Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*The Kansas City musician Marvin Jones has died.

*Johnnie’s Jazz Bar & Grille in downtown Kansas City will transform into a Harry Potter-themed space for seven days in April.

*Steve Paul filmed a portion of Steve Cardenas’ appearance at recordBar.  Joe Dimino documented Angela Ward Trio’s recent midday show at the Blue Room.

*Marc Myers admires Frank Foster at JazzWax.

*Tweet of the Week: Michael Eaton- I'm in Kansas City on April 20, playing with Second Nature Ensemble for the EMAS series at @CharlotteStreetaround 8:30pm. A great concert series worth your support! SN is a mix of free jazz, new music, and electronic music, aiming to do something different in KC jazz + improv.

Concert Review: Vanessa Rubin at Lincoln Hall

A free concert in Portland, Oregon, on Monday, March 7, unexpectedly evoked of the sound of Kansas City.  Vanessa Rubin and the Portland State University Jazz Ensemble under the direction of George Colligan wondrously transported an audience of 100 at a dignified campus facility to a rowdy Kansas City nightclub.

Count Basie, Ronnell Bright, Frank Foster, Bobby Watson and Frank Wess were among the Kansas City-affiliated artists name-checked by the vocalist during the swinging performance.  The formidable talent documented on Rubin’s five major label albums in the 1990s hasn’t diminished.

Many members of the extremely impressive student ensemble beamed with delight as Rubin revealed an old-school sensibility worthy of comparison to Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Maye. Tradition-minded jazz fans in Kansas City won’t want to miss Rubin’s appearance at the Blue Room on Saturday, March 26.