APRIL + MAY 2018

18th & vine Past, Present and – Most Importantly – Its Future THE BLUE ROOM AT TheTheB L U

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MON 2 JAM SESSION: ERNEST MELTON THURS 3 TJ HOOKER THURS 5 RICH HILL/CHARLES PERKINS QUINTET FRI 4 BMW FRI 6 DELYNIA JANNELL LADY D JC THE NEW KING OF FUNK SAT 5 PABLO SANHUEZA & THE KC SAT 7 JAMES WARD BAND LATIN ALL-STARS MON 7 MON 9 JAM SESSION: PABLO SANHUEZA JAM SESSION: ERNEST MELTON THURS 12 CHRIS BURNETT QUARTET THUR 10 HEAT INDEX FRI 13 BMW FRI 11 DA TRUTH HERMON MEHARI JC THE NEW KING OF FUNK SAT 14 CD RELEASE PARTY: CHARLES WILLIAMS SAT 12 JAMES WARD BAND MON 16 JAM SESSION: DEANDRE MANNING MON 14 JAM SESSION: SETH LEE THURS 19 JEFF HARSHBARGER TRIO THUR 17 ROGER WILDER TRIO FRI 20 LADY D FRI 18 JUST A TASTE A JAZZ MAX BERRY TYRONE CLARK SAT 21 IDA MCBETH SAT 19 IDA MCBETH SUN 22 BRUBECK BROTHERS MON 21 JAM SESSION: DESMOND MASON MON 23 JAM SESSION: JASON GOUDEAU THUR 24 BILL MCKEMY TRIO THURS 26 PABLO SANHUEZA & THE KC FRI 25 DELYNIA JANNELL LATIN JAZZ ALL-STARS SONS OF BRASIL FRI 27 THE BAND OASIS SAT 26 ARTHUR WHITE & MERGE MAX GROOVE MON 28 LOUIS NEAL SAT 28 ARTHUR WHITE & MERGE THUR 31 ORQUESTA MUNDO NOUVO MON 30 JAM SESSION: CHRISTIAN SWAN

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Kansas City Jazz Orchestra to Perform in Europe The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra (KCJO) is headed overseas. The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra is now in its 15th season On May 9th and 10th, KCJO takes part in the Hannover En- of presenting concerts, including its 6th season of performances ercity Swinging Jazz Festival in Hannover, Germany. Then on in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The orchestra May 11th and 12th, the orchestra travels to Szczecin, Poland includes 17 of Kansas City’s finest jazz musicians led by Musical to perform another concert. Director and Conductor Clint Ashlock. The Hannover festival began in 1967 on Ascension Day, a Christian celebration. Last year’s event drew 40,000 people, making it one of the largest open-air music festivals in Europe. Musicians Assisting “The festival’s lineup always focuses on quality and variety,” Musicians 101 says Nicolas Sempff, the festival’s booking manager. “A full- KC Jazz ALIVE is planning an educational workshop for size big band of the caliber of the KCJO is unique and we are Kansas City area jazz musicians from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the excited to welcome them to Hannover.” Black Dolphin on April 21st. Singer/songwriter Karla Bauer will also represent Kansas “Musicians Assisting Musicians 101 – The Business of City. Bauer will direct a choir for an Ascension Day service. Jazz” will coach musicians on fine-tuning their music business skills. Karla Bauer will conduct workshops on “how to pro- mote yourself in a digital world” and “the critical information musicians need to be successful in the music industry.” Jon Troz- zolo of Crossroads Media Group will capture photos of musicians performing which they can then use for self-promotion (photos are available to the first 35 musicians to register). Tickets are $25 each. Scholarships are available on request. For more in- formation, contact Macy Layne at macyl@kcjazza- The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra performing in 2017’s live.org. Kansas City Jazz and Heritage Festival

2 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 CONTENTS APRIL + MAY 2018 VOLUME 32, NO. 2

(Jam is published bi-monthly by the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, a non-profit 501(c)(3 organization dedicated to the development and promotion of Kansas City jazz. All rights News & Highlights ...... 2 are reserved. Reproduction of any material is prohibited without consent of the publisher.

To contact the KC Jazz Ambassadors, call (816) 888-4503. For advertising information, call (816) 591-3378 or email 18th & Vine: Past, Present and – [email protected]. Letters should be addressed to: Jam, P.O. Box 36181, Kansas City, MO 64171-6181. To contact the editor, email Most Importantly – Its Future...... 4 [email protected]. “Jam” and “Jazz Lover’s Pub Crawl” are Registered Trademarks of The Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, Inc. Jam/Jazz Ambassador Magazine (Online) ISSN: 1533-0745 EDITOR Folly Jazz News ...... 20 Larry Kopitnik CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Roger Atkinson Joe Dimino Larry Kopitnik David Basse Wayne Goins Mike Metheny Off the Vine ...... 22 Carolyn Glenn Brewer Chuck Haddix Yoko Takemura Chris Burnett Connie Humiston ADVERTISING For the Record ...... 24 Connie Humiston (816) 591-3378 [email protected] TYPOGRAPHY & GRAPHIC DESIGN Rodric McBride Club Scene ...... 27 COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Larry Kopitnik PRINTING Single Source Printing Coda ...... 28 DISTRIBUTION (PRINT) K.C. Jazz Ambassadors DISTRIBUTION (ELECTRONIC) www.kcjazzambassadors.org Next Jam ...... 28

2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PRESIDENT Stephen Matlock On the Cover: APRIL + MAY 2018 PRESIDENT ELECT Jennifer Wismeier TREASURER Suzanne Spencer Left: The Hey Hey Club sign from DIRECTOR AT LARGE Robert Altman’s Cheryl Anderson 1996 film Kansas ADVISORY BOARD City sits in the Tom Alexios | Jim Ramel | Angela Hagenbach Boone Theater. JAM DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Cheryl Anderson Middle: The auditorium in Cripus The Board of Directors gratefully thanks Darrell Hoffman and Bob Clark Attucks School as it and the Jam distribution team for their untiring contributions to the KCJA. looks today. Right: ©2018 Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, Inc. The MLB Urban 18th & vine Youth Academy. Past, Present and – Most Importantly – Its Future

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 3 Past, Present and – Most Importantly – Its Future

4 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 18th & Vine

For two decades, Kansas City’s 18th and Vine district has been defined by its museums. The museums, apparently, were the district’s only hope for broad public acceptance, since a walk down its streets revealed too many empty storefronts and historic sites – at least, you assumed they’re historic sites if they’re still standing – masquerading as boarded up shells. This district is bigger than that. 1500 people live in the area. The city, right now, is spending $7 million on the first phase of a planned $27.6 million in improvements. Behind the scenes, historic buildings are being stabilized and secured. Businesses are being recruited to fill storefronts with new restaurants and clubs. Individuals are investing. The initial fresh successes ring the periphery of the district. But within the core of 18th and Vine, you hear a buzz and excitement from new faces dedicated to making this work. In late March – after this issue goes to press but before you read it – a city-commissioned report will recommend a future path for the American Jazz Museum and the district. Nothing is guaranteed. That report could end up in a city hall closet, investments could dry up, and new business owners could retreat mumbling, never mind. But that’s not the feeling. That underlying excitement is reasoned and measured, yet building beyond anything this district has felt since the museums. Let’s take a look, in alphabetical order, at ten of the buildings and places receiving attention. In most cases, it’s attention the public hasn’t yet seen. Let’s recognize each site’s past and significance, review its current state, and discuss plans for its future. The MLB Urban Youth Academy, the Paseo YMCA and Crispus Attucks School stand out. But every building and space is a critical piece of the jigsaw puzzle defining the future of 18th and Vine.

continued Left: The northwest corner of 19th and Vine, also known as the Roberts Building. The top photo is the corner in 1929. The bottom photo is the corner today. The white building at the right side of each photo was the first African American-owned auto dealership in the United States.

Past, Present and – Most Importantly – Its Future by Larry Kopitnik JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 5 TH 18 & VINE CONTINUED

In the early 1950s, Scotts closed and the building was ac- The Boone Theater quired by the State of Missouri, which converted it to a National In 1922, the land at the southeast corner of 18th and Guard Armory. It became home to the 242nd Engineering Bat- Highland Streets was developed as an outdoor theater, the talion, an all-African American unit. The 242nd disbanded in Highland Gardens, and operated by the father of 1960s civil 1960, when segregation ended in Missouri’s National Guard. A rights leader Leon Jordan. In 1924, the building standing today few years later, the city bought the building from the state for at 1701 E. 18th Street opened as the New Rialto. In 1929, it was one dollar, eventually using it as storage for the Public Works renamed the New Boone Theater for John W. “Blind” Boone, a Department. famous African American pianist and from Missouri, In 1977, the city sold the by then deteriorating structure to recognized as a child prodigy, who died in 1927. In 1949, the the Mutual Musicians Foundation (MMF) for a token fee. The building was remodeled as the Scotts Theater Restaurant and Foundation worked with the Black Economic Union on a plan Show Bar, showcasing music, food and drink, movies, and a to rehabilitate it. An April, 1979 study advocated its conver- theater where the Orpheum Circuit booked touring acts. sion into the KC Jazz Center at a projected cost of $583,128. A January, 1980 study recommended its development as a large

The Boone Theater Inside the Boone Theater, facing the stage

Detail from above the stage area in the Boone Theater

6 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 A worker soldering inside the Boone Theater jazz club for $700,000, referring to the earlier estimate as low. Eventually, MMF sold the building. In 2011, a National Endow- Inside the Boone Theater, facing the stage ment of the Arts grant supported “the predevelopment, design and community planning phases” of restoring the building as Saturday, May 5 • 7:00 p.m. the home of Folk Alliance International at an estimated cost of $2.5 million. No redevelopment occurred. The Boone Theater continued to deteriorate. Today, the city again owns the building. Inside, sunlight shines through holes in its roof. Trash has mostly been cleared, leaving a few relics (the Hey Hey club sign from Robert Altman’s 1996 movie filmed in the district and an armory banner). Also inside, construction workers are stabilizing the struc- ture. In mid-March, scaffolding was removed from the west wall, facing Highland Street. Soon, the roof will be replaced. The Net proceeds benefit heart transplant recipients in KC Boone Theater building is being saved with the hope that, just for more info www.merlejam.com as this site was first used 96 years ago, it will again be a home to entertainment. continued www.knuckleheadskc.com for more info

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 7 TH 18 & VINE CONTINUED Crispus Attucks School On its 1989 nomination to be placed on the National Reg- ister of Historic Places – which was approved in 1991 – Crispus Attucks School, then still in use as an elementary school, was described as “the oldest continually occupied school built for black students in Kansas City.” The nomination continues, “Attucks School was estab- lished in 1893 in a rented building at 1827 E. 18th Street (now razed). The school was named for Crispus Attucks, a black killed at the outset of the Revolutionary War in the Boston Crispus Attucks School Massacre.... The Attucks School operated at this location until two-story brick building to serve the area.... The new Attucks 1894 when it moved to a new building at 2108 E. 18th Street School was completed in 1905 at a cost of $36,811. (now razed). During the late 1890s, the population of the Paseo “In 1911, the Attucks School property was valued at District continued to rise rapidly and the existing Attucks $81,000 and had 13 teachers and 560 students. Only three other School building was deemed inadequate for its many students. black schools, Garrison, Lincoln and Lincoln High School, were In 1904, the School Board authorized the construction of a new comparable in size and in the number of teachers.... By 1922,

The auditorium inside Crispus Attucks School today

8 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 the school was so overcrowded that the school board authorized the construction of a two-story wing which was connected to the east side of the original building.... In 1950, the Attucks School had almost 1000 students.” Bennie Moten graduated from Crispus Attucks School. proposed to his first wife on the steps of the school. Today, plywood covers most windows and doors. Inside, the ceiling has collapsed in some rooms and pigeon dung cakes some of the floors. If you have an opportunity to go inside, city employees warn you that pigeons might fly by and. if they do, they’ll scare the hell out of you. That’s about to change. The Zhou Brothers purchased Attucks School, at 1827 Woodland Avenue, in late February for $100. They plan to convert the campus into an arts and cultural center. The back of the Eblon facade, previously exposed brick, has been secured. The brothers, ShanZuo and DaHuang, born in China, are internationally-renowned contemporary artists. In 1986, the Cherry Blossom night club. There, in a now-legendary late they moved to the United States. In 2011, Barak Obama com- night jazz cutting session, saxophonists Lester Young, Herschel missioned a painting from them which was presented to the Evans and Ben Webster outplayed the visiting “king of tenor president of China. sax,” Coleman Hawkins, and word spread that something Attucks School will not be their first arts center. In 2004, special was happening in Kansas City. they opened the Zhou B Arts Center in Chicago, and another Since that article ran, the facade at 1822 Vine Street has operates in Beijing, China. A city press release raves that “the been stabilized, with a fresh coat of cement on its back side to new center will nurture the creativity and growth of its resi- help preserve the historic structure. dent artists while providing groundbreaking exhibitions to the continued public. It will create a collaborative environment for a thriving community of talented local artists and curators.” The Zhou Brothers expect to develop the school and its surrounding grounds in three phases. Phase one is blight removal. Phase two is occupancy and initial operation. Phase three is improvements and special exhibits. They plan to make a $2 million private investment in the first phase. CD Release Party The Eblon Theater April 14, 8:30 p.m.

Jam profiled this facade – and a facade is all that remains Blue Room, 18th & Vine after a 1984 fire – in our February/March, 2016 issue. This is where Bill Basie played organ to silent movies after finding himself stranded in KC in 1927. In 1933, it was converted to

Personnel on This CD: Charles Williams: Mike Warren: Drums; DeAndre Manning: Bass Purchase: www.CharlesWilliamsPiano.com 816-668-9822 The yellow building is the facade of the Eblon Theater. The Available for Bookings + Customizing Soundtracks white building is the Roberts Building auto dealership.

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 9 TH 18 & VINE CONTINUED Dick Hawk’s at 17th Street and Woodland, in 1912. Today that building MLB Urban Youth Academy is home to the Black Archives of Mid-America. In 1942 and In 1900, the land between 15th Street (today Truman 1943, the park served as an army camp, with tents for soldiers Road) and 17th Terrace, and from Paseo to Woodland Avenue, on leave to stay in while in Kansas City. was acquired by the city to become The Parade, more commonly In the early 1900s, a popular winter activity in The Parade GASLIGHT GRILL known as Parade Park. The city’s first public bathhouse opened flooded the ball fields to create an ice skating rink. I doubt & BACK ROOM they’ll flood the ball fields on that land anymore. in the park in 1901 (it was replaced by a community center in 1940). A General Operating Plant, Machine and Repair shop Today, the new MLB (Major League Baseball) Urban for Kansas City’s parks system was built in the southeast corner, Youth Academy fills the grounds. It’s the seventh Urban Youth Academy in the nation. Its purpose, according to mlb.com, “is to provide our communities inner city youth with a dual op- portunity: to develop into high character, productive members of society and at the same time learn the skills of baseball and softball.” In a 2016 interview with Jam, Mayor Sly James expanded on the Academy’s goals. “It will also provide some academic support,” he said. “They’ll calculate the flight of a baseball over the wall and use baseball and statistics as a way of teaching math. There will be opportunities for kids to learn œe exciting New Red Onion Jazz Babies join Lynn Zimmer for a what it means to be a ground- skeeper, what it means to be a full evening of entertainment on the rst Monday of every month. concessionaire. You want to be a broadcaster? Go up and broadcast this game. But the main thing is ENJOY BEVERAGES AND DINING ON BEAUTIFUL GASLIGHT PATIO that it is going to use baseball to The front of the MLB Urban Youth Academy improve the lives of urban kids in a way that hasn’t been done.” Walk through its entrance at 1622 E. 17th Terrace, and you’re greeted by four new baseball fields. Two regulation fields, a softball field and a Little League field accompany a half-mile walking trail and new basketball courts. A 40,000-square foot indoor facility will house another field – to be used year-round – of- Enjoy scintillating New Orleans jazz and mellow traditional fices and classrooms. The complex is operated by the Kansas City favorites by Lynn Zimmer and the Jazz Band featuring some of Royals. K.C.’s nest jazz musicians Wednesday through Sunday every week. This facility promises to bring a new generation, a fresh audience without preconceptions, PRIVATE ROOMS AVAILABLE FOR PARTIES AND BUSINESS EVENTS to Kansas City’s most historic The indoor facility at the MLB Urban Youth Academy neighborhood. continued No Cover Charge • Kansas Dry Aged Steaks • Seafood • Chef Specialties • Dance Floor 5020 W. 137th St. (Just south of 135th on Briar Drive) Leawood, KS 66224 10 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE 913.897.3540 JAZZ AMBASSADOR • GaslightGrill.com MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 Dick Hawk’s GASLIGHT GRILL & BACK ROOM

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bartender said of the Monarchs, Paseo YMCA “They were the life of Kansas The Paseo YMCA is City in the Negro vicinity.” one of the most historic yet The building, at 1824 Paseo, unrecognized buildings in opened in 1914. Its doors were Kansas City. padlocked in the 1970s. The Ne- On Saturday, Febru- gro Leagues Baseball Museum ary 20th, 1920, in a room acquired it in 2005. Today, the facing Paseo on the south floor that was once a gymnasi- end of building’s main floor, um and the track circling above the constitution for the it have been rebuilt as an elegant National Association of open space. It will become an Colored Professional Base extension of the museum. With Ball Clubs, operating the a state-of-the-art sound system, Negro National League, the room can host special events. Inc., was signed and the The building will reopen as Negro Baseball Leagues The top six photos show the condition of the the Buck O’Neil Education and Paseo YMCA as restoration began. were established. Research Center. A tribute to The Negro Leagues were an integral part of Kansas City’s O’Neil fills a prominent corner of the lobby. jazz culture. Count Basie discussed attending Kansas City Councilman Jermaine Reed credits barbecue baron Ol- Monarchs games on Sundays “because that’s where everybody lie Gates with overseeing the project. Gates and O’Neil were was going on a Sunday afternoon.” The original Blue Room’s friends. Before the baseball legend died, Gates assured him the historic building would be restored. The Paseo YMCA

12 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 In the lobby, an exhibit honors Buck O’Neil This may be the first timeJam has published a photo of a ladies bathroom, but this illustrates the attention to quality seen throughout the finished portions of the Paseo YMCA building.

Actually, let’s set objectivity aside for a moment. The inside The room where the charter was signed is unfinished, but of this building is beautiful. The quality of materials and the plans are for it to be complete before the hundredth anniversary attention to detail shine impeccably. Gates has led this project of the signing in 2020. Upper floors are gutted. They will be beyond restoration. This is a transformation of one of the city’s renovated as offices. Other plans include adding an elevator to most important buildings, a building never experienced by at the north side to make the building handicap accessible. least two of generations of Kansas City residents. Do I sound like I’m gushing? Fine, I’m gushing. You will, too, when you continued see it. The Paseo YMCA This space was once the gymnasium and running track of the Paseo YMCA

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 13 Above: This is the room where the charter which created the Negro Baseball Leagues was signed as it looks today. Below: This board shows the plans for the renovation of the room where the Negro Leagues charter was signed.

14 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 TH 18 & VINE CONTINUED

The upper floors of the Paseo YMCA have been gutted. They will be converted to modern office space. The Roberts Building The Roberts Building, at 1826 Vine Street, was the first African American-owned auto dealership in the United States. On the stairwell door in A veteran of World War I, Homer Roberts returned to Kansas City in 1919 and the Paseo YMCA, costs are started selling cars from an office at 1509 E. 18th Street. In March of 1923, he moved posted for its renovation. into the new building on Vine. In December of 1924, he purchased the building. An article in one of Kansas City’s African American newspapers of the era reads: “That a Negro business man has bought outright a substantial building on a 70- foot frontage at 1826-30 Vine Street for a location for his company was considered an event of major importance in the business district in that vicinity and along nearby Eighteenth Street. Homer Roberts of the Roberts Company, a motor car company sell-

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JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 15 continued on page 27

TH 18 & VINE CONTINUED

ing only to Negroes, has done this. He bought last week a 2-story building from John T. Bears for $70,000. “The structure was erected last spring for occupancy of the Roberts Company. A 10-year lease written then included a purchase option, which was exercised last week. The lease called for an annual rent of $3,600. “The Roberts Company handles about ten lines of cars, this being permitted by manu- facturers because the selling field is limited to Negroes. Fifty-four workers, all Negroes, are employed by the company.... “The purchase of the business property is to have a holiday aspect. The deed will be given to the buyer on Christmas Eve.” By 1926, the growing business added new sales offices along 19th Street, between Paseo and Vine. By the end of 1927, the entire northwest corner of 19th and Vine would be known as the Roberts Building, with a drug store, barber and beauty shops, a shoe store, a dress store, and professional offices. This is what is behind the walls at 19th and Vine today. In the right half is the angled corner which faces the intersection.

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16 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 continued on page 27

When World War II restricted the manufacture of auto- mobiles, Roberts rejoined the army, eventually working in the army’s press office in the Pentagon. He died in Chicago in 1952. Today, the building’s interior is a decayed mess. The floor has collapsed. Behind one door along 19th Street, a freezer has fallen through it. Ceilings are gone. Plywood has replaced walls. For now, it’s too dangerous to step inside the building on Vine which was originally the auto dealership. That structure was damaged when a fire in a nearby building last year spread. But it has been secured. The buildings are not going away. Plans are to stabilize JUNE 16 and save them and the history they represent. The hope is that KAUFFMAN CENTER eventually shops and offices will again line these stretches of Vine and 19th Streets. But it’s going to take a while. The Security Loan and Investment Association The caption on a 1923 news photo of The Security Loan and Investment Association reads, “The office building and home of the Company, located at 1816 Vine Street, a newly built building, strictly modern and has on the second floor two office rooms and a reception room, and in the rear it has a JUNE 24 four room apartment besides the first floor that the company KC MUSIC HALL occupies. The building has a rental income of $800.00 per year and is easily worth $20,000.00.”

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JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 17 TH 18 & VINE CONTINUED

An ad for the Association declares, “The Foundation For a Negro Bank! The Company recently increased its capital from $10,000 to $50,000, for the express purpose of creating a surplus to establish a Negro Bank in Kansas City.” In February of last year, an early morning fire started by a homeless person gutted the building. Inside, the outline of stairs leading to the second floor is scorched on the wall. The building’s exterior walls had been leaning and had already been stabilized by the city, which probably saved them. The debris inside has mostly been cleared. The building awaits plans for restoration. The Shannon Building The Shannon Building, on the northwest corner of 18th and Vine Streets, across Vine from where the Blue Room sits

The Shannon Building once stood on the northwest corner of 18th and Vine. Discussions are underway to put a restaurant The interior of the The Security Loan and Investment Association and/or nightclub in the first floor space there today. was gutted by a fire in 2017. On the left, in black, you see where stairs led to the second floor scorched onto the wall.

18 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 The Shannon Building shortly before it was torn down. Photo from Kansas City: Mecca of the New Negro by Sonny Gibson. today, was gone by the time new construction started in the district more than twenty years ago. But it is remembered for its gym on an upper floor which was home to The Professional Boxing Club. Boxing legend Joe Louis sparred there on visits to Kansas City. The first floor space in the building standing today on that corner, at 1520 E. 18th Street, is empty. It is being looked at as a likely location for a new restaurant and/or nightclub. The Street Hotel In his book on the history of Kansas City jazz, Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop, Chuck Haddix writes, “The elegant three-story brick Street Hotel that graced the northeast corner of 18th and Paseo was financed by funeral director T.B. Watkins and businessman R.S. Street. In May 1923, the Kan- sas City Call noted the Street fulfilled the ‘need for a properly equipped and properly managed hotel to house the transient and traveling public.’ ‘The Street’s,’ as it became affectionately known, provided African Americans shelter from white hostil- ity they often encountered while traveling. Well appointed, the Discussions are ongoing to put a restaurant and/ or club in the first floor space of the building that stands today where the Street Hotel once stood, The Peachtree Restaurant once filled that space.

Street’s boasted sixty rooms with hot and cold running water. The area’s numerous social clubs packed the Rose Room, a fine dining room accommodating 300, and the Blue room, a fashionable cabaret tucked in the rear, known as the place ‘to meet, to see, and to be seen.’” The site of the hotel, 1508-12 E. 18th Street, was a grassy lot by the time new construction began in the district. The first floor space in the building there today is best remembered for housing the Peachtree Restaurant. The interior has been gut- ted and it is being actively marketed to a new restaurant and/ or nightclub operator. The Street Hotel, from a postcard continued on page 25

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 19 FOLLY JAZZ NEWS GALE TALLIS

8 Great Musicians and 35 Years The Folly Jazz Series wraps up our 35th season with 8 of vibraphone, Edward Simon on piano, Matt Penman on bass, the best musicians playing the music with the SF Jazz Collective. and Obed Calvaire on drums. The SF Jazz Collective’s goals clear, but not at all easy ones Saxophonist David Sánchez started with Dizzy Gillespie’s to pull off: Bring together an all-star ensemble of eight of the United Nations Orchestra and has since recorded nine albums of his own. He’s a five-time Grammy nominee, with a 2004 Latin Grammy Award win for his orchestral ses- sion, Coral. His latest album, Ninety Miles: Live at Cuba- disco, was recorded in Cuba with trumpeter Christian Scott and vibraphonist Ste- fon Harris. Miguel Zenón has re- corded ten albums and is both a Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow (he can claim more than a few Grammy nominations, too). Zenón’s music balances innovation with tradition. He’s considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, developing a unique voice as a composer who mixes Latin American folkloric music and jazz. Sean Jones’ music be- gan with gospel and shifted finest performer/ working in jazz today, then each to jazz when, as a teenager, he heard Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. year perform new of works by a modern master He was lead trumpeter in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and plus new compositions by each Collective member. today is Artistic Director of both the Pittsburgh and Cleveland This year, the Collective is honoring trumpeter, composer Jazz Orchestras. and innovator . Perhaps more than any other figure, Robin Eubanks has been named “Trombonist of the Year” Davis changed the sound of jazz throughout his career. five times in the DownBeat Critics Poll. He has worked with Art And when we say the work of Davis will be honored by Blakey, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones and the Rolling Stones. He’s some of the greatest musicians playing jazz today, we’re not recognized by many as the premier trombonist of his generation. kidding. On Friday, April 27th, you’ll hear David Sánchez on Folly Jazz Series regulars know Warren Wolf’s vibraphone. tenor , Miguel Zenón on , Sean Jones He joined Cyrus Chestnut on our stage last year. He has on trumpet, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Warren Wolf on toured with Bobby Watson and Christian McBride. His first

20 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 two albums featured Mulgrew Miller on piano. His album Convergence included McBride, John Scofield, Brad Mehldau 2017–2018 and Jeff “Tain” Watts. Kansas City also knows Edward Simon. He plays piano with Bobby Watson’s esteemed ensemble Horizon. Gigs with Herbie Mann, Paquito D’Rivera, Bobby Hutcherson and Ter- rance Blanchard are also on his resume, along with ten CDs as a leader. Two of them made the New York Times list of top ten jazz records of the year. In 2010, Simon was named a Gug- genheim Fellow. 35TH ANNIVERSARY Bassist Matt Penman hails from New Zealand, attended Berklee in Boston, then settled in New York. He has recorded with Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, Kurt Rosen- winkle, Nnenna Freelon and Madeleine Peyroux. That’s quite a resume. April 27 Obed Calvaire has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Steve Turre, Lizz Wright, Eddie Palmeri, the SFJAZZ Collective: Yellow Jackets, Seal, Mary J. Blidge, the Village Vanguard The Music of Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, and the Roy Hargrove Big Band. That’s also quite a resume. Miles Davis The SF Jazz Collective honors Miles Davis at the Folly on Friday, April 27th at 8:00 p.m. Bob McWilliams hosts a and JazzTalk at 7:00 p.m. Tickets start at $20 and are available at www.follytheater.org or by calling 816-474-4444. Original Compositions

Musicians Assisting Musicians 101: The Business of Jazz

7:00 pm JazzTalk with Bob McWilliams 8:00 pm Concert Workshop by National Recording Artist Karla Bauer Saturday, April 21, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Black Dolphin 1813 Grand, KCMO Tickets / Info: $25: https://tinyurl.com/MAM101 Scholarships Available: Macy Layne: [email protected] First 35 musicians to register: On-stage Photos for Your Own Promotion!

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 21 OFF THE VINE CLAIRE MCDONALD

Nurturing the Legacy of Kansas City Jazz Every Saturday afternoon, the lobby of the Gem Theater Clarence Smith, the director of Kansas City Jazz Academy is filled with the sounds of chord progressions and wavering (KCJA), thinks of an ensemble as a team. It provides each young crescendos. One musician switches back and forth between musician an opportunity to bring something to the table and an alto saxophone and a trombone. A drummer stretches his respect the contributions of others. “I think it’s the ultimate arms wide to play on two drums kits at the same time, keeping activity for students, the absolute best activity for young people a steady beat. As players warm up with chromatic scales, the to be involved in,” he muses. Students in grades 7-12, like those sound of a single trumpet playing the theme from Star Wars described above, play in different ensembles like big band, rises above them all. The sights and sounds of these middle combos, and in improvisation classes. and high school students warming up for their Kansas City Jazz Academy specifically emphasizes improvisation. “The Jazz Academy lesson at the American Jazz Museum provides a biggest challenge for middle school and high school jazz stu- glimpse into the future of Kansas City jazz. dents is the ability to improvise,” Smith says. “My goal for the The main focus of this particular class was musical notation. Academy is to give students the tools they need to have a better Students had to handwrite their instruments’ part from memory understanding for playing solos.” The importance of thinking for Duke Ellington’s “C-Jam Blues” on blank staff paper. As the on your feet and leading the charge in a solo is one of the most instructor tested students on the notes for alto saxophone versus obvious traits separating jazz from other forms of music. Con- trombone, the teens eagerly jumped in to respond and help each fidence, individuality, and creativity are the products of jazz other write the correct parts. This collaboration highlights one improvisation. When teens are finding their own voices in the world, KCJA helps lay that foundation. KCJA creates an edu- cational pipeline, instilling an interest in music from a young age. Classes are offered to two young age groups: toddler/pre-K and elementary school grade levels. Fundamental musi- cal elements are introduced through song, movement, storytelling, and begin- ner instrument work. In one elementary class, chil- dren sang solfège as they played on mallet instru- ments. While practicing “Hot Cross Buns,” they paid attention to their classmates of the many exceptional aspects of the Academy. Not only are so they could maintain a group pace. Basic listening skills and students given the opportunity to improve their musical skills group dynamics complemented more advanced musical lessons, and work with some of the top musical educators in the area, like defining jazz vocabulary words and finding notes on the but they unite as an ensemble to learn from and teach their scale using instruments. peers.

22 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 Jam Supporter

[email protected]

The fact that KCJA is located at 18th and Vine, one of the most important locations in jazz history, is truly special. “The museum location is an important educational piece. Frankly, Your Jazz SourceHOLIDAY for I think that we need to be in the lead in providing opportuni- 31 YEARS!GIFT ties for anyone interested in learning about jazz, whether it’s GET YOUR IDEAS! performing, research, or preserving the history. 18th and Vine should be the catalyst for all things jazz,” Smith proposes. MONEY’S WORTH Executive Director Cheptoo Kositany-Buckner couldn’t agree more. She started Kansas City Jazz Academy in 2016 when she noticed that the museum lacked a formal jazz education Advertise in Jam program. With the museum’s proximity to several Kansas City “… The ad was really effective. We appreciate the quality public swwchools, Kositany-Buckner felt that Jazz Academy coverage of the arts that you bring to Kansas City. Jam has a tremendous national reputation and continues to be a voice in could be an asset to those lacking arts programs. In a district the jazz community.” — Patrice and Jay Sollenberger that provides all students with free lunches, an affordable pro- gram was essential. “The mission of KCJA is to provide Kansas • Approximate readership: 60,000 per issue. City youth with a state-of-the-art education program that is • Added exposure through our website version. culturally relevant,” Kositany-Buckner explains. The aim of the • Jam is unique in reaching tourists, via online & program isn’t just to cultivate the future Charlie Parkers. It also at tourist attractions & hotels. creates a love of jazz in younger generations. The students who “Everybody I know reads it …” — Karrin Allyson attend Kansas City Jazz Academy are the next jazz ambassadors, Distributed to 300+ KC and Lawrence locations: retail, advocates, and civic leaders who will make preserving Kansas restaurants, colleges, libraries, museums, hotels, visitor City’s jazz heritage a priority. As Kositany-Buckner says, “We centers, casinos & other tourist attractions + Missouri can always use more people on the side of jazz!” venues + mailed to members + handed out at events The summer session of Kansas City Jazz Academy begins Closing date for advertising in the in June. KCJA is free to all toddler/pre-K and elementary stu- June + July 2018 issue is May 15: dents. There is a $10 registration fee for 7-12th grade students, with needs-based financial aid available. To learn more about Connie Humiston 816-591-3378 registration, visit americanjazzmuseum.org/kcjazzacademy. [email protected]

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 23 FOR THE RECORD

The other tunes include the Charlie Parker classic “Scrapple The Myers Swingset From the Apple,” and both Embrey and Myers stand out here. Danny’s last solo chorus has a great bridge followed by a nice The Instrumental One / descending line in the last section, a fairly exciting finish. My- ers’ solo is just fine bop excitement. Freddie Hubbard’s “Little Live at Green Lady Sunflower” is the perfect wrap, a tune that perfectly sums up Personnel: Jackie Myers, keyboards; Danny Embrey, guitar; where this quartet is coming from, that late 1960s time when Daniel Hogans, drums; Eddie Criswell, bass. soul-jazz fusion (and this particular tune) were very popular. Tracks: The Instrumental One, Haaspitalities, Comataos, Five I still like that soul-jazz genre, and the inclusion of Danny Card Bloose, Scrapple From the Apple, Strollin’ in Milwalkie, Embrey certainly adds to the success of the record. Plus, Jackie Achording to Jim, Little Sunflower Myers has a new fan: me. Recorded live at Green Lady Lounge. Ethan Erisman, recording —Roger Atkinson engineer. Mixed by Charlie Kramsky. Mastered by Nick Landis. When Kansas City jazz fans Jeff Shirley see a recording with Danny Em- brey in the band, they will likely Point of the Story have immediate interest. Such is Artists Recording Collective the case with this new release by the Myers Swingset, a live record- Personnel: Jeff Shirley, guitar; Roger Wilder, piano and Rhodes (except track 7); Bob Bowman, bass; Matt Leifer, drums; Ryan ing from the Green Lady Lounge. Thielman, flugelhorn (tracks 1,6,12) The Swingset is led by key- Tracks: Boysenberry, Descasso, Clear as Day, Prima Facie, board player Jackie Myers, who Selenelion, Freeholder, Hatching Atavistic, Gharial, Geedis, tours from her base in Austin’s eclectic music scene. Myers Flotilla Magi, Gerkin’s Sister Temple, Rooms of Anacreon, Once also sings, but this set is The Instrumental One,and as such she in an Eternity World, Stiltman sticks to her electric keyboard. Myers also composed six of the Recorded at Weights and Measures Studio, Kansas City. eight tracks here, and approaches jazz more from a solid R&B Engineered and Mastered by Duane Trower point of view. I really enjoyed Jeff Shirley’s On my first listen, the opening title track sounded much earlier record, 3 Degrees Above Ab- like a mid-1970s Les McCann set opener, an easy-going track solute Zero, noting his great clean that features the first of many solidly flowing Embrey guitar tone and long melodic guitar solos. I like the mood changes on the dense “Haaspitalities”, lines. The Pat Metheny influence which moves from ominous to calm. The moods here are led was there, but as Jeff made all by the lines from electric bassist Eddie Criswell. The track felt the sounds on that record it was repetitive at first, but as they moved through the solos from unique from Metheny’s record- Myers and Embrey the groove won me over. ings. “Comataos” (the Myers tune names are as much fun as On Point of the Story Shirley has a band, and it is a great the music) is some nice funk that serves Myers (digging hard) band, to assist in his explorations. The result is a rather straight- and Embrey (sounded sassy to me) well. “Five Card Bloose” is a ahead jazz guitar led session, digging through fourteen Shirley blues in five with more nice bass work from Criswell. “Strollin’ originals. in Milwalkie” has some reggae Embrey comping, and he just Everything I liked about Shirley’s playing in the former wails on his solo. Danny states the theme on “Achording to Jim,” disc is here in The Point of the Story.I can now add that he is another nice groove that allows drummer Daniel Hogans to a fine composer as well. The Metheny influence still shows shine. here, especially on the opener “Boysenberry,” “Selenelion,” and “Once In an Eternity World,” all pretty melodies with a strong Correction rhythmic element that prove to be good solo vehicles. But the The last issue of Jam incorrectly identified the title of writing is quite varied. “Descasso” is a bossa nova, “Clear as Day” Stanton Kessler’s new CD. The correct title is Skywatcher. features an effective inclusion of a salsa rhythm to break up a Jam regrets the error. swinging 4/4, “Freeholder” is “Sidewinder”-ish (with Shirley

24 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 sounding more Scofield than Metheny), and the rock “Gerkin’s Sister Temple” (again more Scofield). “Rooms of Anacreon” does “KANSAS CITY HERE I COME” indeed wander nicely through a few episodic rooms, keeping us guessing what is behind the next door. And “Flotilla Magi” Check out videos on DeborahBrown.net is a pretty ballad that has the clean Shirley guitar at its most dramatic. Listen to The band is rock solid throughout. Bob Bowman’s solos are exquisite everywhere. He’s a weaver of great melodies. DEBORAH BROWN’s He is a master of counterpoint (as in the “Descasso” melody “Kansas City statement), and his fills during Roger Wilder’s piano solo on Here I Come” and “Flotilla Magi” are magical. Roger plays both piano and Fender Rhodes, and I like his playing on both. His Rhodes solo on “All Too Soon” at “Prima Facie” features his flowing changes, and it’s his solo on DeborahBrown.net, “Hatching Atavistic” that seems to get this tune flowing. That then buy the CDs at chord movement is again featured on “Gharial,” another pretty Shirley ballad. CDbaby.com I cannot say enough about Matt Leifer’s drum work throughout. He proves to be a versatile monster. He is aggressive where it is called for (“Boysenberry,” for starters), plays the Billy Higgins role on “Freeholder,” swings hard on “Geedis,” nails the rhythm changes on “Clear as Day,” and has a nice solo feature to wind up “Prima Facie.” He is the rock on “Gerkin’s Sister Temple.” His presence adds to the music throughout the record. Ryan Thielman is added on three tracks, and his flugelhorn is featured on the opener and “Rooms of Anacreon,” and he joins in on an odd closing section of “Freeholder.” The recording is long, a full 75 minutes, longer than a Mahler symphony. I would not want a shorter program, as there are too many great moments. But it might be better to think of this as two LPs, and split the listen into halves, to best enjoy the show. —Roger Atkinson

TH 18 & VINE CONTINUED FROM 19 1819 Vine This building is remembered as a beauty salon. A series of electric outlets still line its south inside wall. Photos of buildings

Inside, 1819 Vine is being converted into a new jazz club.

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 25 TH 18 & VINE CONTINUED

Most of this photo is the Booker T Hotel, today a parking lot. The 1819 Vine Street building But on the left is the 1819 Vine building in 1936. Photo used by permission of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Libraries, Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections. which once filled the 18th and Vine district fill its windows. Inside, it is being remodeled to house a new jazz club. The drum set is already there. Jam has been invited back, to document the progress as build- ings in the district are stabilized and renovated. We have ac- cepted the invitation.

SPONSORS

 Carol Blum and Steven  Mike and Debra Gerken  John and Linda Nobles Wilson—Corporate Sponsor  Dennis Gredell and Lori Wohlschlaeger  Penny Oathout  Mark Edelman and 12th Street  Gary and Angela Hagenbach  William Paprota Jump—Corporate Sponsor  Steven and Patty Hargrave  John Peterson  DeMasters Insurance—  Brett and Joyce Kynard  Randell Sedlacek and Mary Ventura Corporate Sponsor  Gene and Sarah Lowrey  Gaston Saliou-Diallo, MD  The Grille at Park Place  Jo Lowry  Paul and Sara Smith  Jon and Wendy McGraw,  Charles and Marada McClintock  Merle Stalder Buttonwood Financial Group  Sid and Carole McKnight  William Sullivan LLC—Corporate Sponsor  Beverly and Ed Mann  Robert Thompson and Mary Wurtz  Gale Tallis, Folly Theater— Corporate Sponsor  Stephan and Terrell Mann  Julie Turner Ruskin  Mike T. White—Corporate Sponsor  Barbara Mathewson  Tom and Geri  John and Alice Blegen  Edward Morris  James and Sarah Weitzel  Rebecca Ehrich and Robert Kemper  Jamie and Alan Myers  Nelson and Mary Ellen Farney  Loren and Christine Myers

26 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 CLUB SCENE LOCAL LIVE JAZZ & BLUES

B Bodee's BBQ & Burgers 522 S Main, Grain Valley .... 816-867-5511 18TH & VINE MIDTOWN/WESTPORT Fri. — Jam 8:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. J Bayou on the Vine J Californos Sat. — Live Blues 8:00 p.m. 1601 E. 18th Street ...... 816-599-7812 4124 Pennsylvania ...... 816-531-1097 Fri. - Sat. — Live music 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. Live Jazz B Daily Limit 523 E Red Bridge Rd ...... 816-942-0400 J The Blue Room JB Jazz - A Louisiana Kitchen Fri. — Live Blues 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. 18th & Vine ...... 816-474-2929 39th & State Line ...... 816-531-5556 Mon. — Blue Monday Jam Mon. - Sat. — Live Music, 7:00 p.m. B Dirty Harry’s Thur. - Sat. — Live Jazz 3100 MO-7, Blue Springs.... 816-224-2779 B The Levee Wed. - Fri. — Live Blues J Kansas City Blues & Jazz Juke House 16 W. 43rd St ...... 816-561-5565 1700 E. 18th Street ...... 816-472-0013 Wed. - Blues Jam 8:00 p.m. B Joe’s Standard Thurs. - Open Jam session 7:30-11:30 p.m. Thurs.- Sat. — Live Music 1204 NW Hwy 7, Fri. - Live Band 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. Blue Springs ...... 816-228-4878 JB Westport Coffeehouse Theater Wed. — Jam 7:30 - 11:30 p.m. Sat.- Live Band 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. 4010 Pennsylvania ...... 816-756-3222 Mutual Musicians Foundation Wed. - Thurs. — Live Music B Knuckleheads J 2715 Rochester Ave ...... 816-483-1456 1823 Highland ...... 816-471-5212 Westport Saloon Fri. - Sat. — Late Night Jazz 1:00 a.m. B Wed. - Sun. — Live Music 4112 Pennsylvania ...... 816-960-4560 Sat. - Sun. — Blues Jam 1:00 p.m. Mon., Thurs. — Live Blues 9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. Tues. — Blues Jam 10:00 p.m. B Konrads Kitchen DOWNTOWN 302 SW Main, J Black Dolphin Lee’s Summit ...... 816-525-1871 1813 Grand ...... 816-215-2954 PLAZA Fri. — Live Blues 8:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Fri. - Sat. – Live Jazz 7:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. J American Slang Modern Brasserie @ J The Piano Room J The Brick InterContinental Hotel 8410 Wornall Rd...... 816-363-8722 1727 McGee ...... 816-421-1634 401 Ward Parkway ...... 816-303-2945 Fri. - Sat. 8:00 - 12:00 — Dave McCubbin Live Jazz & Eclectic Sundays: Jazz Brunch w/Jessica Page Duo 10am-2pm J The Chesterfield Tues. – Thurs. Live Music 7-11pm SOUTH 14th & Main ...... 816-474-4545 Fri, - Sat. - Live Music 8:00 - Midnight Wed. — West Coast Swing J Café Trio J Bristol Seafood Grill Fri. — Swing 4558 Main Street ...... 816-756-3227 5400 W. 119th St ...... 913-663-5777 Sat. — Salsa Tues. - Wed. — Live Jazz 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Sun. 5:00 - 8:00 — Live Music J Corvino’s Supper Club Thurs. - Sat. — Live Jazz, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. J Cascone’s 1830 Walnut ...... 816-832-4564 J Eddie V’s 6863 W.91st. Street ...... 913-381-6837 Tues. – Fri. – Jazz Soloist 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. 700 W. 47th St ...... 816-531-2537 Sat.— Live Jazz 7:00 -10:00 p.m. Fri. – Sat. – Jazz, Latin 9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. 7 days a week – Live jazz in the lounge J Gaslight Grill and Back Room J Green Lady Lounge J Parkway Social Kitchen on the Plaza 5020 W. 137th Street ...... 913-897-3540 1809 Grand ...... 816-215-2954 616 Ward Parkway ...... 816-214-5616 Wed. - Sun. — 6:30 Lynn Zimmer Jazz Band 7 days a week — Live Jazz Live music every Thurs. - Sat. J La Bodega Tapas & Lounge J Hush Broadway J Raphael Hotel, Chaz Restaurant 4311 West 119th St...... 913-428-8272 1000 Broadway, Suite ..... (913) 203-9884 325 Ward Parkway ...... 816-756-3800 Sun. — Live Music 6:00 - 8 00 p.m. Thurs. — Live music 7:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m. Mon. - Sat. — Live Jazz B Llyewelyn’s Fri. — Live music 9:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m. Sun. — Jazz Brunch 10:00 - 1:00 6995 W 151st ...... 913-402-0333 Sat.-Sun. — Live music 8:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m. Tues. — Blues Jam 7:30 p.m. JB The Kill Devil Club Sat. - Sun. — Live Music 14th & Main ...... 816-588-1132 NORTH J The Rooftop at The Grille Fri. - Sat. 8:00 p.m - 1:00 a.m. J Cascone’s North at Park Place J Majestic Restaurant 3737 North Oak Trfy...... 816-454-7977 5270 W. 116th Pl ...... 913-766-0920 931 Broadway ...... 816-221-1888 Sat. — Live Jazz Fri. - Sat — Live jazz 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. 7 days a week — Live Jazz B Frank James Saloon J Sullivan’s Steakhouse JB The Phoenix 10919 MO-45, Parkville ..... 816-505-0800 4501 W. 119th St...... 913-345-0800 302 W. 8th Street ...... 816-221-jazz Thurs. — Open Mic 7:00 p.m. 7 days a week — Live Jazz Tues.-Thurs. – Live music 7:00 - 11:00 p.m. B The Hideout Fri. - Sat. — Live Music 4:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. 6948 N Oak Trafficway WEST Sat. - Sun. – Live Music 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Gladstone ...... 816-468-0550 Mon. — Blues Jam 7:00 p.m. JB 4220 Rhythm & Blues Lounge B Prohibition Hall 4220 Leavenworth Rd, 1118 McGee ...... 816-446-7832 JB Johnny’s Back Yard KCK ...... 913-232-9827 Thurs. — Blues Jam 7:00 p.m. 1825 Buchanan, NKC ...... 816-985-1157 Sun. — Jazz/R&B/Blues Jam 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. Reserve Reataurant & Lounge Fri. - Sat. — Live Music 9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. J Sun. — Blues Jam 7:00 p.m. J Jazz at Legends Ambassador Hotel 1859 Village W Pkwy, 1111 Grand Blvd ...... 816-298-7700 J Repeal 18th KCK ...... 913-328-0003 Sat. — Live jazz 8:00 - 11:00 p.m. 1825 Buchanan St., NKC .... 816-527-9819 Wed. - Sat. — Live Jazz Wed. - Sat. — Live Music J The Ship B Kobi’s Bar and Grill 1217 Union Avenue ...... 816-471-7447 J Soirée New Orleans Bistro 113 Oak, Bonner Springs .... 913-422-5657 Thurs. — Live Jazz 9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. 14121 Earthworks Drive Sun. — Live Blues 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. Tank Room Smithville ...... 816-476-6002 J Fri. – Sat. — Live jazz 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. J Lucky Brewgrille 1813 Grand Blvd ...... 816-214-6403 5401 Johnson Drive ...... 913-403-8571 Mon. — Live Music 8:00 - 11:00 p.m. Thurs. — Live Jazz 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Sat. — Live Music 8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. EAST J Yj’s Snack Bar B.B’s Lawnside BBQ 128 W. 18th Street ...... 816-472-5533 B 1205 E. 85th Street ...... 816-822-7427 J Jazz B Blues Wed., Thurs., and Sun. — Live Jazz Tues. - Sun. — Live Blues Sat. 2:00 - 5:30 — Jazz & Blues Jam w/Mama Ray

JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 27 CODA LARRY KOPITNIK

Kansas City’s Identity A year ago at this time, the American Jazz Museum was a track record of success and access to money, have purchased planning a festival. Crispus Attucks School to convert into an arts center. Ollie That didn’t go so well. Gates and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum have trans- News stories reinforced, and continue to reinforce, a nega- formed the main floor of the Paseo YMCA – unaccessible to tive image that many in Kansas City clutch of the 18th and Vine the public for decades – into a gorgeous space. The MLB Urban district. The city has spent too much money there. Everything Youth Academy has turned an underused park into brand new is empty. Buildings are falling down. It’s not safe. Why don’t baseball diamonds managed by the Kansas City Royals. we just give up on it. The district, not for the first time, faces a tipping point. Google “Kansas City.” The overview topping the page Talk to the people in charge and you hear a cautious but re- that opens up begins with this: “Kansas City sits on Missouri’s alistic optimism. Leases along 18th Street are not signed, but western edge, straddling the border with Kansas. It’s known businessmen with resources are interested. Floors in historic for its barbecue, jazz heritage and fountains. Downtown, the buildings are gone, but those buildings will remain. A city- American Jazz Museum shares a building with the Negro commissioned report will lay out a blueprint for the future of Leagues Baseball Museum in the historic 18th & Vine Jazz the jazz museum and the district. The Urban Youth Academy District.” will bring a new generation into 18th and Vine, youth with The district cradles Kansas City’s identity. That’s why we their own first impressions. don’t give up. Councilman Jermaine Reed is one of the district’s stron- But we can’t deny failure. When the museums opened gest advocates. He talks about building foot traffic as a key to in 1997, false fronts remained from the filming of Robert rebuilding the neighborhood. He’s right. Decades of negative Altman’s 1996 film Kansas City, masking decay. Today, those impressions can only be overcome by success growing on success. fronts – and some of the buildings they hid – are gone. Today, The district needs to embrace a diversity of experiences. It too many storefronts sit barren. Too many structures wear never thrived on jazz alone and it never will. This is an entertain- painted plywood in lieu of windows and doors. The rebuilt ment district unlike any other in the world. No area anywhere, homes and Rochester Hotel surrounding the Mutual Musicians except in Kansas City, can claim to be or to have been home Foundation on Highland are wonderful, but they’re just half to the birth of Negro Leagues baseball, America’s first African a block of success. Mostly, the core of the district looks worse American-owned auto dealership, the Mutual Musicians Foun- than it appeared two decades ago. dation, an MLB Urban Youth Academy, an arts center, Black Massive debt at the jazz museum, revealed last summer, Archives, museums, Alvin Ailey, and Kansas City swing. dropped a pall over the district, an unspoken sense that its There’s little new in that vision. Cynics will declare we’ve failures had peaked. 18th and Vine’s centerpiece was broken. tried this before, we’ve been trying this for twenty years, and Maybe that was the catalyst Kansas City needed. we’ve failed. It’s a valid point. The work required to refresh the The Kansas City Council allocated $7 million, the first district may be too overwhelming. Maybe that’s why it hasn’t phase of a planned $27.6 million investment in 18th and Vine. happened. The city bought most district buildings it didn’t already own. But a splash of successes have set a starting point. Look at It brought in professional realtors with a passion for the area to the work 18th and Vine’s new advocates, both in the city and recruit businesses to the empty spaces. And it began to stabilize private sector, have begun. Listen to their determination and and save the history behind the painted plywood. enthusiasm. Then try not to be prudently optimistic. Out of public view, or touted in press releases few of us We’re looking at a new opportunity to rebuild the cradle notice, are successes. The Boone Theater building is being sta- of Kansas City’s identity. bilized. It will be saved. Internationally acclaimed artists, with NEXT JAM

“When I set up a drum set, I’m building something new every single time,” says drummer and percussionist Brandon Draper. When you see Draper perform, there’s no telling what kind of instruments he’ll bring. We ask him about it in the next issue of Jam.

28 APRIL + MAY 2018 • JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE JAZZ AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE • APRIL + MAY 2018 Jazz by the Lake concert series • FREE KANSAS CITY KANSAS First Thursdays at noon in Flunder Lodge COMMUNITY COLLEGE Light lunch provided “Making life better” Sponsored by Midwest Regional Credit Union

STUDY MUSIC AT KCKCC • AFFORDABLE • SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE • REAL WORLD TRAINING Kansas City Jazz Summit • April 24, 25, 26, 27, 2018 Middle School • High School • College • Big Bands • Combos • Vocal Jazz Competitive and Non-Competitive Components Thursday, April 26, 9am-6pm: Kansas City Jazz Heritage“Basically Basie” Competition w/drummer Butch Miles

Full Tuition Jazz Camp Scholarships awarded, College Scholar- ships awarded, cash prizes!

Presented by the Kansas City Jazz Alliance and hosted by Kansas City Kansas Community College. Email [email protected], call 913-288-7503 or go to www.kansascityjazz.org for more information

Audio Engineering: Instrumental Music: Choral Music: Music Theory/Latin Jazz/Jazz Piano: Dr. Ian Corbett 913.288.7317 Jim Mair 913.288.7149 John Stafford 913.288.7137 Dr. Justin Binek 913.288.7347

17TH ANNUAL KANSAS CITY JAZZ ORCHESTRA June 4-8, 2018 KKANSAS CITY KANKSAS COMMCUNITY COLLEGE KCJO

Ages 13 to adult, 9:00am to 3:00pm. Tuition $200 (includes lunch and camp shirt). FACULTY TO INCLUDE:

JIM MAIR DOUG TALLEY STEVE MOLLOY BRIAN SCARBOROUGH RAY DEMARCHI ROD FLEEMAN MICHAEL PAGÁN JAMES ALBRIGHT Director Woodwinds Trumpet Trombone Drum Set, Guitar Piano Bass Percussion NEW! Jazz Pedagogy for Band Directors - June 4-5, 2018 RETURNING AGAIN THIS YEAR! Kansas City High School All-Star Jazz Ensemble. By audition only. Scholarships available. Meets 3:00pm to 4:00pm each day after camp. For more information call camp director Jim Mair at 913.288.7503 or visit www.kansascityjazz.org. CELEBRATING 32 YEARS

White Concert Hall • Washburn University 1700 SW Jewell • Topeka, Kansas Featuring Classical and Jazz Music FREE concerts nightly June 9th-17th

FREE JAZZ NIGHT JAZZ MEETS CLASSICAL Monday, June 25 @ 7:30 p.m. FEATURING Joe Cartwright, piano Todd Strait, drums Ben Leifer, bass Rod Fleeman, guitar Gary Helm, percussion Music by Gershwin, Chopin, and Debussy explored within a range of jazz styles from Swing to Latin.

Sponsored by Liz Stratton www.SunflowerMusicFestival.org | 785.670.1620