The 2007-2008 Folly Jazz Series will open with the Joshua Redman Trio on Friday, October 26. Featuring repertoire from his highly acclaimed CD, Back East , Redman's current group pays homage to the classic trio recordings of Sonny Rollins. About the recording, Redman says “there is a sense of return to a style I associate with the East Coast, a return to playing—for lack of a better description—modern, swing-based, acoustic jazz. This was and is my musical bread and butter, the core of what I do.”

The Bill Charlap Trio will appear on Friday, November 16. For more than a decade, pianist Bill Charlap has been forging a career characterized by hard-swinging eloquence and a “rigor-meets-romance” musical sensibility. Charlap was first fully thrust into the jazz world in the late ‘80s when he joined baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's quintet. With his fine long-term working trio of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, Charlap has released four superb albums for Blue Note Records—CDs celebrating the American songbook tradition—that have afforded him an increased visibility as one of jazz's foremost pianists.

Singer Kurt Elling and his Quartet will take the Folly stage on Friday, December 14. With seven Grammy nominations already to his credit, Kurt Elling has forged a potent body of work that is marked by quality, consistency, and a sense of excitement as he combines thought-provoking lyrics with an infinite capacity to swing. On Nightmoves , his recent brilliant debut for Concord Records and seventh outing overall, Elling artfully blends his rich baritone voice with signature scatting and virtuosic vocalese in a wide-ranging repertoire of tunes associated with such greats as Frank Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Irving Berlin, Betty Carter, Dexter Gordon, and Duke Ellington. Elling has been called “the most flamboyantly creative jazz singer to emerge in the last decade” by the San Francisco Chronicle and was recently named Down Beat's Male Vocalist of the Year in both Critics and Readers Polls for 2006—the third time he's won the top spot in both polls.

Bobby Sanabria's Latin Jazz Band, Ascension, is scheduled on Saturday, January 12. Drummer, percussionist, composer/arranger, and educator Bobby Sanabria has performed with a veritable “Who's Who” in the world of jazz and Latin music, as well as with his own critically acclaimed groups. His diverse experience includes work with such legendary figures as Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera, Charles McPherson, Mongo Santamaria, Chico O'Farrill, Henry Threadgill, and Mario Bauza. In particular, it was Tito Puente who served as Sanabria's inspiration and mentor. Bobby states, “Tito always supported everything I did, and we became close friends and colleagues…Tito inspired me in the sense that he proved that drummer/percussionists could be accomplished musicians. He was a total artist, a virtuoso player, and accomplished bandleader, composer, arranger, and also a good dancer!” Sanabia is the subject of a feature article in the July 2007 issue of Down Beat, providing the broader national exposure that he deserves. Sanabria's latest recording, Big Band Urban Folktales (Jazzheads), has received high critical acclaim.

The Terell Stafford Quintet will appear on Friday, February 29. Stafford has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Known for being a gifted and versatile player with a voice all his own, Stafford combines a uniquely expressive lyricism and a deep love of melody with a spirited, adventurous edge. In 1988, Stafford had the good fortune to meet and receive advice from Wynton Marsalis, who suggested that he study at Rutgers University . During his time there, Stafford was invited to join Bobby Watson's group, Horizon. Stafford subsequently worked with Tyner, Benny Golson, Kenny Barron, Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath, Jon Faddis, Cedar Walton, Sadao Watanabe, the Clayton Brothers, Herbie Mann, and Matt Wilson, among others. Terell has recorded four albums as a leader; his latest release is the enthusiastically received New Beginnings (MaxJazz). As a sideman Stafford has been heard on over forty albums.

Returning this season is our Folly Jazz Spotlight feature, in which an emerging artist makes his or her Kansas City debut. Appearing on Friday, March 28, we are happy to introduce KC to singer Rachael Price , who has been creating quite a stir wherever she performs. I had the opportunity to first hear Rachael about a year ago during an out-of-town trip. She possesses a rich, mature resonance in her voice that usually comes with age. This is remarkable, because Rachael just turned twenty-one in June. Mike Joyce, writing in The Washington Post , stated, “Singer Rachael Price, who performed at The Kennedy Center…is young, gifted...it became clear that Price...has the talent to match her enthusiasm.” Don Heckman of the LA Times wrote “It was impressive...she is clearly a talent with extraordinary potential.” Noted actress/singer Kathryn Grayson of MGM fame says of Price: “The best young voice I've heard, period. No one around can even touch her voice and style—a style all her own.”

Closing out the season will be the exhuberant sounds of the Monty Alexander Trio on Saturday, May 10. Born and raised in Kingston , Jamaica , Monty was often invited to sit in with the bands of prominent musicians working in Jamaican nightclubs. By grafting the traditions of American jazz to his authentic Jamaican roots, pianist Monty Alexander has spent a lifetime exploring the rich depths of musical and cultural diversity. Alexander came to the US in 1961. In a career that spans more than four decades, he has performed and/or recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe, including Frank Sinatra, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Clark Terry, Ernest Ranglin, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and many more. About his music, Monty says, “My goal is to uplift. The piano, to me, is a vehicle for connecting to other human beings. I'm very open to all forms of music. I'm not a bebop musician; I'm not a calypso musician; I'm not a reggae musician. I'm a musician who loves it all.”

I'll take inspiration from Monty's comment to state that I'm a jazz presenter who loves it all. As one who depends upon ticket sales to sustain our endeavors at the Folly, I ask that you please turn out to support live jazz. Please consider: If jazz fans won't support live jazz in sufficient numbers, then who will? We all know the answer to that question, so I underscore the very real need for you to do your part to support this great music.

Discounted Folly Jazz Series subscriptions are available, with ticket prices as low as under $13 per concert. Regular single ticket prices range from $15–$30. As an additional incentive, members of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors are eligible to receive special discounts. For more information or to request a flier, call the Folly Theater, 816-474-4444, or visit our Web site: www.follytheater.com.

Doug Tatum is the Executive Director of the Folly Theater

RETURN TO AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2007 MAIN INDEX


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