JAM: October/November 2006 Issue: Hampton's Hot Licks

Get Involved—You will meet some cool people!

[Over my years of “Jazz Ambassadorship,” I have had the great opportunity to rub elbows with some really fantastic people. Some are the people next door and some are encounters of a different kind. For example, let's go back to March 1997.

My Jazz Ambassador friend, Verne Christensen, and I spend a good deal of time working on the first Charlie Parker Symposium held at the American Jazz Museum . We were not highly involved in planning the events at 18 th & Vine that final weekend of March '97, but we had been major players for over a year in what was going to happen that weekend. (See http://www.jazzkc.org/issues/1999-04/hotlicks.html online for the story about that.)

Verne and I (mostly Verne) had raised enough money to bring in the great alto sax player, Peter King, from England for the finale concert on Friday evening. Peter had played Bird's “plastic sax” at the Christie's Auction in London when then KC Mayor Cleaver bought it. Peter was asked to play it at the auction by Chan Parker because she thought he was the person on Earth who would play it most like Bird.

That Friday was packed with Symposium events. I had been there since very early in the morning. JAM was celebrating a first during this time. We had just released the April ‘97 issue of JAM. It was the first issue to have a glossy color cover. It was my pleasure to meet Mr. Masuhiko Tuji (maybe better known as “Tsuji Bird”) in the early afternoon. Tsuji is founder and president of the Charlie Parker Society of Japan. He was more than thrilled to get a few copies of JAM with that beautiful cover that pictures part of an alto sax and said, “Bird Lives!”

About 3:00 in the afternoon, one of the event organizers came to me and said, “There is this little guy named Kenny across the street (at the GEM Theater) looking for you. Go see him now!” I asked, “ Who is he and how will I know him?” He replied, “When you see him, he will be the shortest guy in the place. There will be no mistake! I don't have a clue who he is but he wants to talk to you about Peter King and he has two really tall beautiful babes with him.”

As I left the building, this tiny guy was about to walk across the street with the two beautiful and very tall young ladies. As he came across the street toward me, I told him my name and asked if he was looking for me. He said he was. I sat on the curb and talked to him. He said he was in town for a convention and heard that Peter was here for the Symposium. He explained that he is also from London , a jazz lover, and that he and Peter are friends. He wanted to see Peter and was told that I could arrange that.

I arranged the meeting for very late in the afternoon and got Kenny and the “babes” tickets to the concert that night. They loved it. After the concert, Karrin Allyson was playing at the Blue Room. I went there with Kenny (don't know where the girls went) and tried to get in. I had an all access pass. They were not going to let Kenny in with me because the place was packed. I jokingly explained that he wouldn't take up much room so they let us in.

Later Kenny and I ended up at the Symposium jam session at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. Beverly Rehkop was there taking pictures. At about 2:30 a.m. she wanted to take one of Kenny and I together. My first thought was that I probably looked like death warmed over because I had been up for twenty-two hours and had only had about eight hours sleep in the last three days. Next thought was that we needed a special “arrangement” to get a good pic of both of us. Beverly suggested that I sit on the stage and that Kenny stand on it. That worked and made us “right sized” for the photo.

Somewhere along the way that evening, I learned about Kenny. The convention he was attending was a Star Wars convention and that he was Kenny Baker, better known as “R2-D2.” I am not much of a movie buff so I didn't realize that there was actually a human in that “R2-D2 contraption.” Note that in the picture, I am taller sitting than Kenny is standing.

Kenny and I both totally enjoyed the jam session and got to hear Mr. King play with eleven-year-old Eldar Djangirov, the person closest to R2-D2's size.

KC Jazz on August 27, 2006

Sunday, August 27, 2006 started out with clouds and a little rain. The threat didn't seem too bad for the noon Charlie “Bird” Parker birthday celebration in Lincoln Cemetery . The spirit of Bird must have been with us. About eighty musicians, jazz fans, and press people came to remember our native jazz giant. We didn't have the BBC film crew or the large Parker family reunion audience this year and the weather threat did bite into our attendance. But the smaller group at this year's event was every bit as spirited as in ‘05, maybe even more so. The sax salute led by Alaadeen was hot. Then, the Dirty Force “marching jazz band” came in for a rousing time leading up to their “Saint's Go Marching In” finale. Then the splinter groups huddled to play as if they had not had enough. Mike White, Alaadeen, Hal Melia, and Mark Southerland (with a really goofy looking homemade horn) did a wonderful treatment of Bird's “Ornithology.”

That was the end of Bird's spiritual hold on the weather. Two later events lost considerable audience due to a 3-4? gully washer starting about 4:00 p.m. The Ambassadors' Birdland Bash at Californo's had a lineup of musicians who produced super jazz from early afternoon until late in the night. Unfortunately, the outdoors portion of the bash had to move indoors.

Starting at 4:30 at the Blue Room was an all-star cast of Bobby Watson's new quintet, “Live and Learn.” The first 90-minute segment was a “meet, eat, and greet” session. Watson and crew rehearsed for their new Palmetto Records album that will be released sometime in 2007. The rehearsal featured: Bobby Watson, alto sax; Curtis Lundy, bass; Harold O'Neal, piano; Quincy Davis, drums; and introduced 18 year-old trumpet sensation, Greg Dias. Watson is predicting that Dias “will be the next new trumpet star on the modern jazz horizon.” After a couple sets of this group, I became a believer in the prediction!

Carol Comer: A Rare Outing

On Tuesday evening, September 19 th , jazz fans at Jardines Jazz Club were treated to a very rare and fantastic appearance by Carol Comer. It was a Paul Smith gig that also included bassist Steve Rigazzi and drummer Tim Cambron. To call Carol Comer a singer or vocalist would be a total injustice. She is a total musician who does it all. This evening her assignment was vocals. I took the opportunity to interview many from the audience. Some in the audience had never heard Carol before and all who I talked with rated her performance a perfect 10.

If you are not familiar with Carol Comer, read the by lines in JAM more closely. She is a frequent contributing writer for us. She is one of the most eloquent writers ever to get ink in JAM. I only wish I had her writing talent to do the justice to her that she has done for so many other artists in this magazine!

Carol Comer has also been featured in JAM for her many talents including her educational endeavor in schools. To learn more, see http://www.jazzkc.org/issues/1994-08/carolcomer.html .

State of the Ambassadors

Frankly, we've had a tough year. For a number of reasons we have experienced quite a turnover of board members. One of the most significant is the recent resignation of President Elect Bram Wijnands . What can you say when a musician's career is at the point that they must do a total focus on business! Bram has been good for the KCJA and we hate to see him leave, but wish him great success as he moves on. We have recently gained a number of new board members who are excited about their roles with KCJA. Look for 2007 to be a banner year for the longest running jazz support organization in Kansas City history.






	Search our site:		Get Involved—You will meet some cool people! [Over my years of “Jazz Ambassadorship,” I have had the great opportunity to rub elbows with some really fantastic people. Some are the people next door and some are encounters of a different kind. For example, let's go back to March 1997. My Jazz Ambassador friend, Verne Christensen, and I spend a good deal of time working on the first Charlie Parker Symposium held at the American Jazz Museum . We were not highly involved in planning the events at 18 th & Vine that final weekend of March '97, but we had been major players for over a year in what was going to happen that weekend. (See http://www.jazzkc.org/issues/1999-04/hotlicks.html online for the story about that.) Verne and I (mostly Verne) had raised enough money to bring in the great alto sax player, Peter King, from England for the finale concert on Friday evening. Peter had played Bird's “plastic sax” at the Christie's Auction in London when then KC Mayor Cleaver bought it. Peter was asked to play it at the auction by Chan Parker because she thought he was the person on Earth who would play it most like Bird. That Friday was packed with Symposium events. I had been there since very early in the morning. JAM was celebrating a first during this time. We had just released the April ‘97 issue of JAM. It was the first issue to have a glossy color cover. It was my pleasure to meet Mr. Masuhiko Tuji (maybe better known as “Tsuji Bird”) in the early afternoon. Tsuji is founder and president of the Charlie Parker Society of Japan. He was more than thrilled to get a few copies of JAM with that beautiful cover that pictures part of an alto sax and said, “Bird Lives!” About 3:00 in the afternoon, one of the event organizers came to me and said, “There is this little guy named Kenny across the street (at the GEM Theater) looking for you. Go see him now!” I asked, “ Who is he and how will I know him?” He replied, “When you see him, he will be the shortest guy in the place. There will be no mistake! I don't have a clue who he is but he wants to talk to you about Peter King and he has two really tall beautiful babes with him.” As I left the building, this tiny guy was about to walk across the street with the two beautiful and very tall young ladies. As he came across the street toward me, I told him my name and asked if he was looking for me. He said he was. I sat on the curb and talked to him. He said he was in town for a convention and heard that Peter was here for the Symposium. He explained that he is also from London , a jazz lover, and that he and Peter are friends. He wanted to see Peter and was told that I could arrange that. I arranged the meeting for very late in the afternoon and got Kenny and the “babes” tickets to the concert that night. They loved it. After the concert, Karrin Allyson was playing at the Blue Room. I went there with Kenny (don't know where the girls went) and tried to get in. I had an all access pass. They were not going to let Kenny in with me because the place was packed. I jokingly explained that he wouldn't take up much room so they let us in. Later Kenny and I ended up at the Symposium jam session at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. Beverly Rehkop was there taking pictures. At about 2:30 a.m. she wanted to take one of Kenny and I together. My first thought was that I probably looked like death warmed over because I had been up for twenty-two hours and had only had about eight hours sleep in the last three days. Next thought was that we needed a special “arrangement” to get a good pic of both of us. Beverly suggested that I sit on the stage and that Kenny stand on it. That worked and made us “right sized” for the photo. Somewhere along the way that evening, I learned about Kenny. The convention he was attending was a Star Wars convention and that he was Kenny Baker, better known as “R2-D2.” I am not much of a movie buff so I didn't realize that there was actually a human in that “R2-D2 contraption.” Note that in the picture, I am taller sitting than Kenny is standing. Kenny and I both totally enjoyed the jam session and got to hear Mr. King play with eleven-year-old Eldar Djangirov, the person closest to R2-D2's size. KC Jazz on August 27, 2006 Sunday, August 27, 2006 started out with clouds and a little rain. The threat didn't seem too bad for the noon Charlie “Bird” Parker birthday celebration in Lincoln Cemetery . The spirit of Bird must have been with us. About eighty musicians, jazz fans, and press people came to remember our native jazz giant. We didn't have the BBC film crew or the large Parker family reunion audience this year and the weather threat did bite into our attendance. But the smaller group at this year's event was every bit as spirited as in ‘05, maybe even more so. The sax salute led by Alaadeen was hot. Then, the Dirty Force “marching jazz band” came in for a rousing time leading up to their “Saint's Go Marching In” finale. Then the splinter groups huddled to play as if they had not had enough. Mike White, Alaadeen, Hal Melia, and Mark Southerland (with a really goofy looking homemade horn) did a wonderful treatment of Bird's “Ornithology.” That was the end of Bird's spiritual hold on the weather. Two later events lost considerable audience due to a 3-4? gully washer starting about 4:00 p.m. The Ambassadors' Birdland Bash at Californo's had a lineup of musicians who produced super jazz from early afternoon until late in the night. Unfortunately, the outdoors portion of the bash had to move indoors. Starting at 4:30 at the Blue Room was an all-star cast of Bobby Watson's new quintet, “Live and Learn.” The first 90-minute segment was a “meet, eat, and greet” session. Watson and crew rehearsed for their new Palmetto Records album that will be released sometime in 2007. The rehearsal featured: Bobby Watson, alto sax; Curtis Lundy, bass; Harold O'Neal, piano; Quincy Davis, drums; and introduced 18 year-old trumpet sensation, Greg Dias. Watson is predicting that Dias “will be the next new trumpet star on the modern jazz horizon.” After a couple sets of this group, I became a believer in the prediction! Carol Comer: A Rare Outing On Tuesday evening, September 19 th , jazz fans at Jardines Jazz Club were treated to a very rare and fantastic appearance by Carol Comer. It was a Paul Smith gig that also included bassist Steve Rigazzi and drummer Tim Cambron. To call Carol Comer a singer or vocalist would be a total injustice. She is a total musician who does it all. This evening her assignment was vocals. I took the opportunity to interview many from the audience. Some in the audience had never heard Carol before and all who I talked with rated her performance a perfect 10. If you are not familiar with Carol Comer, read the by lines in JAM more closely. She is a frequent contributing writer for us. She is one of the most eloquent writers ever to get ink in JAM. I only wish I had her writing talent to do the justice to her that she has done for so many other artists in this magazine! Carol Comer has also been featured in JAM for her many talents including her educational endeavor in schools. To learn more, see http://www.jazzkc.org/issues/1994-08/carolcomer.html . State of the Ambassadors Frankly, we've had a tough year. For a number of reasons we have experienced quite a turnover of board members. One of the most significant is the recent resignation of President Elect Bram Wijnands . What can you say when a musician's career is at the point that they must do a total focus on business! Bram has been good for the KCJA and we hate to see him leave, but wish him great success as he moves on. We have recently gained a number of new board members who are excited about their roles with KCJA. Look for 2007 to be a banner year for the longest running jazz support organization in Kansas City history. RETURN TO OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2006 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2005. All rights reserved.