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oome Liked It J4ot
"White" hot, says this artist who used to listen to both white and Negro musicians make jazz history to tunes as they were never written.
By JAMES B. GANTT
KANSAS CITY in the middle 'thirties — corrupt poHtics — vice ridden — boss ruled — wide open — as loud and tough and risky as any boom town. Every night was Saturday night. The town was jumping and Kansas City jaw was being born and clamoring to be heard.
The story of the great negro bands that came from this center and spread the gospel of the four'four beat has been told and retold. The names of Basie, Moten, Kirk are as familiar in Junction City as in New York. With the momentum gathered here, the great black drive bands captured the enthusiasm of the nation.
The stimulus of Kansas City Negro ja2;2; has left an indelible mark on American music. It is easy to be' lieve, when one searches the evidence of critics, reviews and comments, record releases, etc., that no white man in this town was in the business.
Do not misunderstand me. I agree that Negro music from this city is some of the greatest in its field. I simply wish to point out that the critics and recording companies overlooked the fact that good fertile ground and ideal growing conditions produced a white school of great
quality too. Though killed by the great reform wave and buried by the war, there were men of great ability whose work was never recorded, whose names are seldom heard and whose contribution was ignored.
There was an excellent reason why the white musicians failed to gain the recognition due their ability and integrity. There was no integration of effort on their part — no welding influence to bring them together into one organization.
All over the city in smelly little gin mills, second story dance halls and corner beer joints you could find them playing in two's and three's. In nearly every case there was but one real musician, backed up by indifferent talent, so that the effect was either an entire evening of sustained solo work by one man or an uneven quality of all in jamming, with spotty work from each individual.
White jazz in the commercial sense was never a very hot commodity in Kansas City. It attracted no attention for the simple reason that it Vv'as not worthy of attention. The very best in Kansas City white jazz was something that was never played for the cash customers. The real article