Another high note for KC jazz

Date: 05/16/03
Column: STEVE PENN
Credit: The Kansas City Star
Byline: STEVE PENN

A chord has been struck. A high note for the jazz community has been reached.

The response to the Coda Jazz Fund is reverberating throughout this community.

When the curtain goes up on the second annual Coda Jazz Fund benefit concert Saturday night at the Gem Theater, a sellout crowd will greet a star-studded cast of performers.

That means the goal of securing the fund well into the future will move one step closer.

The Coda Jazz Fund pays the burial and funeral expenses for jazz musicians' families that can't afford the cost.

Saturday's concert will feature trumpeter Clark Terry, singer Karrin Allyson, saxophonist Bobby Watson, pianist Jay McShann, Claude "Fiddler" Williams, The Scamps and the Elder Statesmen of Jazz .

Terry, who lives in New York, is no stranger to Kansas City.

In the 1970s, I had the honor of playing trumpet in a neighborhood jazz band with Terry - who also remembers that day.

"I feel like I'm coming back home," said Terry, now 82.

"I go back to the Turner House days," he said, referring to the community center in Kansas City, Kan., that had a jazz band. "I feel like I belong there."

Terry hopes his participation will be helpful to the fund.

"I'm grateful to be in a position to help out in a situation of this sort," he said. "This is necessary."

Terry is considered to be a jazz headliner around the world. His resume is impressive. He played in several bands before joining the Count Basie Band in 1948.

In 1951, Terry joined Duke Ellington's orchestra, where he was the featured soloist for eight years.

In the 1950s, Terry became the first black musician on the payroll of NBC. He eventually became one of the featured players in the "Tonight Show" band.

Terry was also a positive influence on younger musicians such as Miles Davis and Quincy Jones.

Terry believes he's fortunate to have made good money playing jazz over the years. Not everyone did.

"Jazz is a tough field," Terry said. "Some of us were able to manage the rigors of the trade and maintain ourselves to where we could have some cash stashed away. But a lot of our colleagues have struggled."

That's why Terry believes the Coda Jazz Fund is long overdue.

"It's a necessary thing," Terry said. "I don't see why the government doesn't have something like this. Once the word gets out there, I wouldn't be surprised to see it mushroom."

Allyson, who hails from Kansas City, is another jazz artist in big demand. She achieved critical and commercial success with her CD "Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane."

"We're excited to be playing at the Coda jazz festival," Allyson said earlier this week. "I love playing in the 18th and Vine jazz district. I think Coda is a wonderful cause. I'm looking forward to it."

Jazz lovers will once again get to marvel at the majesty of some of the greatest musicians in the world on Saturday night.

And how many more times will we see the likes of Terry, McShann, Williams and Watson on stage together? And all for a good cause.

There have been plenty of memorable nights of jazz here.

The night McShann met Charlie Parker. The night Cab Calloway came to the jazz district. The night the American Jazz Museum opened

And so on.

Knowing the headliners are passionate about their involvement this year ensures that Saturday night will be a historic and unforgettable night as well.

- To reach Steve Penn, call (816) 234-4417 or send e-mail to spenn@kcstar.com.