(original image by Steve Yates)
“I can’t ever buy a drink for myself.” -Jeff Harshbarger, when asked what kind of respect he commands outside of Kansas City when telling aquaintances that he’s a jazz bassist.
Local Kansas City Star writer & radio show host Steve Kraske hosts “Up to Date” on KCUR 89.3FM, the KCMO NPR affiliate. Recently Kraske hosted fellow blogger, freelance writer, music critic and all-around music-master Happy in Bag, local bassist/composer Jeff Harshbarger, and Star writer/local music enthusiast Steve Paul for a discussion billed as “The State of Jazz in Kansas City.” The title of this post takes its namesake from a quote by Harshbarger when describing how some people see/hear jazz.
Highlights/Choice Quotes/General Observations below:
*Happy in Bag & Steve Paul’s agreement over the bands/styles of jazz that will resonate with younger audiences in the future. A few examples: the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and The Bad Plus, groups who mix their original compositions with innovative takes on classics by groups such as The Beatles and Joni Mitchell – or even Nirvana. Happy is also the author of Plastic Sax [which intelligently and irreverently chronicles the local jazz scene, its audiences, promoters and practitioners] and can often be seen touting the merits & appeal of these acts – and the jam bands. Also features the Plastic Sax Calendar.
*Happy in Bag’s oft-posed question of “is Kansas City really a jazz town?” A topic frequently tagged at Plastic Sax, the questioning of the interest of Kansas City’s audience in its own magnificent musical contribution to the world is ironically supported by audio/video footage of a band billed as the “Kansas City Band,” a Japanese group that fills clubs overseas, faithfully recreating the enthralling sounds of Count Basie and other KC jazz artists.
But are the clubs in KC full?
*Caller “Joe” from Lenexa makes a valid point in that young artists of today seem to go where the money is. Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane - who are they today? There aren’t massive amounts of money to be made in jazz. Or are there?
[Joe also needs to peek at Plastic Sax once in a while or pick up a JAM Magazine. He wasn't aware that the Folly Theatre is still putting on a jazz season every year, as is the Gem Theater and others]
Happy in Bag, in true HIB fashion, makes a reference to hip-hop and draws yet another comparision between jazz, hip-hop, and the place of each in today’s world: Tech9, a KC native, chose to be a hip-hop artist. And he’s been incredibly successful. Was it for the money? Artistic relevance?
Or was it just what he was drawn to? According to HIB, Jeff Harshbarger is “making an intentional economic sacrifice” to be a jazz musician. In Harshbarger’s words, playing jazz bass is something he was drawn to and finds comfort in doing, because of his connection with the instrument and his ability to communicate in his own musical voice through it.
[note: Harshbarger plays in various groups in genres outside of jazz and is likely not starving]
*Caller “Sharon” points out a missed opportunity by the city to take advantage of its world-renowned brand of jazz and use it for promotion.
“There’s also a massive misperception of our jazz scene between local audiences and those outside of our borders. Everyone views us as this huge jazz mecca, but we don’t promote it that way.”
Or why aren’t more musicians promoting themselves?
-Steve Paul: They’re practicing.”
-HIB: “Jazz musicians have failed to take advantage of opportunities that rock & hip-hop artists use. Music is all online now. There are free social media outlets [Facebook, MySpace, Twitter] and jazz musicians still lack a strong web presence. And the bigger problem is that they’re not competing with each other anymore – but with the rest of the world.”
HIB also points out that it’s not just in the promotion – but also in the way other styles of music are assimilated into jazz in order to maintain relevance. Rising star Esperanza Spalding, with her intoxicating blend of jazz, soul, Latin, Brazilian, hip-hop and other genres, is likely to become the face of jazz for the next 25 years.
*Caller “Stacy” claims that taxi drivers on the other side of the world wanted to talk KC jazz with her when she revealed the location of her home city. But she also said that she’s not willing to go out and seek jazz in Kansas City. The music needs to “go back out to the people.”
Hmm…where could one possibly [and very easily] find out what’s going on in Kansas City jazz – any day of the week? I think there’s a website…
*The difference between Kansas City, Chicago, New York, etc, in terms of access. Aside from the deep pool of incredibly talented local jazz players, jazz presenters in Kansas City are also booking acts from NYC and other spots. Often times, these shows range in price from $10 to $40 for a small venue, or a little bit higher for a concert hall.
The price in NYC? Just triple it. Then there’s drinks, food, a cab, etc…
*Caller “Dave” from South KC’s frustration with musicians’ forays into unfamiliar and/or uncomfortable territories. “They get too far out there, leaving the audience behind. A lot [of the jazz musicians] don’t know how to connect. I likes tunes that I can follow.”
Well, then where should they lead us? Where do you want to go? Is jazz supposed to play it safe? Or is it always supposed to challenge some kind of conventional notions of what jazz is or isn’t? Will people ever stop asking that question [what is jazz]? Does any of this still matter?
Yes. And no. I don’t know, and I’m not sure. What say you?
Listen to the full show here.
