JAM: June/July 2005 Issue: Feature Story

Kansas City Jazz From Ragtime to Bebop

A Raucous and Wild Ride Back in Time

by Kathy Feist Vescovi

"She's like an elderly lady with a disreputable past who would rather not talk about it."

Local jazz historian Chuck Haddix is referring to Kansas City. In the past few years, Haddix has discovered a few surprises about this grand dame and he's revealing it all in the book Kansas City Jazz From Ragtime to Bebop--A History. Written with music historian Frank Driggs, the book provides a fascinating ride back through time.

"Kansas City was a wild place. It's kind of like finding out your grandfather was a bootlegger," says Haddix (who, by the way, had a bootlegger grandfather).

Kansas City Here We Come

Far from being the family-friendly city it boasts of today, Kansas City was a hotbed for legalized gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging. As a result, nightclubs never closed their doors and music poured like the liquor no one was supposed to drink.

From the first piano shipped to the original French settlement and the naming of the town after the vice-loving Kansas Indians, Haddix and Driggs follow the musical and lawless elements of the town to its eventual combustion--Kansas City jazz. From that hotbed came such talents as William "Count" Basie, Ben Webster, Lester Young, Hot Lips Page, Big Joe Turner, Mary Lou Williams, Bennie Moten, Jay McShann, and of course Charlie Parker, to name only a few.

Only 235 pages long, the book provides a colorful portrayal of dozens of musicians. It's a joy to discover the intricacies of our past and the personalities that went with it. But it is even more enjoyable to read our history like an epic novel. Haddix's gift for storytelling and his choices of colorful anecdotes and interviews make this book a page-turner. We welcome the past and all its Las Vegas-style antics into our relatively milquetoast environment.

The Making of a Book

Fortunately, the 80-year-old Driggs got to know many of these musicians on a personal level.

A jazz lover while attending Princeton in the late 40s, Driggs soon discovered Kansas City jazz and began collecting recordings by Bennie Moten, Count Basie, Jay McShann and other bands.

"Kansas City jazz was a little different from what we had in New York," he explains. "It was a warmer sound. It had free expression. And the rhythm was pretty loose. The music in Kansas City was relaxed and because of that, it enabled musicians to express themselves more freely."

While teaching at the Institute of Jazz in New York, Driggs interviewed Kansas City jazz musicians Andy Kirk, Walter Page, Ed Lewis, and others who had settled in the area.

In 1957, Driggs traveled to Kansas City for two weeks and interviewed some of the old guard. He came back convinced of the significance of Kansas City jazz.

"Although many of Kansas City's musicians were unknown, there were more bands from Kansas City that became famous," he explains, pointing out the bands of Coon-Sanders, Count Basie, Andy Kirk, Bennie Moten and Jay McShann. Whereas Chicago, "which is more famous for jazz, had only one famous band--the Earl Hines band."

After working at Columbia Records in the 60s, Driggs again traveled to Kansas City in the 70s to review a college band concert for Time/Life Records. While there, he continued to interview musicians. After a brief stint with RCA Records, Driggs decided he was ready to write several chapters on Kansas City jazz. In 1977, he submitted two of those chapters to Oxford University Press, which immediately signed him to a contract. But after a summer of writing, Driggs realized he needed to do more research in Kansas City, which he couldn't afford at the time. Instead, he immersed himself in his vast collection of jazz photographs and memorabilia, which has since become a full-time business.

In 1987, Driggs attended an International Association of Jazz Record Collectors in Kansas City. Having renewed his interest in the Kansas City jazz book, Driggs interviewed more musicians.

Ironically, there was another jazz record collector at the conference: a young Chuck Haddix. Though their paths did not cross at that time, both were on the same journey.

In 1977, Haddix sold records at Penny Lane Records. While there he befriended numerous jazz musicians from Kansas City's heyday. He began hanging out at the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

"These guys were telling epic tales," he remembers. "True stories of epic proportions."

Most inspiring, however, was the friendship he struck with club owner Milton Morris--a character by any standards--whose stories of Kansas City's glory days spurred Haddix's interest. He began seriously exploring Kansas City's jazz history.

In 1984, Haddix became the jazz and blues producer at KCUR-FM, Kansas City's public radio station. His weekend show, the Fish Fry, which spins vintage jazz and blues, continues to be a popular radio program in the area. In 1987, he became the director of the Marr Sound Archives, a collection of historic sound recordings in the Miller Nichols Library at UMKC. Now fully immersed in Kansas City's jazz history, Haddix began to research and write about the Kansas City jazz sound.

In 1994, Driggs and Haddix met for the first time in New York. In addition to eventually donating his recorded interviews to the Marr Sound Archives, Driggs thought it would be a good idea to collaborate with Haddix on the book.

"I threw caution to the wind because [otherwise] this thing was going to sit in my basement until I died and no one was going to see it!" he says.

Driggs handed his project over to Haddix. In 1997 Oxford issued a new contract that included Haddix.

Haddix began collecting interviews and newspaper accounts from the Kansas City Journal-Post, The Kansas City Call, Kansas City Sun, Kansas City American, Kansas City Star, Down Beat, and Metronome.

"This turned out to be the real treasure trove," recalls Haddix.

From there he added his wealth of information to a 187-page timeline.

Eye-Opening Tales

"The book is episodic," explains Haddix. "For instance, Andy Kirk leaves town, Moten comes in, so then the focus is on Moten. It's written like a movie script."

During the research process, Haddix stumbled upon a few eye-openers.

One was Count Basie's personality. "I think he was drunk the entire time he was in Kansas City!" muses Haddix. "Basie was a party animal."

"Another surprise was Charlie Parker. Charlie Parker was a big star in Kansas City when he was here. His chronology is a lot different from what has been told before," says Haddix, referring to the oft-told story that Parker's talents were unappreciated in these parts.

As for Driggs, every story that came out of the musicians' mouths was an eye-opener.

"That was the whole purpose of writing this book," says Driggs. "My eyes were opened. Chuck's eyes were opened. And hopefully everyone who reads it will open their eyes too."

Although Haddix hopes the book "introduces Kansas City to its intemperate past," he also hopes it clearly places Kansas City as a significant contributor in the development of jazz.

That role should come as no surprise.

EXCERPT

In late December 1928, Holder's fiscal irresponsibility triggered his ouster from the band. Holder's financial sleight of hand had been a sore point with band members for some time. When confronted by Kirk and others about his financial transgressions, Holder merely shrugged and promised with a wry grin, "Aw, shucks fellas, I'll try harder next time." During Christmas, Holder abruptly left for Dallas to reconcile with his estranged wife. Disappearing without explanation, Holder took the payroll, much to the dismay of band members. Tempers flared, but cooler heads prevailed, and band members dissuaded trumpeter Chester Clark from tracking down and shooting Holder. During an emergency band meeting, angry members voted Holder out of his own band. John Williams recalled he and other band members "waited to buy our wives Christmas presents and all and he's [Holder] gone with all the money. So we fired him...and because Andy [Kirk] was the oldest and most settled, we voted to let Andy lead the band and that's how Andy got the band."

--Kansas City Jazz From Ragtime to Bebop--A History






	Search our site:		Kansas City Jazz From Ragtime to Bebop A Raucous and Wild Ride Back in Time by Kathy Feist Vescovi "She's like an elderly lady with a disreputable past who would rather not talk about it." Local jazz historian Chuck Haddix is referring to Kansas City. In the past few years, Haddix has discovered a few surprises about this grand dame and he's revealing it all in the book Kansas City Jazz From Ragtime to Bebop--A History. Written with music historian Frank Driggs, the book provides a fascinating ride back through time. "Kansas City was a wild place. It's kind of like finding out your grandfather was a bootlegger," says Haddix (who, by the way, had a bootlegger grandfather). Kansas City Here We Come Far from being the family-friendly city it boasts of today, Kansas City was a hotbed for legalized gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging. As a result, nightclubs never closed their doors and music poured like the liquor no one was supposed to drink. From the first piano shipped to the original French settlement and the naming of the town after the vice-loving Kansas Indians, Haddix and Driggs follow the musical and lawless elements of the town to its eventual combustion--Kansas City jazz. From that hotbed came such talents as William "Count" Basie, Ben Webster, Lester Young, Hot Lips Page, Big Joe Turner, Mary Lou Williams, Bennie Moten, Jay McShann, and of course Charlie Parker, to name only a few. Only 235 pages long, the book provides a colorful portrayal of dozens of musicians. It's a joy to discover the intricacies of our past and the personalities that went with it. But it is even more enjoyable to read our history like an epic novel. Haddix's gift for storytelling and his choices of colorful anecdotes and interviews make this book a page-turner. We welcome the past and all its Las Vegas-style antics into our relatively milquetoast environment. The Making of a Book Fortunately, the 80-year-old Driggs got to know many of these musicians on a personal level. A jazz lover while attending Princeton in the late 40s, Driggs soon discovered Kansas City jazz and began collecting recordings by Bennie Moten, Count Basie, Jay McShann and other bands. "Kansas City jazz was a little different from what we had in New York," he explains. "It was a warmer sound. It had free expression. And the rhythm was pretty loose. The music in Kansas City was relaxed and because of that, it enabled musicians to express themselves more freely." While teaching at the Institute of Jazz in New York, Driggs interviewed Kansas City jazz musicians Andy Kirk, Walter Page, Ed Lewis, and others who had settled in the area. In 1957, Driggs traveled to Kansas City for two weeks and interviewed some of the old guard. He came back convinced of the significance of Kansas City jazz. "Although many of Kansas City's musicians were unknown, there were more bands from Kansas City that became famous," he explains, pointing out the bands of Coon-Sanders, Count Basie, Andy Kirk, Bennie Moten and Jay McShann. Whereas Chicago, "which is more famous for jazz, had only one famous band--the Earl Hines band." After working at Columbia Records in the 60s, Driggs again traveled to Kansas City in the 70s to review a college band concert for Time/Life Records. While there, he continued to interview musicians. After a brief stint with RCA Records, Driggs decided he was ready to write several chapters on Kansas City jazz. In 1977, he submitted two of those chapters to Oxford University Press, which immediately signed him to a contract. But after a summer of writing, Driggs realized he needed to do more research in Kansas City, which he couldn't afford at the time. Instead, he immersed himself in his vast collection of jazz photographs and memorabilia, which has since become a full-time business. In 1987, Driggs attended an International Association of Jazz Record Collectors in Kansas City. Having renewed his interest in the Kansas City jazz book, Driggs interviewed more musicians. Ironically, there was another jazz record collector at the conference: a young Chuck Haddix. Though their paths did not cross at that time, both were on the same journey. In 1977, Haddix sold records at Penny Lane Records. While there he befriended numerous jazz musicians from Kansas City's heyday. He began hanging out at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. "These guys were telling epic tales," he remembers. "True stories of epic proportions." Most inspiring, however, was the friendship he struck with club owner Milton Morris--a character by any standards--whose stories of Kansas City's glory days spurred Haddix's interest. He began seriously exploring Kansas City's jazz history. In 1984, Haddix became the jazz and blues producer at KCUR-FM, Kansas City's public radio station. His weekend show, the Fish Fry, which spins vintage jazz and blues, continues to be a popular radio program in the area. In 1987, he became the director of the Marr Sound Archives, a collection of historic sound recordings in the Miller Nichols Library at UMKC. Now fully immersed in Kansas City's jazz history, Haddix began to research and write about the Kansas City jazz sound. In 1994, Driggs and Haddix met for the first time in New York. In addition to eventually donating his recorded interviews to the Marr Sound Archives, Driggs thought it would be a good idea to collaborate with Haddix on the book. "I threw caution to the wind because [otherwise] this thing was going to sit in my basement until I died and no one was going to see it!" he says. Driggs handed his project over to Haddix. In 1997 Oxford issued a new contract that included Haddix. Haddix began collecting interviews and newspaper accounts from the Kansas City Journal-Post, The Kansas City Call, Kansas City Sun, Kansas City American, Kansas City Star, Down Beat, and Metronome. "This turned out to be the real treasure trove," recalls Haddix. From there he added his wealth of information to a 187-page timeline. Eye-Opening Tales "The book is episodic," explains Haddix. "For instance, Andy Kirk leaves town, Moten comes in, so then the focus is on Moten. It's written like a movie script." During the research process, Haddix stumbled upon a few eye-openers. One was Count Basie's personality. "I think he was drunk the entire time he was in Kansas City!" muses Haddix. "Basie was a party animal." "Another surprise was Charlie Parker. Charlie Parker was a big star in Kansas City when he was here. His chronology is a lot different from what has been told before," says Haddix, referring to the oft-told story that Parker's talents were unappreciated in these parts. As for Driggs, every story that came out of the musicians' mouths was an eye-opener. "That was the whole purpose of writing this book," says Driggs. "My eyes were opened. Chuck's eyes were opened. And hopefully everyone who reads it will open their eyes too." Although Haddix hopes the book "introduces Kansas City to its intemperate past," he also hopes it clearly places Kansas City as a significant contributor in the development of jazz. That role should come as no surprise. EXCERPT In late December 1928, Holder's fiscal irresponsibility triggered his ouster from the band. Holder's financial sleight of hand had been a sore point with band members for some time. When confronted by Kirk and others about his financial transgressions, Holder merely shrugged and promised with a wry grin, "Aw, shucks fellas, I'll try harder next time." During Christmas, Holder abruptly left for Dallas to reconcile with his estranged wife. Disappearing without explanation, Holder took the payroll, much to the dismay of band members. Tempers flared, but cooler heads prevailed, and band members dissuaded trumpeter Chester Clark from tracking down and shooting Holder. During an emergency band meeting, angry members voted Holder out of his own band. John Williams recalled he and other band members "waited to buy our wives Christmas presents and all and he's [Holder] gone with all the money. So we fired him...and because Andy [Kirk] was the oldest and most settled, we voted to let Andy lead the band and that's how Andy got the band." --Kansas City Jazz From Ragtime to Bebop--A History RETURN TO JUNE/JULY 2005 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2005. 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