The Lewis & Shirley White Theatre kicks off its 2023-2024 season this September with an ode to jazz.
Jammin’ at The J will feature an afternoon of music by Kansas City jazz musicians Stan Kessler, Jackie Myers and Adam Galblum – all of whom happen to be Jewish. Co-presented by Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, the event comes to The White Theatre on Sept. 10 at 4 p.m.
Each jazz artist will play their own set, highlighting their own unique jazz style.
“We’re so excited to be partnering for the very first time with Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors to bring this amazing concert and exhibit together,” said Keith Wiedenkeller, director of arts and culture and managing artistic director of The White Theatre. “Jazz is such a celebratory artform. We can’t think of a more fitting way to kick off our 19th season.”
Stan Kessler is a trumpet and flugelhorn player whose sound touches on jazz, R&B and funk, and infuses Brazilian and Afro-Cuban styles. Kessler also plays drums and hand percussion and has taught jazz improvisation and theory privately for 29 years.
Jazz pianist, composer and singer Jackie Myers has held residencies at several jazz venues in Kansas City since moving from Austin, Texas, in 2017, including Corvino Supper Club, Chaz on the Plaza and the Green Lady Lounge. She has produced a series of concerts called “Kansas City Drive-ins” that featured popular artists, and she is currently working on her eighth album.
Adam Galblum is a Kansas City violinist who was mentored by jazz violinist Claude “Fiddler” Williams. Galblum has toured nationally with bluegrass and jam bands, and his 2014 solo album “Down To The Wire – The Stringband Tribute to the Music of John Mayer,” showcases his abilities as an arranger and multi-instrumentalist.
Tickets for Jammin’ at The J and information about other upcoming events are available at TheWhiteTheatre.org or The White Theatre box office.
In conjunction with the concert, nationally recognized author and illustrator – and Kansas City native – Neil Shapiro will display his award-winning “Jazz Alphabet” exhibit in The White Theatre Galleria from Sept. 7 to 15. The exhibit features work from his book of the same name, which pairs an illustration of a legendary jazz performer with each letter of the alphabet. Shapiro will formally open the exhibit at a free reception on Sept. 7 at 5 p.m. in the theater’s galleria and will sign copies of his book while guests are invited to enjoy food, drink and live music. Shapiro is looking forward to sharing his work through his book and the exhibit.
“My life as a visual artist began in Kansas City, before I learned how to read or write,” Shapiro said. “My mom took me to the Nelson Art Gallery when I was in preschool; she enrolled me in a sculpture class. I wish I still had the little dog I fashioned out of clay. Even then I sat transfixed in front of Caravaggio’s painting of St. John the Baptist.”
Shapiro has spent his life drawing and creating art, and “Jazz Alphabet” highlights 26 jazz artists through his unique artistic style.
“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing,” he said. “That love of making pictures has stayed with me my whole life, and I hope that love comes through in my ‘Jazz Alphabet portraits.’”
Shapiro is looking forward to coming back to Kansas City for the event.
“I’m thrilled to come back to where it all began,” he said. “I hope to see old friends, and it would be great to make new ones. And before I leave, I’ll make it a point to sit in front of Caravaggio.”