Kansas City saxophone player and jazz singer Eddie Saunders passed away on December 30, 2012. The late Lucky Wesley of The Scamps came up with Saunders and had described him as nice--naughty but nice. Saunders loved to sing and he loved to play, and he was proud of his Kansas City jazz heritage.
The past few months have been rough for local jazz. Two promising newer venues, 1911 Main and Café Augusta in Lenexa, have shut down. And at Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club, one of the city’s most celebrated venues, a dispute between the owner and employees led to a boycott by musicians. The restaurant then closed its doors, and its future remains up in the air.