JAM: June/July 2000 Issue: Correspondence

Memories of Frank
As I type this I am listening to the new Frank Smith CD, From Kansas City to Tokyo. It is wonderful. Doreen Maronde and Bill Crain have done a great service to all of us who love jazz and who loved Frank by pulling together these pieces and giving us something of Frank to keep his memory alive.

All of the proceeds from the sale of this album will go to the Frank Smith Memorial Jazz Scholarship Fund at Johnson County Community College. Seems to me that this would make a great article for an upcoming JAM.

George W. Belzer
Adjunct Professor of Political Science
Johnson County Community College
Webster University

See "News & Notes". And look for a review of this CD in the August/September issue of JAM. -- Ed.

Wake Up Calls
1) Reply to Stan Kessler (JAM, February/March '00). You need to wake up to reality. Anyone who is not familiar with the perils of secondhand smoke has been living in a vacuum the last few years! Studies have shown an increase in tourism, etc. when public smoking is banned.
2) Reply to Steve Irwin, President, Kansas City Jazz International (JAM, April/May '00). You need to wake up to reality, also. The lack of jazz audiences in Kansas City for your recent festivals, at least in our case, is because you chose to do them outdoors, which is the last place we want to be in KC in the mid-summer! If you would have done (the festival) in a smoke-free ballroom, you certainly would have had our presence.

Mickey Witt
Kansas City, MO

Editor's note: Stan Kessler's letter in the Feb./Mar. JAM dealt with his concern about declining attendance in KC's jazz clubs. Irwin's, in the following issue, addressed the demise of the Kansas City International Jazz Festival.

It's Easy
I thoroughly enjoy reading your magazine, but by the time my friends at the local FM station are done reading it and pass it on to me, it is in a sorry state. How can I subscribe?

Thanks,
Dee Traxler
Stoughton, WI

Every issue of JAM contains a page listing the various KCJA membership options as well as single JAM subscription info. We appreciate your interest and support! -- Ed.

A Music Community Loss
I was listening to the rockabilly chix show on KKFI May 12 and was saddened to hear that Jim Strom had lost his fight with cancer. While many area musicians have known Jim for years as co-owner with Matt Kesler of Midwestern Music in Mission, many of the general public might not understand Jim's treasured worth to the music community.

Though it would be too numerous to mention all, I'll give just a few of the things that I'm hip to. Midwestern Music is one of the most comfortable music shops in the Midwest. Though firmly rooted in the blues, rockabilly, psychobilly, jazz and country/western, Jim could help out a musician of any ilk that walked through the door, if they could be helped at all. Who would furnish that Fender Super Reverb amp that some touring national band at the Grand Emporium just had to have? Jim and Matt. The amplifiers that take a beating from many musicians over a three day period in the July heat of the Blues & Jazz Festival are delivered and kept running by Jim and Matt. Jim and Matt have kept my butt out of a jam on more than one occasion. They've stayed open late so I could swing by from one gig to another to grab some harps and maybe some strings. Folks like that ain't easy to come by. My hat's off to 'em.

My heart goes out to Matt and all of Jim's family and friends. I'll miss Jim and his stories that made me forget why I was there in the first place.

God bless ya, Jim,
John Paul Drum
Cat Dancin' Productions
Kansas City, MO

Good Luck, Vanessa!
Dear Jazz Ambassadors,
By the time this issue of JAM comes out, I will have already moved on to Colorado. But I wanted to take this opportunity to let all of you know how very blessed I feel to have known so many of you over the years.

Being president of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors brought so many things to my life and I can't begin to name all of them here. But knowing all of you has been the most special thing of all.

I want to extend a special thanks to Mike Metheny for allowing me to write for JAM and for being the gentlest, kindest editor a person could hope to have. Believe me when I say that he works very hard at what he does.

Big thanks, also, to the many people who have helped me over the years and to those who have just made me laugh. And there have been a lot of laughs! There are so many of you out there; I hope that you know who you are. I love you all.

And now I'm off to some new challenges, way up in the mountains. Perhaps a Rocky Mountain Jazz Society! Do they already have one of those? If not, maybe it's time they did!

I'll come back to KC every now and then; gotta hear some Kansas City music and eat some Gates barbecue. Life just wouldn't be worth living without those things.

So, keep the music flowin' and the sauce hot. And keep me informed about all the jazz "doin's" and good gossip, too.

Best wishes to everyone.
Vanessa Barnard
JazzPres@hotmail.com

Send written correspondence to: Editor/JAM, P.O. Box 36181, Kansas City, MO 64171-6181. Send email to: info@jazzkc.org.

RETURN TO JUNE 2000 MAIN INDEX

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






	Search our site:		Memories of Frank As I type this I am listening to the new Frank Smith CD, From Kansas City to Tokyo. It is wonderful. Doreen Maronde and Bill Crain have done a great service to all of us who love jazz and who loved Frank by pulling together these pieces and giving us something of Frank to keep his memory alive. All of the proceeds from the sale of this album will go to the Frank Smith Memorial Jazz Scholarship Fund at Johnson County Community College. Seems to me that this would make a great article for an upcoming JAM. George W. Belzer Adjunct Professor of Political Science Johnson County Community College Webster University See "News & Notes". And look for a review of this CD in the August/September issue of JAM. -- Ed. Wake Up Calls 1) Reply to Stan Kessler (JAM, February/March '00). You need to wake up to reality. Anyone who is not familiar with the perils of secondhand smoke has been living in a vacuum the last few years! Studies have shown an increase in tourism, etc. when public smoking is banned. 2) Reply to Steve Irwin, President, Kansas City Jazz International (JAM, April/May '00). You need to wake up to reality, also. The lack of jazz audiences in Kansas City for your recent festivals, at least in our case, is because you chose to do them outdoors, which is the last place we want to be in KC in the mid-summer! If you would have done (the festival) in a smoke-free ballroom, you certainly would have had our presence. Mickey Witt Kansas City, MO Editor's note: Stan Kessler's letter in the Feb./Mar. JAM dealt with his concern about declining attendance in KC's jazz clubs. Irwin's, in the following issue, addressed the demise of the Kansas City International Jazz Festival. It's Easy I thoroughly enjoy reading your magazine, but by the time my friends at the local FM station are done reading it and pass it on to me, it is in a sorry state. How can I subscribe? Thanks, Dee Traxler Stoughton, WI Every issue of JAM contains a page listing the various KCJA membership options as well as single JAM subscription info. We appreciate your interest and support! -- Ed. A Music Community Loss I was listening to the rockabilly chix show on KKFI May 12 and was saddened to hear that Jim Strom had lost his fight with cancer. While many area musicians have known Jim for years as co-owner with Matt Kesler of Midwestern Music in Mission, many of the general public might not understand Jim's treasured worth to the music community. Though it would be too numerous to mention all, I'll give just a few of the things that I'm hip to. Midwestern Music is one of the most comfortable music shops in the Midwest. Though firmly rooted in the blues, rockabilly, psychobilly, jazz and country/western, Jim could help out a musician of any ilk that walked through the door, if they could be helped at all. Who would furnish that Fender Super Reverb amp that some touring national band at the Grand Emporium just had to have? Jim and Matt. The amplifiers that take a beating from many musicians over a three day period in the July heat of the Blues & Jazz Festival are delivered and kept running by Jim and Matt. Jim and Matt have kept my butt out of a jam on more than one occasion. They've stayed open late so I could swing by from one gig to another to grab some harps and maybe some strings. Folks like that ain't easy to come by. My hat's off to 'em. My heart goes out to Matt and all of Jim's family and friends. I'll miss Jim and his stories that made me forget why I was there in the first place. God bless ya, Jim, John Paul Drum Cat Dancin' Productions Kansas City, MO Good Luck, Vanessa! Dear Jazz Ambassadors, By the time this issue of JAM comes out, I will have already moved on to Colorado. But I wanted to take this opportunity to let all of you know how very blessed I feel to have known so many of you over the years. Being president of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors brought so many things to my life and I can't begin to name all of them here. But knowing all of you has been the most special thing of all. I want to extend a special thanks to Mike Metheny for allowing me to write for JAM and for being the gentlest, kindest editor a person could hope to have. Believe me when I say that he works very hard at what he does. Big thanks, also, to the many people who have helped me over the years and to those who have just made me laugh. And there have been a lot of laughs! There are so many of you out there; I hope that you know who you are. I love you all. And now I'm off to some new challenges, way up in the mountains. Perhaps a Rocky Mountain Jazz Society! Do they already have one of those? If not, maybe it's time they did! I'll come back to KC every now and then; gotta hear some Kansas City music and eat some Gates barbecue. Life just wouldn't be worth living without those things. So, keep the music flowin' and the sauce hot. And keep me informed about all the jazz "doin's" and good gossip, too. Best wishes to everyone. Vanessa Barnard JazzPres@hotmail.com Send written correspondence to: Editor/JAM, P.O. Box 36181, Kansas City, MO 64171-6181. Send email to: info@jazzkc.org. RETURN TO JUNE 2000 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.