Prez Sez Fall 2002 Summer 2002 Spring 2002

Prez Sez Summer 2002 Historic events fill the jazz calendar By Butch Berman Whew! Since our last issue, I can't remember when I've seen and heard such near-life-changing music in such short a span of time. Sure, one long night in N.Y.C. can easily duplicate it, but dig this... Within a three-hour drive of my house to either K.C., Mo., or Manhattan, Kan., historic events awaited me. First came the Dave Holland Quintet at the McCain Auditorium on the Kansas State campus (see Tom Ineck's review elsewhere in this issue of Jazz). Then, K.C.'s Russ Long Trio held a CD release party here at P.O. Pears (read my review), onward to the Lied Center for Performing Arts for Regina Carter and her band (see Bill Wimmer's review), my 53rd (and best-ever) B-day bash at the Royal Grove featured the Monty Alexander Trio, and Grace and my K.C. extravaganza, including the 18th and Vine Jazz Museum, the Negro Baseball League Museum, catching the embryonic journey of one of K.C. is fast-rising bands, the Westport Art Ensemble, and topping it all off at the Blue Room for a reunion, of sorts, of one of my all-time faves, Bobby Watson and Horizon, All shows were sensational, memorable, well lighted and well staged, with near-perfect sound, yet other than Bobby, all were underattended. Butch Berman Remember, it takes three hours just to get checked in at an airport when you could have been sitting fifth row center at any of these venues after a relaxin drive and parking out front. Ah, yes Midwestern Americana has its charms. So, whatta ya think about the K.C. Blues and Jazz Festival dilemma? Too much funky politics, perhaps? Bad weather and not enough corporate sponsorship doomed the great four-year run of the K.C. International Jazz Festival, but this mostly blues-heavy festival drew thousands every year, providing quite a budget increase for many K.C. vendors. It never should have just fizzled out and ended this way. K.C. still is a super town with its jazz museum and a Mecca for pub-crawlers with its bar-laden hotspots, but this is sad. Remember, it takes three hours just to get checked in at an airport when you could have been sitting fifth row center at any of these venues after a relaxin' drive and parking out front. New jazz news! Martha Florence, new coordinator of Jazz in June, was nice enough to include my feedback in the annual spring meeting to prepare for the summer jazz series in Lincoln. Backed by a staff consisting of Jessica Kennedy, the marketing coordinator for Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery; Karen Wills, UNL assistant director of student involvement; and Sean Morrison, Digitalims account executive; plus a cast of other community leaders, we set out to make Ms. Florence's first Jazz in June a success. I stressed the cool possibilities of utilizing the budget for major out-of-town talent for a change, regardless of the admission-free, family-style throngs of people that come out no matter what. The staff granted me three of my choices, so this will be Jazz in June's first coast-to-coast, all-star cast of entertainers. Opening June 4 is K.C.'s Sons of Brazil, followed June 11 by New York City pianist George Cables trio, with drummer Victor Lewis, followed June 18 by the Quintet of the Hot Club of San Francisco, and lastly, on June 25, by saxophonist Dave Pietro. This is going to be a good series no, a great one! top We're getting mucho feedback on Ned Theall's fine account on Louisiana's famed Boogie Kings. An even earlier Boogie King Doug Ardoin now residing in Houston and affiliated with NASA, will present in our next issue his remembrances of this fine, fine, super-fine blue-eyed soul group that still cooks today. Thanks to Rock n Roll Hall of Fame organizations and reunions, the Boogie Kings, although almost totally revamped as of the year 2000, still kicks mega butt. Our Nebraska Hall of Fame is working toward reforming and putting on another tribute to all our elder rockers (Hey, that's me, too!). More of this as stuff unfolds. There's a lot of news ahead, so before I close, I want to thank my old pal Dave Hughes for his many years of service as our BMF newsletter editor. With four small boys at home, conflicts of being a good pop and on-the-go jazz editor got too tight, so he stays on as a trusted consultant and head writer Tom Ineck will now get a bigger chunk handling the editorial chair. Good luck to both of 'em. Also, our prayers go out to our layout specialist Rebecca Kaiser, whose mom took ill while on vacation in Colorado. We wish the entire family the best for a full and speedy recovery. As we eagerly await Eldar with the NJO and Jazz in June, etc., I'll get outta your hair. Jazz on, Butch.

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