She sang at the White House, around the world. Next: A concert in hometown Kansas City
Lisa Henry is one of the most important jazz singers to hail from Kansas City. Her name may not be as immediately recognizable as Kevin Mahogany or Karrin Allyson, but she has made her mark in jazz, both in the United States and around the world.
As part of its season of “Conversations,” the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra conducted by Clint Ashlock will be joined by Henry for an autobiographical concert Feb. 9 and 10 at the Folly Theater.
“I think jazz music can be defined as artistic conversation,’” Ashlock said. “It’s improvised musical language shared onstage in the moment. It’s storytelling. Lisa is embodying this by telling her story.”
And what a story it is. Henry began singing in the Baptist church when she was only 6. She started listening to Billie Holiday and Miles Davis when she was 12. At 17, she was studying with Hammond B-3 organ master Everette DeVan. Henry got her start singing with big bands with the Vince Bilardo Big Band and Steve Miller Orchestra. In 1994, she won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition.
“That’s a huge deal,” Ashlock said. “Pretty much immediately after that, she became part of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, and toured Africa and Chile and has been a huge part of the international jazz scene.”
Henry was also featured in the PBS Special “In Performance at the White House” and BET documentaries. She is International Jazz Ambassador to Africa, has made many recordings and is noted as an advocate for jazz education worldwide.
“For me, Lisa embodies the personality of Kansas City jazz music,” Ashlock said. “Her rhythmic feel, the way she swings, the way she interprets a melody. But she’s also very contemporary. She’s wickedly intelligent. She combines that jazz sensibility with a contemporary awareness of cultural situations and anti-racism.”
The orchestra will warm up the audience with some numbers on its own.
“We’re doing a couple of Duke Ellington’s tunes before Lisa comes on because they’re bluesy and get everybody in a good mood,” Ashlock said. “We’re also doing a couple of jazz standards that I arranged, ’Cherokee’ and ‘The Night has a Thousand Eyes.’ Also, there’s a composition by Carla Bley. She was a big part of the avant-garde free jazz movement and is an amazing big band composer.”
When Henry comes on, Ashlock says she is going to take the audience on an autobiographical journey.
“She has a whole storyline to tell through music and visuals,” Ashlock said. “Her life in music, her mentors, like Dianne Reeves, who was a big influence on Lisa. She said that Dianne was one of her judges for the Monk competition, and then they got to know each other and became friends. So we’re going to do a Dianne Reeves tune.”
Henry is also the survivor of an aneurysm, and she will remember that momentous event with Ashlock’s arrangement of the Sting song “Fragile.”
“Stevie Wonder did that tune, and I’m arranging it for big band for Lisa to sing with us. I think it’s going to be a really intimate and personal concert. I think folks will enjoy the realness and intimacy. It’s right at the heart of what jazz and art is.”
8 p.m. Feb. 9 and 2 p.m. Feb. 10. Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St. $20-$100. kcjo.org.
International Center for Music
Timothy Hankewich is coming back to town. Remember him? He was the very friendly and charismatic resident conductor of the Kansas City Symphony for seven years, back in the aughts. He’ll be leading the Park University ICM Orchestra in a Valentine’s concert Feb. 9 at Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel.
The program will include lots of smoochy music, like Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” Schubert’s Serenade, Bach’s Air on the G String and the yummy slow movement from Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21. Do you feel your heart going pitter-patter yet?
7:30 p.m. Feb. 9. Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel, 8700 N.W. River Park Drive, Parkville. Free, but RSVP required. icm.park.edu.
You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.
