JAM Magazine: June/July 1998 Issue: Hampton's Hot Licks

by Dean Hampton

Thanks to the Team
I would like to take just a couple of lines to thank the KCJA Publication group for all of their hard work. This includes JAM editor Mike Metheny, webmaster Brad Lucht, Wholenotes editor (and KCJA president) Vanessa Barnard, and Ginney Coleman for putting together the Jazz Hotline. JAM ad rep Sunny McConnell also gets a high five for her work on advertising, and many thanks to Rod McBride for his long hours as our typesetter. Also, thanks to the contributing writers you will find on the masthead of this and every issue of JAM. All on the team have done a super job over the years and get nothing in return except the credit for producing an outstanding set of local jazz publications.

And one more thing: Happy Birthday to us! JAM is now 12 years old.

'Bird's Final Flight
In recent weeks, both The Kansas City Star and The Chicago Tribune have carried stories about moving Charlie Parker's grave from Lincoln Cemetery to a kind of shrine at 18th & Vine. The article in The Star by reporter/jazz musician Lee Hill Kavanaugh presented the facts concerning a vote by the city council not to authorize $25,000 of city money for a portion of the costs. The article also expressed differing views about the potential move. Howard Reich's Tribune piece seemed to lean in favor of the move and a proper honoring of 'Bird.

My opinion is that 'Bird's memory deserves better than it has gotten over the years from his hometown of Kansas City. And, I will never forget the embarrassment on that day in March 1994 when the Board of Directors of the American Federation of Jazz Societies watched the dedication of a new 'Bird headstone -- the one with an engraved tenor saxophone. I still serve on that Board and get guff for that to this day.

We haven't heard the last of this. My prediction is that Bird's final flight will be to 18th & Vine. And I am tracking events surrounding this story on my personal web site. I invite you to visit that site for the latest scoop. The address for "Dino's Jazz Dive" is: http://www.sound.net/~dhampton/dinojazz.html .

Prom Night Jazz
Everyone remembers their high school prom. (I was one of the lucky ones who not only played my junior and senior proms, but had cool dates after each gig!) I recently discovered that some local KC high schoolers still know how to have a jazzy prom night. It was a rainy Saturday evening in April and Sue and I wanted to go to The Club at Plaza III early to hear the solo piano work of Ronnell Bright. At the entrance, we were told that there were only two seats left for dinner; it was prom night for several area schools and all tables but one were reserved for the "promers." We didn't know what to expect. And we certainly were not out to be quasi chaperones! But we soon found that the staff at Plaza III had accepted that role, and they did it in style. Best of all, the promers seemed to enjoy Ronnell Bright and showed their appreciation with frequent applause.

The next set belonged to headliner, Claude "Fiddler" Williams.

I must commend Plaza III's Joe Wilcox for his introduction of Claude and his group. Joe's brief but powerful remarks commanded the attention of all in the room. (Club owners: this is how it's done in serious jazz clubs!) Because of this introduction, the kids knew who they were listening to. And they got with the music even as they dined. (Plaza III honored the promers with a specially priced menu of house favorites.) With a swinging arrangement of "Take the 'A' Train," Claude soon filled the floor with prom dancers, and they stayed when he calmed things down with the vocal, "It Could Happen to You." When these kids "grow up," where do you think they will go to hear jazz? The Club at Plaza III. Keep up the good audience-building work, Joe!

Saluting the Phoenix and Ginney Coleman
If you missed the Phoenix Piano Bar & Grill's April 23rd Open House for the KCJA, you missed a special night. The free hors d'oeuvres and wine hit the spot, and the music of Tim Whitmer and the KC Express was just right for the affair. Ginney Coleman, co-host of KCUR's "Just Jazz," was presented with the 1st Annual Jazz Appreciation Award from the Phoenix. Then, as a surprise to Phoenix owner, Ron Schoonover, the KCJA presented him with a plaque of appreciation and a rarely awarded Lifetime Membership to the KCJA. Congratulations, Ginney and Ron!

'Bird & the Architects of Tomorrow
With all the recent hoopla surrounding Charlie Parker's grave, it's easy to forget that he was actually born in Kansas City, Kansas. Now it looks like KCK is finally ready to honor its legendary native son.

In early May, several of us gathered at the home of KCJA member Verne Christensen to take a look at design proposals for a Charlie Parker Memorial Park to be located in the city of 'Bird's birth. A steering committee established by Kaw Valley Arts and Humanities Inc. and chaired by Patrick Lowry, managing editor of The Kansas City Kansan, has been formed and is very serious about the project. "It will happen," said Lowry. "It must happen."

The thing that makes this project unique is that the designs have been submitted by 15 sophomore architecture students at the University of Kansas. "We'd pretty much finished the course work for the semester," said Professor Stephen Grabow of his Architecture 201 class, "and I heard that Verne Christensen, an architectural illustrator, was asking if anyone at K.U. wanted to give this a try. I volunteered my class thinking it would a good way to finish out the last two weeks of the semester."

What the students were asked to do was come up with plans to convert the existing park at Big Eleven Lake into a new memorial with refurbished band shell, footbridge and expanded parking. Each of the 15 presentations included different ways of bringing the park back to life as well as honoring the memory of the great saxophonist.

The next step now is to distill the proposals into a single design ("It's possible that elements from several could be used," said Lowry) and then begin the process of raising funds from interested people, parties and companies. "That part is what will determine the scale of the project," said Lowry. "But the (design) proposal has to be finished first."

As jazz historians have noted, Charlie Parker spent the first seven years of his life in Kansas City, Kansas. Now, nearly 78 years after his birth, some bright young minds at K.U. will have a hand in saluting the legend. And bringing a beautiful new park to KCK in the process.

-- Mike Metheny

RETURN TO JUNE/JULY 1998 MAIN INDEX

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© Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.






	Search our site:		by Dean Hampton Thanks to the Team I would like to take just a couple of lines to thank the KCJA Publication group for all of their hard work. This includes JAM editor Mike Metheny, webmaster Brad Lucht, Wholenotes editor (and KCJA president) Vanessa Barnard, and Ginney Coleman for putting together the Jazz Hotline. JAM ad rep Sunny McConnell also gets a high five for her work on advertising, and many thanks to Rod McBride for his long hours as our typesetter. Also, thanks to the contributing writers you will find on the masthead of this and every issue of JAM. All on the team have done a super job over the years and get nothing in return except the credit for producing an outstanding set of local jazz publications. And one more thing: Happy Birthday to us! JAM is now 12 years old. 'Bird's Final Flight In recent weeks, both The Kansas City Star and The Chicago Tribune have carried stories about moving Charlie Parker's grave from Lincoln Cemetery to a kind of shrine at 18th & Vine. The article in The Star by reporter/jazz musician Lee Hill Kavanaugh presented the facts concerning a vote by the city council not to authorize $25,000 of city money for a portion of the costs. The article also expressed differing views about the potential move. Howard Reich's Tribune piece seemed to lean in favor of the move and a proper honoring of 'Bird. My opinion is that 'Bird's memory deserves better than it has gotten over the years from his hometown of Kansas City. And, I will never forget the embarrassment on that day in March 1994 when the Board of Directors of the American Federation of Jazz Societies watched the dedication of a new 'Bird headstone -- the one with an engraved tenor saxophone. I still serve on that Board and get guff for that to this day. We haven't heard the last of this. My prediction is that Bird's final flight will be to 18th & Vine. And I am tracking events surrounding this story on my personal web site. I invite you to visit that site for the latest scoop. The address for "Dino's Jazz Dive" is: http://www.sound.net/~dhampton/dinojazz.html . Prom Night Jazz Everyone remembers their high school prom. (I was one of the lucky ones who not only played my junior and senior proms, but had cool dates after each gig!) I recently discovered that some local KC high schoolers still know how to have a jazzy prom night. It was a rainy Saturday evening in April and Sue and I wanted to go to The Club at Plaza III early to hear the solo piano work of Ronnell Bright. At the entrance, we were told that there were only two seats left for dinner; it was prom night for several area schools and all tables but one were reserved for the "promers." We didn't know what to expect. And we certainly were not out to be quasi chaperones! But we soon found that the staff at Plaza III had accepted that role, and they did it in style. Best of all, the promers seemed to enjoy Ronnell Bright and showed their appreciation with frequent applause. The next set belonged to headliner, Claude "Fiddler" Williams. I must commend Plaza III's Joe Wilcox for his introduction of Claude and his group. Joe's brief but powerful remarks commanded the attention of all in the room. (Club owners: this is how it's done in serious jazz clubs!) Because of this introduction, the kids knew who they were listening to. And they got with the music even as they dined. (Plaza III honored the promers with a specially priced menu of house favorites.) With a swinging arrangement of "Take the 'A' Train," Claude soon filled the floor with prom dancers, and they stayed when he calmed things down with the vocal, "It Could Happen to You." When these kids "grow up," where do you think they will go to hear jazz? The Club at Plaza III. Keep up the good audience-building work, Joe! Saluting the Phoenix and Ginney Coleman If you missed the Phoenix Piano Bar & Grill's April 23rd Open House for the KCJA, you missed a special night. The free hors d'oeuvres and wine hit the spot, and the music of Tim Whitmer and the KC Express was just right for the affair. Ginney Coleman, co-host of KCUR's "Just Jazz," was presented with the 1st Annual Jazz Appreciation Award from the Phoenix. Then, as a surprise to Phoenix owner, Ron Schoonover, the KCJA presented him with a plaque of appreciation and a rarely awarded Lifetime Membership to the KCJA. Congratulations, Ginney and Ron! 'Bird & the Architects of Tomorrow With all the recent hoopla surrounding Charlie Parker's grave, it's easy to forget that he was actually born in Kansas City, Kansas. Now it looks like KCK is finally ready to honor its legendary native son. In early May, several of us gathered at the home of KCJA member Verne Christensen to take a look at design proposals for a Charlie Parker Memorial Park to be located in the city of 'Bird's birth. A steering committee established by Kaw Valley Arts and Humanities Inc. and chaired by Patrick Lowry, managing editor of The Kansas City Kansan, has been formed and is very serious about the project. "It will happen," said Lowry. "It must happen." The thing that makes this project unique is that the designs have been submitted by 15 sophomore architecture students at the University of Kansas. "We'd pretty much finished the course work for the semester," said Professor Stephen Grabow of his Architecture 201 class, "and I heard that Verne Christensen, an architectural illustrator, was asking if anyone at K.U. wanted to give this a try. I volunteered my class thinking it would a good way to finish out the last two weeks of the semester." What the students were asked to do was come up with plans to convert the existing park at Big Eleven Lake into a new memorial with refurbished band shell, footbridge and expanded parking. Each of the 15 presentations included different ways of bringing the park back to life as well as honoring the memory of the great saxophonist. The next step now is to distill the proposals into a single design ("It's possible that elements from several could be used," said Lowry) and then begin the process of raising funds from interested people, parties and companies. "That part is what will determine the scale of the project," said Lowry. "But the (design) proposal has to be finished first." As jazz historians have noted, Charlie Parker spent the first seven years of his life in Kansas City, Kansas. Now, nearly 78 years after his birth, some bright young minds at K.U. will have a hand in saluting the legend. And bringing a beautiful new park to KCK in the process. -- Mike Metheny RETURN TO JUNE/JULY 1998 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.