Folly Jazz News

by Doug Tatum
Executive Director, Folly Theater

Trumpeter Terell Stafford and his Quintet will appear at the Folly Theater on Friday, February 29, with single tickets ranging from $15-$20. Terrell Stafford combines a deeply expressive lyricism with an adventurous edge. Piano legend McCoy Tyner has hailed Stafford as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player.” The Folly concert will feature pianist Bruce Barth, saxophonist Tim Warfield and drummer Dana Hall, with the bass player to be determined as of this writing.

Stafford was born in Miami , but raised in Chicago and Maryland . Upon completion of his musical studies at Rutgers University , Terell's first big break came in the late 1980s when Bobby Watson heard him play one night in Washington , D.C. Bobby asked Stafford on the spot if he would join Horizon, Watson's great hard-bop/post-bop quintet. Stafford 's time with Horizon eventually led to his joining McCoy Tyner's Latin All-Star Band. Stafford has subsequently played or recorded with Diana Krall, Kenny Barron, Benny Golson, Shirley Scott, Cedar Walton, Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath, Jon Faddis, Sadao Watanabe, Herbie Mann, the Clayton Brothers, and Matt Wilson, as well as with several large jazz ensembles, including the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Stafford has recorded a half-dozen CDs as a leader, all receiving high critical acclaim. The latest, Taking A Chance (MAXJAZZ; 2007), was recorded live with his working quintet at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis . As a sideman he has been heard on over 40 albums. Stafford has also become one of jazz's preeminent educators, currently serving as Director of Jazz Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia .

On Friday, March 28, we are happy to present Rachael Price , a young singer who I have selected for this season's Folly Jazz Spotlight feature, in which an emerging artist makes his or her Kansas City debut. Rachael recently turned 21, however she possesses a rich, mature voice that usually develops only with age.

In 2003, Price was tapped by the Grammy Foundation as a vocalist with the High School Grammy Jazz Choir, and she was a semi-finalist at the Montreux International Jazz Vocal Competition in France . In 2004, Price wowed the audience as the youngest competitor at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition (the year for vocalists that brought Jane Monheit to prominence and Teri Thornton to resurgence as the winner). In August 2005, Rachael made her professional U. S. jazz festival debut – opening for Joshua Redman.

Eric Nemeyer, writing in JazzImprov Magazine stated, “She has a rich voice. I feel that she sings from her heart. I enjoy the Great American Standards that comprise her repertoire. It's rewarding to know that there are college-age musicians such as Rachael who have a passion for this music. I admire her pursuit to perform in the grand tradition of this music.” Don Heckman wrote in the LA Times, “It was impressive... she is clearly a talent with extraordinary potential.”

Tickets for Rachael Price range from $15-$20, and members of the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors are eligible for special discounts. For more information, call the Folly Theater, 816-474-4444 or visit our website: www.follytheater.com.

Doug Tatum is the Executive Director of the Folly Theater