Album Notes

Kansas City in the 1930s and 40s was a wonderful place for an inspiring young musician to grow up. All of the great bands came through, several started here; Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, Jimmy Keith, Andy Kirk, Harlan Leonard, Jimmy Lunceford, Jay McShann, Benny Moten. And with them came Buck Clayton, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Ben Webster, Lester Young and so many others for us to hear and study. Unlike today, where jazz is taught in many schools and universities, our institutions of higher learning were Tootie's Mayfair, Half-A-Hill, Plamor Ballroom, The Blue Room, The Playhouse, 18th and Vine, Mary's, College Inn, Tower Theater and countless other clubs and halls. The musicians that played there were our "professors". Warren Durrett arrived on the Kansas City scene in the mid-40s. He started his first band in 1945, and for the following 40 years his band set the standard for fine big band dance music without ever sacrificing quality or taste. Although he enjoyed commercial success, his charts and those he commissioned were always jazz based. Scores of young musicians got their professional start with Warren and some decided to make music their career as a result. We both played with his band at various intervals over the years and will always be grateful for that opportunity and for his friendship and encouragement. Arch, after spending several years on the road, and playing with the Claude Thornhill and Woody Herman bands, returned to Kansas City where he has had a successful career in the business side of the music business. After graduating from Northwestern, Ed also spent a few years on the road with Ralph Flanagan's band and others, and returned to Kansas City to enter the insurance business. He held managerial positions in New York, St. Louis, Kansas City and now lives in Beaumont, Texas. Both of us have always kept playing and listening. Our rhythm section is Paul Smith, piano, Bob Bowman, bass and Tommy Ruskin, drums; great players, very busy locally as well as nationally. For us, this was a project of fun, love and mutual admiration. 'Just two guys from Kansas City and proud of it! Arch & Ed Editorial Review Bill Fogarty, Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors Jam magazine, Oct./Nov. 1998 You get big points if you sensed (Benny) Green's influence on Martin, but Ed Dix's tenor antecedents are less difficult to spot. To my ear, Ed plays an interesting amalgam of Zoot Sims' swing and Al Cohn's ideas, excellently executed in a relaxed fashion. It isn't surprising that the whole session is relaxed, given the many years these five musicians have worked together in various combinations.