PlasticSax.com

I blame Lee. It's my friend's fault that I've launched yet another blog.

You see, I've been desperately pining for a vibrant, regularly updated web site dedicated to jazz in Kansas City. I figured Lee was just the man for the job. He's certainly smarter, funnier and more attractive than me. But Lee doesn't post nearly enough at The New Low Down, and his overly generous praise of yours truly in his July 21 post doesn't entirely pacify me.

This isn't going to be easy. I attend live jazz performances just a few times a month. My affection for the music is no greater than my love of other genres, including indie rock, honky tonk and hip hop. And traditionalists will despise my catholic definition of jazz. Swinging wedding singers and nasty purveyors of noise are featured alongside more conventional jazz musicians at Plastic Sax. I also know from bitter experience that the jazz community is fraught with petty infighting and mean-spirited attacks. I'm setting myself up for plenty of abuse.

The good news is that I've already done some important work. The 150 jazz-related links at Plastic Sax are the most comprehensive collection of local sites ever assembled. It may never be complete- a few of the area's most important musicians and venues simply have virtually no web presence.

Until Lee or one of the couple dozen other more qualified people decide to relieve me of this burden, I'll bring much of the same dogged perseverance that characterizes Happy In Bag and There Stands the Glass to Plastic Sax.

Wish me luck.