2007 Crossroads Music Festival Preview
Meet This Year's Roster
Check for band performance date and time on the Crossroads Music Festival Daily Show Schedule.
The Scamps
"The Scamps are the longest continually performing group in the world," says Oscar "Lucky" Wesley, bass player and vocalist for the venerable jazz group.
The longevity and history of The Scamps is undeniable, dating back to their inception in the late 1930s and still going strong today. Over two dozen musicians, such as Art Jackson and founders Rudy Massingale and Wyatt Griffin, have performed in the group that was once known as the Red Hot Scamps. Currently, Lucky Wesley takes the stage with Bill Laursen on piano/vocals, Dwight Foster on saxophone/vocals, and Wallace Jones on drums/vocals.
Wesley chatted on the phone in the afternoon to share thoughts about The Scamps and jazz. When asked about why the jazz group endures, he replies, "It's the love of music and the love of tradition with The Scamps. There's a certain amount of pride to be in the group. They carried themselves with dignity and were well-dressed. To say, 'I'm a Scamp meant something.'"
The group performs traditional jazz with interpretations of jazz standards and well-known tunes such as "Kansas City," "What a Wonderful World," and "Straighten Up and Fly Right." Bill Sundahl invited these statesmen of Kansas City jazz to perform in a music festival lineup that ranges from rock to Americana to folk. "He wanted something different to add to the mixture," says Wesley.
Involving The Scamps is a nod to the city's historic association with the music form, but it's also a savvy approach to putting diverse genres before an audience. Wesley was unfazed by the notion of facing this new audience. "We've played before just about any audience you can imagine. If they listen to it, they'll like it," he says. "The audience for jazz is growing every day as people are coming of age. They grow into it."
Jazz aficionados know that The Scamps are a regular feature at The Phoenix, performing at the club on 8th Street and Central for 17 years. The group has earned recognition by having 8th Street between Broadway and Central renamed as Scamp's Alley. The Scamps also perform from 4-7 PM on Saturdays at The Majestic.
Oscar "Lucky" Wesley feels fortunate to be a musician throughout his life. In his jazz career, he's performed swing, bebop, big band, Dixieland, and traditional and has adapted with the times. Wesley has performed with top musicians including Dizzy Gillespie, Pee Wee Clayton, and Coleman Hawkins. He grew up near 16th Street and Paseo mere blocks from the famed Jazz District. "I"ve played music professionally since I was 18," he says. "I began singing in church at age 7 and come from a family of singers."
His name is a reminder of his good fortune, but the moniker did not originate from his musical background. "I got the name in the service. I was lucky at gambling," he says. "I didn't gamble myself, but I was good at throwing the dice for others. The guys in the Air Force named me. They'd say, 'There's that lucky guy.'"
With more than a few jazz gigs ahead of him at well-known local clubs and the pending Crossroads Festial, Wesley is pleased to be performing with his jazz peers. He chuckles and remarks, "I'm lucky to be here today."
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