Tag Archives: Hearne Christopher Jr.
Hearne: The KC Confidential Comments Section Cleanup
To the majority of KC Confidential readers and commenters, I salute you…
Instead of one or two word, anonymous putdown comments (like a certain local blog) or allowing no comments at all (like another), KCC gets mostly some pretty entertaining and thoughtful comments. The "stage names" may shield their identities, but most KCC commenters think things through and bring something to the table in the way of suggestions and/or criticism.
They may get carried away with the ALL-CAPS button or unleash an ungentlemanly word here or there, but for the most part they’re an important ingredient to the overall mix of ideas and viewpoints on this site.
Then there are the odd haters…
Today: The Sad Demise of David R. Spivey Books, Maps & Fine Arts in Westport
Chalk one up for Father Time and the Internet…
In a matter of days, a 33 year-old Westport institution – David R. Spivey Books, Maps & Fine Art – will take it’s place in the history books.
"I’m alright, I’m just retiring," says Spivey. "I’m in the process of selling everything."
Spivey sold the building at 825 Westport Road to neighbor Joe Zwillenberg of the Westport Flea Market.
Spivey’s Web site says, "David R. Spivey has been buying, selling and appraising old maps, rare books and fine art since 1978. Over the years, Spivey’s has grown to be the largest old map, print and book dealer in the Midwest…We have five floors of maps, prints, fine art and books. Our building dates to 1910 and sits on the old Santa Fe trail in historic Westport."
Today: A Christmas Olive Branch from Jardine’s Owner to Local Jazz Musicians
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In an open letter to Kansas City jazz musicians, Jardine’s owner Beena Raja reached out Christmas Day in an attempt to mend fences and restore sanity to an out-of-control situation that has resulted in the club’s going dark much of the past three weeks.
That after Raja found a handful of her staff drinking illegally at the club at 4 a.m. Thanksgiving morning. Jardine’s general manager / cook then resigned. Two staffers were fired, a third walked out and confusion over what had gone down lead other staffers to believe they too had been fired.
An incident with one server, whose father is a leading member of the local jazz community, resulted in the father calling for other musicians to boycott Jardine’s.
It’s been downhill from there.
Will Raja’s reaching out to musicians work? Is it too late?
Here’s Raja’s late night letter:
"To All,
You don’t know the facts of why this happened.
Christmas 2011: Through the Past Darkly into Year Four
Merry Christmas…
It’s been quite a year for KC Confidential. Lots of comings and goings – some planned, others not. But for the most part readers have stuck with us through good times and bad. We’re ending the year on a high note with readership up dramatically from where we were just last spring.
How much are we up?
More than double what we started the summer with, and up 90 percent the past three months and well over 300 percent in the last 30 days.
It’s not been easy.
Hearne: Buyers Line Up for Chance to Buy Plaza Jazz Club Jardine’s
It may be "all quiet" along the battle lines in the Jardine’s jazz club saga but…
The staff is gone – a couple of them fired, others told that they’d been fired. Many of KC’s top jazz musicians have joined a boycott of Jardine’s. A boycott allegedly spearheaded by Sons of Brasil trumpet player Stan Kessler, whose stepson – now former Jardine’s server – Raja called the cops on minutes before Kessler’s band showed up at the club to play, but then walked out.
No two ways about it, it’s been ugly. Not to mention confusing.
Yet while things have been relatively quiet in the media, that doesn’t mean there’s not been plenty going on behind the scenes, in places TV cameras are of little use.
Today: Former Jardine’s Owner Saddened by Events, Fox 4’s Tabloid TV Coverage
The past three weeks have been tough for Jardine’s founder Greg Halstead…
Halstead opened Jardine’s in 1992 as a restaurant and bar, but within months realized he’d made a mistake. The joint was losing money and Halstead called his pal Ron Schoonover – the former manager of Kansas City’s Playboy Club – to ask advice. Schoonover was running a successful jazz-themed bar and restaurant downtown called The Phoenix and he greenlighted Halstead’s idea of adding jazz to Jardine’s mix .The rest is history.
Hearne: The Off Kilter, Last Minute Christmas Gifts Giver’s Guide
It’s gonna be hard to top Brandon Leftridge‘s tongue-in-cheek, holiday gift suggestion of a totally real Opossum…
Or Jack Poessiger‘s dream holiday meal of a "crisp" Christmas Goose. But I’ll try. Shouldn’t be too hard to make it a little easier on the gift givers as well as the recipients.
Let’s start with the $12.50, handmade, pewter Atahualpa bottle stopper at Hobb’s in Lawrence.
"You know who this guy is?" asks Hobb’s owner Mark Swanson. "He was the last Inca emperor."
Who doesn’t need something like that to jam into their favorite bottle of Mezcal?
Looking for something at a higher price point? Not a problem.
Today: Thumbs Up to Joco Leaf Ban, H&M Shopping Report & Star’s New ‘913’
Something for everyone today, even Jardine’s haters and future Jardine’s lovers…
One of my all-time, good-for-the-earth, suburban pet peeves is taking a step towards being eliminated. Starting in January, yard waste will no longer be picked up in Johnson County and dumped in landfills.
Hats off to the Johnson County Commission for doing the right thing.
Hearne: Mission Improbable, Taking It To The Imax
Let me begin by saying this is not a movie review…
However, I did see the new Tom Cruise movie Mission Impossible last night. In all its Imax glory. Jack had assured me it was top notch – and I won’t argue that – however I’ll pass along a few things worth noting.
Starting with the really intense, really loud opening scene.
Today: Neverending Jardine’s Saga, a Mother Weighs in on Firing Rumors & More
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Amidst the back-and-forth tales of Jardine’s firing its entire staff lies a single, glaring contradiction…
The local news media – including this site – bought into and reported that owner Beena Raja had fired the Plaza jazz club’s entire staff. That fifteen people had been unceremoniously turned out on the streets right ahead of the holidays.
Nevermind that none of that had been confirmed with Jardine’s. Or later, when Raja was finally cornered she denied it, saying the general manager/cook had resigned, two staffers had been fired and another walked out. Not surprisingly a local waiter blogger championed the staff firing story without even attempting to contact Raja.
Worse yet, a local TV news organization that has lead much of the news charge on Jardine’s woes employs a reporter who’s daughter worked at Jardine’s and is alleged to have been among the three servers Raja found drinking for free at 4 a.m. Thanksgiving morning.
None of the stories I’ve seen disclosed that potential conflict to viewers.
Now let’s get to the heart of the matter.
Today: Bourdain Does Stroud’s & Savoy, Pletz Death Update & ‘Toon Shop’ Redux
There’s a ton going on so let’s get going….
For starters chef, author, television host and culinary wild man Anthony Bourdain has been in town for much of the week, ahead of his perfromance tonight at the Midland by AMC. Earlier this week, roving KC Confidential comments catalyst Chuck Lowe caught Bourdain in the act, film crew in tow, at B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ. Lowe says Bourdain was swilling beer and swallowing KC ‘Q for an April edition of his Travel Channel show "No Reservations."
Wait, there’s more…
"B.B.’s manager Mike Shannon told me Bourdain was going to Stroud’s yesterday and the Savoy today," Lowe says. "So he’s making a week of it here in Kansas City."
Concert biz insiders may want to note that Bourdain’s show at the Midland tonight is being promoted by Jam out of Chicago with former KU SUA concert king Steve Traxler (who’ll be in town for the show) spearheading the promotion.
Star Search: Star Sends ‘Thirsty’ Reporter to Jardine’s to Tell the Rest of the Story
Can I get a drumroll?
After two weeks of watching from the sidelines, the Kansas City Star is poised to enter the finger-pointing, media circus and soap opera surrounding embattled Plaza area jazz club Jardine’s.
Unlike Fox 4‘s fox hunt, count on the Star story being balanced. In other words, rather than just loading up on pissed off servers and a single musician who’s check got caught in a bank account freeze, the Star will weigh in with both sides of the story.
That being said, this is going to be a delicate tightrope walk for Star music man Tim Finn.
Hearne: Blockbusted – State Line Blockbuster Bites the Dust & Romantics Flashback
Just like that, the Blockbuster near 77th and State line is no more…
The one Steve Rose and I go to. That is, whenever Rose’s family is in town for the holidays and my kids are hosting an overnight hang with friends. It was kind of like a Mission Hills / Prairie Village / Waldo neighborhood institution. Albeit an institution on the brink of extinction.
When other Blockbusters and area video stores were dropping like flies the last couple of years, the manager there assured me his would be one of the last to go because it was some sort of regional headquarters or something.
Yet suddenly, last Tuesday employees got word from upon high and they were out-of-there in a flash.
Hearne: Jardine’s Wants to Pay Off Former Staff Today & Move On
Olly Olly in come free…
In the interest of fairplay – in a local soap opera of historic, tabloid TV news proportion – I bring you the following message from the jazz club known as Jardine’s just off the Country Club Plaza:
Come and get it!
That’s right, as reported here last week, Jardine’s owner Beena Raja has her checkbook at the ready and wants to settle up with members of her now-former wait staff. Including the pair that were fired, the manager who resigned and the dozen or so others who vanished into thin air.
"I want to pay all of the employees," Raja says. "I went back through my records and I want to pay them today."
Just one problem…
Today: Anthony Bourdain Descends on B.B.’s Lawnside & the Ghost of L.C.’s Past
What in the world was foodie Anthony Bourdain doing today chowing down at one of KC’s ‘s lessor BBQ joints?
Making the rounds of local dining establishments ahead of his performance Friday at the Midland by AMC, that’s what. KCC reader and comments dude Chuck Lowe stumbled onto Bourdain at lunchtime today at B.B.’s lawnside BBQ in South Kansas City.
"I think he was having burnt ends when I saw him," Lowe says. "The place was packed and everybody was standing around looking at him and he had a crew filming it. But I couldn’t get near him because (owner) Lindsay Shannon was guarding him."
Like Lowe, my experience with B.B.’s cuisine has been mediocre at best. That said, the place has a kickass roadhouse feel and features some of KC’s best blues bands like Trampled Under Foot, John Paul’s Flying Circus and Samantha Fish.
Now back to B.B.’s and the nail biting that may be going as to how Bourdain will rate B.B.’s on his Travel Channel show "No Reservations" come next April.
Today: Fox 4 Falls for Phoney Picket Photo Op While Musicians Boycott Plaza Jazz Club
The most sensational scandal in the modern Kansas City Jazz history is unfolding before our eyes…
If you thought jazz was dead in this town, think again. Granted, lip service from the usual suspects and the undying passion of ardent aficiondos aside, jazz isn’t exactly a popular art form these days.
Far from it.
Don’t get me wrong though. There’s a ton of quality live jazz around town spearheaded by artists like Mark Lowrey, Brandon Draper, Megan Birdsall, Danny Embrey, Lonnie McFadden, Shay Estes, Hermon Mehari and Mark Southerland. It just doesn’t get much media attention, and outside of venues like the Folly, Mutual Musicians Foundation and Jardine’s, not a lot of foot traffic.
Speaking of foot traffic…
A pair of former Jardine’s servers and a handful of their friends layed down a small town news style photo op for Fox 4 tonight around 7:30 p.m. The servers and scab friends picketed Jardine’s for Channel 4’s 9 and 10 p.m. news. Is it actually that easy to get on local television news these days?
I thought you had to actually be murdered or die in a fire or car crash.
Today: Game On, KC Confidential Christmas Bash 5:30 pm Today @ at Jardines
The incredible lightness of survival….
Against all odds – or so it might seem – the annual KC Confidential Christmas Wilding will indeed go down at 5:30 p.m. tonight at Jardine’s. The troops will be out in force. Me, Glazer, Jack, Katie, Matt Donnelly, Mark Edelman, Tony the Tiger, Fitz, Mermaid, Tracy, Roger the Plumber, Nigro, members the comments hit squad and many more.
Think of it as a party out-of-bounds.
Flak jackets option.
Hearne: And Now, The Rest Of The Jardine’s Story…
It’s hard to be fair and balanced when you’ve only heard one side of the story…
Impossible, in fact. That said, there’s been no shortage of piling on in the soap opera surrounding vaunted Plaza jazz club Jardine’s going dark this past week. Especially with employees flooding the blogosphere with tales of being fired, wronged and any number of other sensational crimes against humanity.
And to a certain extent, that’s only fair.
People have every right to air their grievances, and readers and television viewers have every right to draw whatever their conclusions may be having heard those complaints. Unfortunately, in the absence of Jardine’s side of the story, clearly there’s been a rush to judgement based on but a single side side having its story told.
"There’s always more to a story than there appears to be," says Westport businessman Bill Nigro. "And nobody’s heard Beena’s side of it yet – there’s always two sides to every story. I just wish everybody luck on getting back in control of their future – everybody – both sides."
And so now, the rest of the story…
Hearne: Overland Park Mom, Others Uncomfortable With How Don Harman Treated
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"They won’t have Don Harman to kick around anymore."
That’s how a Facebook message to me began from Overland Park mom and former school teacher Dena LeeAnne Campbell. They being some of Harman’s on-air co-hosts at Channel 4. Having watched Fox 4’s early morning show for years, "Something about him resonated with me," Campbell says of Harman.
And something about the interplay between Harman and some of the other anchors didn’t seem quite right to her.
"I just remember sometimes turning the TV off because it was so uncomfortable," Campbell says. "Particularly Mark Alford, but sometimes they would go too far with needling him. They’d make fun of what he was wearing, what he said. They used to needle him about his car. I don’t think it was malicious, but when they got on a roll teasing and needling him, it just didn’t stop. Isn’t that bullying?
Hearne: Jardine’s Owner Goes Public, Says Everyone Will Be Paid
I doubt Kansas City Jazz has seen this kinda media feeding frenzy since Prohibition bought the farm…
At this point you all probably know what I’m talking about; the sudden and unexpected housecleaning at Jardine’s jazz club just off the Plaza. Suspicious of improprieties, owner Beena Raja changed the locks two weeks ago, then let the entire staff go after Karrin Allyson‘s shows early last week. The club’s been dark since.
And to date, for the most part, mum’s been the word.
Which of course didn’t stop local television news channels from lining up nameless ex-staffers to air their beefs.
