Christmas Presents

So my Christmas present this year is some video I've shot. Last year I shot the Christmas cantata at Our Lady of Sorrows Redemptorist Church. If you would like to see good musical performances that might put you in the Christmas spirit, check out what is happening at your church. My church has a special cantata that happens right before the midnight mass. 

Editors note: 12-25-09
A historic blizzard has curtailed many plans. I talked to Spencer Huston tonight at Redemptorist at about 5pm on Christmas eve, he wasn't sure if the midnight mass performance would be going off due to severe blizzard conditions outside. So, if such performances have to be postponed, it might be possible to see these performances after Christmas. I went walking around my parents neighborhood in Grandview during the storm and got some video and pix....
Editors note: 12-28-09
I talked with some members of the choir tonight and found out they did hold the midnight mass and cantata, but it was much diminished. Many of the performers could not make it in and the mass was very sparsely attended.
























I decided to include dash camera timelapse video of the historic blizzard...

A 'Jazz and Beyond' Xmas!

With Roger Wilder (piano), Rod Fleeman (guitar), Dave Chael (tenor sax), Bob Bowman (bass), Brandon Draper (drums), and special guests Bryan Hicks (vocals), Hermon Mehari (narration), and Lilah Wilder (vocals) for an emotional version of "O Holy Night",  as well as Annabelle Wilder on the xylophone for a kickass jazz version of the Nutcracker.  This was a spectacular and different take on many Christmas favorites, as well as some interesting numbers that should become Christmas standards.

www.SvobodaKC.com cameras were there to document the event.

Dave Chael on flute and Rod Fleeman on guitar

Dave Chael on flute

family, friends and fans in attendance at All Souls Unitarian Universalist church

Bob Bowman on bass and Brandon Draper on drums

Bob Bowman on bass, Brandon Draper on drums, Rod Fleeman on guitar, and Dave Chael

Rod Fleeman on guitar

Brandon Draper on drums

Roger Wilder, piano and director and  Bryan Hicks, vocals

Bryan Hicks waits for his cue


Dave Chael on Tenor saxaphone and Rod Fleeman on guitar

Roger Wilder plays that beautiful Steinway grand at All Souls


Hermon Mehari gets ready to do some spoken word on a hipster version of "T'was a night before Christmas."


Lilah Wilder performs a moving version of "O Holy Night" with her father, Roger Wilder


Annabelle Wilder plays the xylophone an great jazz arrangement of the Nutcracker by her father, Roger Wilder

Annabelle Wilder on the xylophone

My tapes were running out at the end, so I had to use the still camera to capture some video of the last part of the Nutcracker, which was the last song in the performance.


YJ's Jazz Jam

YJ's Third World Snack Bar, 128 West 18th Street, Kansas City Missouri
 Sunday night's jazz jam was really exciting. A lot of people showed up, and there was a different mix of musicians jamming, as well as some of the regulars. Brian Hicks led the jam as always, after performing with Roger Wilder and other musicians at the 'Jazz and Beyond' Xmas at the Unitarian Universalist All Souls church. There was a man and his cousin who drove down from St. Joseph to go to YJ's, and had the added bonus of seeing the jam, as well as a woman who said she was from the Mid America Regional Council, who just came down to read, draw and enjoy some coffee.





Livestreaming Events
Turn on the player below to see what is playing on the Svoboda KC livestream channel. It could be re-run's, or it might be live, you never know....
Watch live video from Svoboda KC on Justin.tv

You can click on the on button over on the Livestream window and see if Svoboda KC is streaming something live or, click on the "On Demand" tab on the bottom and see past livestreams.  We try to stream the YJ's Jazz Jam every Sunday night from 8 to 10 PM.  Contact us at http://www.facebook.com/Svoboda.KC...Maybe we can stream an event. We are also looking for sponsorships for our streams.  You can also check out the SvobodaKC.com Livestream page here or go to www.livestream.com/svoboda.


Chrometuna Also, I have cross pollination of blogs going on with Chrometuna, and his regular talk show, which runs starts at 3 a.m. daily, so if you are up that late, go to www.justin.tv/chrometuna and chat with him...
Watch live video from Chrometuna's Super Natural Boloney on Justin.tv Upcoming Events Finally... I have my handy dandy google calender with all the upcoming events in the area and beyond...

BLOG DOG

PLEASE LOOK AT AND COMMENT ON MY BLOG...

If you are interested in expressing your opinion about art, or this blog, or if you have ideas, calender updates or even blog entries, send me a message at http://www.facebook.com/Svoboda.KC TMI, BRD

FREE hit counter and Internet traffic statistics from freestats.com

Cafe Blackadder

I used to have a re-occurring dream that I would be by myself for the holidays.  I would be lost and alone until I would come to a christmas celebration at the Teehaus, and Peggy would take me in and make me feel warm and welcome.  After I had that dream, I vowed I would make it a yearly tradition to not join the commercial x-mess rat race and go to the Teehaus to buy many of my gifts for my family there.  It helped bring meaning to the season for me as I would support a locally owned business and I would be buying personalized presents for my family that had more meaning than the plastic made in China crap that was shoved down our throats, often at the expense of local labor and businesses.  Peggy passed away last year, and the Teehaus closed down.  I was worried that the inevitable passing of Peggy would come and go, and I wouldn't know it until I came upon an empty closed Teehaus.  Somehow, that didn't happen due to a little miracle.  Last year I had to take our dog to the vet.  She had a lump on her chest, and the only place I take our pets is to Alpine Pet Clinic in Warrensburg.  On the way home, I passed by the Teehaus.  I thought it would be closed, but instead, I found it overflowing with people.  They seemed to be celebrating.  I came in and found Peggy's daughter, Sandy, behind the bar.  She told me she was happy I could make it.  Bewildered, I asked her if this was some sort of private party.  She said, "No, haven't you heard?  Peggy passed away last Wednesday.  This is her wake."  Somehow I happened to be in town (something that happens only once or twice a year now) and I happened to go by the Teehaus at the exact time of the wake without knowing of Peggy's passing.  The odds of that occurring are tremendous.  But it did, and I shot a little bit of her moving wake....

What was really moving about it was seeing all the people who came and all the lives Peggy Means touched.  The place had been open since 1969, and was a coffeehouse even before that.  People of all walks of life and ages came to the wake, and I believe some of them went back to the early days of the Teehaus.  In the end it makes me realize that people truely do not pass on, but live in the lives of all the people they touched.  Peggy lived a full life.


I was saddened to hear that the Teehaus was shut down after Peggy's passing.  So, almost a year later, My wife and I were in Warrensburg to attend a Christmas party.  I drove by the Teehaus, curious to see what happened to the place.  I had a pleasant surprise to find it open as a cafe, under a new name in some respects, but actually, not really a new name.  It is now Cafe Blackadder.  Blackadder is Peggy Means' maiden name.  So, the spirit lives on....

FREE hit counter and Internet traffic statistics from freestats.com

Charlotte Street Foundation 2009 Generative Performing Artist Awards

The Charlotte Street Foundations Generative Performing Artist Awards show was held at the American Jazz Museum's Gem Theatre Thursday 10 December 2009.

The Gem is resplendent in it's neon from the googie era

The hall filled up quickly after the show began.

Olivia Dorsey began the program by talking about the Charlotte Street Foundation's mission. She is on the board of directors.

Faith Scott introduces the first recipient -- a man she calls her friend, Glenn North

Glenn North does his spoken word performance accompanied by Gerald Dunn on saxaphone, Kenyan Price on keyboards and Ray Stewart on percussion

Glenn North




Gregg Carroll, Chief Executive Officer of the American Jazz Museum talks about the mission of the jazz museum

Gregg Carroll on stage at the Gem


2009 Fellow, Tiffany Sisemore's dance troup performs at the Gem










YJ's Jazz Jam
This is the video I tried to upload several weeks ago, but problems with my camera prevented it.

FREE hit counter and Internet traffic statistics from freestats.com