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| Alaadeen & Group 21 in the Blue Room Alaadeen & Group 21 in the Blue RoomJazz Police Legendary modern jazz saxophonist and composer, Alaadeen will be presented at the American Jazz Museum in the Blue Room with his ensemble (Christopher Clarke (piano); Seth Lee (double bass); Ray Stewart (world percussion); and Donivan Bailey (drums) on Saturday, September 10th. Over a professional career that now spans more than 5 decades, Alaadeen has remained on the creative path of continual development of his artistry. He is one of the few active performers today, who was actually alive and performing during the golden era of modern jazz that is often so celebrated by younger artists today. He is indeed one of the roots among those in the modern jazz tree, but his work is not locked into past eras of the music. Alaadeen & Group 21 will perform music from his much-anticipated and critically acclaimed new release, "New Africa Suite" ('ASR Records - ASR3001), which is now available at retailers worldwide and distributed internationally. Renowned international jazz artist, Bobby Watson calls this release "Alaadeen's most important to date..." and jazz reviewer, Marc Meyers of All About Jazz states: "Alaadeen deserves much wider recogniton. New Africa Suite is highly recommended..." The American Jazz Museum's Blue Room is a museum by day and at night comes to life as a working jazz club. Four nights a week, the Blue Room resonates with the sweet sounds of Kansas City jazz. The Blue Room has been recognized by Downbeat Magazine as one of the top 100 Jazz Club's in the World! As the only Kansas City club included in the 2004 list, the Blue Room consistently books top name national and international entertainers while it continues to showcase the best of jazz in Kansas City. Back in the 1930s and '40s, the Blue Room was one of the hottest nightspots in the 18th and Vine District. Located in the Street Hotel, in its heyday, the Blue Room featured some of the biggest names in entertainment. Today that legacy plays on as part of the American Jazz Museum; however, the name is the only thing that remains the same. Designed to resemble a nightclub from the 1930s, the Blue Room is a multifaceted exhibit focusing on the Kansas City connection to the evolution of jazz, featuring a wall of fame exhibiting the images of those local musicians that made the Kansas City style swing. Each of the nine tables are in fact display cases of rare artifacts from Kansas City's musical heyday when scores of nightclubs were swinging with sounds of live music. While in the Blue Room, you can view “soundies” from a video jukebox that features performances of jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Fats Waller and John Coltrane. Although smoking is prohibited in an effort to preserve the artifacts, alcoholic beverages are available at the bar and an appetizer buffet is available during Indigo Hour Friday evenings. Since its opening in September 1997, the club has built a loyal and ever growing following. Like its predecessor, today's Blue Room is one of the liveliest venues in the world with a strong heritage and a key part of sustaining Kansas City's place as the jazz mecca. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |