(Almost) Native Son Returns to Kansas City Pianist/singer/songwriter Gary Negbaur will debut “Passover in Kansas City” at Jardine's on April 22nd, 5-7 p.m. The evening's varied selections will include many humorous orignals, as well as re-interpretations of the classics. Though the troubadour was not born in Kansas City and has never lived here, he explains that he toured here so much in the mid-90s that it started to feel like home. What brings him around at this time of year? “I just thought that Passover and Kansas City go together like latkas and barbecue sauce,” he explains. Additional information is available at www.jardines4jazz.com.
The Duke and Two Divas
The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra , under the direction of Jim Mair , will present The Duke and Two Divas in the orchestra's second concert of the season. The concert will headline the 18-piece orchestra performing music from the Duke Ellington Songbook. The evening will also showcase two of Kansas City's hottest singers, Ida McBeth and Angela Hagenbach . The concert will take place in the auditorium of Unity on the Plaza on Friday, April 29th (Duke Ellington's birthday) at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available by phone at 816-235-6222 or online at www.kcjazzorchestra.org, and are $20-$27.50 each.
Grammy Nominee Mike Melvoin at Blue Room
Pianist Mike Melvoin will take the stage at the Blue Room at 18th and Vine on Saturday, May 7th. He will be performing original music and standards from his latest releases, including “It's Always You,” his Grammy-nominated disc, on Kansas City's City Light record label. Joining Mike at the Blue Room are bassist Bob Bowman and drummer Tim Cambron . Vocalist David Basse will join the group for a few numbers from his latest release, “Like Jazz” which Melvoin co-produced. More information is available at www.mikemelvoin.com.
Donna Tucker and the Joe Cartwright Trio
Vocalist Donna Tucker, back from an extended gig in Tokyo, will be performing at the Fairmont Hotel Oak Bar with the Joe Cartwright Trio on May 8th, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Tucker is an Oberlin native who now lives in Wichita, but we hear we will be seeing more of her in Kansas City in upcoming months. Visit www.donnatucker.com for her schedule.
Twelve-Year-Old Savant Jazz Pianist to Star at Fundraiser
The Autism Society of Johnson County, Kansas (ASJCK) will present A Night of Jazz…A Night of Hope, a fundraising benefit featuring The Matt Savage Trio in concert on Saturday, May 7th at 8 p.m. in Pembroke Hill HSC Auditorium, 5121 State Line Road.
Twelve-year-old Matt Savage is a jazz piano prodigy who also has autism. He has been astounding audiences since 2001 as the leader of The Matt Savage Trio, and has played for many of jazz's greatest musicians, including Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Clark Terry, and Bobby Watson. He has been featured in Time, and on The Today Show, 20/20, and The View . Matt is a Bösendorfer piano artist, and is the youngest person and only child to have become a piano artist in the Bösendorfer piano company's 175-year history.
Tickets are $20-$50 each, and may be ordered by calling 913-754-2413, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All event proceeds will support local individuals with autism.
Jerry Hahn Returns to the Blue Room
Last fall, jazz guitar great Jerry Hahn played to a packed house at the Blue Room. Hahn returns in May with two opportunities to hear him, returning to the Blue Room on Monday, May 16th ($5.00 admission 7:30 PM - NO JAM) featuring Kansas City's own Gerald Spaits on bass and Tommy Ruskin on drums. Hahn will also be the featured artist on the Best of Kansas City Jazz Series at the Fairmount Oak Bar on Sunday, May 15th (7:30PM), with the Joe Cartwright Trio with Cartwright on piano, Spaits on bass and Ruskin on drums.
Dream Factory
The Dream Factory is celebrating its 20th birthday this year by throwing a special birthday bash on Friday, May 20th at the Ritz-Charles, 9000 W. 137th Street. Larry Moore will be the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, which is set to start at 6 p.m. with a VIP reception with music provided by singer/pianist Candace Evans . The band Kokomo will provide dinner and dancing music. The Dream Factory is a 100% volunteer organization with all proceeds going to making dreams a reality for area children. Table sponsorships start at $750. For more information, call 913-905-2900.
Jazz and Wine and Summer
Holy Field Winery in Bashor, KS, will hold its Summertime Music Series again this year. The winery, located at 158th and State Avenue, will feature singer songwriter Billy Ebeling on Sunday, May 22nd, 1-5 p.m. Subsequent concerts will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Fridays and include the Bryan Hicks CD release party , Candace Evans , Dan Bliss , The Mo City Jumpers , and David Basse . Bryan Hicks ' new CD, which is scheduled to be released the first week of June, will feature a guest appearance by vocalist Karrin Allyson .
Bill Fogarty Memorial Concert
Bill Fogarty was not just a jazz fan in Kansas City, but a beloved one. When the former JAM writer and Kansas City Jazz Workshop board member passed away last year, the community mourned. Now, to celebrate his spirit and love of the music, many of his friends and favorite musicians will hold a memorial concert on May 22, from 5-8 p.m., at the 12th Street Rag Lounge at the Downtown Marriott Hotel at 12th & Central. Performers include pianists Paul Smith, Joe Cartwright, Mike Ning, Bram Wijnands, Russ Long and Pete Eye; bassists Bob Bowman, Gerald Spaits, Tim Brewer ; guitarists Danny Embrey, Brian Harmon, Charlie Gatschet ; drummers Tommy Ruskin, Ray Dimarchi, Vince Bilardo; horn players Kim Park, Arch Martin, Steve Patke, Gary Sivils, Kerry Strayer, Rod Wilson, Stan Kessler; and vocalists Julie Turner, Pat Wilson and Sherry Jones. Friends Verne Christensen and Ginney Coleman will host the event.
Spring and Great Music is in the Air
The Friday in the Park Concert Series and Saturday Jazz Jams are ready to strike up beginning in May. The Saturday Jazz Jam uses Town Square, 321 Armour Rd., as the venue for local and national artists, who create a spontaneous mix of jazz from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Friday in the Park Concert Series features top area bands at the Macken Park Gazebo (800 Clark Ferguson Dr.) each Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. May through September.
The performances are hosted by jazz artists Mike Ning and Sherry Jones, who lead the stage of performers through a wide variety of jazz progressions. Both aspiring and accomplished guest musicians are welcomed to bring their instruments and join in.
At the Friday concerts, free prize drawings and other fun activities complement music, fresh air and the stage's backdrop of scenic Missouri River bluffs. The Friday in Park Series is sponsored by area businesses in conjunction with the Federation of Musician's Trust Fund and the City of North Kansas City. Call 816-274-6000 or visit www.nkc.org for more information.
KCRR Brings Norway to the Gem
Kansas City Ragtime Revelry (KCRR) is bringing Ophelia Ragtime Orchestra with Morten Gunnar Larsen (pianist/leader) from Oslo, Norway to the Gem Theater on Thursday, June 9th at 7:30 p.m. Ophelia is a premier 10-piece orchestra that was voted “Best ragtime and early jazz orchestra in the world” in 1999 by The Mississippi Rag (The Voice of Traditional Jazz and Ragtime). Tickets are $25 and are available from KCRR by mailing checks made out to KCRR to 3535 Genessee St., KC MO 64111. For more info, call 816-691-8781.
Jazz in the Woods
Come experience jazz in the open air at Jazz in the Woods, an annual, three-day long jazz concert to raise money for charities. This year's event will take place on June 10th-12th, in Corporate Woods in Overland Park. It is a free event, and no tickets are required. The lineup includes Heat Index, the Candace Evans Quintet, Lao Tizer, Spyro Gyra, Blvd. Big Band, the Hal Melia Quartet, Marilyn Maye, New Red Onion, Grady Nichols, and Roomful of Blues . See www.jazzinthewoods.com for more information.
KCK Street Blues Festival
The Kansas City Kansas Street Blues Festival, “celebrating a thriving heritage of Kansas City blues music while promoting positive community support,” is scheduled for June 24th-26th, in front of Club Paradox on 3rd Street between Garfield and Parallel. Events include a Living Heritage Tribute Show and Gospel Sunday, featuring many of Kansas City's best jazz performers. Frankly, the acts are way too numerous to list here, but you're almost guaranteed to find some of your favorites on the roster. Go to www. kckstreetbluesfest.com for complete information. Admission is free, and donations are appreciated.
Oxford University Publishes Haddix Book
Oxford University Press has published and released the book Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop , written by local jazz historian Chuck Haddix and Frank Driggs . Haddix is the Director of the Marr Sound Archives at UMKC and host of the popular radio program “Fish Fry” on KCUR. He has written for DownBeat , Living Blues Magazine and JAM . Driggs is a former record executive for Columbia and RCA Victor Records. He now runs an agency for jazz photographs a nd has co-authored the pictorial history of jazz Black Beauty White Heat .
The book covers the history of KC jazz with a colorful narrative that one has come to expect from Haddix, and over 40 photos accompany the text. The story travels from ragtime to bebop, from Bennie Moten to Charlie Parker with Mary Lou Williams, Count Basie, Big Joe Turner, and others sandwiched in between. All these talents developed within the wild, open town that was Kansas City during Boss Tom Pendergast 's reign.
Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop is available at all bookstores. A special book signing and jazz extravaganza are planned for June at Unity Temple on the Plaza.
