Music union hall still swings on weekends

National Catholic Reporter, April 16, 2004 by Matt Stoulil

Just around the corner from the Museums at 18th and Vine lives the Mutual Musicians Foundation Inc. Established in 1904, this locale housed the Musicians' Union Local #627 through its heyday in the '30s and '40s. Its Pepto-Bismol pink refurbished stucco exterior is accented by an arrangement of painted eighth and sixteenth notes and a neon treble clef that blazes until sunrise every Saturday and Sunday morning.

The area around the foundation is bleak. It faces a row of empty, fenced-off houses and sits next to the barren Hotel Rochester, whose-sign still hangs, advertising "Air Conditioned Transient Rooms." Nonetheless, every weekend from about 1:30 a.m. until the sun comes up, jazz cats and musicians of every genre gather to jam after their gigs or just to listen to some seasoned improv.

The room fills with people of all ages who want to socialize until the wee hours or feel the vibes of years past when Charlie Parker, Count Basle and Big Joe Turner would jam and talk shop-with their sidemen and musical peers.

The film "The Last of the Blue Devils" was recorded within the foundation's walls. The documentary finds the remnants of the great jazz bands from Kansas City's heyday waddling out of their Buicks and Cadillacs in the late '70s, canes and all, into their union hall to talk about old times, but more important to perform together in this intimate setting with cameras rolling. Count Basie, Jay McShann, Big Joe Turner (famous for his powerful version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll") and many other jazz stalwarts come together for this film. Anyone who enjoys jazz or American music heritage in general should see thin film.

As for the night owls that pass through town, come to the weekend jam session.