KCMETROPOLIS.org
Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

The new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts kicks off the season with its grand gala opening weekend featuring the Kansas City Symphony with a guest appearances by jazz pianist and vocalist Diana Krall, hometown jazz hero Bobby Watson, violinist Itzhak Perlman (all on September 17th). The free Community Open House (September 18th) will have some jazz artists across its four stages, including Megan Birdsall, Mambo DeLeon, Ruskin Quartet, Jasmin Xixa, Alaturka, and the Wild Women of Kansas City.

Kansas City will be honored to have two living legends visit this fall. Supreme trumpeter Wynton Marsalis (October 1st) brings the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to the Kauffman Center’s Helzberg Hall care of the Harriman-Jewell Series, and composer/pianist/jazz fusion icon Herbie Hancock (October 30th) performs at the Lied Center of Kansas.

The American Jazz Museum’s Jammin’ at the Gem Series opens with Joe Lovano & US Five (October 21st) featuring James Weidman, Esperanza Spalding, Francisco Mela and Otis Brown III. The Blue Room has great artists all the time, and the coming months have their Blue Room Revisited Series: Celebrating the Hammond B3 (through September) and Rhythm & Ribs Festival (October 8th) with major acts War, Christian McBride & Inside Straight, and Bobby “Blue” Bland.

In its inaugural season, the Central Baptist Theological Seminary Recital Series hosts jazz artists every third Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. This fall you can catch three local acts: Smith-Athon Trio (September 18th), Wild Women of Song (October 16th), and Kansas City Youth Jazz (November 20th).

The Folly Jazz Series has another stellar season lined up, starting this fall with the lasting jazz/funk combo Yellowjackets (October 1st) and Classical- and American roots-influenced violinist Mark O’Connor (December 17th).

Johnson County Community College’s Performing Arts Series at the Carlsen Center has a couple of jazz “experiences” planned. First, The Miles Davis Experience: 1949–1959 (September 30th) is a presentation reliving Davis’ cool jazz days with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire’s Quintet performing live. Second, The Max Weinberg Experience (November 30th), known for his leadership on Conan O’Brien’s late night shows and in Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band, will play hits from “Count Basie to the Beatles to ‘The Boss.’”

Ruel Joyce Recital Series at JCCC has six jazz shows this fall, all on Tuesdays at 12 noon from solos to combos including Charles Williams Trio (September 27th), Roger Wilder Trio (October 3rd), Alice Jenkins (October 11th), Crosscurrent (October 18th), Charles Gatschet Quartet (October 25th), and Greg Richter Trio (November 1st).

The 2^nd annual Prairie Village Jazz Festival (September 10th) at Harmon Park boasts an impressive lineup for the whole family, with the Bobby Watson Quartet with Curtis Landy, Mike Metheny Quartet, People’s Liberation Big Band, Shay Estes & Trio ALL, David Basse and more.

The UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, in addition to their regular jazz bands and combos concerts, has two special jazz events coming up this fall: their Conservatory Artist Series debut at the Kauffman Center (September 28th) including the Concert Jazz Band (performing Bobby Watson’s The Gates BBQ Suite) and their 10^th annual Jazz & BBQ (October 9th) featuring our own celebrated Marilyn Maye.

Top Photo: Wild Women of Kansas City

By Kristin Shafel Omiccioli

Editorial Assignments Executive Editor; Traditional and New Classical Contributor

Kristin Shafel Omiccioli, a native of Madison, WI, holds composition degrees (M.M., B.M.) from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. Kristin's compositions have been performed at national and regional new music festivals and conferences throughout the United States. During her time at UMKC, Kristin also focused on double bass performance and arts administration. She was a student leader and performer in many of the Conservatory's student organizations and ensembles, including Musica Nova, Composers' Guild, the Conservatory Student Association, the orchestras, and Wind Symphony. Her composition instructors were James Mobberley, Paul Rudy, Zhou Long, and Chen Yi, and her bass instructor was Sue Stubbs. Formerly a guitarist, Kristin performed with big bands and her own jazz combo in Madison, WI, having studied jazz guitar and theory with Roger Brotherhood in Madison and jazz voice and theory with Hal Melia in Kansas City at UMKC.

Kristin enjoys being active in the performing arts community. She has volunteered with the Chamber Music Society of Kansas City and Charlotte Street Foundation, and has played in the bass section of the Northland Symphony Orchestra, among other bass gigs around the metro. Kristin currently serves as principal bass for the Kansas City Civic Orchestra and Heritage Philharmonic, and is a section bassist for Kinnor Philharmonic. She joined the writing staff of KCMetropolis.org in February 2010 and has been KCM’s executive editor since July 2011. Read her blog at mylittleheartmelodies.com.