A brief audit of Jon Batiste’s irregular relationship with Kansas City is in order. Batiste played the Folly Theater in 2014. In 2017, taxpayers funded an $18,000 charter flight to Kansas City to enable the 31-year-old Batiste to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Jazz Museum. Batiste canceled a 2018 concert at Madrid Theatre the week of the show due to “scheduling issues.” The star’s Big Money tour stops at the Midland Theatre on Wednesday, August 27.
The Complete List of Executive Directors and CEOs of The American Jazz Museum
Original image by Plastic Sax.
The decline of news reporting and the fragility of archival records in the digital age can make fact-checking and research difficult. Upon discovering a consolidated listing of every Executive Director and/or CEO in the history of the American Jazz Museum didn’t exist, I decided to create one as a public service. KC Jazz Lark was consulted in the project inspired by the recent resignation of Dr. Dina Bennett, but any errors are my own.
1995-2002 Rowena Stewart
2002-2006 Juanita Moore
2006-2007 Carol Rhodes Dyson (interim)
2007-2015 Greg Carroll
2015-2016 Ralph Reid (interim)
2016-2018 Cheptoo Kositany-Buckner
2019-2020 Ralph Caro (interim)
2020-2023 Rashida Phillips
2023-2025 Dr. Dina Bennett (interim and Executive Director)
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*From the American Jazz Museum: Dr. Dina Bennett, Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum, will be stepping down from her role at the end of July. Dr. Bennett has been a visionary leader whose contributions have significantly advanced our mission, from elevating our national presence to deepening our local impact in the 18th & Vine District. We are incredibly grateful for her leadership, and while she will be deeply missed, we are excited for what lies ahead in her next chapter… Dr. Bennett will remain in her position through July 2025 to support a smooth transition. The Board of Directors will soon launch a national search for our next Executive Director, someone who can guide the Museum through its next stage of growth and innovation.
*Marcus Lewis was interviewed by Hampton Stevens.
*Adam Galblum chatted with Joe Dimino.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The American Jazz Museum advised patrons that its live music venue “(t)he Blue Room will be closed from January 1st to January 25th.”
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Gene Hall, the co-founder of The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, has died.
*Crosby Kemper III moderated a discussion about Kansas City jazz.
*A reporter for The Kansas City Star ponders the fate of the American Jazz Museum’s sidelined film collection.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The New York Times’ look back at the 1958 “A Great Day in Harlem” photograph is loaded with Kansas City connections.
*Joe Dimino shared clips of performances at the Blue Room by David Watson and Warren Wolf.
*Dr. Dina Bennett is featured in a video produced by the American Jazz Museum.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Dan Kelly of The Kansas City Star and Steve Kraske of KCUR interviewed Angela Wildflower about her role in the Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s production of “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.”
*Dr. Dina Bennett and Gerald Dunn of the American Jazz Museum discuss Dunn’s career in a forty-minute video.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Harold O’Neal and Dr. Dina Bennett praised Charlie Parker in a television news report.
*The American Jazz Museum offers a new Charlie Parker-related souvenir.
*From a press release: Verve Records announces Bird in Kansas City, an album featuring a new set of rare recordings dating from between 1941-1951, to be released globally on October 25, 2024 on vinyl, CD, and digitally and available to pre-order here. Much of this collection has never been heard before and some recordings have never even been known to exist… To celebrate the announcement of Bird in Kansas City, the first track, “Cherokee,” is available now. Listen & watch the visualizer "Cherokee". Chuck Haddix — scholar and author of Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker, who also produced and wrote liner notes for this album — says, “‘Ray Noble’s ‘Cherokee’ was one of Bird's favorite songs.
Now’s the Time: Harold O’Neal
The American Jazz Museum closes August with three performances by pianist Harold O'Neal. The pianist with deep Kansas City roots performs at the Jay McShann Pavilion on Thursday, August 29, with Dan Thomas at the Blue Room on Friday, August 30, and with Logan Richardson at the Blue Room on Saturday, August 31.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Reporting on a junket to Kansas City partly subsidized by Visit KC, a correspondent for The Times of London mentions Green Lady Lounge and the American Jazz Museum in a Taylor Swift-themed feature.
*Larry Tye promoted his book The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Count Basie Transformed America on KCUR.
*From a press release: It has been a very long wait, but, with the combined efforts of three celebrated jazz musicians – and with the approval of the step-daughter of the great Charlie Parker – we proudly announce the release of "Pree's Wings", a composition and recording that not only adds to the Parker legacy, but fills a significant historical and musical void that has lasted nearly 70 years! As is well-known, Parker composed two brilliant jazz compositions for his children, “Kim,” for step-daughter Kim and “Baird Laird” for his natural son with Chan Richardson. However, Bird never composed a song for daughter “Pree” who, seriously ill from birth, tragically died as a toddler… After lengthy conversations with Parker’s still-surviving jazz vocalist step-daughter, Kim – and receiving her approval, three internationally known jazz artists, trumpeter/writer, Nick Mondello, saxophonist/arranger/composer, Gio Washington-Wright, and vocalist/lyricist, Giacomo Gates - each a lifelong acolyte of Parker’s legacy - combined forces to compose both an instrumental and vocal original composition dedicated to Kim Parker and named after the child who never had a Parker-composed song dedicated to her – “Pree’s Wings.”
*From a press release: Kansas City Jazz A.L.I.V.E. is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $10,000. This grant will support Spotlight: Charlie Parker, an annual Kansas City-wide celebration of the life and music of Kansas City’s native son, Charlie “Bird” Parker, held in August.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Queen Bey, once a prominent Kansas City based vocalist, has died.
*Green Lady Lounge recently initiated a series of lunchtime performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The venue’s May calendar lists offerings from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays prior to Rod Fleeman’s long-standing Saturday residency that begins at 2:30 p.m.
*Here’s a second way to listen to the KCUR audio feature about the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society.
*The American Jazz Museum is featured in a National Endowment of the Arts "grant spotlight".
*From a press release: Kansas City Jazz Orchestra Executive Director Alyssa Bell-Jackson today announced the final concert for the Conversations in Jazz 2023-2024 Season, This is Kansas City featuring two beloved Kansas City jazz greats Deborah Brown and Bobby Watson. This concert will be recorded live for an album to be released next season. This is Kansas City concert originally was to be held May 17 and 18 at the Folly Theatre. The concert will now be held on May 17 only.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Nina Cherry interviewed Dr. Dina Bennett for Kansas City magazine.
*A feature in The Pitch purports to survey area establishments with speakeasy ambiences.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*The lineup of the spring recital series at Johnson County Community College has been announced.
*Nina Cherry checked in with Bram Wijnands for Kansas City magazine.
*The American Jazz Museum created a brief video tribute to Jay McShann.
*David Sanborn chatted with Pat Metheny.
The Original Plastic Sax
Original image by Plastic Sax.
I’m proud of the audio features I created for Kansas City’s National Public Radio member station KCUR this year. I doubted if I could top profiles of a jazz rebel, a breakout rap star and an Ozarks folkie. But my final effort of 2023- an examination of the saga of the plastic saxophone played by Charlie Parker at Massey Hall in 1953- may be my best piece of the year. The story includes interviews with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and the American Jazz Museum’s Dr. Dina Bennett and Gerald Dunn about Kansas City’s legendary artifact.
Art Review: Jazz Is Energy at the American Jazz Museum
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Anyone passionate about the avant-garde jazz that emanated from Chicago and New York City in the final decades of the last century will be gobsmacked by the Jazz Is Energy exhibit at the American Jazz Museum.
The showing of works by the late artist Frederick J. Brown is small, but the magnitude of several pieces is substantial. Brown grew up with future titans including Anthony Braxton in Chicago. His lifelong affiliations with the AACM inform every aspect of Jazz Is Energy.
Brown’s portrait of Braxton captures the genius’ essence. Similarly, a rendering of Dewey Redman is a visual encapsulation of the saxophonist’s sound. The highlight of Jazz Is Energy, however, is a page of ornately decorated music given to Brown and his wife by Ornette Coleman.
Mainstream music lovers won’t feel left out. Enormous paintings of stars including Ray Charles, Etta James and Joe Turner physically dominate the free exhibit. Jazz Is Energy will be displayed at the American Jazz Museum through May 4.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*Pat Metheny was heckled at a concert in San Diego. George Varga of The San Diego Union-Tribune filed a report on the incident.
*An appearance by Terence Blanchard is among KCUR’s November concert recommendations.
*The American Jazz Museum created a video recap of its recent Charlie Parker birthday celebration concert.
*David Hudnall highlights the live music presented at the Gates Bar-B-Q location in the Jazz District for The Kansas City Star.
*Marilyn Maye checked in with Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date program.
Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes
Original image by Plastic Sax.
*KCUR reported on the resignation of Rashida Phillips as the executive director of the American Jazz Museum.
*Reed Jackson investigated the Kansas origins of guitarist David Lord for The Pitch.
*Greg Carroll and Deborah Brown promoted the annual Spotlight: Charlie Parker initiative on KCUR.
*Joe Dimino interviewed Matt Otto.
*Marc Myers is on a Basie bender.
Now’s the Time: Marquis Hill
The American Jazz Museum is observing the 103rd anniversary of the birth of Charlie Parker with a free concert featuring the Chicago trumpeter Marquis Hill and the Kansas City saxophonist Logan Richardson on Saturday, August 26. The R&B artist Dwele headlines the event. Details are here.
Grading the 2023-24 Season of the Folly Jazz Series
Original image by Plastic Sax.
Tickets for individual concerts in the 2023-24 season of the Folly Jazz Series go on sale June 6. The following commentary might be used as a consumer guide. While it’s unfair to grade individual bookings against more appealing hypotheticals, the penchant of Kansas City’s jazz presenters to return to familiar standbys is an ongoing source of frustration. More than 500 of the more than 4,000 jazz albums released last year received votes in the 2022 edition of the 17th annual Francis Davis Jazz Poll. With such a vast pool from which to draw, it’s unfortunate that the same fifty acts are repeatedly engaged.
Samara Joy: October 14, 2023
Grade: A+
Samara Joy is the Folly Jazz Series’ most opportune booking in years. The charming vocalist won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in February.
Alexa Tarantino Quartet: November 11, 2023
Grade: B
Alexa Tarantino appeared in the American Jazz Museum’s Jammin’ at the Gem series in March as a member of Artemis. (Plastic Sax review.) The young saxophonist acquitted herself well.
The Hot Sardines: January 27, 2024
Grade: B
The hot jazz band The Hot Sardines is making its third or fourth appearance in the Folly Jazz Series.
Diane Schuur: February 24, 2024
Grade: B
Vocalist and pianist Diane Schuur was one of the most popular jazz artists of the 1980s and 1990s.
Norman Brown: March 9, 2024
Grade: B
Norman Brown is a smooth jazz guitarist from Kansas City. His 2022 album Let’s Get Away was favorably reviewed at Plastic Sax.
Matthew Whitaker Quintet: April 6, 2024
Grade: B-
The agreeable music of pianist Matthew Whitaker seems designed to appeal to fans of Jon Batiste and Emmet Cohen.