{"id":16808,"date":"2012-10-02T23:59:23","date_gmt":"2012-10-03T04:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/?p=16808"},"modified":"2012-10-07T19:01:20","modified_gmt":"2012-10-08T00:01:20","slug":"top-5-kc-jazz-acts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/2012\/10\/02\/top-5-kc-jazz-acts\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 KC Jazz Acts"},"content":{"rendered":"

KC Jazz Connection names the top five local jazz acts<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Lucas Homer<\/em><\/p>\n

So you\u2019ve checked out Jazz in the Morning, made some playlists on Spotify, and\u00a0shoot, maybe you even caught my show on Tuesday night (one can dream, right?!).\u00a0But you want more! Maybe you\u2019re just looking for a different experience on a night\u00a0out. Maybe something a little more low-key than the typical liquor-soaked saunter\u00a0down Mass. Street followed by a nice aspirin sandwich is in order. More simply (and\u00a0without my assumptions about your drinking habits), a night in KC can be a nice\u00a0change of scenery.<\/p>\n

Most people today\u00a0haven\u2019t gone to hear jazz in person. It may not be the orchestrated light\u00a0show with towers of amps and wailing vocals that you\u2019re used to seeing at the\u00a0Replay Lounge, but it isn\u2019t meant to be. Jazz is based around improvisation and\u00a0communication. It\u2019s about hearing the band live because you don\u2019t know exactly\u00a0what they\u2019re going to play, or how they\u2019re going to play it this time. In Kansas City\u00a0especially, it\u2019s about carrying on and moving forward a local cultural tradition. Jazz\u00a0has been a part of KC almost as long as barbecue. New York City may be the jazz\u00a0capital of the world and has an endless supply of musicians, but for its size, I would\u00a0argue Kansas City has just as much, if not more, quality jazz talent per capita. Here\u00a0are some of my favorite groups playing right now:<\/p>\n

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\n(photo of PLBB from kcjazzlark.blogspot.com)<\/em><\/p>\n

The People\u2019s Liberation Big Band<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keyboardist and composer Brad Cox leads The People\u2019s Liberation Big Band\u00a0the first Sunday of each month at the recordBar in Westport. Their music is a\u00a0raucous mix of something close to Frank Zappa-meets-Charles Mingus. Outside\u00a0their regular gig at recordBar, they have made a recent tradition out of morphing\u00a0into the pit orchestra for the Owen\/Cox Dance Company\u2019s modern dance rendition\u00a0of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. It\u2019s definitely worth your time come holiday\u00a0season. Whatever expectations you may have, please check them at the door.<\/p>\n