JAM: April/May 2004 Issue: Hear and There

A Hodge-Podge of Musich Reviews

There are always good sounds at the Blue Room's Monday jams , and a recent one with Gerald Dunn at the helm was no different. UMKC student Rick Rieger's fluent bop alto sax spent a lot of time on stage, and it was good to hear Ryan Howard not only on piano but also melodica.

There were good sounds from the Del-Mar one recent Tuesday, with a quartet led by drummer Jim Eriksen . Tenorman Eddie Saunders and guitarist Matt Hopper were also on board, and we were fortunate to have Haji sit in on flugelhorn. I was not aware of Haji until recently - he assisted Eriksen on a recent Blue Room jam - he is strong player and super soloist with an absolutely huge tone. He's a veteran I hope to hear much more of. Not to take anything away from Saunders, who time and time again proves to be a top player, adhering to the "it-has-to-tell-a-story" school. His frequent use of familiar quotes is not unlike what one used to hear from Dexter Gordon. Jim Eriksen knows what he likes, and it shows in the musicians he hires at his gig. Oh - the Del-Mar has its liquor license now.

I was talking to a guy about flugelhorn player Haji - he apparently came to town last fall, and was known by many in the area. Solid player in the Brownie- Morgan lineage, and he knows Miles as well. Seek him out!

( Bad news--the Jim Eriksen Tuesday night gig at the Del-Mar didn't catch on, a shame because (1) we need another solid Tuesday outlet, and (2) the music was as honest as any in the area. Eriksen and Eddie Saunders are solid pros.)

The Count Basie concert at the Folly was super. Will Matthews got a well-deserved solo call, and the crowd (I'm sure many of the folks had not heard Will away from the Basie band) responded appropriately. Under former Basie-ite Bill Hughes' direction, the band seems to be digging deeper into the book than what I recall from their last Folly appearance--there was material from the entire history of the book, from the '30's to the '70's. And the trademarks of a Basie band were in place--the whole band could solo effectively; the rhythm section was a Basie section all the way, from the pianist, to bassist James Leary , Will doing the Freddie Green rhythm guitar, and vet Butch Miles missing nothing. A great sax section. Tight ensembles. And vocalist Chris Murrell was excellent in his turns.

Folks tell me that the Jammin' at the Gem's Newport Jazz Festival is the best concert in recent memory. I'm kicking myself for missing it.

At the Doug Talley jam at the Blue Room the other night, an old friend of Doug's, vibist Irving Curtis , just tore the place up. I felt like I was at a Milt Jackson jam. He was just excellent. He was a grad student at KU when Doug was an undergraduate, and now lives in Topeka . There is just no end to the depth of players in the area. Also, St. Louis pianist Leslie Maclean was there. Good veteran pianist, soloed well and was a very supportive accompanist. Another bright moment was a UMKC freshman named Jim , an outstanding, aggressive alto player who is worth seeking out. Of course, the Talley quartet was super. We don't see enough of Doug or Tim Brewer , Wayne Hawkins , and Keith Kavanaugh .

Just because Dean Weiss changed his music policy to a "variety show" featuring singer/composer/vocalist Danny Beal doesn't mean that there isn't the special jazz happening at his Piano Room in Waldo every now and then. This past weekend guitarist/vocalist Doc Fuller sat in with Danny, and moved the room into a jazz club once again. Fuller is a passionate guitarist with a fine voice for the Gershwin and other standard fare he enjoys performing. And Danny, who will tell you that he's no jazzer, had a blast comping and adding the occasional solo and vocal. And if you know Dean you know he loves jazz, and hence you know he enjoyed this special Piano Room night as much as I did.
--Roger Atkinson

I recently visited the Phoenix on a snow packed evening in February. And I was delighted I had made that trek. I've always known Tim Whitmer could tickle the ivories at the popular club. But on this night, he was tearing into them in a way I had never seen him do before. And it sounded great. The place was jumping. Every so often a couple would get out in the crowd and dance. The food was top rate. And the beer was really cold. I was told during the break that The Phoenix had closed Mondays and Tuesdays during the winter, but it is back to a Monday through Saturday week of jazz.

On Valentine's night, my husband and I booked a romantic evening at Del-Mar to hear the group 4, lead by UMKC student Jamaal Dymski . Due to an unexpected large crowd, there was a long wait. But the music by saxophonist Jamaal and his trio made the wait fly by. Jamaal hails from San Diego and is on his way to New York to continue his jazz studies. From the way he blows his horn, he could be a Bobby Watson in the making. We were also impressed by the piano player who made an upright, out-of-tune piano sound stellar. A fellow diner visiting from St. Louis (a former jazz bassist) just kept shaking his head and repeating, “These guys are great!”

The Jazz Ambassadors' Ladies Sing the Blues event at Plaza III was wonderful. Each vocalist's style is very interesting and different from the other. Kathleen Holeman can scat high and low and everywhere in between and you know just what she means. Geneva Price knows how to tell a story and have the audience eating out of her hand. And Lisa Henry expresses jazz with her entire being, belting out a song and having a whole lot of fun while doing it. I was happy to hear that Lisa is performing with Herbie Hancock on March 31 in Washington , D.C. and in April in Alaska . It sounds like she's back in the swing.

I recently lunched at the newly opened Red Vine in the 18th & Vine district. The red interior, gold muslin drapes, and tall palm trees gives the feel of an old New Orleans parlor. I was very excited about the large stage. Apparently live jazz can be found every Friday and Saturday night, and eventually Thursday too. Although I cannot report on the jazz performance, I can tell you not to leave there without trying their sweet potato fries. They are addictive!

Jazz is appearing in a lot of new places. You can find Greg Richter at Primo's in Lee's Summit , Jim Mair and Mike Ning at Cascone's in Overland Park , and the Kerry Strayer Quartet at Benton 's Steakhouse in Crown Center . And to that I say…Go get ‘em!

--Kathy Feist Vescovi






	Search our site:		A Hodge-Podge of Musich Reviews There are always good sounds at the Blue Room's Monday jams , and a recent one with Gerald Dunn at the helm was no different. UMKC student Rick Rieger's fluent bop alto sax spent a lot of time on stage, and it was good to hear Ryan Howard not only on piano but also melodica. There were good sounds from the Del-Mar one recent Tuesday, with a quartet led by drummer Jim Eriksen . Tenorman Eddie Saunders and guitarist Matt Hopper were also on board, and we were fortunate to have Haji sit in on flugelhorn. I was not aware of Haji until recently - he assisted Eriksen on a recent Blue Room jam - he is strong player and super soloist with an absolutely huge tone. He's a veteran I hope to hear much more of. Not to take anything away from Saunders, who time and time again proves to be a top player, adhering to the "it-has-to-tell-a-story" school. His frequent use of familiar quotes is not unlike what one used to hear from Dexter Gordon. Jim Eriksen knows what he likes, and it shows in the musicians he hires at his gig. Oh - the Del-Mar has its liquor license now. I was talking to a guy about flugelhorn player Haji - he apparently came to town last fall, and was known by many in the area. Solid player in the Brownie- Morgan lineage, and he knows Miles as well. Seek him out! ( Bad news--the Jim Eriksen Tuesday night gig at the Del-Mar didn't catch on, a shame because (1) we need another solid Tuesday outlet, and (2) the music was as honest as any in the area. Eriksen and Eddie Saunders are solid pros.) The Count Basie concert at the Folly was super. Will Matthews got a well-deserved solo call, and the crowd (I'm sure many of the folks had not heard Will away from the Basie band) responded appropriately. Under former Basie-ite Bill Hughes' direction, the band seems to be digging deeper into the book than what I recall from their last Folly appearance--there was material from the entire history of the book, from the '30's to the '70's. And the trademarks of a Basie band were in place--the whole band could solo effectively; the rhythm section was a Basie section all the way, from the pianist, to bassist James Leary , Will doing the Freddie Green rhythm guitar, and vet Butch Miles missing nothing. A great sax section. Tight ensembles. And vocalist Chris Murrell was excellent in his turns. Folks tell me that the Jammin' at the Gem's Newport Jazz Festival is the best concert in recent memory. I'm kicking myself for missing it. At the Doug Talley jam at the Blue Room the other night, an old friend of Doug's, vibist Irving Curtis , just tore the place up. I felt like I was at a Milt Jackson jam. He was just excellent. He was a grad student at KU when Doug was an undergraduate, and now lives in Topeka . There is just no end to the depth of players in the area. Also, St. Louis pianist Leslie Maclean was there. Good veteran pianist, soloed well and was a very supportive accompanist. Another bright moment was a UMKC freshman named Jim , an outstanding, aggressive alto player who is worth seeking out. Of course, the Talley quartet was super. We don't see enough of Doug or Tim Brewer , Wayne Hawkins , and Keith Kavanaugh . Just because Dean Weiss changed his music policy to a "variety show" featuring singer/composer/vocalist Danny Beal doesn't mean that there isn't the special jazz happening at his Piano Room in Waldo every now and then. This past weekend guitarist/vocalist Doc Fuller sat in with Danny, and moved the room into a jazz club once again. Fuller is a passionate guitarist with a fine voice for the Gershwin and other standard fare he enjoys performing. And Danny, who will tell you that he's no jazzer, had a blast comping and adding the occasional solo and vocal. And if you know Dean you know he loves jazz, and hence you know he enjoyed this special Piano Room night as much as I did. --Roger Atkinson I recently visited the Phoenix on a snow packed evening in February. And I was delighted I had made that trek. I've always known Tim Whitmer could tickle the ivories at the popular club. But on this night, he was tearing into them in a way I had never seen him do before. And it sounded great. The place was jumping. Every so often a couple would get out in the crowd and dance. The food was top rate. And the beer was really cold. I was told during the break that The Phoenix had closed Mondays and Tuesdays during the winter, but it is back to a Monday through Saturday week of jazz. On Valentine's night, my husband and I booked a romantic evening at Del-Mar to hear the group 4, lead by UMKC student Jamaal Dymski . Due to an unexpected large crowd, there was a long wait. But the music by saxophonist Jamaal and his trio made the wait fly by. Jamaal hails from San Diego and is on his way to New York to continue his jazz studies. From the way he blows his horn, he could be a Bobby Watson in the making. We were also impressed by the piano player who made an upright, out-of-tune piano sound stellar. A fellow diner visiting from St. Louis (a former jazz bassist) just kept shaking his head and repeating, “These guys are great!” The Jazz Ambassadors' Ladies Sing the Blues event at Plaza III was wonderful. Each vocalist's style is very interesting and different from the other. Kathleen Holeman can scat high and low and everywhere in between and you know just what she means. Geneva Price knows how to tell a story and have the audience eating out of her hand. And Lisa Henry expresses jazz with her entire being, belting out a song and having a whole lot of fun while doing it. I was happy to hear that Lisa is performing with Herbie Hancock on March 31 in Washington , D.C. and in April in Alaska . It sounds like she's back in the swing. I recently lunched at the newly opened Red Vine in the 18th & Vine district. The red interior, gold muslin drapes, and tall palm trees gives the feel of an old New Orleans parlor. I was very excited about the large stage. Apparently live jazz can be found every Friday and Saturday night, and eventually Thursday too. Although I cannot report on the jazz performance, I can tell you not to leave there without trying their sweet potato fries. They are addictive! Jazz is appearing in a lot of new places. You can find Greg Richter at Primo's in Lee's Summit , Jim Mair and Mike Ning at Cascone's in Overland Park , and the Kerry Strayer Quartet at Benton 's Steakhouse in Crown Center . And to that I say…Go get ‘em! --Kathy Feist Vescovi RETURN TO APRIL/MAY 2004 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2004. All rights reserved.