blues/jazz

As a teen, Elana James grew up busking on the streets of Kansas City. Now a professional musician, James is the co-founder of Hot Club of Cowtown, a jazz and swing band that's performing at the Folly Theater on Jan. 18.

After 20 years, veteran jazz performer Tim Whitmer is out with a new album. Recorded live at the Black Dolphin, the two-disc record captures the sound and energy of Kansas City jazz.

Taylor Swift isn’t in town, but her connections will make a local impact at Travis Kelce’s music festival and Jack Antonoff’s show at Grinders. Kansas City legend Tech N9ne, revenge song expert Ashley McBryde, and blues slinger Gary Clark Jr. round out the concert calendar.

Danielle Nicole, Kansas City's most popular blues artist, is proud of how far she's come. She's releasing her 10th album — and this time, she owns her music. Plus: Will Kansas ever legalize marijuana?

An uptick in this February concert calendar’s momentousness is the first sign that spring shows will be here before you know it. For now, performances from world-renowned artists like Ricky Martin, Enrique Iqlesias, Marty Stuart and Delfeayo Marsalis will have to suffice.

After rebuilding her music career twice, Danielle Nicole's new album shows her claiming her power — and the ownership rights to her recordings. “I've put out 10 records,” she said. “And this is the first time I haven't felt screwed.”

Appearances by the astonishingly versatile Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a band led by the heralded Jason Isbell, and the vintage jazz revivalists Hot Sardines headline this month’s live music offerings.

Since 2017, the Kansas City Streetcar Holiday Jam brings live music and local musicians to crowds of tourists and shoppers traveling between Union Station and River Market.

D.C. Bellamy, a popular band leader on Kansas City blues stages, grew up in Chicago listening to his half-brother, Curtis Mayfield, rehearse with the Impressions in their living room. Bellamy's own songs were recorded by stars such as Coco Montoya and Otis Clay, and he toured with the Chi-Lites, the Staple Singers, Bob Seger and others.

Ten years ago on a cold dark night of the soul, Freight Train Rabbit Killer began its life as a scary band/opera/near-death experience for Kansas City music fans. This Halloween season, there's a flurry of live shows to celebrate their new record.

This month may signal the end of summer, but Kansas City's selection of musical offerings will stay hot. To make sense of all the options, we pared the list down to simply the best.

Women gained the right to vote in 1920. But Black women didn't get the full right until 1965, even though they'd been involved in the fight since the 1800s. That's the topic of an event in Kansas City this Sunday honoring local Black suffragists.