JAM Magazine: August/September 1998 Issue: Hampton's Hot Licks

by Dean Hampton

Happy Birthday KCJA!
September marks the 13th anniversary of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors. Think back to September 1985. Where did you go to hear jazz in KC? Who was playing it then? How many jazz clubs did we have? How many locally produced jazz albums could you purchase? How many concerts by national jazz acts were there that year? Who was on the cover of JAM?

In the fall of 1985, JAM didn't exist; it came along the following May. And the local recording scene was nothing like it is today. The Folly Theater had a jazz concert series; but there weren't enough jazz clubs to provide work for many local jazz musicians. I don't remember a single club that had live jazz as many as five nights a week.

In 1998, I defy you to take in all of the jazz presented during even the slowest week of the year. This jazz "come back" is the result of several things: presenters and club owners who love jazz and have been willing to take risks; world class musicians who have come back to their KC roots, plus others who have chosen to plant themselves here and sow their own new roots; and equally important, an audience hungry for jazz. The role of the Jazz Ambassadors has been to provide that special nudge to each of these three elements. And it looks like we have done a pretty fair job of that over the past 13 years. But now is not the time to ease up. We need to double our efforts in the next few years in order to keep pace with the many resources and possibilities that are now at our fingertips.

The Jazz Lovers Pub Crawl
If you missed the 17th Annual Jazz Lover's Pub Crawl(sm) on June 25, you missed the largest crawl ever. Along with good music, fun people and 5,000-plus attendance, this year's event was a record-breaker in terms of venues with a total of 26 participating clubs. We also had fewer complaints and more compliments than ever about our timely buses. And our volunteers did their part to make sure everyone had a great time. Although the figures are not final at press time, we think we will have more money to give away to worthy jazz-related causes than ever before. In the next issue of JAM there will be additional details about our jazz charity giveaway, tentatively scheduled for September. (Members: check your September Wholenotes for updated information.)

The KC Blues & Jazz Festival
This year's Blues & Jazz Festival, held July 17-19, was also a record-buster -- from the highest attendance to the highest temperatures to the highest quality performances. Kicking off the weekend on the Jazz Stage was "Metheny Night." The Mike Metheny Quintet (with KC all-stars Mike Metheny, Paul Smith, Bob Bowman, Todd Strait and Bill Caldwell) played for the largest early Friday crowd I have seen at the annual event. Then came part two of the evening and none other than Mike's brother Pat and his Pat Metheny Group. There were two highlights of Pat's set: the significant amount of time devoted to the PMG's latest CD, Imaginary Day, and the concert's encore in which Mike joined the group on Pat's "Song for Bilbao." This concert illustrated why Pat Metheny is regarded by many as one of the day's most distinguished composers of any style of music.

There were many other festival highlights. Saturday's set with Poncho Sanchez provided an exciting atmosphere in which dancing audience members were able to make the most of the summer heat. And on Sunday, it was non-stop class from musicians with local ties. Both the Sons of Brasil and the Carol Comer Quintet brought the crowd into the action at a time of day when most would only be paying partial attention.

Kevin Mahogany's show on Sunday was one that will not be soon forgotten. Kevin and crew left no doubt as to why they are now enjoying top billing at many jazz events worldwide. And for the Jazz Stage finale, the smooth approach of saxophonist Boney James was matched by a soulfulness that is not normally part of the genre. James had a flair that brought the crowd to its feet.

eJAM Gets the Attention of The New York Times
On Sunday, June 7, an article by Terry Teachout titled "(Even) Jazz Makes the Leap to Cyberspace" appeared in The New York Times. In the article's sidebar, Teachout listed "10 Jazz Sites Worth Visiting" and among them was the Jazz Ambassadors' JAM website. As a result, we experienced an immediate quadrupling of front page hits. Although that activity level eventually leveled off within a couple of weeks to about 1.5 times our normal "hit rate," we continue to see signs of interest we had not encountered before the Times article (including increased requests for advertising rates for JAM). Thanks to our webmaster Brad Lucht for developing a great site. And thanks to former Kansas Citian, Terry Teachout for the much appreciated recognition. (See JAM on the web at http://www.kansascity.com/kcjazz)

More Good News at 18th & Vine
At a news conference at the Blue Room on June 17, Harry Belafonte spoke to the Kansas City media about his continuing passion for 18th & Vine and its potential to be an internationally valuable resource in bringing people together. Belafonte told the press of discovering the 18th & Vine project while filming the Robert Altman movie, "Kansas City." His attraction to the jazz district and what it represents will be a continuing focus for him, he said, even after he hosts 18th & Vine's second annual gala on September 11. Belafonte plans a long relationship with 18th & Vine, and he said he intends to play a leadership role in future projects.

And speaking of 18th & Vine... If you have followed KC politics in recent years and the news it can generate, the name Pam Whiting is one you will probably recognize. In my opinion, one of the most exciting things to happen at 18th & Vine in recent months is Whiting's appointment as its Director of Public Relations. Formerly a part of Mayor Emanuel Cleaver's public relations staff, Pam seems perfect for the position. The KC Jazz Ambassadors look forward to a new level of communication with the leadership at 18th & Vine.

Jazz Party, Topeka Style
Take an impressive list of national and regional jazz artists, mix and match them in various small and large group settings over three days, and you have the Topeka Jazz Festival 1998, held May 23-25 at the Topeka Performing Arts Center.

Imagine the possibilities. John Allred, Karrin Allyson, Dan Barrett, Bob Bowman, Alan Broadbent, Bob Branstetter, John Bunch, John Clayton, Kenny Davern, Rod Fleeman, Gary Foster, Jeff Hamilton, Bob Kindred, Nancy King, Jay Leonhart, Russ Long, Tom Morgan, Ken Peplowski, Bucky Pizzarelli, Tommy Ruskin, Bobby Shew, Paul Smith, Gerald Spaits, Todd Strait, Warren Vache', Jackie Williams... And with the Monty Alexander Trio thrown in to top it all off. For an entire weekend these outstanding straight-ahead jazz musicians entertained appreciative audiences as well as each other.

"The event was modeled somewhat after the Dick Gibson jazz parties that used to be held in Denver," says festival organizer Jim Monroe. "I've also attended other jazz parties that worked along the same lines."

Organizing such an event can be a challenge and can take many forms. But Monroe had a clear vision from the start.

"There are several different ways (to do it), from having nine trombones all on stage at once, to having the same bands rotating each day. For our festival I wanted to have different combinations of musicians who would be compatible stylistically, including people who have played together before as well as those combinations that had never happened until this festival. Both the musicians and the audience found that approach interesting and challenging. And I know the musicians really got a kick out it."

Was the '98 festival a success? Monroe is unequivocal.

"I thought, overall, the festival was just fantastic in every respect. And the musicians all told me it was one of the best they'd ever attended; the best organized, the best run. Most important of all, though, I felt that the level of musicianship was at peak all the way through. The musicians enjoyed themselves, and the audience was totally attentive and responsive with many standing ovations at the end of sets. It was just a sensational response to some wonderful music."

Now that Topeka Jazz Festival '98 is a good memory, what about next year? Jim Monroe doesn't miss a beat.

"It's a go for 1999. Absolutely. Not only that, but we're looking for fifty $1,000 sponsors so we can start planning for Topeka Jazz Festival 2000.

"Most important, though, Topeka Jazz Festival 1998 got us off to a positive start. And the future of the event looks very good."

-- Mike Metheny

RETURN TO AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1998 MAIN INDEX

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






	Search our site:		by Dean Hampton Happy Birthday KCJA! September marks the 13th anniversary of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors. Think back to September 1985. Where did you go to hear jazz in KC? Who was playing it then? How many jazz clubs did we have? How many locally produced jazz albums could you purchase? How many concerts by national jazz acts were there that year? Who was on the cover of JAM? In the fall of 1985, JAM didn't exist; it came along the following May. And the local recording scene was nothing like it is today. The Folly Theater had a jazz concert series; but there weren't enough jazz clubs to provide work for many local jazz musicians. I don't remember a single club that had live jazz as many as five nights a week. In 1998, I defy you to take in all of the jazz presented during even the slowest week of the year. This jazz "come back" is the result of several things: presenters and club owners who love jazz and have been willing to take risks; world class musicians who have come back to their KC roots, plus others who have chosen to plant themselves here and sow their own new roots; and equally important, an audience hungry for jazz. The role of the Jazz Ambassadors has been to provide that special nudge to each of these three elements. And it looks like we have done a pretty fair job of that over the past 13 years. But now is not the time to ease up. We need to double our efforts in the next few years in order to keep pace with the many resources and possibilities that are now at our fingertips. The Jazz Lovers Pub Crawl If you missed the 17th Annual Jazz Lover's Pub Crawl(sm) on June 25, you missed the largest crawl ever. Along with good music, fun people and 5,000-plus attendance, this year's event was a record-breaker in terms of venues with a total of 26 participating clubs. We also had fewer complaints and more compliments than ever about our timely buses. And our volunteers did their part to make sure everyone had a great time. Although the figures are not final at press time, we think we will have more money to give away to worthy jazz-related causes than ever before. In the next issue of JAM there will be additional details about our jazz charity giveaway, tentatively scheduled for September. (Members: check your September Wholenotes for updated information.) The KC Blues & Jazz Festival This year's Blues & Jazz Festival, held July 17-19, was also a record-buster -- from the highest attendance to the highest temperatures to the highest quality performances. Kicking off the weekend on the Jazz Stage was "Metheny Night." The Mike Metheny Quintet (with KC all-stars Mike Metheny, Paul Smith, Bob Bowman, Todd Strait and Bill Caldwell) played for the largest early Friday crowd I have seen at the annual event. Then came part two of the evening and none other than Mike's brother Pat and his Pat Metheny Group. There were two highlights of Pat's set: the significant amount of time devoted to the PMG's latest CD, Imaginary Day, and the concert's encore in which Mike joined the group on Pat's "Song for Bilbao." This concert illustrated why Pat Metheny is regarded by many as one of the day's most distinguished composers of any style of music. There were many other festival highlights. Saturday's set with Poncho Sanchez provided an exciting atmosphere in which dancing audience members were able to make the most of the summer heat. And on Sunday, it was non-stop class from musicians with local ties. Both the Sons of Brasil and the Carol Comer Quintet brought the crowd into the action at a time of day when most would only be paying partial attention. Kevin Mahogany's show on Sunday was one that will not be soon forgotten. Kevin and crew left no doubt as to why they are now enjoying top billing at many jazz events worldwide. And for the Jazz Stage finale, the smooth approach of saxophonist Boney James was matched by a soulfulness that is not normally part of the genre. James had a flair that brought the crowd to its feet. eJAM Gets the Attention of The New York Times On Sunday, June 7, an article by Terry Teachout titled "(Even) Jazz Makes the Leap to Cyberspace" appeared in The New York Times. In the article's sidebar, Teachout listed "10 Jazz Sites Worth Visiting" and among them was the Jazz Ambassadors' JAM website. As a result, we experienced an immediate quadrupling of front page hits. Although that activity level eventually leveled off within a couple of weeks to about 1.5 times our normal "hit rate," we continue to see signs of interest we had not encountered before the Times article (including increased requests for advertising rates for JAM). Thanks to our webmaster Brad Lucht for developing a great site. And thanks to former Kansas Citian, Terry Teachout for the much appreciated recognition. (See JAM on the web at http://www.kansascity.com/kcjazz) More Good News at 18th & Vine At a news conference at the Blue Room on June 17, Harry Belafonte spoke to the Kansas City media about his continuing passion for 18th & Vine and its potential to be an internationally valuable resource in bringing people together. Belafonte told the press of discovering the 18th & Vine project while filming the Robert Altman movie, "Kansas City." His attraction to the jazz district and what it represents will be a continuing focus for him, he said, even after he hosts 18th & Vine's second annual gala on September 11. Belafonte plans a long relationship with 18th & Vine, and he said he intends to play a leadership role in future projects. And speaking of 18th & Vine... If you have followed KC politics in recent years and the news it can generate, the name Pam Whiting is one you will probably recognize. In my opinion, one of the most exciting things to happen at 18th & Vine in recent months is Whiting's appointment as its Director of Public Relations. Formerly a part of Mayor Emanuel Cleaver's public relations staff, Pam seems perfect for the position. The KC Jazz Ambassadors look forward to a new level of communication with the leadership at 18th & Vine. Jazz Party, Topeka Style Take an impressive list of national and regional jazz artists, mix and match them in various small and large group settings over three days, and you have the Topeka Jazz Festival 1998, held May 23-25 at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. Imagine the possibilities. John Allred, Karrin Allyson, Dan Barrett, Bob Bowman, Alan Broadbent, Bob Branstetter, John Bunch, John Clayton, Kenny Davern, Rod Fleeman, Gary Foster, Jeff Hamilton, Bob Kindred, Nancy King, Jay Leonhart, Russ Long, Tom Morgan, Ken Peplowski, Bucky Pizzarelli, Tommy Ruskin, Bobby Shew, Paul Smith, Gerald Spaits, Todd Strait, Warren Vache', Jackie Williams... And with the Monty Alexander Trio thrown in to top it all off. For an entire weekend these outstanding straight-ahead jazz musicians entertained appreciative audiences as well as each other. "The event was modeled somewhat after the Dick Gibson jazz parties that used to be held in Denver," says festival organizer Jim Monroe. "I've also attended other jazz parties that worked along the same lines." Organizing such an event can be a challenge and can take many forms. But Monroe had a clear vision from the start. "There are several different ways (to do it), from having nine trombones all on stage at once, to having the same bands rotating each day. For our festival I wanted to have different combinations of musicians who would be compatible stylistically, including people who have played together before as well as those combinations that had never happened until this festival. Both the musicians and the audience found that approach interesting and challenging. And I know the musicians really got a kick out it." Was the '98 festival a success? Monroe is unequivocal. "I thought, overall, the festival was just fantastic in every respect. And the musicians all told me it was one of the best they'd ever attended; the best organized, the best run. Most important of all, though, I felt that the level of musicianship was at peak all the way through. The musicians enjoyed themselves, and the audience was totally attentive and responsive with many standing ovations at the end of sets. It was just a sensational response to some wonderful music." Now that Topeka Jazz Festival '98 is a good memory, what about next year? Jim Monroe doesn't miss a beat. "It's a go for 1999. Absolutely. Not only that, but we're looking for fifty $1,000 sponsors so we can start planning for Topeka Jazz Festival 2000. "Most important, though, Topeka Jazz Festival 1998 got us off to a positive start. And the future of the event looks very good." -- Mike Metheny RETURN TO AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1998 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.