In spite of playing on Paul Simon’s eponymous 1972 album, collaborating with jazz luminaries and releasing a series of impressive albums as a leader, guitarist Jerry Hahn remains relatively unknown. The Nebraska native has lived in the Kansas City area off and on for decades. The embedded video captures Hahn overcoming technical glitches as a member of Gary Burton’s band in 1968.
A Reopening Register
Original image of the site of Stephen Martin’s jam session by Plastic Sax.
You don’t miss your water ‘til your well runs dry. A list of jazz-oriented experiences I’m eager to resume in a post-vaccine Kansas City during the second half 2021 follows.
1. Reboot Even as I lament the loss of jazz-friendly venues that didn’t survive the pandemic, I’m intent on investigating the new landscape for live jazz. Taking in Stephen Martin’s lively jam session in a humble room near the UMKC campus (pictured above) in March was one of the most satisfying experiences I had in the weeks prior to the lockdown. I expect to find many more examples of the DIY ethos.
2. Double-dipping One of the most advantageous aspects of being a jazz fan in Kansas City is the ease of club-hopping. Because free parking is usually plentiful and cover charges tend to be low or nonexistent, hitting two or three venues on any given night is a piece of cake.
3. Organism I’m lukewarm on organ jazz. Yet in recent years I’ve discovered that sitting immediately next to the speaker cabinet of a Hammond B3 organ can provide a thrilling psychedelic experience. Save my seat.
4. Carousing Because I’m a penny-pincher and a responsible citizen based in the suburbs, I haven’t had an alcoholic beverage in a Kansas City jazz venue in years. It’s high time for an unhinged, rideshare-enabled blowout.
5. Friends and Foes It’s a good thing my social life doesn't revolve around Kansas City’s jazz community. I’m not particularly popular. Yet I miss bumping into pals and detractors in and around jazz venues.
6. Hit the Highway I rarely bother driving to nearby Lawrence, Topeka and Columbia for jazz gigs. It’s time for that negligence to end.
7. Consumerism I own more albums and CDs than can be counted. Even so, I still love digging through the racks at record stores. Holding physical copies of rare albums by the likes of Jerry Hahn never fails to thrill me.
8. The In Crowd I relish attending big concerts by jazz artists with crossover appeal. Occasional appearances by touring musicians such as Kamasi Washington, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall and Flying Lotus is always thought-provoking.
9. In My Solitude I put a pause on my occasional strolls through the Jazz District, Lincoln Cemetery and other historically significant sites for fear that a friendly soul might unintentionally infect me. I pine for my meditations in these musically sacred spaces.
10. Fingers Crossed My list closes with a wish. Desperate to bask in performances by favorite jazz musicians who pass over Kansas City, I took music-based trips to New York City, Knoxville and Chicago in 2019. I long for the Kansas City debut of at least one eminent adventurous improviser in 2020.