Feature Articles - Irwin blasts K.C. jazz for its sour notes By Tom Ineck Following the sad announcement that the Kansas City Blues and Jazz Festival had been canceled for the foreseeable future, an e-mail discussion forum of Midwest jazz proponents has emerged in an attempt to make sense of the decision and to speculate about possible alternatives. This heartfelt give-and-take has yielded some cogent observations on the state of the jazz art in the early 21st century. It also has produced a few naive suggestions about simply organizing another festival, as though by magic the trick rabbit could be pulled out of a hat, to the delighted applause of the jazz faithful. In one such exchange, Bill Williams, a former member of the Blues and Jazz Fest publicity committee, board member of K.C. Jazz Ambassadors and board member of the K.C. Blues Society, offered to manage a one-day festival in September. Steve Irwin's letter: Would this be inside or outside? If outside, what happens if it rains? Is this a for-profit or not-for-profit show? Under whose auspices will it be presented? Where will it be done? Who has the liability? Is this a one-time show or an annual event? Do the musicians get paid? Do they get paid if it rains? Do they get paid if its not underwritten? Who's putting up the money? Will there be an admission charge? How much? Who's going to show up? If other established events/clubs have gone under because of apathetic interests and poor attendance what makes you think anyone but the jazz choir will attend? The jazz/blues choir in KC isn't large enough to even support the church! The congregation has left the building. This noble gesture, however, was soon put into proper perspective by Steve Irwin. Irwin and Jo Boehr organized the great K.C. International Jazz Festival and struggled financially for four years before finally folding its tent. Irvin well knows the fickle nature of jazz fans and the greedy nature of some festival sponsors and vendors, who simply want a piece of the action. Like so many so-called jazz festivals, including the once-great New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (which is more about pop music celebrities and beer sales than about local jazz and heritage), the K.C. B&J fest in recent years had succumbed to hunger for the almighty dollar, and music became the eventual victim. At least, that is my take on the subject. In the e-mail letter quoted here, Steve Irwin bluntly and succinctly responds to Williams' well-intentioned, but ultimately misguided proposal. It is a sobering statement that jazz fans everywhere should take to heart. Your motives are honorable, but when Mickey and Judy spontaneously decided to put on a show they had MGM behind them. Let's put this in perspective right now. With the great Folly Jazz Series as an integral part of our cultural fabric here, Doug Tatum still has a helluva time getting butts in seats. Here's my take (to the choir) take a deep breath and think the big picture. At some point you have to re-anchor ship and shore up ground zero before anything grandiose can make sense. The key, as it always has been, is keeping the great local musicians working spend some money in clubs where they perform, take friends, buy their CDs, attend existing concerts and events. Kansas City must continue to be a place where musicians can work and perfect their craft. Without a vibrant jazz economy for the working musicians, we'll culturally dry up. -- Steve Irwin

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