Campus/Area
University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, April 25. 1989
3
Jazz groups try talents at local bar
by Kris M. Bergquist
Kansan staff writer
Smiling and clapping for somebody who stands out and sings, "Dooby-be-do-za-dooby-boe-bop-do-da," could be considered strange.
Steve Traynor/KANSAN
But it wasn't seen as strange at the Bottleneck last night. It was just music.
Ron McCurdy, director of jazz studies, said this was part of the two classes' final grade.
The KU Jazz Singers and the KU Jazz Choir sang last night at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., as part of Vocal Jazz Night. The program took the place of the usual open-mie night at the Bottleneck.
"It's just a change from the usual concert hall we perform in," McCurdy said. "We're very excited to get off campus into a more relaxed setting. This is the way it happens in the real world."
This is the first year the choirs have sung at the Bottleneck. McCurdy said that a Jazzorama had been conducted in the past and that all the jazz bands and choirs had participated.
"It turned out to be about four hours." MeCurdy said. "It was too long, we have all the vocalists in town and we can get more people involved."
During the singing, the jazz groups clapped and encouraged each other, especially during the solo scat pieces. Scat involves singing "the beat" (or "song") or "deeby." Sue Ann Stuthet, a member of Jazz Singers and the co-
director of jazz choir, said scatting was one of the hardest things in jazz music.
"Scatting is totally improvised," said Stuthet. "When doing something like this, it's a little more personal. Support is important to us. When you play an instrument, there's something between you and the audience. With this, the voice is the instrument."
Susana Terrell, a member of Jazz Singers, said she liked to perform at the Bottleneck because she got to perform for her friends.
"I feel more relaxed, and I think I can have a lot of fun with my song," Terrell said.
Terrell said Jazz Singers would be going on tour in Colorado this week, on tour this performance special.
Eric Almquist, a member of Jazz Choir, said each singer determined the amount of fun he or she had.
"This thing in the bar is different, more laid back," Almquist said. "Doc has been talking about it for a while, so we're pretty worked up."
Patrick Cyz, Park Ridge, Ill., senior, came to Vocal Jazz Night for his Introduction to Jazz class. The group had about 75 percent of the audience.
"I'm glad we're here." Cyz said. "It gives them a good crowd and maybe makes them feel what it's like to be a real jazz singer."
"No one really cares too much," Cyz said. "They can just go with the flow and enjoy it."
Cyz said the bar's looser atmosphere encouraged experimentation, such as the scat singing.
Doc is McCurdy's nickname.
Leaders study city tax-break strategy
by Carrie Harper
Kansan staff writer
The Lawrence City Commission city and business leaders met yesterday to study tax abatement policy
Last month, the former commission approved a policy statement with the intention that the newly elected commission would hold a study session to research the issue further.
Tax abatements are percentage tax-break incentives used by cities to attract new businesses.
Buford Watson, city manager, said it was important for the city to have an established policy that the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce could use as a sales tool for economic development.
Tony Redwood, an adviser from the University of Kansas Institute of Public Policy and Business Research, said the city's ordinance was a good start, but he proposed some changes.
Watson said, however, that opponents of proposed developments could use the plan against the city by saying that the development did not fit the plan. He said he also wanted to see if the data on the current job level be considered so that new developments could replace obsolete companies.
In his proposal, Redwood recommended a set of principles as part of a written plan on which the commission should ensure that abatements before granting any abatements.
Redwood's proposal suggested that the city also determine the costs and benefits of abatements before granting them.
Mayor Bob Schumm said he thought the city should consider social and cultural costs and benefits as well as financial effects.
Redwood proposed that the city regularly monitor and review each firm receiving an abatement.
Redwood suggested that the city should not grant tax abatements to firms moving from other cities in New York and Los Angeles to encourage bidding wars among cities.
Redwood named three possible exceptions to that rule that would need to be added to the resolution. The business must present an opportunity that would benefit the city's economic development priorities, and it must cease operations at other Kansas locations.
The city should not grant any abatements that would give unfair advantages to one business over another, according to the proposal.
The abatements should be directed toward basic industries that would increase the wealth of the city rather than redistribute it. Redwood said
Redwood said that the amount of each abatement should vary according to the degree to which the business contributes to the community's development objectives. He said that the city also should establish a level of total tax abatements at which the commission would review the program to see if adjustments were needed.
The city staff will present a recommendation for the policy to the commission at a regular weekly meeting, Watson said.
Blacks emphasise King's dreams
by Scott Achelpohl
Kansan staff writer
Martin Luther King's dream for blacks still lives.
Lawrence black youth met with local black education leaders yesterday to discuss fulfilling King's dream of advanced education for a greater percentage of blacks.
Ten people spoke yesterday at the Black Youth Educational Conference in the Kansas Union. About 75 Lawrence school children and teenagers attended the conference.
Jesse Greenly, keynote speaker and educational specialist from the Youth Center of Atchison, also spoke about fulfilling dreams with advanced education.
ne somebody and fulfill the dream of Dr. King." said alvin Prokg, director of the Human Relations Department in Kansas City, Mo. "It is what you have in your head that
A modern educational crisis among blacks was an important reason for the conference in 2014.
KU Center for Black Leadership, Development and Research.
"There is a very serious gender gap between the black male and the black female," he said. "For every six black women at this college there is one black male.
"The enrollment of black males at colleges is declining while their entry into prisons is increasing. In this country, we have more black men in prisons than we have in college. We know that 80 percent of these men (in prison) are high school dropouts."
Gordon said 7 percent of the nation's population consisted of black males. He compared this with black male population in prisons, which he estimated to be 40 percent.
"We are in a crisis situation," Gordon said. "There can be no progress without a struggle."
Gordon organized the conference with the help of a committee from the Lawrence school
He said he compiled lists of black teachers and administrators at the University along
with Lawrence black professionals for use as
future contacts and part of a packet
of materials given to the youths
Lists of University admission requirements also were included in the packets, he said.
"We hope they will serve to expose these kids to what we have to offer them," Gordon said. "A lot of them don't know there are even black faculty at KU.
"The conference is about how to use
the resources to develop role models and how to
use them."
Reggie Robinson, professor of law, spoke on the experiences of blacks at college. He told the audience of his educational and professional experiences as a black at KU.
Brenda Crawley, professor of social welfare and speaker at the conference, said that many tools were available for black youths to reach their educational goals.
Among them were financial and spiritual tools, she said. She also included discipline, hardwork and the use of knowledge as other strategies for success.
County ranks 20th in Kansas job growth
by Steven Wolcott
Kansan staff writer
According to a recent study, Douglas County ranked 20th in Kansas in gaining jobs from 1980 to 1985 and gained jobs at a rate below the national average.
The Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service study showed that Douglas County's net change in employment was 3.18. The national rate of change was 7.15 percent.
Steve Bittel, a community development specialist for the extension who worked on the study, said that Douglas County had more growth and stable industries and less declining industries then the United States as a whole, causing the county to gain jobs.
Duane D. Williams, KState community economic analyst and co-author of the study, said that new data on unemployment rates
base about Kansas employment for counties to use in economic development planning.
with larger populations have staff to do studies like this," Williams said. "Smaller counties that don't have a research institution has provided this information for them."
Williams said Douglas County only ranked 47th in Kansas in creating jobs but attained its overall ranking of 20th because of its ability to retain jobs.
There are 105 counties in Kansas, but Williams said some of the counties, Johnson County for example, were included in Metro areas, where there are larger cities, and not measured individually.
"Douglas County was one of the top counties in the state in terms of job retention. It ranked seventh nationally."
the Douglas County economy were in the service industries, such as fast food restaurants, while 60 percent of the jobs lost were in manufacturing.
The state as a whole gained jobs at a 2.1 percent rate, below both the Douglas County and national rates.
The study found that if Kansas had been creating jobs at the national rate from 1980 to 1985 it would have gained 72,000 jobs instead of the actual 22,000.
He said 90 percent of the new jobs added to
According to the study, south central Kansas had the highest percentage of jobs lost, because of a large loss of durable goods manufacturing industries.
The areas of Kansas that gained the most jobs were the northeastern and southwestern areas of the state, which gained jobs at a rate higher than the national average.
Art imitating life?
Steve Traynor/KANSAN
During a student art exhibit, Michael Gorman, Kansas City Mo., freshman, looks at paintings and sculptures. The exhibit, which featured art by students who won scholarships for their work, was yesterday and Sunday in the Art and Design building.
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Meet the Wayward Professor!
Jocel Gold, KU Professor of English, will sign copies of his new book The Wayward Professor
Wednesday, April 26
11:40-1:00
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