Finishing Touches!

Yesterday, the group was back in the archives finishing up the little touches that are going to make the exhibit perfect. We picked the ephemera that will be in the the display cases:

(Left-Right Po-Sim Head, Grace O’Dell, Dr. Sarah Tyrell and Lydia Bechtel-Edmonson look at medals that McShann was given)

Really narrowing down our choices and making sure that we have a good balance of color and interest:

(Anthony Labat and Elizabeth Ernst-Miller decide on the display of buttons that will be showcased)

This is some of the most exciting part! Getting to handle things that were so important to McShann’s life is literally being able to touch his history. As we wrap our time in the archives, we reflect on how special it is that we are able to tell the story of Jay McShann, to be able to walk in his shoes and become engrossed in his music. We are excited to be able to share his story with everyone for the next few months. Jay’s Kansas City will be on display from April 19th-September 9th, 2018. Make sure you stop by and live part of McShann’s life for yourself.

 

-Thanks for all of your support in our project!

An interview with Jayne McShann Lewis

by Po Sim Head, MM Musicology and Piano Performance

Po Sim Head had the honor to sit down with Jayne McShann Lewis at The American Jazz Museum.

It was a wonderful time to meet Jayne individually to talk about her family. When I arrived to the Jazz Museum, I went to a meeting room where Jayne was hosting a meeting with her coworkers there about a first Friday event in May. I became one of them brainstorming idea for the event. Jayne, who was in charge of the event, was very open to every suggestion. She even took my idea for consideration.

After the meeting with coworkers, Jayne showed me the family pictures she brought me. They included her son and daughters with McShann. He looked happy and content on every picture. Jayne told me living in her dad’s legacy fill her with pride. McShann was a humble person and he never made his kids to have a feeling of living with a star. According to Jayne, she and her two sisters enjoyed waiting for McShann home from performance, especially the barbecue food brought back by him in the midnight.
Living with the instilled pride of her father, Jayne works for the American Jazz Museum to help promoting Jazz to the community. She has three daughters and one son and they all have successful and wonderful careers. Since Jayne was the only daughter living in Kansas City, her kids had spent more time with grandfather. They had jam sessions on every Sunday with Amy and Tiffany, the twin sisters, singing and playing the saxophone with McShann.

Jayne told me many little but interesting stories of her with McShann and it is obvious that they had a very close relationship. Jayne said she wants to make a documentary about her dad. Hopefully we will watch it very soon!

At the end of the meeting, Jayne and I went down to the museums to take some pictures. And…she didn’t mind taking some funny selfies and pictures with me.

Jay’s Kansas City

by Erin Gilmore, MM Musicology

It is no secret that Jay loved Kansas City. His roots run deep here and his musical influence made a lasting impression on the jazz community. What you might not be aware of is that many events and places that Jay played are still standing and you can take a walk through history in your own backyard.

Stop #1:  The Century Room

Managed by John Tumino, The Century Room was a popular venue for popular local bands to hone their craft to an eager audience of music lovers. The McShann band was offered a contract to play here in the 1940’s and he was able to develop his band from a trio to the twelve piece band; it also saw the reuniting of McShann with Charlie “Bird” Parker.

Located at 3601 Broadway, the building has had a long life dedicated to having a good time. It was the Broadway Jazz Club until its recent closing. However, as a building that is on the National Register of Historic Places, it found a new life as popular Swedish restaurant, Krokstorm.

https://klubbkrokstrom.com/

Jay McShann (second from the left) poses for a picture at The Century Room courtesy of LaBudde Special Collections

3601 Broadway, KCMO

Stop #2

18^th and Vine & The Mutual Musicians Foundation

After lunch at the Krokstorm, head on over to historic 18^th and Vine. Home to many venues like The Gem Theater, The Blue Room and The American Jazz Musician (where his daughter, Jayne, works!) it also houses The Mutual Musicians Foundation. Located at 1823 Highland Ave, this space is an integral part of Kansas City’s history. This club has seen, and still sees, many a late night jam session and was featured, along with McShann, in The Last of the Blue Devils.

https://www.visitkc.com/18th-vine#sm.0000zrxzsivn8fowyu02cyig4zo5t

18th and Vine, KCMO

Jay McShann at The MMF courtesy of LaBudde Special Collections

 

The Mutual Musician Foundation

Stop #3

The Levee Bar and Grill

After a full day of exploring 18^th and Vine, finish up your evening at The Levee. According to their website, The Levee has been hosting bands since 1965 and in the 90’s, Jay was often found smiling and playing with other Kansas City musicians. You can find them right off the Plaza at 16 W 43^rd St. KCMO. http://www.thelevee.net/

Jay smiling and playing at the Levee Bar and Grill, cir. 1992 courtsey Labudde Special Collections

The Levee Bar and Grill

A first hand perspective

By Grace O’Dell, MM Musicology and Piano Performance

** March 8, 2018 4:05pm- Correction, Tiffany was the singer, Amy played sax**

On Tuesday,  we met with Jay McShann’s daughter, Jayne McShann Lewis. This added an even more personal touch to our exploration as we continue to dive into McShann’s archive. She told us stories that showcased his funny and easy-going nature, and the ways music was a part of his everyday life. When Jayne’s daughters were growing up, they would all visit Jay about three times a week for a “jam session.” Jayne’s daughter Amy would play saxophone or piano with Jay, Jayne would dance and Amy’s twin, Tiffany, would sing. The granddaughters liked to mix jazz and classical styles, and this aroused Jay’s curiosity. He would say, “I like that! Play that again!” As Jayne said, “he was always listening for new sounds.” Jay particularly enjoyed hearing his granddaughter Amy sing the jazz standard “Tenderly”—and Jayne told us he even asked her to sing it for him in the hospital before he died.
Through the archive materials, McShann had begun to emerge for us as a well-loved and fun person, and this was illustrated even more poignantly through Jayne’s stories about growing up with her dad. She remembers him as enthusiastic about exercise; they would always be doing sit-ups or going to Swope Park and swimming. She told us a little about his entrepreneurial spirit and the businesses he owned—a limousine service and a trash hauling service. While now she looks back on this as examples of his abilities as a leader and a businessman, she mainly remembers playing in the trash truck and having lots of fun.
By answering questions, telling stories, and giving us a living link to her father, Jayne offered a helpful and personal perspective on this project. She helped us brainstorm ways to engage with some of McShann’s unpublished music—maybe have a few songs played by a band at the exhibit opening? Stay tuned to find out!

 

 

There are none who come close to matching Jay McShann

“There has been Ellington.  There has been Basie.  There have been Herman, Kenton, and more musical giants with huge legacies.  There are none, save Louie Armstrong and Dizzie Gillespie, who come close to matching the down-to-earth musical contribution of Jay McShann.”

These words, part of a tribute written by Bill Jones, speak of the Kansas City jazz, boogie-woogie, and blues pianist Jay McShann (1916-2006), known affectionately to many as “Hootie.”  McShann is recognized as one of the last great pianists fluent in the Kansas City jazz style, and his far-reaching influences as a musician, bandleader, and mentor still impact the jazz world.  

McShann’s archives are housed in University of Missouri Kansas City’s LaBudde Special Collections, and these documents (such as the tribute by Bill Jones, excerpted above and below) give important insight into McShann’s life. A team of students in the Advanced Research and Bibliography course at the UMKC Conservatory will be spending the semester exploring this archive and creating an exhibit on McShann for the Miller Nichols Library. The Jay McShann Exhibit will be on the third floor of the library from April 19-September 7, 2018.  We invite you to the opening reception and presentation on April 19th.  

Stay tuned over the coming weeks for updates on our findings and plans for the exhibit!

“Hootie Jay […] is a poet whose poetry and poems are lost forever in the ether.  As soon as they are born they are gone, their remnants caught in our webs of feelings of love and memory which themselves eventually join the same ether.  Jay McShann has sent as much joy into this ether as any musician in existence.”  – Bill Jones
The team:

Lydia Bechtel-Edmonson is a first year DMA Vocal Performance student.

Elizabeth Ernst-Miller is a first year MM Musicology student.  

Erin Gilmore is a first year MM Musicology student.

Po Sim Head is a second year MM Piano Performance and Musicology student.

Anthony LaBat is a third year DMA Flute Performance candidate.

Grace Odell is a second year MM Piano Performance and Musicology student.   

Coming Soon!