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Kansas City's inaugural Jazz and Heritage Festival accomplished something rarely seen in town: A genuinely diverse crowd of people enjoying themselves.For…
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Stik FigaCentral Standard (Mello Music Group)Central Standard, the latest release by the Topeka-based rapper Stik Figa, chronicles the struggles of a man…
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John GoolsbyThe MidwestFor the past few years, John Goolsby’s performances at places like Knuckleheads' Gospel Lounge have generally been solo — a…
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Big ScoobH.O.G. (Strange Music)Years before Tech N9ne became internationally known, before his Strange Music empire dominated Kansas City hip-hop — and…
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The Grisly Hand Hearts & Stars Since 2009, The Grisly Hand has been a band that’s comfortable in its own skin, equally content and holding its own whether…
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The Dino Massa Kansas City QuintetEchoes of Europe (Artists Recording Collective)Echoes of Europe, a collaboration between the Italian pianist Dino Masso…
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MbirdMercyFlightMegan Birdsall has long been a Kansas City jazz darling, her slight presence a contradiction to the voice that's filled the corners of…
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A La Mode C’est Si BonGypsy jazz — or, probably more appropriately, Django jazz — is a booming style in Kansas City.This sub-genre, built around the silky…
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BerwangerExorcism RockThe cover of Berwanger’s new one, Exorcism Rock, brazenly claims brand new territory for the band, and for Josh Berwanger, the…
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Erik VoeksSo the Wind Won’t Blow It All Away (Hanky Panky Records)Until now, singer-songwriter Erik Voeks had one album to his name: Sandbox, released in…
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Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7Soul Jazz Fridays (Sunflower Soul Records)“Hip Shaker,” the rapturously funky opening salvo of Soul Jazz Fridays, is an…
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Adam Lee Sincerely, MeFrom the instant Adam Lee’s voice sneaks up through a happy Ben Folds-style piano vamp and sultry, jazzy horns on “Son of a Gun,”…