Let's Crawl Again!
The Westport edition of the Jazz Lover's Pub Crawl last June was such
a resounding success that the Jazz Ambassadors are gearing up for
an encore. Set aside Thursday, October 2, in your jazz calendars
for the KCJA's Downtown/River Market Pub Crawl when such trolley-linked
venues as the Phoenix Piano Bar & Grill, Drafter's, Majestic Steakhouse,
John's Upper Deck, Hotel Phillips, Quaff, Jilly's, Danny's Big Easy,
Minsky's, River Market Brewery, Winslow's BBQ, and Kabal host a variety
of jazz musicians including Tim Whitmer & the KC Express
(Phoenix), Ahmad Alaadeen (Drafter's), Julie Turner (Majestic),
Karla Michaels (John's), Mo City Jumpers (Hotel Phillips),
Kathleen Holeman (Quaff), Bill McKemy (Jilly's), Bram
Wijnands and Hal Melia (Minsky's), Dog House Blues Band
(River Market Brewery) and The Scamps (Kabal).
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 816-931-3330.
Call the Jazz Hotline at 816-753-JASS for the most current club/band
info.
The Best
at the Fairmont
There's good news from the Fairmont Hotel in the Country Club Plaza.
Its "Best of Kansas City Jazz Thursday Concert Series"
that began in June has been extended through November. The weekly
spotlights are hosted by the Joe Cartwright Trio (Cartwright,
piano; Gerald Spaits, bass; Ray DeMarchi, drums), take
place in the Oak Bar at the Fairmont, and have been featuring various
all-star guests for two shows per night, 8:00 and 9:45 p.m. Here is
the lineup for October and November.
October 2 Tommy Ruskin
October 9 Stan Kessler (*)
October 16 Sharon Thompson
October 23 Paul McKee
October 30 Rod Fleeman
November 6 Mike Metheny
November 13 Danny Embrey
November 20 Wayne Goins
(*) Stan Kessler's performance
will also serve as a CD release event for Open, the trumpeter's latest
that features Phil DeGreg, Danny Embrey, Bob Bowman, Todd Strait and
Gary Helm.
And don't forget, prior to each Thursday show, the Oak Bar offers
cocktails along with the solo piano of Cartwright from 5:30 to 7:30
p.m. Call either 816-576-1500 or 816-468-4462 for additional info
or visit the web site at joe-cartwright.com.
JCCC Jazz
Area jazz lovers can always count on the Jazz Series at Johnson
County Community College to feature KC's finest in the fall. The
lineup for October has been announced and reads like this:
October 7 Dan De Luca Trio
October 14 Interstring
October 21 Marcellus Lee Trio
October 28 KC Bass Quartet (Craig Akin, James Albright, Bob Bowman,
Gerald Spaits)
All concerts are on Tuesdays,
begin at noon in JCCC's Recital Hall (Carlsen Center), and are free
and open to the public. Call 913-469-8500 (ext. 3689) for additional
information.
Interstring (back
in the '90s). |
Interstring Reunited
Any time drummer and former Kansas Citian Todd Strait comes
back to town, reunions take place. Such will be the case for one week
in October when the members of Interstring (Strait, Bob
Bowman, Danny Embrey and Rod Fleeman) get back together
for a string of dates in and around the area. On Saturday, October
11 (exactly one year since their last gig), the band appears at
the Blue Room, 18th & Vine (8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.); on Sunday,
October 12 they will perform as part of the "Best of Kansas
City" series at the Topeka Performing Arts Center (3:00 p.m.);
on Monday, October 13 is a date at Jardine's (6:30-10:30 p.m.);
on Tuesday, October 14 is the aforementioned performance at
JCCC (see above); and on Wednesday, October 15, Interstring
appears at Harbor Lights in Lawrence, 8 to 11 p.m. There is also a
scheduled concert in Lincoln, NE on October 16 under the auspices
of the Berman Music Foundation. For more go to http://www.bermanmusicfoundation.org/bmfmain.htm.
Speaking of Reunions...
More than 20 years ago, KC pianist Roger Wilder and saxophonist
Rob Scheps met as teenagers at an Eastman School of Music Jazz
Camp. Since then, they've kept their musical friendship alive and
have played and recorded together in Miami, New York and Kansas City.
Scheps will be paying a visit to KC in October (he's based in Portland,
OR) and will join Wilder (plus bassist Gerald Spaits) at Jardine's
on Tuesday, October 14 (7:00-11:00 p.m.) and at the Blue Room
(with Stan Kessler, Bob Bowman and Todd Strait) on Friday,
October 17, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. The last time Wilder and
Scheps performed together in KC it was memorable. As it will surely
be this time.
Important
Benefits
"Many of us cry a lot while undergoing treatment for breast cancer,"
says singer Pat Wilson. "But then, we must pick ourselves up
and face the world again... with hope and with gratitude."
One of the ways Wilson is moving forward in a grateful and positive
way is by releasing a new CD titled That's What Friends Are For
(Kansas City Jazz Ladies Sing for Breast Cancer Prevention Research).
Produced by Wilson and Soundtrek Studio's Ron Ubel, the CD features
vocalists Wilson, Julie Turner, Sherry Jones-Ning, Millie Edwards,
Geneva Price and Lisa Henry backed by numerous KC jazz
all-stars. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to breast cancer
prevention research in Kansas City.
"From the tears and fears, there grew a need to do something...
something to help myself and others," Wilson says. "With
encouragement from my oncologist, Dr. Robert J. Belt, that something
became this CD. Recording it was a joyful experience, and we hope
it brings joy to you as well. We have wrapped love and hope around
every note."
There will be a CD release party for That's What Friends Are For on
Thursday, October 9, 7:00 to 11:00 p.m., at the Blue Room,
18th & Vine. Call either 816-474-2929 or 913-341-0215 for additional
information.
Then on Saturday, October 11, bassist Gerald Spaits
and the Westport Art Ensemble will be featured at An Evening
of Jazz to benefit the Citi 'Arts Community Scholarship Music
Fund. Cocktail hour begins at 6:00 p.m. followed by a buffet dinner,
and the music starts at 9:00. For more information call 816-561-9677;
tickets ($40 a person, $70 per couple) are available in advance as
well as at the door. Citi 'Arts is located at 38th and Manheim Road
in Historic Hyde Park.
And on Saturday, October 18, Jazzin' in the Park will
raise money for the Joyce Williams Center For Battered Women by featuring
the talents of such KC jazz favorites as Ahmad Alaadeen, Al Pearson,
and Clarence Smith's Paseo Academy Jazz Band. The event begins
at noon and runs until 7:00 p.m. at Big Eleven Lake, 11th and State
Avenue in KCK. Tickets are $10 per person and can be ordered by phone
at 913-371-1195 or purchased at Mi Amour Hair Salon, 1700 State Avenue.
ESS #9
And speaking of worthy benefits...
The annual fundraiser for Episcopal Social Services, now in its ninth
year, has become an autumn tradition for KC jazz fans. In the past
Karrin Allyson, Angela Hagenbach and Marilyn Maye have headlined this
ESS event titled "Servin' Up Jazz." This year, on
Sunday, October 12, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., the Folly Theater stage
will be shared by KC all-stars Bobby Watson (alto saxophone),
Paul McKee (trombone), Lisa Henry (vocals), Joe Cartwright
(piano), Gerald Spaits (bass), Donivan Bailey (drums)
and Mike Metheny (trumpet). As always, proceeds will go to
various ESS concerns including Meals on Wheels, Operation Backpack,
hospital aftercare, parenting/life skills, Turner House Community
Center, "Missionpalooza" for teenage volunteers, and nursing
home ministry. General admission tickets are $30. Call 816-561-8920
for additional information.
Jammin' at the Gem
On September 19 another promising Jammin' at the Gem season was launched
at the historical 18th & Vine venue when the Yellowjackets came
to town. On Saturday, October 18, the series continues with
vocalist Patti Austin, whose tribute to Ella Fitzgerald is
getting raves from coast to coast. KC's Bobby Watson will lead
the backup big band. Also on tap for '03-'04 at the Gem Theater are
T.S. Monk (January 17), The Newport Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary
Tour (February 29) and the Charlie Parker Memorial Concert
featuring saxophonist Charles McPherson and trumpeter Tom
Harrell (March 27). Call 816-474-8463 for more.
 |
A Landmark Ceremony
On Saturday, October 25, the Mutual Musicians Foundation,
known for its all night jazz jam sessions, will be alive by day to
commemorate and celebrate the site as the only National Historic Landmark
in Kansas City, Missouri. On that day, the National Parks Service
of the US Department of the Interior will dedicate a bronze plaque
bestowing that distinction on the Mutual Musicians Foundation at 1823
Highland, in the 18th & Vine Jazz District. The Foundation building
once held the Musicians Union #627, and has continuously been a home
for jazz since the 1920s.
"The Mutual Musicians Association Building was established as
a National Historic Landmark in February 1982, more than 21 years
ago. But it was (essentially) kept a secret," said James A. Sanders,
the Missouri State Coordinator for the National Park Service. "This
bronze plaque dedication will bring to the public's attention the
national significance of the structure, the people and events that
made it important, and will permanently mark this structure so that
all who pass by or visit it will be reminded of its importance to
Kansas City and the nation."
The event is free, begins at 2:00 p.m. and lasts until 6:00, will
feature refreshments, speakers and the ceremony, and, of course, there
will be plenty of music. Call 816-471-5212 for more.
Revelry's
2003 Finale
The 2003 Kansas City Ragtime Revelry concert series concludes on Saturday,
November 1 when pianist Mimi Blais appears at the Community
Christian Church, 4601 Main. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Until ten years
ago, Blais was a Montreal-based classical pianist. Then one day, as
the story goes, she heard someone playing the "Maple Leaf Rag"
and her world changed forever. Since 1994 she has led the Ragtime
Foundation of Quebec and has produced an annual ragtime festival in
her native Montreal. Blais has also performed at many other festivals
across the U.S. including the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia.
Call 816-691-8781 or email dianecapps@juno.com for more information
about this show.
All the
Right Keys
Remember "Ladies Sing the Blues" back in February? Three
of KC's top jazz singers came together with all-star backup at The
Club at Plaza III, pooled their talents, and the Jazz Ambassadors
had a winning dinner-and-jazz event for fundraising and good times.
On Thursday, November 13, "Kats on Keys" will showcase
three of Kansas City's finest jazz pianists -- Russ Long, Bram
Wijnands and Roger Wilder -- in a similar format, this
time at Jardine's, 4536 Main. Bassist Gerald Spaits and drummer Tommy
Ruskin will also be featured. Details are still in the works for this
special evening. Keep an eye on the KCJA web site -- www.jazzkc.org
-- for the latest.
Final Chord
Longtime Kansas City pianist Warren Bowman passed away on September
13, 2003. He was 69. An Air Force veteran, former Central Missouri
State University student and retired postal worker, Warren was no
stranger to KC jazz circles, gigging steadily and appearing frequently
at area jam sessions. Jazz singer, colleague and good friend Julie
Turner had kind words for the veteran keyboard man.
"Warren and I worked together for the last 15 years and he was
one of the nicest people I've ever known. He was a true gentleman,
kind and decent, and just a great human being. He also was an extremely
talented musician who played the piano beautifully and with such great
chordal sense. And he knew almost every tune that was ever written!
If anyone ever tried to 'stump the band,' they'd never stump Warren.
But most of all he was part of my and Tommy's (husband Tommy Ruskin)
extended family. And he will be missed beyond words."
