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 Dean Hampton Saluting the Volunteers Summer is our busy season, with festivals and jazz events galore. And, as always, the KCJA is taking part in most of them, in one way or another. When I say the KCJA, that would include not only our 400-plus members, but many of our friends. We will be joined by nearly 500 volunteers who will spend thousands of hours insuring a jazzy summer for all. Without these volunteers, many of the events simply would not happen. While a festival lasts only a few days -- and a pub crawl just one -- the work needed to produce each event goes on all year, beginning with volunteer planning parties right through the "lessons learned" sessions after the fact. There are also additional meetings and fundraising and artist-scouting, all with one constant goal: to produce the best events possible for Kansas City music lovers. Then there are the "year round" jazz activities that take place and are also greatly enhanced by the contributions of volunteers. Doug Tatum at the Folly Theater reports that about 11,000 volunteer hours are donated each year at the Folly alone. If those volunteers were paid even the minimum wage, the Folly would be well into the red, and maybe even unable to operate. Same with the Kansas City Jazz Workshop. The KCJW is manned 100% by volunteers. Many area radio stations use volunteers to bring you jazz around the clock. The public stations use volunteer DJs, clerical assistance, and plenty of help during pledge drives. Of course, the most valuable volunteer contribution to public radio is the gift of money, but it takes the gift of time to bring that money in. Without the (dreaded) fundraisers, those stations probably would not even exist. Area nightclubs also benefit (i.e. profit) from this volunteerism, especially by way of the KCJA. JAM supports the clubs with news and free listings; the KCJA's newsletter, Wholenotes, provides frequent mentions about upcoming events; a weekly lineup can be heard on the KCJA Jazz Hotline (816-753-JASS); and most of this information can be found on our web site at www.jazzkc.org. And that's not to mention the money these same volunteers will spend in the clubs, usually after consulting JAM, or the web site, or the Hotline, as they plan out their evenings. These volunteers can be also be good customers! And let's not forget the musicians! They too are beneficiaries of the many hours donated by KCJA volunteers. CDs are sold, money is spent in the clubs, and festivals, concerts and crawls provide gigs. So, yes, we have some great jazz volunteers in KC. And, yes, so much of what we will enjoy this summer is made possible by their efforts. But they -- and we -- can always use more help! Please consider stepping up to the plate and joining the KCJA. On page 19 of the June/July 2000 print issue of JAM, you will find an application form listing our different membership options. And, if you would like to volunteer for one, some or all of the events this summer, please give Wayne Davis a call at 913-831-0168 or leave a message on our answering service at 913-967-6767. We would love to have you join us. MP3 Notes One of the most frequent comments I've heard about my MP3/Internet Audio article in the February/March JAM has been: "It's just a fad." If that's true, MP3 is taking longer to die than pet rocks and hula hoops. MP3 is here to stay. And more importantly, it is one of many music-delivery programs that fit the current computer-information age. Here are some quick briefs about new developments in the world of Internet audio. Streaming. If you go to http://windowsmedia.com and search for jazz, you will get a list of about 100 online radio stations that feature streaming through Windows Media Player. Just about every kind of jazz known to mankind is available here. "I LOVE YOU" and MP3. Those who were unfortunate enough to have contracted the "I LOVE YOU" virus in May probably lost their entire MP3 collection. This invasion of Windows operating system PCs changed the file structure of many different kinds of files including MP3 music files. (One online radio station lost its entire music library and is now back to spinning CDs while they rebuild.) The good news is that the files can be repaired. The bad news is that most of those impacted lost files as part of the recovery from the virus. MP3 and the Law. MP3.com and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) are still duking it out, and it appears RIAA is winning at least part of the battle. In late April, U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff ruled that MP3.com is guilty of copyright infringement. While reports claimed that the RIAA could win a judgment in the billions, it appears that it may be closer to $100 million. In Wired Online, MP3.com explained that they are a wealthy company with close to $400 million in the bank and with a cash burn rate of only about $3 million per month. Mobile MP3. In February, I suggested that by December you would be asking for an MP3/CD player for your car. I missed that date by six months. Some are available now and several more varieties will hit the market in June. If you settle for an automobile MP3 player that doesn't include CD, you will spend about $1000. You will then be able to carry several thousand tunes to work everyday. Prices were expected to drop significantly by the end of 2000. That drop is going very slowly, however, and may come to a halt as flash memory supplies are used. Production of flash memory used in MP3 players and digital/cellular telephones is at its max, with no relief in site. By (and Bye) George Reading our cover story last issue ("Adventures of a Jobbing Jazzman") reminded me of the many "general business" gigs I played in the '60s, many of which were with the George Gaston Combo out of Junction City, KS. The range of our GB experiences in that band was broad, including a guest who actually started a fire one night in the bell of George's tenor sax. George was a great player, and he also enjoyed a successful career on the West Coast. In recent years he lived in the KC area and could be seen at clubs and concerts with his friend BJ Stewart who, like George, was also a member of the KCJA. George Gaston passed away on May 4, and with the exception of Karrin Allyson's "Everything Must Change," all of the music featured at his funeral was his own. Memorial suggestions by the family include donations to the KC Jazz Ambassadors' Musicians Emergency Assistance Fund (MEAF). In Praise of Longevity
It was a comment that summed things up perfectly. (And in an earthy sort of way Marilyn would probably enjoy.) What was witnessed on May 17 was indeed a tour de force: 53 songs from the swing era that showcased not only the enduring talents of one of the jazz world's finest singers (Johnny Carson thought enough of her to have her back 75 more times), but also the talents of three of KC's most respected jazz artists, Paul Smith on piano (solidly subbing the final two nights for the acclaimed arranger/pianist Frank Mantooth), Gerald Spaits on bass, and Todd Strait on drums. There is now talk of taking the show into the studio to record a new CD. And there may even be an encore of "Singin' Swing" at some point down the road. If that comes to pass, or, for that matter, if you have a chance to catch Marilyn Maye in any setting in (or out of) town, don't pass it up. She's sounding better than ever.
So, who cares about age? As Marilyn Maye and Luqman Hamza keep showing us, not only is it just a number, but the kind of music both still share with the world has a way of keeping the soul forever young. And if you don't believe me, just ask Claude "Fiddler" Williams. -- Mike Metheny RETURN TO JUNE 2000 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1995-2000. All rights reserved. |
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