Join us as we celebrate the life,
the music, and the iconic legacy
of Kansas City’s own:
Charlie “Yardbird” Parker!
Here are the 2023 Events!!!
View full Virtual exhibit here –> https://library.umkc.edu/exhibits/saxophone
A partnership between the American Jazz Museum and UMKC Libraries, the exhibit Saxophone Supreme celebrates the Centennial of Charlie “Bird” Parker, one of the most influential musicians and composers of all time. Born and raised in the Kansas City area, alto saxophonist, Parker pioneered Bebop a revolution in jazz. Throughout his career, Parker continued to innovate and explore new musical vistas. He influenced ensuing generations of musicians across a broad range of styles. His genius also inspired writers, artists, dancers and filmmakers.
This centennial exhibition features groundbreaking research, album covers, sheet music, photos, memorabilia and rare audio clips drawn from the collections of the American Jazz Museum, LaBudde Special Collections/Marr Sound Archives at UMKC, the Institute for Jazz Studies at Rutgers University–Newark, Norman Saks and Brian Johnston. Chuck Haddix, the Curator of the Sound Archives and Geri Sanders, Director of Collections for the American Jazz Museum, co-curated the exhibit. Haddix is the author of Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker.
Check out this write-up on the exhibit from Jazz Tokyo!
Celebrate Charlie Parker’s enduring musical legacy with a screening of the critically acclaimed documentary Bird: Not Out of Nowhere and a panel discussion in the Tivoli Theater at the Nelson Atkins-Museum of Art.
Produced by Brad Austin, an Emmy-Award-winning KCPT Producer, Bird: Not Out of Nowhere takes an in-depth look at Parker’s early life and music and his enduring influence on present-day Kansas City jazz musicians. The documentary features rarely-seen archival footage, interviews, and performances by Bobby Watson, Lonnie McFadden, Logan Richardson, and commentary by Chuck Haddix, author of Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker.
The August 17th screening from 5:30 – 6:30 will be followed by a lively panel discussion featuring Austin, Watson, McFadden, and Haddix.
Check out this write-up on the documentary in London Jazz News!
About this event
Andrew Ouellette is a pianist, composer, and educator currently residing in Kansas City, MO. He had the privilege to study under world-renowned saxophonist Bobby Watson at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory from 2008-2012, earning his bachelor of music in jazz performance. Andrew also earned his MBA from UMKC in 2016. Andrew enjoys a busy playing and teaching schedule in the Kansas City area, and has been blessed to be able to share the stage with many nationally and internationally recognized artists such as Bobby Watson, Roy Hargrove, Tivon Pennicott, Lonnie McFadden, Lisa Henry, Marilyn Maye, Matt Kane, The Sons of Brasil, Hermon Mehari, Peter Schlamb and many others. Andrew has also been fortunate to study under Roger Wilder, Bram Wijnands, and John McIntyre.
About this event
Andrew Ouellette is a pianist, composer, and educator currently residing in Kansas City, MO. He had the privilege to study under world-renowned saxophonist Bobby Watson at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory from 2008-2012, earning his bachelor of music in jazz performance. Andrew also earned his MBA from UMKC in 2016. Andrew enjoys a busy playing and teaching schedule in the Kansas City area, and has been blessed to be able to share the stage with many nationally and internationally recognized artists such as Bobby Watson, Roy Hargrove, Tivon Pennicott, Lonnie McFadden, Lisa Henry, Marilyn Maye, Matt Kane, The Sons of Brasil, Hermon Mehari, Peter Schlamb and many others. Andrew has also been fortunate to study under Roger Wilder, Bram Wijnands, and John McIntyre.
Bird Boot Camp has been a significant applied instrumental music program element that’s been part of the annual August spotlight celebration of Jazz celebrity, globally recognized musical icon, and Kansas native, Charlie “Bird” Parker, that takes place at venues throughout the greater KC metro since 2014.
It’s going to be another all-day educational immersion into learning about the music and life of Mr. Parker on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at another historic Kansas City icon, The Folly Theater.
Our Bird Boot Camp 2021 “featured celebrity” artist is Ronald McFadden from the legendarily brilliant McFadden Brothers’ frame. Ronald will interact with the campers musically and lead the Musical Salute in the lobby of The Folly at the end of the event.
Bird Boot Camp 2021 features three combination group ensembles in breakout sessions as they study a particular Charlie Parker composition in detail with some of the foremost educators teaching jazz anywhere today:
“Now’s The Time” by Charlie Parker (combo directed by Prof. Clarence Smith – Kansas City Jazz Academy and Metropolitan Community College Music) for the newest jazz musicians;
“Yardbird Suite” by Charlie Parker (combo directed by Dr. Todd Wilkinson – Ottawa University Music) for the intermediate jazz musicians;
and, “Donna Lee” by Charlie Parker (combo directed by Dr. Michael Parkinson – Conn-Selmer Artist and MidAmerica Nazarene University Jazz) for more experienced jazz musicians at the day camp.
Each of the combos will enjoy three scheduled clinics with their directors engaged in detailed study of the music, and one of the sessions will be on the main stage of The Folly Theater performing with an all-star jazz rhythm section comprised of: Gerald Spaits (bass – Jay McShann, Westport Art Ensemble, UMKC Adjunct Professor); Will Mathews (guitar – The World Famous Count Basie Orchestra, Grammy Winner); Dr. Justin Binek (piano – Midnight Blue Jazz Quartet and Assistant Professor of Music, Kansas City Community College Jazz Studies); and Doug Auwarter (drums – the Sons of Brasil). Students will also be able to interact with these jazz celebrities and living master musicians in person.
Keynote Address and Special Full Camp Jazz Clinic
Bird Boot Camp 2021 is going to be great. We’ll also have leading “Charlie Parker” historian and author, Chuck Haddix, give a 20-minute keynote about Bird; and, Greg Carroll will give the campers interactive jazz clinic that he does with Midnight Blue Jazz LLC each year in Las Vegas. And a few surprise guests!
Bird Boot Camp History
Bird Boot Camp began in 2014 as part of the original Charlie Parker celebration that was initiated by the Jazz catalyst nonprofit organization, Kansas City Jazz A.L.I.V.E. The originator of the Bird Boot Camp program was Greg Carroll, who successfully modeled the one-day educational event after some of the premier jazz camps and other music education programming he’d developed or initiated at various points in his professional career over the years. Spotlighting the life and musical contributions of Charlie Parker, Jr. (b. August 29, 1920, Kansas City, Kansas – d. March 12, 1955, New York, New York) by the entire greater Kansas City metropolitan area community was also considered to be long overdue among this initial consortium of noted artists, educators, Jazz venue owners, and arts institutions in the region. In 2019, Burnett Music Foundation, a relatively new Jazz nonprofit organization, was asked to take over the program and has assumed the role of artistic director and administrator, handling every detail of Bird Boot Camp – from the itinerary schedule for the day, booking artists and clinicians, organizing a coherent program, to funding the entire event through sponsorships, donations and grants to preclude possible barriers to participation. BMF added the Musical Salute element as well. In 2020 Burnett Music Foundation earned a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for Bird Boot Camp + Musical Salute. (BirdBootCamp.org)
Join KC Jazz ALIVE and KC Jazz Ambassadors for a Jam Session at the Majestic on August 21st! The Majestic is opening early for us at 3:30pm. Light appetizers will be served and a cash bar will be available. Please purchase drinks to support the Majestic!
The jam will be led by the talented Dr. Mike Pagan (piano) and B.J. Jansen (saxophone). Musicians are welcome to come and join the jam session! Bring your instrument and play your heart out!
We will be downstairs as we enjoy the sounds of Kansas City jazz. This event is part of the annual “Spotlight: Charlie Parker” series to celebrate Charlie Parker, his legacy and Kansas City jazz!
There is no cost to attend. Come and enjoy!
About this event
About Jazz Disciples
Saxophonist Gerald Dunn has been featured in bands with Illinois Jacquet and Bobby Watson. He plays an inventive, contemporary sound and knows how to capture an audience’s attention. Pianist Everett Freeman has toured with Oleta Adams, performing with a deliciously intricate yet fluid grace. There are few Kansas City jazz musicians whom drummer Michael Warren hasn’t backed. The Jazz Disciples give him unique opportunities to stretch. Bassist DeAndre Manning provides a solid footing.
About Will Matthews
In 1996 Matthews joined the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of former Basie band lead trombonist Grover Mitchell, to fill the coveted chair of the late legendary guitarist and composer, Freddie Green, who performed with the Orchestra for over fifty years.
The guitarist released his debut CD, Will Matthews “Solo” in November 2000, and his second cd project titled ‘Count On Swingin’ was released in 2009 featuring legendary Organist Mel Rhyne, from the original Wes Montgomery Trio, along with former Art Blakey Jazz Messengers member, Bobby Watson, and Indianapolis drummer Kenny Phelps.
About this event
About Jazz Disciples
Saxophonist Gerald Dunn has been featured in bands with Illinois Jacquet and Bobby Watson. He plays an inventive, contemporary sound and knows how to capture an audience’s attention. Pianist Everett Freeman has toured with Oleta Adams, performing with a deliciously intricate yet fluid grace. There are few Kansas City jazz musicians whom drummer Michael Warren hasn’t backed. The Jazz Disciples give him unique opportunities to stretch. Bassist DeAndre Manning provides a solid footing.
About Will Matthews
In 1996 Matthews joined the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of former Basie band lead trombonist Grover Mitchell, to fill the coveted chair of the late legendary guitarist and composer, Freddie Green, who performed with the Orchestra for over fifty years.
The guitarist released his debut CD, Will Matthews “Solo” in November 2000, and his second cd project titled ‘Count On Swingin’ was released in 2009 featuring legendary Organist Mel Rhyne, from the original Wes Montgomery Trio, along with former Art Blakey Jazz Messengers member, Bobby Watson, and Indianapolis drummer Kenny Phelps.
Live Jazz KC is excited announce a jazz series curated by renowned saxophonist & composer, David Valdez in at the historic Warwick Theatre (3927 Main St., Kansas City, MO. 64111). In an effort to continue to showcase the amazing talent in Kansas City as well as continue to foster the growth and development of the next wave of jazz musicians, Live Jazz KC in partnership with The Warwick Theatre and University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory’s Jazz Faculty we have curated a series of live performances starting August 22nd, 2021. We look forward to many great performances as well as continuing the rich tradition of live jazz in Kansas City.
August 22nd – LiveJazzKC Sunday Jam at The Warwick hosted by Aryana Nemati (6:30-10pm) Admission is free for musicians participating in the jam session and there is a suggested donation of $5 for all others.
Every August, local jazz advocacy organization KC Jazz Alive celebrates the life of Charlie Parker, the pioneering jazz saxophonist who called Kansas City home.
Join us at KC Bier Co. for a night of Jazz in the Biergarten on August 23rd featuring live performances by Bram & Lucy Wijnands and Kadesh Flow. Doors open at 4pm. Outdoor communal seating, tables seat 8 to 10 people. In the event of rain or excessive heat the show will be cancelled and guests will be issued a full refund.
About this event
Start your weekend with Indigo Hour, the Blue Room’s signature happy hour event featuring free live jazz music and select deals on wine and well drinks!
Kimberly is an Arkansas native who now resides in Kansas City. She was born into a family of singers and been doing so since she was 5 years of age. Kimberly has sang background for some amazing artists such as Michael McDonald, Michael Bubble’ and evening opened up for Lyfe Jennings. She has recently started the path of writing her own music and is getting ready to release her first song entitled FIYA (Fabulous in your absence). Be on the lookout for this southern soul to show us how it’s done.
Note: your Eventbrite ticket to Indigo Hour serves as pre-registration but does not guarantee a seat for the performance. Register and arrive early!
About this event
About Lucy Wijnands
With her serene, spirited tone, emerging jazz vocalist Lucy Wijnands is a dedicated enthusiast of jazz music from its beginnings to today. Now a recent graduate and the Ella Fitzgerald scholar at the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase, Wijnands has been named the 1st place winner of the 4th annual Ella Fitzgerald Vocal Competition.
Wijnands has drawn inspiration from Jazz Studies director Peter Malinverni, voice professor Alexis Cole, Ingrid Jensen and jazz icon, Jon Faddis, with whom she has performed at the Louis Armstrong Museum and Jazz Forum Arts, among other places. Wijnands has also received the 2020 President’s Award for Achievement for the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music as well as a Downbeat Student Music Award as Outstanding Jazz Vocal Soloist. In the fall of 2020, Wijnands performed in Tokyo, Japan, serving as an ambassador for Purchase College as their Ella Fitzgerald Scholar and recipient of the President’s Award of Achievement.
Wijnands has completed a five month residency with the Birdland Big Band, directed by David Dejesus and has performed with musicians as acclaimed as Joe Lovano and Kenny Washington. In 2016, marking the beginning of her professional jazz studies, she appeared in concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, she got her start performing with her father, master of stride piano, Bram Wijnands. From a very young age, she sang with her father in many jazz clubs in Kansas City, including the Majestic Steakhouse, the Blue Room, Green Lady Lounge, as well as the Endless Mountain Musical Festival in Pennsylvania. In the summer of 2017, she and her father toured in Europe, enriching her musical scopes. The two toured together again in the Netherlands in the summer of 2019, including special performances at the Binnenhof in The Hague, followed by their duo debut at the Birdland Theater in New York.
Once relocating from Kansas City to New York in 2013, Lucy studied with renowned vocalist, Anne Phillips. While attending Hastings High school, she participated in numerous school bands, musical productions and All-State jazz ensembles. She was nominated for a Maestro Award by the Philadelphia Heritage Festival in high school. Wijnands is now working on her debut album, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” with an interdisciplinary approach to jazz music. Wijnands looks forward to keep creating, sharing and singing.
About Bram Wijnands
In 1991, Bram Wijnands came to Kansas City to perform at the ‘City Light Jazz Club’. He is a graduate from the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Born in Eindhoven, Holland, he became interested at an early age in Stride piano, Boogie Woogie and Swing. Bram became a master of Stride piano and the stylings of Erroll Garner while studying in Amsterdam.
Mr. Wijnands extensively studied the arranging styles of Swing music, particularly Kansas City Swing, and Boogie Woogie (Barrelhouse) piano. Former mayor Cleaver II proclaimed him Kansas City’s Ambassador of Swing after performing at Carnegie Hall in 1998, naming April 6 ‘Bram Wijnands Day’. He taught for 15 years at UMKC’s Jazz Division alongside Bobby Watson which led to a collaboration at Jazz At Lincoln Center in 2005 where Mr. Wijnands performed his arrangements and compositions in the Kansas City Swing style.
Over the years he has performed with many different artists like Deborah Brown, Bobby Watson, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Bob Kindred, Dukes Boys, The U.S. Coast Guard Band, Slide Hampton, Richard Ross, Milt Trenier, The Scamps, David Grossman, many acclaimed European musicians and now also with his daughter Lucy, a great talent in her own right.
Concert tours have continuously included locations such as: The Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Russia, Cyprus, Hungary, Romania and The United States where, in addition to performing, he is also more and more in demand for giving Masterclasses.
A big part of his life has been arranging which he does for different ensembles, for instance the EMMF orchestra conducted by Stephen Gunzenhauser, and for his own Swingtet. With that ensemble the forties come back to life. Bram Wijnands is an Artist in Residence with the Endless Mountain Music Festival since 2013 after performing for the EMMF as a guest artist since 2009 and an award winning artist with the NEA.
About this event
About Lucy Wijnands
With her serene, spirited tone, emerging jazz vocalist Lucy Wijnands is a dedicated enthusiast of jazz music from its beginnings to today. Now a recent graduate and the Ella Fitzgerald scholar at the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase, Wijnands has been named the 1st place winner of the 4th annual Ella Fitzgerald Vocal Competition.
Wijnands has drawn inspiration from Jazz Studies director Peter Malinverni, voice professor Alexis Cole, Ingrid Jensen and jazz icon, Jon Faddis, with whom she has performed at the Louis Armstrong Museum and Jazz Forum Arts, among other places. Wijnands has also received the 2020 President’s Award for Achievement for the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music as well as a Downbeat Student Music Award as Outstanding Jazz Vocal Soloist. In the fall of 2020, Wijnands performed in Tokyo, Japan, serving as an ambassador for Purchase College as their Ella Fitzgerald Scholar and recipient of the President’s Award of Achievement.
Wijnands has completed a five month residency with the Birdland Big Band, directed by David Dejesus and has performed with musicians as acclaimed as Joe Lovano and Kenny Washington. In 2016, marking the beginning of her professional jazz studies, she appeared in concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, she got her start performing with her father, master of stride piano, Bram Wijnands. From a very young age, she sang with her father in many jazz clubs in Kansas City, including the Majestic Steakhouse, the Blue Room, Green Lady Lounge, as well as the Endless Mountain Musical Festival in Pennsylvania. In the summer of 2017, she and her father toured in Europe, enriching her musical scopes. The two toured together again in the Netherlands in the summer of 2019, including special performances at the Binnenhof in The Hague, followed by their duo debut at the Birdland Theater in New York.
Once relocating from Kansas City to New York in 2013, Lucy studied with renowned vocalist, Anne Phillips. While attending Hastings High school, she participated in numerous school bands, musical productions and All-State jazz ensembles. She was nominated for a Maestro Award by the Philadelphia Heritage Festival in high school. Wijnands is now working on her debut album, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” with an interdisciplinary approach to jazz music. Wijnands looks forward to keep creating, sharing and singing.
About Bram Wijnands
In 1991, Bram Wijnands came to Kansas City to perform at the ‘City Light Jazz Club’. He is a graduate from the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Born in Eindhoven, Holland, he became interested at an early age in Stride piano, Boogie Woogie and Swing. Bram became a master of Stride piano and the stylings of Erroll Garner while studying in Amsterdam.
Mr. Wijnands extensively studied the arranging styles of Swing music, particularly Kansas City Swing, and Boogie Woogie (Barrelhouse) piano. Former mayor Cleaver II proclaimed him Kansas City’s Ambassador of Swing after performing at Carnegie Hall in 1998, naming April 6 ‘Bram Wijnands Day’. He taught for 15 years at UMKC’s Jazz Division alongside Bobby Watson which led to a collaboration at Jazz At Lincoln Center in 2005 where Mr. Wijnands performed his arrangements and compositions in the Kansas City Swing style.
Over the years he has performed with many different artists like Deborah Brown, Bobby Watson, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Bob Kindred, Dukes Boys, The U.S. Coast Guard Band, Slide Hampton, Richard Ross, Milt Trenier, The Scamps, David Grossman, many acclaimed European musicians and now also with his daughter Lucy, a great talent in her own right.
Concert tours have continuously included locations such as: The Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Russia, Cyprus, Hungary, Romania and The United States where, in addition to performing, he is also more and more in demand for giving Masterclasses.
A big part of his life has been arranging which he does for different ensembles, for instance the EMMF orchestra conducted by Stephen Gunzenhauser, and for his own Swingtet. With that ensemble the forties come back to life. Bram Wijnands is an Artist in Residence with the Endless Mountain Music Festival since 2013 after performing for the EMMF as a guest artist since 2009 and an award winning artist with the NEA.
Get your tickets TODAY for a walking tour of one of Kansas City’s most historic neighborhoods; 18th & Vine Jazz District! August 29, 2021 is the 101st birthday of Kansas City jazz legend, Charlie Parker. Celebrate a day early by touring Bird’s old stomping grounds and feel his tunes run through you!
Chuck Haddix – Director of UMKC Marr Sound Archives, host of KCUR 89.3 “Fish Fry” on Friday and Saturday nights, author of “Bird – The Life and Music of Charlie Parker” and “Kansas City Jazz – From Ragtime to Bebop”.
Geri Sanders – Independent historical consultant, specializing in the community at the 18th and Vine Historic District and other diverse projects such being a part of the design team for the reopening of the Kansas City Museum as well as the Community Remembrance Project through the Legacy Museum, founded by Bryan Stevenson in Alabama.
Attendees will meet at the park at 18th & Highland Avenue at 9:45am to check in for the walking tour. Bottled water will be provided. Please bring your tickets with you.
About the Tour:
During the days of public segregation, Kansas City’s 18th and Vine area developed into a self-contained community. The intersection of 18th and Vine served as the hub of a bustling business and entertainment district–the heart and soul of an African-American community, bounded by Independence Avenue on the north, Troost Avenue on the west, 27th Street on the south and Benton Boulevard to the east.
Just after the turn of the 19th century, an African-American preacher and his wife, the Reverend and Mrs. Sweeney, operated a truck farm in the 18th and Vine area. By the late 1800s, thousands of African-Americans settled in the area, then known as the “Bowery.” In November 1909, the first moving picture show for African-Americans, the Star, opened in a wood-frame building at the northeast corner of 18th and Vine, forming the cornerstone of the new business district.
The area grew quickly and by 1915 dry goods stores, laundries, fish shops, bakeries, barbers, cobblers, tailors, restaurants, nightclubs and all the businesses and services denied the community downtown packed 18th Street east of Paseo Boulevard. Apartments and headquarters for social clubs perched on the second floor above the bustle of commerce below. The fragrant aroma of hickory smoke from Henry Perry’s Barbeque pit at 19th and Highland wafted over the community. Street cars rattled down the center of 18th Street connecting the community to the rest of the city and jobs in packing plants, the railroads and homes of the wealthy. Once established, the community grew swiftly and prospered.
Young Charlie Parker came of age as a man and musician in the 18th and Vine area. After Charlie’s parents separated in 1930, he and his mother Addie moved to a two-story brick house at 1516 Olive Street just blocks away from 18th and Vine. Addie worked nights and after she left for work, Charlie began his nightly rounds of the night clubs dotting 12th and 18th streets. While on tour later in his career, Charlie often stopped off in Kansas City to visit Addie, play gigs in the clubs on 18th street and renew old acquaintances.
About this event
Pianist Joe Cartwright makes his home in Mission, Kansas and is recognized as a proponent of ‘Kansas City Jazz.’ He is a graduate of the UMKC Conservatory of Music and currently serves as music director for Unity Village Chapel in Unity Village, Missouri. He served for ten years as music director for the critically acclaimed NPR radio show 12th Street Jump. Joe has performed on and produced numerous recordings, many on his own label, Lafayette Music, including the 2017 release Out Of This World, featuring vocalist Molly Hammer. Some of his credits include work with jazz luminaries Eddie Harris, Christian McBride, Jeff Hamilton, John Clayton, Karrin Allyson, Jimmy Witherspoon, Kevin Mahogany and Mel Torme. Cartwright has performed for audiences in Africa, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia as part of the USIA/Kennedy Center Jazz Ambassador Touring Program. In the fall of 2012, the Joe Cartwright Quartet headlined the CCPA Jazz Festival in Asuncion, Paraguay as representatives of Kansas City Jazz.
About this event
Pianist Joe Cartwright makes his home in Mission, Kansas and is recognized as a proponent of ‘Kansas City Jazz.’ He is a graduate of the UMKC Conservatory of Music and currently serves as music director for Unity Village Chapel in Unity Village, Missouri. He served for ten years as music director for the critically acclaimed NPR radio show 12th Street Jump. Joe has performed on and produced numerous recordings, many on his own label, Lafayette Music, including the 2017 release Out Of This World, featuring vocalist Molly Hammer. Some of his credits include work with jazz luminaries Eddie Harris, Christian McBride, Jeff Hamilton, John Clayton, Karrin Allyson, Jimmy Witherspoon, Kevin Mahogany and Mel Torme. Cartwright has performed for audiences in Africa, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia as part of the USIA/Kennedy Center Jazz Ambassador Touring Program. In the fall of 2012, the Joe Cartwright Quartet headlined the CCPA Jazz Festival in Asuncion, Paraguay as representatives of Kansas City Jazz.
Due to COVID rise, American Jazz Museum has made the difficult decision to cancel Sunday’s (8/29) in-person events. They will be pivoting to a virtual event/video to be released next month. Updates to be announced at https://americanjazzmuseum.org/
Tune into the American Jazz Museum’s Facebook at 5pm on Sunday 8/29 for a livestreamed horn salute and tribute to Charlie Parker, led by Bobby Watson! https://www.facebook.com/ajazzmuseumKC
A message from AJM…
“Due to the rising concern surrounding the COVID-19 Delta Variant, the American Jazz Museum has determined it is in the best interest of our staff, community, and guests to cancel this Sunday’s In the Yard parade and celebration.
We know how excited so many were to experience ‘Bird at 100,’ a Charlie Parker centennial tribute featuring saxophonists Vincent Herring, Bobby Watson, and Gary Bartz. So, we look forward to broadcasting In the Yard virtually featuring ‘Bird at 100’ next month (air date TBA).
To honor Bird’s legacy, we will pivot to all virtual programming, with a livestreamed broadcast from the Charlie Parker bust on his birthday, this Sunday August 29th at 5:00PM. Please join us virtually on Facebook to watch a very special horn salute and tribute led by Bobby Watson.
This was a difficult decision to make, as we were looking forward to welcoming visitors to our yard to honor the end of Charlie Parker’s centennial year and 101st birthday. His legacy deserves a community-wide celebration, but we have to prioritize the health and safety of all who visit our museum.
We are so close to reaching our fundraising goal for In the Yard, and you can still honor Charlie Parker’s centennial year with a contribution to the campaign by texting ‘BIRDLIVES’ to 44-321. If you purchased VIP or party pass tickets, or made a donation through Eventbrite to the In the Yard fundraiser, Lisa Alpert will be reaching out to you shortly regarding your contribution and refunds. You may also contact her directly at lalpert@kcjazz.org.
Thank you for your understanding as we navigate these circumstances. We look forward to welcoming large gatherings back to the museum as soon as we are able.”
Live Jazz KC is excited announce a jazz series curated by renowned saxophonist & composer, David Valdez in at the historic Warwick Theatre (3927 Main St., Kansas City, MO. 64111). In an effort to continue to showcase the amazing talent in Kansas City as well as continue to foster the growth and development of the next wave of jazz musicians, Live Jazz KC in partnership with The Warwick Theatre and University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory’s Jazz Faculty we have curated a series of live performances starting August 22nd, 2021. We look forward to many great performances as well as continuing the rich tradition of live jazz in Kansas City.
August 29th – LiveJazzKC Presents: Bird Jam 2021 Celebrating Charlie Parker hosted by Stephen Martin. An open jam session dedicated to the music of Charlie Parker on what would be his 101st Birthday! (6:30-10pm). Admission is free for musicians participating in the jam session and there is a suggested donation of $5 for all others. Find more Spotlight: Charlie Parker events at spotlightcharlieparker.org
About this event
The Black Box Jazz Series (formerly “KC Drive-in Concerts”) presents The Kansas City Jazz orchestra live in concert!
General Admission $20 – please bring your own lawn chair if you’d like to sit.
Reserved tables (up to 4 people) – $30
The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra is an internationally acclaimed, premier performing arts icon providing jazz entertainment and education.
Tickets are available online and by calling the box office at 913-469-4445.
Featuring Greg Carroll and the Midnight Blue Jazz Quintet with special guest, Kansas City’s Vine Street Rumble Jazz Orchestra, directed by Kent Rausch. Hosted by award-winning KMBC 9 News Chief Meteorologist Bryan Busby.
Carroll leads the Midnight Blue Jazz Quintet on vibraphone and is the former CEO of the American Jazz Museum. He also is an award-winning clinician, guest artist and scholar and was named one of the 100 most Influential African-Americans in Kansas City. Carroll can be heard on 22 recording projects. His newest album, “Greg Carroll & Michael Pagan 2 + 2” was released in 2019 on the Arc label. Each Midnight Blue Jazz member is an award-winning, world-class musician with a strong performance and teaching résumé.
Kansas City’s Vine Street Rumble Jazz Orchestra is a 14-piece big band that honors the legacy of Kansas City Jazz during its “golden era” in the ’30s and ’40s. Band members are some of Kansas City’s top musicians, who love to perform the music of Count Basie, Jay McShann, Andy Kirk and the 12 Clouds of Joy, Harlan Leonard and His Rockets, Mary Lou Williams, Joe Turner and Pete Johnson, among others. The band delights in taking audiences “Back in time to 18th and Vine!” with toe-tapping, hand-clapping fun.
Busby is a natural showman who has become one of Kansas City’s favorite television personalities. He also is the principal timpanist for the Kansas City Civic Orchestra and has performed with the Independence Messiah Festival Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Percussion Quartet and the Moody Blues, and was a principal guest conductor of the Kansas City Youth Symphony.
Produced by Midnight Blue Jazz, LLC
Exhibit sponsored by Kansas City Jazz Alive
Supported in part by Peter Goulet.
https://www.jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center/events/2021-2022/winterlude-kc-all-that-jazz.html
Late night jam session at the Mutual Musicians Foundation!
MUTUAL MUSICIANS FOUNDATION
Kansas City, one of the principal cradles of jazz along with New York, New Orleans, and Chicago, bred a number of nationally significant big bands and a legion of talented soloists, who revolutionized jazz in America. These musicians belonged to Local No. 627, one of a handful of African-American musicians’ unions affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians.
Established in 1917, Local 627, then known as the “Colored Musicians Union,” operated as a social center, a clearinghouse for engagements, and a vehicle for grievances against unfair practices by booking agents and band leaders. The jazz style pioneered and fostered by the members of Local 627 developed along original lines influenced by, yet unique from, the traditions of New Orleans, Chicago, and New York.
Today, the tradition jams on at the Mutual Musicians Foundation, located on the former site of Local 627 at 1823 Highland Ave., in the heart of the historic 18th and Vine District. The Mutual Musicians Foundation, Inc., originally incorporated to manage the building and assets of Local 627, continued operating the building as a social club for musicians and fans after the merger with Local 34 in 1970. In 1979, the Foundation was prominently featured in Bruce Ricker’s film, The Last of the Blue Devils. A National Historic Landmark, the building is also entered in the National Register of Historic Places and the Kansas City Landmarks Commission Register.
As they have since 1930, musicians gather at the Foundation Friday and Saturday nights after midnight to jam into the early morning hours. The Foundation also serves as a rehearsal space for members, a classroom for visiting students, and a place for private parties. The Historic Jazz Foundation, Inc. supports the Mutual Musicians Foundation and its programs. A living museum, the Foundation preserves and develops Kansas City’s rich musical heritage.
Explore the online exhibit at UMKC’s LaBudde Special Collections “Musician’s Local 627.”
The Mutual Musicians Foundation was listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1980.
Join pianist Dan Sturdevant and vocalist Millie Edwards
On Sunday, August 21st from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Celebrating their 6th Year at The Phoenix Jazz Club
Liz Goodwin writing in the Pitch July 2022 issue about The Phoenix brunch:
“Millie Edwards with Dan Sturdevant…people come because they love music.”
You’ll like this popular Kansas City Sunday food and live music and scene.
302 W 8th St. Kansas City, MO 64105 | ThePhoenixKC.com | 816-221-5299
SPOTLIGHT: CHARLIE PARKER EVENT
It Takes a Village – CD Release Performance featuring Morgan Faw and The Flame
With a special edition of the famous “Blue Monday Jam Session” co-hosted by Houston Smith and Morgan Faw. (*Special Guest Appearance by: Bobby Watson) @ The Blue Room
Aug 22 @ 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
First Set: “It Takes a Village” CD Release Concert Featuring: Morgan Faw and The Flame
Morgan Faw, saxophone
Alonzo Demetrius, trumpet
Miles Lennox, piano
Isaac Coyle, bass
Christian Napoleon, drumset
Morgan Faw was raised musically in Kansas City. This album release performance is his first of many expressions of gratitude to the greater KC community of artists, musicians, teachers, friends, and family who helped shape and raise him.
Recorded in April 2022, his debut album, “It Takes a Village” (ARC-8777), Artists Recording Collective – ARC Records, was completed on two separate days. The recording features all original music by Faw collaborating with trumpeter Will Mallard and one composition written by Pamela Watson.
“This is my first step and attempt in truly giving back to those who taught me,” says Faw. “I want to celebrate this album with everyone who helped me. And to be able to release this project in The Blue Room at 18th and Vine is a dream come true. The historic Jazz District had been my musical home and arts family growing up. There is nowhere else I would want to celebrate this achievement.”
The community is invited to this celebratory event and open jam session to follow, “It Takes a Village.”
With a special edition of the famous “Blue Monday Jam Session” co-hosted by Houston Smith and Morgan Faw.
Mike Pagan solo on the piano at Cafe Trio!
Michael Pagán was born in Ravenna, Ohio. He was raised in a musical family and received his first piano instruction from his parents. He remembers hearing recordings of Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, and Miles Davis, as well as Beethoven, at an early age. At Kent State University he earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with emphases in piano/choral music and a Master of Arts in composition, where his teachers were James Waters, Thomas Janson, and Frank Wiley. He was a music theory student of Hugh A. Glauser, after whom the school is presently named. Mike played piano in the new music ensemble under the direction of Frank Wiley and the jazz ensemble under the direction of Chas Baker. His piano teachers included Toni Glauser, Lois Rova Ozanich, Robert Palmieri, and Olga Kuehl-White of the University of Akron. The piano playing and compositions of the late Pat Pace were also an influence. During those years Mike played jazz piano and bass throughout Northeast Ohio. He also played bass in the KSU Orchestra. He received his Doctor of Music degree in composition from Northwestern University, where his principal composition teachers were Lynden DeYoung, Alan Stout, and Steven Syverud. He played piano in the NU jazz and contemporary music ensembles, both directed by Don Owens and continued piano studies with Laurence Davis. While in Chicago he was named a “musician deserving wider recognition” by Downbeat magazine. As a jazz pianist he has performed for over 40 years throughout the United States and in Europe with many notable jazz musicians. Ensembles he has performed with as a soloist include the Ashland (OH) Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, and the Northshore Concert Band, and the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra of Denver. In 2017 he was a jazz soloist with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra and in 2019 with the Southeastern Louisiana University Jazz Ensemble. He has also played extended engagements aboard the historic steamboat Delta Queen on the Mississippi River, specializing in early as well as mainstream jazz. Since 2009 he has held an ongoing Tuesday night solo engagement at Cafe Trio in Kansas City, MO.
Mike has produced an extensive list of compositions and arrangements, over 150 works, mostly in the jazz idiom. He has appeared on twenty-five CDs as a leader or supporting artist and has received numerous awards for his writing, including First Prize, New Music for Young Ensembles composers competition, which included a Carnegie Hall premiere. He has been commissioned by the American Jazz Museum, the Michigan Music Teachers Association, the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, WLS-TV Channel 7, Chicago, and high schools and colleges throughout the country. His big band CD Pag’s Groove received airplay and critical acclaim throughout the United States and in Europe, earning a 5-star review in the Irish Times of Dublin. His CD Three For The Ages featuring bassist Bob Bowman and drummer Ray DeMarchi garnered glowing reviews and enjoys worldwide play on the internet; his 12 Preludes and Fugues was recorded by the Colorado Saxophone Quartet and also received outstanding reviews.
Pagán has taught at Ottawa University in Ottawa, KS where he directed BRAVO!, the Ottawa University Jazz Singers, and taught music theory, composition, arranging, and applied jazz and classical piano. He chaired the OUKS Music Department from 2016-19. Dr. Pagán has also served as Director of Marketing and Communications at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, and Assistant Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory. He has also been on the faculties at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and Olivet College. Michael Pagán has also led a distinguished career as a jazz ensemble/vocal jazz ensemble conductor and clinician. Under his directorship the BRAVO! Jazz Singers of Ottawa University garnered multiple outstanding performance awards and the UMKC Conservatory Concert Jazz Band was selected for performance at the Missouri Music Educators Association conference. He has directed/worked with honor jazz ensembles in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Minnesota, and Illinois. For five years he directed the Colorado Jazz Workshop Monday Night Band. In 2019 and ’20 he was the pianist for the Kansas Music Educators Association Jazz Ensemble, which performed his music and in early 2021 he was featured as a big band composer/leader and solo jazz piano recitalist in two virtual concerts at Johnson County Community College in Kansas. He continues to play the bass as a secondary instrument.
EVENT SCHEDULE
5:30 pm: Reception
- 2022 Kansas City Area Youth Jazz Fellows Trio: Ari Staggs (piano), Isaac Pieters (bass), Maurice Butler (drums).
- Food and beverage provided
6:00 pm: Charlie Parker’s Kansas City
- Moderator: Chuck Haddix
- Panelists: Lisa Henry and Clarence Smith
- Introducing: 2o22 Spotlight Charlie Parker Artists In Residence, Houston Smith and Morgan Faw