Off The Vine...

I’m excited to share with you the plethora of upcoming activities at the American Jazz Museum. From world class performances at the Blue Room & Gem Theater, exceptional education programs, striking exhibitions and more, one thing is for certain – we’re busy!
I want to thank all of the staff, volunteers, community members and all others who contributed to the 4th Annual
Rhythm & Ribs Jazz Festival. Whether you were working or playing, we all made it happen down on the Vine. For that, we are eternally grateful for your support!

This also applies to all of the other entities in Kansas City’s jazz community. Your support of the Museum is vital to our success, and we have treasured all of the opportunities to work together in various settings. It is our hope that we can all find inspiration to elevate our support for one another from an unfortunate occurrence in May 2008. As we all know, the community
lost a dear friend on May 18: Ed Fenner, the consummate Kansas City jazz activist & supporter. Ed’s tireless efforts to promote “the sounds of our town” touched so many folks that when he passed away, his memorial service was an inspiring gathering of all the various organizations & entities dedicated to supporting Kansas City jazz.

I’d also like to thank our regular American Jazz Museum supporters. Your gifts of time, talent, energy & financial contributions help maintain the tradition Greetings Music Loversof musical excellence that was established many decades ago at 18th & Vine.
The energy & positive momentum that radiated from Ed’s memorial events was just a sign of things to come. For all of the various sects of Kansas City’s jazz community to receive the amount of support & resources they need to thrive then the first step will be for us to unify all of our efforts, from co-presentation of events & programs to meaningful partnerships and cross-promotional initiatives. I’ll echo my sentiments again: a unified effort in promoting, supporting & building up each other will only elevate the brand image of Kansas City jazz.

For those of you who haven’t visited the Museum or attended any of our programs & events, I’d like to encourage you to give to the American Jazz Museum. Take a guided tour of our exhibits. Consider purchasing a set of season tickets to Jammin’ at the Gem and support the education programs where we offer opportunities for local youth to interact with our guest performers.
Sit in on a Jazz Poetry Jam – or bring the ‘little ones’ in your lives down to Jazz Storytelling. There are a number of ways in which you can give – and they’re all vital to maintaining the cultural brand image that Kansas City touts to the rest of the world — jazz.
Below is a brief summary of ways in which you can support the Museum in the coming months:
381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story, opens August 1 in the Changing Gallery. Presented in partnership with AARP, 381 Days is an engaging & thought-provoking look at a significant period in American history and will also feature a full schedule of free public programming to support the exhibit, including an examination of the dynamic relationship between jazz and Civil Rights.

As many of you know, jazz served as the ‘soundtrack’ to an important time in the nation’s history, and there are many ways in which the music today is still relevant, and makes profound connections in many facets of our society. Join us in welcoming Civil Rights activist Juanita Abernathy as our keynote speaker at the opening reception of 381 Days on August 1 at 5:30pm in the Changing Gallery.

The Blue Room calendar is jam-packed with a variety of local and national acts across a spectrum of styles within jazz. There are many other great acts lined up which we can’t fit in here. For more dates, see our ad on the inside front cover of JAM.

Some highlights include:
• Thursday, August 7: Private Ear, with Todd Wilkinson, Danny Embrey & Wayne Hawkins
• Saturday, August 9: Blue Room Double-Header featuring:
Holly Hoffman Quartet, 7:00pm/8:30pm / Brad Leali Quartet, 9:00pm/10:30pm
• Thursday, September 18: Kurt Elling
• Friday, September 19: Bobby Watson & Live and Learn
• Saturday, September 20: Deborah Brown
Join us for two more exciting sessions in which we explore the dynamic relationship between jazz and the spoken word in our Jazz Poetry Jams series. Upcoming guest poets include Georgia Me on August 19 and Cola Rum on September 16.
Jazz Storytelling continues to promote jazz awareness
& education with local children through one-of-a-kind performances. Upcoming sessions will be held on August
1st, 8th and 15th at 10:00am in the American Jazz Museum Atrium.
I’m extremely excited about the upcoming Jammin’ at the Gem series – pick up your season tickets now! There are many great benefits to take advantage of: Early “Bird” tickets, preferred pricing/seating, a free glass of wine (or soda) at each show, special pre-concert receptions and many more surprises…

Here’s a sneak peek at the 2008-2009 lineup (schedule
subject to change):
• September 20, 2008 – Kirk Whalum
• October 11, 2008 – Art Blakey Reunion Band featuring NEA Jazz Master Curtis Fuller
• February 20, 2009 – Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary All-Star Group
• March 21, 2009 – New York Voices
• April 18, 2009 – Mingus Big Band
• May 9, 2009 – Poncho Sanchez
For more information on any of our upcoming events & programs, please contact the American Jazz Museum at 816-474-8463 or visit www.americanjazzmuseum.
org. Thank you all for your wonderful support.
We’ll see you at 18th & Vine!

Best wishes and deepest thanks,
—Greg Carroll

Greg Carroll is the Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum.