Anyone who lives on the west side of the neighborhood can’t help but notice that corporate chains have a different view of “upkeep” here than they do elsewhere – and sometimes that dramatic difference can be witnessed within the same zip code. Corporate responsibility is almost non-existent in the neighborhoods west of Washington, and it’s high-time for the city to stop
Guitarist Greg Skaff s latest album,
Polaris, finds the former Wichitan and longtime New York City resident accompanied by two of the greatest living jazz players: bassist Ron Carter and drummer Albert Tootie Heath.
Comprised of original material from Skaff as well as a bevy of standards, the record demonstrates Skaff s particular genius on his instrument, including his singular phrasing and the ability to reimagine standards in such a way that renders them new.
Not a small feat, but then neither is recruiting two legends for your record and finishing the LP at the dawn of a pandemic.
Polaris, as Skaff tells it, was tracked in two quick bursts of activity: The first in August 2019 and the second in March 2020, amid circumstances that were filled with levity (in the case of Carter and Heath reuniting for the first time in decades) and gravity (the arrival of COVID-19 and the fate of sessions hanging in the balance).
Listen
Provided by Missouri Folk Arts
The Missouri Folk Arts program is highlighting more than 150 regional artists, featuring them in stories that explain their mark on Missouri’s cultural fabric.
This year marks 200 years since Missouri s statehood was established. In that time, Missourians have passed family and cultural traditions down from generation to generation. Despite some lost practices, many folk traditions have persisted in that time and new ones continue to arise.
To commemorate the state’s bicentennial, the Missouri Folk Arts program plans to publish 200 stories throughout the year. The stories will highlight more than 150 regional artists and explain their mark on Missouri’s cultural fabric. Several dozen more stories will focus on traditions and the programs that have sought to preserve them.
Bob Bowman, a native Kansan, learned to play the piano and clarinet before beginning to play bass at age 12. He won a scholarship to the Stan Kenton Jazz Clinic as a high school freshman, followed by study at North Texas State University. In 1976, he joined the famous Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, touring and recording several albums. Bob continued his performing and recording career by joining the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabakin Big Band in Los Angeles in 1979.
Over the course of his career Bob has toured and recorded with many artists including the legendary Carmen McRae, Pat Coil, Freddie Hubbard, Bud Shank, Karrin Allyson, Steve Houghton, Steve Allee, Bill Mays, Clay Jenkins, Danny Embrey, Todd Strait, Bob Sheppard, Matt Otto, Bobby Watson and others. Also he has had a very important musical relationship with Kansas City musicians like Tommy Ruskin, Paul Smith, Mike Ning, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Jay McShann, Stan Kessler, and many more. Bob now lives in Montana where he fi