JAM: April/May 2002 Issue: Blues News

by Stan Koron

Keeping the Blues Alive
I would like to start by introducing myself. I am Stan Koron, president of the Kansas City Blues Society. Your president, John Leisenring and I have agreed that it would be a good thing for our two organizations to work together in a variety of ways. This is one of them. You will find more "Blues News" articles in future issues of JAM that will let you know what we are working on throughout the year. In return, we will be featuring "Jazz Notes" in future issues of our monthly newsletter, letting our members know what your organization is involved with throughout the year.

The Kansas City Blues Society (KCBS) was organized in 1980 by a group of music lovers who wanted to see more Blues music here in our city. Since then, our Blues Society has worked hard to carry out our mission: "To preserve and promote Blues music in our community." We are an affiliate organization of the National Blues Foundation located in Memphis, Tennessee. We have been honored twice by our national foundation, in 1984 and again in 1991, when they presented us with the "Keeping the Blues Alive" award for the best Blues Society in the nation.

Stan Koron

The KCBS holds its general membership meetings at the Grand Emporium on the second Thursday of each month. Each meeting is open to the public and is followed by a jam session that always features some of Kansas City's best musicians. We publish a monthly newsletter titled Kansas City Blues News which is mailed to our membership and distributed throughout the city. In addition to reporting on our KCBS activities, our newsletter contains CD reviews, concert reviews and articles about local performers, as well as information about national artists who are making appearances in Kansas City. We also provide information about the Kansas City blues scene on our web site at http://www.KCBluesSociety.com.

We have several programs that are ongoing throughout the year with a variety of purposes and interests. In an effort to educate our community about Blues music, we organized our "Blues in the Schools" program. This committee produces music clinics and workshops at area schools, libraries and detention centers to teach young people about the history, traditions and styles of Blues music and other related topics. We also donate instruments to talented young musicians who may not be able to afford an instrument on their own.

This summer marks our third year of providing free concerts downtown at Washington Square Park. This year's "Blue Sunday Concert Series" will be held from July 14 through August 18 and will feature national as well as local Blues artists. In September we will be producing our 4th Annual Traditional and Acoustic Blues Festival and in October we will be holding our annual Blues Challenge Band Competition. The winner of our local band competition travels to Memphis to represent Kansas City in the International Blues Challenge.

I would like to thank the Jazz Ambassadors for this opportunity for our two organizations to work more closely together. We may have different musical preferences, but we are all music lovers! In future issues, we will discuss upcoming KCBS events and activities in greater detail. You may send any suggestions or comments to Blues321@kc.rr.com.

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