JAM: February/March 2005 Issue: Off The Vine

Stay Warm With Cool Sights
and Sounds at the American Jazz Museum

As the American Jazz Museum enters its eighth year, we're excited to be carrying on a heartfelt tradition of providing the very best jazz for everyone to enjoy.

In 2004, we provided 48 children's programs, 20 family-oriented programs, four Changing Gallery exhibits, and brought more than 20 national artists to the Gem Theater and the Blue Room.

We love this music and want to share it with you as often as possible. That includes our ongoing Jammin' at the Gem concert series, which continues February 12 with Wayne Henderson and the Jazz Crusaders. For more than three decades, Henderson, Wilton Felder, Joe Sample, and Nesbert “Stix” Hooper have been breaking new ground and establishing new rules for traditional jazz music with their signature horn sound.

Directions in Music, featuring Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, and Roy Hargrove, come to the Gem Theater March 2 to perform special compositions inspired by legends John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Hancock, a legend in his own right, has enjoyed a stellar career collaborating with the likes of Davis, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Patrick Gleason.

We're also pleased to announce a late addition to the concert schedule: jazz master Wynton Marsalis and his band will perform a special show March 18. Marsalis, a Juilliard School graduate who made his professional debut at age 17 with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, has produced more than 40 recordings and won 9 Grammy Awards.

We'll wrap up this year's series with our annual Charlie Parker Memorial Concert March 26. It will feature the Heath Brothers (Jimmy and Percy), jazz's elder statesmen with more than 150 years of combined experience and 900 total recordings, joined by Barry Harris, an internationally renowned jazz pianist, composer, and educator. They'll be swinging hard and having fun.

For more information on Jammin' at the Gem , call our box office at 816-474-6262 or visit Ticketmaster on the Web.

On the corner of 18th and Vine, you'll have a chance to hear great jazz musicians in the Blue Room, including new up-and-comers as well as some local favorites. We'll heat things up with the Tucker Rountree Trio February 3; the KC/NY Connection, featuring Bobby Watson, Joe Chambers, and Nicholas Payton, on February 4 ($20 admission); and the McFadden Brothers February 19 ($15 admission).

Also in February, Ida McBeth will return from a short performing hiatus with a welcome-back party on Friday, February 11. She'll perform again February 18 and March 25. For all those in love and who love jazz, we'll have a Pre-Valentine's Day Celebration February 12 with crooners David Basse, Luqman Hamza, and Duck Warner ($15 Admission), followed by a special evening February 14 with Warner Bros. recording artist Kenny Garrett ($25 admission).

In March, Blue Room performers will include the KC Jazz 5 on March 3, the Julie Turner/Tom Ruskin Group on March 4, the Bill McKemy Quartet on March 10, and Michael O'Shiver with High Vibe and special guest harpist, Carrol McLaughlin on March 17 for St. Patrick's Day. We'll round out the month with Al Pearson on March 26, Louis Neal Big Band on March 28, and Ulysses Torres & Grupo Muralla on March 31.

Jazz Poetry Jams continue every third Tuesday through May, with featured poets and live music. Stacey Tolbert, “The Brown Suga Poet,” will be featured February 15, with KCK native, novelist, and Fort Worth Symphony violinist, Rosalyn Story. Local poets have a chance to win $100 for each night's best performance.

Jazz Storytelling also continues to delight the young and the young at heart in March and April, with “Countin' Off: A-One, and A-Two” February 4, and “Charlie Parker Played Be Bop” March 11 and 25.

As one of the nation's premiere venues for showcasing African-American art, the American Jazz Museum is pleased to welcome back the members of The Light in the Other Room to the Changing Gallery. Founded in 2001, the group is Kansas City's only African-American artists collective.

They see it as their mission—and duty—to create awe-inspiring works of beauty that draw on the rich cultural contributions of their African ancestors. The historic 18th & Vine District provides a unique and powerful backdrop for such reflection.

“Our members range from the known to the unknown, from the young to quite a bit older, and they are as much a part of our heritage as jazz and barbecue,” says Lonnie Powell, founding member and president of the collective. “We're proud to belong to a city where a new-found love of the arts is growing. We have felt the warmth our art has put into the faces of the citizenry, and we are addicted to the glow.”

Be sure to visit our Web site, www.americanjazzmuseum.org, for a complete calendar of performances and programs. Come back often for news and events updates, including plans for Rhythm & Ribs, a new jazz festival to be held in the 18th & Vine District on Father's Day weekend, June 17, 18, and 19.

Juanita Moore is the Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum






	Search our site:		Stay Warm With Cool Sights and Sounds at the American Jazz Museum As the American Jazz Museum enters its eighth year, we're excited to be carrying on a heartfelt tradition of providing the very best jazz for everyone to enjoy. In 2004, we provided 48 children's programs, 20 family-oriented programs, four Changing Gallery exhibits, and brought more than 20 national artists to the Gem Theater and the Blue Room. We love this music and want to share it with you as often as possible. That includes our ongoing Jammin' at the Gem concert series, which continues February 12 with Wayne Henderson and the Jazz Crusaders. For more than three decades, Henderson, Wilton Felder, Joe Sample, and Nesbert “Stix” Hooper have been breaking new ground and establishing new rules for traditional jazz music with their signature horn sound. Directions in Music, featuring Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, and Roy Hargrove, come to the Gem Theater March 2 to perform special compositions inspired by legends John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Hancock, a legend in his own right, has enjoyed a stellar career collaborating with the likes of Davis, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Patrick Gleason. We're also pleased to announce a late addition to the concert schedule: jazz master Wynton Marsalis and his band will perform a special show March 18. Marsalis, a Juilliard School graduate who made his professional debut at age 17 with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, has produced more than 40 recordings and won 9 Grammy Awards. We'll wrap up this year's series with our annual Charlie Parker Memorial Concert March 26. It will feature the Heath Brothers (Jimmy and Percy), jazz's elder statesmen with more than 150 years of combined experience and 900 total recordings, joined by Barry Harris, an internationally renowned jazz pianist, composer, and educator. They'll be swinging hard and having fun. For more information on Jammin' at the Gem , call our box office at 816-474-6262 or visit Ticketmaster on the Web. On the corner of 18th and Vine, you'll have a chance to hear great jazz musicians in the Blue Room, including new up-and-comers as well as some local favorites. We'll heat things up with the Tucker Rountree Trio February 3; the KC/NY Connection, featuring Bobby Watson, Joe Chambers, and Nicholas Payton, on February 4 ($20 admission); and the McFadden Brothers February 19 ($15 admission). Also in February, Ida McBeth will return from a short performing hiatus with a welcome-back party on Friday, February 11. She'll perform again February 18 and March 25. For all those in love and who love jazz, we'll have a Pre-Valentine's Day Celebration February 12 with crooners David Basse, Luqman Hamza, and Duck Warner ($15 Admission), followed by a special evening February 14 with Warner Bros. recording artist Kenny Garrett ($25 admission). In March, Blue Room performers will include the KC Jazz 5 on March 3, the Julie Turner/Tom Ruskin Group on March 4, the Bill McKemy Quartet on March 10, and Michael O'Shiver with High Vibe and special guest harpist, Carrol McLaughlin on March 17 for St. Patrick's Day. We'll round out the month with Al Pearson on March 26, Louis Neal Big Band on March 28, and Ulysses Torres & Grupo Muralla on March 31. Jazz Poetry Jams continue every third Tuesday through May, with featured poets and live music. Stacey Tolbert, “The Brown Suga Poet,” will be featured February 15, with KCK native, novelist, and Fort Worth Symphony violinist, Rosalyn Story. Local poets have a chance to win $100 for each night's best performance. Jazz Storytelling also continues to delight the young and the young at heart in March and April, with “Countin' Off: A-One, and A-Two” February 4, and “Charlie Parker Played Be Bop” March 11 and 25. As one of the nation's premiere venues for showcasing African-American art, the American Jazz Museum is pleased to welcome back the members of The Light in the Other Room to the Changing Gallery. Founded in 2001, the group is Kansas City's only African-American artists collective. They see it as their mission—and duty—to create awe-inspiring works of beauty that draw on the rich cultural contributions of their African ancestors. The historic 18th & Vine District provides a unique and powerful backdrop for such reflection. “Our members range from the known to the unknown, from the young to quite a bit older, and they are as much a part of our heritage as jazz and barbecue,” says Lonnie Powell, founding member and president of the collective. “We're proud to belong to a city where a new-found love of the arts is growing. We have felt the warmth our art has put into the faces of the citizenry, and we are addicted to the glow.” Be sure to visit our Web site, www.americanjazzmuseum.org, for a complete calendar of performances and programs. Come back often for news and events updates, including plans for Rhythm & Ribs, a new jazz festival to be held in the 18th & Vine District on Father's Day weekend, June 17, 18, and 19. Juanita Moore is the Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum RETURN TO FEBRUARY/MARCH 2005 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2005. All rights reserved.