Saturday, February 02, 2008

Megan Birdsall- Send My Love

















Megan Birdsall- Send My Love

Megan Birdsall, Kansas City's "little jazz bird," had a lousy 2007.

Just as she was on the verge of following Oleta Adams, Karrin Allyson and Kevin Mahogany as the next jazz-oriented vocalist to break out of Kansas City, Birdsall was diagnosed with a painful and severe medical condition requiring expensive surgery.

This orchestrated showstopper from Little Jazz Bird is akin to a Leon Russell production on an old Rita Coolidge album. It's odd to hear Birdsall in this lush setting, because she's a delightfully informal performer. Someone took this live footage the same night I grabbed the photo above. Her playful introduction to "Wichita Lineman" is unspeakably adorable.

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Regional jazz promoter Butch Berman died last week. He also played guitar in the bands of Charlie Burton, Sleepy LaBeef and Roy Loney. (Tip via Lee.)

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Kansas City Click: It's been a long time since I've endorsed the weekly Rural Grit Happy Hour at the Brick. Bring your beard and your banjo if you want to fit in.

2 comments:

bgo said...

I am so sad to hear of Butch's passing. A couple of decades ago we were frequently in touch with one another and I considered him a life long friend. RIP Mr. Berman

Happy In Bag said...

I figured you two were birds of a feather, BGO.