Jazz (today) in Iowa, Missiouri, and the Midwest

[Rooster_Ties]

Picking up from the "J.R. MONTROSE IN ACTION" thread...

This is fascinating.  Up until now, I never would have thought that Iowa City had a "jazz scene."  But it is a college town, after all.

I saw Andrew Hill in Iowa City early in July of this year, at an outdoor festival - and there were probably 2,000 other people there who were diggin' Andrew as well. People of all ages. Young (younger than college-age, meaning highschool-age mostly), medium (late 20's, 30's, 40's), and older (you know who you are). In other words, it wasn't all college kids, not by a long shot.

And you can't tell me that even half of those people had ever even heard of Andrew Hill before, but there they all were!!! Similar (though slightly smaller crowds, earlier in the day) were very attentive for 90-minute sets by Fred Anderson (in a pianoless trio, w/ bass and drums), and Ron Miles in a quartet with guitar, bass, and drums. All three groups were pretty "out" and/or "creative" – depending on the tune and your perspective. (Nothing that our beloved "hardbop" would have liked one bit, I can tell you that!!)

Hill’s set was a pretty darn "out" 90-minute set (as a quartet with Greg Tardy, Nasheet Waits, and I forget who the bass-player was). But the crowd listened very attentively. Imagine hearing a cross between "Point of Departure" and the LIVE version of "A Love Supreme" - for the very first time!! (Tardy's playing was more "out" than "in", much of the time.) That's probably what it was like for most (at least 60%) of these people - I'm guessing.

But they really seemed to love it. Damnedest thing I've ever seen.

And by way of comparison, here in Kansas City a couple years ago, the Dave Holland Quintet show just barely broke even!!! - filling only about 30%-40% of a relatively smallish venue that holds maybe (I'm guessing) 800 people?? 1,000 tops. Couldn't have been more than 400 people there at most, and even if the 'floor' was half full, the 'balcony' was 80% empty (I know, I was there).

Then, by way of further contrast, I saw the Holland Quintet in Columbia MO about a year later (smallish town halfway between Kansas City and St. Louis, where the University of Missouri is), and they sold the place out!!! - in a theater probably held between 800 and 1,000. Columbia can’t be more than 200,000 people, 300,000 tops!!! The Kansas City metro is like 1.6 million!!

Grandted - the Iowa City show was free, and both Holland shows you had to pay $20-$25 for tickets for. But still, people here don't listen to "out" shit (like Hill), even when it is free!!! --- as I well learned when David Murray played a free pianoless trio set here in Kansas City about 6 or 7 years ago, at an outside FREE festival. Maybe like 125 people were paying any attention at all to Murray - and this was with Andrew Cyrille on drums and a good bass player (who's name I forget).

2,000, hell - maybe closer to 2,500?? - turn out for Andrew Hill in Iowa City; and maybe 150 people pay any attention to David Murray in Kansas City -- both "free to the public" situations. Don't make no sense to me.

Anybody got any theories??

I've also been to well attended jazz shows (in large venues) in Lawrence Kansas (home of the University of Kansas), which is a town with a MUCH smaller population than Kansas City. And it wasn't at all "just college kids" there. No, I'm convinced that half or more of the people who were there were from town. Sure, maybe 1/4th drove from Kansas City (like myself), but the 'per-capita' attendence of town-folk from Lawrence (or Columbia, in the case of the Dave Holland show), has to be MUCH, MUCH higher than it is for similar shows in the imediate Kansas City area. And I'm sure the same is true of St. Louis.

What gives??

Edited August 21, 2003 by Rooster_Ties

[vibes]

Can't answer your question, R_T, but that was a good show. I'm sorry we didn't get to chat more. That was the worst drive home of my life. Didn't get home until 3am, and I usually go to sleep at 9-10pm.

[Rooster_Ties]

Yikes!! I'm also sorry we didn't figure out who we each were until like 2 minutes before Hill started - and then by the time it was over (and the autograph gettin'!), you were probably already on the road.

Maybe next time!! I'm definitely planning on going back, if not next July - then I'm sure some July in the next 2 or 3 years.

Would you guess the crowd size was similar to what I estimated above??? It was a huge crowd, I thought - especially when you consider the people down the side streets - both straight in front of the stage, and on the sides.

Much bigger crowd than any act like Hill would draw in Kansas City, I am sure of that.

[vibes]

I think you have the size of the crowd about right. I was pretty impressed by the fact that most of these people did not appear to know who most of the artists were, and were most likely not really jazz fans at all, yet they seemed into the music and did stay around for a lot of it.

You're lucky you got to meet Andrew. He's the entire reason I went. He's definitely in my top 5 jazz artists. There's a good chance I'll be there next year - my brother just moved to Iowa City, and just started his master's at the university. It will be much cheaper for me that way.

[Rooster_Ties]

"up" for further consideration...

[Miles251]

My two cents woth.....Sorry to miss Rooster and Vibe at this years festival. Thought I had 'Free For All' talked into hangin' for a couple days....maybe next year.

I think that any university town has a leg up when it comes to the creative arts. Between the people that perform, teach, study or want to hang in this sort of environment, the population is more open to the possibilities. Another point that should not be lost regards the amount of "public education" a performer wants to deal with. Creative musicians have got to create their own audiences, especially in smaller population areas. We here in Iowa City have started educating the younger kids in the elementary, junior highs and high schools to listen learn and develope appreciation for all different styles of creative music, whether it be be- bop, hard bop, blues, salsa or the edgier creative music that Iowa City has become known for. The Iowa City Jazz Festival is, I think, a solid reflection of the music that is performed in town throughout the year, so people are aquainted with the sounds and are willing to check it out with open ears at the Fest. This is why we got around 25,000 people here over three days....not all local people, but a good majority. Plus the festival is booked and organized by musicians. We treat the performers the way we like to be treated when we go out, so they go on and play their asses, and tell anyone who will listen about this little "oasis" amid the cornstalks. It did my heart a world of good to listen to Andrew Hill, a beautiful cat, and watch probably 8000 to 10000 people checking him out trying to figure out what the hell he was doing!

As far as KC, I have heard from a very solid source that people want to still hear what made KC famous in the late 30s or early 40s....standard tune jam sessions. This is a beautiful thing, but not a good overview of what creative music evolved to. The KC Jazz Festival no longer exists....why? Grant moneys lost in this dismal financial time....what kept the local musicians from taking partnership in the festival to keep it happening? This goes back to my point that we musicians HAVE to be involved in the business end and not just wait for the phone to ring.

Sorry guys....got to go and listen to more U of Iowa students play LAME auditions for the jazz program after not touching their axes all summer!

I look forward to this discussion continuing...am interested in your thoughts!

[Dmitry]

Citizens dig free outdoor gigs.

I wonder how many sets Hill would sell out if he was playing in a club in KC.

[Rooster_Ties]

Even if the cover was only $10???

Unfortunately the answer is Zero.

Kansas City is too conservative a town, musically speaking.