Producing my own "6-shows/year" jazz series at my UU church

[Rooster_Ties]

My Unitarian Universalist (UU) church already has a classical music concert series, "Classical Grapes", which produces about 5 concerts per year, nearly all of local professional musicians (all of a very high caliber), playing classical chamber music usually. The 'grapes' part comes from the concerts having wine included in the ticket-price, for a little pre-concert social hour, and also during intermission, and after.

Well, several things just converged in the last two weeks... One, I've been bugging two particular musician friends of mine for YEARS that I *REALLY* wanted to hear two of them (bass and drums) with an ACOUSTIC piano player.

Well, after bugging all of the possible participants probably 30 or more times over the last 2+ years, I'm realizing that there really is almost NO place - no REAL venues - for a creative musical happening involving a good piano, almost anywhere in all of Kansas City. Gigs at The Blue Room (probably the best jazz bar in town, which does have a good piano), are few and far between -- and the Blue Room almost never books piano trios (maybe one a year, if that). And they are also really limited to mostly straight-ahead stuff (or "straight-ahead, but "modern and creative" too), but almost never "creative" without much "straight-ahead".

So, fast forward to a couple weeks ago - and the young adult group at our church (18-35 year olds, of which I'm not longer really a part, being that I'm 37 now) hosts a good old fashioned "talent show" at our church, in the main "sanctuary"/auditorium (where our GREAT, world-class 10-foot grand piano is – no church organ in this church), and they serve bottled beer for the event (which you can take in with you during the show). AND, just the night before I was bugging my buddies, yet again, about putting together a progressive piano trio, and it hits me...

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, which is centrally located in Midtown KC, could easily put on THE best LOCAL jazz concert series in all of Kansas City, and I'm just the guy to make it happen.

I've probably got all the connections to do this thing, and I know plenty of musicians. And I know who'd be good - who could carry a whole night (and who couldn't). The room (our "sanctuary") holds about 220 people - a room that's acoustically very good, and would hopefully draw 75 to even up to 150 people per concert. (I could probably get 50 people in the door myself, just by word of mouth.) And a little help from someone in the press wouldn't hurt either (you know who you are ).

Who here has done anything like this before?? Four or five shows a year -- I think I can do that!!

Discuss...

Edited January 8, 2007 by Rooster_Ties

[Robert J]

10 foot grand piano! If you tell me it is a Fazioli F308, I'd say you have the best piano in town for sure.

You should go for this. I used to host a quarterly launch party for a Toronto literary magazine where I was the editor. Had to get a bunch of writers to read, one big name writer for the draw, live music, marketing etc. 4 times a year was just enough to get me excited and to get things done properly. Once a month would have stressed me out. As you wish to do, I used my connections to get help and the whole thing running.

The beer idea is good. Just make it microbrew to keep the cultural appeal. Better yet, micro-breweries love to send a bartender out to these types of things for their own promotion. Its win-win.

Edited April 25, 2006 by Robert J

[JohnS]

Good luck, I hope it goes well. Take it from me it's hard work but it's good to put something back into the music.

[JSngry]

Beer at a church function? Are you sure you're not Lutheran?

[paul secor]

Good luck on a worthwhile endeavor. Please keep us up to date on the preparations and results.

[AllenLowe]

well, mine is 11 foot - but don't feel bad - it's not the size but the way you work the keys -

[Rooster_Ties]

Didn't mean to make such a big deal over the size of the piano -- just that it is a wonderful instrument, and far better than most of the ones typically available where jazz is usually played (especially "local" venues where "local" musicians play).

I'm sure it's probably better than every single jazz piano I've ever seen in ANY jazz venue in Kansas City (over the last 12 years anyway), excepting really big halls reserved for "national" acts.

[Rooster_Ties]

So, how do people like the "Jazz, Brew, and Beyond!" idea, as far as a name to call the series?

I think that would dove-tail fairly well with our existing "Classical Grapes" series. And the "Beyond" part would hopefully give some hint that this wasn't your father's jazz series.

Edit -- I'm now leaning towards just calling the series "Jazz and Beyond". (At least that's my thinking as of November '06.)

Edited November 13, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Jim Alfredson]

Call it "Jazz For Satan" and see how that flies with the church peeps.

But seriously, it is very cool of you to take the initiative for something like this. If the scene ain't there, CREATE ONE!

[Guy Berger]

Good luck, Tom... that's cool that you are taking the initiative on something like this.

Guy

[.:.impossible]

Good for you Rooster! Make it!

[Man with the Golden Arm]

In Marblehead, MA the Universalist Church has been holding a jaz festival there for a dozen summers i think.

Saw Stan Strickland there a couple times.

2006 Schedule this year looks pretty darn good!

give em a shout ...

[Sundog]

That's a really good idea which seems to be catching on in these parts. I've gone to a number of "jazz vespers" services over the last 6 months. They have all been really well received. Saw Rich Corpolongo play at one of them, which was an unexpected treat.

[chris olivarez]

Damn!!!!! Beer at a church service ? If they had any churches like that at any placed that I ever lived at I might still be going. At any rate good luck RT.

[Rooster_Ties]

UPDATE, early November 2006.

I am in the process of booking the first two concerts for early in 2007 (first one to occur in late January, probably). Recently got the go-ahead from the church fund-raising committee and church board to start the series, and it's all a done deal - 'cept for the actual doin'.

I'm looking at 4 to 6 concerts per year, probably most likely 5 per year (given everything that's already on our church calendar), ideally something like this...

2 concerts in the late Winter and/or Spring (i.e. sometime between Jan. 1st and mid May). 2 more concerts in the Summer, sometime in June, July and August (June and July the more likely of the two Summer months). And one or possibly two more concerts sometime in Sept., Oct., and November. (Our existing "Classical" concert series is quite heavy on the programming in the Fall each year, so I'm thinking I'll only get in one Fall concert between all they're already doing.)

Much to my amazement, this is really about to happen!! (Well, just as soon as I can make it happen. ) But this really is within my grasp, and soon (this January!!).

Longer term, in a perfect world, I'd book one "out of town" act per year (Organissimo, I'm looking right at YOU ), and that might also include the possibility of getting a feature artist (one guest artist) to play with a local pick-up rhythm-section backing them.

I've got about 10 or 12 local groups in mind as far as bookings (mostly made up of guys (or at least leaders) that I've known for quite a number of years), enough to book the first two years worth of concerts just from people I already know.

Thinking of calling the series "Jazz and Beyond". Feedback on that choice is certainly welcome (as it's not cast in stone just yet).

Edited November 13, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Joe G]

Sounds wonderful. Hopefully we can work something out!

[Jim Alfredson]

Just let us know!

[(BB)]

Have you considered a "Classic" Blue Note look for you advertising?

[marcello]

In Marblehead, MA the Universalist Church has been holding a jaz festival there for a dozen summers i think.

Saw Stan Strickland there a couple times.

2006 Schedule this year looks pretty darn good!

give em a shout ...

That would be Gene Arnould, who is a great host.

I just finished listening to a cdr of the concert by Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Duo as they appeared there this last August.

[Rooster_Ties]

Just let us know!

Seems like the earliest I could hope to book a out-of-town band would be after I get at least two or three concerts with local groups under my belt. But Jim, Joe and Randy -- do please let me know if you think you'll be passing through or near Kansas City anytime in the next year or two.

Fortunately, with two or three months notice, I've got a fair bit of flexibility around when I can book the church for concerts. Anything inside of 2 months, and the space and calendar starts filling up very fast.

[Rooster_Ties]

Getting very close to needing to send out some press releases for the first concert, which is all but already booked for a mid January date (a Saturday night).

What do people here think of me calling the series "Jazz and Beyond" ??? (The feedback I've gotten about that name has all been positive, but I've only gotten actual feedback from a handful of people.)

I think it's important to brand this thing, for real. You know, so people don't just think of it as "that jazz thing at that one church" - if you know what I mean.

Oh, heck, here's a draft of a blurb I'll be sending out in the next couple days to the Jazz Ambassadors Magazine. Your feedback on the content of this is welcomed...

All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 45th and Walnut in KCMO (one block east of Main), announces their brand new “Jazz and Beyond” concert series, starting in January (tentative first concert date is Saturday, Jan. 13th), with The Jake Blanton Quartet. With fully six (6) concerts planned per year, series director Tom Buck promises a “fire-breathing, no-holds-barred” jazz series. “Our goal is to produce the finest local jazz series imaginable, with a diverse range of music and musicians – from hard bop to progressive, and traditional to the avant-garde. The Kansas City jazz scene is brimming with up and coming jazz artists that KC really needs to hear, along with established greats – and we aim to program it all”. Tom even hopes to even bring in an occasional surprise guest artist from beyond Kansas City – with some national ‘up and comers’ that KC will surely love.

I will have the first concert date locked down very shortly, but the deadline for the next JAM mag is coming up very quickly too, and we may have to go to press with the tentitive date included (or, rather, that it is tentivive). JAM only publishes once every other month, and the next issue is for December and January (combined), with their submission deadline in just a day or two.

PS: I'm particularly pleased with the "fire-breathing, no-holds-barred" description of the series. A good friend of mine used that "fire-breathing" term recently when we were discussion some political stuff, and it has stuck with me for several weeks. I'm wanting very much to telegraph that this isn't your typical jazz series, but something (hopefully) rather special.

Edited November 15, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[Dan Gould]

Tom, I understand how deadlines can force your hand, but I would really press hard to lockdown the date beforehand.

I don't think press releases should refer to you by your first name. Go with "Buck" or "Mr. Buck".

And finally, I am not sure that "fire-breathing" is the best descriptor. I don't know your audience, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is an aversion to "fire-breathing" jazz (which is a term that makes me think "late-period Coltrane".) I'm not saying that you shouldn't program the wide variety that you plan, I just don't think "fire breathing" is a term that will always resonate positively with people.

How about: "wide-ranging" or "eclectic"?

Then finish with "this won't be your Father's Jazz Series, I can promise you that." That will get across the programming you have in mind.

[PHILLYQ]

Have you considered a "Classic" Blue Note look for you advertising?

[PHILLYQ]

Best of luck, RT- knock 'em dead!

[Rooster_Ties]

Yeah Dan, the term "fire-breathing" may be a bit much -- I'll think that one over.

I'm not trying to imply "late Trane"-esque music (nor will I be programming that), and the "this is not your father's oldsmobile" reference is, really, what I'm trying to getting at. That said, "wide-ranging" and "eclectic" don't quite capture the excitement I'm trying to express either. "Wide-ranging"?? "electic"?? ==> ho hum -- I might as well just say "weird". But yes, "fire-breathing" may be too much. I'll road-test it with some other local guys tonight and tomorrow, and I'll toy with it some more -- and I do really appreciate the feedback, Dan.

I also wish I had the luxury of having the date locked down now, but the press deadline for this one particular local jazz mag is soon (officially tomorrow, the 15th of the month), and the leader of the date I'm booking is out of town at the moment, and can't confirm that everybody in the band can do that date that I've got lined up. I'm probably 80% sure it'll work, but not quite 100% yet.

All the other recipients of the press release will have the locked-down date, set in stone, of that I'm sure. It's just that this one local jazz mag has such an early deadline, cuz they only publish once every other month. I'll be sure to be out in front of that deadline in future months (a good deadline for me to have, actually).

Edited November 15, 2006 by Rooster_Ties