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Eddie Baker was a prominent Jazz legend in Kansas City. Growing up just blocks from our main office, Eddie was a strong advocate to help our organization in its early stages. Eddie was the founder of the International Jazz Hall of Fame, the certifying organization of all hall of fame inductees. After his death in 2001, we realized the legacy of his talent. With his family as our largest supporter, we started the Eddie Baker School of Music Program in 2008. We quickly learned that our families were thrilled with the opportunity for music.
In each of our recitals, we have an outpouring of parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends to watch and listen to their favorite new young aspiring musician. In the summer of 2009 we grew to over 100 participants, and in the summer of 2011 we reached almost 300. Students are given 30 minutes a week of private music lessons, one on one with a music teacher. Our inventory of instruments includes trumpet, clarinet, sax, flute, piano & percussion. We provide each student with an instrument to use and take home. We do not charge our families for lessons or instruments, however, the instruments are available for purchase at a discounted cost if they wish to continue on after they leave our program.
The largest expense for the Eddie Baker School of Music Program is our music teachers. We employ 9 teachers to conduct the thirty-minute lessons each week at $18/lesson. In addition, we have begun ensemble lessons for our advanced students. Ensemble lessons comprise of several students and we pay our music teacher $60/one hour lesson. Our 2010 Christmas recital consisted of a variety of performances, with our finale being our youngest musician, 7-year old Jordan Vassar, who wrote, sang, and played her original Christmas song, “I Really Love Christmas.” The crowd went wild!
Greg Richter leads up the Eddie Baker School of Music. In 2008, he was the sole provider of music lessons, recital organization, compilations, and management. As the program grew, so did the need for teaching staff. We now have nine staff members within the Eddie Baker School of Music.
Greg Richter: Greg is a professional musician currently performing at Sullivan’s restaurant. Greg performed for 15 years with Duke Ellington alumnus Jimmy Hamilton (Clarinetist, Saxophonist, and arranger for Ellington for 26 years). He has performed on and produced recordings with Bobby Watson, Angela Hagenbach, and David Basse in Kansas City. Greg studied two years of percussion performance at Wichita State University; worked as a transcriber, arranger, and copyist at CBS records in Nashville, Tenn.; studied percussion with Vince Hamilton; taught two years with the NEA, “Artists in Schools” program; teaches at Leon Brady’s Kansas City Youth Jazz since its inception in 1999.
Mirna Kawar: Mirna is a practicing Music Therapist who works with older adults and special needs kids. She is currently attending UMKC to obtain a masters degree in music therapy.
Bryan Hicks: Bryan is a professional musician who plays and teaches Guitar, Electric and Upright Bass, Keyboards, and Voice. Bryan has recordings under his own name and has performed with Jazz greats Bill Goodwin, Phil Woods, and Karrin Allyson, among others.
Sam Johnson Jr: Sam was drummer in the Army Jazz Band, has played and recorded with local legends like Jay McShann, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, and Bobby Watson. Sam is the founder of the “Elder Statesmen of Kansas City Jazz” organization; works with the “Coda” fund; and is currently president of the Kansas City Mutual Musicians Foundation. He was director of the Music Education section of Mars Music in Olathe for 4 years.
Mike Thompson: Formerly a studio musician in Los Angeles, CA, Mike has performed and recorded with such outstanding names as Lou Rawls, Jim Nabors, and Ernie Watts. He performs regularly at Sullivan’s restaurant with Greg.
Mike Herrera: Mike is a top quality sax and clarinet man with many performing credits to his name. Mike is currently attending UMKC. He was located on a recommendation from Bobby Watson.
Steve Lambert: Steve is also a top quality sax and clarinet man with many performing credits to his name. He is currently attending UMKC. He was located on a recommendation from Bobby Watson.
Hermon Mehari: Hermon is a fabulous trumpet player who has toured in Africa with Jazz groups and is in his second year of working with the Eddie Baker School of Music. He is currently attending UMKC. He was located on a recommendation from Bobby Watson.
Joshua Williams: Josh is a great jazz trumpet man and has just returned from a tour of Japan with Bobby Watson and the UMKC Jazz Ensemble.