Tickets on Sale February 1st
Tickets for Riff Generation, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s new, second ensemble, are on sale as of February 1st. This new series allows the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra to engage more local musicians and develop new audience members.
Three concerts in this new series are scheduled for the spring of 2022 and will be in addition to the mainstage series at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Both ensembles are under the direction of KCJO Artistic Director Clint Ashlock.
Riff Generation concerts are scheduled for Friday, April 1, 2022, Friday, May 20, 2022, Friday, June 24, 2022, at the Medallion Theater in the Plexpod Westport Commons (300 E. 39th Street, KCMO, 64111).
Ashlock says, "This is a very exciting endeavor for KCJO - to bring new and creative voices into the fold, and to explore what it means to be a Kansas City jazz musician in the 21st century. With scene stalwarts Eddie Moore, Kelley Gant, Adam Larson, Jim Pisano, Jason Goudeau, Brian Scarborough, Nate Nall, Lawrence Jackson, Sam Copeland and John Kizilarmut on board, the musicianship level is amazingly high."
Ashlock continued, "If you know your KC jazz history, groups like the Basie band would spontaneously improvise new melodies - as an ensemble - while the rhythm section grooved all night long. Every night, they’d revisit these riffs and develop them into tunes we know like “One O’Clock Jump,” “Jumpin’ at The Woodside,” and more. Riff Generation, our exciting new ensemble, will create music together through rehearsal and performance in that manner, but firmly planted in the 21st century. It will be an amazing representation of what jazz music is all about, with deep love, respect, soul, and swing.”
The inaugural roster of artists for 2022 includes:
Saxophones
Jim Pisano
Todd Wilkinson
Trumpets
Nate Nall
Lawrence Jackson
Trombones
Jason Goudeau
Brian Scarborough
Vocals/Looping
Kelley Gant
Piano/Keyboard
Eddie Moore
Bass
Sam Copeland
Drums
John Kizilarmut
Learn more about Riff Generation and purchase tickets at www.kcjo.org/riff-generation
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