Bring your instrument and sit in at the weekly Blue Monday Jam Session – or just take in the sounds of one of Kansas City’s best jam sessions. Each Monday night begins with a set by a featured ensemble and then we open the mic to interested musicians. Doors open at 5:00 pm, live music starts at 7:00 pm, jam session starts at 8:00 pm. Arrive early to sign up!

For this week's featured ensemble, visit https://americanjazzmuseum.org/blueroom

The tide was turning – though many states in the South disagreed.  It would soon be illegal to segregate black Americans on public buses, in waiting rooms, or in restaurants. And yet, in the early 1960s, some cities and towns in America kept actively discriminating.  It was time to draw attention to illegal discrimination, and face terrifying violence with peaceful resistance.

This is a story of everyday people becoming a civil rights movement, taking on the establishment and changing the world.  What does it mean for people to come together and rise up?   And what do we think about segregation in relation to the present?

Prepare to be “all shook up” because Elvis has entered the building! This unique program showcases Kansas City Symphony musicians playing works that call for one, three, five, seven and nine players. Hear selections from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, a Martinů nonet and Michael Daugherty’s Dead Elvis, which features a solo bassoonist as The King. Arrive early or stay late to mingle over a drink in the Kauffman Center’s beautiful Brandmeyer Great Hall. Cash bar opens at 5 p.m. Sponsored by Lead Bank. Reserve your FREE general admission tickets starting Thursday, August 1 by visiting kcsymphony.org.

Inspired by real world events, this boisterous new musical opens with a handful of government cronies at a support group for people who started the Iraq war. Crashing through time and remixing musical styles, Baghdaddy takes a witty and irreverent look at the questionable intelligence and hubris that led to one of the most colossal military blunders in recent history.

One of the most powerful plays of our time written by one of the giants of American theatre! A southern family celebrates the 65th birthday of their patriarch, but the mood is somber and strange because of the secrets among the gatherers. Brimming with intensity and wit, this treasured work features motifs such as social mores, greed, superficiality, decay, desire, repression, and death. Filled with everything you’d ever want in a truly great play – conflict, complications, suspense, climax, and a stunning conclusion.

5:30-6:00pm | Company Open Rehearsal
6:00-7:00pm | Panel Discussion
Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity

Come experience a choreographer at work in the studio creating new movement to well-known music! This inspiring panel and company rehearsal of the ballet Carmina Burana, provides the community-at-large an opportunity to hear guest choreographer Adam Hougland, Kansas City Ballet dancers and special guests share their personal insights around bringing this world premiere ballet to the stage. Moderated by Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney, includes an audience Q and A.

"Charles Perkins’ alto sax has soared since standing out in the 1980s’ New Breed Orchestra. Whether quoting, note for note, a Charlie Parker solo or rapidly weaving in and out of his own smartly conceived, complex lines, Perkins has always been worth seeking out." – Larry Kopitnik, The Pitch

Indigo Hour in The Blue Room features drink specials, free live music, and the best Kansas City R&B and Neo-Soul acts every Friday night from 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm.

For this week's featured ensemble, visit amercianjazzmuseum.org/blueroom

In a musical career spanning nearly 40 years, Tyrone Clark, born in Chicago, has played professionally since he was eighteen. Although adept in a variety of musical genres, Clark’s concept and interpretation of playing is stylistically best described as rooted in the Kansas City jazz tradition. Described by a fellow musician, Clark is one of the few who impeccably delivers that style. He is a “full” bassist and always right there – “just when you need him.” His sure drive and sense of rhythm and melody impress audiences and musicians alike.

Such proficiency has placed Clark on stage and in studio alongside such talents as: Author Prysock, Hank Crawford, Eddie Harris, Benny Golson, Cyrus Chestnut, Nicholas Payton, Milt Jackson, Billy Taylor, Max Roach, Kevin Mahogany, Luqman Hamza, Lisa Henry, Ahmad Alaadeen, Ronnel Bright, The Pete Eye Trio, and The Madden Brothers.

FREE ADMISSION  TO AJM ALL DAY
Open 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Reserve ticket here

JAZZ STORYTELLING

10:00 am -11:00 am
This program introduces kids to the sounds and styles of jazz, America’s art form! JAZZ Storytelling features an internationally renowned cast including vocalist Lisa Henry, storyteller Brother John, bassist Tyrone Clark, and drummer Mike Warren. In the Museum’s atrium.

FILM SCREENING: CHASING TRANE

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Celebrate the birthday of the legendary jazz musician with a film screening of the documentary "Chasing Trane." Covering the life and work of Coltrane, including commentary from Denzel Washington, Carlos Santana, Common, Cornell West, Bill Clinton and others. Drawings and raffle prizes! In the Gem Theater.

The only thing harder than breaking into Hollywood is breaking out.

This risqué rom-com transplants Mozart’s trademark melodies to 1930s Tinseltown, where a “legitimate businessman” kidnaps a dishy deb with even prettier pipes and locks her away in his swanky nightclub.

While her honey puts together a plan to free the club’s new canary from her cage, her singing sparks a sweetness beneath the intimidating exterior of the buttoned-up boss. But with a gorilla guarding the door to her dressing room, it’ll take more than a little luck to break her outta the joint. Until then, the showgirl must go on.

Photos by Brittney Werner for New Orleans Opera.

Over the years, Ida McBeth's repertoire has included pop-style ballads, jazz and blues, show tunes, funk, R&B, gospel and well known standards.

Critics have described her as “a jazz singer,” “a blues singer,” “a pop singer” and “a cabaret singer.” Still others have referred to her as “a story teller,” “a professor emeritus of body language,” “a consummate actress” and “the complete entertainer.”

Jason Seber, David T. Beals III Associate Conductor

From Earth to space and galaxies beyond, join your Kansas City Symphony for a scientific symphonic exploration. We’ll blast off in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing as we discover the planets and solar system through story, song and symphonic space travel. Tickets start at $25 for adults and $10 for children.

The Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra is the premier latin music ensemble of the Midwest. Founded and directed by percussionist Pablo Sanhueza, KCLJO is the first performance and education non-profit in the Midwestern United States dedicated to salsa and latin jazz. With 40,000 audience members reached in 2018 in the broader KC region and American Southwest, the Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra is an intercultural, intergenerational organization, bringing transnational experiences to the stage, the dance floor and diverse communities.

Saxophonist Doug Talley has performed with such jazz luminaries as Jay McShann, Clark Terry, Bob Mintzer, Claude "Fiddler" Williams, Bobby Watson, Karrin Allyson, Byron Stripling, Ignacio Berroa, Randy Brecker, Scott Robinson and Gary Foster. He is a familiar face throughout the Midwest as a jazz performer and educator. Talley has also appeared at the 18th & Vine Festival, the Kansas Jazz and Blues Festival, the Kansas City Spirit Festival, the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Festival, Mayport Jazz Festival, and in Las Vegas with The Four Freshman, The Platters and The Diamonds.

Vocalist Julie Turner has long been a favorite on the Kansas City jazz scene. Her smooth voice has a versatile range and passionate intimacy that pleases all audiences, whether she's interpreting the greats like Cole Porter and George Gershwin, to The Beatles, Norah Jones, or singing her own compositions. Add to that her engaging, magnetic personality, and you will see and hear what makes Julie a hit wherever she performs.

In the company of Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, this International Jazz Ambassador makes musical magic when she greets the microphone. With her sincere, warm vocal delivery, classic vocal interpretations and unique improvisations, Lisa takes the listener to musical Nirvana.

Directed by Steven D. Davis. The program features Conservatory faculty Zachary Shemon performing Joel Love's Solace, A Lyric Concerto for alto saxophone and wind ensemble. Shemon is a member of the lauded PRISM Quartet and enjoys a versatile solo and chamber performance career. Love's music is the only two-time winner of the PARMA Recordings Composition Competition. The program also features Grammy-nominated composer Adam Schoenberg's Picture Studies, which was commissioned by the Kansas City Symphony and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Schoenberg based this work on eight works of mart from the museum. The evening opens with Donald Hunsberger's transcription of Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, featuring the beautiful Helzberg Hall organ.

London’s The Kingdom Choir is best known for their show-stopping rendition of “Stand by Me” at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018. The performance, seen by a global audience of over 2 billion, instantly catapulted The Kingdom Choir to worldwide fame.

Jack Hanna has explored the corners of the globe as America’s favorite zookeeper. In “Into the Wild Live!” Hanna will share stories and footage from his worldwide adventures. A visit from Jungle Jack wouldn't be complete without an array of animals such as cheetahs, kangaroos, penguins and more. Fans of all ages will learn more about these fascinating animals in this show.

Boyz II Men remains one of the most iconic R&B groups in music history, offering fans a rich catalogue of hits filled with smooth harmonies and enduring themes. The band has penned and performed some of the most celebrated classics of the past two decades and continues to create timeless hits that appeal to fans across all generations. Throughout their 25-year career, Boyz II Men has won four GRAMMY Awards, nine American Music Awards, nine Soul Train Awards, three Billboard Awards, and a 2011 MOBO Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as a Casino Entertainment Award for their acclaimed residency at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The trio holds the distinction of being the best-selling R&B group of all time, with 60 million albums sold.

In celebration of The Beatles’ 50th anniversary of the White Album, the Kauffman Center welcomes It Was Fifty Years Ago Today – Tour 2019. A tribute to The Beatles' White Album, this performance features an all-star lineup including Christopher Cross, Todd Rundgren, Micky Dolenz (The Monkees), Jason Scheff (Chicago), Joey Molland (Badfinger), and musical director Joey Curatolo, who also directed music for RAIN: A Tribute to The Beatles. Hear some of rock’s biggest legends perform their greatest hits and pay homage to one of modern music’s most influential albums – The Beatles’ White Album.