Calvin Wilson

August 29, 2019

Fall Season Lookahead: Jazz

Jazz recordings have their merits, but the music is arguably best appreciated in live performance. And atmosphere — influenced by the size and nature of the venue — plays a significant role in that experience. There’s no shortage of places to hear jazz in the Kansas City area, but the following venues are particularly worth seeking out.

July 15, 2019

Arts News: KC Chorale Brings Gravitas and Grace to New CD

Under conductor and artistic director Charles Bruffy, the Kansas City Chorale has established itself as an ensemble of international importance. “Artifacts: The Music of Michael..

March 18, 2019

Honors: Marcus Lewis

Whether as a bandleader or as a sideman, jazz trombonist Marcus Lewis has embraced his artistry. And his approach to music has not gone unnoticed.Last year, the Charlotte Street Foundation selected the Kansas City musician as a 2018 Generative Performing Artist Fellow.

March 15, 2019

Arts News: Kansas Music Hall of Fame Honors 2019 Inductees

Is induction into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame similar to being named to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

January 23, 2019

‘The Body as a Lens to Look at Everything’

In the biographical statement on the back of her new book, Wyatt Townley is described as living at “the curious intersection of poetry and poetry-in-motion.” And her rhythmic command of her chosen literary medium bears that out. “Rewriting the Body” is the fourth and latest poetry collection by Townley, a Shawnee Mission resident who was Kansas Poet Laureate from 2013 to 2015.

November 21, 2018

Arts News: KC Filmmaker Examines Challenges Facing Black Police Officers in ‘Black and Blue’

In recent years a recurring image has appeared in the news: police officers in riot gear confronting Black protesters in urban neighborhoods. In most cases,..

October 31, 2018

WWI Museum & Memorial Commemorates Armistice with Installation of Poppy Sculptures

World War II looms so large in the collective American memory that the global conflict that preceded it is often overlooked. But the role U.S...

October 2, 2018

The Job: Doreen Maronde

Doreen Maronde has a passion for jazz. And it didn’t stop when she left her job at Johnson County Community College. As a volunteer, Maronde continues to program two jazz series at JCCC that she originated: the Winterlude concerts offered as part of Carlsen Center Presents, and the noontime Jazz Recital Series on Tuesdays.

September 11, 2018

Ramsey Lewis Heads Up Star-Studded Folly Jazz Lineup

Jazz is an oft misunderstood art form. Far too many folks are wary of it, uncertain about how to process a music whose very nature..

Author: Calvin Wilson