JAM Magazine: June/July 1999 Issue: President's Corner

Mike Fitzgerald

Busy and a whole lot of fun. That's how I would describe my first five months as your KCJA president.

I have decided to make this President's Corner a mid-year report to you, our loyal members. Let me recount the highlights of the year to date, and then tell you about some of the exciting things coming up this summer.

First of all, I want you to know how impressed I am with the hard work and devotion of the Board of Directors, your JAM editor, your webmaster, the Jazz Workshop Board and the many other people who work so hard to promote jazz in Kansas City. After all, this is a volunteer organization, and the generous efforts of these people show a true dedication to jazz.

Here are the highlights of '99 so far, as I see them.

The Charlie Parker Memorial dedication on March 27 first comes to mind. Our hosting the Saturday morning breakfast and our presence at the related events gave us the opportunity to let people know about the KC Jazz Ambassadors and also JAM Magazine, which came out just in time with its first glossy cover. Hats off to Mike Metheny, Patti Wilkinson and everyone else who helped make that possible.

Oh, and one more thing about the Parker event. We were not its sponsors -- the city and 18th and Vine handled that -- but I am very proud that the Jazz Ambassadors we able to sponsor the appearance of Peter King, the renowned bop saxophonist from England.

The programs at our monthly meetings in '99 have been especially good. If you weren't with us in January, for example, you missed Angela Hagenbach and Joe Cartwright telling us about their fall tour of Africa. And in February, Robin Rakes showed us a very entertaining video about the legendary Milton Morris and the early days of Kansas City jazz. In March, pianist Rich Hill gave us an informative presentation on the life of composer Alec Wilder, and in April, UMKC professor John Leisenring spoke eloquently about the origins of jazz. Yes, this is my way of letting you in on what you've been missing! We would love to have as many KCJA members as possible attend our meetings. They are always entertaining, informative and great fun.

Have you visited the KCJA web site lately? Well, the New York Times has! And they have since referred to it as "one of 10 jazz sites to visit." Go to www.jazzkc.org to find out why. And thanks again to our webmaster Brad Lucht for creating and maintaining this excellent site.

An outstanding event presented by the Kansas City Jazz Workshop must also be mentioned here. The salute to Duke Ellington on April 25 was truly an enjoyable afternoon. Thank you to Kerry Strayer, his big band and all the fine musicians for the wonderful music.

So, that's what has happened; here's what will happen next.

On June 10, Rich Denny and Tim Whitmer, new owners at the Phoenix Piano Bar & Grill, are having a "Jazz Ambassadors Appreciation Night." Come on down to the Phoenix any time after 5:00 p.m., wear your badge, and bring a friend. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce jazz lovers to the KCJA, and it may even inspire some of them to join us! Tim Whitmer and the KC Express will start playing at 6:00 p.m. and continue until 10:00.

This year we are going to participate in one of KC's newest events, La Strada dell'Arte, a street painting festival at the Liberty Memorial June 12-13. It is a community-wide event where hundreds of professional, student and amateur artists create chalk "paintings" on the streets at the Memorial. (Admission is free.) For our part, we will be staffing the ice cream and beverage concessions and receive a percentage of sales, which makes it a fund raising opportunity for KCJA. Peter Horak, formerly of the Blues & Jazz Festival, selected us for this opportunity saying that we "ran the best concession operations." We were flattered by that, of course, but now we are going to need more volunteer help. Please join us and lend a helping hand by calling our Volunteers Director, Wayne Davis at 831-0168, e-mail: wdavis@kansascity.com.

The Jazz Lover's Pub Crawl. June 24. You will find more details in this issue about the crawl, but this is our big event. The Pub Crawl Committee has been working for months on it and all is on track to make this one the best ever. (And yes, Wayne still needs volunteers.)

Next is the Kansas City International Jazz Festival, June 25-27. Crown Center is the perfect setting for this event. And the festival is a perfect opportunity to volunteer. (You know how to reach Wayne, right?)

This year's Kansas City Blues & Jazz Festival, July 16-18, has another outstanding lineup. And the Jazz Ambassadors will have both a merchandise and a beverage tent. We will need plenty of help for this one. It's huge. (See above next to "Wayne.")

And one more piece of exciting news. We are co-sponsoring, with the Blues Society, a blues and jazz CD that will serve as a fund raiser for Cypress Recovery. As a sponsor, we will have our logo on the CD jacket and all advertising, and we will be invited to participate at the CD release party. This project gives us an opportunity to increase exposure of the KCJA as well as our local jazz talent. (And to sell KCJA merchandise!) Most of all, though, we are helping a very worthwhile organization.

So, the summer is upon us! And now is the time to sign up for these events, enjoy the music, make new friends, and perhaps even have a cereal malt beverage or two!

RETURN TO JUNE 1999 MAIN INDEX

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






	Search our site:		Mike Fitzgerald Busy and a whole lot of fun. That's how I would describe my first five months as your KCJA president. I have decided to make this President's Corner a mid-year report to you, our loyal members. Let me recount the highlights of the year to date, and then tell you about some of the exciting things coming up this summer. First of all, I want you to know how impressed I am with the hard work and devotion of the Board of Directors, your JAM editor, your webmaster, the Jazz Workshop Board and the many other people who work so hard to promote jazz in Kansas City. After all, this is a volunteer organization, and the generous efforts of these people show a true dedication to jazz. Here are the highlights of '99 so far, as I see them. The Charlie Parker Memorial dedication on March 27 first comes to mind. Our hosting the Saturday morning breakfast and our presence at the related events gave us the opportunity to let people know about the KC Jazz Ambassadors and also JAM Magazine, which came out just in time with its first glossy cover. Hats off to Mike Metheny, Patti Wilkinson and everyone else who helped make that possible. Oh, and one more thing about the Parker event. We were not its sponsors -- the city and 18th and Vine handled that -- but I am very proud that the Jazz Ambassadors we able to sponsor the appearance of Peter King, the renowned bop saxophonist from England. The programs at our monthly meetings in '99 have been especially good. If you weren't with us in January, for example, you missed Angela Hagenbach and Joe Cartwright telling us about their fall tour of Africa. And in February, Robin Rakes showed us a very entertaining video about the legendary Milton Morris and the early days of Kansas City jazz. In March, pianist Rich Hill gave us an informative presentation on the life of composer Alec Wilder, and in April, UMKC professor John Leisenring spoke eloquently about the origins of jazz. Yes, this is my way of letting you in on what you've been missing! We would love to have as many KCJA members as possible attend our meetings. They are always entertaining, informative and great fun. Have you visited the KCJA web site lately? Well, the New York Times has! And they have since referred to it as "one of 10 jazz sites to visit." Go to www.jazzkc.org to find out why. And thanks again to our webmaster Brad Lucht for creating and maintaining this excellent site. An outstanding event presented by the Kansas City Jazz Workshop must also be mentioned here. The salute to Duke Ellington on April 25 was truly an enjoyable afternoon. Thank you to Kerry Strayer, his big band and all the fine musicians for the wonderful music. So, that's what has happened; here's what will happen next. On June 10, Rich Denny and Tim Whitmer, new owners at the Phoenix Piano Bar & Grill, are having a "Jazz Ambassadors Appreciation Night." Come on down to the Phoenix any time after 5:00 p.m., wear your badge, and bring a friend. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce jazz lovers to the KCJA, and it may even inspire some of them to join us! Tim Whitmer and the KC Express will start playing at 6:00 p.m. and continue until 10:00. This year we are going to participate in one of KC's newest events, La Strada dell'Arte, a street painting festival at the Liberty Memorial June 12-13. It is a community-wide event where hundreds of professional, student and amateur artists create chalk "paintings" on the streets at the Memorial. (Admission is free.) For our part, we will be staffing the ice cream and beverage concessions and receive a percentage of sales, which makes it a fund raising opportunity for KCJA. Peter Horak, formerly of the Blues & Jazz Festival, selected us for this opportunity saying that we "ran the best concession operations." We were flattered by that, of course, but now we are going to need more volunteer help. Please join us and lend a helping hand by calling our Volunteers Director, Wayne Davis at 831-0168, e-mail: wdavis@kansascity.com. The Jazz Lover's Pub Crawl. June 24. You will find more details in this issue about the crawl, but this is our big event. The Pub Crawl Committee has been working for months on it and all is on track to make this one the best ever. (And yes, Wayne still needs volunteers.) Next is the Kansas City International Jazz Festival, June 25-27. Crown Center is the perfect setting for this event. And the festival is a perfect opportunity to volunteer. (You know how to reach Wayne, right?) This year's Kansas City Blues & Jazz Festival, July 16-18, has another outstanding lineup. And the Jazz Ambassadors will have both a merchandise and a beverage tent. We will need plenty of help for this one. It's huge. (See above next to "Wayne.") And one more piece of exciting news. We are co-sponsoring, with the Blues Society, a blues and jazz CD that will serve as a fund raiser for Cypress Recovery. As a sponsor, we will have our logo on the CD jacket and all advertising, and we will be invited to participate at the CD release party. This project gives us an opportunity to increase exposure of the KCJA as well as our local jazz talent. (And to sell KCJA merchandise!) Most of all, though, we are helping a very worthwhile organization. So, the summer is upon us! And now is the time to sign up for these events, enjoy the music, make new friends, and perhaps even have a cereal malt beverage or two! RETURN TO JUNE 1999 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.