JAM: October/November 2005 Issue: News & Notes

KC, A Good (if not Great) Jazz Town
It is among our goals at JAM to raise the stature of Kansas City jazz. Next issue we will have a feature giving reason why we are a good, if not great, jazz town.

You see, we don't give our city the accolades it deserves. So we can't expect those outside of the city to hold us in such high regard.

JAM readers are encouraged to send their comments to jameditor@jazzkc.org ; in your subject line please state KC Jazz Town. We'll organize and compile the list, and use it in next month's feature. Please send comments by November 1.

Some subject ideas that you may have examples for: the musicians; our sense of history; the clubs; the concert series; those tireless individuals who work to present jazz; the communication (press, radio); the fans; the generosity; the recording studios; municipal support; 18 th and Vine; jazz education (and educators). Lack of 24/7 jazz radio would be an “if not great” category. I'm sure you have others.

Another Way to Promote KC Jazz
Cadence, The Review of Jazz & Blues: Creative Improvised Music has been published for 31 years. They have a section called “Short Takes” in which correspondents share news from their region. Regular contributors are from San Francisco , Detroit , Vancouver , BC , Australia , Chapel Hill, Boston , Chicago , Portland , Omaha , Philadelphia , and Connecticut . There is no Kansas City contributor; hence we miss a promotional opportunity.

Cadence Coordinating Editor Bob Rusch told us that he'd welcome a KC contribution as long as the writer was reliable and concise. If you are interested, drop a line to jameditor@jazzkc.org for more information.

Time for Holiday Shopping
It's not too early to start thinking about holiday gifts. One suggestion is Doug Ramsey's Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond. This oversized book is part biography, part scrapbook and photo album, and is a fascinating read of the late alto sax giant. Ramsey has collected correspondence from and to Desmond, interviewed many who knew him (including the Brubecks), and woven these into this story. It is a book one can pick up and leaf through as well as read cover to cover.

Hurricane Katrina reminded me of Desmond's continued legacy. Desmond willed his future royalties to the Red Cross. Over the years, the continued earnings from “Take Five” and other works have resulted in over $4 million to the Red Cross.

Eldar Djangirov is mentioned in the book. The Herb Alpert Foundation honored Desmond in 2003 by giving a major grant to The Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific in Stockton , California . The grant established a Summer Jazz Colony for teenaged musicians. The author visited the camp and saw trumpeter Roy Hargrove marvel at Eldar's playing.

The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra to Present “A Toast to Sinatra”
The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Jim Mair, will present "A Toast to Sinatra" in the orchestra's first concert of the season Friday evening, November 18th 7:30 p.m. at Unity on the Plaza, 707 West 47th Street . The concert will headline the 18- piece orchestra performing original arrangements performed by Frank Sinatra. The evening will feature vocalists Dave Stephens and Ron Gutierrez. Tickets are available by phone through the Central Ticket Office, 816-235-6222. Reserved seats are $27.50 and $24.00. General admission seats are $22.00.

More On Katrina
Correspondent Michael Ragan writes:

“One of the tragedies of the decimation of NOLA is the probable loss of the Herman Leonard collection. Two summers ago, I visited him at his house at 200 W Robert E. Lee Blvd in New Orleans . Now widowed, in his 80's, Leonard had lived a truly prodigious life as a photographer and raconteur. Check out the website www.hermanleodard.com/gallery.

“He had moved to NOLA in the 90's and had converted a house two blocks from Lake Ponchartrain as his studio where he sold his museum-quality photographs. I wanted to purchase a signed copy of the Ella birthday celebration and spent the afternoon with him in his studio as he made a special print and signed it for me. He was as charming a person as one could imagine and liked to talk about the 52nd Street days, Marilyn Monroe, Emmitt Kelly, etc. What I most remembered hanging on the wall was one of Lester Young's pork-pie hats.

“Unfortunately, his house was two blocks from where the 17th street levee broke and it is improbable that they were able to remove all of the heavy glass original plates that were kept on his first floor studio.”

Time Running Out for Songwriting Competition
The International Songwriting Competition is accepting entries until October 14. The competition offers cash prizes, and has several categories for writers in the jazz idiom, including Jazz, Instrumental, and Performance. Judges for this year's competition include Sonny Rollins and John Scofield. For more information, the website is www.songwritingcompetition.com .

JCCC Concert Series Continues
Johnson County Community College has a wonderful noontime concert series. The free concerts are about 50 minutes long and are held in the Recital Hall in the Carlson Center on the campus. Upcoming performances:

Oct. 4 Mike White Quartet
Oct. 11 Bryan Hicks and Friends
Oct. 18 Vince Bilardo Trio featuring Charles Perkins
Oct. 25 Ed Pharr Trio
Nov. 1 Alaadeen and Group 21

Jazz Series concerts are cosponsored by the JCCC humanities and music departments, Community Services and the Music Performance Trust Fund of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 34-627.

For more information call 913-469-8500, extension 3605.

Rockhurst is Jazzed
Kansas City singer and songwriter Angela Hagenbach will be the featured entertainer at "Rockhurst Is Jazzed," the university's 10th annual gala. It will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, in the Imperial Ballroom of the Muehlbach Tower , Marriott Downtown. The evening will include cocktails, dinner, dancing and music by Hagenbach.

The gala raises funds for scholarships and student services. Tickets are $200 per person or $100 for Rockhurst University alumni from the classes of 1995-2005. For more information or to reserve tickets, call (816) 501-4025 or (800) 756-2586.

Outstanding Lineup at the Blue Room
Gerald Dunn has assembled some excellent shows for October and November; check out the schedule on the inside front cover. Evenings to not miss:

October 6, saxophonist Rob Scheps Core'tet with Zack Brock
October 22, pianist Joann Daugherty (see CD review this issue)
November 4, saxophonist Eric Person
November 5, Doug Talley CD release party
November 7, the Dave Stryker/Steve Slagle Quartet
November 11, vocalist Carmen Lundy
November 19, percussionist Michael Carvin

Jazz At the Elms Resort
The Elms Resort presents their 5th annual Wine and Jazz Festival October 7-9th, 2005. Included is an afternoon of wine tasting with hors doeuvres to accompany, along with great jazz music from Kansas City 's finest. The event begins on Friday, October 7. Enjoy the sounds of the Candace Evans Quartet, Scott McDonald, and BMW. Call 816-630-5500 for more information. The Elms Resort is located at 401 Regent Street in historic Excelsior Springs Missouri .

Ken Lovern CD Release Party
Organist Ken Lovern and his band OJT (Organ Jazz Trio) have a new CD, Jazz Daddy (reviewed in this issue), and the CD release party is scheduled for Sunday, October 30, at Jardine's. The show is from 7 to 10 p.m.

Queen Bey to be Featured in Coterie Theatre Play
The Coterie Theatre is kicking off its season with a Coterie commissioned play, The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 , written and directed by Kevin Willmott based on the Newbery Honor book by Christopher Paul Curtis. Featured in the cast is Queen Bey. The dates are September 27 through October 23. For tickets and further information, call the Coterie box office at (816) 474-6552 or visit www.thecoterie.com. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 3:30 p.m. on performance weekends.

KCJA Concert Series Continues
The 2005-2006 KCJA Concert Series continues its series of six concerts on Monday, October 17, as bassist Jay Leonhart and clarinetist Ken Peplowski team up with Rod Fleeman. Leonhart's resume includes playing with Buddy Morrow, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Tony Bennett, Marian McPartland, and Jim Hall. He is also a fine lyricist and singer. Peplowski is one of the top clarinet players on the scene. He has also played with Buddy Morrow, when Morrow was conducting the Tommy Dorsey Band. He has also performed with Sonny Stitt, Charlie Byrd, Scott Hamilton, Tommy Newsom, and others.

Judy Roberts and Greg Fishman will be performing on Monday, November 21. Judy and Greg just finished performing at the Jazz Party At Sea, aboard the Norwegian Sun. Judy's piano and vocals were popular around the ship's piano bar. Tenor man Fishman performed as part of Two for Brazil as well as with Roberts. It was easy to see why critics and audiences in Chicago and around the rave about their duet performances. They swing Chicago , and will swing Kansas City November 21.

Both concerts begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Downtown Marriott's 12 th Street Rag Room. For more information call 816-587-1894 or 816-741-8089.

Darrell DeVore 1939 -2005
Dr. Noah Young informed us that Darrell DeVore, a musician, composer, and experimental instrument maker, passed away on July 9 in Petaluma , California . Darrell was born in St. Joseph , MO. He studied with George Salisbury at the Conservatory of Music. He played the Kansas City Jazz Festival in 1966 with his trio, and in 1967 with his quartet that included saxophonist Travis Jenkins. He also played in various clubs in town, including Mother's on Prospect Avenue in 1966 with Jenkins, bassist Richard Youngstein (now Dr. Noah Young), and drummer Leon Brady. DeVore then moved to San Francisco , where he was part of the psychedelic music scene. He continued his career as an experimentalist, making and playing his own instruments including bamboo flutes.

Got News? Got Notes? Please send to: Editor/JAM, P.O. Box 36181, Kansas City, MO 64171-6181. Deadline for all submissions is the 15th of each odd numbered month.






	Search our site:		KC, A Good (if not Great) Jazz Town It is among our goals at JAM to raise the stature of Kansas City jazz. Next issue we will have a feature giving reason why we are a good, if not great, jazz town. You see, we don't give our city the accolades it deserves. So we can't expect those outside of the city to hold us in such high regard. JAM readers are encouraged to send their comments to jameditor@jazzkc.org ; in your subject line please state KC Jazz Town. We'll organize and compile the list, and use it in next month's feature. Please send comments by November 1. Some subject ideas that you may have examples for: the musicians; our sense of history; the clubs; the concert series; those tireless individuals who work to present jazz; the communication (press, radio); the fans; the generosity; the recording studios; municipal support; 18 th and Vine; jazz education (and educators). Lack of 24/7 jazz radio would be an “if not great” category. I'm sure you have others. Another Way to Promote KC Jazz Cadence, The Review of Jazz & Blues: Creative Improvised Music has been published for 31 years. They have a section called “Short Takes” in which correspondents share news from their region. Regular contributors are from San Francisco , Detroit , Vancouver , BC , Australia , Chapel Hill, Boston , Chicago , Portland , Omaha , Philadelphia , and Connecticut . There is no Kansas City contributor; hence we miss a promotional opportunity. Cadence Coordinating Editor Bob Rusch told us that he'd welcome a KC contribution as long as the writer was reliable and concise. If you are interested, drop a line to jameditor@jazzkc.org for more information. Time for Holiday Shopping It's not too early to start thinking about holiday gifts. One suggestion is Doug Ramsey's Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond. This oversized book is part biography, part scrapbook and photo album, and is a fascinating read of the late alto sax giant. Ramsey has collected correspondence from and to Desmond, interviewed many who knew him (including the Brubecks), and woven these into this story. It is a book one can pick up and leaf through as well as read cover to cover. Hurricane Katrina reminded me of Desmond's continued legacy. Desmond willed his future royalties to the Red Cross. Over the years, the continued earnings from “Take Five” and other works have resulted in over $4 million to the Red Cross. Eldar Djangirov is mentioned in the book. The Herb Alpert Foundation honored Desmond in 2003 by giving a major grant to The Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific in Stockton , California . The grant established a Summer Jazz Colony for teenaged musicians. The author visited the camp and saw trumpeter Roy Hargrove marvel at Eldar's playing. The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra to Present “A Toast to Sinatra” The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Jim Mair, will present "A Toast to Sinatra" in the orchestra's first concert of the season Friday evening, November 18th 7:30 p.m. at Unity on the Plaza, 707 West 47th Street . The concert will headline the 18- piece orchestra performing original arrangements performed by Frank Sinatra. The evening will feature vocalists Dave Stephens and Ron Gutierrez. Tickets are available by phone through the Central Ticket Office, 816-235-6222. Reserved seats are $27.50 and $24.00. General admission seats are $22.00. More On Katrina Correspondent Michael Ragan writes: “One of the tragedies of the decimation of NOLA is the probable loss of the Herman Leonard collection. Two summers ago, I visited him at his house at 200 W Robert E. Lee Blvd in New Orleans . Now widowed, in his 80's, Leonard had lived a truly prodigious life as a photographer and raconteur. Check out the website www.hermanleodard.com/gallery. “He had moved to NOLA in the 90's and had converted a house two blocks from Lake Ponchartrain as his studio where he sold his museum-quality photographs. I wanted to purchase a signed copy of the Ella birthday celebration and spent the afternoon with him in his studio as he made a special print and signed it for me. He was as charming a person as one could imagine and liked to talk about the 52nd Street days, Marilyn Monroe, Emmitt Kelly, etc. What I most remembered hanging on the wall was one of Lester Young's pork-pie hats. “Unfortunately, his house was two blocks from where the 17th street levee broke and it is improbable that they were able to remove all of the heavy glass original plates that were kept on his first floor studio.” Time Running Out for Songwriting Competition The International Songwriting Competition is accepting entries until October 14. The competition offers cash prizes, and has several categories for writers in the jazz idiom, including Jazz, Instrumental, and Performance. Judges for this year's competition include Sonny Rollins and John Scofield. For more information, the website is www.songwritingcompetition.com . JCCC Concert Series Continues Johnson County Community College has a wonderful noontime concert series. The free concerts are about 50 minutes long and are held in the Recital Hall in the Carlson Center on the campus. Upcoming performances: Oct. 4 Mike White Quartet Oct. 11 Bryan Hicks and Friends Oct. 18 Vince Bilardo Trio featuring Charles Perkins Oct. 25 Ed Pharr Trio Nov. 1 Alaadeen and Group 21 Jazz Series concerts are cosponsored by the JCCC humanities and music departments, Community Services and the Music Performance Trust Fund of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 34-627. For more information call 913-469-8500, extension 3605. Rockhurst is Jazzed Kansas City singer and songwriter Angela Hagenbach will be the featured entertainer at "Rockhurst Is Jazzed," the university's 10th annual gala. It will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, in the Imperial Ballroom of the Muehlbach Tower , Marriott Downtown. The evening will include cocktails, dinner, dancing and music by Hagenbach. The gala raises funds for scholarships and student services. Tickets are $200 per person or $100 for Rockhurst University alumni from the classes of 1995-2005. For more information or to reserve tickets, call (816) 501-4025 or (800) 756-2586. Outstanding Lineup at the Blue Room Gerald Dunn has assembled some excellent shows for October and November; check out the schedule on the inside front cover. Evenings to not miss: October 6, saxophonist Rob Scheps Core'tet with Zack Brock October 22, pianist Joann Daugherty (see CD review this issue) November 4, saxophonist Eric Person November 5, Doug Talley CD release party November 7, the Dave Stryker/Steve Slagle Quartet November 11, vocalist Carmen Lundy November 19, percussionist Michael Carvin Jazz At the Elms Resort The Elms Resort presents their 5th annual Wine and Jazz Festival October 7-9th, 2005. Included is an afternoon of wine tasting with hors doeuvres to accompany, along with great jazz music from Kansas City 's finest. The event begins on Friday, October 7. Enjoy the sounds of the Candace Evans Quartet, Scott McDonald, and BMW. Call 816-630-5500 for more information. The Elms Resort is located at 401 Regent Street in historic Excelsior Springs Missouri . Ken Lovern CD Release Party Organist Ken Lovern and his band OJT (Organ Jazz Trio) have a new CD, Jazz Daddy (reviewed in this issue), and the CD release party is scheduled for Sunday, October 30, at Jardine's. The show is from 7 to 10 p.m. Queen Bey to be Featured in Coterie Theatre Play The Coterie Theatre is kicking off its season with a Coterie commissioned play, The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 , written and directed by Kevin Willmott based on the Newbery Honor book by Christopher Paul Curtis. Featured in the cast is Queen Bey. The dates are September 27 through October 23. For tickets and further information, call the Coterie box office at (816) 474-6552 or visit www.thecoterie.com. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 3:30 p.m. on performance weekends. KCJA Concert Series Continues The 2005-2006 KCJA Concert Series continues its series of six concerts on Monday, October 17, as bassist Jay Leonhart and clarinetist Ken Peplowski team up with Rod Fleeman. Leonhart's resume includes playing with Buddy Morrow, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Tony Bennett, Marian McPartland, and Jim Hall. He is also a fine lyricist and singer. Peplowski is one of the top clarinet players on the scene. He has also played with Buddy Morrow, when Morrow was conducting the Tommy Dorsey Band. He has also performed with Sonny Stitt, Charlie Byrd, Scott Hamilton, Tommy Newsom, and others. Judy Roberts and Greg Fishman will be performing on Monday, November 21. Judy and Greg just finished performing at the Jazz Party At Sea, aboard the Norwegian Sun. Judy's piano and vocals were popular around the ship's piano bar. Tenor man Fishman performed as part of Two for Brazil as well as with Roberts. It was easy to see why critics and audiences in Chicago and around the rave about their duet performances. They swing Chicago , and will swing Kansas City November 21. Both concerts begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Downtown Marriott's 12 th Street Rag Room. For more information call 816-587-1894 or 816-741-8089. Darrell DeVore 1939 -2005 Dr. Noah Young informed us that Darrell DeVore, a musician, composer, and experimental instrument maker, passed away on July 9 in Petaluma , California . Darrell was born in St. Joseph , MO. He studied with George Salisbury at the Conservatory of Music. He played the Kansas City Jazz Festival in 1966 with his trio, and in 1967 with his quartet that included saxophonist Travis Jenkins. He also played in various clubs in town, including Mother's on Prospect Avenue in 1966 with Jenkins, bassist Richard Youngstein (now Dr. Noah Young), and drummer Leon Brady. DeVore then moved to San Francisco , where he was part of the psychedelic music scene. He continued his career as an experimentalist, making and playing his own instruments including bamboo flutes. Got News? Got Notes? Please send to: Editor/JAM, P.O. Box 36181, Kansas City, MO 64171-6181. Deadline for all submissions is the 15th of each odd numbered month. RETURN TO OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2005 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2005. All rights reserved.