, and a recent letter say no. But if jazz in Kansas City is to survive, let alone thrive, that will have to change. Otherwise, Kansas City jazz will experience -- and deserve -- the consequences. -- Mike Metheny RETURN TO AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2001 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.