Above: The Rebirth Jazz Band parades past the Gem Theatre during Saturday's American Jazz Museum Street Festival. Photos by Bill Brownlee / Special to The Star
The historic jazz district roared back to life Saturday during the American Jazz Museum's "Street Festival."
A dizzying array of free entertainment options were featured as part of the institution's tenth anniversary celebration. They included dancing and dominoes, lectures and movies, hip-hop and gospel, and dynamic performances by a funk institution and an auspicious boy band.
And while it didn't draw the biggest crowds, there was plenty of jazz.
The irrepressible Myra Taylor was one of the panelists on a forum titled "Late, Great & Everyday Faces On 18th & Vine." The 90-year-old recalled the significance of the district's Mutual Musicians Foundation.
"That little building is known around the world," Taylor said. "I've been in 32 countries, and in every one of them they ask me about it. "
Jazz musicians generations younger than Taylor provided promising performances. Among them was the Kansas City Youth Jazz Band, overseen by Leon Brady. They impressed with terrific dynamics and fine ensemble work. Befitting their slightly senior status, the UMKC Concert Ensemble was even better. Their riveting set was filled with energy and exuberance.
Above: Patricia Lyons-Cox performs with the Elder Statesmen of Jazz.
A performance by "The Elder Statesman of Jazz" was upstaged by the marvelously entertaining antics of vocalist Patricia Lyons-Cox, who gave a memorable version of Nancy Wilson's "Guess Who I Saw Today." Horace Washington contributed notable work on flute.
The highlight for many jazz aficionados was an aggregation billed as "The American Jazz Museum All-Star Band." The spirited soloing of trombonist Jason Goudeau, the least known component of the breathtakingly talented group, demonstrated that he belonged among the elite assemblage.
The Blue Room remained at capacity for performances by the lively voices of "the Wild Women of Kansas City" and the smooth jazz of Max Groove. Inside the museum, Lonnie and Ronnie McFadden were featured in a popular musical tour of the facility. Lonnie played Louis Armstrong and Ronnie took on the role of Charlie Parker for the occasion.
The Rebirth Brass Band, on loan from New Orleans, added periodic bursts of carnival atmosphere to the festival. The brass band managed to collect a large second line on at least one of their sorties.
Above: Bobby Watson and the UMKC Jazz Ensemble.
Part of the festival's fun was tracking the activities of various luminaries. An hour after Bobby Watson unleashed an incendiary solo in the Blue Room, he conducted his impressive UMKC students at an outdoor stage. Ronny Reed showed similar versatility as an actor and musician. He convincingly portrayed Piney Brown in a dramatization of Kansas City legends. He also popped up in sets by bluesman Eugene Smiley and in a jazz context with the Elder Statesman.
Above: Cotton Candy and Eugene Smiley.
Kansas City's jazz heritage is noted for its earthy reliance on blues forms. Cotton Candy's gleefully suggestive "Dr. Feelgood" during bluesman Eugene Smiley's set served as a reminder of that connection. The enthusiastic response given to rousing gospel act St. Monica's Choir was no less restrained.
Above: Event draws a young crowd and gives it a thrill.
The most ardent adulation was awarded to Event. Hundreds of young women alternately screamed and sang along as the young men in the pop act thrilled them with solid harmonies and risque choreography. A slightly older crowd swayed to the classic R&B sound of Karma. Meanwhile, the museum's atrium was a constant blur of graceful dancers moving to recorded music.
The intoxicating riot of sound was almost overwhelming. Savvy fest-goers retreated to the Gem Theater where films about jazz and the history of black cinema were screened.
A few events ran behind schedule, but with so many concurrent activities from which to choose, it wasn't much of an issue. The lone exception was the sad plight of Louis Neal's big band. They gamely carried on even though they could scarcely hear themselves through Cameo's amplified funk on a nearby stage. One result was an odd mash-up of Neal's "Satin Doll" and Cameo's "She's Strange."
Such was the interest in Cameo that a few hundred people attended their sound check. The crowd had grown to approximately 4,000 when the hitmakers' show started three hours later. And yes, front man Larry Blackman still dons his infamous red codpiece.
"Can you all feel that funk?" Blackman asked.
The crowd felt it, alright, just as thousands had felt the wide variety of sounds throughout the day. Louis Neal's difficulties aside, the street festival appeared to be an unqualified success. The museum- and the entire city- would benefit if the festival became a regular event.
The elegant Ralph Woods reminisced about the area's glory days during the panel of elder statesman.
"I can remember in the '40s you'd have to turn sideways to pass someone on 18th Street at one o'clock in the morning," Ralph said.
For one day, at least, a similarly vibrant atmosphere returned.
| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
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