12/27/02

Jazz fund steps in once again
By Steve Penn, The Kansas City Star

 

When Charlie Parker left the Jay McShann Band, it was Rudolph "School Boy" Dennis who stepped in.

When Dennis died without the money for a proper funeral, it was the Coda Jazz Fund that stepped in.

Dennis was an exceptional saxophonist and pianist who played with many jazz legends. But he never made the kind of money someone with that amount of talent deserved.

When Dennis died Nov. 20 at a local nursing home, all he had to his name was a $538 Social Security check.

When his niece heard about the Coda Jazz Fund, she filed an application.

This month, the fund's advisory board agreed to pay for the costs associated with Dennis' funeral.

The fund, created earlier this year to help pay the funeral and burial costs of impoverished career jazz musicians, is now at $45,000

because of the generous support of the Kansas City jazz community, including corporate sponsors such as Sprint Corp.

The fund was set up under the direction of The Kansas City Star in partnership with the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, which promotes and manages the fund.

So far, the fund has helped several jazz musicians, including David Daahoud Williams and Oliver Todd.

Dennis got a fitting farewell.

A memorial service was held in November at the Unity on the Plaza, which donated the space and arranged the cremation.

"We appreciate this so much," Stephanie Adams, Dennis' niece, said at the service.

Dennis had been at his craft for a long time.

The sixth of nine children, Dennis joined the house band at the club Chez Paree in Kansas City when he was 14. He was so young, the guys in the band named him "School Boy."

The nickname stuck.

When Dennis took over for Parker, he learned Parker's saxophone solos. He wrote and arranged music for McShann.

Dennis played in spots that ranged from Club Mardi Gras to the Apollo Theatre in New York. He played with Fiermon Prymus and the Kings of Jazz . He toured with James Brown on a stint through Texas.

In 1986, Dennis was inducted into the Elder Statesmen of Jazz . He received a special recognition from that group just this year.

In 1999, Dennis was among the original participants in the American Jazz Museum Hall of Fame.

And last year, he was presented a plaque at the Blue Room by the R.T. Coles School alumni, who recognized Dennis as an outstanding jazz musician.

The Rev. Duke Tufty, a minister at Unity, presided over Dennis' service.

"It's time to celebrate the life of a person who gave more in life than he took out," Tufty said. "Rudy is doing just fine now."

An attendant from the nursing home where Dennis died told the audience that he saw Dennis puckering up his lips on the day before died.

"He was playing away at that horn," the attendant said. "I felt privileged to be a part of his life."

Dennis may not have had a lot of money. He did have plenty of friends. And he was part of a musical family in Kansas City.

Dennis spent his life spreading his music. Thanks to generosity of the many Kansas Citians who have contributed to the Coda Jazz Fund, Dennis received a send-off befitting a noted jazz artist.

In a city that respects the contributions of jazz musicians, that's the way it should be.

Send contributions to the Coda Jazz Fund, P.O. Box 412116, Kansas City, MO 64141-2116

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