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.