Mike White, Eddie Saunders, Claude Williams, Cleanhead Vinson, and Jay McShann

Kansas City Is SAXY!
A Survey of Kansas City saxophonists, Part One

Editor's Note: It hit me like a meteor while the last JAM went to press that the ranks of classy saxophonists in the area is huge. Some, like Bobby Watson, the recently departed Kim Park, Gerald Dunn , Mark Southerland, and Ahmad Alaadeen have received extensive coverage in JAM. Many others haven't, and starting with this issue we will profile about a dozen of these players. The variety of music that they play is indicative of the breadth of the regional jazz scene. Thanks to Andrew Zender and Laura Harman for their contributions to the series.

Mike White: Perpetuating the Art Form  

Art Blakey once said, “Jazz washes away the dust of every day life.”

The legendary drummer is certainly right. Many art forms — including jazz — possess undeniably therapeutic qualities and the astonishing power to create calm in our hectic lives . E specially if you're a lawyer and are lucky to get a few precious minutes each day with your instrument. This is just a glimpse into the world of Mike White, president of White Goss Bowers March Schulte & Weisenfels — and one of the many outstanding tenor players in Kansas City .

Jazz is his therapy. After dealing with the day-to-day operations in the legal world, nothing is more relaxing than being able to cut loose on your horn.

“If I get fifteen minutes a day, I'm happy. It's a struggle, but it's worth it,” says White of his limited time allotted to practicing.

Everette Freeman, Mike White, Bob Bowman, Gerald Dunn and Mike Warren

Being a lawyer is undoubtedly one of the most time-consuming professions in the world today. Why does an individual keep up with his craft, and how does it influence his life?

“Well, it's cheaper than going to a psychiatrist [jokingly]. It's relaxing and spiritual. I love jazz. It feels good to be a part of something that's bigger than all of us,” says White.

Local pianist Paul Smith can vouch for jazz's remedial properties for White:

“Mike was on the scene long before I came to town. He's a great natural player. We started playing once a month on Friday afternoons at Jardine's about two years ago. To hear him come in, unpack his horn, and roar after a busy day gig is a real delight. It's a great release for him.”

Moreover, White's abilities as a jazz musician give him a distinctive stamp with colleagues:

“[Business] people that know I play take a real interest in coming out to hear me play. There'll be two lawyers out on the East Coast saying, ‘Remember that lawyer in Kansas City who played the sax?' It's sort of a trademark.”

As jazz continues to branch out in new sounds, styles, and forms, there are those who continue to pay homage to the disciplines, ideas, and groundwork laid by the early innovators. White's earliest influences and interests can be traced back to a charming story of a teenager infatuated with early rock'n'rollers like Bill Haley & the Comets and Elvis Presley.

“When I was about fifteen, I was listening to mostly rock'n'roll, but I was also interested in big bands. Everything changed when I was changing the dial on my radio and came across a station from New Orleans called WWL. They were broadcasting a show by Pete Fountain and the Basin Street 6 from the roof of the President Hotel. I thought that was really cool,” says White.

“Another recording that grabbed my attention was the score to the film The Wild One , with Marlon Brando. The entire piece was written, arranged, and performed by Leith Stevens & His All-Star Band.”

Upon his discovery of jazz, White began playing Dixieland clarinet and shortly afterwards took up the saxophone. As his musical abilities began to develop, so did his tastes. Here's a quick rundown of his favorites:

Zoot Sims
“After that, I really became interested in West Coast jazz. I loved Zoot Sims. I think it was Stan Ken ton who said Zoot Sims ‘had more time in his fingers than most people have in their bodies.' I fell in love with that sound.”

Sonny Rollins
“I also loved the song ‘Where Are You?' on Sonny Rollins' The Bridge . He just makes new rules. He's a fearless saxophone player — a pioneer — headed in a different direction than everyone else.”

Richie Kamuca
“As I kept listening, I discovered what I consider to be the greatest jazz ever recorded. [Drummer] Shelly Manne was leading a quintet and they did a series of recordings at an old club in San Francisco called the Black Hawk. Richie Kamuca played tenor on these recordings. I thought he was the most soulful, rhythmic and lyrical player I've ever heard. I liked his sound better than anybody else.”

Cannonball Adderley
“Cannonball Adderley never missed. He was always on — his playing was always perfect. ‘Limehouse Blues' is one of my all-time favorites.' I saw him in person in Kansas City with Herbie Hancock at Union Station — that must have been thirty-five years ago.”

Others
“I also really respect players like Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen. Joshua Redman does incredible things. There are a lot of remarkable saxophone players out there.”

White is also extremely proud of Kansas City 's rich jazz heritage — and recognizes its importance in the greater jazz community. His knowledge runs deep, and it's obvious that he respects the names that Kansas City produced.

“We're one of the four most important cities in the history of the art form, right at the top with New Orleans , Chicago and New York . We all know jazz was born in New Orleans , and Kansas City fostered some of its greatest developments. I once presented an award to Wynton Marsalis here in KC and said to him ‘Welcome to the cradle of jazz.' He corrected me and said ‘New Orleans is the cradle. KC is an incubator.'”

“I think Missouri can really claim a position in ragtime. We had Scott Joplin playing ragtime in Sedalia . While there were big things going on with Duke [Ellington] and Chick Webb in New York City , we were isolated out here [in the prairie]. Like Big Joe Turner said, ‘We weren't listening to anyone else; we were just whammin' on the blues,'” says White.

“You know that hard swinging, bluesy, big band sound with riffs? There's no doubt that was invented here,” White continues.

“Kansas City had Andy Kirk, Count Basie, Bennie Moten — and Jay McShann. I think people tend to forget that Jay was around while Basie was playing here. Kansas City is one of the four most significant cities in the history of jazz.”

How does White fit into the local scene? Ron Ubel at Kansas City 's Soundtrek Studios has been working with White on a currently-untitled fundraising project he's doing for the DeLaSalle Education Center along with Paul Smith , Bob Bowman, Mike Warren, Rod Fleeman, Stan Kessler, and others.

“Here's a highly reputable attorney coming into the studio playing like a world-renowned tenor sax player. He's a very humble guy, yet one of the tastiest players in the city. He's coming from an older style. His phrasing sounds like Ben Webster and Stan Getz,” says Ubel.

White is also very serious and dedicated to promoting jazz awareness and education with Kansas City youth. In early April 2007, he assembled a quintet with Gerald Dunn , Bob Bowman, Mike Warren, and Everett Freeman at the Blue Room to do a mini-concert and Q&A session with students from the DeLaSalle Education Center .

“One of our goals is to perpetuate the art form — the legacy. We need to expose as many kids as possible to the music. Unless they go to the right radio station at the right moment, the odds of them hearing jazz is so limited. It would be great if they could understand the history and what it means to their heritage,” says White.

“When I was a kid, my heroes were people like Louis Armstrong. I used to watch Jackie Robinson play baseball. I think the way into their hearts and minds is to show them the connections between what they are listening to [rap, hip-hop, pop] and jazz. Once they understand that ‘their' music came from building blocks like jazz and blues, they seem to be very interested.”

One of the toughest questions for anyone — musician or casual listener — to answer is the “desert island recordings.” If one were to be stranded on a desert island, what five recordings would you select to have in your possession?

Mike White's Top 5
Live at the Black Hawk, Vol. 4 , Shelly Manne
The Bridge , Sonny Rollins
Heavy Juice, Harry Allen & Scott Hamilton
Kind of Blue , Miles Davis
Anything by Joshua Redman

If you've never had the opportunity to hear Mike White play, you can catch him every first Friday at Jardine's from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. According to producer Ron Ubel, “For a tenor sax player, he's not a bad attorney either.” Despite only having a small window of time each day to hone his sound, one would be led to believe that his hard-swinging style is the result of hours of daily training. But as any musician can attest, every little bit counts towards your musical growth. He should take comfort in the words of one of his earliest heroes, Zoot Sims, “As long as you've got your horn in your mouth, you're developing.”

Andrew Zender

Loren Pickford with Micah Herman, Rod Fleeman and Bryan Hicks

Loren Pickford: A New Life in Kansas City
Kansas City wasn't alto saxophonist Loren Pickford's first choice to call home when he evacuated New Orleans days before Katrina hit. "By the time we got to Kansas City , our car was in need of major repair," he said. "We spent the little money we had to get it in good shape again. Since we put our money into fixing the car, we decided to stay in Kansas City ."

Pickford worked with pianist John Brewer in New Orleans . "He told me I was welcome to stay with him if I ever came to Kansas City ," he said. "I called him up and we stayed with him for a few days. After that, we stayed at a Red Cross shelter while we waited for our FEMA money."

Shortly after, Pickford and his wife, Sheila, rented a home near Troost. "Our landlord agreed to give us a break if I worked on repairs," said Pickford. "We've been there ever since."

He has no plans on returning to New Orleans to live. "Since Katrina, there's an eerie and dark energy throughout the city," he said. "The murder rate is way up. When I went back to visit recently, I saw five bodies outside of the House of Blues. Somebody had gone on a shooting rampage after a Master P concert. I thought 'Holy Sh*t, it's the wild West all over again! I don't want to go home and dodge bullets."

Aside from playing sax, piano, and flute, Pickford is a terrific watercolorist and sculptor. "I haven't done any painting or sculpting since I left Louisiana ," he said. "She was my muse. I'd do watercolors of everything from the majestic clouds in the sky to the activity on the street corner. I miss her, but what I miss no longer exists. I can accept that."

The New Orleans that Pickford knew and loved may be no more, but that hasn't stopped him from preserving its unique musical flavor and sharing it in Kansas City . Thanks to funding from the American Jazz Federation in New York , Pickford and other New Orleans musicians play classic rhythms and tunes from their former city at schools and nursing homes throughout Kansas City .

"We all really enjoy playing those gigs," he said. "One day, while playing “Bourbon Street Parade” at an old folk's home, I noticed that a lady in a wheel chair pulled out her handkerchief and began twirling it around."

Pickford explained that this was a tradition at New Orleans jazz funerals. "As soon as I saw her twirling that handkerchief, I knew she was from New Orleans ," he said. "It was great to connect with somebody here in Kansas City that's from that culture."

He also enjoys exposing younger people to the sounds born in New Orleans . "I met Tyrell Griffin when we did a gig at his school," he said. "This kid might be the next Charlie Parker. I give him sax lessons at no charge. I pick him up and take him home from practice."

The rest of Pickford's students are adults. "For the most part, I teach harmony and theory," he said. "Nearly all of my students are professional musicians. Two of them are classical piano teachers."

Aside from teaching and performing at schools and nursing homes, Pickford plays local gigs every week. "I play Friday and Saturday nights at the Golden Ox, downtown," he said. "My quartet (Danny Embrey on guitar, Julian Garcia on drums, and Bryan Hicks on bass) is picking up more gigs, too. We were at Jardine's in April and at the Blue Room in May. We have an upcoming show at Jardine's on June 5."

Pickford also has a new CD out. "My latest album is Acturas ," he said. "I recorded it in New Orleans before Katrina hit. It's available now."

Bassist Micah Herman, who is back in Kansas City now but also knew Loren well in New Orleans , did the artwork for the cover of the album. "Micah relocated to Kansas City after Katrina. He's an amazing bassist and a tremendously good friend," he said. "He helps me out by doing such things as mowing my lawn and designing my Web site, www.lorenpickford.com”

If Pickford were stranded on a desert island, he would bring any recording by Lester Young. "He's one of my biggest influences. I can listen to his sounds over and over and over again," he said. "I'd also bring Charlie Parker's Bird with Strings , Lee Konitz' Motion, and any album by Ivan Lins”.

Pickford plans on recording his first album with his quartet in July. "We hope to have it available by the fall," he said. "It'll be my first album with Kansas City musicians."

No doubt, Pickford will indulge his listeners with familiar Kansas City jazz sounds while implementing the New Orleans style he loves.

- Laura Harman

Chris Burnett: Bringing His Point of View Home to Kansas City
There is no doubt that Chris Burnett was destined to return to his Kansas City area roots. After a full military career (a musical military career), living around the world, and several years teaching and owning a music store, near his last base at Fort Leonard Wood, why go anywhere else?

“The kind of music I play, I knew I could fit in and play on the East Coast, and I had friends who encouraged me to move there. But there is something about people in the Midwest : they care more for each other. A Midwest person, what you see is what you get. It was time to come home. I'd gone away, grown up and become a professional musician; I was ready to come back.

“I had great mentors in the military. When I joined in 1974, there were still many people who had served in Vietnam . There were still a hundred military bands… now there are around forty. There were graduates from Julliard and Berklee, guys who had been band directors and symphony players. I was nineteen years old, a kid from Paola , Kansas , and these guys were twenty three and older, they were all like my big brothers or uncles. You learned real quick that it was not a competition. Everybody's bringing something. The whole sax section are lead players. They could read anything, and we'd often see music for the first time when we performed it! It was an adjustment!

“My mom really taught us a couple of important values: service to the community and never forget your roots. The most important thing I do is teach about thirty kids privately. People trust their kids with me for a half-hour a week to teach them music. All of the woodwinds. I remember what I went through to learn how to play, and can relate well to kids while they are learning. I spend time with kids and have a positive impact on their lives. The process they go through, learning what is involved with becoming a successful musician, will bleed into whatever they do later.

“When I was thinking about coming back, I did some internet searches to see what the scene was like. I found Mr. Alaadeen on the Jazz Ambassador Web site. When I heard his music, I knew I could learn from him. So when we got settled, I called, set up an appointment, and here I was, forty five years old and nervous! He told me to bring my horn, recordings if I had any, and music I was working on. Real succinct.

“I hadn't had to audition in years. He listened to me play, listened to some CD tracks, and asks, ‘what do you want from me?' Really wanting to know where my head was at! He, of course, already knows the answer. I said, ‘Mr. Alaadeen, you can hear what I don't know. That's why I'm here.' He grinned, and told me to come back the next Wednesday. He helped me to find myself, musically.

The lessons lasted a couple of years, and the relationship with Alaadeen has grown into a business one as well. “Mr. Alaadeen had ASR Records going since 1995. Miss Fannie (Alaadeen's manager) and I spent about a year cataloging all of his music. In 2002 I started looking into what a label was, what it could be, and started working with them on what they would want: artists keeping rights to their work, artists would produce their own work, we would provide a platform. We were artistShare before artistShare. We had Mr. Alaadeen's recordings, my CD, my brother Richie Pratt. We have good access to the market. We can distribute our music anywhere in the world. Plus, we have a firm that will produce CD's on demand for us, so no one needs to invest in a large quantity. Artists get their money immediately as the product is sold. No more boxes of CD's in the closet! We can also sell arrangements on line – just download from the site. Totally paperless. At the end of the day, we don't need many people to get our music out to the listeners and students.”

Being a military musician was a great experience, giving Chris the opportunity to play a variety of music and to learn all facets of the business. He learned to compose and arrange, conduct, play all the woodwinds, and to manage a band. But there often weren't choices. “I played a lot of different styles of music in the military. I played in the rain and in the snow. I wouldn't choose to do that. Now I can choose what I want to do. I worked hard and paid those dues, so now I can go to the Drum Room the first Saturday each month, thankfully they like my music, I can play what I want to play and bond with some of the great players in town.” The band at his May Drum Room gig supports that: Mike Pagan, James Ward, Mike Shanks, and Will Matthews. Sometimes Roger Wilder will be on piano instead of Pagan.

Ask Chris about his style, and he notes his smoothness. “I was trained with proper technique, and over the years I've learned to play all the keys fluently. I started on clarinet, and would like to get back to it, but I concentrate on the alto saxophone.” At the Drum Room, Chris' facility was sure as he breezed through his sets. The play list was strong, emphasizing classic compositions from jazz greats: “Dolphin Dance”, Black Narcissus”, “Recorda-Me”, “Moment's Notice”, and an original blues. Chris' tone is always controlled, and he has a way of embellishing the melody as he moves into his solo which is especially appealing.

The regular gig is leading up to a new CD project for Burnett. “It's important to be able to build relationships with some musicians, rather than just hiring musicians and going to the studio to record. The music can become organic, the way the music is supposed to be. That's the kind of music we grew up with.

“Being in the military, I got closer to my country. Sure, it has its issues, but there is no other place, there's no better system, there's no other place where I could have become me, in the world. And in this music, I know I have to bring my point of view, just like the people before me that I admire, like Louis, Miles, Coltrane, Charlie Parker. They had the courage to be themselves.”

Chris' Desert Island picks:
Andrew Hill – Time Lines
Ahmad Alaadeen – Time Through the Ages
Charlie Parker – Bird with Strings
John Coltrane – Giant Steps
Miles Davis – Miles Ahead
Dexter Gordon – Sophisticated Giant
Pat Metheny – Pat Metheny Group

-Roger Atkinson

Dan Thomas Keeps the Music Fresh
Dan Thomas started playing the sax when he was in the fourth grade. "My brother is the reason I started playing," he said. "He played the saxophone and was a fine instrumentalist. It's tragic. He was injured in a car wreck quite critically. He ended up having his arm amputated and could no longer play."

Days after the amputation, Thomas showed interest in playing the saxophone. "I found that I gravitated towards it," he said. "We had his horn at the house and nobody could play it. It ended up in my hands. I picked it up and made a career of it."

After high school graduation, Thomas was offered a lucrative job in pharmaceutical sales. He didn't have to think twice when he turned it down. "I knew I wanted to be a professional musician." he said. "I found a love for it. My parents were both concert pianists. Not as a profession, per say, but they were both very fine."

Thomas, who grew up in Canada , was encouraged to pursue his music career. "The arts are really pushed in Canada . Jazz ensembles are a big thing," he said. "Sports don't dominate society like they do here. I was instantly thrust into being creative and encouraged to improvise. I really enjoyed the freedom and the structure of it at the same time."

After leaving Canada , Thomas lived in Minnesota , then on the West Coast. "I came to Kansas City to complete my graduate degree at UMKC," he said.

That was in 1999. He graduated in 2000 and has been teaching at the Conservatory ever since. "I also teach at 13 different schools in Kansas City , Kansas ," he said. "I used to play 300 plus gigs a year. I cut back when I came to Kansas City ."

In 2002, he formed the Dan Thomas Quintet with Craig Akin on bass, Joe Parisi on trumpet and flugel horn, Mike Shanks on drums, Roger Wilder on piano, and Bram Wijnands on bass and accordion. The group is experimental and progressive. "In our band, we have no preconceived notion of how things are going to go," he said. "We don't necessarily talk about it. We respond in dialog with one another on stage. The audience is witnessing our conversation, and we have no idea where that conversation is going to lead us."

Their creativity is inspired by the eclectic music tastes of the band members. "The unique thing about the guys that I perform with in my own particular group is that we've listened to so much music in so many different genres," he said. "If somebody is feeling a Motown vibe on stage, and the rest of us like it, we may go with it." As a result, the band doesn't plan or discuss their tunes until they are playing on stage. "We don't plan any of it. It just happens. It's going to sound new every night," he said.

All of the tunes they perform are original. "I'm the primary composer, but Roger writes as well," said Thomas. "Understanding and knowing the great tunes and standards is essential for us to move forward and push the boundaries. We know them, but we only play our own stuff."

The band members take the original compositions and add their own personal takes and styles to them while on stage. "We never know where a tune is going to take us," he said. "We'll start a piece one way and it may end up in a whole different place than when we started."

The band is dedicated to keeping the material exciting and raw. "When people come to see us perform, they can be guaranteed that they won't hear anything they've ever heard before," said Thomas. "Jazz is about creation and things being new and fresh. We don't try to re-create moments. We make new ones."

The quintet has released two albums to date. City Scope and Musical Sanctuary . Currently, there is no new album planned for the band. "Right now, we're focusing on our live performances."

If Thomas had to choose the band members he'd take with him to a desert island, it would be the ones in his quintet. "I'm very happy with whom I'm working with now," he said. "If I was stuck on an island with them, I don't think we'd ever get bored because we'd always be creating new sounds."

He had a harder time choosing his five favorite records that he'd have on a desert island. " Kind of Blue (Miles Davis) would definitely be with me. I don't know which specific albums I'd bring after that. The artists would be Cannonball, Getz, Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock's Headhunters ."

Dan's band appears frequently at Jardine's.

- Laura Harman

 

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