JAM Magazine: October/November 1998 Issue: Hampton's Hot Licks

by Dean Hampton

An Endless Season of Jazz
We jazz lovers expect our summers in KC to be lively. And we expect to be tired, even a little burned out, by October. Last summer was a good one for jazz in Kansas City. And yes, most of us are now tired. But instead of being burned out, I'm getting a second wind. There are many more great things yet to come this fall and winter.

While the strength of KC jazz has been mostly in the clubs the last few years, I believe that strength has spread to the concert halls and other similar venues. Although the clubs are still going strong, they have opportunities for improvement and growth.

Lately I've been polling folks who spend lots of bucks in the clubs, folks most likely to go out for a night of jazz. There seem to be three consistent complaints.

1) Jazz fans like to hear a complete jazz group, not just a skeleton crew. Singles and duos seem to be more common now than before.

2) Recently, I've had a lot of cheap nights in some of the clubs. Which is not necessarily a good thing. The reason is simple: I haven't been asked to spend any money! In some cases, the problem is understaffing. In others, it's underworking! I recognize that balance in staffing to income ratios is a tough call. The sad part is that poor service is usually not reported to the owner or manager, so the customer may be lost forever. Some servers just don't understand (maybe due to lack of training or experience) that the customer is really the one who is writing their paychecks. Not to mention leaving the tips.

3) I was in a club early in the evening a while ago. The group playing was super. An KCJA member was there with a large party of friends. After about an hour the member came to me and said, "We need to go catch some other groups. Who's playing at Jardine's?" "I don't have a clue," I replied. "I haven't called the Hotline (816-753-JASS) and Jardine's doesn't publish their schedule in JAM." (That member could have asked about several other clubs and gotten the same reply.) He asked for a JAM and started looking at published lineups for the evening. Talking to that member later, I discovered that his party went to two more clubs that night. Clubs that advertise their schedules in JAM.

A True Sense of Community...
At Last
At the September 17th KCJA meeting at Club Mardi Gras, a dream came true for me. Not an original dream, but one shared by many KC jazz leaders for quite some time. With the directors of the major festivals as well as the major jazz concert presenters all in the same room (to pick up those healthy checks from pub crawl proceeds), an attitudinal nucleus began to form. The usual competitiveness seemed to melt away as everyone began talking to one another, in some cases, even making plans to help each other in different ways. Wow, I thought to myself. That's what the Jazz Commission was supposed to have done, but could never pull off! "It's working," I thought. "It's finally working."

Now is the time to nurture this nucleus. Now is the time to come together as a jazz community. It's time at last to join forces and become known as one of the great jazz towns in the world. It's time to have a "Kansas City Jazz" booth at the Jazz Times Convention in New York. It's time to do the same at the IAJE Conference in January. It's time to start hitting major festivals around the world in the same way. It is also time to include area jazz clubs in this effort, and it appears that several of the leading clubs are ready to join the team. How about a "Kansas City Jazz Alliance" on the world stage? I think the time for these things has finally come.

The Vine One Year Later
In the October/November '97 JAM, most of "Hot Licks" was devoted to discussing a question presented on the KC Star's online forum: "How should Kansas City build on the interest and momentum created by (18th & Vine's) renovation?" A year later the 18th & Vine project continues to grow. The Gem Theater is booked solid most of the time and is drawing good crowds. Both museums are drawing well and the Blue Room has experienced, on many occasions, standing room only audiences. Many of the skeptics of a year ago have jazzed up their tunes and are now on the team. Growth is not as rapid as many would have liked, but the Vine is not dragging its feet. It is in high gear and handling problems most don't even know about -- such as asbestos removal from older, unrenovated buildings. (The museums and Gem Theater are new from the ground up.) It is my understanding that many of the buildings that are now unoccupied require this kind of "regulatory" renovation before they may become occupied. These kinds of things are expensive and time consuming, but necessary.

'Bird's Birthday
On August 29th , I visited Charlie Parker's grave, always a religious experience for me. It had been cleaned up and there were many flowers scattered about. (I understand that Joseph Hall of KKFI-FM is largely responsible for this care. Thanks, Joseph!) There were a couple of empty bottles of Crown Royal tastefully placed nearby. Lacking was any hint of a 21-sax salute.

At this time, we don't know if 'Bird will still be in Lincoln Cemetery or on the Vine for his birthday celebration next year. In "Hot Licks" of June '97, I suggested a Yardbird Birthday Dinner/Jam Session on August 29 to celebrate this jazz giant's life. I was told by the Charlie Parker Foundation that I should drop my suggested plans because they were taking care of it. I suggested to them that they invite the Jazz Ambassadors to help insure that a large crowd participated. But we weren't invited in either '97 or '98. So, I am planning a Yardbird party on Sunday, August 29, 1999. And I will need a lot of help. If you are interested, please speak up. Make your reservations now. (Hours and location will be announced.) Call me at 816-455-1628 or email me at birdparty@hotmail.com.

The Best Way to Listen to a CD
The best way to listen to a CD is to be at the recording session. That was my lucky experience on Wednesday, September 16th at the Blue Room. This was the first CD recorded live at the 18th & Vine jazz club. And in December, "Lisa Henry: Live at 18th & Vine" is scheduled to be released. Lisa (on vocals) was accompanied by the Dunn/Freeman Mix consisting of Gerald Dunn (saxes), Everette Freeman Jr. (piano), Tyrone Clark (bass), Tim Perryman (trombone), Mike Warren (drums) and special guest, Claude "Fiddler" Williams. This CD will be hot. And it will make a good stocking stuffer for Christmas. Watch for a review in an upcoming issue of JAM.

Joe and Angela:
Live From the Kennedy Center
September 13-19, the Kennedy Center and the United States Information Agency (USIA) in Washington D.C. presented its Jazz Ambassador concert series. Also presented was the Live Millennium Stage Cybercast. Although I was not back from our September 17th meeting in time to hear KC's Joe Cartwright and Angela Hagenbach, I did listen to/see their entire concert (and tour kickoff) via archived Real Audio/Video. Our Kansas City representatives gave the audience a stunning performance. And six other groups were also presented during the week. All concerts are still online for your listening pleasure (although I was rather disappointed that they were not recorded in stereo). The concerts can be found at -- http://kennedy-center.org/stage/ambassadors/

We're Moving!
You would think that, as part of a top ten list of jazz web sites on the Internet, we would have our own domain name! The New York Times included us on a list of "10 Jazz Sites Worth Visiting" even without that distinction. We are currently online as part of the kansascity.com web site, which is part of the Kansas City Star. But, we will be moving soon. Although we will still be using the Star's severs, we will have a new address. Soon, you will be able to find us at http://www.jazzkc.org. If you happen to come to the "old" address after we have moved, you will probably be transported to the new address automatically. We expect this move to actually take place in early November (before the next JAM hits the street). Be watching for this move, and be sure to change your Bookmark (Netscape) or Favorites (MS Internet Explorer) when the time comes.

"Coots" Dye
1912-1998
Fans of Kansas City jazz were saddened to learn of the death of longtime musician, Elbert James "Coots" Dye on July 24, 1998 at Senior Estates Nursing Home. He was 85.

Coots was born in Marianna, Arkansas, on December 5, 1912. An only child, he began playing piano at an early age and later worked professionally with numerous bands before moving to Kansas City in the mid 1930s. There he played with the "Rockets Swing Unit," an off-shoot of Thamon Hayes' "Rockets," at the famed Spinning Wheel club. He also played (and sang) for many years with "The Five Scamps" where his version of "Big Fat Mama" was always a showstopper. He was a charter member of the Mutual Musicians Foundation and Local #34-627, and he received the "Jazz Heritage Award" from the city along with the "Elder Statesman of Jazz" award.

At his funeral service on July 29 there was a jam session featuring many of Coots' closest friends and colleagues. Performing were Arthur Jackson (tenor sax), Rusty Tucker (trumpet), Lucky Wesley (bass), Marcellus Lee (drums) and Tim Whitmer (piano). Claude "Fiddler" Williams reduced the mourners to tears with a poignant version of "My Buddy."

Reedman Ben Kynard related that he and Jay McShann had visited Coots several days prior to his death.

"Coots wasn't able to get up and play the piano there at the nursing home," Ben said, "but Jay sat down and played for him. It sure made him happy. He smiled a whole lot!

"We're sure gonna miss Coots."

-- Carol Heizman






	Search our site:		by Dean Hampton An Endless Season of Jazz We jazz lovers expect our summers in KC to be lively. And we expect to be tired, even a little burned out, by October. Last summer was a good one for jazz in Kansas City. And yes, most of us are now tired. But instead of being burned out, I'm getting a second wind. There are many more great things yet to come this fall and winter. While the strength of KC jazz has been mostly in the clubs the last few years, I believe that strength has spread to the concert halls and other similar venues. Although the clubs are still going strong, they have opportunities for improvement and growth. Lately I've been polling folks who spend lots of bucks in the clubs, folks most likely to go out for a night of jazz. There seem to be three consistent complaints. 1) Jazz fans like to hear a complete jazz group, not just a skeleton crew. Singles and duos seem to be more common now than before. 2) Recently, I've had a lot of cheap nights in some of the clubs. Which is not necessarily a good thing. The reason is simple: I haven't been asked to spend any money! In some cases, the problem is understaffing. In others, it's underworking! I recognize that balance in staffing to income ratios is a tough call. The sad part is that poor service is usually not reported to the owner or manager, so the customer may be lost forever. Some servers just don't understand (maybe due to lack of training or experience) that the customer is really the one who is writing their paychecks. Not to mention leaving the tips. 3) I was in a club early in the evening a while ago. The group playing was super. An KCJA member was there with a large party of friends. After about an hour the member came to me and said, "We need to go catch some other groups. Who's playing at Jardine's?" "I don't have a clue," I replied. "I haven't called the Hotline (816-753-JASS) and Jardine's doesn't publish their schedule in JAM." (That member could have asked about several other clubs and gotten the same reply.) He asked for a JAM and started looking at published lineups for the evening. Talking to that member later, I discovered that his party went to two more clubs that night. Clubs that advertise their schedules in JAM. A True Sense of Community... At Last At the September 17th KCJA meeting at Club Mardi Gras, a dream came true for me. Not an original dream, but one shared by many KC jazz leaders for quite some time. With the directors of the major festivals as well as the major jazz concert presenters all in the same room (to pick up those healthy checks from pub crawl proceeds), an attitudinal nucleus began to form. The usual competitiveness seemed to melt away as everyone began talking to one another, in some cases, even making plans to help each other in different ways. Wow, I thought to myself. That's what the Jazz Commission was supposed to have done, but could never pull off! "It's working," I thought. "It's finally working." Now is the time to nurture this nucleus. Now is the time to come together as a jazz community. It's time at last to join forces and become known as one of the great jazz towns in the world. It's time to have a "Kansas City Jazz" booth at the Jazz Times Convention in New York. It's time to do the same at the IAJE Conference in January. It's time to start hitting major festivals around the world in the same way. It is also time to include area jazz clubs in this effort, and it appears that several of the leading clubs are ready to join the team. How about a "Kansas City Jazz Alliance" on the world stage? I think the time for these things has finally come. The Vine One Year Later In the October/November '97 JAM, most of "Hot Licks" was devoted to discussing a question presented on the KC Star's online forum: "How should Kansas City build on the interest and momentum created by (18th & Vine's) renovation?" A year later the 18th & Vine project continues to grow. The Gem Theater is booked solid most of the time and is drawing good crowds. Both museums are drawing well and the Blue Room has experienced, on many occasions, standing room only audiences. Many of the skeptics of a year ago have jazzed up their tunes and are now on the team. Growth is not as rapid as many would have liked, but the Vine is not dragging its feet. It is in high gear and handling problems most don't even know about -- such as asbestos removal from older, unrenovated buildings. (The museums and Gem Theater are new from the ground up.) It is my understanding that many of the buildings that are now unoccupied require this kind of "regulatory" renovation before they may become occupied. These kinds of things are expensive and time consuming, but necessary. 'Bird's Birthday On August 29th , I visited Charlie Parker's grave, always a religious experience for me. It had been cleaned up and there were many flowers scattered about. (I understand that Joseph Hall of KKFI-FM is largely responsible for this care. Thanks, Joseph!) There were a couple of empty bottles of Crown Royal tastefully placed nearby. Lacking was any hint of a 21-sax salute. At this time, we don't know if 'Bird will still be in Lincoln Cemetery or on the Vine for his birthday celebration next year. In "Hot Licks" of June '97, I suggested a Yardbird Birthday Dinner/Jam Session on August 29 to celebrate this jazz giant's life. I was told by the Charlie Parker Foundation that I should drop my suggested plans because they were taking care of it. I suggested to them that they invite the Jazz Ambassadors to help insure that a large crowd participated. But we weren't invited in either '97 or '98. So, I am planning a Yardbird party on Sunday, August 29, 1999. And I will need a lot of help. If you are interested, please speak up. Make your reservations now. (Hours and location will be announced.) Call me at 816-455-1628 or email me at birdparty@hotmail.com. The Best Way to Listen to a CD The best way to listen to a CD is to be at the recording session. That was my lucky experience on Wednesday, September 16th at the Blue Room. This was the first CD recorded live at the 18th & Vine jazz club. And in December, "Lisa Henry: Live at 18th & Vine" is scheduled to be released. Lisa (on vocals) was accompanied by the Dunn/Freeman Mix consisting of Gerald Dunn (saxes), Everette Freeman Jr. (piano), Tyrone Clark (bass), Tim Perryman (trombone), Mike Warren (drums) and special guest, Claude "Fiddler" Williams. This CD will be hot. And it will make a good stocking stuffer for Christmas. Watch for a review in an upcoming issue of JAM. Joe and Angela: Live From the Kennedy Center September 13-19, the Kennedy Center and the United States Information Agency (USIA) in Washington D.C. presented its Jazz Ambassador concert series. Also presented was the Live Millennium Stage Cybercast. Although I was not back from our September 17th meeting in time to hear KC's Joe Cartwright and Angela Hagenbach, I did listen to/see their entire concert (and tour kickoff) via archived Real Audio/Video. Our Kansas City representatives gave the audience a stunning performance. And six other groups were also presented during the week. All concerts are still online for your listening pleasure (although I was rather disappointed that they were not recorded in stereo). The concerts can be found at -- http://kennedy-center.org/stage/ambassadors/ We're Moving! You would think that, as part of a top ten list of jazz web sites on the Internet, we would have our own domain name! The New York Times included us on a list of "10 Jazz Sites Worth Visiting" even without that distinction. We are currently online as part of the kansascity.com web site, which is part of the Kansas City Star. But, we will be moving soon. Although we will still be using the Star's severs, we will have a new address. Soon, you will be able to find us at http://www.jazzkc.org. If you happen to come to the "old" address after we have moved, you will probably be transported to the new address automatically. We expect this move to actually take place in early November (before the next JAM hits the street). Be watching for this move, and be sure to change your Bookmark (Netscape) or Favorites (MS Internet Explorer) when the time comes. "Coots" Dye 1912-1998 Fans of Kansas City jazz were saddened to learn of the death of longtime musician, Elbert James "Coots" Dye on July 24, 1998 at Senior Estates Nursing Home. He was 85. Coots was born in Marianna, Arkansas, on December 5, 1912. An only child, he began playing piano at an early age and later worked professionally with numerous bands before moving to Kansas City in the mid 1930s. There he played with the "Rockets Swing Unit," an off-shoot of Thamon Hayes' "Rockets," at the famed Spinning Wheel club. He also played (and sang) for many years with "The Five Scamps" where his version of "Big Fat Mama" was always a showstopper. He was a charter member of the Mutual Musicians Foundation and Local #34-627, and he received the "Jazz Heritage Award" from the city along with the "Elder Statesman of Jazz" award. At his funeral service on July 29 there was a jam session featuring many of Coots' closest friends and colleagues. Performing were Arthur Jackson (tenor sax), Rusty Tucker (trumpet), Lucky Wesley (bass), Marcellus Lee (drums) and Tim Whitmer (piano). Claude "Fiddler" Williams reduced the mourners to tears with a poignant version of "My Buddy." Reedman Ben Kynard related that he and Jay McShann had visited Coots several days prior to his death. "Coots wasn't able to get up and play the piano there at the nursing home," Ben said, "but Jay sat down and played for him. It sure made him happy. He smiled a whole lot! "We're sure gonna miss Coots." -- Carol Heizman RETURN TO OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1998 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.