OFF THE VINE
The Blue Room, Kansas City’s Premiere Jazz Listening Room
Among Down Beat Magazine’s International Venue List
Coming off of a very successful “Guitar Summit” New Years Eve Party, it seemed that ending
the year in positive fashion was the order of the day at the American Jazz Museum. Produced
in partnership with the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, the New Year’s Eve Party “Guitar
Summit” brought out a significant audience whose members were treated to brilliant
performances by Will Matthews, Danny Embrey, Wayne Goins and Stephanie Moore. The last
quarter of 2011 was a strong finish with a successful Rhythm & Ribs Jazz and Blues Festival
and critically acclaimed kickoff concert in the Jammin’ at the Gem series, that showcased the
enormous talents of Grammy winner Joe Lovano’s Us Five. An upward trajectory in context.
But, the good news and positive momentum continues into 2012. The American Jazz
Museum’s Blue Room jazz club is the first among two Kansas City venues to be named to
Down Beat Magazine’s “212 Great Jazz Rooms - An International Listing of the Best Places to
See and Hear Live Jazz”. The Blue Room was also distinguished by a gold highlighted listing.
“We are pleased, humbled and grateful at receiving this type of unsolicited recognition because
it validates our constant quest to present high quality music that perpetuates the art form and
remains relevant to our public”, said Blue Room General Manager and American Jazz
Museum’s Director of Entertainment, Gerald Dunn.
American Jazz Museum CEO, Greg Carroll thoughtfully added, “When a publication like Down
Beat consistently recognizes the quality of our programs on an international level, it reflects
positively.” The Blue Room seats 150 patrons at capacity and its various programs entertain
over 30,000 visitors annually. Audience demographics range from local 18th & Vine District
neighborhood residents and metro area listeners; to convention attendees and international
tourists. “It is a positive reflection upon the work we do each day at the museum. And equally
illuminates the tangible support we have consistently received from the Kansas City community
at large in terms of sponsoring and attending our events”, Carroll concluded.
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to “jazz, blues and beyond” that was initially
established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois. Down Beat publishes surveys of both its readers and
critics in a variety of categories. Down Beat is well-known for its “Reviews” section and is
arguably among the most objectively esteemed publications covering the music industry over
several decades. Also see: DownBeat.com
Jammin’ at the Gem Concert Series Showcases Vibraphonist
Roy Ayers with Spoken Word and Jazz Poetry Innovators
The second installment in the American Jazz Museum’s noted 2011/2012 “Jammin’ at the
Gem” concert series season headlines another musical master of world renown, the
vibraphonist/composer, Roy Ayers. Mr. Ayers will be joined by two pioneers of jazz poetry and
spoken word, Jessica Care Moore and Louis Reyes Rivera. Of poets, Moore and Reyes Rivera,
AJM Poet-In-Residence, Glenn North states, “Moore was the first poet on Showtime at the
Apollo to win 5 times in a row. Louis Reyes Rivera has an incredibly melodic delivery and uses
poetry to bridge cultures.”
North instituted the highly successful Jazz Poetry Jams program held the third Tuesday of each
month at The Blue Room. Bringing spoken word artistry and jazz poetry to the Gem Theater
and the Jammin’ at the Gem concert series is a new development with the upcoming concert
on February 11th.
“This performance also represents two generations of spoken word artistry and we couldn’t be
more excited about the concert,” North concluded.
WHEN: Saturday, February 11, 2012, 8:00 PM
WHO: Vibraphonist/vocalist, ROY AYERS is among the best-known, most loved and respected
jazz/R&B artists on the music-scene today. Many of of Ayers’ songs, including: “Everybody
Loves the Sunshine”, “Searchin’”, and “Running Away” have been frequently sampled and
remixed by DJ’s worldwide .
WHERE: The historic Gem Theater - Season celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Gem
Theater located at 18th & Vine District and is part of the American Jazz Museum complex of
exhibits and event facilities.
The American Jazz Museum Brings NEA Jazz Master Benny
Golson to Kansas City for An Evening of Two Intimate Shows
His official website (BennyGolson.com) states that Benny Golson is the only living jazz artist to
have written 8 standards for jazz repertoire. These jazz standards have found their way into
countless recordings internationally over the years and are still being recorded.
Further, his profile cites he has recorded over 30 albums for many labels in the United States
and Europe under his own name and with other major artists. Of particular note is the fact of
his prodigious catalog as a composer. Mr. Golson has written well over 300 compositions.
Titles like: “Along Came Betty”, “Stablemates”, “Blues March”, “I Remember Clifford”, “Are You
Real?”, “Whisper Not”, and of course, “Killer Joe” are only some of Benny Golson’s works that
truly remain favorites among performing jazz artists and listening audiences to this day.
A 1996 NEA Jazz Master, Benny Golson will perform two intimate shows in The Blue Room on
Saturday, February 25th - 8:00 pm and 9:30 pm, respectively. Pricing considerations include:
$25 per show or $40 for both shows. Students tickets are $20 per show or $30 for both
shows. The Benny Golson Quartet includes: Buster Williams on bass, Carl Allen on drums, and
Mike LeDonne on Piano. This is certainly another event not to be missed.
In addition to Benny Golson, the American Jazz Museum has an exciting line up of
programming scheduled in The Blue Room for both, February and March.
The theme in The Blue Room for February is centered largely around St. Valentine’s Day and
features three days of Pre-Valentine’s Day events (9-10-11) and a Wine Tasting (9). A variety of
music is showcased each week with Kansas City based artists supplemented by national/
international artists like New York City saxophonist, Dave Pietro (17), and NEA Jazz Master
Benny Golson (25). Mambo DeLeon & Carte Blanc celebrate 25 Years of Salsa in KC with a
Thursday performance (23). And, the highly popular Darcus Gates appears with her
entertaining show on the Friday (24) before Mr. Golson’s 2 shows on Saturday (25).
Visit AmericanJazzMuseum.org for more information about The Blue Room events.
NEA Jazz Master Ella Fitzgerald is Focus of “Women in Jazz
Month” at AJM with Local, Regional and International Artists
The theme for March is centered around Women in Jazz Month at the American Jazz Museum
and The Blue Room performance calendar is literally packed with talent that showcases the
continuing contributions of women within all aspects of perpetuating the jazz musical art form.
Deborah Brown will be “Celebrating Ella” with her performance on the first Saturday (3) and will
also bring an intimate musical focus to the new Changing Gallery Exhibit: “Ella - First Lady of
Song” that opens the evening before on Friday, March 2. Dubbed "The First Lady of Song,"
NEA Jazz Master, Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States
for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40
million albums. In 1987, United States President Ronald Reagan awarded Ella the National
Medal of Arts. It was one of her most prized moments. France followed suit several years later,
presenting her with their Commander of Arts and Letters award, while Yale, Dartmouth and
several other universities bestowed Ella with honorary doctorates.
A new and exciting vocal group, named Book of Gaia, will make its debut in The Blue Room
(23). I had the pleasure of hearing this group perform last year on November 19th during the
Live at the Hollywood Theater concert series in Leavenworth. The members of Book of Gaia
are all great artists, well produced as a cohesive group and sure to be a hit. Book of Gaia
features Pam Baskin-Watson, Angela Hagenbach and Nedra Dixon with Karita Carter.
The list of women artists featured during the month of March in The Blue Room highlights the
fact that there is an enormous wealth of local, regional and international talent largely based
out of Kansas City. Each day of the month brings out the stars, including: Julie Turner, Lori
Tucker, Lady D, Denise Thimes, Lisa Henry, Darcus Gates, Angela Ward, Megan Birdsall,
Kathleen Holman, Shay Estes, Miss B and Stephanie Moore. And, the marvelous Ida McBeth
will be returning to The Blue Room for one special show in March (30).
Visit AmericanJazzMuseum.org for more information about The Blue Room events.
Jazz Music and Kansas City
Since assuming this post with the American Jazz Museum in August, I have found myself
immersed in studying the various ways the City of Kansas City is often presented to the general
public, to include the world at large outside of the greater metropolitan area. In all of the official
promotional material that I have come across (ranging from printed literature, audio, video and
those media inherent to digital technologies), the Museums at 18th & Vine and jazz music are
most always included.
That’s cool because the ever evolving musical art form known as Jazz remains a significant
part of contemporary society and culture in our digital age. This fact is validated by the ongoing performances, mentoring and training that is being perpetuated in many ways at the
American Jazz Museum and throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area.
If jazz became officially established by academia as a separate and unique musical genre in the
1890s, then it is now over a century old. Yet, the Jazz influence maintains a vital presence
within all other genres of contemporary music, popular song forms, and even spoken word sometimes subtle, but most always a reference to the jazz style is there. As the only space of
its kind in the world, the American Jazz Museum perpetuates and preserves a legacy that is
now inherently substantial. The fact that the City of Kansas City understands and values the
significance of this mission is amazingly cool and a wonderful legacy for generations to come.
To learn more about the American Jazz Museum, visit us online at AmericanJazzMuseum.org.
----Jazz Ambassador Magazine Contribution for February-March 2012 Issue
Date: Sunday, January 22, 2012 | Column: OFF THE VINE
Media Contact: Chris Burnett, Marketing Manager, cburnett@kcjazz.org