Wynton Marsalis, one of the greatest living trumpeters, is returning to Kansas City
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by artistic director Wynton Marsalis since 1991, has visited Kansas City many times over the years, thanks to the Harriman-Jewell Series. The series brings these musicians back for a reason. Kansas City loves them!
They will make another return visit Oct. 20 at the Folly Theater.
The group is made up of some of America’s finest jazz musicians, and, of course, the Juilliard-trained Marsalis is one of the greatest living trumpeters. His silver tone makes any music come alive, whether it’s Duke Ellington or Franz Joseph Haydn.
The Folly Theater program will be announced from the stage, but you can be sure the orchestra will perform a wide-ranging program of jazz classics and new works. Marsalis reveres the history of jazz and regularly honors it in his programming for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
His devotion to the classics embroiled the trumpeter in controversy in the mid ’90s. He was critical of fusion jazz, hip-hop and rap. Of course, other musicians took umbrage and started trying to characterize Marsalis as a reactionary and middling trumpet player. He defended his position, though, and as Marsalis said, “You can’t enter a battle and expect not to get hurt.”
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra consistently proves that the reactionary label is totally unfair and mistaken. Marsalis makes a point of regularly programming new music. He proves that just as a classical ensemble can play both avant-garde music and Beethoven symphonies, his orchestra can play music that has just been composed or give a smoking performance of jazz standards.
Marsalis told me one time that he loved Kansas City for many reasons, but especially for its jazz heritage. Maybe that’s why the New Orleans native returns so often. And no matter how many times he comes to Kansas City, his concerts will always be one of the hottest tickets in town.
7 p.m. Oct. 20. Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St. $12.50-$90. 816-415-5025 or hjseries.org.
Friends of Chamber Music — Voces8
For serious choral music fans, any concert by Voces8 is a don’t-miss. For casual listeners, too, because with its lush harmonies and transcendent voices, this group can turn anyone into a choral music lover.
The Friends of Chamber Music presents Voces8 on Oct. 21 at Village Presbyterian Church. The program, celebrating the group’s 20th anniversary, will include works spanning centuries, from Monteverdi to Arvo Pärt.
Many of the pieces rank among the greatest chorals works ever written, like Allegri’s “Miserere,” composed during the 1630s exclusively for the Sistine Chapel. Rumors of the haunting work spread throughout Europe, but the Sistine Chapel closely guarded it.
When he was 14, Mozart and his father Leopold visited the Sistine Chapel, where they got to hear the Allegri masterpiece. Later that night, Mozart wrote down the complete work from memory., busting the Sistine Chapel’s “Miserere” monopoly.
Voces8 will also perform music by several contemporary composers, including Caroline Shaw, Paul Smith and Ola Gjeilo. All in all it’s a fitting program to celebrate this outstanding choir.
7:30 p.m. Oct. 21. Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village. $44. 816-766-1096 or chambermusic.org
Time Pieces: An Interlude with Duo Âme
Flute and harp is a musical match made in heaven, and yet we rarely get to hear this sublime combination in concert. Thankfully, Kansas City has flutist Mary Jamerson and harpist Brooke Knoll, who have recently formed Duo Âme, or Soul Duo. The duo will give a recital in the beautiful Hyde Park home of John Gregory on Oct. 22.
The program has a Gallic sophistication, which makes sense since French composers wrote some of the most gorgeous music for flute and harp. Jamerson and Knoll will perform works by Chausson, Damase and Debussy, as well as Spanish composers, like Granados and Albéniz. There will be some surprises, too, including a piece by Arvo Pärt.
You’ll feel like you’re in Marcel Proust’s salon, especially with the madeleines and tea that will be served afterward. Seating is limited, though, so you’re encouraged to purchase tickets soon.
3 p.m. Oct. 22. 3728 Holmes St. $25. tinyurl.com/nnk7ttpn.
You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.
