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Longtime trumpeter celebrates Kansas City's Jazz Orchestra's 20th Anniversary

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Sean Jones is an internationally recognized educator and president of the Jazz Education Network. Sean also holds the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies at The John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore.
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Sean Jones is president of the Jazz Education Network and holds the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies at John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore.

Jazz trumpeter Sean Jones is known in the jazz world as a force of nature. He’ll be in Kansas City on Sept. 30 to play with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.

As a child growing up in Warren, Ohio, Sean Jones sang and performed with his church choir. But around age 10, he switched from playing the drums to the trumpet.

Many musicians don't play the trumpet because of its difficulty, Jones says. But he believes that was one of the main reasons he wanted to master it.

"I really loved the challenge of playing the instrument itself as a young person, age of 10, 11, 12. I was fascinated by difficult things," Jones says. "I was the kid that always wanted to do chemistry sets and the challenges. So, once I picked up the trumpet and I realized even though it had three buttons it was pretty difficult. But I quickly fell in love with that challenge."

Now he plays trumpet across the world. He comes to Kansas City to play with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra as it celebrates 20 years of performances, education programs and dedication to the rich heritage of jazz and its growth.

Sean Jones performs at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30 in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Click here for tickets

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